Merry Christmas. This year we celebrated the birth of our Savior in our home. It was nice to not have to travel this year. We didn’t travel, but we’ve been busy!

Early in the week, Mama offered to feed a neighbor’s horses. Each morning and evening she goes to feed the horses. Sometimes she takes the boys. Underfoot loves to see the horses. K2 doesn’t seem to think they are anything special.

On Christmas morning, Mama fed the horses, and we decided to go all together. Some friends joined us. They ended up at our house afterward and eating Christmas breakfast. It was quite a feast. After our friends left, it was time to participate in the phone call from Elder K. (Mama’s brother on a Mission in Washington D.C.) Mama enjoyed hearing his voice and listening to his experiences while in the vicinity of the U.S. Capitol. He recently had a tour of the Capitol building and met all the Mormon Congressmen (3 Senators and about 10 Representatives).

After the phone call, we opened a smattering of presents. The highlights were a a Cars table and marble works game for Underfoot, musical instruments for K2, a camera for Mama, and a wagon for me. I also got a Lowe’s gift card to help me finish off the projects I’m working on this week.

On Monday, Mama and a friend were in a local grocery store. This particular store is not in the best part of town. As Mama and her friend were leaving, they noticed a man running out of the store. It took them a few seconds to realize that he had not paid for the items in his bag. Mama learned an important lesson about where not to shop.

Later that evening we attended a local neighborhood’s light festival. The streets are like a maze, and most of the homes participate. One house had “snow” being blown out by a fog machine. It was soap bubbles. Another house had done a water show. Pretty amazing what people will do to decorate.

Mama has been involved in editing documents created by her great-grandfather, MEC. It has been interesting to read about his life, his ancestors, and the people around him. We’ve learned about his trials, triumphs, and other interesting tales.

On Saturday, I spent the day building storage space in the attic above our garage. My head is full of cuts, bumps, and bruises. Hopefully it will be all completed before it’s time for me to return to work in a week!

Our 7 month old:

Postive and Productive

We try to write the highlights so we seem very productive and positive which isn’t always the case. We don’t write about the experiences where Underfoot spent more time in the corner than playing or the “accidents” that happen with two boys in diapers (or more appropriately what happens when the diaper is off). Someone said today that no one is perfect. We are only asked to be perfectly obedient.

Just so you know we can’t always get everything done when it is written down on the list (which is long and in less than size 10 font) or struggle to know how to parent and be better spouses. Here are some of the positives from this last week.

L4 came home from work and said that a co-worker had some sky lighting tubes put into their home. We looked into it and had tubes installed in our kitchen and the end of the hall on Friday. The tubes provide enough light that we go to turn the lights off when we leave the room. The end of the hall has not seen that much light since before the roof was put on the house. They are wonderful!

Our Honda had a factory recall for the air bags. On Monday, we spent the day having the dealership replace the air bags and a few other recall items. It only took from 8 am to 3 pm. Lucky for us we ran errands with a friend in town so we didn’t have to play in the dealership ALL day long.

L4’s sister, M., and her children met us in Mesa to see the Christmas lights at the Mesa temple grounds and then go to supper. It was great to see them. The lights were beautiful. Underfoot could name the different colors of the hats on the wise men. I asked him if they came from far away to give gifts to Jesus. We have been learning a song that has the phrase “long ago their fathers came from far across the sea.” The song ends with the word “righteously.” So Underfoot turned and sang, “righteously.” I thought is was very cute. I worry often that he is not learning from me. It was a tender moment.

We called our home insurance company to have a plumber come fix our secondary bath before Thanksgiving. After two companies coming, five visits, and multiple telephone calls, the shower was fixed on Thursday. He installed new fixtures because the valve would spin in a continuous circle. So if you were taking a shower, you never knew where hot or cold was. It is now fixed so if you come for a visit, the shower works.

Our boys have shown some contrasts in character. Baby K2 sleeps best in his own bed in a different room. He does not like to snuggle and likes his space. Underfoot on the other hand likes to sleep anywhere but his bed. His new landing spot is in the corner of our bedroom. Underfoot also has a “Cars” lunch box that he must know where it is at all times. He sets it in a certain spot before going to bed. What would a 2 year old almost 3 year old carry in his lunch box that is so important? Multiple pairs of big boy underwear and an orange.

On Tuesday, Underfoot decided to call all of us by different names. L4 is now Mr. Incredible. I am Mrs. Incredible. He is Dashiell. Baby K2 is Baby Jack-Jack. He will calls us that in our home or in public.

