Christmas & Graduation

I will have to add some pictures at the end of this post when I figure out how to download pictures from my new camera. I'm sure it's not difficult, but I just haven't taken the time to do it yet.

Thursday Jeannine and Treasa came up for my graduation. They left really early because of a storm coming in. By the time my parents left, they were hit really hard with the snow, but just took the drive really slow and ended up staying at Dave and Nola's house that night. By the time Ammon got off work and then picked up Liz, the storm was worse. They had to turn around after only making it to Springville after over an hour of driving. A little later, they tried again, but ended up turning around after a short distance. The next morning they left early and turned around once more. Finally, they pushed on through and made it up to Boise after the graduation and lunch, but in time to help me fix my dryer (which I needed a rivett gun for) and then go to our family Christmas party. Now that's dedication!!!

It's nice to have graduation over with. The graduation provided a closure to this adventure. I was disappointed with the ceremony itself though. The chair of the Idaho State Board of Education spoke, but he just rambled on and on and didn't make a lot of sense. He even made several blatant grammatical flaws in his speech. It was a little embarrassing to think that he represents the state's educational program. The student speaker wasn't much better. He spoke about himself the entire time with little reference to how his experience could benefit others. In contrast, President Kustra's speech was good and we had some wonderful music played by the Marine Corps bagpipe band, voice by a police quartet and a musical number by a student playing a viola. I'm not sure it has hit me entirely that I no longer will have homework to do.

Nola, Dave, Denise and her two children came out to Angie's Friday night and we played the gift exchange game. Also, Uncle Dave played Santa and we all enjoyed just being together and eating good foods. All of my siblings and parents pitched in to buy me a graduation gift. They gave me the Sierra Designs Bedouin 6 (six man tent with a tub floor, two vestibules, lots of pockets, and sturdy poles). I'm really excited about it! I've been wanting to get a family tent now for quite a while, but I didn't want to have to buy a cheap one at Wal-Mart, even though I couldn't justify spending much. This new tent is a really nice tent that should last us a really long time and protect us from the elements. I set up the Bedouin in Angie's back yard the next morning and showed it off to everyone. Not having a tent has kept me from taking my family camping for a long time now. I remember taking Baily camping for the first time when she was just really small. We went to Milk Creak in Eastern Idaho and we loved it. We haven't done much since, due to the size of our family. I can't wait to go this spring when it's warm enough to take the new baby!

Christmas was wonderful. My parents and Dawn came out on Sunday and stayed until Wednesday. Christmas eve we made cookies and caroled to neighbors and friends. We then came home and opened our pajamas. All the girls loved their pajamas and got into them right away. Even Amy changed into her new warm pajamas. While I read the Christmas story from Luke 2, the girls (with Some help from the adults) acted it out. Baily was Mary, Bethy was Joseph, Grandpa and Lily were shepherds, and Dawn was the Angel (with Amy and Mom as the heavenly hosts backup and later as wise men). A sweet feeling was in our home that night as we spoke of the baby Jesus and the important role he would play in our lives. When we finally got the kids to sleep, we wrapped the last presents, filled the stockings, and placed everything under the tree. It was so fun to see how excited all the adults were. I started wondering whether the girls were more excited than the adults. I guess we all depend on each other for the Christmas spirit.

With our bellies full of "virgin" wassail, we went to bed with our girls on the floor at out feet. Christmas morning we had our traditional turnovers and hot cocoa. While everyone else finished, I opened our camera up and began taking pictures. You'll see from the pictures some of the things that the kids got, but I need to tell a quick story about Lily. Lily opened her present from Grandma and Grandpa, and when she saw that it was a doll she shook with excitement and squealed. The doll was attached to a box and by the time an adult extracted it, we could see how realistic the doll looked. When the doll was handed to Lily she continued to squeal, but stumbled backward, her face taking on a look of fear. Later, when Bethy was rocking her new doll, Lily sat in her rocking chair and rocked too. She was fine for a second when someone placed her doll in her hands, but when she realized what she was holding, she immediately dropped it as if it was burning her hands and began squealing again. I think it's just going to take a little time to get used to it. We all got a good laugh out of it. Again, we really enjoyed seeing the girls interact with Dad, Mom, and Dawn. It was good for us and I believe it was good for them too. There seems to be a special joy that comes when you make a child happy.

