Worth our very best effort

Today we (Primary workers) got to attend Relief Society (yay) for a lesson on visiting teaching.  The lesson was great and one thing that stood out to me most was a quote from President Hinkley.  He said that although visiting teaching may seem difficult at times, it just takes a little more faith, and that it was worth our very best efforts!  That's paraphrased of course.  It's worth our very best efforts!  That could be applied to lots of areas, and I'm talking mainly - family.

Often times raising a family is difficult, but with a little more faith and with our very best effort, we can expect great things!

It's been a few years since I heard this the first time, and I'm so glad I did hear it.  To pray for guidance in what I should be doing that day, in the very hour.  That may sound obvious or a small thing, but many times I have several things I could be doing (cleaning, cooking, playing with my kids, teaching, getting ready for bed :), weeding, ...) and I just need to know where my attention and efforts need to be spent then.  Who needs me?  Am I missing an opportunity to teach, to observe, to bond, to whatever.  There are many lovely distractions nowadays (is that a word?) and I so need His guidance to be where I should be, doing what would be best.  Ya know?

I feel His tender mercies sometimes and I know He's there, watching and waiting for us to come to Him.

On a related note, I think I figured out how to blog with pictures on our laptop.  Our old home computer is sooo slow and made it nearly impossible.  :)
Here goes nothing:

 Zach lost his two front teeth and I think it's so cute.  

 Avery with her great grandma Marie

 It's hard to tell, but Zach and Avery are actually holding a cat, TJ.  The cat belongs to our uncle Bob and aunt Susie.  TJ was nice and let them smother him.  Maybe the bigger cats were wiser and stayed away. :)

Zach at soccer practice!  I asked him to pose and this is what I got.  

Soccer is a love/hate thing.  This was definitely a love moment.

Zach loves it when he gets there, just hates getting ready.

Avery loved the idea of playing soccer, until it came to her first game where she was too afraid. :)

She played the next game so we're making progress.

Soccer is a winner in Zach's book for 3 reasons: snacks after games, a medal at the end of the season and third is actually playing soccer.