L4 has been reading books again. He is reading about the SR-71 (the Blackbird Airplane) and Chuck Yeager.

Today I sang a solo in church. I was given nice compliments on it. I was terrified, got wobbly knees, and feel like it was terrible. I am grateful for the experience because I sang out loud a lot in our home. It gave a good spirit.

We hope you enjoy Christmas this week.

Remember

K2 had a well baby checkup. He is in the 75% for height and weight. His head is in the 25%. He likes to sit up and watch what goes on. He is quite the babbler especially and likes to say “da da da da da” over and over again. He also likes to have his mouth tapped on like the sound a child would make while playing cowboys and Indians. The baby is the Indian.

Underfoot learned the letter T, the number 2, the color brown, and made all sorts of crafts this week. He likes school, and school is a great motivator to get him to do other things like pick up toys. He is learning how to trace and color.

My major feats this week were laundry, ironing (after not doing any for a month), and curtains. The curtains “complete” the look of the room. It only took me 14 months from buying the material to putting it on rods before it was done.

L4 was busy cutting holes in the ceiling and working long days. He has started to work an extra hour so he will have “extra” time for meetings that the company asks him to go to, but he can’t get paid for those meetings. The hole in the ceiling is to put an access hatch into the garage ceiling to do all sorts of wonderful things. That is a to-be-announced project as it gets accomplished.

We were reminded to remember this week. There are lots of things to remember like birthdays (Happy Birthday Uncle David!!!), anniversaries, and other monumental days. Another thing to remember is the lessons from our past and those of grandparents, founders of nations, and our personal values. We hope that we can remember the lessons of the past to help us make wise decisions for our futures. My Great-Uncle (he is a great guy too) has been compiling stories from his father (my great-grandfather). As he has sent some of the stories to us, we have had a chance to remember the sacrifices and passions of our ancestors. Remembering is monumental and can solve conflicts and avoid poor decisions for all us.

Chew it up & spit it out

We are almost already for Christmas. We mailed off packages and just need to wrap a few items at home. I put up our nativities and Christmas tree with Underfoot’s help. The tree is lovely.

K2 is getting up into the crawling stance. He will muscle his way up onto all fours and then rock back and forth eventually falling to the floor. He also can pack away the food. For example, tonight he ate a whole banana, a cup of soup, a 1/2 cup yams, and a 1/2 cup yellow squash. I think he is hoping secretly that one time it will be a ding dong and keeps eating. We have taken to holding his hands down as he eats so that he will not have a total sensory experience by sucking his thumb between each bite.

One day this week, Underfoot and I were doing his scripture study. For scriptures Underfoot get a “scripture” treat to keep his attention and have him participate. (We weened scripture treats a while ago, but they have made a revival.) He “shared” a treat with me, and as I put the treat in my mouth, he says, “Spit it into my mouth.” So I did and he was very happy. He even said thank you.

Underfoot likes to go to the library bookmobile. It’s not because he likes to read so much as he has movies to pick. He chooses very carefully and then attempts to check out about 15 movies. Mr. Wade, the librarian, will hide the movies I don’t want to check out. Mr. Wade and I have a system. He looks at me, and I shake my head for a approval. The bookmobile comes once a month, and Underfoot calls the bookmobile the library bus.

My cousin, Charisse, and her family came this week. It was such a treat for me to have them come. Her children listen to her and will do what she says. It was good to reminisce with her about family events and create new memories. My Auntie Lyn says that if you don’t take a picture it didn’t happen. Well just before they drove off into the wild blue yonder, we took a picture.

For all those in colder climates (L4’s note: just to rub it in), we would like to report that we harvested tomatoes and peppers yesterday and have LOTS of lettuce. I have never grown or eaten turnips but they look beautiful. I read about turnips in “Farmer Boy” by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I hope that product is as good as she made it out to be. Any recipe suggestions would be welcome.

Recovery

This week has been dedicated to Pie Party Recovery. See image below:
For Thanksgiving we celebrated with friends. It was different for us to not have family visiting from out of town. This is the after-party foThis is the first year since we married that we didn’t have family to our home for Thanksgiving (except for the year we flew to California and had 3 dinners before continuing to Hawaii).

We decided to try something new this year for expressing gratitude everyday. Mama created a gratitude tree. The idea came from a friend who covered a wall in orange paper and wrote down items of gratitude. Mama changed it to be a tree. We would put a leaf on the tree with something written on it to remind us of the bounty we have been given. It was a daily reminder and a lot of fun.