Well, my family is all gone now and it makes me wish we all lived closer than we do. Brenda and her family are so far away and it's hard to not have them here. After spending time with my family, I often long for more time with them and more frequent gatherings. I think that heaven must be wonderful because relationships with family and friends will not be hindered by distance.

The Adventures of Being Parents

This has been an eventful couple of days. Amy has been really busy trying to finish up a Christmas gift she has been working on all year. It's amazing how much time she spends each year on these gifts. I'm not sure many people understand the time and money she puts into it, but she feels like this is her way of showing her love.

So, for another gift, Monday, Amy went to a consignment store in Boise. While she was looking around, Baily began playing with a porcelain sink on a porcelain pedestal. Amy was later told it was valued at $500. I'm not sure that was realistic, but I'll bet you can guess what was about to happen. Of course the sink was knocked off the pedestal and both were broken beyond repair. Amy felt terrible and the store employee said that if this happened at Home Depot she would have to pay for it, but that as long as she kept shopping at their store, she wouldn't have to. Well, then she felt pressured to get something and after not being able to find what she was looking for, she purchased something expensive in its place.

That same day, Baily vacuumed up Lily's pants and I spent the evening trying to fix that. Also, our dryer started scraping and put black marks on three loads of laundry before we realized. While I worked on the vacuum, Baily and Bethy went into our bathroom and took turns pouring full glasses of water on eachothers bare feet. By the time I found them, the entire floor was a half inch deep in water and the carpet by the doorway was soaked. Tuesday wasn't much better. After deciding we had spent too much on presents this year, Amy returned an item meant for me, placed the money in her purse, and soon realized that Lily had pulled all the money out and had dropped it somewhere in the store. After an extensive search, she relented that someone must have picked it up already.

I had a hard time controlling my feelings through all of this. I thought of my own father being so calm and not overreacting when he was told about cars being wrecked, things being lost, or his tools being left out in the rain. While I could always tell he was dissappointed and he took time to provide a lecture on behavior, rarely did he raise his voice, and most often when it was an accident, he didn't blame anyone at all. Well, I tried to respond the same way throughout these two days, but when I found the two girls flooding our bathroom, I have to admit I was angry. This wasn't an accident, and we'd warned them about doing this before. I stuck them both in the corner for 10 minutes (longer than they had ever spent) and I gave them a loud lecture too. I had them clean up the house the rest of the evening, although any messes they cleaned were actually messes they had made. Maybe some of their behavior is related to the season. While it's a wonderful time of year, it is a lot of stimulation and sugar for energetic little children.

Well, today is a new day, and although I still have to finish fixing our dryer and do a hundred other things to prepare for my family coming this weekend, I'm hopeful things will go a little better. These times sure help me appreciate life when it doesn't include all these adventures.

Pizza Hut and Carolling

Well, I got looking through the pictures I've been taking on my phone and noticed a couple I didn't add to the blog. A few weeks ago Baily had completed the reading requirements for the Pizza Hut "Book-it" program. At the same time, the girls finished filling their "jars" with beads. About a month ago, we were starting to notice the girls getting a little sloppy with their language. Nothing terrible, but just a lot of complaining and the word "no" being used too often. We decided to try an idea from the Dittrichs. Every time the girls say something nice, or do something without complaining, we let them place a bead in a jar. Baily and Bethy had both filled their jars with beads and the reward was a special date with mom and dad. So, we all went to pizza hut for dinner and then to the dollar theater for a kids movie. It was a lot of fun, and here are the pictures, which unfortunately didn't turn out too well. Still, it was a good memory and I'm glad we did it, because they had so much fun, and it was good to just relax a little during my busy schedule.





