11/30/15 Sarah and Rebecca Make Zucchini Bread

     Heidi captured these shots from our Family Home Evening. Rebecca and Sarah both love to help their mother in the kitchen. Tonight the three of them worked together to make some gifts to share with our neighbors. You see Sarah preparing to chop the zucchini and Rebecca mixing the ingredients. 

      Unfortunately I fell asleep before I could sample the fruits of their labors. Such hard workers. 

     Heidi and the kids also made cards to invite our neighbors to the Ward Christmas Breakfast and Nativity. 

     In other events of the day, work continues to be busy. I met with a client this morning to go over future plans. Our new task/ to-do system keeps revealing areas to improve including with the new system. It's not perfect but it's helpful. 

UPDATE: I must have been asleep when we were talking about the zucchini bread. It was actually for breakfast and not the neighbors. My mistake. We'll have to make treats for the neighbors later on for Christmas. 

11/29/15 Help with the Furnace

     Last night we decided that it was cool enough that we wanted to turn the furnace on. When we did though it was blowing cold air. We ended up covering the kids with extra blankets which worked fine but it got down to 62 degrees. The forecast for tonight says 36 degrees. Today we called Brother McDowell in our ward. We'd heard that he might be able to help us. Turns out that he knows a lot about fixing units like ours. He was able to make a couple of quick fixes that got the heater going again. We'll still need to call the property management company in the morning but we do have heat in the meantime. Brother McDowell says it just won't be as efficient as it should be without the frion that it needs. We are super grateful for his help. 

11/28/15 Lauren's Electric Light Parade

     Tonight the Roche family invited us to see Lauren dance in a light up parade. It was a little dark for photos but a few turned out. 

     Heather kindly got some glow sticks to make the kids easier to spot in the dark. Once the parade started Peter sat on my shoulders for most of the time. He wanted to roam free and get close to the floats. 

     

     TJ reported that the trains were his favorite. There were multiple trains tonight. Heidi got these two shots above. 

     Heidi also captured this fun Lego themed float. 

     By the end Joseph was pooped. We failed to talk him out of wearing shorts tonight. Heidi did convince him to wear the long socks. He didn't complain about being cold but he did let us put a jacket over him to keep him warmer. 

     In the morning we did Dino and Christmas themed pancakes with our pancake pen. The kids had to guess what I tried to draw. It was fun to hear their imaginatative guesses. Heidi went to the temple for initiatory. We all stopped by the church to see if they needed help cleaning. Turns out they had a good crew and were done before we got there. 

     Next up we took the kids to the store and let them choose gifts for each other for Christmas. Heidi, David, Joseph and Sarah chose gifts for Ganon, Rebecca, TJ and Peter and vice versa. We had a budget to work in. It was a challenge at times reminding the kids that we weren't there for them to pick gifts for themselves. It was good when they started catching on and really found things that the other kids would enjoy. 

    Another fun thing happened early this morning. TJ was up before the other kids so he and I did the Star Wars hour of code. It was a series of puzzles designed to teach kids some principles behind computer programming. I think TJ enjoyed the one on one time. 

11/27/15 The Good Outing with Gram and Papa

      The latest Pixar movie is out this week. It is called The Good Dinosaur. Gram and Papa invited us to go with them to see the movie. The kids seemed to enjoy the movie. Sarah was so scared though she had to sit on my lap for half the movie. Still, she said to me after it ended that she couldn't wait for it to come out on DVD so she could watch it again. After the movie Papa said rightly that it is a drama, not a comedy. There are cute and funny moments. However, the young dinosaur spends much of the movie in peril and there is tragedy as well. Overcoming these two things is a theme of the film. Peter did not sit still for the whole movie but he did let Heidi stay in the room. That is a first for him. So we can say that was our best theater experience since Peter was born over a year ago. 

     After the movie we ate lunch at Gram and Papa's house. David asked Gram if her scooter needed to be driven to keep the battery from dying. He always wants to do his part to help with this. The kids can get impatient waiting for their turn to ride. The photo above shows the solution they came up with. So far as I know no one taught them how to fit 6 kids on one scooter. They sure love to be together. 

        We are all grateful for this wonderful outing with Gram, Papa and Becca B. 

     This evening we got another fun treat. Heather brought her three kids over to roast marshmallows and hang out. Heidi started a 1 match fire. I was impressed. Later on though I was given the task of supervising the fire. After most of he kids had gone inside Sarah stayed out and asked me questions about how to keep a fire going. Bradley also came out and gave me an update on his life. He too enjoyed tending the fire. Today has been a busy and fun day. 

