1/31/17 A Few Rays of Hope

This morning I had a phone meeting from our new office with a client. It went well and we should be able to make some solid improvements to the report we make for them.
This afternoon Heidi and I got a call from Diane. We'd been looking online at houses and feeling pretty discouraged. She reported that the seller of the house was willing to come down on the price significantly to cover much of the expensive cost of the needed repairs. Heidi and I spent much time consulting with my father and praying to know what to do. It was a tough choice as some issues, like flood risk due to incorrectly built entryways still can't be fixed. After prayer I felt to run some financial numbers. The lower price would allow us to fix the most expensive problems and get us into a house that meets our needs at an affordable price.
There is still much that can go wrong. We need to get the final list of repairs over to the seller and agree about what they will and won't fix. The house also still needs to appraise properly for the loan to go through. Can the house qualify for insurance that covers flood damage?
Heavenly Father is revealing one step at a time. The next step is we cancelled our cancellation. If things don't work out we are out some time but we can resume our house hunt. On the upside if things do work out we think we will be in a house that will meet our needs. We are in the Lord's hands.

1/30/17 Professional Inspection

Today the main event was the professional inspection of the home we have hoped to buy. Gary Cornia, a longtime friend and neighbor to Heidi's family did the inspection. He was assisted by Charlie Cluff and electrician, longtime friend and current bishop of the. Crosspoint Ward. The news was not good. The roof is in bad shape and needs to be replaced years ago, the AC units are 20 years old and the water heater is 12. The electrical box is a fire hazard and several other items need to be repaired. Some things can't be repaired like some outside sidewalks at or above inside floor level. This creates a flooding risk. They recommended that we walk away. This was completely unexpected by us and Diane our Realtor. We expected a few things, especially given the age of the home, but not like this.
After a couple of hours to think about it Gary invited us over to show us the pictures. This was enough to convince us that we needed to cancel our bid for the house. I can say that all of us feel a deep sense of disappointment.

1/29/17 Two Ward Conferences

Today Val Vista Ward and Crosspoint Ward both had their ward conference. Heidi had duties with stake primary and I was on tech duty. The wireless mics picked today to go intermittent, of course during the stake president's remarks. Luckily the back up wired mic we had worked great. We were blessed to have that option. The kids were great for us today. David and Rebecca babysat during the first ward conference. They attended their classes and allowed us to do our callings during the second.
In the afternoon/evening we worked on the calendar for next week.

1/28/17 Princess Park

This morning Sarah and Heidi went to Alison Hallsted's baptism. She and Sarah are good friends. Later Sarah went to her birthday party. She gave her a purse that Heidi made and a couple of pinecones that she painted.

After the party Heidi wanted to check out the park near the house we are trying to buy. One street over from ours is Princess Drive and on it, about a block west, is Princess Park. Rebecca's twin friends Krissy and Missy joined us.

Rebecca especially loved this spinning toy. Also, notice the castle themed playground equipment.

TJ made huge progress in his skating ability today. He started out clinging to his mother's hand to keep from falling.

By the end he was skating slowly but completely on his own. He had a couple of falls but he was thrilled with his progress.

Joseph loved these contraptions that reminded us of giant pogo sticks.

This evening we were joined by Megan. We got to play a fun game of "ImagineIf". Our time with her this visit was too short. We pray that next time it won't take another five years before we get to see her in person.

1/27/17 Deeper Inspection

Last night, close to midnight, Megan's flight arrived in Arizona. It was the conclusion of a ten hour journey from Boise the included a stop in Seattle. Such is the price of cheap airfare. I was to be the one to pick her up but I wasn't feeling well. Heidi kindly stepped in the fill the gap.

Thankfully this morning I was feeling well enough to go along to take a closer look at the new house. I did not have the presence of mind to get any good pictures of Megan but she took many pictures of the house. To the right in the above shot we saw, what appears to be, the right sized plug for the motor home.

In these shots Joseph and David help inspect the covered deck out back.

I imagine we'll enjoy these citrus trees. Today we picked up a juicer to replace our old one which broke.
Megan took many more pictures of the interior but I spent more time outside with the boys. We'll have to share interior photos later on.