Well, Christmas and my graduation are fast approaching. I hate to have the Christmas season end. Every year it seems to go too fast. Part of the problem has always been that I am so focused on finishing a semester and preparing for finals, that I don't get to ponder and enjoy the season until after I'm done. Even then, I wonder about my grades and how well I did on my projects. Perhaps next year will be better now that I'm done with school. Still, it has been a wonderful season started out when we traveled to Ammon and Liz's house for Thanksgiving. This year, I have felt a special appreciation for the blessings the Lord has given me and my family. There are many families in our ward that have so little this year, and hurts me to think how they must be struggling. I look forward to carrying on the tradition established by my parents to take a turkey to a needy family. We are planning to make the delivery tonight and I'm sure the girls will be so excited.

Last night we went to Uncle Dave's and Aunt Nola's home for chili and then went on our annual Christmas caroling. We visit the same elderly families every year and it was fun to here my kids and Angie's kids recall visiting certain homes. Gary and Angie and their kids were there as well as Ed and Denise's family, Marie, Jessy, and Carolyn, and Uncle Dave and Aunt Nola. I had to leave early for a church meeting, but made it to the end of the caroling. Amy and I talked that night of how much we love our family and how good they all are. I love Christmas!!!

Life Changes

To say that I am experiencing some life changes is putting it mildly! Yesterday I turned in the last paper I will ever have to submit for my formal University Experience (I hope)! In some ways, life has passed by so quickly, but when I think about all the long hours up late or entire Saturdays spent working on homework, it feels like the end barely arrived in time to keep me from losing my sanity. I have to say, I have mixed emotions about this new change in my life. While I am excited to spend more time with my family, not having the constant worry of what reading or writing I need to do, still I will miss the formal process of education. I have gained so much and been able to challenge my views and get understanding. I enjoy being up to date, in detail, on what is going on in the country and in the world. I will miss the detailed analysis of life that only a formal education can provide, but I also believe this is the beginning of my personal education. I hope to be able to read good books and continue to challenge my own views.

Another change occurred a few days ago when I officially accepted a position as Planner II for the city of Nampa. To my surprise, my new boss will be my stake president, Norm Holm. Certainly the Lord watches out for me and my needs. No longer will I have to spend two hours of my day commuting to and from work. I will be able to come home for lunches and spend more time with my family. This position will challenge me and require me to use the knowledge and skills I have gained through my schooling. While the pay increase will be nice, one of the things I look forward to most, is the ability to associate with and learn from, good people like President Holm. The Lord knew I needed these things and somehow was able to provide them right at the close of my schooling. Recently I have thought a lot about the words found in Matthew 6:28-30 when the Master counsels his disciples going to share the gospel, “28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?” Even though I am not being sent out to foreign lands to spread the gospel, I also know that the Lord watches out for my physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. I am certain that He values my family, and even me, above the grasses of the fields and will continue to provide for our needs, in the timing and conditions that are best for us.

Amy is now less than two months from the due date for our first boy to come into the world – another change in our lives. While we are a little concerned about our living conditions and being able to fit everyone in to our little home, we are also grateful for the home we have. We hear so many others comment about growing out of their homes. Often they have larger homes than ours and less children. Perspective is an interesting thing. Amy and I have recently read several books set in the past. We have noted that families were generally larger, homes were smaller, and families had to get by with less. We have discussed how the wealth of this nation is not only a blessing, but a curse. By having so much, we forget to be grateful. Like the spoiled child, hording toys from other children, our focus turns to protecting the worldly possessions we’ve accumulated, rather than protecting our families from pride. I need to be better at not comparing my condition to others, but rather, I need to count the blessings that really matter, and not those that don’t.

Each night, this past week, I stayed at the school until late to work on homework. I hoped to be able to finish so I could go on a Young Men’s trip over the weekend. Bro. Pancheri’s family owns a cabin in Donnelly and we wanted to take the boys snow-shoeing. For several weeks we have been working on making snow shoes for this trip. I was able to go and We had a wonderful time. I had Shane Dittrich and the presidents of each quorum, speak about quorum unity and then I shared one of my favorite Christmas stories, recounted by Pres. Monson about church members in Malad, Idaho who helped a family in Canada with no money, food, or adequate clothing for Christmas. I spoke briefly about unity, not just for social needs, but for spiritual needs as well. There was a sweet spirit in the cabin and afterwards, Read Young shared a similar story of when his own family was helped for Christmas. I love this season! It seems to calm the world and encourage love.

