Hawaiian Adventure September 2009

My sis Lynda helped Sera and  I go See Auntie Helen in DC and Aunties Jen and Ren in Hawaii. We had a good time. Seraphim especially loved snorking and putting fresh flowers in her hair. She was amazed to see the USS Arizona and USS Utah under the water at pearl harbor. Visiting the Macadamian nut farm was also a plus. She must have spent 30 minutes cracking fresh nuts. The China Hat island was neat to see but the beach was covered in little jelly fishes so Sera covered them in sand so we wouldnt step on them. Our very favorite spot was Goat Island. We walked .75 miles out in the ocean on a coral reef to this amazing little island. No one was there and there was plenty of treasures to find on the beach. We collect beach glass. We loved all the differnt special peices we found. Aunt Jen was the best for showing us around the Hawaiin island where she lives ...These were a few of my favorite Pics.

Seraphims Sweet Thanks......

Seraphim and I have been talking about gratitude since Thanksgiving is coming up soon. Her sweet spirit touches my soul. I can't believe how much she has matured over the last few months. I can't imagine going through the losses she has and still being so positive about life....I have been writing down word for word what she has said about what she is grateful for and I'd like to share with you in hopes that you'll remember what it is you’re thankful for... I want to share what I am grateful for too and that will come soon......

Things Sera is grateful for: home, bed, Kate my stuffed kitty, prayer bear, soft blankies, roof over head, beautiful paintings in my home, hair things, family in house.
Body of flesh and blood, it helps me move, it’s part of Gods trial because he sent us here to die and come back to him.
Heart it helps me love one another and forgive.
Mom she cares for me she gave me life and gave me birth and she loves me she taught me to care for each other she feeds me, taught me to be kind to everyone, tells me how to be closer to Jesus by listening to my mom and the holy ghost, taught me how to pray, and forgive and read scriptures, she supports me when I'm having hard times.
FOOD!
Life- because I can have flesh and bones, it’s a trial from Jesus to come back to home because life is just a wonderful thing even when it’s hard because life sometimes not fair because without life I can't be with Jesus again. When it’s not fair it makes me want to be better and pray more
Family-because they take care of me and when mom dies she'll be in heaven and if they are still alive they will take care of me. Heavenly father is part of my family. They love me and I love them back.
I'm thankful for the family that left even though mine is broken. Satan can't take my mom away from me ever and he can't stop me from loving my dad, I won't let him.
Love-it heals your feelings. It makes love for other people so they will love you too. Sometimes helps you get more friends. It gives you opportunity to live because if we didn't have a heart we wouldn’t have life.
Jesus-he died on the cross for all our sins, he heals the sick, suffered for our sins and our heart ache, made our world and home, he made the church, he helped Joseph Smith to get the gold plates so we can have scriptures, he loved us.
Ryan (Father)-takes care of me when I visit, helps me, takes care of me when I get hurt, and helps me feel better when I am sick.
Rachael-she loves me and takes care of me and helps me go to the true church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints.
Gab (brother)- I love him and I know he is an angel from God when I am around him he helps me feel the spirit.
Grandparents-They love you take care of me take me on trips, spoil me.
Dad Jake- he loves me even when I'm not with him. He took care of me, he gave me everything I needed and he was a great dad. He took me to the true church. H played with me as much as he could even though he couldn’t move his hands or feet and a dad that loved me very much. I loved him to no matter what, even if he couldn’t hug me or even if he was in a wheelchair. He was special to me and I miss him.
Heavenly father-he wants our families to come back to heaven I know I can come back to him.
Scriptures because they help you learn about Jesus, they are good, they tell the truth. I love them. I read them every night with my mom.
I am grateful for my testimony. I love it
The more I am grateful for, the closer I am to God.

Her sweetness and honesty touch my heart and soul. I'll love her forever..

