Christmas Stories

Merry Christmas!

We hope that this letter finds you well. Mama and I have just completed our sixth Christmas together. We’ve  come a long way. This year we have made an extra effort to help Underfoot and K2 understand the real  reason why we celebrate Christmas. Each day we have learned a different part of the Christmas story, starting with the creation of the world.

Here are some funny stories for the week.

K2 loves to pour liquids from one container to another. We frequently find him on the floor dumping the  contents of a cup into another worthwhile container.One morning Mama found him drinking water from one of Underfoot’ shoes. Mama thought it was so funny that she called me at work, so I could share the story with my coworkers.

When people would ask Underfoot if Santa was coming to his house, he would say, “No. The Three Kings  are coming. Santa brings 1 present. The Three Kings bring 3.”

On Christmas Eve we did some last minute shopping and drove around our neighborhood to see the lights.  Underfoot would look at the lights and say, “Mama, I see Christmas.”

Last night Underfoot looked at me and said, “Daddy, don’t talk to me, I’m telling Mama about my day.” (His  sweet honesty shines through.)

K2 loves to say C’mon. He will push on me until I get up and follow him (or carry him) to wherever it is that  he wants to go. Frequently it is to the fridge. K2 loves Eggnog. He has consumed approximately a quart of the stuff all by himself. Of course, that includes the cupful that he poured into his plate and tried to drink. He  soon discovered that plates make horrible cups. The thick, gooey goodness found its way all over him and the table.

Underfoot has really taken to coloring. He loves to sit with a coloring book on the floor and a bag of crayons.  He is learning how to share with his brother. It is fun to watch Underfoot and K2 play together. K2 loves the  sound a crayon makes when he snaps it in half.

We put together a gingerbread bread house. K2 would dip the candy in the frosting and then drop it in the  same spot. We had a nice pile of candy right next to the chimney.

Underfoot wanted to have a candy  representation of our family. So we were each put on the house.

California Dreams

Last week we traveled to California to attend the memorial service for L4’s 94 1/2 year old Grandmother. On Monday and Tuesday we made preparations for our travel by getting the house cleaned up (before messing it  up as we packed). We took care of various items like dry cleaning, Joy School Christmas program practice,  mailing the giveaways from the 30 Days of Pie, and other things. My list seems to always be longer than my  time, ability, and discipline justify. My children help with undoing a lot of what I try to do. Bless them for trying  to be helpful.

We flew on Tuesday evening and went through TSA without any problems. We have found that TSA is  usually very helpful to our family. The flights were not completely full so K2 got to ride in a seat instead of on  one of our laps. That was very helpful. A gentleman turned around and said how jealous he was because of  K2’s behavior. He has a daughter of a similar age that will not sit still. After arriving in California we got a  rental car. This was a first for us when visiting CA. We TOTALLY enjoyed the freedom of having our own transportation.

On Wednesday we spent the morning with T. C.. He interviewed me before L4 and I were officially a boyfriend and girlfriend. One of his favorite questions is, “Why do you  exist?” He shared some of his special ice cream with us. After leaving the Cutting home, we picked up Mom  and Dad and went thrift store shopping. Underfoot acquired a new pair of shoes, and I got 2 new
pair of jeans. We went to visit our matchmakers, T. and J., for the late afternoon and evening. It was fun to  watch the boys play and get caught up with their family. A., L4’s brother, invited us to go to dessert with  him and his friend, R.. We enjoyed each other’s company and yummy dessert. The boys were very good.  After such a long day they were tired and fell asleep on the way home.

Thursday we visited with Glenn, L4’s former boss, and went to the family ranch. The ranch is where L4 and I  had our first date where we hiked and ate a picnic supper. The boys got a chance to ride on a horse.  Underfoot wasn’t too keen on the idea. He got off after one lap. K2 loved it and didn’t want to get off after  three laps around the barn.

It was the first time I had met Glenn. He is a very positive, happy guy. After the ranch we went to the  Oakland Temple grounds to show the boys the lights and so Grandma could spend some time inside. The  boys got to see a slug for the first time. If you live in a place where water is precious, slugs don’t exist except in fossil form. We then had supper at Fenton’s Creamery. We ate hamburgers, onion rings, fries, and of  course ice cream. L4 was wearing a suit and K2 did his best to smear ice cream everywhere. They loved it.