We are looking forward to Christmas. Brenda and her family, unfortunately can’t come, but the rest of the family will be up for my graduation and Mom, Dad, and Dawn are staying for Christmas. Life is going really well and the Lord is blessing us.

Thanksgiving

Well, obviously the last two weeks have escaped me. Not only did we spend almost a full week down in Utah, but my schooling and work have both required a lot more attention than usual. I am submitting my final paper for my Assessment class this Monday, one of the two final papers for Nat. Resources/ Environmental Policy on Wednesday and then the final paper the following Wednesday. In the mean time, I'm also trying to finish all the reading for the classes. Work has also been extremely busy. It seems like my life runs in waves of not being busy to being extremely busy. There seems to be no in-between where it's just right and I don't feel like I need to complain. Unfortunately I'm still working on being content with what I have.

To me, this is a difficult task because I don't want to ever be so comfortable with my life that I become complacent and stop challenging myself, but I don't want to be so busy that things are overlooked. When I'm not busy, I get lazy and let some things slip in my life. However, while it is sometimes difficult to find time to do the small things when I'm busy, I've found that being busy sometimes forces me to schedule my time better and accomplish more. Maybe that's what the Lord meant when he said, "For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward." Maybe he's saying that those who are slothful are not wise, because they let the little things slip and don't progress like those who continue to challenge themselves. They receive no reward because they didn't ever go out and achieve it.

We have several people in our ward that have recently lost their jobs. At this thanksgiving time, I am grateful to have employment. I am thankful that money matters, but that it matters less than people. I am thankful for a God who forgives, loves, and challenges me. I am grateful for family, good friends, good books that test my perceptions, and history which helps me see my place in this world and helps me be grateful for and aware of my blessings.


Well, the holiday was wonderful. I don't know when I've been more pleased with a vacation. Tuesday night Amy and I traveled to Dawn's home and stayed there that night. We stayed up late talking to Dawn and were very tired when the girls woke up bright and early in the morning. After a great breakfast of crepes, we all got ready and went to the Church History Museum. We had a lot of fun in the museum, especially at the children's section, but the biggest hit by far was the escalator.
Lily made us go up and down several times before the attendants began questioning if we needed help. Next we went and walked around Temple Square and enjoyed the nativity scene and the cristus.



It was a wonderful time and we even found this interesting sign:





The girls also loved the waterfalls at the Conference Center:

We returned to Dawn's house where everyone but Dawn and Baily took naps. They went to a really cool park nearby Dawn's house while we slept. By the time we woke up, it was late and we left for Ammon and Liz's house for Dinner. The traffic was horrible and it took us over an hour and a half to drive what usually takes about 15-20 minutes! We enjoyed being with Ammon and Liz that night and were late to get to sleep again.

Thanksgiving morning Erin and Travis's family came, as well as my parents, and all the men went to go skeet shooting. We spent all morning shooting, talking, and enjoying the mountains. Dad decided to give me his 12 gauge shotgun for Christmas and I am so excited about it! Even if I don't use it very much, it still is something that belonged to him and helps me remember times we spent together. Everyone contributed to the meal that afternoon and Liz did a wonderful job at getting us all comfortable and fed. Even my cousin Kye and her two daughters came. Ammon borrowed a Nintendo Wii from a friend and we all played in groups of four - tennis, bowling and other games.
It was soo much fun and we we all had sore muscles the next day from leaping and diving in front of eachother at an imaginary tennis ball. The women did a craft that afternoon and we played with the kids, read stories and continued to snack on leftovers. We watched a wonderful movie: The Ultimate Gift and by that time, everyone had to leave. It was just about the most perfect day!