Mama decided to participate in Black Friday shopping starting at Midnight at Toys R Us. She got home around 7:30 a.m. and slept until 2 that afternoon. Underfoot and I made a pathway from the patio to the shed. On Saturday we went to the Mesa Temple. After that we went to a friend’s house for supper and a round of Settlers. I came through with a victory. Mama was pleased that no one lost their temper.

K2 is eating real food. His favorite is raw pumpkin. He does not particularly care for store bought food. Eating is a total sensory experience for K2. He likes to take control of the spoon and chew on it. K2 has to stick his thumb into his mouth in between each bite. Lesson learned this week: do not dress baby until after he has been fed!

Underfoot is a budding soloist. He likes to perform in the car, the tub, and other family friendly locations. He also likes to ‘play the piano’ for song time during Family Home Evening on Monday nights.

Pie Party

The 2009 Party Pie was lots of fun!!! Thank you! Thank you to those who helped. The week was spent in preparations and going hard. My brother has a saying, “If you don’t go hard core, you’re not hard core.” This week we were hard core.

The following tasks were completed this week, not necessarily in this order: carpets cleaned, made 8.5 quarts of applesauce, made curtains, had a plumber come, got ready for guests, L4 felt sick and came home from work, got family pictures printed and hung, went to Tombstone, got haircuts for Underfoot and myself, did an impromptu Bountiful Baskets distribution, and did some of our other everyday chores.

Randy and Kathy R. visited us for the pie party from Wisconsin. They came Thursday and left early on Sunday morning. On Saturday while I was gone to Bountiful Baskets, they cleaned the house with cleaner and bleach to make it beautiful. Payment was a game of Settlers of Catan. We played 2 games, Randy and Kathy, respectively, won the games. Lindsay K. (my ISU friend
from Utah) came on Saturday afternoon. Between the R. family and Lindsay, the kitchen was run very effectively for the pie party.

The racetrack and sandbox paid for themselves as over 30 children ran, chased, dug, and yelled in delight throughout the play area. Parents watched from the patio as their children did what children do best. People offered to bring items this year. We had a variety of different goodies including garden salad, chicken pot pie, banana bread, cookies, fruit plate, pumpkin ice cream, a cake, and Italian Christmas cake. L4 guesses that we had over 100 people. Over all we are
pleased and exhausted. We were so happy that so many different people could come from work, community, and church. We were happy to see my former roommate, Hannah and her family from Mesa. We are planning for 2010. So mark your calendar for November 20, 2010.

Flag and headaches

On Monday I installed the flag that my mother-in-law bought for us when we first arrived some 15 months ago. (It was up for Veteran’s Day.) By Thursday, the fierce winds snapped the plastic bracket that was holding the flag into two pieces. We are now looking for a metal replacement. On Saturday we get about a half hour of monsoon strength rain, which is highly unusual this time
of year.

On Thursday Mama went out to our garden. After a few minutes of picking tomatoes, she returned with 5 quarts worth of tomatoes. She and a friend worked all morning to produce 11 pints of spaghetti sauce made mostly from our garden.

On Friday night I got an incredible headache at bed time. I finally fell asleep around 3:30 a.m. At 5, Mama was up to go clean the church. She was kind enough to let me stay home and sleep with the boys. She returned around 9 after finding a number of treasures at local yard sales including rocking chair number 6 as well as a box of pirate treasures.

We went to do Bountiful Baskets about an hour before the delivery semi was scheduled to arrive. We were surprised to find it there with most of the produce already on the sidewalk. Mama has been worried about bountiful baskets all week. She was concerned that there would not be enough interest by local people. Everyone we talked to at the pickup site was pleased with the amount of produce they got in exchange for 15 bucks.

Saturday also coincided with the delivery of bulk chocolate that we ordered several months ago. A friend in our congregation made arrangements to get bulk chocolate from Guittard. We were very pleased with the quality and quantity of chocolate. Mama now feels like she can use her chocolate because she has an ample supply. I am excited for the forthcoming delectable desserts.

Later on Saturday we had delivered two more compost barrels. These two represent numbers 5 and 6. We have finally decided on a composting system and won’t be getting any more!

Somehow, life doesn’t seem to get any easier. We will likely always be busy. We are grateful for the blessings that we enjoy and ascribe them to the kindness of a Benevolent God.