After the house visit we went to Rebecca's Battle of the Books part 2.

The questions seemed harder this time but Rebecca's team was in good form. They did not tell us the final score but Rebecca's team got seven out of eight questions correct. The next round will be in front of the whole school. After that the best scoring team(s) will go on to a multi school contest and from there to regional competition. We are proud of our reader who is also a retainer of what she reads. Go Rebecca!

1/26/17 Conference Diagram

This morning Heidi took the little boys with her to Humanitarian. I stayed home and created a diagram that, hopefully, will help people learn to set up the control room for Stake Conference. The diagram features a dozen pieces of equipment connected by multiple, assorted cables. Heidi seemed to think it was a good first draft. I have since forwarded to Bob Rhyne and Jae Heiner to review it and make suggestions. Now that there is a good chance I won't be in he Stake for next conference passing this information on becomes more important.
This evening Heidi had a Pinewood derby and a Unit Commissioner meeting to attend.
The kids were really great for me. We've all gotten used to the routine where Peter and Joseph wander around, making noise and occasionally stepping/jumping on people while we start our scripture reading. Then, gradually, they settle down and fall asleep. If we're lucky they're out by the time the chapter is over. If not, we use the audio feature in our LDS Library app to play talks from the Friend until they are out. This idea of a regular bedtime routine was something Heidi and I didn't know and do until we had a couple of kids. It continues to amaze me what consistent results we get compared to the bedtime battles we had before.

1/25/17 Pins and Needles

The thought at the back of our minds all day today was "are they going to accept our offer?" For better or worse we gave them 24 hours to respond. That gave them until 9 pm to think about it. While the clock ticked on we had to get on with our lives.
This morning Heidi needed to be in the office so I took a turn doing preschool with Joseph and Amy. It went better than I expected, although Heidi does it much better. We did tangram blocks, rhyming words, giant letters (we used them to spell their names) and the number balance monkey. They have a short attention span. Luckily we have been blessed with a variety of educational activities. The two hours was longer than I expected but mostly was a lot of fun.
This afternoon I negotiated renting an office space from Sal at the Alcantar Business Center. This feels like part of "growing up" our business. We do enough work for them, without billing that we agreed to formally do it as a trade, a certain amount of work for office space.
During all of this, our realtor, Diane would text us helpful things like "confirmed they received the offer" or "still no word". One of her texts described our feelings perfectly "you must be on pins and needles".
While we waited Heidi and I got to go on a short date to the grocery store to pick up some things for dinner. Rebecca and Sarah had activity days. David was a good sport at Stake Basketball.
Finally, at around 8 pm came the text "they are getting ready to send counter offer. Minor changes". Based on the comps Diane had run the house was priced well but we also wanted the seller to pay part of the closing costs. Diane and Heidi thought it would be wise to ask for slightly more than we thought they would pay expecting that a minor counter would happen. This scenario played out and the counter was very similar to our original offer. After getting the kids to bed Heidi and I went online and signed the paperwork. We are now under contract. There is still a lot to do, inspection, official loan details etc but this step is a huge one.
We feel that Heavenly Father guided us here. There have been other houses that might have worked but didn't feel quite right. In hindsight they would have taken much more work and expense to get them right. This house fits us, with very little change, right now. There are some things we could do that would be nice but none of them are mandatory. We feel very blessed. We continue to pray that things will work out and ask for confirmation that we are on the right track. Still, we feel good about where we are and look forward to Heavenly Father revealing his plan to us as we move forward.

Peter and Joseph put themselves down for a nap today. Glad to see they weren't nervous about the house. 😀

1/24/17 House Hunt

Last night Heidi spotted a house online that might meet our needs. Today we met with Diane, our real estate agent, to look at it. It has two separate areas. One is big enough for our little family and the other could be a fit for Gram, Papa and Becca B. It was a good enough fit that we invited my parents to look at it with us. The upsides are mainly that it is the right size and layout for our family, in a good neighborhood and in our price range. It would be out of our current ward and stake and would mean a new elementary school for the kids. We do have some friends who live, or have lived, in the area. They report loving the ward and the school. We've prayed about it and decided to make an offer. Next we get to see how that goes. We continue to pray that if we are on the right track that things will work out. I'm sure that Heavenly Father has a plan.

