Super Dog!!

Apparently we have a super dog and we were completely unaware of her super powers! Since it is sunny out today for the first time in several days Greg & Carinna took Tank & Harley to the park to run off some of their excess energy. We sent Kaitlin along with Cleo. Since Cleo would wear out long before Tank or Harley Kaitlin could just bring her home when she got tired. Upon arriving at the park Tank was running everywhere with Cleo on his heels. He bounded up the play structure and Cleo decided that she needed to be in the lead. Apparently she did not realize that directly in front of her was a twisty slide and instead of going down the slide she jumped over the edge and "flew" miraculously to the ground! Now I probably should not laugh at this as she could have gotten hurt but I can't help smiling at the image of my little bulldog running unaware off the top of the slide all the while thinking she was beating Tank to wherever he was heading. I do wonder what was going through her mind when she realized that she was flying through the air with no solid ground beneath her! Thankfully the playground is covered in bark and she had a soft landing. She returned home unharmed except possibly her pride. Hopefully she will reign in her super power and not going flying again anytime soon.

Early resolution

At the end of November the question was asked in Relief Society - "What are you most thankful for?" My immediate answer - family & friends. As I have reflected on that question over the last few weeks and also prepared for my lesson next week on Elder Worthlins talk "Come What May and Love It" I have been reminded of all the experiences that have come our way this year. It has been a year packed with family trips, moves and additions. Each of these experiences has added greatly to our lives and to our joy. While not all of them have been easy they have all been beneficial. As I study Elder Worthlins talk I realize that I am okay with the come what may part of it, over the years that has become natural to me, it's the "and love it" part that is often missing! In hindsight I can see and love the lessons learned from the challenge but in the middle of it I often lose that ability. So I think for next year that will be one of my resolutions - to develop the ability to love what ever challenge Heavenly Father sends my way while I am in the midst of it. Knowing the magnitude of that perhaps it should be my only resolution!

Shopping or the Zoo, Hmmm. . .

I realize that I am the odd man (or should I say woman?)out when it comes to shopping, I really, really, HATE shopping! So of course when everyone else is going nuts over Black Friday I have absolutley no desire to participate. I have very strong opinions about the greed and materialism involved and how it is destroying our ability to take a day off and just enjoy our families and express gratitude for all that we have. How many people have to give up their family time on Thanksgiving now just to prepare for Friday's insanity? Then on the news we saw reports of stores that chose to stay open on Thanksgiving just to "get a jump" on the competition. Argh!!!!!!!!!!! Needless to say we were looking for some other form of entertainment to occupy us on Friday and discovered that the Sacramento Zoo would have free admission all day Friday. They requested you donate a canned food item for the food bank as the price of admission but it was not required. So we packed up a grocery bag with cans (there were 9 of us going), and headed off. We had a great time and my faith in humanity was restored as the zoo was packed with families who had chosen to spend time together having fun rather than fighting for bargains.


Kelly & Kaitlin having fun

Riley & Kevin getting in on the act

I think if we look hard enough we might find these guys in our genealogy!

The whole crew

So much for dinner

Since we now have 11 people eating dinner every night things were getting a little crowded around our table for 6. So we headed off to Home Depot to get oak planks in order to make a new table top that will seat all of us, or so I thought. Little did I know that it wasn't really a table top that was being fashioned but a track base for the race cars. Needless to say the boys are happy and the girls are eating in the kitchen!

Birthdays, birthdays, & more birthdays!

October & November bring lots of birthday celebrations around here.

Katie turned 29 on October 6thAmanda turned 28 on November 13thBrian turned 29 on November 22nd (yes he & Amanda were both 28 for 9 days) Tyler thought dad was opening his gifts too slowly so he decided to help.Carinna turned 20 on November 23rd Brian & Carinna decided to share a cake since their birthdays are back to back so here is the Princess cake Brian baked for them topped by Carinna's Disney princesses she's had since she was a little girl.

Finding Peace

Lately I have been feeling down that I am not getting well as quickly as I think I should. Some days have been difficult and discouraging. I have been singing with the ward choir and a few weeks ago we started working on a piece called My Kindness Shall Not Depart From Thee. I don't remember the composer but the lyrics are based on the scripture in Doctrine & Covenants 122 when Joseph Smith cries to the Lord for relief from the many struggles and challenges he is facing in Liberty Jail. While rehearsing I thought the music was beautiful and loved the lyrics but it wasn't until we sang it in Sacrament meeting yesterday that the words really hit me. "I know thine every thought and every care, though the very jaws of hell gape after thee, my kindness shall not depart from thee." How small my problems seem in comparison to Joseph's.
That afternoon I was reading the conference Ensign and came across Elder Hollands talk about ministering angels. He talked about how concerned Heavenly Father is with all of His children and how He keeps a careful watch over us. He sends angels, both seen & unseen to minister and comfort. In another talk President Monson advised us all to find joy in the journey despite our challenges. To make memories each day and have fun along the way. It was a much needed reminder for me that in spite of the health challenges I have a life full of things to celebrate and be joyful about. I should be focusing on those things instead of allowing myself to be weighed down by temporary challenges that will pass away.

Is it always like this???

I was asked to sub in seminary this week & silly me, I said yes. On Monday the kids were pretty noisy & I finally had to yell to get their attention as none of them would stop talking. We got the lesson started and most of them paid attention and participated but there were still those who insisted on talking during the entire class, playing games on their phones, walking in and out of the class, etc. On Tuesday they were better and I thought things were going to be okay. Greg & Carinna asked if they could go teach on Wednesday. I told them the ups and downs and that the kids had been really good Tuesday so they should be fine. So they prepared and off they went. Several of the kids just would not stop talking, one of them stood up and decided to write on the board. When Greg asked him to put the chalk down & sit down he refused. Greg ended up taking the chalk from him and asking him again to sit down. Greg asked the kids if they wanted to be there and told them if they did not want to be there to please leave so the rest of them could move on. At first they just looked at him like he was crazy and he told them he was serious, if they did not want to be in class to leave. Several of them got up and walked out. The room settled down and those who stayed ended up having a great lesson. Today when I went back the core group who left came into class and then left to stand in the hall. I went out and asked them if they were coming to class today the two girls said they needed to use the bathroom and the two boys left as well. None of them ended up attending class. As we discussed what had happened the day before they excused it as just being teenagers. They hadn't done anything "that wrong". They blamed Greg & Carinna for not accepting that as teenagers they can't just sit there quietly and listen. The regular teacher has a seating chart as some of the kids are problems if they sit together. Not knowing the kids they of course did not sit where they were supposed to be and then got upset when we called them by the wrong name. One of things I asked today was how many of them had sat in the wrong chair using someone elses box. Almost all of them raised their hands. So all my friends out there who teach or have taught seminary, at what age can kids sit and listen to a 30-40 minute lesson? This class is made up of sophmores & juniors who are 15 & 16 years old, can they really not behave for half an hour?? When did being disrespectful to adults become acceptable and at what point do we as adults step in and say enough? Are we expecting too much by asking them not to talk during class? I'm not talking about answering questions and participating, I'm talking about those who are not paying the slightest bit of attention to the lesson and who are making it difficult for anyone else in the room to pay attention. At what point do you call their parents and ask for help? I have been in primary or relief society for the last few years so I haven't worked with the youth in awhile am I just totally out of touch and it's now "just the way it is" to try and teach over the crowd. Are there no expectations that they can be respectful and at what point do the ones who just refuse to be quiet need to be asked to leave so others can learn? Let me know your thoughts so I know whether or not to ever accept the opportunity to sub again!