5/30/16 Memorable Day

     This morning early Peter made sure that Heidi and I did not oversleep. Heidi remembered that the boys in the ward would be setting up flags in the neighborhood. With the holiday it was likely they'd need a hand. I was proud of David for getting up cheerfully, without a hint of complaining. Early mornings can be tough for him but he had a great attitude this morning. 

      At the church house we teamed up with some familiar faces. 

    Bradley came to fill in for Anthony who was on a hike. 

     

     In the evening it was time to collect flags. Doug handled that duty like a pro. 

     Back from his hike Anthony was a big help. Poor David hurt his neck somehow in the morning. To his credit he came along in the afternoon and read the map. That was a big help. 

      After flags Heidi and I helped Gram and Papa do some final prep for the trip north. We'll miss them. 

     In the afternoon the Mangum clan gathered at our pool to celebrate the day. After a fun swim we enjoyed tasty sandwiches. It is good to have family close by. 

     Another fun thing we snuck in today was Khan Academy. The four older kids are all making progress in their respective math missions. Heavenly Father has blessed us with some amazing technology. 

5/29/16 Counting Blessings

     In this desert land there are flowers that only bloom at night. Peter continues to set his own sleep schedule. This morning early Peter decided to be awake after spending most of the night awake wih Heidi. Heidi asked me to take a turn. 

     Peter and I went for a walk and this is something we saw. Special to see something that we otherwise would have missed. 

     In addition to teaching TJ's adorable primary class with me Heidi went above and beyond and made homemade pizza. Rebecca pointed out that the only problem was that it was "too delicious" and she ate too much. That is high praise from a girl who is typically a picky eater. 

      Somewhere in there I also went home teaching to the Porters. This is thanks to Pierre for making the appointment and letting me know about it. It is great to have a proactive companion. 

5/28/16 Moving and Shaking

     Ok more moving than shaking but here is a picture of the little boys trying to keep warm after a dip in the pool. The bulk of today was spent with Gram and Papa moving boxes from 430 to the motorhome. It was a productive day. Heidi had calling responsibilities at Stake Baptisms so for the morning it was me and 5 of the kids. Sarah went with Mom to see her friend Jenna Sagnimeni get baptized. David helped Gram organize her things and put them into boxes. Rebecca helped to entertain the three little boys, especially Peter, and keep them out from under foot.
     A highlight for me was getting to see Gram try out the new step that Heidi built for her. I was impressed by how precisely it fit into place. We got to that step in the afternoon so Heidi got to see the fruit of her labor being used for the first time. I continue to be blown away by the way that Heidi uses her talents to bless those around her. She has an incredible knack for perceiving needs that she can fill and then filling them. She is a great example to me.
     We got home around 5 and the kids all wanted to go for a swim. Heavenly Father has provided warm weather for us so we took a quick trip to the pool. The water still takes a little getting used to but the kids still seem to love it all the same.

5/27/17 A Step Stool for Gram

     This morning Heidi and the kids and I headed over to 430 to help Gram and Papa start packing the Motorhome. In the process we realized that Gram would need a step stool. Heidi looked online but didn't see one that matched the dimensions we needed. On the way home Heidi asked if I thought we could build one and take it back tomorrow. I told her that she has a knack for that sort of thing but that it was not a skill in my wheelhouse. I told her that I could keep the kids out of her hair so that she could give it a try. 

      Above you see a picture of the result. Joseph and Peter could tell right away that it was meant to be climbed on. Peter is demonstrating its stability by pulling on Joseph's pant leg. Heidi has once again demonstrated her ability to be creative under a tight time constraint. 

5/26/16 3.8 Million Words

     They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. This one is worth more. Rebecca read more than 3.8 million words this year. More than any other 4th or 5th grader at Entz. Only a handful of 6th graders read more. If we hadn't insisted she go to bed I'm sure she'd be reading right now. The best part is that she remembers and tells us about what she reads. She's not just blazing through for the sake of a record. She genuinely enjoys reading. We are very proud of her. 

       Today was the awards assembly for Heritage. In a bit of a surprise for me Heidi and I finished grading exams and corrected homework. I was pleased to see that several students did better than expected. I hope they all move on to great things. 

