Freedom is never free

With all I see going on in Iran right now I am once again reminded of how grateful I am for freedom. I do not like the policies of our sitting president, but I am grateful for the freedom to express how I feel and for another's freedom to disagree with me. Real freedom comes, however, when we choose to follow our Heavenly Father. No government or person can take that away. Please pray for the Iranian people and that they may have the freedom they seek.

Please Heavenly Father...

There is nothing sweeter than hearing a child's prayer, but there is also nothing funnier than some of the things they prayer for...
Tonight's prayer from Hannah:
... And bless Jayden to stop saying suck in class...
And a clip of Riley's prayer:
... bless the monkey's-- ooohh, oohhh, ahhh (monkey sound effects), bless the dogs, bless the sharks, bless the sharks not to eat me...

After I put her in the bed, sang and left the room she (Riley) began to cry. I went in to see if she was okay and she said that she didn't want to go back to the beach. Those sharks must really scare her!! While we were at the beach last week she would cry any time we went near the water and plead, "go dat (that) way, mama," while pointing towards the cottage. I am going to have to work on this shark thing-- I love the beach too much!

Heaven

I shouldn't be blogging right now. I should be curled up in my bed getting some rest after a week of no sleep at the beach. (I will post some cute pics in a couple of days!) I was so tired driving home I was afraid that I wouldn't make it with my 4 precious girls, but here we are safe thanks to prayer, Laffy Taffy, soda with caffeine (which I NEVER drink--I don't really like soda much), gum and nuts (one at a time and I can stay awake).

I already miss all my family that I just don't get to see enough, especially my brothers and sisters-- who I really adore! They are so great with my kids and we have a lot of good laughs and sometimes cries together. We pig out on food that we shouldn't eat and stay up too late, but it is so great to feel like a kid again with them. Then I went to facebook and was reminded that I needed to thank a dear friend, who served with her husband as missionaries in Boone when I lived there, for a baby gift she sent to Macy... And I thought I really miss so many people who have been so dear to me at different points in my life and then we both have to move on, but their imprint remains a part of me and we remain in touch-though never as much as I would like. And I wonder how will it be in heaven? Can we live near all the people we love? Can we live on the street with the people we love and can't seem to see often enough here in mortality? Also there are so many people I want to meet-- so many ancestors that I have researched and studied about. And so many people I have read and learned about and felt though my study the happy and dark times in their lives. I feel so overjoyed thinking about who I will be acquainted with and re-acquainted with when I walk beyond this life. I know this is all a little random-- but I am extremely tired and little random at times to begin with!!!