While daddy's away (Episode 1.5): General Conference

We sure love when daddy's home. 
All the simple things.

And when he's not, we just learn to appreciate him when he is.

Seeing as this weekend was the semi-annual General Conference, 

I figured we could use some Aunty/Grandma back up.

 So after a lovely night...

It was out to Grandma Bretzke's (which McKye refuses to call anything but "Jaci's house!")
There's a high degree of togetherness as you can tell. And you can also tell by his outfit (?) that Aaron feels at home there too :)

 We went up to the church to watch the sessions and Aunty Jaci supervised the boys in the nursery. Well that was after our short lived attempt at being in the chapel (we were quite the visual aid for the first few talks on children. One elderly gentleman came up to me and said he commended me for bringing my "youngins"...I'm assuming he enjoyed me running all the way across the rostrum after a run away Levi.)

We re-did our craft from last conference....
McKye's fashion sense has got a little more colourful apparently.

You can always count on Grandma Bretzke have her freezer stocked with fudgsicles, 

to show love via yumminess to her grandsons.

I love how my mother-in-law helps me feel like a good mom. 

She's so encouraging, sympathetic and complimentary.  

I always tell her she's the goal. 

Not sure she believes me, but honestly her dedicated, loving approach really is the ideal in my head.

So glad we have such a strong relationship. 

Plus, though I may be a bit biased, I'd say, from how he turned out, she did one heck of a job raising her eldest son!

 Speaking of Benny-boy, he ended up beating us home Saturday night (came home to quite the disaster of a house...his poor wife is figuring out she can't do it all, so she might as well leave out the boring stuff:)

We stayed home for conference today.  Not gonna lie, my kids mostly watched netflix in the next room, but I did manage to get them to participate in a few conference themed activities long enough to take a few pictures.

Little latter-day prophet memory

He REALLY got excited when he found a "MaaaaaaaTCH!

A little conference bingo
(saw someone do it with Smarties, my kids would have them eaten in a minute!)

Little tent chillin'

Little napping

And the real reason we're glad to have Ben home...
best mashed potatoes on the world!!! (on Sunday-style paper plates.)

A nice weekend. 

Chelsea's Conference Highlights (to be delved into more deeply once the transcripts are up, jotted don here before I forget)

-Sister Beck was released (okay not really a highlight) Everyone knows I love her! Elder Holland put it perfectly "[To those released] we will remember and love you always, just as we immediately love those called." Im so grateful we live in a time when I can still look up and study Sister Becks words, and feel of her strong Spirit and passion for this work and the women who engage in it.

- How quickly the internet flooded with images of Elder David Archuleta in the MTC choir!

-Elder Baxter's beautiful message to single parents

-McKye calling out "Prezadent EYE-ing!" and "Prezadent Ooop-door!" when they were conducting

-Elder Rasband's beautiful message concerning some of the "sweetest spirits"... it will be re-read and quoted and re-quoted here in the Bretzke house (and blog).

-Hearing the choir sing my favorite arrangement of "Come Thou Fount". More than any other hymn, I think I conveys the feelings of my heart the best. 

-Elder Ballard rallying message to families.

-Elder Larry Y. Wilson teachings about helping our children practise holding the moral reins, making decisions and learning to exercise their agency. 

That the one main goal as parents was To help their children establish their own connection to heaven. Love that so much!

I also loved his sweet example from the Monson home-- "Look who's here! Aren't we glad!" I always knew I was loved.

-Subjecting secular things to the Spiritual 

-Elder Neil Anderson scriptural paraphrase of the seeking question "What thinks Christ of me?"

And the heart-wrenching account of the family in Haiti, digging through the rubble of their home to rescue their three children everyone had presumed dead. Their five year old leading them with his voice singing his favorite Primary song "I am a Child of God"

Conference is a lot to take in (especially while re-filling sippy-cups and intervening in constant toddler squabbles). But I am grateful to feel the overall Spirit of the hope and faith the gospel brings. To feel the Lords willingness to direct and guide us, inspire and encourage us. To communicate His will in clear, simply ways so we can follow and find peace and growth. 

For the next six months, this will be my manual-- my resource of strength, focus, as well as needed boosts of spiritual perspective. 

How grateful I am for General Conference.