      This evening Brother Gunnell called. His mother in law needed help with her computer. It sounded like something I could help with. Heavenly Father and Google helped. In less than an hour we had her computer running properly again. It felt good to be able to help a neighbor. She kindly gave me a small gift. I used part of it to buy a couple of snow cones at Bahama Bucks. Sour apple with extra cream is Heidi's favorite. It was a nice treat. 

5/25/16 World's Fair

     Today David's grade at Entz put on a World's Fair. Groups of kids created booths to display artifacts and information about different countries. David has been learning about Germany for weeks. It's nice that we have Aunty Megan living there right now to ask questions of. 

      This morning Heidi did initiatory at the Temple. It is a blessing to live so close to a temple and we are trying hard for one of us to make it once a week. 

     When Heidi got home I went with Papa and Becca B to pick up Big Foot. It felt like BigFoot was excited to get rolling again. It started without needing to be jumped. 

      In the evening Heidi and I graded papers as late as we could take it. 

5/24/16 Last Day Teaching at Heritage

      Today was my last day with my three classes. On Thursday there is a school wide assembly but we won't be sitting with our classes. I'm really going to miss the students. This was the last day for students to finish up their final exam. Some had time to work on extra credit. Students are beginning to see the consequences of their actions. One student realized that he does not have enough points to pass the class and now has to take summer school. Another did just well enough on the final to squeak by with a B minus. My heart goes out to those students who didn't pass but I know that I did my best to let them know how they were doing as we went along. For the most part students who came in for help ended up doing well.
     This evening Heidi and I stayed up grading finals. Just a few more days and we'll be all done. What a fun learning experience this has been.

5/23/16 Answering the Phone

        If you had asked me when I was a teenager if people, in the future, would know how to answer the telephone I would have given you a funny look. Of course they would. Fast forward to today. Heidi and I do not have a "land line". Generally people call me or Heidi directly on our cell phones. As a result the kids don't often need to answer the phone and we haven't taught them how. It does come up sometimes, like when I leave my phone in the other room plugged in. Sometimes it's nice to have a child answer and then bring me the phone. For family home evening tonight we had the kids role play both how to answer the phone politely and how to call and invite a friend to play. It was fun to see the kids learning this basic skill. Surely more real life practice will be needed. It was funny when we went even a little off script. Example: Mom: "Hello this is Sister Connelly may I please speak to your Mom?". Rebecca: "Hello this is Rebecca , may I please ask who's calling? . . I mean hi Sister Connelly" As they say, 1st world problems. We are so grateful to live in a world where it is so easy to call and talk to our loved ones.

5/22/16 Sub in Primary

      Today Heidi and I got to teach the 7 turned 8 year old boys in primary. They are a fun bunch. Not the best at sitting still but sweet kids. We talked about prayer. This morning I thought about not going to church today because my leg hurt so badly. Last night as I was carrying TJ to his bed I felt something sting my leg. I figured it was a scorpion. When I couldn't find it Heidi suggested I look in my pant leg. Sure enough there it was. It felt a lot like a bee sting. Ibuprofen cut the pain to manageable but still noticeable. I was worried that walking on it would cause the poison to spread and make it take longer to heal. Ultimately I felt that it would be OK and that I needed to fulfill my commitment to teach. At the time of this writing, morning on 5/23, it feels 95% better. At dinner time on 5/22 it was still slowing me down. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father designed our bodies to heal themselves. What a miraculous thing. Of course we also prayed about it. I'm sure that also helped it heal faster. 

       It sure is a kick to be able to teach. The boys had some spiritual stories to share about family members who were sick or hurt that they prayed for. With summer around the corner Heidi and I may have the blessing of teaching regularly. We are already booked to teach TJ's class next week. We are looking forward to it. TJ's friend Gunnar is in there too. He's another sweet kid. Should be another spiritual good time. 

5/21/16 Rebecca and Sarah Piano Recital

     This morning the boys and I woke up at camp. It was as good a night sleep as I've come to expect at camp. I was only woken up twice by children in the night and by around 4 am I was pretty much awake. That actually felt like a success, Nobody complained that they were too cold and I felt surprisingly rested.