Friday we went to a small cafe and walked around the little shops. We picked up pizza and L4 dropped us off so he could go and pick up his siblings (B., M., and Y. & A. (Y.’s daughter)) from the airport. The boys and I played on the swing set, slide, and  merry-go-round, and then picked lemons. We picked a cooler full of lemons. We made lemonade for the  evening and were lucky enough to bring the rest of the lemons home. We had a lot of fun talking throughout  the evening mostly about how each of us got engaged and of course a few F. stories because they are  infamous. F. really should write a book about his “adventures” as a youth. It could be the next how-to  manual for the up and coming generation. We laughed and laughed. K2 and A. chased each other  around in circles for most of the night. K2 has a new challenge in life. He is the first one up in the morning and  the last one to sleep at night with or without a nap. He can go forever.

Saturday was the memorial service for Grandmother. We went to the 1st Congregational Church, where she attended as a child and a married adult. Some of her nieces and nephews still live in the area.  Grandmother has 3 children who all attended plus 24 grandchildren (that includes her greats). Eleven of the 24 were came. The service was very nice. Dad, B., and the Pastor spoke. The Pastor spoke about the scripture in John 14:2 which speaks about the mansions to be prepared by Christ. He said that an  interpretation is that the mansion is home. He then made a comparison to the home Grandmother had here in  mortality with the one that she would have in the next life. After the service, the church provided a beautiful  meal. Uncle M. and Aunt B. shared their memories and feelings they had for Grandmother as well as  some of the grandchildren. We took a family picture, and we were off to the airport. We arrived back home late that night.

On Sunday we hosted a Joy School Christmas party. The children performed the nativity story and a few  other songs. There was a potluck. We landed in bed last night exhausted. Underfoot’ tee ball coach brought  him his trophy from the end of the year. Underfoot kept telling his coach (who is also a Joy School Dad)  thank you for the nice present. He talked about it over and over again how great his coach is.

We are very glad that we went to California and look forward to getting together with family again. We have some (not all) pictures here.

Delayed Communication

We have been slackers lately with our communication. Since our other computer has gone to the doctor, we haven't been very good. We'll get back on track......soon. Hopefully this coming Sunday.

Here are some bullets from the last week:

• Underfoot did his last t-ball practice and game this last weekend. He was not injured and was in charge of the treats. He was so happy!
  
• L4 worked. We are really glad he enjoys his employment. He is excited to get up in the morning to go to work.
• K2's head has started to heal from all the bumps he has gotten. On Sunday during church, he fell off the pew backwards. He took another chunk out of the back of his head. The amazing thing he didn't cry hard. He sucked in his breath, and L4 took him to the hallway for the scream. He didn't scream very long. He also started going to the church nursery on Sunday.
• I have been cleaning up from our last trip getting ready to go to California for L4's Grandmother's memorial service. We are excited to see family.

It wasn't the most exciting week except a few friends had their babies.

Be Well,

Wendy

--
"Be of good cheer..."

Thanksgivng a little late

We have returned home and know that our weekly letter is very late because it is Wednesday when we are writing. Our computer has gotten sick. So sick that it will be going on a trip and staying in a hospital (a.k.a.  Dell Depot) to the doctor for about 10 days. The start up takes about 10 minutes if it is going to start up and  then can’t be moved, bumped or touched by little hands. While we were in Idaho, the computer was locked  up in the family library so no one could play games on it.

My Dad and S. (my brother) bought a snow groomer. They added a cab to the machine to haul people.  L4, Scott, and SM (my brother-in-law) worked together to put in a heater, lights, and the tracks on the snow  roomer. They worked earlier morning to late evening for 3 days solid and the morning of Thanksgiving. They got it running and ready to go for a test drive. Even Underfoot got to drive it in the parking lot. They all  loved it.

I worked on more pies because I didn’t get pictures taken of the final product. I worked one afternoon for my  Mom so she could prepare a family meal for our family. The boys and I went to Lava with my Grandpa K, parents, and their cousins.

Underfoot and K2 got to play with their cousins a lot. Everyone took a bout with the flu either up chucking or the other end.

