3/31/18 General Conference Day 1

Today we spent much of our day watching the first three sessions of General Conference. There was much excitement with two new apostles called, a new presidency sustained and High Priests and Elder's Quorum merged. Plus there were many faith-affirming talks given.

In between the first two sessions, Heidi took the kids over to the Taylor's house. Above is Peter on the trampoline.

Rebecca on the zipline.

The main goal was to help the Taylors pick oranges. It's almost time for new blossoms and the old fruit needs to go. It is kind of Sister Taylor to share with us. 

During one of the sessions, Heidi experimented with a new braiding technique.

Also today, Gram has a special breakfast recipe that she wanted to share with the family. It was a team effort preparing the food to cook tomorrow morning.

3/30/18 Good Friday

Today was a busy day. It started with the kids all watching David play a game. I makes me smile when I see how willing they are to share the same space in order to watch a tiny screen.

Gram, Papa, Heidi and I all went and did sealings today. We did the work for 14 sons, 9 daughters and 5 couples. That is 28 ordinances in all. We were blessed to have the Turleys coordinating the sealing sessions. They made sure to put us in a large room that worked well with Gram's wheel chair.

We've been having highs in the 90s lately and some of the kids were ready to try out the pool.

It was too cold in the water for anyone to stay in for very long. Still, I saw some, like Rebecca and her namesake Becca B get in multiple times.

Plan B was to fire off the water bottle rocket launcher at the park. The kids had loads of fun.

This evening, after it cooled off, Heidi lead the charge in fixing several of our out of commission bikes. I was pooped but it was fun to be able to ride a grown up sized bike again.

3/29/18 Oil Change

Well, it was time again to change the oil. I didn't quite get as much oil on myself this time as I did last time. The good news is that it's done and we can check that off the list for a few months. Thanks to Heidi for being my lovely assistant.

3/28/18 Last Court of Honor

Today David was awarded the last merit badge that he needed to complete his Eagle. It was the camping merit badge. Many nights were spent in the wilderness to get this badge.

The boys who participated in a service project were all given a patch to remember the project by.

3/27/18 Preparing to Go to the Temple

     Today we spent the morning going through the Temple names that we have printed to see who is ready to be sealed to a spouse or parent. It is remarkable how many people we have been able to find. It feels as if our ancestors have noticed that we have been going to the temple more often.

3/26/18 Conference Questions

Today, for FHE, we did our tradition of writing down questions that we hope will be answered during General Conference.

Here are the questions that we came up with as a group:

         How to live a balanced life

         How can we have greater peace and happiness

What country are the new apostles from?

Gospel centered ways to help kids develop. (specifically potty training and sleeping in own beds)

How to stay focused amid distractions

How can I help my siblings? (homework)

How can we keep our house clean?

Why is baptism important?

How can I show love to my siblings?

3/25/18 Perils of Sleeping on the Floor

Good thing Joseph is a heavy sleeper. It's nice that our boys love each other so much.

3/24/18 Scout-O-Rama

This morning I took the kids to a neighborhood Breakfast and Easter Eggs Hunt. Becca B joined us.

In the melee of the event Becca B, Joseph and Peter all missed out on the hunt. Without me even knowing about it David, Rebecca, Sarah, and TJ all shared the eggs they had found with the ones who missed out. I am pleased by the love that was shown.

TJ participating in his first ever Pinewood Derby. He came in 3rd place in the Tiger (7-year-old) division. That means he got a cool trophy. I somehow missed getting a picture.

Outside there were many fun activities.

Later on, David and Joseph competed in the "Open" class. David kindly let Joseph race one of his cars from his Cub Scout days. They came in 6th and 8th places respectively against some pretty competitive adults.

3/23/18 Temple and Building a Derby Car

This morning Gram, Papa, Heidi and I went to the Temple to do Endowments. We almost didn't make it in. Gram's recommend had expired. Happily, a member of the Temple staff was able to call our bishop and stake president and give us special permission to go anyway. He could tell that it took a special effort for us to all be there.

Gram loves these tall flowers that grow on the Temple grounds.

This afternoon it was time to finish TJ's first pinewood derby car.

TJ came up with the design himself. We watched a YouTube video to get ideas on how to make it go fast. Heidi and I still feel like rookies but TJ is happy with how it looks. Tomorrow we will get to see how fast it runs down a track.

3/22/18 Taking Care of the Garden

Sarah is taking the care of her garden seriously. She checks on it nearly every day. Today she had some additional help. David made some art on the fence with the hose.

This morning I ran errands while Heidi and Peter went to Humanitarian. This afternoon I worked on our budget. I am hoping to start contributing to our retirement account again soon.

3/21/18 Cubs Scouts and Firemen

Today we had a combined Cub Scout meeting because the Fire Truck was coming.

Four local firefighters came and gave the boys a wonderful lesson and tour of the fire truck. One thing that I learned is that all of the firefighters in our area are trained in medicine as well as how to fight fires. They actually spend more time treating people hurt in accidents than they spend fighting fires. The boys loved it. We are grateful for the kind public service.

3/20/18 Easter Peagent

This year we decided to try seeing the Easter Peagent during their dress rehearsal. The advantage is that it starts earlier and has a slightly smaller crowd.

A surprise blessing is that Dairy Queen was giving away free ice cream cones. That made for a special treat for us.

The performance was great and we managed not to lose anyone. We are glad to have made it. Rumor has it that the show may not return after the Temple renovations are complete.

3/19/18 Internet Install

Today Heidi and I installed an updated internet box. The Cox rep said that if we installed this box we would get faster internet at a lower price. At the same time, we moved the setup to a place we can access it even if it goes down at odd hours.

3/18/18 Joseph's Unique Eye

Joseph shared this llama picture that he made with me today. He said that it's a "Minecraft llama" since it is blocky like in the game.

We had a pretty normal busy Sunday. Church and planning and later Self Reliance class. The day was pretty full.

3/17/18 Saint Patty's in the Park

Heidi made green pancakes to celebrate the day.

The kids voted for friends at the park as their highest priority, after cleaning up the house, during Spring Break.

Peter and Alex loved the slide.

Caleb Halsted rocking my fedora.

Rebecca and Sarah loved playing with Caleb.

The biggest challenge was keeping kids in sight as they played happily.

Heavenly Father provided a fridge that one of our neighbors was giving away.

Another goal was to play ping pong as a family. Mission accomplished!