Front Yard

I asked Underfoot what he would like to tell people in the weekly email. His response was “Temple”. Underfoot likes the Temple. Baby K2 can roll over from front to back. He can also sit up some of the time without assistance. He is smiling a lot. Underfoot can make K2 laugh, which causes Underfoot to laugh even louder which causes K2 to laugh even more. In engineering we call this a feedback loop, like when a microphone gets too close to a loudspeaker.

The action this week was on Saturday. We got up early. Mama took the boys in the Scout to the north side of Tucson (just over an hour away) to pick up three mesquite trees. The electric company offers cheap trees once a year to help provide shade in Tucson. On her way home, she made several pit stops. She stopped at Costco, Lowe's, and a tree sale happening near our home. She was surprised to find out that a local neighbor has a small nursery and sells trees at very reasonable prices. (We could have bought the mesquite trees from the local guy for less than the electric company, and not had to drive the two hours to get them!) Mama arrived at home with three mesquite trees, three beautiful red bougainvilleas, and three lantanas. The lantanas are a ground cover.

In the mean time, I was busy at home working on several projects. I sprayed the block wall, sand box, and exterior of the house for bugs. I dug three holes for the mesquite trees. (I was pleasantly surprised that the digging process was relatively easy- our lot must be on fill dirt!) After the digging, I repaired the gate it had come loose as a result of the concrete work. By the time I’d finished with the gate, it was already after 1 and I was expecting Mama and the boys at any moment, so I went inside to make some tuna fish sandwiches for lunch.

Mama got home and we devoured lunch. We unloaded the Scout and went about placing the various plants and trees in the front yard. At one point we decided to employ some redneck landscaping techniques. (Some of you may recall when this technique was employed at our former residence with Chuck the Truck.) This time the Scout made quick work of two ill-placed bushes in our front yard. All that is left of the original landscaping is one tree in the front yard and the Chilean mesquite tree in the back yard. Everything else has been removed, although there wasn’t much to begin with!

We spent a bunch of time figuring out where to place the lantanas. I then dug holes for the bushes, planted everything, and started working on the irrigation system. This involved sending Mama and the boys on an emergency run to Ace Hardware for drip irrigation connector pieces. It seems I always run out at the must inconvenient times! Mama returned home with the needed supplies and we went to the local American Legion building for a Boy Scout dinner. The local troop has a fund raiser each month on a Saturday night. Our neighbor is in the troop, so we like to support their efforts. (It is also nice for Mama to not have to cook on occasion.)

After dinner, I returned to working in the front yard while Mama got the boys ready for bed. I finally finished everything in the front yard around 9 p.m. At that point I came inside and Mama went into the back yard. She planted flowers, a honeysuckle plant, mint, and in the process removed a bunch of plants from one of our raised beds. It was all over at about 11 p.m. It was a long day.

Cold like 50s

This week has been unusually cold. We had highs in the 50s and lows in the 30s. (I know, in the rest of the world this is normal, but here it was soo cold. . . ) We compensated for the cold by putting Christmas tree lights on our trees and the banana plant. On Monday I started exercising in the mornings outside on the new patio. It is neat to be outside when the world changes from night to day.

Here’s the rest of the week by day:

M: For supper Mama made Spring Rolls. This was a major deal because I really liked them. I’m not a huge fan of Chinese food, but Mama is helping me to broaden my palate. We made homemade chocolate ice cream with the ice cream maker that my mother-in-law got me for my birthday. It was delicious!

T: K2 had a well baby visit. He weighs 14 pounds, 12 ounces and is 26.5 inches long. He is healthy and happy.

W: Underfoot made pumpkin crafts at school and learned about how a pumpkin starts out as a seed, turns into a plant, and eventually becomes a pumpkin.

Th: Mama and Underfoot had a pumpkin carving party with friends. Underfoot made a Larry the Cucumber (from Veggie Tales) pumpkin. I had an HOA budget meeting after work.

F: I had an eye doctor appointment in the morning. The doctor said that everything looks healthy. He also gave me a prescription so I can get a new pair of glasses (Underfoot has given them lots of ‘Love’.) We then went up to Mesa to attend the Temple. Later that night we had a Church Halloween party. It was a busy day!

S: In the morning we did Bountiful Baskets. I spent some time fixing flat tires on several bikes. We went trick or treating. Underfoot loved getting ‘canny’ at each house.

In all, we’ve had a great week. We are excited for the upcoming Pie Party, which will be held on November 21st from 5:30 to 8 p.m. All are welcome. Have a great week.

