12/21/17 Matt the Helper

Today Matt came by to help with a couple of things. He brought Alex along with him.

Peter was stoked. I haven't seen him play so happily in ages.

Matt helped chop the remaining wood that the Young Men brought for us.

Then he suggested that we could use our Dremmel tool to cut off the bar that prevented the safety grate from openning. It was definitely a multihanded project that could not have been easily done without his help.

Now I feel safer with that problem resolved. Now we just need to figure out a solution for the one out front. The issue there is that the bars are facing the other direction.

12/20/17 TJ Treats and Rebecca Root Canal part 2

TJ brought home a gift wrapped in a custom decorated gift bag.

It was a Christmas ornament for our tree. Such a fun keepsake. Thank you for sharing TJ!

This afternoon I picked up Rebecca and Sarah a few minutes early from school in order to take Rebecca to the Orthodontist. He finished filling in and sealing up her front tooth. Rebecca was very brave when she got two shots into her gums. Not fun. It is a good thing that she is so tough. The doctor wants to see her again in 3 months to make sure that everything heals up properly.

12/19/17 David Christmas Concert

Peter and I having a fun snack together.

Tonight was David's Christmas concert. As usual it was held at the beautiful Methodist church across the street from the school.

It was literally standing room only so we did not get any close-ups of David this time. His group sounded great though.

Anthony performed later on. You can see him in the green shirt. The choice to combine the bands and orchestras into one concert made for a nice musical experience. Unfortunately it meant that it exceeded the attention span of our younger crew. Rebecca and I spent much of the time outside with Peter and Joseph. Happily Sarah and TJ, Gram, Papa, and Becca B and Heidi got to see most of the show. Well done David!

12/18/17 Weekly Meetings

     This morning I went with Gram, Papa and Becca B to visit Doctor Germaine. He felt that Gram should try out the medicine that had been on before. On the plus side she has been feeling really good. On the minus she has been a little too high. Her thoughts have seemed to jumble and the rest of us have had trouble following what she has to say.
     In the afternoon I met with Michael about the new database and Sal and Ange about work things.
     This evening Gram was in charge of Family Home Evening. She had a very specific plan. Papa and Heidi helped her plan and carry out her vision. We talked about how each member of our family loves us and especially Jesus loves us. There were video clips and specific songs. The program was a little longer that we usually attempt but, to my surprise, the kids paid attention very well. It was a good solid lesson.

12/17/17 Home with Joseph

This morning Joseph said that he felt like he was going to throw up. Although he did not have a fever we decided that he ended up being right last time and we should take his comments seriously. Joseph and I stayed home while everyone else went to church. He and I played with these cool blocks that the Roche family gave us for Christmas.

We also spent time reading scriptures and doing math on Khan Academy. Joseph finished the Kindergarten Mission! He seems to really be working hard and learning at school.

When the other kids got home they joined in on the block construction. The girls and TJ helped design a chapel interior. Notice the benches and the pulpit.

This evening was the Annual Voices of Christmas Concert. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=678&v=aWuznNLN3n8 It was a six camera show and I had the opportunity to direct the camera crew. It was an essentially all-rookie crew with me and a couple of college kids who had experience. So if you are thinking of a crew whose past experience is a 4 camera stake conference, and not Music & the Spoken Word it came out pretty good. We had some audio issues and I'm sure I took some cameras that were not ready but overall it was a positive experience. One person said that it seems like I was born to do this. I really do love working live TV events. It was stressful and somehow enjoyable at the same time. I was glad that the crew and the Stake President seemed to feel that things turned out well.

12/16/17 Family Time

Yesterday we found out that Gram's sister Catherine and her husband Marv Ericsen were coming to visit today for lunch. Their house looks like a museum so this triggered a flurry of cleaning at our house. This is not a bad thing.

I am not sure that my room has been this clean since before we moved in. Uncle Marv and Papa both took pictures but I did not manage to get any. I could blame it on my silly phone camera being out of whack but I probably was just not thinking about it. In the morning I went over to the Inter-Stake Center to set up cameras for the big Christmas concert tomorrow night. We still have some Gremlinish problems with camera flicker. Our best guess is this is due to the length of the runs.

The visit from Aunt Catherine and Uncle Marvin went well. Heidi and I picked up pizza and salad at Costco. Papa and Uncle Marv had a good-natured battle of wills about who's treat it was. I did my best to stay out of it. Gram was very emotional, especially when we sang Timothy James. Somehow Gram has never shared this song with her sister even though it was inspired by the name of Marv and Cathrine's son. I sent Marv the copy that we recorded for Gram's birthday. It was a nice visit even if it was a bit short. Cathrine and Marv promised not to wait so long for the next visit. The last photo I have is of our visit to Prescott 4 years ago.

After our visit, it was time to do some sibling shopping. Peter fell asleep on the way so he and I rested while the others shopped. Gram and Papa and Becca B joined us as well.

This evening it was time for the annual Mangum Family Christmas Party. We ate yummy food and then, those who wanted to decorated ornaments while Home Alone played on the TV. I love that Matt and David have coordinated Flash t-shirts.

Peter made sure to try all of the colors. He chose not limit himself to just his ornament. He liked the color so much he painted his arm as well.

After the ornaments, it was time to decorate our "trees". We find this tradition, using ice cream cones, is more accessible to the little ones than gingerbread houses. There was lots of creative fun and more than a few building supplies disappeared in the process.

On the way home, we spotted a potential Christmas gift from the Phelps family. It did not fit in the van so we may have to go back for it tomorrow.

We also made a quick stop at the Empire Financial parking lot. They have a fun lighting set-up with lights that blink in time to Christmas tunes broadcast on a low power FM transmitter. This was a fun and busy day.

12/15/17 Temple Trip, and Last Jedi

This morning Gram, Papa, and Heidi and I went to the Temple to do Initiatory. Papa and I finished the male names from our last Baptism trip. Gram and Heidi made a dent in the female set but there are more to go.

David kindly watched Peter and Joseph. Joseph threw up at school yesterday and I picked him up early. I feel a bit bad since he told me that he didn't feel well before he went to school. Still, he didn't have a fever and he hasn't gained a love for school just yet. I moved Peter to his bed after finding him in the above photo.

Also today, Heidi, Papa, Becca B and I went to see Star Wars: The Last Jedi. It was pretty awesome. I don't often get excited about movies anymore but I was about this one. It has a lot of interesting themes. One of my favorites is a quote from a new character, Rose. She says something to the effect of "We don't fight the things we hate, we save the things we love". Another great part (possible spoiler alert) is when Yoda teaches Luke that failure can be our greatest teacher.