Gratitude for family...

Melinda did a really nice little entry on her 'Melinda's Thoughts' blog that she uses to mostly address thoughts to Grace and Ryan (the link is in our family and friends blog list at the right of this blog), so I thought I would follow suit a little bit by echoing some of her thoughts on our family blog here. I love my wife...I love my kids!

Check out this sweet little picture of Grace from 2005...she would have been 2 years old or so at the time this was taken:

Recently I have been feeling like I might be too hard on Grace at times. I have really been trying to find the balance between challenging her and getting her to excel and nurturing her. I have to remind myself that she can be real fragile and that she is only 4 years old. I think I take for granted some of her strengths and need to do a better job rewarding her. Don't get me wrong, I am not mean to her...we have a great relationship. But, I have to be careful. She has a huge adjustment that she is going through right now with Ryan joining the family. Which, by the way, I think she is handling remarkably well!

This is a picture of her rowing, she is such a creative and energetic little girl:

I had the chance to share the Bishopric message with the Primary for the month of April and focused on the idea of forgiving others even if they don't apologize or ask for forgiveness. I had one of the kids come up and hit me on the shoulder and I asked all of the Primary kids if I should forgive him if he says he is sorry. They all said yes. I then said, "But what if he doesn't apologize, should I forgive him anyway even if it is just in my heart?" About half of the kids said yes and half seemed unsure. I mentioned how it is hard to sometimes forgive those that might seem like they aren't contrite, but that it is our job to do so. I then shared a scripture to back it up. I then emphasized the importance of saying your sorry when you make a mistake, I mentioned that sometimes I have to tell Grace I am sorry. Grace grinned from her chair in the Primary at that point. I was trying to teach the kids that it is not a weakness to apologize to people when you recognize a mistake you make. The point is...I have had to pull Grace aside many times at home and tell her that I am sorry for something I may have said or the tone I may have used to say something. I can PROMISE you that our relationship is better when I am willing to let Grace see that I am still working on things in my life. Just because I am the parent does not mean I am perfect or always right. She does not see me as weak when I have to apologize, it is all about how you deliver the message and the sincerity behind it. I love my little girl!

I also love my little boy, he is such a blessing. I love coming home and seeing him smile when he hears my voice that he has maybe not heard in a while. He has really been giggling and smiling a lot lately...and is growing a ton! I, like Melinda mentioned, feel a closeness to Melinda and Grace because of my closeness to Ryan. It is amazing what an addition to the family does in terms of perspective across the board!

I love this picture taken recently of both Grace and Ryan together:

Sorry for the long winded post. But, at this time I want my family to know how grateful I am for them. Our little family of 4 is growing and learning and I have Melinda, Grace, and Ryan to thank every day. I am so blessed.

This is a picture of us when we went to St. George (sorry Ryan is faced backwards):

I know this post was very introspective, but I have just been feeling very blessed lately and hoping that I am doing what I can do to show that to my family. I know I can get busy at times, but I love finding time for my dear sweet wife who does so much, and my small and inspirational kids. I truly am a lucky and blessed man! ~~Derek~~