9/29/16 Prep & Landing

     This morning Heidi and I took the little boys to help prep 430 for the return of Gram, Papa and Becca B. She turned down the AC, turned the fridge on and did some cleaning. 

     The boys and I took the foam out of the windows and stored it away. We're excited to have them back in town. Gram called this afternoon to let us know they made it safely. We get to see them tomorrow morning and help move in more in earnest. 

     Next up Heidi went to Humanitarian with Peter and Joseph. I went to the Des Moines building and trouble shot an issue feeding the computer video to the overflow. By lowering the computer resolution the issue seemed to go away. 

      Here is a shot of three amigos TJ, Joseph and Peter. Notice that Peter found the blue berries in the freezer. Heidi and I feel routinely grateful that our kids get along so well. They surely do disagree and argue sometimes but it feels a lot less than you'd expect from kids their ages. 

     Sarah recently took a pre test in her math class for the current unit. She did so well that the teacher has given her more challenging work. On her 1st quarter progress report she missed just one point out of all her assignments. Her lowest area grade is 99%. We're proud of Sarah for working hard and thankful her teacher is willing to help her learn at her own speed. 

      This evening Heidi went to Unit Commisioner meeting. The kids were good for me. 

9/28/16 Mutual Dance Lesson

     I forgot to mention that Heidi went to do initiatory yesterday after dropping the kids off at Heritage. It has been a great blessing that one of us can to go to the Temple each week. 

     Today Heidi and I plugged away at work things. It was surprising to me how much we got done. 

     This evening for mutual David went a little earlier than usual so that the boys could plan campouts. At the regular time there was a combined activity where they learned about Swing dancing. This was far out of David's comfort zone. He asked if he had to go. Heidi asked him to be brave and he was. I told him that his older self will thank him later for putting up with something that's awkward now. Girls tend to like guys who can dance with them. 

      During part of that time Rebecca helpfully watched the littlest kids so that Heidi and I could work on a Primary project. The leaders are concerned about how to fit 20 Sunbeams on the stand for the Primary Program. Heidi is contemplating making benches. Our data gathering was inconclusive. Heidi is still doing the math and looking at design options. She has a knack for this type of project. I'll be interested to see how it turns out. 

9/27/16 Alcantar Business Center

     One of my clients has moved into a new office. The Sal Alcantar invited us to join staff and family for an office warming party. 

      The office has a game room they hope will attract fun loving sales agents. Rebecca and TJ are enjoying the air hockey table. 

     David and one of Sal's boys Drezen try out the arcade machine. 

     Joseph liked the red chairs. 

     After eating some pizza we played "Minute to Win It" style games in the football themed conference room. We are grateful to Sal and his team, especially Kaddie who planned the games, for inviting us and letting us share in the fun. 

9/26/16 Stay Focused

      Today I felt very distracted. Still, I managed to have our regular meeting at Empire and get a few work things off the list. 

     For FHE we watched some videos that showed how people were able to give service to refuges in their community. Apparently Arizona is one place that has welcomed refugees. One of our friends is organizing a service project to furnish a home for a refugee family. We decided that we will look through the things we've been blessed with and share some with this family. Hopefully we can be a help in some small way. 

9/25/16 Joseph's Class and Gram's Birthday

     This morning Joseph was in the lizard costume playing with TJ. I had to take a picture. I got to substitute in Joseph's Sunbeam class today. They are adorable but very active with short attention spans. Once I adjusted for the age group it was a good time. Greg Palmer (another parent of a class member, his daughter Haven) was the co-teacher. He did well with the age group. 

      After church I put the finishing touches on a gift my siblings and I have been working on. I give credit to Megan and Kelly for coming up with the idea. Megan sang some of Mom's favorite songs and sent the recorded tracks to the rest of us. Jon, Kelly, Amanda and I then recorded ourselves separately singing along. I'll agree with Amanda that hearing myself recorded with no back up music was brutal. Everyone sent the tracks to me and I merged them in iMovie   It took a little finagling to get the tracks lined up properly. Finally I sent the finished recordings to Mom and the rest of the family. Jon did the important tech job of playing the songs at the birthday party in Utah. The report back is that Gram enjoyed her present. I'm glad we could give her something she likes. She has given us many priceless gifts over the years. Thank you Mom for years of love and encouragement. I'm sure that I was every bit as much trouble for you as my kids are for me. I love you very much. We look forward to having you back in town again soon. 

