Being an Aunt (part 4 of 4)

Many, many moons ago, I was introduced to MG Power.

What is MG Power, you ask? Well, it is a special power that fills you with happiness, joy, laughter, and giggles. Not to mention, it boosts your ego, your energy level, and your own super aunt powers - but only if you happen to have MG Power yourself!

So, what is MG Power, you ask again (because I haven't really explained it!). Quite simply, MG Power is Murphy Girl Power, and in our family it's MG: Power of 3!

My first dose of MG Power came with the Power of 1. As in one small cutie, who at the age of 2 called me, "Turten Turtle" (pretty good considering that my maiden name, "Kirsten Sturgill," is a mouthful for grown-ups sometimes, much less a 2 year old!).

I had been dating B for awhile when he told me that his older brother was coming into town with his cute little family - at the time this was just Joe, Christi, and Em. I remember being nervous about meeting them because they seemed so grown-up to me (side note: I was just a 17-year-old kid!). Pluse, B had talked and talked and talked about them so much and I really hoped they would like me (I know, I know, of course they would like me, who doesn't! If only I had known at 17 how awesome I truly am! But who knows that about themselves at 17?)

Seriously...They were grown-ups....They were cool grown-ups...B looked up to them...I was nervous. And then I met them: Joe, Christi, and Little Miss Em. Yes, they were grown-ups (well, not Em, she was just a baby!). Yes, they were cool (especially Em!). But hey, I wasn't nervous anymore! I loved 'em and they loved me back.

Now, fast forward many, many moons to the time when I am no longer "Turten Turtle" (although I think I still have the turtle mug I was given to represent that unique pronunciation of my name by that super cute 2 year-old back then!), I am now an official part of "the family", and the MG Power in Joe's little family has grown from 1 to 3. And what power it is!

Now, Murphy Girl Power is strong with 1 dose (love you, Em!), but when it is doubled (love you, Sarah!), or Tripled (love you too, Rach!) it cannot be contained and you can't help but be affected by it! It makes you happy, brings you joy, makes you laugh, and causes giggles!

I love a good dose of MG Power and I love these nieces of mine. They are amazing young women who are striving to live Christ-centered lives and who seek to be examples of righteousness to others, and I am so proud of them!

They boost my own levels of MG Power and I love them tremendously!

So, enjoy some MG Power for yourself and remember, if the player doesn't pop up you can either hit the refresh button on your screen or visit this link: http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=dce8b7b250219d4406b096&skin_id=701&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url

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Being an Aunt (part 3 of 4)

Introducing... "The 6-Pack!" Filled with energy and guaranteed to keep you moving and grooving, "The 6 Pack" includes:

• J = The Leader of the Pack, The Big Cheese, The Big Brother... the only boy! J takes his role of big brother very seriously and despite a skirmish here and there (natural in any pack, no matter the size), he loves his sisters incredibly and always looks out for them. Not only is he a great big brother, he is also a great athlete, he's musical, and he's smart. Seriously, this kid has challenged my knowledge of child development and kept my perspective as an educator open about how children learn at different rates and how we, the adults, shouldn't assume that just because they're young, they aren't capable of higer level thinking and learning.




• E = The Sweetheart, The Peacemaker... The Heart and Soul of the Pack! E is a gentle soul who would hurt no living thing. She is a lover of animals, a serious thinker, and is curious to know everything going on in the world around her. Because of this curiosity and desire to learn, she is extremely observant. So you definitely have to watch how you act and what you say when you're around her. Her love for others is pure and true and she gives great hugs!




• C = The Questioner... The Artiste... The Energizer of the Pack! C loves everything from her stuffed animals to playing soccer to dancing around her room at night with her parents before she goes to bed (Waltz Time, to be exact!). She invents games to play and since she is the rule-maker, it's your job to follow those rules. As she tries out her own style, she models some interesting fashion combos the likes of which the catwalks in France have never seen! And if you need a good art piece to hang on your fridge, she's there for you, all you have to know is if you want markers or crayons!




• Next in The Pack is Little G = The Entertainer! This girl has the best sense of humor and can drop a one-liner at just the right time in the middle of a conversation (a skill she has had since she started talking!). She has a great imagination and can play on her own, just give her a toy kitchen built into the stairs and she's good to go for quite awhile (just don't mess with her shopping basket!). She has the cutest giggle and the most intense scowl (which she pulls if you mess with said shopping basket!). She is full of life and loves to be the star of the show.




• Then comes Little L = The Strong but Silent Pack member... at least she's silent until she gets to know you and then you are her bestie (as long as you do what she wants you to do!). She has a strong will, she knows what she wants, and she can hold her own in any crowd (actually, she can quickly own the crowd if she wants to!). She has the most beautiful eyes and a great smile that will warm your heart when she shares it with you. One warning though: if you're trying to keep up with her, you better eat your Wheaties 'cuz this girl moves!




• The last of The Pack is Miss A = The Life of the Pack! Miss A is precious! She's happy, easy-going, loves to laugh, and has the whole Pack doting on her most of the time. Now that she's mobile, she's giving the rest of the Pack a run for their money and chasing them in all that they do! She loves her family - especially The Leader of the Pack (aka: The Big Brother, The Big Cheese, "J") and makes everyone happy.

And now, a look at my favorite 6-pack:

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Being an Aunt, Part 2 (the real deal)

First - a word about technology glitches - they stink! I was having one last night and so a couple of other posts with this same title popped up on Google Reader. They are not the real deal anymore (which you will quickly notice as you read them) and I say darn those stupid gremlins! THIS is the real deal! So read away, and enjoy!

Did I mention before that I wish all my precious my nieces and nephews all lived closer to me? Oh, I did? Well, let me mention it again: I wish all my precious nieces and nephews lived closer to FW!

