Our Tradition

Each year Alan and I sit down and write our testimonies and then share them with each other.  It is one of my most favorite traditions and I hope that sharing this with our children will help them to know and remember the things that were so very important and precious in our life.

Alan's Testimony:

This year blows all other recent years out of the “life lesson” water!  I have never felt so close to my Savior Jesus Christ, my eternal bride and my Heavenly Father.  I had a day of reckoning you might say.  Which turned into several months of pondering, prayer, daily intense scripture study and a return to my original identity as a child of God.  I can’t remember having so much clarity about things i see, think about and learn about on a daily basis.  I know that Heavenly Father is a heavenly being.  He is OUR Father and OUR God.  I know that Christ not only set a perfect example for us but was the only one in this existence who was able to pay the price for our sins.  Christ literally suffered every pain, sickness, any feeling that we will ever have and any hardship that we will ever have to endure.  It was all done out of love for Heavenly Father and for us.  I know that families are eternal in nature and I am so very very grateful to be a part of one with My wife Brittney and 5 (so far) beautiful children.  I have faced a lot of demons this year and i can say with confidence that all who know me, in this life and beyond will witness a man who is in it for eternity.  I truly know that “this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God...”. Today and the rest of my days on earth is the time for me to perform my labor.  To build up God’s kingdom on earth and establish Zion.  I’ve changed with how i view the day to day things.  It truly doesn’t matter how much I get done in a day as long as myself and my family are whole heartedly cared for.  To put it plainly, I’ve learned to love pajamas and can stay in them for an entire morning if need be.  I’ve learned that just because the kids don’t experience a new and exhilarating adventure that day, doesn’t mean i failed.  I’ve learned that discipline is necessary for both myself and our children (who we owe it to) if they want to grow up as dedicated persons who are  contributing to society and life.  I’ve learned that dedication is a tough thing for me that I’ve really never thought about.  Waffling around on important things seemed natural and even enjoyable!  I am truly amazed at how much being Dedicated can lead to progress and greater self esteem!  Also, the opposite is completely true for NOT being dedicated.  It’s very obvious that deviating from, negative movement or sitting still on the straight and narrow path is a dangerous game and can be damaging to spiritual progression.  The only way back to our Heavenly Father is through positive movement on the path.  Brittney introduced daily scripture study to our home this year and it has been the spiritual strength that we ALL have needed on a daily basis.  It has magnified our home as a Heaven on Earth and has truly fortified it against any opposing influences of the world.  I am grateful for all of my blessings.  I have been given more than i can remember and more than i feel I deserve.  What a beautiful world we have!  Both the telestial one in which we now live and infinitely more beautiful is the eternal world prepared for us, our Heavenly Home.  May we all make it back home to our Heavenly Father and forever partake in His rest.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

Brittney's Testimony:

This year has been a year of growth for me.

We grew in number as we welcomed another baby into our family. Truly a miracle. Benjamin Keith Blake was heaven sent to our family. Welcoming an infant into our life has never gotten old to me. The spirit that they bring into our home and into our family is indescribable. I know that Benjamin came from our Father in Heaven. I know that he is perfect, humble, and meek. And that he was sent to earth for me and Alan to take care of. To nurture him. To love him. And to teach him principles to help him make it back to our Father in Heaven.

I grew in my love for the scriptures. I know that they are true. I know that the Book of Mormon is another testament of Christ and that it perfectly applies to us. I know that it is important to read them daily. There truly is power in reading the scriptures. I feel like I can not only take on my day but be able to handle any situation that arises during my day when We have started our day out with scriptures. They are true. They share light. They have the ability to change hearts. And miracles and blessings do come from immersing yourself within them daily.

My appreciation for temples and eternal families grew this year. The Temple truly is Heaven here on this Earth. It is the Lords house and the work that is done in the Temple is essential for our salvation. Being able to be part of an eternal family is a blessing. The covenants made within the walls of the temple are sacred and so special to me. I know that they are essential for us to return and live with our Heavenly Father again. Go to the Temple often. You will find peace within the walls.

My love for and knowledge of the Atonement and of my Savior grew this year. Jesus is the Christ and I know with surety that He is our redeemer and our Savior. The Atonement is real. It is meant for all of us. We need to ask and comfort will come. I have felt the Saviors healing hand in my life this year as he healed my broken heart. The atonement was literally able to make me whole again.