     I almost forgot to mention the Good Samaritan Heavenly Father sent our way. Around 8 this morning Heidi and Peter and I were going to install two new computers in the stake when our battery wouldn't start. We called our home teachers, and they would have come, but a kind man saw our plight and stopped to give us a jump start. That helped us get on our way. I am grateful for kind souls willing to take time to lend a helping hand. 

11/26/15 Thanksgiving Simple Gifts

    The picture above fails to show how much fun Peter was having with the swing. He was discovering that if he pushed it away it would come back. He laughed and giggled. Moments like these are fun to watch as a parent. When your kids are able to find joy in the simplest gifts from our Heavenly Father. 

      Today we were blessed to have both sets of grandparents over for Thanksgiving dinner. What an unusual blessing that is. The food was lovingly prepared by many hands and it was delicious. The kids seemed to have grown in maturity since last year. They seemed more willing to try new foods. This has been a source of tears in the past but not today. This may have come, in part, from an unconscious choice that Heidi and I made. Rather than give them something of everything and obliging them to eat it, we gave them foods we knew they liked and the option to try others. As a result some of the kids surprised us by requesting to try the new foods (and finding they liked them). This may have lead other kids to be brave enough to try the unfamiliar (to them) Thanksgiving dishes. So, another simple thing to be grateful for, a Thanksgiving meal with no memorable crying. 

       Our blessings are, of course many. We are blessed to have family nearby. In addition to the grand parents and Becca B both Heather and Matt (and some of the kids) stopped by for visits. We were blessed with time, I'm sure that many people had to work yesterday. We were blessed to all be healthy. So many times during the holidays we have taken turns being sick. You never know when that might happen but today it did not. Another small mercy is that Peter did not fall off he playground. You may remember from an earlier Facebook post from Heidi that Peter taught himself to climb up the 5 foot tall climbing wall on our play set by himself. That doesn't mean he isn't still very wobbly once up there or that he doesn't give me a heart attack when he sneaks outside and climbs up with no grown up nearby to catch him. That happened today. Happily he was fine and loved it. I was the only one who seemed worried that he would fall. He surely was not. I could go on and on about things to be grateful for but I think this post is long enough. If anyone is reading this feel free to post something you are grateful in the comments. 

11/25/15 Turkey Trot

    The day before Thanksgiving Entz Elementary holds its annual Turkey Trot. Heidi was able to see all four of our trotters run this year. She even ran with two of them for at least part of the way. The kids in each grade take a turn chasing an older kid dressed as a turkey around the school. 

The first picture shows Rebecca at the end of her run. Here is Sarah. 

   

    Here is David, finishing strong. 

     Heidi reports that TJ jogged the whole way around the school without stopping. 

    Joseph and Peter played on the playground while the big kids ran. 

11/24/15 A couple of Arches pictures

     Today was a relatively quiet day albeit a productive one at work. Gram did her second day of Preschool with Joseph and it seemed to go well. They worked on patterns and some other math type principles. Since it was otherwise quiet I decided to post some pictures from our Arches trip in October. Above you see Rebecca "holding up" Balanced Rock. They say the rock on top is 55 feet tall.

      

     Here is our family in front of the famous Delicate Arch (way in front). You might be able to see it above Heidi's head if you squint.

     We had a lot of fun doing night photography this trip. Papa was there with his nice camera that can do night shots. Above is a star that Rebecca drew with a flashlight.

      Papa and I spent some time taking pictures of the starry night sky. Perhaps the most fun was getting to visit quietly with Papa while we waited 30 seconds each for the star photos to take in enough light. One day soon I hope to create a time-lapse from these pictures. Can you see the Milky Way in the shot? Heavenly Father's creations do fill me with wonder.

11/23/15 Helping Hands

      Peter is a social baby. He has come to a good family for that. We have learned that he can be well fed and clothed and rested and still be sad because he is lonely. 

     Today David was a big helper with Peter. David attached a tie down strap to the little car and pulled Peter around and around the yard. Peter was so content. Heidi and I were a little nervous when the car got a little too fast. To quote Thomas the Train "luckily no one was hurt". 

      In the evening we went grocery shopping as a family. Then we left a Turkey on the doorstep of a family we know. Hopefully it makes Thanksgiving a little brighter for them. 

11/22/15 I'm a Tornado!

     This evening Heidi found that Joseph had found some face paints that didn't get put away well enough. When Heidi asked him what he was dressed up as he said "I'm a tornado!"