1/23/17 Photos and Frisbees

Today we had the usual school and meetings in the morning. Heidi reports that she enjoyed doing preschool with Joseph and Amy. Today she introduced them to a rhyming word game that we found at the yard sale. She reports that they did well with it.
After school the kids enjoyed looking at old photos on the iMac. They all wanted to hear stories of unique things they did as babies.
Later on the Hallsted kids came to invite our kids to the park. Sarah knew it was them because they always ring the doorbell twice. Rebecca asked if they could take our Aerobee frisbee. I told her she could use the small one as it's less likely to get stuck in a tree. Joseph reported that there already was one in a tree. He showed me where it was. With the leaves off the tree an old aerobee could be seen perhaps 12 feet up. After what felt like 100 tries we managed to knock it down. It is very weather worn and no name was on it but it still flies well. We decided that Aerobees do two things well, fly far and get stuck in trees.
For FHE we talked about ways we can streamline laundry so that we more consistently have clean clothes. I love how the kids wanted to be a part of the solution.

1/22/17 Puzzle Blocks

Yesterday our neighbors were having a yard sale to benefit a local animal shelter. Among the "treasures" we found a box of tangram style blocks. This morning I let the kids try them out. It was fun seeing them use their imagination and creativity to create shapes and patterns.
In the photo above we see Joseph, TJ and Sarah hard at work on their creations.

Rebecca also joined in the fun. the kids seemed especially interested in exploring patterns and symmetry.

TJ made a checkerboard house.

Sarah was pleased with her intricate design.

Joseph also seemed to have a clear idea of what he wanted to make.

In addition to blocks today David and I went to 7 am priesthood meeting. I am proud of David for mustering a good attitude in spite of the early hour.
In the afternoon we enjoyed our church meetings and some quiet time at home. At least as quiet as it gets with six kids at home. We enjoy them so it's a good thing.

1/21/17 Religious Freedom Conference

Today was a quiet one. We started with a family council to make a plan for the day. Heidi headed a team that did some tidying up around the house. I took Sarah, TJ, Joseph and Peter to Costco for groceries. They were very well behaved. We even got complimented by a kind silver haired lady behind us at check out. "You have four very nice children" she said. I decided not to tell her that I have two other nice children at home.
This evening I went to a church meeting at the Stake Center. It was a broadcast that included Elder Oaks of the Twelve Apostles. The topic was on defending religious freedom. Many great ideas were expressed. Two that got me thinking were, first that we can do more than agree to disagree and then give each other space. We can stand up for the other person's right to disagree and ask them to stand up for our right to disagree with them.
Another interesting thought had to do with "being in the world but not of the world". Elder Oaks pointed out that the kingdom of Christ is meant to be like leaven in bread, it raises the whole mass. How can we do that if we don't associate with people who disagree with us? I am grateful to live in a country that allows us the freedom to worship as we choose. I pray that those freedoms will continue in the future and that we will be able to defend that freedom as needed in the future.

1/20/17 Phone and Loan

This morning our blessings continued. The new phone was unlocked earlier than expected so I was able to get my own phone set up ahead of meeting with Gram and Papa. Heidi helped me set up Becca B's phone by adding some Becca appropriate games.
Around 9:45 we picked up Gram, Papa and Becca B and headed off to meet with Tom, the loan guy Joan recommended. David stayed home with Peter and Joseph. The meeting went well. We still need to gather a couple more documents but it looks likely that we will qualify.
After taking the Auswanderers home Heidi and I went to the temple. It was busy at the Gilbert temple, with Mesa being closed, but we are grateful we were blessed to be able to serve. David gets bonus points for getting a crying Peter to take a nap. He is getting more responsible all the time.