My relationship with my Heavenly Father grew this year. There were different trials and hardships that I experienced this year that allowed my faith to grow. During these times it would have been easy to take the road easily traveled and give up, Be angry, have a broken heart, Be vengeful, and just not have joy. But i decided to have faith in my Father in Heaven and in his plan for me. My relationship with Him grew stronger. I called on him continuously and he never missed a beat. He was there for me and when, at times, I literally felt like I had no more to give, He gave me the strength needed to continue forward. I felt his love, his guidance, and his presence abundantly in my life this year as I truly grew in my faith.

There were specific times this year where I felt the presence of ministering angels. I know that they were sent from my Father in Heaven to bare me up when I literally had no more that I could give. This was a miracle that I experienced multiple times this year and I’m truly grateful for those times where I felt them encircle me and help me get through some of the hardest times that I have yet endured.

I know without a doubt that Jesus is the Christ. I know that we have an Father in Heaven who loves us and wants nothing more than for us to come back home to him. I know that it is our job to hold to the rod and stay true and faithful to the covenants that we have made with him. The journey is never easy....but so very worth it. Stay true. Stay faithful. And find joy each and everyday. I leave my witness and this testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

We continued our tradition this year of our thankful mirror.  I forgot to take a picture of it when it was all covered at the end of the month so this is going to have to do.  Halle and Abel participated this year and it made my heart happy to hear the different things that she was thankful for.  Here are all the things that each of us wrote during the month of November.

Alan: clear, frosty mornings, the rear four-wheeler seat, benji’s horns, Priesthood blessings, autumn weather,healthy bodies for my family,scotcheroos!!!, a loving supporting wife, family walks, our desire to help others, our safe neighborhood, a warm, heavenly home, healthy and happy kids, food to eat,our backyard, and the Book of Mormon.
Brittney: Holy Ghost, caffeinated beverages, church music, general conference talks, weekly shows, uplifting music, expressions of love, time spent together as a family, friendships, our children, evening walks, the sacrament, financial stability, warm bed, newborn baby snuggles, prayers, good food, eternal families, nap time, living close to family, our Savior, warm house, service opportunities, visiting teachers, health, my parents, home teachers, my in-laws, my testimony, projects, being able to work together with my husband, our jobs, our home, kids movies, calm mornings, the atonement, the Book of Mormon, peoples kindness and service to our family, and my husband.
Halle: my friends, my aunts and uncles, neighbors, my teacher, Benjamin, police officers, jessi boots, food we have at home, cousins, the pretty earth, Noah, Tommy, my home, Sundays, Sister Manning my primary teacher, my family, sleeping at night, going to church, grammie and grandpa, Abel, and grandma Blake and Papa.
Abel: spending time with daddy, playgroup, chores, dinner, mommy, aunts and uncles, grammie and grandpa, Papa and Grandma Blake, that i can be nice, my sister, my new night lights, ice cream, breakfast, helping my mommy out, gym class, making good choices, the sister missionaries, and my brothers.

Love this tradition and so very thankful during this time of year to remember all that we have been blessed with.

Tommy loving up on his baby brother.

Thomas finally has folding his arms down for prayer and it is fun to watch him stand or sit there with his arms folded like that!

And this sweet baby makes our life sweet and also very tiring...

And tonight we took advantage of th beautiful weather and went out for a family walk!!!  It was nice for me to get out of the house and breath in some nice outside air.  Also grateful for the beautiful weather that we had in order for us to get out this evening.

Abel and Noah are in gym class together for the next month or so and they have the best time ever!  Here is the sweetest picture of Abe keeping a close watch on his little brother.

And we finally got a decent looking picture of all 5 of them.  So grateful to call them ours.

Halle did not have school today so we made a family outing to McDonald’s for lunch.  Halle said the only thing that she wanted to do on her day off of school was to go out to lunch.  Alan and I were actually dragging out feet for a while and were actually planning on not going out for lunch, but we knew that Halle had been looking forward to this for the day so we made the effort and we ended up being so very grateful for being out with our whole family for the first time.  It really is these little moments in life that I am grateful for and that I live for.  Thank you Halle for wanting to spend time with your family today... 

The boys helped daddy start building a shed.  The boys had so much fun pounding nails in to the boards!

And while the boys were out in the garage Benjamin and I hung out inside and he showed off his pouty lips!

Today was crazy hair day at school and Halle actually wanted to participate!!!

And today for lunch we went and picked up Culver’s... and Tommy had a little too much fun with his ice cream.