Abby's In The Double Digits

I remember when I was younger, seeing for the first time, the object lesson of a string stretched out across our class room at church and a piece of yarn tied to it right in the middle.  The teacher was explaining all about eternity and life and how, our life here on earth, was represented by that piece of yarn.  I couldn't comprehend,then, how short this time we have on earth is, but ever since I became a mother almost 17 years ago I can comprehend it a little more.  Time with my babies has come and gone so quickly and just as I felt, when they were babies, that this time is "never gonna end".  You know, all the whining, crying, dirty diapers, up at 3 am holding a crying babe, having no energy, etc. Well, that time is gone and I'm facing new challenges and experiences with teens, and pre-teens.  My prayers and scripture study have increased, I'd like to say I'm a more patient person.  I find myself on my knees at night asking for forgiveness to, again, forgive me for yelling, and not being patient with my family.  Then, in the morning I find myself on my knees asking for strength and patience.  Whew! I love being a mother!  I love the trials that help me grow stronger!  I love the trials that help my testimony grow stronger!
I can't believe how fast this time is going!  To see my baby turning 10 is both exciting and surreal. She had a great two days!  We had her birthday party on the Saturday before her birthday, which was Sunday.  Then, on her actual birthday, we had a family celebration.  She invited a LOT of kids to her party and pretty much all of them came. (Everyone loves a party!)  She had a gymnastic themed party and she had fun showing her friends how to do some gymnastics tricks and a obstacle course.  They also played a fun gymnastics game which consisted of trying to get their teams flags to their bases without touching the ground with their feet.  Those kids were quite creative with the way they went about getting those flags to their destinations.  Here are a bunch of pictures of this fun day and pictures of our family gathering on Sunday.....