That peaceful feeling you get when you go to the Temple

When we arrived at the Temple two weeks ago, it was raining but beautiful! The tulips were all in bloom and it made the temple ground look that much more beautiful. 

We were super lucky to have the Potomac Ward mid-singles group offer to babysit for the Stake so parents could go to the temple. It was so organized and the kids left saying, "It was a blast!" Tyson and I were impressed from the very start- giving each kid a name tag to wear on their back (smart!), there was an egg hunt for the kids, they fed them lunch which I think happened by chance because we were told to pack them lunches but pizza is always a good idea in my book :)  

Look at all those tulips! I hope to have hundreds of tulips in my yard one day. 

We've been to the temple a few times over the past year which I think is a blessing! It takes 5 hours round trip and that's a long time to leave your kids with a sitter but thankfully our ward has watched the girls twice and now a different ward in our stake. The kids love playing with all the other kids and we love being at the temple. 

This time, I had a special experience that touched my heart. I have been praying for patience every. single. day. because being a mom 24/7 is hard and working nights leaves me exhausted for some days. Patience does not come easily to me. While in the temple I felt like I received my answer and I have to tell you that the following week was fantastic. I had more patience than I ever thought possible. I was able to calmly handle each situation that came up with the girls and discipline without loosing my patience. The feeling in our home was the best and I noticed a difference. Come Friday I had lost my patience early in the morning and felt so sad and guilty about it. 

 But it didn't take me long to realize that I could do it again. I could bring back that feeling we once had in our home and if I could make it a week than I could keep it going! So I'm trying oh so hard each day to take a deep breathe and be a better mom.

I'm grateful for the temple, for time I get to have dates with Tyson, and for my sweet girls who have taught me that I can have patience even when things get crazy! :)