For Thanksgiving, Aunt K. and Uncle R. hosted a meal at Grandpa K’s home. The hope was  to have the day at the cabin, but there was a lot of snow and would have been really hard to get into the  cabin. We enjoyed being together listening to 1940s music and little children running up and down the stairs.

On Friday L4 got to ride into the cabin with S. and Uncle R. to fix some of the plumbing. That evening was  the Lights Parade and then we had Christmas.

S. and J. spoiled us with a lot of neat treasures that we will  enjoy as a family as well as individually!

We traveled to Las Vegas on Saturday and finished our journey Sunday and had clean roads the whole way  home. We really enjoyed ourselves. We unpacked and were very grateful for the clean house we returned to  because of the help after the pie party.

L4 returned to work on Monday, and we set up Christmas as a surprise and finished putting away a few of  the details from the pie party. Over all it was an adventure to be remembered.

Pie Party 2010

We come to you today from snowy North. We worked our guts out this week getting ready for the pie party.  A lot of our activities focused on getting ready for the pie party. We were so grateful for the help that came to  us with cleaning our home and kitchen staff. They helped make the party what it was. We had about 150  people come this year. There were children all in the backyard riding on the toys, swing set, and throwing a  ball. It was a lot of fun. We are grateful to those who brought pie and goodies. The pie party happened on Friday.

Mama made around 24 pies for the pie party. I lost count. By the end of the night I’d had so much I couldn’t  stand to have any more. I think I had 6 pieces of pie! On Saturday morning we got up early and started for  Idaho. We stopped a few times along the way. We spent the night in Salt Lake City at Mama’s Grandpa’s home. He was kind enough to let us stay the night. We made it to North around noon today. In all, we  traveled 1008.5 miles. It took about 19 hours and one over night stay.

Underfoot had Joy School 3 days this week instead of 2 days because a few of the families would be gone for  the Thanksgiving week. So it was a packed in week. Funny Story: Underfoot woke up early this morning  around 5:30 am. Grandpa H. was up getting ready for church. Underfoot asked for candy, and like a good Grandpa, Grandpa H. gave him the candy bin. Underfoot proceeded to eat candy from 5:30 am to 7 am when I stopped him. We got ready for church and then packed the car. Grandpa H. came home  from church to say goodbye to us before the snow storm came. As we said goodbye, Underfoot threw up on the white carpet right at Grandpa’s feet. It was all that candy. Mama cleaned it up. Underfoot threw up a few more times before he felt better.

K2 is curious how things get put together and are taken apart. He helped Mama by throwing the flour off the  table, picking things off the different pies, and sticking his fingers in everything. He has learned to pop the lids  of water containers and pour the water out all over his body. He loves to pour water between two different  containers and finally puts the water on his body.

Grandmother & Point by point

L4’s Grandmother passed away this week. She was 94 1/2 years old. My mother-in-law said that  Grandmother was the best mother-in-law anyone could have. Grandmother was cheerful, kind, and  politically-correct meaning she knew when to express an opinion and when to hold her tongue. L4’s fondest  childhood summer memories were when he would go with his brother, Aaron, camping in the pup tent with his  grandparents and the Scout. She was a dear woman. She and I had the common loves of ice cream,  MASH tv series, and the love of L4.

K2’s escapades this week:

• Underfoot says to me, “Mama, K2 is pouring the milk into the couch.” K2 ended up pouring about 3/4 of the quart of cream into the couch.
• L4 carries a permanent marker in his nerd pack (pocket protector). K2 pulled out the pen and then pulled the lid off and ran away from L4 screaming happily.
• K2 has more bonks on his head than we know where he gets them. With all the scabs, he is still very bright and focused when it comes to getting his own way.
• After the cream incident, I came around the corner into the kitchen to find K2 and Underfoot helping themselves to a bucket of ice cream. The ice cream was then transferred to the couch unbeknownst to me.