Little Life Lessons from Seraphim

There are moments in your life you hope you remember forever. Perhaps by sharing it will be written on my heart. I know they say that out of the mouth of babes....
Ps. 8:2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.

Matt. 21:16 And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?
3 Ne. 26: 16 Behold, it came to pass on the morrow that the multitude gathered themselves together, and they both saw and heard these children; yea, even ababes did open their mouths and utter marvelous things; and the things which they did utter were forbidden that there should not any man write them.
Seraphim had come home very discouraged from Ryan's (her biological father) house the other night. She normally isn't one to talk about how she feels. But she was almost in tears as she spoke to me. I wondered what on earth had happened to make her feel that way. The previous Sunday without my permission he took her to some random Christian church. Ryan and I had a discussion a few weeks prior that if she wanted to go to church she should be allowed to go to church and he assured me that he would never keep her from church, and that any child of his would have religious freedom to go to church if they choose. He assured me that she would be able to go with Rachel’s (her step-mother) parents or they would take her. When she came home from church we started to talk and she knew the church he had taken her to was different, she could tell by how it felt that it was different. She said mom I asked him to take me to church, why would he trick me and take me to the wrong church. I was wondering the same thing. I felt like he was misleading her into believing he was supporting her choice to go to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The church she has been raised in her whole life and the church she is going to be baptized in, in a few months. So what does this have to do with her being upset Thursday night, well that was her visitation night with her dad. She took it upon herself to stand up to her dad and tell him she wanted to go to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He told her he didn't think it mattered what church she went to and that he wanted her to go to church with him. She was upset her dad didn't honor her wishes but she was upset because she has already seen the power of Satin to destroy families 1st hand, during this time of hardship and heart ache in her life she has found such light and hope at church. It has become a constant thing in her life for the last few years. It was something she could rely on, especially now when so many things in her life are changing. She feels the spirit often and we have had many wonderful conversations about her faith and how she feels about prayer. I didn't know what to say to Seraphim that would be appropriate, I don't like to say bad things about Ryan to her, I don't think he is a bad person but I certainly was disappointed he 1st deceived her about going to church, and then told her it didn't matter what church she went to. I asked her what she wanted to do about it, and she said she didn't know but that she would pray and she knew Heavenly Father would help her. I was proud to hear that from her, that at her age of 7 she believed that Heavenly Father was real and he would help her. So many people don't feel that, I hope she always feels that way. Each night before bed we read from the scriptures. That night I chose to read from Doctrine and Covenants children’s stories. We just so happen to read about the first miracle in the church. I think I had heard this story a long time ago, but not recently. Sunday April 11 1830 there was an LDS church meeting held where there were many non-members. Satan didn't want people to join the Church so he tried to make some of them feel bad. One person who felt bad at the meeting was Newel Knight. Joseph Smith asked Newel to pray at a meeting, and Newel said he would, but Satan didn't want Newel to pray. When Newel went to the meeting, he said he was afraid to pray out loud. The next morning, Newel Knight went into the woods so he could pray alone. Newel tried to pray, but again Satan didn't want him to, and he couldn't talk. He became sick and afraid, and went home. Newel's wife was worried about him and asked Joseph Smith to help. Joseph used the priesthood to bless Newel and cast Satan out. After the blessing, Newel felt better and was later baptized. After we read that, Seraphim got so excited, she said mom...mom....that happened to my dad, that’s why he won't go to church because when he does, he has bad feelings. She said she could feel the Holy Ghost telling her this was an answer to her pray about why her dad felt bad. I was so glad to hear her take scriptures and try and apply them to her life. I explained that her dad didn't always feel bad when he went to church. She then prayed again. In her prayer she told Heavenly Father that she believed that the LDS church was true and that she had a testimony of it and that she wanted her dad to support her in going to church but she didn't know what to say to him, she asked for help strengthening her testimony, and help finding the right words to say to him....It was a good end to a night of heartache. The best part about it was the spirit and scriptures did all the teachings, I didn't tell her what to do, or what to say to her dad, I just loved her, encouraged her to pray and did our regular scripture study. On the following Sunday, we were at a regional stake conference where we heard the Prophet speak. Part way though his talk, he said something like …you young ones, you can have an influence on your parents to make the right choices.....she got so excited I had almost missed the message, she said "Mom it’s an answer to my prayers I can be a good influence on my dad, I know he will listen to me and I can be an example to him" I am in awe at her faith and her courage. I know at her age I didn't have those kinds of convictions; she truly is an example and a blessing to me. I know these last few months have been so hard on her, I wish I could erase all the heart ache and pain, but I know that she has grow spiritually and, emotionally. Her prayers have become so much more than a simple child’s prayer. She knows that her Father in heaven loves her, he is there for her, and he answers prayers. I want that to stay with her forever. I knew I would grow through these trials, but I didn’t know how much she would grow. For that I am grateful.