1/19/17 Phone Support Continued

This morning after sending the kids off to school, Heidi and Joseph and Peter went to Humanitarian. While they did that I helped my parents go to the AT&T store. The goal was to get a new SIM card for Gram's new phone. The good news is that we got one and they didn't even charge for it. The bad news is that the phone we bought still had a pass code on it from the previous owner. That was a bummer. We came home and had lunch. Papa pitched in pickles, chips and Fresca. This made for a treat. After lunch Papa left the phones with us in the hopes we could figure out how to get Gram and Becca set up with working phones. Here Heavenly Father blessed us again. The guy we got the phone from gave us the password so we could unlock it. Next hurdle, we learned that the phone was still locked by the carrier. Next blessing was the guy we bought the phone from called the carrier and got them to unlock it. Somewhere in here we learned two new problems. One fairly simple, the unlock process can take 24 hours, the next harder, Gram's old phone has more data on it than will fit on the new one. Other challenges included phones not wanting to sync with certain computers. In the end I decided to give Mom my phone that has more space and adopt the new phone. This would allow Mom to keep all her photos and apps and give us a chance to have it all set up by tomorrow. If we wait for the new phone to unlock who knows when I'll be able to get Gram and Becca their phones back. Long story, still long, the phones are up and working. Becca's phone will need some small tweaking in the morning but both are ready to make calls and do what they need to do.

1/18/17 Meetings and Phone Support

This morning I had meetings at Empire to go over financials and production numbers. After lunch Gram, Papa and Becca B stopped by. With some effort we were able to back up Gram's phone in preparation for her getting her new phone set up. While I worked on that project Heidi and I brought them up to speed on the house hunt.
This evening David went to Stake basketball. He was nervous because he said he doesn't know any of the rules for basketball. We were proud of him for trying something new.

1/17/17 Checking Out Houses

This afternoon Heidi and I met with a Realtor named Diane to look at three houses that might meet our needs. Of the three only one would be a solid fit. The only bummer is that it would mean moving out of our current stake. We have many friends in the area that we'd miss. The other bummer would be not being close to Heidi's folks when they get back from their mission. Still, we are willing to go where Heavenly Father wants us to go. Heidi and I feel like we should be patient. There may be a house out there that hasn't come on the market yet that would be a perfect fit for us.

1/16/17 Up and Up

Today Heidi's brother Matt let us along the trail in a place called South Mountain. The step counter app on my phone reported that it was approximately the equivalent of 33 flights of stairs and around 3 miles.

The view was pretty and the weather was cool but not too cold.

Most of the kids saw many opportunities to explore cool rock formations along the trail. Matt helped to document the event.

Lauren was a trooper.

Heidi went the whole way with Peter on her back. Heather and TJ brought their big smiles.

At one point the trail intersected with the famous Mormon trail. Here Joseph and TJ are helping us see the sign.

David and Bradley found this fun "surfing" rock.

One of the highlights of the trail was this cool tunnel.

David and Bradley enjoyed climbing on the rocks.

Rebecca thought that this ledge was a nice place to rest.
We all made it in and out safely. Some opted to do a slightly shorter version of the hike. I was pleased to see my kids having a lot of fun while doing hard things.
For FHE we had a family counsel. When I asked the kids if they had any challenges they'd like help solving any problems David wondered how he can get his homework done when time seems to short. We made some suggestions but it does remain a vexing problem.
Anyhow, it was a great hike and a fun family adventure.

1/15/17 Lone Man

This morning Heidi was called on to attend Ward Conference in Highland Ward. This left me alone to make sure that six kids got bathed and dressed for church. Heidi expressed her confidence "see if you can get most of them bathed". Well, it took some doing, and a couple of completely soaked towels but all six kids got bathed and dressed in church clothes. Peter was completely naked within a few minutes but I managed to find the clothes and get them back on him again before it was time for church. When it was time to go Heidi was not back yet so we loaded onto our bikes and headed out. I got a little nervous when, at five minutes to the start of the meeting, Heidi still hadn't caught up to us. Happily she joined us with about a minute to spare.
After church today it was raining. Since Heidi was there in the van we tossed some bikes and the bike trailer inside. Heather was kind and loaded 2 bikes and a scooter into her van. At the tail end of church Heidi had another Scoutbook training to do so I went home without her again. It was a happy moment when she finished up and joined us for dinner.