Underfoot’s feats this week:

• This morning after buttoning the button on his new suit jacket, he announced to me, “I’m a daddy now because I can button up my jacket.” If that is all it took, there would be lots of Daddies running around. 
• Underfoot was not injured at t-ball practice or his game. This is a feat since last week at his game he chipped 2 teeth. 
• We visited the dentist to make sure that Underfoot’ teeth were not damaged. I wanted to know if the teeth needed to have any corrective work done to them.
• We made a paper chain for how many days until the pie party. That way we have a physical reference to the question, “How many more sleeps until we go to Jilli and Kirky’s house?” We will leave the day after the pie party. 
• Underfoot has decided to wear a hat all the time. He particularly likes a hat that I got from Panama.

Our adventures:

• We attended the temple. 
• We sauced tomatoes, pumpkins, and persimmons. 
• L4 & Underfoot attended the  HOA meeting. 
• I was sick one day this week.

Activities

K2 decided that he wanted to shower by himself. He climbed in the tub and turned the water by himself. He enjoyed the refreshing water until we entered the seen. He didn’t care that the water was cold nor that he was fully dressed. K2’s determination is incredible. His language is not yet clearly discernable, but he does have a few words. He can say “I want” very well. At the conclusion of prayers he screams an almost intelligible ahh-mmmme, especially when he is hungry and sitting in his chair at the table.

On Wednesday Mama went to a conference on the frontal lobe of the brain. A friend watched the boys. Mama learned a lot of interesting things about how the frontal lobe works and has developed. That evening we talked late into the night about the things that she learned.

Underfoot and Mama hosted joy school in our home this week. Joy school has been a blessing for Underfoot and Mama, but it does bring some stress when it is Mama’s turn to teach the children. Underfoot loves the social interaction with the other children. Underfoot says that no one likes to go home after Joy School is over. A friend gave Underfoot a learning toy. It is a mini computer. Underfoot loves it.

On Friday night we attended an honors banquet where I was presented with an award at work. It was neat to get to know some of the upper management of the company. The president of the company gave a short lecture on physics, which I found interesting. We got to dress up and go to a fancy hotel for supper. Mama really enjoyed the dress up part.


We are excited about our fall garden. We have peas, beans, onions, garlic, and lettuce coming up. Our tomato plants continue to produce but they appear to be infected with something. Yesterday we got some fungicide to help our citrus trees. Perhaps we can use the same medicine for the tomatoes. One of our chickens has started laying eggs again. It’s a good thing, because we were contemplating a fresh chicken dinner.

Yesterday we attended another one of Underfoot’ t-ball games. He had a collision with another player in between 1st and 2nd base. He ended up on the bottom. He got a few scraps but he’ll be just fine. I worked on the Scout. After supper I put some icicle lights on the pergola as part of the pie party preparations this year. We still have to get out some of the invitations.

Mama has created a blog challenge. Last Sunday she mentioned that she was going to have 30 Days of Pie on her blog. This means that each day she puts up a new recipe and pictures of the pie that she makes for that day. In addition to the pie, she adds comments about traditions in our family. She is also giving away a few items (non-pie) to encourage people to participate and leave comments.

Halloween

Happy Birthday to L4 and Haley! We are glad they are part of our family!

Pictures

The boys got to dress up and go to 4 different Halloween parties this week. Two involved candy which tickled them pink. We attended the celebration party of our friends’ son’s adoption. Underfoot and K2 got to play in a jumping house, and Underfoot took a swing at a pinata. He didn’t exactly know that one is to dive the candy. The next was the Joy School Halloween party. At the end of the day, they did a performance of 3 songs. Underfoot liked “The Mean Old Witch Song” the best, and I liked the Joy School theme song the best “I Got Joy.” We attended a book club dress up too!

L4 has been working a lot at home and work. From the brick we received last weekend, L4 has started a BBQ/fire pit area. He spent most of the evening digging, smoothing, and laying brick. It will be lovely when we finish the project. At work there is a critical deadline coming so L4 is spending many hours at work to meet this deadline. We are grateful he has work.

Underfoot and I craved a pumpkin from the one of the giant pumpkins we grew. K2 is developing his speech every day. He says a lot of words. We are working on please and thank you.

I returned to the ENT Doctor for a check up on the growth in my neck. There hasn’t been any change.

We attended the “Trunk-or-Treat” at church last night. K2 went as Aslan from the Narnia Book Series and Underfoot a pirate. L4 and I dressed up as a hilly billy couple. I even blackened out a tooth or three. Underfoot has caught on to what Trick or Treating is and will look forward to the adventures next year.