9/24/16 Lawn Care and Tech Practice

     Grammie and Grandpa Mangum asked their three kids in town to take turns mowing the lawn and checking on things while they are on their mission. Today was our first turn. I went out with Sarah (pictured above), Rebecca, TJ, Joseph and Peter. David went with the Young Men to hang Christmas Lights at the Temple. Heidi was helping run Stake Baptisms. 

      In the afternoon we had a tight window to do a tech rehearsal for Stake Conference in two weeks. It was a good opportunity to train the team on how to set up the stand and control rooms at the Stake Center. We had to adjust plans when we found out there was a baptism happening at 3 pm. In spite of that hour and a half where we couldn't be in the chapel we were able to get both feeds out to the two other buildings with picture and sound. We finished just in time to be ready for the Women's Session of General Conference. We learned that the satellite audio button on the stand got broken somehow. Luckily our stake conference set up allowed us a workaround. We used the sound out from a VCR fed into the house via the crab box. 

      Sarah and Rebecca joined their mom at the women's session. This was Sarah's first time as an official 8 year old. Last time she went she was a few days short of 8. They seemed to have an enjoyable time. 

9/23/16 Tree Water and Grub Poison

    This morning David helped water Gram and Papa Connelly's tree. While the water ran we scooted over to Lowes and bought grub killer for the front lawn where her sister lives. Heidi did some research and talked to a neighbor. She learned that the reason the grass is dying is that there are bugs eating the roots. The poison should kill the bugs and save the lawn. 

     We also used the Hallsted's pole saw on the high broken branch on the tree in the back yard. It felt good to finally get it down. It's been hanging high overhead for weeks since it partially broke in a storm. We've had no way to get it down until now. It's nice to no longer have that hanging over us ;)

9/22/16 Stake Conference Prep

     Heidi got a cute card with fairies that spin and a song that plays from my parents. Heidi is very grateful and the kids are fascinated. I think that Rebecca and Sarah want to claim it for their room. 

     This morning Heidi and I went to the Stake Center for Humanitarian. I spent the time creating a supply checklist of all the gear we use for Stake Conference. It's a lot of stuff. We have a practice coming up and I want to be ready. 

     This evening was quiet since Heidi's Presidency meeting happened earlier in the day. 

9/21/16 A Ward Party for Heidi's Birthday

     Today is Heidi's birthday. I asked her how it feels to be 25. She looks as beautiful and young as ever. The ward held its annual taco party tonight so we treated it like her party. They had a huge slip n slide that Sarah, Rebecca and TJ used. I was asked to help serve food. There was a steady stream of people from about 6 to 7:30. Few came through twice. A family we invited on Monday came, the Davis family. Their daughter Kalynne (SP?) is David's age. Zander is Rebecca's age. They seemed to have a good time. Heidi visited with their mom. I haven't got her name down yet. 

      The above photo is of Joseph in a tree he climbed. He wanted me to take a picture. It was the only shot I snapped before being asked to serve food. It was fun to get to meet so many people. Peter slept the whole time. I hope Heidi had a happy birthday. 

9/20/16 Temple and Tree

      This morning, after dropping kids off at Heritage, it was my turn to go to the temple. I did initiatory for six people. Heidi's Dad gave me the names. 

     After I got back I helped Heidi trim her parent's palm tree. Our friend Michael lent us his pole saw. The tree keeps getting taller and each frond has saw blade like teeth that you have to be careful with or they'll cut you. We completed the job without injury. We must be getting better at handling the fronds. I've gotten minor scratches most of the time I've done this in the past. 

     This evening Heidi picked up Heather from the airport. The Roche kids are all back home. It was a good visit. Bradley surprised me again today. He got excited by his progress on a math website. He kept working long after he'd done what I required him to do. He also volunteered to help collect the laundry from the line. So nice to see this helpful, hardworking side of him. 

      Also this evening Heidi and I handed out some work flyers to our neighbors. We think of it as planting seeds. Hopefully some of them grow and we are able to serve more people. 

9/19/16 Last Night with the Cousins

       Today felt like a quiet Monday to me. The kids got off to school on time. Lauren forgot her lunch money so Heidi later took it to her. I went to a meeting. It really feels good to break up numbers into useful actionable information. I also did some work updating a client about the database we're building. It was a fairly productive work day. 

      This evening for FHE we invited some neighbors to the Taco Party the ward is throwing on Wednesday. It'll be fun if they come. We joke that it's for Heidi's birthday. 

       Tomorrow Heather will be back and the cousins will go home. This evening we all read scriptures together. Bradley has surprised me multiple times by offering to help completely unprompted. He helped me peel potatoes even though he is not a fan of eating them. It's been a good chance for me to get to know the three of them better. 

9/18/16 Sunday with the Cousins

       This morning we all got up and got ready for Church. Lauren was at a friend's house but Bradley and Anthony were with us. We managed to get everyone dressed and out the door in time to stop and feed the dog on our way to church. The lesson in Priesthood was on protecting the family. During Sunday School Heidi went to a class on gospel centered budgeting. It's good to remind ourselves about the fundamentals. 

     This afternoon Heidi and I did our weekly planning. It's easy to have weeks were Sunday is busy and we miss it. It feels good to have caught up a little. 

9/17/16 Cub Scout Day Camp

       Today started before dawn. Heidi was at the Stake Center by 6 am. David and Bradley and I joined her around 6:30. Anya Merrill babysat the other kids for us. David was my amazing assistant teaching the kids about movie making. We had 6 groups of 8 to 15. Each group had 35 minutes to write, in some cases storyboard, and perform multiple skits and run-ons. Bradley, who is in Webelos and participated in the event, reported that movie making was his favorite class. David and I had fun giving it. Mostly I did the instruction. David transferred the recorded skits to the iMac and compiled them in iMovie for viewing after lunch. He also did what he could to help turn up the sound and add graphics when the boys mumbled. I could not have done this without his help.

        Heidi was graceful and poised as always. She handled the last minute cancellation of the fire truck, planned to spray off the boys, without seeming to miss a beat. Instead the boys played tug o war in the sprinklers of the nearby stake baseball field. It amazes me how she can pull together such complicated projects all while being a full time mom and doing a fair amount of work for Valiant Accounting. She is my hero. Love you Heidi. 

9/16/16 Joseph the Helper

      Joseph has been a great big helper of late. He has become a protector of his little brother Peter. He shares his food with him and comforts him when he is distressed. The two of them love playing together. 

     Today Joseph helped me water Gram and Papa's tree and check for weeds. So far the weed spray has worked very well. 

      This evening Heidi and I went over to the church to set up for Cub Scout Day Camp. I'm not feeling ready for my movie making class. My tummy is a little upset about it. Heidi is amazing. She is in charge of the whole event and has been keeping track of myriad details. She even has been helping and comforting me.

9/15/16 Don't Forget to Pray

      Today I spent a few hours working on the new computer at the Highland Ward clerk's office. Most of that was spent trying to get the printer to work. After trying multiple strategies that should have worked I remembered prayer. I acknowledged that I needed Heaven's help and asked forgiveness for not asking earlier. Within 20 minutes the printer started working. I have no logical explanation other than that prayer works. 

      This evening I went back over to help the finance clerk, Ron, call tech support to authorize the MLS database. This time I prayed on the way over. Last time I did that I remember it taking a while to find the number and get to someone who knew what to do. This time the number was handy and the first person knew just what to do. Before I knew it I was headed back home. Amazing the difference prayer makes. Hopefully I can do a better job of retaining this lesson. 

9/14/16 First Aid Merit Badge

      Today was a quiet one. Heidi and I got some work done. This evening she and David worked together on his First Aid merit badge requirements. He's done most of them but the actual writing things down part is not his favorite. 

    Heather and Doug's kids came over in the evening. They'll be at our house a few days while their folks are out of town. 

     Joseph did something really sweet during scripture reading. He noticed me leaning against the wall and without any prompting brought me a pillow. I was surprised and touched by his thoughtfulness. 

9/13/16 Temple Trip and a Watermelon

     On Sunday Grandpa Mangum gave us a watermelon that he grew in his garden. He reports that the seed was actually planted when the kids were visiting. We ate watermelon in the backyard and spit some off the seeds in the rocks. A watermelon plant started growing. Credit goes to Grandpa Mangum for recognizing the plant and successfully transplanting it to his garden. We ate it with dinner and enjoyed it. Sarah was happy to hold the watermelon for the picture so that you can get a sense of how big it was. Thank you Grandpa. 

     This morning Heidi went to the Temple. The Joseph and Peter and I walked down to the grassy field. They love running around together. We also helped Joseph practice riding his bike. The Hallsted family recently gave us a set of training wheels that fit Joseph's little bike. He's working on learning to pedal and steer at the same time. He made

satisfying progress before he decided to switch back to running mode. He'll get there in time. 

     This evening I went to a meeting with Bob Rhyne and Jae Heiner. Stake Conference is less than a month away. Exciting times are on the horizon. 

9/12/16 A Package in the Mail

     Today we got a fun package in the mail. Gram Connelly has been thinking of us and has collected some kid treasures to share with us. For family home evening we called to say thank you and to learn more about which things go to whom. There were assorted spoons, magazine cutouts and granola packets. The kids had fun looking at the items and divvying them up between them. 

9/11/16 Grammie and Grandpa Mangum Farewell

      Today Grammie and Grandpa Mangum gave their mission farewell talks. They got a surprise when all three members of the Stake Presidency were in attendance. It turns out that it was time to reorganize the Bishopric. They were both asked to shorten their talks so that the old and new bishops could speak. They both did a great job. Grammie talked about how Heavenly Father blesses us when we keep the commandments. Grandpa spoke about being in the world but not of the world. He shared a story about the Olympian Noel Picus Pace choosing not to wear the immodest gown they gave her at a photo shoot. 

      After church we visited at Grammie and Grandpa's house. When we finally went home there were many tears shed by grandkids and Grammie alike. We're going to miss them but we know they are going to have a great experience. Plus we'll get to skype with them. We wish them much success and safe travels. 

9/10/16 Mission Packing

     Today Heidi and I helped Grammie and Grandpa Mangum pack their car from top to bottom for their mission. They will be taking photos of family history records that will then be used for indexing. All of this leads to eternal families as relatives are able to be sealed forever in the Temple. 

     Earlier in the day we watered Gram and Papa Connelly's tree. We expected to need to do a Costco run so we rescheduled our usual Friday visit to today. This allowed Sarah to get back into action on the watering team. 

    As it turned out we didn't need to visit Costco. Instead we visited the Owls at the nearby Lowes. 

    Can you see it up there?

     Here is a closer view. 

     A characteristic of our family is that we can have fun together even doing the most basic things. 

9/9/16 A Good Enough Day

     There are some days when I can't seem to muster enough focus to be as productive as I usually am. Today was one of those days. In the past I have had the bad habit of then beating myself up about it. That tends to make things worse instead of better. Today I tried a different tact. I worked on the things I was feeling up to and stayed as productive as I could. I helped Heidi fix some complicated payroll issues. Later I worked with the kids doing math on Khan Academy. I answered some database questions. David and the little boys and I worked on the printer issue at the clerk's office. Individually none of these were big things but together it made for a decent day that started a little slow. 

    Papa Connelly asked to see the flyer that we made. After it was printed we realized that the font is too small. It looked fine on the computer screen. Happily Heidi felt like we should only make 25 for this first round. We can learn from this when we make our next flyer. 

9/8/16 GTP Parent Night plus Gram's Corn Dogs

     Tonight was Parent night for the Gifted and Talented Program (GTP). Sarah and Rebecca are both in it this year. Above is Sarah's self caricature that she made. 

     Here is Rebecca's drawing of herself. 

      To qualify for the program kids need to test into the 97th percentile in Verbal, Quantitative or Nonverbal categories. At GTP they practice creative thinking skills. They also learn things not covered in regular classes like computer programming and robotics. David may get to help with the robotics unit since he was in the program last year. They administer the test at the end of Second grade so it'll be a while before we know if TJ will be in the program. 

    Tonight for dinner we had Gram's recipe corn dogs. The kids consider it a special treat. 

    David set the table. "It's a smiley face!" He declared. 

    Look at those smiley faces. 

     This morning Heidi helped at Humanitarian while I trouble shot a printer issue. 

     Work had a tech issue, our version of Microsoft Access stopped working suddenly. After ages with tech support we ended up buying another copy. On the bright side though we completed a milestone on one of our big database projects. It's good to see all that work finally closing in on a finished product. 

9/7/16 Back to Preschool

     Joseph had his first day of preschool this fall today. They learned about the letter C. Last year he couldn't remember the letter they studied when he came home. I think he wasn't that interested then. Now he is showing a desire to learn and is picking up new things all the time.

      He is also developing a love for his family. Today at lunch he asked Grammie Mangum to cut his sandwich in half. He said "this half is for Peter". It is good to see him seeking to care for his siblings.   