1/14/17 Helping Matt

This morning Heidi went over to her brother Matt's house to help him remove his old "popcorn ceiling". This was a project that took all morning and part of the afternoon. The kids and I hung out at home. The pic above is from when David and I were able to persuade Peter to take a nap by going on a walk. I think we're all happier, especially Peter, when he gets a good nap.

Later in the day Matt came by the house with Alex. While Alex played with Joseph and Peter and TJ, David helped Matt make a video about how to build and start a campfire. Apparently this is part of his new calling. Heavenly Father helped by causing the rain to stop just after Matt got to our house. I had been worried we'd have to reschedule. It was raining pretty hard when he arrived. Heidi and I would have also been involved but we got a call from a person selling a phone that my parents needed so we went and bought it.
In the end we watched more TV as a family than I wish we had but we did get some service done. Ah well, room for improvement.

1/13/17 House Hunting

This morning we swapped our usual morning visit with Gram and Papa for an afternoon one. This allowed us to get some other work done in the morning and be able to meet with them, and a friend who does real estate (Joan Glenn) to look at a house. It was not exactly what we are looking for but at this point we are trying to widen the net in the hopes of finding something "good enough" in an area we like at a price we can afford.
After the house visit we returned to our current house to discuss pros and cons. We decided that there are definitely more pros than cons about the house we saw. At the same time the cons are not insignificant. We prayed to close our meeting to either have our decision confirmed or to have a stupor of though, like it says in the scriptures. I haven't asked Mom and Dad how they felt yet after they left. Heidi and I, if you can say it this way, felt the clearest "stupor of thought" we could remember having. On paper the house makes sense, it's in a neighborhood we love and should be big enough. Still, we couldn't make ourselves feel good about it. I trust Heavenly Father has a plan for us. Heidi and I are not completely sure what the next step is. Perhaps we hire an agent to help us find a better fit. Heidi felt prompted to ask our friends the Reeds about their house that is not yet on the market. We'll keep praying and trust that direction will come.

1/12/17 Home Sick

This morning I climbed out of bed and made cream of wheat for breakfast for the fam. By the time I was done I needed to lie down. I had a low grade fever and was shivering in spite of having two hoodies on. There was no denying I am sick this time. Heidi got the kids the rest of the way ready.
Today Humanitarian started back up and Heidi was there with the two little boys. She reported that someone donated a bunch of fabric and it needed to be sorted and organized and a home found for it. Between trying to rest I listened to the historical chapter of the teachings of President Hinckley book. Some things I remember include stories of his pilgrim ancestors never turning back even through many perished. Also, from his time as a missionary his Dad shared two things which helped him, "be not afraid, only believe" and "forget yourself and go to work". That second quote I can remember from when President Hinckley was our prophet. He surely did live that as part of his example.
This afternoon I had recovered enough to help with Peter while Heidi was picking up kids at Heritage. This evening Heidi did another Scoutbook training for a new leader. Happily the kids were very good for me. We watched a fun spin on the Wizard of Oz called Lost in Oz.

Here is another picture of Peter playing with the wooden train tracks.

1/11/17 Preschool and Post School

Today was the second day that Heidi held preschool for Joseph and Amy. In the picture they are making letters in kinetic sand. Heidi said that things went more smoothly today. She had a clearer plan and knew better what to expect from the kids. She's working to get them started with writing letters. She also worked some more with them on "AT" words like "BAT" and "CAT". I'm glad Joseph is still getting a chance to learn. It'll help him get ready for kindergarten.
While Heidi worked with Amy and Joseph I worked on a 2 credit CPE class. It was about project scope and time management. I'm not sure that I found anything that can readily be applied to Valiant Accounting but it was a good topic to think about. The idea of having project scope and deliverables clearly written out before jumping in is a good one.
The afternoon was fairly regular with kids coming home and doing homework. David had scouts he was appointed to a leadership position as Quartermaster. He has a goal to earn his Eagle by the end of this year. It's an ambitious one but, on paper, it's doable. He's a good kid and we're proud of him.