In November, I have decided host a “30 Days of Pie” challenge on my blog. I will be posting a different pie recipe every day. I will giveaway prizes though out the month. Let me know what you think and enter to win. We will still be having the pie party...just in case you were worried.

Seasons Change

On Tuesday morning, we were notified that our adopted Grandpa George from Pennsylvania died. Grandpa George and his wife Helen took us on adventures and loved us as their own. We are grateful for the love and respect that they shared with us. We hope the best for Grandma Helen and their family.


Underfoot a week ago came and said, “Look Mama. My fingernail came off.” And it had. A few weeks ago he had slammed his finger in the car door which bled. Gross.... He proceeded to tell me that we needed to go to the doctor to have her take his nail off. When I told him, I would be the doctor he looked at me and said in all sincerity, “Mama you are only a Mommy not at doctor.” Needless to say I wore both hats that day. I amputated the rest of the fingernail off.



We resumed Joy School this week. Underfoot loved going and participating. He apparently isn’t a very messy painter. His style is a minimalist. I think he gets that from his Father. He has started to enjoy coloring more starting this past week. When he doesn’t want to do a job or be helpful, he will say to me that he can’t because he is finishing his work and can’t leave it. Wow! What a retort!

K2 has been trying to cut a molar for about 2 weeks now. This past week he decided that he would eat supper and then he would eat late supper around 10:30 pm. L4 is more kind than I am because L4 would get up and feed K2 and make sure he was doing well. He is a very kind Daddy. K2 also decided audition for the Blue Man Group by painting his body blue before church on Sunday. Luckily the paint was only on his body and the front room floor and was washable. He is quite proficient at opening lids unless they are screwed on extremely tight. I have caught him sucking toothpaste (which I know can be toxic), water bottles, and other random, hopefully non-toxic, items.

On Saturday we had Christmas a little early. Our friends who moved to Alabama asked if we would consider getting some treasures from their home they have on the market. They are the same family that shared their chickens with us. We scored dirt, wiring, a sink, sand boxes, t-posts, and hopefully enough bricks to cover our BBQ/firepit area. It was a fun adventure! We thank them for giving us so much! After we got home from our adventure, we planted our garden in the dark with little boys.

On Sunday was the children’s sacrament meeting presentation. Because L4 and I have responsibilities with the children we got to sit on the stand and participate also. Our boys got to sit with our Tucson adopted Grandparents. They (our boys and the children) did great! In our class we played musical chairs only 10,000 times. To conclude the meeting, I shared one of my talents by playing a duet on my viola. L4 said it sounded good. Thanks to my parents for encouraging me and giving me the opportunity to learn.

Firsts

A list of new experiences this week for each of us: L4 attended his first military
concert. We went and saw the Air Force Academy Band on campus for free. It is paired with a recruiting event for the Air Force Academy. They did a tribute to 1940s Big Band music featuring Glenn Miller. The uniforms were even period. My favorite part of the concert is when they play the different military branches songs and see the current military or retired military. The audience was comprised of mostly octogenarians. I overheard one gentleman say that he was 80 and if he could “up” again he would. His career was 21 years and 17 days. Underfoot and K2 would lead the music or bob along with the beat. Underfoot liked the tuba and trumpet. K2 fell sleep 1/2 way through the concert and stayed asleep. We enjoyed our evening together.

Underfoot had a few firsts this week. He played in his first t-ball game. During his turn at the pitcher mound, he took a line drive to the throat. He said it hurt, and he cried a few tears. When he recounts the experience, he makes the sound of a few fake sobs. He is very happy to wear his uniform. Another first was he went to climb on his bicycle and saw a snake wrapped through the sprocket. He came and told me that there was snake. We called the fire department. It was hilarious to watch Underfoot yell at the firemen as they came to the house, “Firemen come and get this snake!!!” The bull snake they took was about 2 feet long. The bull snake has similar coloring to a rattlesnake and will shake its tail to mimic the sound of rattlesnake. We were proud of him for even recognizing that there was a snake on his bike.