When Miss E was little bitty she lived closer to me and I really wish I would have taken better advantage of seeing her regularly, but you know, I figured that they would be here for awhile. After all, my brother had started up his own company and was moonlighting for a local company as one of their tech guys, but then he went and moved his family out to the East Coast so he could go back to school for his MBA. The nerve of that kid, I tell ya!

So, when they leave, my brother (love ya, Chrissie-poo!!!! Ha, ha! Take your family away from me, will ya!), my sis-in-law that I love, and cute little bitty Miss E load up and head out of town for two stinkin' years. They get settled in at Rochester University, where despite some amazing experiences and opportunities because of my brother's hard work and dedication, they face some pretty big trials.

Of course, after the storm comes the sun, and in this instance, after the painful and scary trials they faced came the little charmer - WCS - and WHAT A BLESSING! He is so cute, so happy, so easy to be around (well, he was the last time I was around him, that is), and he has one of the best smiles around!

I wish I could jump on my private jet and whisk away to visit these cutie-patooties, but our private jet is currently on loan to the Travolta's 'cuz we're nice like that! Even though my time with Little Miss E and WCS has been limited (which is why I had to lift pics from my SIL's Facebook account for the video at the bottom!), I love knowing what is going in their lives and I am grateful for modern technology that makes the distance seem smaller.

But, you can bet that as soon as the Travolta's are finished using our private jet, B&K will be on their way to the East side of the USA!

And now, for those cuties....

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Being an Aunt, Part 1

I love being an aunt and I simply adore my nieces and nephews - all 13 of them! Over the next few days, I am going to do different posts focusing on each family branch from which all of these precious children and youth who range in age from 1 years old to 19 yours old spring.

I am going to start with my niece and nephew that live the closest to me.

Just a sidenote: I wish all of my nieces and nephews lived closer (hint to my siblings and sibling-in-laws that live away: you should move back to FW!).

Some of the qualities I love about each of them include:

• M - extremely polite, loving, kind, creative, and fun
• H - happy, snuggly, fun, and I got to be there when he was born!

I have been blessed the last couple of months to see M & H several times and have had the chance to take them different places and even had a sleepover with my little niece (fun, but exhausting!).

Both M & H make me so happy! I love how excited they both get (or seem to get) when I come around and there are always lots of hugs, kisses, and I love you's!

Check out some of the fun I have had with M & H....

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Hope for the future

I know some AMAZING teenagers and they give me hope about the world in which we live!

Now these high schoolers (19 of them) act just like normal teenagers in many aspects: they are involved in school, they participate in extra-curricular school activities such as sports and band, they work, they date, they hang out with friends, and once in awhile (just once in awhile), they throw down a bit of attitude (but hey, don't we all!). However, in spite of the similarities they have to your average all-American teen, there is nothing really average about this group of teenagers at all.

You see, these teenagers (and hundreds of others around the world) are striving to live by higher standards than what is necessarily "cool" in the world. They attend church each Sunday, they accept responsibilities of leadership in their youth organizations, they join their families for dinner, they pray regularly, they fast, they pay tithing, they dress modestly, they seek to be morally clean, and they get up before the sun every Monday - Friday so that they can attend a class to study the scriptures and learn about the life, the teachings, and the Atonement of Jesus Christ before school. You see, there is nothing really average about them at all!

You may be wondering how I know this about these high schoolers who range in age from Freshman - Seniors. Well, every morning (Monday - Friday) I wake up, I get dressed, and I leave my house by 5:20 am to teach this early morning scripture study class for high school students that begins at 5:45 am. That's right, I get to join these high schoolers at church each morning before school (wayyyy before school!) to study the scriptures and learn more about the teachings of Jesus Christ.

For all those who know me, this seems a bit ironic, all right - comedic! After all, even though I value the adage, "early to bed, early to rise," I'm not one who actually lives by it! I am much more likely to still be awake at 5:00 am then to be getting up at that time to go somewhere. So I see the humor in me being the one asked to teach this class. But, God works in mysterious ways, and this last year of teaching early morning seminary has proven that to me over and over and over.

I will admit that there are some days when I bring a better A-game to the classroom than others, and there are some days when the students bring a better A-game as well, but it is amazing how blessed we are by the Lord for our efforts to make time each morning to study the gospel. The fact that I am actually able to get up, get there on time (dressed, too!), lead the class, then go on to a full-day of work when I typically don't get enough sleep, is proof of the Lord's hand in this experience. The fact that a group of high schoolers with busy lives can be engaged in great discussions and learning activities that early and that we can feel His Spirit, is proof of His hand as well.

Even though it is really hard to get up when that third alarm goes off, I know that I am blessed for my diligence and obedience and I am the recipient of so many great things because I am teaching this class. First of all, my testimony of Jesus Christ, and my love for Him has been strengthened tremendously. My understanding of His teachings and my knowledge of His sacrifice has grown incredibly. My appreciation for the daily blessings and miracles in my life has increased exponentially and my eyes are opened to the tender mercies given me by my Heavenly Father and my Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.

I love my Father in Heaven. I love my Savior Jesus Christ. I appreciate all that I am blessed with in my life and I love these students that I have the privilege of teaching. They amaze me and they give me hope for the future. After all, the Lord blesses them for their diligence and sacrifice in attending this early morning class, and I know that He is strengthening them so that they can be the great leaders of tomorrow (even if this strengthening has to be done really, really, really early in the morning!).

How awesome is it that I get to be part of that amazing experience (even so early in the morning)!

Online links about the seminary program of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints:

http://seminary.lds.org/

http://seminary.lds.org/mastery/