The following morning was black friday and since the girls didn't want to get up so early, Ammon and I got up at 4:30 and braved the madness. I got a digital camera for our family, something we've wanted to do for a long time. By the time we got back, the girls (Amy, Dawn, and Liz) wanted to go shopping and spent the next few hours fighting the crowds. Amy and I left for her parents where we had a special brunch and while the cousins played, the adults put together a puzzle and watched football. That night, we met my family again for Dinner at Red Robbin's, went to the mall to look around a little and then went to the Manheim Steamroller performance at the E-Center. It was a wonderful evening. During intermission they had young men march around a miniture village and pond, dressed as toy soldiers. We all got a kick out of two teenage girls who tried to get the soldiers to break out of their role and show some kind of emotion. Finally one of the girls kissed the soldier and then dashed off into the crowd. I returned home with Ammon that night so we could go paintballing in the morning and Amy stayed with our girls at her mom's. Amy was really generous to let me do all these things this vacation. I can't help but feel bad for leaving the responsibility of the children with her so much. But, she encouraged me to do these things because she knew we have wanted to do them for so long and haven't gotten around to them until now. I'll try to make it up to her when she goes to Oregon with April Dittrich this Saturday.

Saturday morning Ammon and I embraced the frigid temperature and went paintablling witha bunch of his buddies. It was so much fun and it made me wish I could do this with him more often. I sure do appreciate the relationship we have. He inspires me with his humble yet direct approach to life and to God. He and Liz have both become good friends to Amy and me. That afternoon, the women went shopping again and Ammon and I played the Wii with the girls. Dawn had to leave that afternoon and we just relaxed the rest of the evening. It was so nice to spend so much time with Dawn. It seems like we don't get to spend long periods of time with her usually, so this time was really nice. She has such a great attitude and is so optimistic. I love that about her. We left for home after church the next day. What a wonderful time we had. I sure do love all my family! I am so thankful for each of them.

I said I would post a picture of Amy choking down her brown protein drink, so here it is. This is a fake smile, in case you thought she's enjoying it.


Amy had one migraine yesterday, but that was the first in over a week and it's partly because she hadn't been diligent about drinking her protein drink and snacking regularly. I think we've figured out that she just has to be careful with her hypoglycemia and she will be fine.

Hypoglycemia, Button Button, and Gary's Call

Well, the migraine saga continues... However, we think we may have stumbled across a possible solution. Amy has had a migraine almost every day this past week. She's gone off of chocolate and almost all sugar, thinking these might be triggers. Sunday she asked me to check her blood sugar and it was 48!!! Well, we knew then that something was wrong. She went in to the doctor first thing Monday morning and we'll find out results from all the tests they did by Friday. In the meantime though, her doctor suspects she has hypoglycemia and that when she is pregnant, a lot of the food just goes to the baby and she doesn't get what she needs. The migraines may actually be insulin reactions (now that I think about it, it all fits so well). The headaches afterward could be the same headaches I get after rebounding from a very low blood sugar.

Amy's doctor told her to go on protein drinks. Yep, the ones body builders take to gain muscle weight. Supposedly the protein helps balance out highs and lows. Amy went to a store to buy it and the young man at the store with a puzzled expression asked her, "you want to gain weight?" while glancing down at her bulging belly. Probably wasn't the smartest thing to say and do, but I'm sure it was a confusing situation for him. After being reassured several times that the doctor had asked her to take it, he handed over a big container of "chocolate milk" flavored drink mix. Amy says it's not anything close to tasting like chocolate milk or anything else that tastes good. I'll have to try and get a picture of her trying to choke down the thick brown stuff.

On a lighter note, yesterday was a holiday for me because of Veterans day falling on Sunday this year. One of the few perks of being a state employee is that you get a few additional holidays off that not everyone else gets. I took care of the girls in the morning while Amy was at the doctor and when the youngest two went down for a nap, Amy and I played UNO with Baily. It was really fun to see she is now actually able to play games with us. I hate to say it, but Baily is so much more fun when the other kids aren't around. I think she needs a lot of attention and its hard for her when the other two compete for that attention. I think I need to separate her from everyone else more often and just the two of us go on walks and talk like Dad used to do for me. I sure enjoyed and needed those times and I'm sure she does too.

We basically didn't do much the rest of the day but read books, make dinner and enjoy each other. For FHE we had the girls bare their testimonies, we reviewed a conference talk, and played "button button who's got the button." The girls loved learning a new game and Bethy wanted to be "it" all the time. Only problem was, every time she put the button in someone’s hand she separated her own hands, put them to her sides, looked directly at the person she'd given the button too, and with a big grin would giggle, "button, button, who's got da' button." We laughed and laughed and we all had a great time.

