Underfoot Highlights

Over the the past week, Underfoot has done some very cute things. On Monday, he would close the sliding glass door while I was making shelters for our tomatoes. He would lock the back door when I would go outside. I would return and knock on the door, and he would come running with a huge smile and unlock the door. He would then run back to his trains. Then the cycle would repeat. I loved watching his happy face come to do a big boy thing.

As some of you may know, I have belonged to a gym called Curves for Women for a while. Since moving here, the best time for me to go is before L4 goes to work in the morning at 5 am. I would return just in time to make breakfast and a lunch for him before he would leave for work. Underfoot is still asleep at that time so L4 can still get ready. I have a neighbor in the same situation. So starting this past week, we have started to swap child care. Her son comes for the time she goes, and then Underfoot goes to their house. It has helped Underfoot be a happier little boy to have a friend and good for me to work out.

Underfoot loves the show, “Signing Time,” which is a children based educational show to teach sign language. When the neighbor boy was here, Underfoot wanted to watch the show and demonstrate what he had learned to his friend. This was the first time that Underfoot has done most of the signs from the movie.

Other noteworthy things Underfoot did this week were: He prayed by himself. He helps water the garden by taking the hose and squirting on the plants without help. Underfoot started saying the word “delicious” in a very cute way when we would eat any treat or something he wanted.

People have said that we own a farm because of the size of our garden and backyard. In our dreaming, we have bought more dirt/mulch to enrich the soil and to plant corn. Our neighbor and her children helped us pick up rocks out of our backyard so we can plant corn. Arizona has great winds. This week I tried to make protective shelters for our tomatoes because they were drying out and dying because of the 40 mph winds. I found that parchment paper only stays with staples for about 3 good wind days. After 3 days of strong wind, the parchment paper is gone. L4 started to use gray water from our dishwater to water plants. Our flowers have bloomed beautifully.

L4 likes cheese bread. I made 1 dozen loaves of bread (5 normal loaves and 7 cheese loaves). He is spoiled.

We participated in the youth dance festival preparation this week and practiced the Virginia Reel again. We taught two more dances: the polka and a traditional Romanian dance. Underfoot loved to dance with the youth.

Saturday and Sunday were the semi-annual LDS General Conference. Here are our family highlights:

• Robert D. Hales talked about debt. He talked about how his family had the goal to go on a trip. When they wanted to buy something during the time they were saving for the trip, they would ask, “Do you want this now or do you want a dream trip?”
• Margaret Lifferth talked about having respect for each other and reverence for God. When we have respect and reverence, we are more willing to love and learn from each other.
• Henry B. Eyring talk that all of us have adversity in common. When we give service to those around us, we will be happy.
• Dieter F. Uchdorf spoke in priesthood meeting about a plane crash where the pilots focused on a burnt out light bulb instead of arriving safely at their destination. The plane crashed because they were too focused on the 20 cent light bulb instead of landing at the airport 20 miles away.
• Rafael Pino talked about there not being tragedy in death because of the covenants and knowledge of the Heavenly Father’s plan.
• Neil L. Anderson share an experience he had with Boyd K. Packer. Elder Packer said, “I am not important. I’m a nobody. Brother Anderson you are a nobody. If you start to think you are a somebody, Heavenly Father will remind you in a very sure way that you are a nobody.” The point is that we need not think we are better than anyone else.
• Thomas S. Monson said, “The future is as bright as your faith.”
  

There were other highlights too. These are just some of ours.