Seraphim Is a big Sister

Seraphim was so excited when Her New baby brother came early. Gabrielle Scott Baker was 8lbs 12 OZ and 21 in long coming 2 weeks early. Oh my. She held him for over an hour last night. She says she is ready to change diapers and give him a bath. She just lit up seeing him. Her Sep-mom Rachel is doing well. I'm excited she got to be here when he came. On the way over in the car she said "mom he will know me because He just came from heaven. We are both angels you know." She also said that she already loved him.... Its amazing how fast you love someone you don't even know. She was right it was a boy too. She informed me she was an angel and she knew. LOL they didn't know what he was till he was born. Just being in the room with the baby you could sence the spirit near. It was a sweet moment I was glad to share with Seraphim and Rachel and her family.

A day of fun!

My dad is a teacher and got discount tickets to Lagoon so we all decided to go. I thought because we were take all the little kids that we'd spend most of the day at Laguna beach and then grin and bear it through the little kid rides. Seraphim isn't very tall and I thought for sure she wouldn't be able to go on anything that was too much fun, but I was OK with that. I wanted her to have a great day. Once we got there we measured all the kids and she was only 1/2 to short for nearly ever ride and roller coaster there. All the other kids were tall enough. I just put her pony tail up high on her head and taught her to walk through the line on her tippy toes. It worked out just fine. I should have been surprised but Seraphim wanted to go on all the big bad roller coasters. She was so much fun. She is more daring then some adults I know. We had a blast. There wasn't one roller coaster that we missed. The new roller coaster called wicked goes straight up then straight down and she wanted to go again and again. She loved spending time with her cousins and aunts. It worked out perfect 4 adults and 4 kids. Everyone had a riding buddy. I love spending time with my family.

Silver Lake

Seraphim and I have tried to stay busy. Last Tuesday we drove up to Silver Lake. This is one of my fav little spots and Aunt Lynda took so really cute photos. The sun set was so beautiful. Seraphim said that God must have made it just for us. I think He did. If you can’t there isn't much of a lake this time of year. There is a little spot that has some water and I am told a few fish. I wish we had our fishing pole here although because of past experiences I'm not sure I'd go fishing again without someone who knew what they were doing. Any how this was a great day. I love spending time with Seraphim. She is a light and a blessing. I love her!

First day of school

I just Sent Seraphim off to her 1st day of 2nd day. I can't hardly believe she is this old. In a couple of months she will be 8. I of coarse didn't have my camera but I'll have to grab a few photos when she gets home. Apparently they are on Year around school down here. This will be an interesting change. They started school three weeks ago. It was soooo cute this morning when she told me she had 10 butterflies in her tummy this morning. She said it was a little bit excited and a little bit nervous. She said "Mom this is my first time being shy." I think that is almost a true statement because if anyone knows Seraphim she is anything but shy. School is only .5 miles away but we have to cross the Hwy. to get there so no walking or biking. She was so bummed about that. I told her some day we might walk. I miss her already and its only been like 30 minutes. I know that I am blessed to have her.