Finally, I just want to mention that we went to Angie and Gary's on Sunday evening after all my meetings. We had a wonderful meal and then after Gary's parents arrived from Utah at about 9:30p.m. we went to the church where he was ordained to the office of a high priest by his father. Then, the first counselor in his stake presidency set him apart to be a high counselor. It was a wonderful experience and I'm sure Gary will give this calling his very best, just as he does for so many other things. He's a busy man, but he's worthy and capable. In our Stake Leadership training for stake conference, this past weekend, our stake presidency spoke about the importance of revelation. I got the feeling that it doesn't matter your past experiences or what positions you've held, what matters, in any calling, grand or humble, is whether you are able to receive revelation. I'm sure Gary will do a wonderful job as he seeks the spirit. I pray daily that I can be worthy and able to be guided by the Holy Ghost in my own responsibilities. We live in a terrible, yet also wonderful day, and the Holy Ghost can certainly be a needed and wonderful companion!

Halloween, Migraines, and Good Friends

Well, Halloween has come and gone. We had a great time. Shane and April Dittrich invited over 100 people to their home to have dinner and they asked us to prepare games for all the kids. It was so much fun. Lots of people brought their crockpots full of stews and soups and others brought rolls. Shane and April provided the Apple cider, cups, bowls and plasticware. After everyone ate, we had the kids go to different stations we'd prepared around the yard. We had popcorn balls hanging from the tree, many of them dressed as ghosts - the kids had to recite a poem and while blindfolded, try to grab one of the ghosts. The next was a pumpkin roll. I had all the kids line up on top of the hill and all at once roll their pumpkins down. The ones who went the fartherst and shortest got a prize. We did it several times and that one was a big hit. We also had mummy wrapping (toilet paper), placing warts on the witch (gum), poison apple bobbing, ring toss on the witches hat, and musical pumpkins (like musical chairs, but the kids just pass pumpkins). I think it turned out really well.







Afterward, we went trick or treating and the kids never wanted to stop (including Lily). Every time we tried to put Lily in the car to get warm, she would point to the other girls and cry. They were so addorable all dressed up in their Lions costumes and everytime Lily was given candy she would say, "ank ooo" (thank you) and the people would laugh and comment about how great the costumes were and how cute the girls were. Several times Bethy was so excited to get to the next house that she would run ahead and I'd have to carry Lily to catch up with her. We all had a wonderful time, but I really think in the future we may have to exclusively do a party rather than trick or treating. I just worry about our kids out in the dark in a world where bad things are happening more frequently. Besides, the party was much more fun.


I forgot to mention that Lily and Bethy were both really sick last Monday and Tuesday. Both of them were throwing up and had diaharia. I thought I was in the clear because I had class on Monday and didn't even see them at all those two days. Well, by last Friday I got it too. I only just made it to work on the bus and after an hour, I knew I had to get home. Amy had to come pick me up and I spent the next 24 hours either in bed or in the bathroom. Yuck again! I sure do get sick easily. Added to this is that Amy has had 6 migraines in the past 8 days. Yesterday was a really bad one and she called me and just babbled, not making any sense at all. I called April Dittrich and Addie Ashton and they came and took the kids so Amy could go to sleep. I was so glad to have good people to call to get help in such a scary situation. Good friends are certainly priceless. I think it scares Baily a little, to sometimes see both of her parents lose it and not be able to communicate. It's really scary too because Amy loses her vision and goes numb. If she's away from the house, she can't drive home. This time really scared us because it was worse than usual and when April arrived to get the kids Amy just hugged her and cried because she couldn't communicate what she was thinking. Amy loves her children, but it sure has come at a sacrifice to her and sometimes really scares us. I sometimes think the Lord gives us experiences like this, just so we can appreciate it when we aren't sick. I need to be more aware of my blessings and grateful for them!