     Here is Sarah giving TJ a lesson on the piano. It brightens my day to see her passing on her newly acquired skills. 

      Sarah and Rebecca both started back up at activity days today. They are now in different groups. They both had swim parties to kick off the fall season. 

     Another day brightener is this card and coloring page from Becca B. She seems close to the spirit. I appreciate her thoughtful words of encouragement. 

    This evening David and I biked to Mutual. The scouts worked on learning some new knots. In my experience it takes a lot of practice for the boys to learn and retain them. 

      Today I called a client to clarify details about the database we are creating for them. Heidi and I continue to work on the details of how to run a successful accounting firm. I am surely grateful for her help in this. 

9/6/16 Temple Visit and Flyers

     This morning after sending Rebecca, Sarah and TJ off to Entz Elementary I went to the temple. I had one family name that needed initiatory done. Kelly is the one who found them. I don't know how long I've had the card. We found it cleaning the other day. I'm glad to keep going on the work. 

     David had the day off from school so he stayed at Grammie and Grandpa Mangum's house last night. I was startled when he wasn't in his bed this morning until I remembered where he was. He is a fun kid. We missed him. 

       Today I made a flyer to hand out to people for work. The idea was to have a pretty picture of Hawaii and some good quotes. We stuck a magnet on the back and maybe people will stick it on the fridge for a bit. 

      This evening Heidi and I took the kids for a walk. We knocked on some doors and gave them out. David hates mosquitos and many are around just now. We ended up sending him and Peter home. It wasn't my best parenting moment. I've got to be more understanding of his phobias even when they are hard to understand. 

9/5/16 We're Going to the Zoo

      This morning early David and I helped put up flags for the scout's fundraiser. When we got back it was time to go to the Zoo. 

     Heidi's brother Matt has an annual pass for his family at the zoo. One of the benefits is that he was able to invite us in at a discounted price. We are very grateful. 

    Peter was impressed by the tiger which came right up to the glass. 

     Joseph showed his gentler side. He declared that he wanted to pet all the goats in the petting zoo. 

     TJ takes the tractor's wheel. 

    Sarah and Joseph in a sea shell. 

     Rebecca and Sarah ride a reptile. 

      David talks near a tortoise. 

     This one made me think of Gram Connelly. Did you know that there really are bears in "deepest darkest Peru"?  I thought it was simply imagination. What a delight to learn new things. 

     This afternoon we had a lovely visit with Heidi's parents at Heather and Doug's house. Grammie and Grandpa are just 8 days out from their mission. 

     In the evening Heidi and Rebecca helped David and I return the flags. I should add that Isaac Merrill joined us both times. He saw us passcode house this morning and wanted to help. What a kind act of service. He surely helped speed our work considerably. 

9/4/16 Gift From Above

      Yesterday we moved the girls into their own room. My treadmill desk is now next to our bed. It fits, barely, but it makes it tricky for Heidi to get in and out. Heidi and I talked about how nice it would be if we could find shelves just a bit narrower. Today we arrived at church a few minutes early. On top of the dumpster was a shelf exactly like we had described. It has two broken wheels but we don't need those. The parts we need are in perfect order. It is important to recognize Heavenly Father's hand in our lives. Giving the girls their own space is the right thing even though giving up my office space is hard. I think Heavenly Father wanted to let us know we are on the right track. 

      Church was spiritually refreshing as usual. Heidi and I got to teach a Primary class together. That is always a treat. 

      The afternoon was relaxing. I've been reading Beyonders by Brandon Mull. It's been a lighthearted read. 

      David collected Fast Offerings for the second time after church. He's been acting so grown up lately. 

9/3/16 Changing Rooms

      Today we created a room for the girls. Heavenly Father arranged for us to get this neat bunk bed. 

    Peter will get the bottom and TJ the top. It has a desk space that David can use for school. Above you can see the three amigos, Peter, Joseph and TJ trying out the new bed. 

     We moved the office stuff into the master bedroom and set the girls up in what was once the office. Now that David is 12 and Rebecca is 10 it feels like the right time to make the change. 

     Another fun thing today Heidi's friend Angela Judd gave us this cool play set. Her kids have outgrown it. 

     Here is TJ testing it out in our yard. 

     Today is the first game for BYU Football. I had on my birthday/game day shirt. The Cougs pulled it out with a field goal with 4 seconds on the clock.