12/8/16 Temple Lights

This morning I had an unusual opportunity to serve. The missionaries were being visited by a traveling General Authority and needed a wireless microphone set up. Heavenly Father has blessed me with some flexibility in my work schedule so I was able to go and help them out.

This evening we had the special treat of going to see the lights around the Mesa Temple. We also got to see the Roche family and Matt, Lucy and Alex. Sharon wasn't feeling well and stayed home.

For the most part this was a fun occasion. We learned that getting there at 6:15 allows you to beat the crowd and find good parking.

Joseph enjoyed the lights and the chance to run around. He made me nervous that he would get lost but he did not.

Lauren acted like a good big sister for cousin Alex and kept him always in sight.

David helped to light the tree you see here in red when the troop did service a month ago.
The other lessons we learned were to coordinate plans ahead of time and designate a place to go if you get separated. Rebecca was briefly separated from the group and we didn't know it because the whole group got fragmented. Happily she quickly found Heather and we all got back together. It was a scary moment though. We'll want to make sure we learn our lessons before we go on an outing like this again. This is not I lesson I want to have to repeat the hard way.

11/10/16 Benefits of Service

     Peter and Joseph get excited when we tell them it's time to go Humanitarian. They are willing to drop everything and go. Often, with say grocery shopping, this is not the case. The first thing they do once we arrive is run to the empty side of the gym. Peter especially seems to love the freedom of running without obstacles. Next they play in the nursery where there are many toys and giant letters to play with. When we pick them up they make sure to get another run in before it is time to go. 

     This evening Heidi took a CPR class held over at the church. At the same time one of her assistants taught a class on how to use Scoutbook. Heidi has learned a lot about delegation in her current calling. Some who report to her, like her assistant tonight, are dedicated and reliable. Others need frequent pep talks, training and reminders. She loves them all but at times is frustrated when people commit and don't follow through. I'm proud of how well she's doing. Leading people who sometimes feel they were "volunteered" can be a challenge. She does it with a love of the leaders and the boys. 

11/9/16 Lifelong Learning

     This morning Heidi got out two games to teach Joseph and Peter. In the picture above Joseph is playing the pattern game. They also played a game that uses a balance shaped like a monkey to teach relative values of numbers. 

     During that time I worked on a CPE class about personal budgeting. I learned that you need to remember that joint bank accounts go to the other person on the account when you die even if your will says otherwise. 

      Today at Preschool Joseph learned about the letter M. Connie Lowis, his teacher, reports that his letter recognition has improved significantly. I told her that Peter's interest has encouraged him to get serious about learning. 

      Next it was Heidi's turn. She spent several hours working on her online tax class. 

     This evening David went to an etiquette themed mutual. He was very nervous because he did not know what to expect. He reported that "it was awful, except for the dancing at the end". They learned the chicken dance and a couple other silly ones. We're proud of David's willingness to overcome his fears and try new things. 

11/1/16 Temple and Grocery Trip

     This morning I got to go to the Temple. I reflected on a pattern I noticed in how Heavenly Father does his work. He first makes a plan, then makes assignments (delegation), the work gets done, return and report. It seems like there are some lessons here that I can apply to my life. 

      Heidi and I have been working together to refine our grocery system. Today we set a goal to buy most of our nonperishable food for the month. By the time we made it to the grocery store Peter had fallen asleep. I offered to wait with him but Heidi had a better idea. She found some soft things in the van and made a bed for Peter in a cart. I wish I'd thought to take a picture. He slept through most of the trip through the store and was happy when he woke up. He even fell back asleep on the way home. 

      This evening Heidi had a leadership training meeting for Primary leaders. She was in charge of training Primary leaders with cub scouting responsibilities. There is a lot for those leaders to learn. I'm proud of how Heidi has worked hard to know her stuff and of her love of service to share her skills. 

10/7/16 Benched

     Heidi is having occasion to use her fine woodworking skills. She was tasked with finding a suitable way to fit 20 sunbeam aged primary kids on the stand for the Primary Program. The solution? Custom benches. Above you see five kids (who were not asked to test out the bench). As you can see it seats five with no trouble at all. She assembled 2 today with 2 more planned. It is fun to watch her work. She very much enjoys it. 

     This morning, when Peter came downstairs, he gave David a big hug. When Sarah drew near he pulled her in as well. These kids bring a sweet spirit into our home. 

        While I was able to get some work done today, I did so feeling a bit congested and like I might be coming down with something. There is no time for that so I've been taking vitamin C and a nasal decongestant. Hopefully, I'll have kicked this in time for Stake Conference tomorrow. 

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. 

9/22/16 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. 

9/20/16 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. 

9/18/16 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. 

9/4/16 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. 

9/2/16 New Glasses and Temple Baptisms

      Today Rebecca wore her new glasses to school. She has an astigmatism in one eye. Her other eye sees pretty well. So far she is not a fan of her glasses. The doctor says it will take a couple of days wearing them for her eyes to adjust to them. When she came home she wasn't wearing them but at least they weren't lost. We'll keep working with her. 

     Yesterday Heidi remembered that her parents had wanted to do Baptisms for the Dead today. Heidi reminded her folks and they still wanted to. We hastily updated plans to make it work. Heidi, her mom and the two little boys went and watered the tree at Gram and Papa's. Grandpa Mangum, Anthony, David and I went to the Gilbert Temple and did Baptisms. Grandpa Mangum brought about 35 family names that we did the work for. It felt like a peaceful connection to our ancestors to be able to serve them this way. 

      After finishing up at the temple we met the others at Costco. We picked up some groceries and Grandpa treated us to some ice cream. 

     This afternoon Heidi worked on payroll stuff while I took a class on tax issues for dividends, redemptions and liquidations. It was a relief to have two more credits in the bag. Just 29 more to go. Oh and Heidi also fixed Heather's washing machine. She never seems to run out of amazing abilities. 

8/30/16 Grammie and Grandpa Mangum Visit

    Today Grammie and Grandpa Mangum stopped by for an impromptu visit. Joseph and Peter jumped right up to visit with Grandpa. They were kind enough to watch the two little boys so Heidi and I could go and vote. 

     While we were out the dish fairy paid a visit to our house. Rumor has it that the dish fairy looks a lot like Grammie ;)

    Here is a photo of Heidi and I with our "I voted" stickers on. I'll have to remember to clean my case before using the front camera again. 

      Heidi also went to the Temple this morning and did initiatory. 

8/25/16 A New Vitamin

       Heidi has a friend (the stake primary president) whose daughter used to struggle with everyday life. She had some pretty severe symptoms including anxiety. They found this vitamin and mineral supplement and it really helped. Lately I've been having a hard time getting myself to do some things that are usually not a problem for me. Sometimes my brain feels like a classroom full of Sunbeams (3&4 year olds) all commenting at the same time trying to be helpful, many completely off topic. Other times I feel discouraged when logically I know things aren't that bad. So this time when Heidi suggested trying the vitamin I was willing to give it a shot. Yesterday afternoon I took it for the first time. I noticed that I was able to focus on one idea at a time. I felt positive but not that euphoric high that I've learned leads to a crash just ahead. Too early to say if that's coincidence or not but it was a nice afternoon. 

     In the morning Heidi and I went over to Humanitarian. Heidi made blankets. I did some cleaning in the tech closet. 

      Today Heidi and I left Rebecca in charge for 45 minutes and bought some fruit. She is so great with the little boys. It feels so liberating to be able to go on a pseudo date for a few minutes and know the kids are going to be ok. 

      This evening Heidi went to her District Commissioner meeting. Peter napped for like 4 hours this evening. Rebecca soothed him when he woke just before bedtime. Heidi spent much of the night awake with him. Wish I knew what derailed his sleep train. He did fine last night. The joys of parenting. 

8/23/16 My Birthday

     This morning I got to celebrate part of my birthday by going to the Temple. First I drove David and the car pool kids to Heritage. Since it is our turn to drive on Tuesday mornings Heidi and I switched our alternating weekly Temple trips to Tuesdays after we drop the kids off. It's been amazing to me how well going has fit into our lives. I'll admit, the Adversary had me pretty convinced that we'd never be able to find the time. I'm so glad we decided to experiment with it for a month. After that it was easier to try another month. Now it feels like a habit that I enjoy so much. Today I felt many impressions about things I can do to improve our lives. I came home a told Heidi all about them. It's not easy to change but it is easier to do it a little at a time. 

    Today I got a couple of presents. My parents sent me the current BYU sports slogan shirt. Go Cougs! Now I have something to wear on Game Day. 

     Heidi got me a copy of the movie Journey to the Center of the Earth from a few years back. I like that version. I also got some new garments from the distribution center. 

      Of course for my birthday I got a wonderful family who loves me. Rebecca showed me her scores from last year's standard exams. She got a perfect score in language arts and near perfect in math and science. Sarah's teacher called just to tell us how much she adores having Sarah in her class. She and Heidi talked about ways to keep her challenged since she has already mastered the material they are working on. Not a bad problem to have. I love all my family members and they are all similarly great. 

     All that plus another CPE credit done and some other work. It was a good day. 

8/22/16 Birthday Eve

    Today felt like an oddly special day Heidi got tired of waiting to give me my birthday present. In the picture you can see David assembling my new "Selfie Booth". Heidi pictured it as a way we could add green screen tech to animation workshops. We haven't tried that out yet but it sounds fun. In the meantime the kids had fun taking pictures of themselves in front of the Eiffel Tower and in space etc. 

     After FHE we had ice cream and brownies to celebrate. I'm lucky to have such a sweet family. 

8/19/16 A Sweet Date

     Today David got to show his skill at taking care of his two youngest brothers. He does not have school on Fridays so this morning Heidi and I left him with a cel phone and we watered the tree and went on a date. 

     The little cactus, though small, has grown noticeably each time we visit. 

     To celebrate my coming birthday Heidi and I went to see the latest Star Trek movie. It was a fun flick. You probably don't want to think too deeply about the plot. It's not that kind of movie. It does have some cool special effects and the good guys stick together. We are grateful to David for holding down the fort so that Heidi and I could have a fun date. 

     This afternoon Heidi's parents came by for a visit. Later on Heather and the kids joined us. I met Jae Heiner at the Stake Center to talk about possible tech updates. When I got back home they were playing a board game. It was a fun new one called Skywampus. Unusually, it is a board game that requires you to do simple math quickly. It was fun. The kids have already asked when we can play again. 

8/18/16 Service with a Smile

      Today was a service day. Heidi helped make blankets at Humanitarian. I set up fixed IP addresses for the stake computers. After lunch I went to the cannery and helped make ketchup for needy families. This evening Elder Locklear and Elder Macbeth came over for dinner. Heidi made enchiladas. All around it felt like a pretty good day. 

8/13/16 Stake Activity Days

     Today was the culmination of many weeks of preparation by Heidi and the other members of the Stake Primary Presidency. Over a hundred girls and their leaders came. They listened to inspiring messages, played games, did crafts, and watched the video that Heidi has been making with all of their pictures in it. From where I sat, in the middle of the crowd next to the projector, I heard several girls pointing out friends. I heard, and saw some people sniffling. One mom said "that movie's a real tear jerker. Can I get a copy?"  Nice work Heidi. She has spent many hours creating that fun memory for the girls. 

     Rebecca and Sarah got to come and participate. The girls came early and helped set things up. After a bit Rebecca felt her stomach become upset. She figured she ate too many pancakes. She asked for a Priesthood blessing. The High Counselor over Primary helped me to give her one. After that she rested for a little bit. I noticed that by the end of the opening meeting she was smiling again. Both girls reported that Activity Days was their highlight of the day. 

     David spent the morning doing flag maintenance. In our ward the boys put out flags on certain holidays as a fundraiser for scout camp. They took worn out flags off the polls and reminded people to renew their subscriptions. 

      Afterwards he went to Aunt Heather's and found no one home. We had a miscommunication and Heather thought David was with us. She was kindly watching the three little boys. Her boy, Bradley, had football practice so, for fun, she had taken everyone. David knew how to get into Heather's house so he went inside. He used Anthony's email to send me a message asking what to do. I called Heather and learned about the miscommunication. Luckily the stake center is not far away. I went and filled him in on the change in plan. He opted to stay and wait a half hour for the kids to come back from the park rather than go with me back to Activity Days. I am proud of him for thinking creatively and being resourceful. 

      This evening our neighbor Anthony helped us clear a large branch that had fallen into our other neighbor's yard. He was a real big help bringing lights and tools. The branch broke the other day during one of the monsoon storms. It is great having good neighbors. 

8/2/16 Last Night with the Cousins

     Today was our last day with Anthony, Lauren and Bradley before their parents get home. We decided to celebrate by playing Lego Rock Band. It was a little bit of a challenge finding all the pieces plus batteries but with a little prayer we did. We prayed again when the disc seemed like it might be too scratched to work. We were blessed and the game started up on the second try. Above you see Heidi and all the kids except Peter. 

     Peter wanted to play too so Heidi had me find him a drum of his own. 

     Over all I think the cousins had a good stay. We sure enjoyed having them.