I'm going to put a couple of pictures at the end here that were taken while Amy and I were gone to the temple on Saturday. Margaret Shannon was our baby sitter and it looks like they had fun while we were gone.
Vickie Williamson went to the temple for her first time. It was such a sweet, peaceful, and wonderful experience.Afterward, Oscar was waiting for her and we all went out to eat. It was so much fun and I really respect Oscar. He is a good man who is so willing to give to others in need, he's also a good father and husband. I hope one day he joins the church.

Finally, I just want to comment briefly about how grateful I am for a good Bishop and Bishopric. Since I'm in with the priests, I not only get to see how Bishop Anderson leads us in PEC and Sacrament meeting, but I also get to see how he deals with the boys and the youth. I love to learn from this good man and witness how open and honest he is with the priest aged boys. He is a great example.

Ammon and Liz Visit

This past weekend was so much fun. We had my brother Ammon and his wife Liz up on Friday afternoon. We had a great time with them. Every time we've had them up and they have to leave, Amy and I talk about how fun it is to have family come and visit us. Although we're not that far from most of the family (within 7 hours), sometimes it feels like we're just far enough away for people not to come visit. We love to have company and we wish we could have them come see us more often!
Well, we had lots of things to do while they were up. We went to the trunk-or-treat on Friday night and had dinner with our ward. When we got home it was late, but then we stayed up even later talking (or at least Ammon and I did, since both Liz and Amy are incapable of staying awake past 9:00p.m.). Saturday Baily had a practice for the primary program which was scheduled for Sunday. Amy, bless her soul, spent all morning making a picnic for when the Bevans arrived. When Angie and her family arrived, we went to the park, had a picnic, played frisbee golf, played on the playground, and Nathan and Ammon wrestled until Nathan was missing his socks, shoes, and shirt. I think he was using them to throw at Ammon. We all had a blast and it was good to just relax and enjoy being together (as well as have barbecued chicken hoagies made with homemade bread, yum).
Next, we went to the MK Nature Center in Boise. This is kind of a museum about animals, but also has several hands-on things for kids to do and watch. Outside, they have a path that winds around a stream and over a pond. The area is a habitat for all kinds of birds and small animals, including a beaver. There are signs throughout the walk that describe certain important parts of the habitat and the path even drops alongside the stream where you can look through glass walls to see several kinds of fish. Signs describe the life cycle of the fish and then you get to experience it right in front of you. The path crosses the pond on a low wooden bridge, passes several small waterfalls, and winds through flower and vegetable gardens. It really is beautiful.
Finally, we went out to Emmett and had Gary's famous homemade pizza, played games, and talked until it was late. As we were leaving, Jacob threw up in his room and we had no idea what was ahead of us.
Now that I look back on the weekend, I notice how nice it was to not watch television or a movie, but instead we interacted with eachother and communicated our feelings. I often am reminded about the ability of entertainment to lead to anti-social behavior and cause people to miss out on creating important relationships. The best kind of entertainment, and the kind we need, is that which causes us to interact with others and become better people. Okay enough phylosophy.
Sunday Baily gave a presentation in the primary program and even sang this time. I think she's finally learning to be a little more confident. We've tried really hard to not label her shy. A while ago I think I called her shy and since that time she told others, "I'm shy." I've had to correct her and tell her she isn't and I think she's starting to believe it. I sure do say some dumb things sometimes as a father. Too bad Baily has to be my learning curve.
Well, Ammon and Liz had to leave Sunday afternoon and we're already planning for our trip down to Utah for Thanksgiving.
Now for the sickness! Angie called me Sunday and asked if any of us were sick. I replied that we weren't and she said that she had been throwing up all morning. I thought maybe for once, it would pass over my family, but the next day Bethy and Lily both were throwing up. This morning I got a call from Ammon and he'd been up all night leaning over the toilet too. Blughhhhh! I hate being sick. Since I haven't been home while everyone else is awake, so far I've missed the bug, but I never can be sure. I seem to get everything.
Here are a couple of not very well taken pictures of the picnic. It was Abbie's birthday.

Pumpkins and Being Sick

Well, another week has passed. Monday I didn't have class, so for FHE we decided to deliver some of our garden pumpkins to people in our ward. We had lots of pumpkins and the girls were so excited to deliver them. I'm not sure anyone will be able to make jack-o-lanterns out of them, but they make good fall decorations for the front porch. Here are some pictures of the girls helping Amy take the pumpkins from the garden to the back porch for sorting.