     The ward provided a pancake breakfast for us. Heavenly Father provided a way for me to get to know the father of the family that owns the house that we would like to buy. As I was looking for a table to sit down at the one that had room happened to be the one Brother Clarkson and his son were sitting at. We had a nice little visit. He said he will keep us in the loop as they decide what to do.

     

     Here is TJ, with his usual big smile, ready to eat.

     A big highlight of today was going to Rebecca and Sarah's piano recital. The girls have been practicing for months.

Here is Sarah at the keys

Rebecca concentrating. Both girls memorized their two short songs.

     In recognition of their achievement both girls were awarded certificates. I love both of their smiles. Heidi and I are very proud of them. In addition to the other kids both sets of grandparents were in attendance. Mahalo to Papa for letting me use his camera to take recital pics.

      Papa also let us borrow his camera to take some pictures of Grammie and Grandpa Mangum to use as part of their mission application. Exciting times.

5/20/16 Priesthood Commemoration

     Today is the annual Ward Father and Sons campout aka priesthood commemoration. It is the time of year we remember when the Priesthood was restored to the earth. David, TJ and Joseph all got to go this year. This is Joseph's first time. He is super stoked. Above you see the pile of sticks he gathered because .  .because their were sticks. Anthony and Bradley came along with us as well. It was fun to have plenty of people to play with. 

     Here are the boys at the campfire program. Happily, for me, the boys were all tired afterwards and went straight to bed. It was a fun evening in the woods. 

5/19/16 Where Heidi Gets to Take A Nap

     Heidi reports that while I was at Heritage today Peter fell asleep. Then Joseph climbed up next to him and fell asleep as well. This is not a common occurrence at our house. Even more rare, Heidi got to take a nap. Heidi is always putting he family's needs ahead of her own. This often means not enough sleep. I'm so glad she got a well deserved rest. 

      At Heritage today the first part of a 2 day final began. So far so good. 

     This evening I went to a tech meeting for the Citrus Heights Stake. They are planning on updating the wiring at their Stake Center. We may follow suit. It was enjoyable spending time with some like minded tech guys. I picked up some new ideas and maybe shared a few things hay have worked for us. Nice when service is something you enjoy. 

5/18/16 Joseph Sees a Dentist

     Around the corner from our house is a dental office. Heidi has noticed that Joseph has holes in some of his teeth. When it comes to dental we are "self-insured" so we don't go to the dentist lightly but we both felt he needed to go in. Joseph was a trooper. He came home with an eight inch tall stuffed dog and a big grin on his face. He has a return trip scheduled for next week. When I saw what the bill is going to be I know why they can give such big prizes. We feel blessed that we've been able to save so we can afford the treatment. 

      The other big event of the day was a trip to the bank to see if we can prequalify to buy a house. There are a couple of small ducks that are not quite in a row but the banker feels that we can work those out. It was a good first step. 

5/17/16 Father May I

     Today was the last review day for my students before the final exam. We played Murphy Ball. To make things more interesting the team that won would get an extra point of extra credit. Things seemed to work out better in my third period than in 2nd. It could be that they needed the points more or it could be that I fine tuned the rules a bit. The challenge has been keeping everyone engaged when it wasn't their turn to do a problem. I changed it up by letting people sign up to do any problem from the exam review. They didn't need to wait in line to do a problem. They just needed me to check it when they finished. This seemed to work. I got to see the light turn on for a few people so hopefully some learning happened too. 

     After school the missionaries came over for dinner. Elder Medeiros is from Brazil and Elder Locklear is from North Carolina. It was fun for me watching Sarah and the other kids talk to them and get to know them. 

       After dinner we took the kids to the grassy field. Rebecca, Sarah, TJ, Joseph and Peter played "Father May I" with me. I don't remember playing that with them before. It was fun. David stayed home with his Kindle. At bed time I was proud of him. He asked to be grounded from his Kindle because he was sad he'd chosen to play with it over us. 

       In the evening we tried to get our ballots in on two AZ Ammendments but we were wrong about closing time. It was 7 not 8 so we missed it. That was disappointing but at least we got over there. We'll do better next time. 

5/16/16 Feeling Better and Giving Service

     Rebecca and Sarah still had low fevers and other symptoms this morning so they had to miss school. Happily, by this evening both are feeling well enough that they'll probably go back to school tomorrow. 

      Today was a day for Doctors and grandparents. My Mom saw an orthopedic surgeon. He gave her some medicine and some good counsel. 

      Grandpa Mangum did a procedure to check on his heart. Heidi's brother Matt and I had given him a blessing on Saturday. Again good news, they found that he does not have the condition they suspected. He's not allowed to go up stairs for the next few days. Heidi and the kids and I loaded a spare bed in the van and drove out to their house. They pitched in and we drove through Wendy's on the way. That's an unusual treat for us. In the picture above Peter is feeding David a frosty. David had been feeding Peter but Peter wanted a turn. It is cute to see how he wants to do things for himself. 

     When we got home I found all the kids but TJ huddled around Davd's kindle. TJ was already asleep. I love it that the kids are comfortable being close to each other. They are good friends. 

5/15/16 Sunday With Two Sick Girls

     This morning Sarah said her tummy felt like she was going to throw up. Since Heidi stayed home last week with sick kids I took a turn this week. Peter stayed with us to keep us company. He ended up falling asleep while we watched videos on the church website. 

       Later, after everyone got home from church, Rebecca reported a sore throat. Poor girls. Both got some needed rest. 

      Heidi had a Cub Scout meeting this evening. The kids were very good for me. The kids were in bed, some sleeping, when Heidi got home. 

5/14/16 Another Pine Wood Derby

     Today Gram and Papa invited us to a pinewood derby that their ward was holding as a fund raiser. David came in third place. The whole event gave me an appreciation of how things can go wrong. The track was made by two brothers in the ward and was pretty bumpy. David was tied for first place until the very end. We're glad we got to go. David and I were both surprised at how suspenseful it was.
     After the derby we all went to lunch at Costco. Peter was so tired that he took a nap in the cart. The kids are big fans of Costco pizza. Heidi and I got a salad to share. We were still full from the breakfast that was held at the derby.

TJ's Kindergarten Concert

      Today was TJ's Kindergarten concert. I almost couldn't go because I had an Entz Staff meeting I am required to go to. Happily, the concert was early enough that I was able to do both and only be a couple of minutes late to my meeting. I'm so glad I went. I kept tearing up thinking of how much TJ has learned and grown this past year. I'm doing it again thinking about it. To name a few things: at the start of school year he knew his alphabet, now he's reading chapter books, TJ learned to ride his bike this year, now he rides to school daily, he's doing basic math and all these great songs. He's getting so grown up.

     Here is a shot of the family who got to come. There is a great post with lost more cute pictures on  Gram and Papa's blog check it out. All the pictures featured here are from Papa's post.

     After the concert I went to my meeting. I enjoyed visiting with the other math teachers. There is a real camaraderie between us. I feel like kind of an odd duck in that I don't feel like I "click" with very many people. It was surprising to me how much I have in common with these fun teachers.
     This afternoon was the first time this season that it was warm enough that I wanted to get in the pool. All the kids except David swam. Heidi stuck a toe in but wasn't quite ready for her first swim of the season.

5/12/16 Entz Spring Bang Concert

     Tonight was the event David has been practicing for all year and it went great. The music was fun and well polished. David has really progressed a lot as a musician in the last two years. In the photo above the red ribbon he earned for making it into the Mesa Honor Band. Kids from the whole city compete for a limited number of seats. A few years ago none of the Entz students made it in. This year 7 did. David was also recognized by his teacher with a Director's Award. This is the second highest award the teacher gives for diligence and organization in band. 

     Here is a shot of David on stage. In addition to our immediate family Lauren and Bradley were there performing and Grammie and Grandpa Mangum were in attendance. 

     In other events of the day it was a mostly quiet review day at Heritage. I allowed a couple of students some extra time to finish their exam. Some students have this stuff done and some are totally lost. 

5/11/16 Running Through The Sprinklers

      Today was a kids day. I stayed home with Joseph and Peter while Heidi went to the temple. We got a visit from 2 of the Hallsted kids. Sadly Michael's Mom is in the hospital. Gratefully she is doing better and the prognosis is good. 

      It was early out day so the other kids were home earlier than other days. Rebecca and Sarah went swimming for Activity Days. David learned about Orienteering at Scouts. 

     Around that time we went to the grassy field. The kids have learned what time the sprinklers come on. It is a big highlight for them to get to run through the chilly water. They think it's great. 

     I forgot to mention that Heidi stopped by the Distribution Center and picked up something for Gram and Papa. Papa and Becca B. stopped by to pick it up. We weren't expecting to get to see them til Friday. 

     After the sprinklers Sarah and TJ and Joseph went with me to deliver something to the Phelps family. Since TJ rode his bike and Peter and Joseph rode in the wagon it gave me a fun chance to talk to Sarah one on one. She was excited to tell me about an art project she is working on. She is making a chameleon out of paper plates. I look forward to seeing how it turns out. 

      After dinner we had root beer floats with the kids as a fun treat. There were leftovers from my meeting last night. Heidi gave me and Peter a hair cut. We needed it. She wants a hair cut too. I told her that I was willing but she sensed my nervousness. She kindly let me off the hook. We'll have to get her haircut another day. 

5/10/16 The Last Midterm

     Today was the last midterm for my students at Heritage. It was also the due date for any late or corrected homework. I now have a large stack of papers to grade. It makes me not want to allow late homework if I do this again someday. There are some students who turned in 5 or 6 assignments today. Why didn't they keep up instead of waiting until the end? Some waited too long and may fail the class. If there is a next time I'll want to do some research about what works better. 

     This evening I went to a post mortem about stake conference with the other stake techs. We had root beer floats to make the task easier. Overall he conference broadcast was a huge success. People I talked to just talked about the talks not about whether they could see or hear. That happily was a given for them. That's not to say there aren't thugs to improve. We still don't know why the church feed failed, we want to start testing a week earlier next time.  We also decided that we learned some things to continue. We liked having a bigger crew than past conferences. It allowed someone to tend to the broadcast while the other fixed trouble spots. We also learned that the new family history computers handled the streaming requirements much better than the laptops we tried. We can save time next time by going to them first. Overall it was a good meeting. It's a great team and I'm glad to work with them. 

     While I was at my meeting Heidi went to enrichment meeting. The overlap was fairly short and Joseph was asleep so Heidi left David in charge. Everything was going well when I got home. Rebecca had even gotten Peter to sleep. That's no easy task. I'm so grateful for kids who can help out. 

5/9/16 Quiet Bumpy Day

      Today was mostly quiet but there were a couple of rough patches. Peter had a hard day for some reason we're not sure about and cried a lot. That was upsetting to Heidi and me as we tried to comfort him unsuccessfully. It was also a little challenging today knowing what to work on first at work. We can be grateful that we have work to choose between. 

    For Family Home Evening we talked about keeping the Sabbath day holy. The older kids can do better at listening during Sacrament meeting and not trying to lay down on the bench and take a nap. Yesterday we had a small bench so there wasn't room for that. That helped but we won't always be in a small bench. The kids seemed to understand the lesson. We'll see on Sunday how it goes. 

5/8/16 Happy Mother's Day

     Today was a lovely Mother's Day. It started with the kids giving Heidi the gifts they've been dying to give her all week. Above David, TJ and Joseph made handprints. Rebecca and Sarah drew flowers. Heidi felt very loved. I got her a package of 1000 paper plates. Heidi likes the idea of fewer dishes to wash. 

     Peter had a runny nose and Heidi was not at 100% so she stayed home with him. Heidi's parents came to church with us. It helped having some extra hands. Tech stuff was tricky but I think we lived. Doug and I taught Sarah's primary class. Some of the girls were a surprising handful. Sarah was an angel helper though. That made it better. We talked about how Jesus healed the sick and how He gave us the Priesthood so people can be healed today. 

     This afternoon we went to Heather's house to celebrate the day. Heidi's parents came and Matt and Sharon joined in too. Some people played a board game. We had dinner and ice cream. Good fun. 

5/7/16 Mother's Day Eve

     Today we celebrated Mother's Day Eve with a visit to Gram and Papa. First Heidi, Rebecca and Sarah worked hard crafting a special frame with a family picture to give as a gift. I had picked up a Sudoku a day calendar for Gram. She has expressed that she enjoys working on those so when I saw it I thought of her. We are grateful to have them close by so we can enjoy their company. They are always very thoughtful and kind to us. 

     The kiddos practiced a Grandmother song from the children's song book. The Von Trappe family needn't be concerned about being overtaken but we are sincere. 

     I spent a large portion on my Saturday writing 2 exams for my General Math and Precalc classes. Heidi kindly helped me with some of my grading. It was a busy day. 

5/6/16 A Visit to Big Foot

     This morning Heidi and Peter were not feeling well so we changed up the schedule a little bit. We had planned on checking on the Motorhome next week but we moved it to today. This time it jump started right away. Papa and Becca B and I had a nice visit. 

      This evening I was feeling tired early so I lay down on the couch around 7pm. When I woke up the house was dark. Heidi had already put the kids to bed. 

5/5/16 Boys Day

     We ate cereal for breakfast today to celebrate Boys Day. Kelly filled us in with some of the details of how they celebrate in Japan. We don't have any carp to fly so breakfast was the extent of our celebration. 

     Heidi and Peter appear to be ill. He does not do sick well. Lots of crying. Motrin helps. 

      School went well for me. It's review time for the last midterm and after the midterm we prep for the final. Still plenty of work for me. I get to write the exams and grade them. Still, it's the home stretch. I'm gonna miss this when it's done. They need a teacher in the fall who can do half days all week. That's not me. It would be fun, though challenging, but I feel that I need to focus on my accounting business. 

      Peter and Heidi fell asleep early tonight. They need it. The other kids helped clean up from dinner. 

5/4/16 Temple Visit

     This morning I overcame tiredness and went to the temple. There were only three patrons in the session. It made me more happy that I made it. During the session I was reminded of a talk that said something along the lines that we won't have faith by accident any more than we'll pay tithing by accident. I figure that hope is the same way. The thought made me feel more hopeful. It was interesting how much better it felt and the only thing I had changed was choosing to have greater hope. I carried that thought with me today and it made for a brighter day.  

     David's highlight that he talked about today at dinner was teaching some 5th graders about computer programming during recess. It's fun to see him develop and share his talents. 

5/3/16 Last New Topic

     Today at Heritage we went over the double angle identities. It is the last new topic we have time to introduce this year. All that's left now is review and exams. I have two students that have done so little work that there is a good chance they won't be able to catch up. I feel for them so I hope they kick it in gear. I'm more than willing to help them but they need to  learn the material. 

5/2/16 Molluscum Contagiousum

     It sounds like an evil spell from Harry Potter. Joseph has had these odd bumps on his tummy for some time. Now Sarah has them on her chin and Peter has a couple too. We should've taken Joseph to a doctor sooner but now we have some medicine to treat the bumps. They are related to warts but more contagious. Lame but at least we know how to treat them. 

      We also had a nice visit from Gram, Papa and Becca B. Heavenly Father has lead us to a house that might be just the hi we need. We had fun talking about it. Lots of prayers will help here as many things need to go right for the house to work out. 

     Our friend Anna Phelps puts on a kids musical each summer complete with costumes and dance numbers. She asked Heidi to design a kimono costume for the kids. Here is Sarah modeling the first one Heidi made. I think it turned out great!

5/1/16 May Day

     Papa reminded us this morning that May 1st is celebrated in Hawaii as May Day. Today is also David's best friend Lincoln's birthday. Lincoln is now a deacon! David's day is coming this summer. One of my stake tech assistants, Mike Sagnimeni, got released today. Roger Hallsted, no close relation to Michaed Hallsted, was called to replace him. I'll miss having Mike's help but Roger is also a great help.