6/30/17 Las Cruces to Colorado City Texas

This morning we awoke to a beautiful sunrise.

We got all packed up.

Let the kids get some wiggles out and got on our way.

Along the way as Peter needed cheering Rebecca and David were there to entertain him with puppet shows.

Our plan was to stay in this State Park in Colorado City but it was very windy and lightning was on the horizon.

After several phone calls we found a La Quinta Inn that had room for us. David and Sarah enjoyed trying our the fitness room with me (Peter is in the BG). The weather seemed to clear up some after we arrived but we feel good about our decision.

6/29/17 Mesa to Las Cruces

Today we packed our things into the big blue van and began our adventure crossing the country.

Our first stop was in Tucson at the San Xavier Mission. It was built in the 1790s and is the oldest standing European building in Arizona. Heidi says "You haven't really been to Tucson if you haven't been to San Xavier". Now we have.

Before too long we crossed the border into New Mexico.

On a list of "top 50 Free Things to do in New Mexico" is this giant roadrunner made from recycled material.

We heard that you could camp here but we didn't feel comfortable so we moved on.

Just down the road is a lovely KOA Kampground. We arrived in time for the kids to take a swim.

The camp site is on a hill with a lovely view of Las Cruces. We were blessed with lovely weather and good travel time on the first day of our trip.

6/28/17 Court of Honor

Tonight the Val Vista Ward held the last court of honor the David will be a part of. They held it primarily to give out the merit badges that all the boys earned at scout camp. David worked hard and earned 11 badges. As a reward for earning 7 or more David was awarded a pocket folding knife.

In addition to earning merit badges he also completed the requirements for earning his life rank. In this picture he is planning the mothers plan on his mom. Heidi and I are very proud of him for working so hard and for facing his fears like earning the swimming merit badge.

Peter found A comfortable place to be during the court of honor. We are still working with him on learning to sit still. At least he was quieter than he has been in the past.

6/27/17 Initiatory with Papa

This morning Papa and I went to the temple to do initiatory. Papa reports that this is his first time going in many years to do initiatory. I'm on the names he got to do was Martin Connelly. He said that he felt the spirit very strongly. I always feel very blessed to live so close to a temple.

My patriarchal blessing talks about how I will be blessed to have a loving family. I think that this picture shows the fulfillment of that promise. I always love seeing our kids doing things together.

Hiding suggested that I title this post "Guess who found the scissors?" I had agreed to help her cut her hair but she went and got it started in the bathroom. So there was no backing out.

This is how things turned out. She still smiling so it must've turned out OK. :-)

6/26/17 Pay Day

When we moved in with Gram and Papa we talked about some chores that needed to be done. Papa wondered if some of the grandkids could be hired to do some of these important tasks. Sarah and Rebecca agreed to clean the bathrooms weekly. David accepted the assignment to clean the pool regularly. This can be multiple days of the week scrubbing, testing and adjusting chemicals. Heidi, who grew up with a pool, has been teaching David from her experience.
Today was the first payday for the kiddos. Papa made it a special occasion by going to the bank and getting $2 bills. He also put the money in cards. David additionally received a birthday gift, since he will be out of town on his birthday.
We are grateful to Gram and Papa for providing this opportunity to learn responsibility and the value of hard work.

6/25/17 Joseph Goggles

A short time ago Heidi noticed that Joseph was resisting swimming because he didn't like putting his face in the water. He tried on my goggles and suddenly his swimming improved dramatically. At some point this week we picked up a pair for him. He is very excited about them.

Getting him to smile for pictures is another story.

After a few tries I think his excitement showed through. We are glad to be able to help him become a safer, happier swimmer.

6/24/17 Super Busy Day

Today was packed. It started with David and Rebecca testing Gram's scooter to be sure it still runs.

Now that the kitchenette is done Papa is ready to bring in some of the kitchen things that have been kept in the garage. We helped moving things around.

Next we went to Anthoni Andelt's baptism. His dad Ryan did the baptism. I had the honor of being one of the witnesses. Anthoni is a great kids. His dad reports that he was ready to be baptized.

After the baptism most of us made a trek down to Tucson for the Tucson temple open house. David was brave and stayed home so that he could babysit Alex and Lucy.

After the almost 2 Hour long drive we stood in the standby line To wait for our turn to see the Temple.

First they took us to a room and showed us a short video about the temple.

Next we boarded by us so that we could travel a couple of miles to the temple. Some of the younger kids couldn't remember ever riding on a bus like this.

My favorite quote from inside the temple was from when we went into the Celestial room. Peter I'm not around and immediately said "It's Christmas".

We made it back in time to attend the Stake ice cream social.

Becca B came along and, as you can see, had fun doing the hokey pokey. She also did pretty well at the limbo.
It was a fun, spiritual, wall to wall day.

6/23/17 Valiant Roofing and Yard Care

One of the things I love about Heidi is how willing she is to learn and try new things. She talked to Kerry yesterday to confirm her idea about how to fix the leak at 430.

This is how it looked to start. Water was coming in though this lifted seam.

Heidi used caulk to fill the seam and keep more from getting in. She even worked with me a taught me how to smooth out my work without ruining what I'd alread done. It involved spitting on my finger to get it wet.

She must've thought I did ok because she had me glue down these four overturned roof singles.

Here are two of the, now repaired shingles. Time will tell how our work holds up to the coming monsoon season.

This evening we trekked out to San Tan to mow Grammie and Grandpa Mangum's yard. Rebecca worked hard pulling weeds and helping mow the front yard. She found this giant weed hiding inside one of the tall bushes.

David felt a little discouraged by the oppressive heat. He was tough though and mowed the front yard in spite of the ovenlike temperatures. Rebecca helped to manage the cord to keep it out of the way.

6/22/17 Farewell, Furniture and Fixtures

Sadly today it was time to say Aloha to the Freeman family.

They had a long drive ahead of them. We learned later that they had some car trouble but finally made it home to Utah after midnight. We are so glad they came and that they made it safely home.

This afternoon Papa and Gram's furniture arrived right on time.

The three pieces fit even better than expected. The colors seem to go well together too.

Next up Kerry and Wayne came to install the microwave and light fixtures in the kitchenette. I got to help out a little.

Heidi was a big help as well, reading instructions and marking places to drill. She continues to be a big part of the upgrade.