I know that this Chart may not look like much, but it's huge for the Rasmussen Family. We as a family needed to do better about having Family Home Evenings/Scripture Study and Saying all of our prayers. I personally had a nagging feeling lately I just wasn't doing enough teaching the gospel to my children and being consistent with prayers. I need this to change. Don't get me wrong we do say prayers, over food and at bed times, but I wanted to be better at having more family prayers. It's been a struggle for many reasons that are personal and I don't want to discuss in to much detail. The biggest reason is my husbands work schedules, it just throws me off, it's just something we have to work with it's not his fault. He works from 2:00 in the afternoon until 10:00 at night. So as you can see Family Home EVENING is not really happening. We now like to call it Family Home AFTERNOON in our family, Just kidding, we still call in FHE. Also having evening prayers as a family has been tough to remember because Jerry is gone at work. So I was just plain frustrated and annoyed with myself that I could get this basis tasks put into my life more consistently. This is something the Lord has asked us to do, and I felt like I was letting him , myself and my family down by not doing these basic things. I know that we have needed this for a while and I can already feel the difference it has been making. It is very hard to admit these thing I am struggling with but that brings me to my next point. I wanted to blog this so that I could let out into the world of blog readers so that I could hold myself more accountable for the things I am trying to achieve. So by putting myself out there and letting you know my weaknesses maybe it can motivate me to stay on track and to do better. I thought that if I got the kids involved, making it a family goal to do better, it maybe easier to achieve more consistency. The basic ideas is I made a chart for two weeks, and each person has four little squares for the day to fill in with their choice of stickers. I bought a big variety of stickers, character ones and all to get the kids excited. To get all your stickers you have to participate in Morning Family Prayer, F.H.E, (when it's not Monday it's Scripture study), Evening Family Prayer, and Individual Prayers. I do help the Kids with their individual prayers. It's been a hit so far, the kids are super excited to place the stickers on the Chart and even Jerry likes to pick a sticker out and put in on the chart. Their excitement has made this welcome change easier. I can truly say after only a week so far it has made a huge difference in my home. I can feel the spirit more, there is more of a sense of family unity, and there is less contention in the home. This is what we have been needing and missing for awhile now. It's so hard to admit I have struggled to have FHE/Scripture study and more Family Prayers, but maybe putting it out there it will inspire others and let them know their not alone either. I'm very excited about the change happening in my home and the blessings we have been receiving just after a week of this. I have a testimony that prayer does change things, and the Lord has asked us to have FHE for a reason, to help strengthen families against Satan's gasp. I am excited about this new leaf I have turned and hope to continue to strive to so better each day.
Yes by the title you read it right, it snowed in Alabama. February 12, 2010 in Enterprise, Alabama was a day to always remember. There was rumors of 1 up to 4 inches of snow the day before and I was not falling for it. They have said that in the past, but with all this crazy weather happening lately everywhere else, why not here right. Well, everything was cancelled, I mean everything, for a measly 3 inches. I guess if you aren't use to snow, 3 inches is a huge amount of snow. All the schools were closed and even some roads. Well as predicted it started snowing at 7:00 in the morning until about 4:30pm . I have never seen my kids get dress so fast in my life. Usually it a chore, not today. We when out as fast as we could to play in the white stuff not knowing how long it would last. I dressed them in three layers of pants, Kate had rain boots to wear, Caleb just his tennis shoes, and their winter coats (which have been used maybe 3 time before this time, crazy how warm it is down here) and I did what I remembered doing as a kid sometimes when my mittens where still wet, I resorted to socks. I ended up putting about three pair of socks on each kid. Now we were ready to go, I'm so glad I don't have to do the whole getting snow gear on all the time, it's exhausting. The kids where having so much fun, hey I was having way too much fun too. This was Caleb's and our dogs first time playing in snow. Caleb was only 7 months last year when he saw it in Utah. This was his first time playing in it. He was so excited he kept walking around looking down at his feet babbling like Charlie Brown. He loved it until Kate decided to try and throw a dinner plate size snow ball at me and missed and hit her brother right in the face. Nice initiation eh to the world of snowm eh. Caleb got over it quickly and began to play again. Sadie our dog didn't want to even touch it at first, then she started running all over with what we call the "zoom -zooms". Sadie rolled around in it and chased snowballs all day, it was funny after we threw the snowball she couldn't quite find the ball after she chased it, to funny. Kate was ecstatic, she said Mommy, Mommy it's snowing like at my Grandma's houses. I was so happy for her, she asked me last year when we left Utah if it would snow where we lived I said probably not, well she got her wish one year later. I believe anything is possible now. We have lived here for 6 years and I have never seen snow like this. Kate and I made a little snow man in the backyard with the first little bit of snow fall, I helped her make a little one thinking that was as big as we could probably make with the snow we were going to get. I was wrong, it snowed a ton more. After we came inside for a break we had Hot Chocolate and waited for the Clothes to dry in the dryer to go out again. Jerry then help build a large, I mean huge snow man in the front yard, it put my little snowman I made with Kate to shame. How was I supposed to know we would get way more snow. Kate and Caleb loved helping roll the snowballs for the snowman. We ended up deciding to make a whole snowman family one for each member in our family. We had all our neighbors come out and they all wanted to take a picture with our snowman. Each would tell us how long they lived here and that they have never seen this much snow and this much snow that actually stuck to the ground. We live by quiet a few of elderly people. So you know that this was something really unique. They would say they lived here over 30 years and have never seen this before. We even had several people drive by and take pictures of our creation, even the Postman, it was so neat to talk and meet more of my neighbors. I had a blast. It was that perfect fluffy flakes that are so big you can catch them on your tongue. It's the kind of snow you love to just take a walk in. I sure do miss the snow. I know all you cold weather state people want to strangle me right now. We spent the whole day from sun up to sun down playing in the snow. It was so fun to share this experience with my kids. My southern babies just don't ever get a chance to really see and play in snow so this made for great, free, fun entertainment for the day. It was really great family time as well, all working together to build each other snowman, it was great. I thought I was going to miss seeing snow this season for the first time in my life because we didn't go to Utah for our normal Christmas visit, but I was wrong it amazingly enough came to us. What a day to remember, snow in Alabama! The weather man reported up getting 5-6 inches of snow, so even more than predicted. Words can seem to express the joy and fun we had as family yesterday. A day of firsts for many, first time seeing snow in Alabama, a first time for Caleb and Sadie to play in snow, and Kate making her first official snowman. What a day, to much fun for words and somewhat unbelievable that it actually happen. 