1/10/17 Planting Seeds and Pulling Weeds

Today was surprisingly busy. After the kids were at school and Heidi was back from car pool we had a meeting with Vickie. We did some training so that she can help us with some more complicated client issues. Thinking back on it we were planting a seed. By increasing her skills she will be able to do valuable work for us not just for a day but for many days. She benefits because she can earn more and we benefit because we can serve clients more efficiently and possibly earn more as well.
This afternoon Heidi and I worked together (ok she did more but I helped a lot) picking and hoeing weeds in the front yard. With the recent rain they've been popping up, well, like weeds. It was interesting what I learned from Heidi. At first I bent down and picked one weed at a time trying to pull up the roots. This can be fine when there are one or two but this time there were dozens, perhaps hundreds. Heidi first got out the leaf blower and blew away the leaves that were obstructing our view of the weeds. Then she grabbed the hoe and with one stroke cut down many weeds. She then raked up the leaves and weeds and threw them away. The last step, which we still need to do, is to put down weed killer which will keep them from coming back. Once again Heidi is not only teaching me how to work hard but also how to work smart.
This afternoon the kids also got to play with friends. Orson Phelps now comes home with our kids until his parents get done teaching at Heritage. We helped him with his math homework. Jenna and Cailyn (sp) Sagnimeni came to play with the girls. First though they kindly helped our girls finish up their work. Jenna helped Sarah organize the cans in the pantry. They did a great job and had fun too. Cailyn helped Rebecca finish up her math on Khan Academy. They giggled as they worked and they got done. Then the kids went down to the park and threw the Aerobie around.
Heidi also went to Parent/Teacher conference for TJ. His teacher said that TJ read 114 words in a minute. The goal for 1st graders, by the end of the school year, is 46. He is doing well, has friends and is doing better at staying focused. Go TJ.

1/9/17 Blessings

Today I felt the positive effects of rhe Priesthood blessing I received yesterday. To start the day I felt less than 100% but well enough to get out of bed and make the muffins for breakfast. Heidi went and did a training for two new Primary counselors. By the time she got back I was feeling well enough to go to my client meeting.
After the meeting Heidi and the little boys and I went to give Gram a blessing. Papa helped me consecrate some oil as both of ours were running low. Hopefully Gram feels better and is able to get the rest she needs.
This evening for FHE we talked about heros. We talked about how fire fighters have to prepare and do a lot of training in order to be able to rescue people. Sometimes the simple, mundane things, like doing our homework, are what prepare us to be able to serve when we are needed.

1/8/17 First Counselor

Today the Deacon's quorum was reorganized. David is now the First Counselor under President Lincoln Phelps. There are currently three boys in the quorum. Cameron Lowis is the Second Counselor. In David's blessing he was told to keep his eye open for chances to invite new boys to come to church and scout meetings. He was also told that the Spirit would prompt him about things to say to help lead the quorum. I am proud of David for the new skills he is learning. Leadership is a tough, but important, skill to work on.
Heidi was sick today so it was me and six kids at church. Luckily the kids are all well behaved, Peter is working on it. He spent most of Sacrament in the hall. Part of the time David watched over him so that I could troubleshoot some audio problems reported at the back of the hall.
After Sacrament meeting we had some confusion. TJ was supposed to take Joseph with him to Primary AND return the crayons he borrowed to the library. The crayons were returned but Joseph got separated in the hall. Luckily another parent came and told me that Joseph was hiding behind the portable chalkboards instead of in class. When I found him Joseph explained that there had been a long line of people blocking the hall that lead to the Primary room. He apparently felt nervous and hid instead of plowing through. With some coaxing he came out from under the chalkboards and went with me to his class. The kids, including Joseph, all reported having a good experience with their new Primary teachers. Part of the challenge today came from the fact that Sarah has graduated from Junior Primary. She's been the one to take Joseph for the past year. Next week I'll be sure that Joseph makes it and that TJ learns how to keep a better eye on his little brother.
This evening Doug and our home teacher Greg Turley came over to give Heidi and me a blessing. Heidi's voice is still pretty hoarse and I was feeling very worn out and like I might be getting what Heidi has. We are very grateful for their dedicated service.