Every Penny

The race track is worth every penny!! We have watched multiple children run in circles around the track for hours. Lucas loves to take his “vehicle fleet” around the track each day. (He has been given a car, a fire engine, two tricycles, and a peddle go-cart by wonderful friends. His parents don’t get him stuff like that. He is very spoiled.) We have started to dream about how to complete the backyard. The patio is wonderful too. We have eaten supper there multiple nights and have a parking lot for the “fleet.”

I brought home with me 2 bushels of apples and 20 pounds of grapes from my Parents’ house in Idaho. On Monday we bottled it all into juice. The total for a day’s work was 13.5 quarts apple juice and 5 quarts grape juice. My parents call it liquid gold. We opened a bottle of apple juice tonight. It was delicious!

There was a plant sale at the University of Arizona extension office this weekend. Lance went to get us more blackberry bushes. We were told the wrong time so when Lance arrived the blackberries were sold out. But Lance got to speak with a lady who taught him about pruning grapes, building a grape arbor, and gave him some cuttings of blackberries for free! We hope the blackberry will take root.

Lucas has resumed school. He also learned how to ride on a skateboard on his belly. He was very successful with no crashes the first time. The second time he crashed into a razor-type cactus. He will be more cautious of the plants next time. Kirk is cooing like crazy. Kirk especially likes to be outside and is happiest outside in his swing. He laughs with his brother all the time. He smiles more at Lucas than his parents.

One major accomplishment for me this week was the completion 26 of 40 credit hours for my counseling license. I need to have the other 14 credits done by my birthday next February.

Speedway

The big news this week is that construction on Locey Speedway was completed! The high speed track will officially open for business this coming Monday, although several test runs have been completed (without equipment.) We are pleased with the results. Underfoot has made several laps already.


L4 returned to Tucson and work on Monday. Mama and the boys returned on Thursday.

On Wednesday L4 participated in a heated board meeting. The board is faced with increased costs and decreased revenue.

Mama spent time in Idaho with her family. She took the boys to the orchard at Merridale and picked apples. She went to lunch with Grandpa K. This is cousin Mason and his Mama. Baby Mason is six weeks younger than K2. She took the boys to be with cousins S and S. Underfoot enjoyed a McDonald’s happy meal with his cousins. They returned to Salt Lake to stay with Grandpa H. Mama enjoyed being with both her Grandpas.

On Saturday we picked up our second round of Bountiful Baskets. We also had family pictures taken at a local park. The park was an interesting place. It is a wild west replica town with several shops and period exhibits. It was fun to walk around. They even have a 1/3 model steam train, although we were too early to see it in action.

Whirlwind

On Monday we did an Iron Rod activity for Family Home Evening. Mama and Underfoot moved dirt. On Tuesday our neighbors came and helped move more dirt. Why are we moving dirt? We are getting a race track for the boys to go in circles around in our backyard! On Wednesday the concrete guy showed up to start the process of pouring concrete in our back yard. In addition to the sidewalk, a patio and new walk way will increase our outdoor living space. We are excited to see Underfoot ride his bike in the back yard.

Thursday was a whirlwind of a day. We took a jet plane to Salt Lake City (SLC) to celebrate L4’s parents’ wedding anniversary. So in our preparations to leave town, we ran to the dump, clean the kitchen floor, did laundry, packed, and cleaned out the frig all before 10 am. Once at the airport, we ran to the gate believing we’d missed our boarding call to learn it had been delayed. We flew with NO problems. Upon arrival in Denver, the flight was delayed for an hour and half because the plane smelled so bad the airline changed planes. It had something to do with turbulence and vomit. We arrived safely in SLC and drove to my parents’ home.

Friday morning was spent looking at the changes in all the work project with K. and J. (my parents). Like this dance hall.... Like this future Mater truck....
In the afternoon, L4 fixed computers for my family while the boys and I got to drive around and spend the day with my Dad. It was a great treat! Unfortunately in the time we had we didn’t get to do all the things we wanted to do. Like spend more time with these folks...

Saturday was a full day of activities. We drove to SLC from Idaho arriving just in time for the luncheon at the Lion House. The L. family arrived, ate, talked, reminisced about the lives of their parents. One of the highlights was listening to the laughter and love shared between everyone.

The Original FamilyAfter a great slide show and Newly Wed Game, we went to the LDS Church History Museum.

Underfoot had a great time with his cousins while we were gone. He loves to play with the marble game. We came and spent the evening with my Grandpa H.