      This morning he made it to church still in his pajama pants. (Heidi had dressed him twice at home and he changed back). In the bathroom Heidi tried to convince him to change into his church pants. Joseph's response "I have an idea. I can wear them over my pajama pants. I won't tell my nursery teachers. They won't even know. "

   As long as I'm telling Joseph stories, here is one that happened at camp. As we were unloading Friday night the three little boys stayed in the van. After a bit the timer on the light went out and Heidi found the boys in the dark and crying. She also found the breakfast muffins had been opened and the top of one of the muffins had been eaten off. Joseph explained "I needed it because I was hungry for my Adventure."

      Life with Joseph is surely an adventure. Here's looking forward to all our future adventures. 

11/21/15 Coon Bluff Continued

For an extra dose of excitement Joseph thought that if he ran fast enough he could walk on water (like Dash from the Incredibles)

Here he is dressed in his mother's hoodie after we got him out of his soaked clothes. I was prompted to follow the kids and so I was blessed to be nearby when he went kurplunk into the water. So grateful that aside from having to miss the morning hike in order to get dried off no real harm happened. Grateful for Heavenly Father's promptings that keep us safe.

This morning the river looked beautiful with the trees reflected in the water. Here is another look.

     Here is a snapshot of what our campsite looked like with Matt and Heidi surveying the scene.

    The kids enjoyed climbing on the rocks. A lady from the campsite next door told us to be on the lookout for two bald eagles that nest on the bluff nearby.

     David managed to capture a few pictures.

David keeping warm (or at least trying)

A Nice smile from Cousin Lucy

11/20/15 Camping at Coon Bluff

     Heidi's brother Matt invited us to camp at a place near Mesa called Coon Bluff. He and his daughter Lucy were here waiting when we arrived around dinner time. We set up our tent and the kids roasted hot dogs and marshmallows over the campfire. It is cool, by Arizona standards, but so far the kids seem to be dressed warmly enough. We'll see how the night goes. 

     Earlier today Heidi and I took Peter and Joseph to visit Gram and Papa Connelly. We did a little tech support. 

11/19/15 Gobble Gobble Math Night

    Tonight at Entz Elementary the school hosted an event to show the kids how fun math can be. There were various games involving addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Many of the games involved small candies that you got to eat when you scored a point.  Our kids got right into that. For each game you played you got to write your name on a small ticket for a chance to win prizes later on. They gave away a prize or two from each grade level from Preschool to 6th grade. Joseph won the Preschool prize. Then they read a child's name for kindergarten. That child had apparently gone home so they drew another name. This time TJ was called. The principle asked if we also had a 1st grader since the trend seemed to suggest us winning it all. We blushed a little but that was the last prize we won. Sarah hoped that lightning would strike a third time and she would win. Heidi and I were grateful that did not happen. There were over a hundred kids present and to win 2 of maybe ten prizes given was a tender mercy. The games are age appropriate for the two boys who won them. They might make good additions to the Preschool curriculum. 

      After the activity Heidi was off to take care of her calling. She had three meetings to attend tonight, 2 pack meetings and a Unit Commissioner meeting. She does a great job helping teach the leaders how to do their callings. 

     While she was gone the kids were great helpers. David and Rebecca both were especially big helpers with Peter. Rebecca even got Peter to go to sleep without crying. I could almost cry thinking about it. 

      A cute Joseph story. As I was sweeping the kitchen Joseph came and looked at my pile. He said "Dad is this spoon trash?" I told him no and he picked it up. He then said "Dad, is this sock trash?"  I told him no and that it needed to go to the laundry. I asked if he would be my big helper. He was he put the spoon in the sink and the sock in the laundry. That boy makes me smile. 

11/18/15 I'm Proud to Be an American

     The second grade does a patriotic program for the parents every year. 

     Sarah got to have one of the speaking parts. She spoke very clearly and calmly. Heidi and I got to go and show support. It was fun to see several other members of our ward there as well. Earlier they did a tribute to our Nations veterans. It feels like we have a connection to many veterans. My Grandfather served. So did Heidi's Father and two of her brothers and a brother in law. One of her brothers, Christopher is still serving. Also Arnie Hammari is serving. That's not counting the many many wonderful saints we met living in Kailua. Heidi's Mom and Dad got to come today and show support as well.  We are surely grateful for the sacrifice that these brave souls make to protect our freedom. Freedom is not free. It comes at the cost of careful vigilance. We also must take care not to let sin become our master because we lose freedom there although we may live in a free country. 

