11/26/17 Aloha Oe

Today it came time to say Aloha to Amanda and Eric and Emma, Lily, Carson, and Macy. It has been so fun having them here to visit. Papa had us sing Aloha Oe and we gave hugs. Hopefully, we'll be able to see them again soon. At this moment they are passing through American Fork so they should be safely home soon.

At church, I spotted David doing service without needing to be asked. He saw a dirty rag in the middle of the parking lot. Without being asked, he picked it up and threw it in the dumpster. Way to go being proactive David!

This evening we did some basic weekly planning. Also, Rebecca, David and Sarah and I had fun playing a puzzle game together.

11/25/17 Wonder

This morning Heidi busted out the pancake pen. She made hearts, stars, and swirls.

She even made this Mesa Temple that Rebecca is holding. You know it is a special occasion when the pancake pen comes out.

After breakfast, we all went to see the movie, Wonder. It is about a boy who has a deformed face and his issues in the 5th grade. It is surprisingly touching. Peter stayed most of the time. I only had to take him out for water twice. That is pretty good for Peter.

After the movie, everyone slid over to Costco to eat. Here Gram visits with David and Rebecca.

Later on, many of us went over to VDO to take advantage of the heated pool. It has been a fun visit with Amanda and family. We have been packed with activities. We will miss them when they head home tomorrow morning.

11/24/17 Tree, Temple, Bowling

Last night one of our Aerobies got stuck up in a tree. See if you can see it in this close up.

We couldn't even see it up there last night. This morning David and Heidi went to retrieve it. Can you see David up in the tree? With Heidi's help getting up and his brave climbing the frisbee was recovered.

The highlight of the morning for me was taking a trip to the temple to do Baptisms for the Dead. We spent most of Tuesday morning researching and printing family names. Today Emma, Lily, Becca B, Heidi, David and I all got baptized for the dead. Eric and I took turns doing the baptisms. We did work for 20 sisters and 8 brothers. I didn't end up taking pictures but Dad and Amanda did. I'll have to share those later on.

In the late afternoon, we went bowling.

The kids had a lot of fun.

Peter alternated between happy and miserable. Heidi was a champ and took care of him most of the time. Part of the time he bowled happily. In this shot, Peter and TJ are smiling together.

The girls enjoyed the kinetic sand so much yesterday that they voted to do it again today.

Here is Rebecca's dragon (with butterfly wings).

11/23/17 Lots to Be Thankful For

This morning Rebecca and Sarah tried out the new tetherball pole.

Peter joined as a spectator.

Meanwhile, preparations for our Thanksgiving feast went underway.

The turkey and candied yams in the oven.

Heidi was the queen of the feast leading the charge of all the preparations.

Rebecca and Sarah helped make the lemonade. Amanda and I helped peel potatoes for the mashed potatoes.

Heidi carved the turkey.

Joseph couldn't wait and grabbed a Hawaiian roll to sustain himself until all was ready.

After a hearty meal, most folks wanted to sleep off the tryptophan. Not these girls. They wanted to play with the kinetic sand.

This is their sand castle.

Rebecca made this chair.

In the evening the older Reynolds clan went Black Friday shopping. The rest of us, including Gram and Papa and Becca B, showed Carson and Macy the park near our house. Later on, Heidi and I went and picked up a couple of things for gifts as well.

11/22/17 Mesa Polar Bear Plunge

The water in our pool is chilly. We haven't measured but my legs start to go numb after a few minutes standing in it up to my ankles. Macy went down the slide but stopped herself before going in.

Carson, on the other hand, was all in.

And it was cold.

Amanda was brave and took a turn.

David took a flying leap into the pool.

Joseph got in and quickly got out.

Although the water was cold it was still 89 degrees outside. We found other ways to play in the water.

I saw this trick online. The kids had a lot of fun with it.

Macy fit right in with Rebecca and Sarah and Joseph.

11/21/17 Prepping and Writing

This morning some friends of ours brought over a bag of pool toys. It was Dace Roger's family. Those will be fun to play with once the weather warms up again. The photo above is from when Heidi repaired the ceiling fan in the boy's room. A while ago the string that controls the fan speed broke off. That meant you only had the choice of HIGH or OFF. Heidi figured that, with company coming, we should get that fixed. 

TJ brought home two examples of his current writing. We thought they were adorable so I am including them. In this one, he explains why Sarah is his favorite person. (We love Sarah too)

In this one, he tells us how he would celebrate Thanksgiving if he were in charge. Not far from the mark I think.

This evening I went to my last Entrepreneurship class. My presentation went better than I expected.

While I was there Amanda and Eric arrived. They made the long drive from Saratoga Springs, complete with a stop at the Grand Canyon, in one day.

11/20/17 Data Collection

Rebecca has been gathering data in the mornings and afternoons for her science project.

Sarah and Heidi and I have been helping. It has been surprisingly fun. It feels kind of like a stakeout. She is doing research to see if people really stop for three seconds at stop signs.

Rebecca is a hard worker and a sweetheart.

This evening she and Sarah helped Heidi make rice crispy treats for the family.

11/19/17 Almost Well

     Today everyone but Peter was well enough to go to church. Heidi stayed home with him and I took the rest of the kiddos. David wasn't quite ready when it was time to start walking. Gram and Papa kindly gave him a ride.
     After church Papa and I went and home taught the LaSueur family. They literally live two doors down. They may be the closest home teaching family I've had. They recently got home from a one year mission in the Washington DC area. Heidi actually met them at the DC Temple. They gave their homecoming talks today. They have 7 children and 45 grandchildren. I think Sister LaSueur said they currently have 7 great-grandchildren. They seem like a great couple. I look forward to getting to know them better over time.
     This afternoon we had Executive Family Council with Gram and Papa. We like to call it the meeting of the Oligarchy. These meetings really help us stay on the same page.
     The kids watched the movie Sing. It's about hard on their luck characters competing in a singing contest. It's pretty cute.

11/18/17 Yard Work, Gifts and Family Play

This morning Gram enlisted Rebecca and Sarah to help with an art project.

The girls were all about helping. Sarah carefully paints the pinecone.

Rebecca helps keep a record of who needs one of these special gift pine cones.

While the girls helped with this project Heidi and I took the boys out to Grammie and Grandpa's house. We had some small excitement when this cute little bird flew into the house. It took a few tries before we were able to shepherd it safely on its way back outside.

The new winter grass is growing. We also trimmed some of the bushes that continue getting taller.

A highlight of the day for me was playing Lego Rock Band as a family. We managed to set aside enough time that we didn't feel rushed. I tell myself that it is a stepping stone to teaching my kids about playing music.

It appears that we no longer have anyone with a fever. Becca B still has some trouble with her voice. Hopefully, most of us will be able to go to church in the morning.

11/17/17 Tree, Temple, Pool

In the mornings, before the bus comes, Joseph and TJ like to climb the tree in our front yard.

This morning I went with Papa to the temple. I did the Endowment for Peter Bowen. I believe that he is my 3rd or 4th Great Grandfather. Papa went for John William Bowen who is another descendant of Peter's.

This evening Heidi did some work vacuuming out the pool. The Utah cousins want to try swimming when they come. Maybe we'll call it the Mesa Polar Bear challenge. :)