On Sunday, we attended church with my Grandpa H. It was a real treat to be with him. He is so positive and happy. After his church meeting, we went to the blessing of Lance’s sister’s baby, Angelina. Our family went to Temple Square to take a picture with the Salt Lake Temple. We had a yummy dinner at L4’s brother and sister-in-law’s home. We returned to Grandpa H’s home for the evening.

Auntie & Nephew are good friends.

It has been a full week with family. K2 is getting some teeth and has been uncomfortable. Besides teething, the boys have been great!

On Monday Underfoot wanted to take care of K2. He crawled into his crib, put his arm around him, and promptly fell asleep. They slept like that for some time.
Underfoot tries hard to play with K2. K2 laughs most of the time. Sometimes he cries, especially when Underfoot gets a little too excited with the ball. All the hard balls (golf balls, baseballs, etc.) have been put away. We feel so blessed that Underfoot loves his brother and smiles with him.

L4 worked a lot because he wants to celebrate with his parents their wedding anniversary this coming weekend. L4 was selected to participate in a month long specialty course at work. It is exciting that he has been considered for the opportunity. He must be doing something right at work (even though we as his family don’t know what he does).

On Friday L4 worked a few hours. He came home, and we went into town for an adventure. We ended up at the Honda Dealership on a test drive. We really liked the Honda Pilot. Someday we hope to be able to afford one. . . perhaps in a few years.

Switch of authors. . . L4 is now writing.

A funny side note- as soon as we arrived at the dealership, the salesman asked if we’d like to see their Odysseys (mini-vans). I said that I am not a mini-van driving mama. The salesman teased me about minivans the entire time we were there. All the while, Underfoot did a great job climbing all over the seats.

At one point the salesman told us how we could get an aftermarket DVD system with screens in the headrests. He pointed out that children were not likely to damage the screens because they would be too high for a child to kick. As if on cue, Underfoot immediately kick the salesman’s headrest.

After the test drive, we headed north to the quaint little town in the mountains. It is at approximately 8000 feet above sea level. When we left the dealership, we didn’t really know where we were headed, just that we wanted to experience something new. We arrived in the little village to discover that the only place to get something to eat (that was open at 5 p.m. on a Friday night) was a small convenience store. We enjoyed a delicious dinner of Dorritos chips, saltine crackers, and canned tuna and chicken.

Underfoot has mastered several songs, including “The Wheels on the Bus”, and the “Intsy wincy spider”.
K2 is good at repeating the same sound over and over again.

Saturday morning was filled with a new experience for us. We participated in “Bountiful Baskets”. Bountiful Baskets is a food co-op where people pool their resources and purchase produce, bread, and other items directly from a wholesaler, rather than the grocery store. The results are impressive.

Our first time out, we were able to get 37 pounds of produce for 15 bucks! We got grapes, plums, apples, a cantaloupe, pears, and bananas. We also got lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, artichokes, potatoes, and broccoli. In addition, we purchased a 40 lb box of pears for 12 dollars.

The pears were canned later that evening at a friend’s house. We didn’t get home until after midnight. (We did play a few rounds of Wii tanks and the cow riding game while waiting for the pears to be processed in the canner.)

We enjoyed listening to our church’s General Conference yesterday and today. It is nice to be able to watch the leaders of our church speak on the internet from the comfort of our home. We can pause the proceedings and talk about what is being said. We were impressed by the number of people who spoke on the importance of the family and how parents have an obligation to teach their children true principles and skills. The solutions to the worlds problems can be found in homes where parents love each other and teach their children virtue and morality. The other concepts taught were that of service and the value of hard work.

Funny story for the week: On Thursday Mama picked me up from work so that I could help her run some errands. We ended up at Costco and decided to get a bit to eat after making a few purchases. As we gathered around the Costco picnic table, I asked Underfoot to bless our food. He immediately folded his arms, closed his eyes, and began to pray out loud. Loud is the key word. By the time he ended his simple two sentence prayer, he was yelling at the top of his lungs. It is hard to contain the enthusiasm of youth. Mama and I exchanged chuckles as we helped Underfoot eat his hot dog.

Family
 We helped organize the annual community yard sale. We met lots of people and had fun haggling. We got rid of a bunch of stuff that we didn’t want or need. What’s left will go to charity. We both practiced using our Spanish.

L4f
 Sprayed the yard for bugs.
 Fixed the garage door opener.

Mama
 Planted four of the six garden boxes.

Underfoot
 Developed a new laugh. He copies the sound made by Larry the Cucumber from the show Veggie Tales.

K2
 Loves to giggle and coo.
 Has learned to roll over from his back to his belly.