     We also had the privilege of having the missionaries over for diner. That is one small service that is a blessing to give. After the missionaries left I was able to make a quick run to the temple to do initiatory. It was a good, busy day. 

11/17/15 Preschool for Joseph and a quiet day at work

     Today Gram came over (with Papa and Becca B) for the first official Gram Connelly Preschool with Joseph. I had to finish a CPE class on budget issues so I couldn't be in the room. Initial reports are that things went well. Joseph is high energy and not afraid to share his opinions. He is also a very sweet boy who can be a big helper when he has the chance. 

      I also got some work done training an employee on pivot tables in excel. This evening Heidi taught kids part of how to make quilts. David had a class for the Citizenship merit badge. Heidi, very patiently, worked with him so that he made progress on it. He's not quite done but he's close. 

11/16/15 AZ Merit and a bit of Ice Cream

     Today the kids received back their scores for the AZ Merit test from last year. Rebecca and David were both old enough to need to take it last year. They both did well, coming in above the school and state averages. Rebecca even got a perfect score for her grade level in math. She reports that there were questions she hadn't learned how to do yet on the test but those must not have counted against her. We are proud of both of them for paying attention in school and doing well on the test so we took them out for a frosty. Thank you to Kelly for treating us to some free frosty coupons. It gave us something nice, and tasty, we could do to reward the kids. 

11/15/15 Grateful for what we have

     Today we had the privilege of giving our old bed to a family that needed it. I found out that this family had a couch and the floor of their apartment to sleep on. Now they'll have a bed to add to that. It makes feel embarrassed for feeling like we have it hard sometimes. We can't always have the things we want but we do all have beds we can sleep in. We are very blessed to have that. 

11/14/15 Busy, Fun Saturday

     This morning Heidi went to Sister Teeting's baptism. It's been wonderful how many new people have been finding the gospel lately in our ward. While she was gone the kids played outside and I played the Ukulele. 

     When Heidi was a kid she had a friend whose family had a 15 passenger van and 6 kids. That family would go on outings and each child could bring a friend. Today we did something like that and we had a blast. David brought Lincoln, Rebecca brought Christy, Sarah brought Libby, TJ brought Gunnar. Joseph and Peter got to be buddies. When they're a bit older they can bring a friend too. 

     We went to the Riverview Park. The boys enjoyed the new spinner toy. 

     Joseph likes to forge his own way in the world. He decided to try the concrete "slide" beside the slide. I'm not sure it worked too well for him but he didn't complain about it either. 

   

     Heidi got this nice close up of Rebecca and Christy. 

     Sarah and Libby. 

     TJ and Gunnar enjoyed climbing the ropes. 

     After the park we took the friends home. Then we visited Gram and Papa. We helped fix a bit of siding and called customer support for the phone. Both tasks went well. It was a nice, albeit short, visit.

    We stopped and ate pizza at Costco and picked up muffins for tomorrow. 

     Heidi and I even practiced Mele Kalikimala on the Ukulele. Like I said, it was a busy, fun day. 

11/13/15 A King Sized Family

    OK so the phone cam doesn't do great in low light but here we all are trying out the new mattress. Heidi and I tried downsizing to a Queen after only ever using a King. Time to face it that we are a King sized family and Queen size just didn't leave enough room. The Queen was a gift from Heather and a welcome improvement over the lumpy King we had before. The new one is memory foam. Our first so it is a bit of an experiment for us. Right now Peter is asleep next to Heidi. In the Queen we couldn't seem to make that work without one of us hanging off the edge of the bed. Anyhow, super grateful for the change. 

11/12/15 Humanitarian for Heidi

This morning Heidi went to Humanitarian. She really enjoys the camaraderie of the women serving and creating quilts and other crafty things together. Joseph loves playing in the nursery. Peter even does pretty well there too. I tagged along and did some work on my Stake Technology calling. Our next big project there is to upgrade the family history centers. There will be plenty of work to do between now and the start of the new year. 

11/11/15 A trip to the park with the cousins

     Today we enjoyed a visit from Anthony, Bradley and Lauren. To celebrate Veteran's day, and a good result cleaning the garage, we went to the park. 

Peter enjoyed hanging out in the swing. 

The older kids enjoyed the spinning swings. Here are Rebecca and Sarah having a blast. 

     In other important events, Grandpa Mangum had a procedure done on his knee. He seemed to be doing well afterwards. Our prayers go out for a speedy recovery for him.