1/7/17 A Belated Gift

This morning we enjoyed a second visit this week from my parents. While they were here David gave Gram a belated Christmas gift of a little Christus statue. He felt like it was something that she would enjoy and would fit well with her decor.
The primary reason Gram, Papa and Becca B. came over was for help buying Cubs preseason tickets. I was amazed at how quickly tickets were gobbled up. In the short time it took us to order tickets we watched several games get sold out. To add to the tension the website added a timer. If you did not complete certain steps before the timer the system booted you out and you had to start over. We ended up buying 4 tickets to the Cubs vs the Italian National Team. We bought two ADA (wheelchair accessible) seats and two regular. The system made us buy the two pairs separately. This made me nervous that the game would sell out before we could get all four tickets. Happily it did not and we were able to get seats reasonably close together. Typing in credit card and address information while the clock ticked down made me feel like I was in some kind of Mission Impossible movie. The good guys trying to hack into the bad guy's computer before the guards come back down the hallway. At one point I had less than ten seconds left to correctly type my security code before we were all caught and sent to a Russian internment camp in Siberia (well, that's how it felt). Hopefully the game is just as exciting as the ticket buying.
The other goal was to fix Becca B's finicky cel phone. Lately it has been reading "No Service". What use is a phone that can't make phone calls? After some finagling we realized that the charging port had gotten gunked up. I wasn't able to back up the phone while they were here but I was able to back it up later in the day. Heidi and I have a similar phone that we think will work for Becca B as a replacement.
The rest of the day was fairly quiet. Heidi helped Anna Phelps with her Cub Scout den meeting. The rest of us hung out at home. Mostly Rebecca and TJ and I worked on saving Gotham City in our LEGO Batman video game. It was surprisingly difficult until we started to learn how some of the game mechanics worked. It was fun but I also wished that I had taken some time to make a better plan for the day. I think we could have made a plan that would have engaged more of us in a more useful activity.

1/6/17 Emissions Check and New Couches

This morning Heidi woke up not feeling well. We got Rebecca, Sarah and TJ off to school. Then David and I went over to visit with Gram, Papa and Becca B. After a brief meeting we decided that today would be a good day to get the emissions check done for Bigfoot. David voted to stay back and visit with Gram while Papa and Becca and I went. David made a recording of Gram talking about how she got her name. I will have to add that in a later post. Bigfoot got a clean bill of health in it's emissions check.

Sometime in the last week Heidi's friend Angela Judd asked if we could use some secondhand couches. The leather couches we were given about a year ago have developed some sad looking holes. The kids have grown to love them and were sad to see them go. You can see Rebecca, David and Sarah in the picture above. What you can't see is Joseph and TJ hiding behind.

Here is TJ and Sarah modeling the new couch.

Peter especially enjoyed the throw pillows that came with the loveseat. We are grateful to have such good friends that think of us and share their blessings.

1/5/17 Little Visitors

One of the choice blessings of being able to work from home is that I get occasional visits from the little boys while I work. Today as I was standing and working at my treadmill desk Peter came in and asked me to "make go fast". This meant that he wanted me to turn the treadmill on so that he could walk with me. We would then walk for a moment together and then he would pull the safety cord and turn the treadmill back off. Then, in typical toddler fashion, he would want to repeat.

Peter and Joseph both love physical affection. Sometimes they need good wrasstle to show that you care. Heidi captured this fun moment with the two little boys.

1/4/17 Preschool and Temple Visit

This morning Rebecca, Sara and TJ all started back to school at Entz. Heidi and I decided that since Joseph no longer had preschool with Mrs. Lowis we should try doing something at home. Heidi invited Joseph's friend Amy Hallsted to come and join us. I had a work meeting over at Empire Financial this morning so I wasn't able to stay and see the fun. In the picture above Heidi is playing a pattern game with the two kids.

Heidi also used our magnetic letters to teach some three letter "at" words. The kid's attention spans are not very long at this age so Heidi had to come up with quite a few different activities.

After my meeting Amy went home with her family and David watched Peter and Joseph so that Heidi and I could go to the temple. The Mesa Temple is closed for six weeks for cleaning. Heidi and I went to the Gilbert Temple instead. We are very fortunate to have two wonderful temples close by. It has been a while since Heidi and I have been able to go to the temple together. We used the opportunity to do some sealings together. One special name was being able to seal my grandfather Donald Dean Van Kirk to his second wife.