K2 has moved to a big boy bed. We took the crib down. He loves to sleep in a bed. The draw back for me is that he can now get out of his bed at night and walk down the hall to our room. He almost always comes to my side of the bed and sleeps right next to me. He also is a very helpful little boy. He will take all the dishes from the table to the sink after a meal. He likes to pour fluids from one container to the next and back again. It makes quite the mess but he finds all sorts of things to pour.

I organized a meet and greet for the Bountiful Baskets site coordinators with Tanya and Sally, the organizers. The boys and I went to the park and enjoyed the afternoon. My first for the week was that I made caramel popcorn with the recipe I got from my Auntie Kathy. The first batch was enjoyed by neighbors after the HOA meeting. The second batch was enjoyed by Bountiful Baskets get-together-people and L4’s coworkers. I dropped it off at L4’s work as a surprise after the Baskets eeting. We ate enough to have our caramel popcorn fix for a little while.

BYU Homecoming

Happy Anniversary to Dad and Mom! They have been married for 41 years! What a great accomplishment! We wish them many more.

The weather has been cooling off. We had only one day over a 100 degrees this week. The other days have be dipping from mid-90s to high-80s. Last night cooled off to high-50s. It was awesome! Finally it feels a little fall-esque. Yesterday we bought 36 bags of manure to put into our garden so the soil can be enriched again to grow plants.

All of K2’s clothes have been changed because he is growing. For me it is always a sad day when my children become bigger. I hope that I have taught them the lessons they need to know. It is part of the life cycle but do I enjoy the stage of life they are in currently? I really hope so.

As for adventures, we went to the Children’s Museum and co-hosted a local BYU homecoming event. With the Joy School and a neighbor we went and explored the museum. It is the perfect age for Underfoot and K2.
The favorite exhibits were trains and the music room. Underfoot loved getting food in the shopping cart. With two boys going two different directions, the boys were dressed in bright colors so I could find them easily. It helped on a few occasions.

That afternoon we went shopping. I have started to learn about how to coupon shop. It is a whole new world. My favorite part was at the register- the initial total was $94.02 and then the coupons were added into the mix. The final cost $24.77. It was a 73% savings. I keep smiling.

BYU celebrated 50 years in acoustics research this year with the theme “Dare to Discover”, and we really wanted to be at the homecoming events that would highlight that part of the Physics Department for L4 this year. Instead of traveling to Provo, we brought homecoming to us with food, football, and even shirts.
H L and I brainstormed and planned a “banquet” for adults only, a Fun Run and Pancake breakfast, and a tailgate with the game!
L4 and I participated in each event and hope that others enjoyed the festivities as well.
We noticed that we referred a lot to our Penn State experience since that is where our relationship began.
We hope to create more memories for ourselves and our boys.

Pumpkins & Apples

K2 started talking more this week.
He says Lu-ca for Underfoot. He can also say up, down, yo-gurt, and a number of other words. K2 loves to climb up the plastic slide we have in our front room. He slides to the bottom, giggles uncontrollably, and the repeats the process.

On Monday Mama cleaned out three of our garden boxes. She harvested 8 pumpkins as well as a number of watermelons and gourds. After Family Home Evening we stopped at a friend’s house who gave L4 a roll-away toolbox. (L4 was very excited to finally have a full-sized toolbox.)

On Tuesday Mama and the boys were invited to go swimming. They all had a great time. That evening Underfoot participated in his first T-ball practice. It was fun to see him learn how to hit, throw, and catch a ball. On our way home from practice we acquired a used bicycle for Underfoot, training wheels and all. After a little bit of work, Underfoot now has a two-wheeled bike to ride.

Underfoot enjoyed Joy school on Tuesday and Thursday. On Thursday afternoon Mama picked up about 150 pounds of beef and about 80 pounds of pork. On her way home she picked me up from work. When we got home we scrambled to get all the meat packed into our freezer.

On Friday we went to the Temple in the morning. After ward, we went on an adventure. We visited Apple Annie’s- a u-pick orchard and vegetable garden. We also went to an organic apple orchard. Mama bought a 40 pound box of apples for 20 dollars. The apples were fresh and did not have a wax coating on them.

On Saturday we worked and watched General Conference. Mama finished staining the bench that we got from our neighbors who recently moved back East. She also finished painting the bathroom. L4 reorganized the Garage to make room for the new tool box.