Tuesday I started getting a sore throat and sinus pressure and by that night I was really sick and got hardly any sleep. By Wednesday morning I called in to work sick and Amy went to the store to get me some NyQuil. After a good dose of medicine I slept for another three hours in the morning and then another two in the afternoon. Thursday I went back to work and Amy and I went to the temple on the spur of the moment because a girl in our ward offered to watch the kids while we went as part of an assignment she had for seminary. I think a lot of times it has to be that way. You just can't think about it too much or you'll find an excuse not to go. It was so nice to be at the temple. When I'm going to school its a little more difficult to make the time to go.

I have to share something Elizabeth said. She seems to always say the funniest things and then I quickly forget them and can't retell what she said correctly. SO I've decided to try and capture some of the things my kids say by writing them down on this blog. The first thing she said happened when we were all driving home from the store and she got the hiccoughs. She prounounced it proudly to us, "I keep hicking up!" Then right before we were to go to the temple, she was the last one at the table because she hadn't eaten her soup. Amy and I went to get ready to go and by the time we were dressed and came back out, she was still sitting at the table refusing to eat. Amy walked up to her and said, "Bethy! You still aren't done? What are you waiting for?" To this Elizabeth replied, "I'm waiting fo(w) Jesus to come again! He's coming down f(w)om heaven!" How do you respond to that? Amy and I couldn't keep from laughing. Every few minutes one of us would bust into laughing whenever we thought of her reply. What makes it even more funny is that she can't say her "R's" and says them as the "w" sound.

Cold Fall Weekend

Well, this past weekend was a great chance to relax and enjoy the fall weather. It's getting cold and it rained all last week. Friday, I arranged for a baby sitter and Amy and I went out on a date with Angie and Gary. For dinner, we went to Red Robin's for my first time. When we couldn't decide what to get, I called Ammon and Liz and Liz said that they were also at Red Robin's (in Utah) - I guess this would be strange except that this is their favorite place to go. It was so nice to be with Angie and Gary again. With all that's going on, it's just been too crazy to get together. Afterwards, we tried to go to a movie, but since we both don't have television, we didn't know much about the movies playing and ended up just renting a movie and going back to our place to watch it (after we put our kids to bed, of course).



Saturday morning I made breakfast (we seem to have a tradition of me making meals on Saturdays). Afterwards, Baily and I went to help move Arlan Rose and his family out of their home. Baily really enjoys going with me to move people and she is really good at watching babies while mothers finish packing up small things. I think it's good for her to get a small taste of helping others and I can tell she enjoys it.
After lunch Amy worked on the girls Halloween costumes while I played with them for about two and a half hours outside. Since my girls have no problem being girls, I thought I'd give them a taste of what it would be like to have a brother. We pretended we were in the Book of Mormon wars (title of Liberty and all). But in this war, we also had land mines for the "bad-guys." We advanced, retreated, placed land mines, shot arrows, bandaged my wounds, made camp for two nights, took turns on "watch," built a fort, and had a great time.
After a couple hours we finally had to go in to get warm. This was easily done because Amy had finished the fleece costumes for the girls. We put them all on and the girls laughed and played and pretended to be lions. Amy tied a thin string to their tails, so they stick up in the back as if they were real tails. We had fun pretending and by the time we got them out of the costumes, they were all warm again. I had to get some studying done, so I sent the girls in to the toy room to "clean up." Which usually means, clean up for about thirty seconds and then get distracted and play for an hour. If we tell them to go play, they don't want to do it, but if they have to clean up, it becomes a much better option. Next we went grocery shoping, had dinner and got the kids to bed. It was such a fun and relaxing day. I hope my girls can remember some of these fun times we've spent together. In some ways, I feel like we are such "home-bodies." We don't really do a lot of traveling or go to big shows, mostly we just like to be home and enjoy eachother. It's a little frightening thinking that the closeness we have with these girls will probably be lost during teenage years. It makes me feel an even greater need to spend time with and enjoy my girls right now while they're willing.

Here are a couple pictures of the girls in their costumes: