Normal....

Underfoot Says: I made my own sandwich at Joy School. I went to a baptism and watched how a baptism went. It went well. I put all my cars in a new bag. My trailer fits in the bag too, and I zipped it up.

Our week followed its normal activities. Piano lessons, Joy School, 11 year old Scouts, and our daily  habits.... One thing that is remarkable is that we got the kitchen floor and chairs washed and cleaned. Very  clean. We no longer stick to floor or the chairs. A common phrase in our home is “we are doing the best that  we can.” I’m sure we can do better and be happier - that is the goal we are working toward.

The rodeo is in town. The school district gives 2 days off of school for this event. On Friday we took a  neighbor girl with us so we could attend the temple together. Usually when we attend the temple, we trade  spots because the temple is so far from home that to pay a babysitter is expensive. We went to the Gila Valley Temple. We enjoyed being together as a family. Usually when we go together it is an all day adventure.

L4 and I have been talking about getting a new vehicle for him to commute to work. We have talked about  getting a motorcycle, a pick-up truck, and a car. The conversation has developed over the past 2 years. One  year ago we bought a new car for our family because the Honda Civic we were driving was having transmission problems. We decided to buy a bigger car rather than a small car because we hoped that our  family would include a new baby in the near future. Well almost one year has gone by and there isn’t a new  family member but we are still having the discussion about getting a more efficient car. We have started to  look at a Toyota Prius. We have not bought one but have started the hunt. We are looking for a car that will  get better gas mileage than a minivan, truck, or SUV that in a pinch can be a 2nd family car. So do you know  of anyone selling a nice Prius? Keep us in mind. We do like to take road trips in our family.

This morning we woke up to snow. Yes- real live snow. There was about an inch. It melted before we left  church today. We continue to worry about our citrus trees and we hope that the cold has not killed them. Correction from last week: Our friend, Adam, in response to L4’s reading of “Why Gender Matters?” by Dr.  Leaonard Pax, shed some light on the subject of the book. Adam is getting a Ph.D. in the childhood  development at Penn State. (Adam - PLEASE forgive if we have oversimplified your training. It is not  intentional.) He suggested the book “Pink Brain, Blue Brain: How Small Differences Grow Into Troublesome  Gaps – And What We Can Do About” by Lise Eliot. We’ve requested it from the library so we can read it.  We are learning so that we can be better parents.

Last thought for the week: Four of our five Ladies (our chickens) have started laying eggs again. We had sought out help to slaughter them. It is a good thing they are back to work, because otherwise, they would  have lost their heads.

Be Well.

January 30

So A funny story for the week. (It actually happened last week, but who’s keeping track...) One day while  doing laundry, Mama noticed a loud clanking noise coming from the dryer. She stopped the dryer and looked  through the clothes, but found nothing out of the ordinary. Once the dryer finished, she started folding the  clothes and discovered the culprit. K2 frequently likes to stuff toys into his clothes, and had placed a train car in the toe of his pajamas.

We build our own armor for family home evening that is in Ephesians 6:10-17. We made a breast plate out of two plastic platters, shields out of a cardboard box, swords out of pipe insulation, and various hats they had around the house. They proceeded to hit each other. As we bought the platters at the store, people gave Mama an odd look as she would measure the platter to boys' bodies to make sure the platter was the right size.

On Friday night Mama and I had some friends over for games. We had a wonderful time. It was interesting to see a different side of people. We played a game called Loaded Question with 4 other couples. Speaking of  games... Mama reminded me this week that I am still a lousy Hearts player. (That’s for you, Jerry!)

Today at church we got 2 bunches of Onion seedlings for our garden. One of the members of our  congregation is big into gardening and organized a large group order so we could get a volume discount. We  got over 100 onion plants for about 5 bucks! I love onions. They are delicious.

On Friday morning I went out to feed the Ladies (our chickens) before we headed off to the Temple in Mesa. Somehow I didn’t get the gate all the way closed. We came back home that afternoon to a yard full of surprises (chicken poop.) The Ladies got into the garden beds and caused a moderate amount of carnage.  They didn’t touch the kale. Fortunately, about half our garden is fallow right now. (The onions will go in as part of Family Home Evening tomorrow night.)

On Tuesday Mama hosted a lunch bunch. About two dozen women came (those with pre- school aged or  younger children brought them along too.) Mama worked hard to have chili, chicken noodle soup, and a  butternut soup. Mama said it was good for her to open our home and strengthen relationships with others.

Underfoot Says: I like to write a letter to Uncle Aaron. I gave him some gray army guys. I was playing with Jayden last week.

Be Well