Mama picked up a baby rattlesnake while weeding. It was purely by accident. It scarred her (and the snake) quite a bit. We won’t be weeding around that bush any time soon.

Last night while L4 was at Priesthood session Mama hosted a pot-luck dinner. She invited a number of women to come and bring their children to eat and visit. Underfoot had a lot of fun with all of his friends.

Super Busy Saturday

A sweet story from this week is from Underfoot. The boys were getting ready for bed and taking their bath. Underfoot and K2 were playing really well together. Underfoot looked up at me and said, “K2 is my best friend.” It touched my heart. They played and laughed together. They can get each other to laugh better than anyone else.

We went to Mount Lemmon on Tuesday night to check out Camp Zion.
In October our ward has the opportunity to use the camp ground. I wanted to see what the facilities are like. We went with Grandpa and Grandma Massey and had supper. The air was crisp and cool in comparison to the 100 degrees in our neighborhood. The sunset was beautiful, and it felt like fall for a few minutes. I miss the fall colors and change of seasons.
It was a late evening, but we enjoyed being together.

Joy School was at our house this week. Underfoot was THRILLED! He woke up on the morning of Joy School by himself with no encouragement. He opened the door and welcomed everyone. He really didn’t have a sense of time so he would ask if it was time for Joy School about every 5 minutes. We learned about taking care of the earth by not littering and caring for our natural resources. We also learned about gardens and made bread. We went through all the steps from grinding the grains to baking it in the oven. I was very nervous, but all went well. We look forward to having Joy School in our home again.

K2 has not slept super well this week. He is getting a molar and will stay up throughout the night. He is starting to laugh more and more. He likes to play cars, go down the slide, be outside, and wrestle with Underfoot. He also likes to throw things. He doesn’t yet understand about how he can hurt others that way. L4 went with the 11 year old scouts to an overnighter on Friday. They were participating in a council clean-up at the scout camp. Since so many fathers went up, he came home late on Friday night and slept in his own bed.

Saturday was SUPER busy. We were involved with our HOA yard sale by putting out and picking up the signs, a parent meeting for t-ball for Underfoot, and Bountiful Baskets distribution. We also went and looked at a 1914 Model T Roadster. In the evening was a community fair in a neighboring community and the Relief Society broadcast. L4 also got in the mail his Arduino system and put it together. He is very excited about it. We fell into bed exhausted.

Paint and Pie Party Changes

The big news this week is swimming. Underfoot and K2 finished their swim lessons. Underfoot had a great day and really enjoyed swimming on Wednesday. This is a big deal because he’s had some reservations about swimming recently. When Underfoot left the pool, he was all smiles and wondered when he could go swimming again. He swam the length of the backyard pool multiple times on his own initiative. K2 loves to swim. He always wants to be in the pool.

Underfoot signed up to play t-ball this fall. We will see how it goes.

On Friday we pressure washed the play structure in the sand box. It got a coat of paint on Saturday. On Friday morning L4 woke up with an idea for how to solve a problem at work and went in for a few hours to implement the idea. (Friday was his “off” Friday.) He was pleased to solve a problem and grateful for the divine inspiration to get it implemented.

On Friday we went to the Temple and left the boys with a sitter. It was nice to be out for a few hours. We stopped at Home Depot on our way back home and got the paint for the play structure.

On Saturday night we went to a local festival put on by the Catholic church that our neighbors attend. It was fun to be out. Underfoot really liked playing in the inflatable play structure.

Tonight we had our adopted grandparents over for supper. It was fun to watch K2 interact with his adopted grandma. He would laugh and laugh as she chased him and tickled him. K2’s serious demeanor is giving way to a playful streak.

We’ve been reading Louis L’Amour’s book Lonesome Gods. It is great to read his novels. The only problem is that they suck us in and we want to read them and disengage from the rest of the world. Children and engaging books don’t mix well.

For Joy School, this week a chicken went. When asked if anyone had a pet for Joy School, we responded that we had a few chickens. The chicken did very well along with the children. I am surprised that I did so well picking up the chicken and carrying her.

CHANGE IN DATE: The infamous pie party has been changed from Saturday, November 20th to Friday, November 19th. All are invited to attend. We will be starting around 5:30 pm and will play games after the party slows down a bit. We hope to see you there.