Deep Thoughts, Shallow Brain Part 5

Words aren’t enough

One often sees in life, words simply aren’t enough,
when you try to console a friend, when their life seems rough.

You seek to find just the thing, you could possibly say,
but no matter what you feel, it doesn’t take their pain away.

You wish you could be there for them, you strive to be a friend,
your heart feels great sympathy, as they seek to comprehend.

You only can watch them, as their challenges take their toll;
where do they get strength to be so strong, how do they stay whole?

Then something seems familiar, how could you not see it before?
They have been turning to the Lord, seeking His love so pure.

Through it all, we may see, why things must happen this way,
if we seek for understanding, and open our hearts to pray.

Clearly words cannot do much, no matter what we impart,
but one who knows us all so well, can directly heal the heart.

Slip N Slide into Sunday

T needs a little rinse after going down the slide

A just taking a rest after her millionth time down the slide.

Just the smiling T hanging out while he waits his turn to go back down the slide.

Yesterday afternoon and evening we did a lot of getting ready for, and attending a ward BBQ party. It was a lot of work, but ended up being a lot of fun. We manufactured a home made slip and slide with a huge construction piece of plastic. This slide was easily three times as wide and three times as long as a regular slip n slide. We gave the slide a few "additives" to make it much more slippery than a regular slide as well. My kids had a hard time with the run and dive concept and so I would sort of throw them down it. They loved it and had bubbles and everything else all over them from the little pockets of water. Most of the grown men with children ended up on the slide as well. None of us were clothed to go down the slide, and none of us planned on it, but lots of fun things come when you just go with the flow (no pun intended). Some of us went amazingly far. There were also water balloons and those little balls that you can soak up water with and then throw at people. Everyone there seemed to have a great time.

Today was just a normal Sunday other than us being extremely late to church. The kids have been up so late the last couple of nights I sort of let them sleep a little because I knew they would be so exhausted. They learned all about brothers and sisters in primary and were so surprised that their primary teacher had a picture of them (she obviously called and asked all the parents for one beforehand). I think it is great that they love primary so much and are so excited for church. They both are still slowly learning the whole concept of whispering in Sacrament meeting. They just talk in their normal voices which is not really fantastic when they might be disagreeing with each other or something. The non whispering is helpful in making those around us laugh as the kids explain to me all the many things I don't understand. They always keep me on my toes, and I love being with them.

• Yesterday morning when T woke up, Grandpa asked him about the boating trip the night before. He said, "hey, did you take my boat to the lake last night?" T said, "yup!" Grandpa then teased T by asking, "well, you didn't get it wet did you?" T responded, "of course we got it wet, lakes are make out of water silly!" Grandpa then said, "oh, well did it shrink when you got it wet?" Without missing a beat, T said, "yup, we shrunk it right down into a little submarine." Grandpa thought it was pretty funny that T could respond so quickly. Looks like Grandpa may not be the only one in the family with a quick wit.

Boating!

This afternoon, my brother and his family, and the kids and I, all decided to go boating. We got Grandpa's boat (you know, the 2007 one that he bought new last year that HE rarely, if ever, even goes on) all ready. We left the house at about 4:00 this afternoon. We headed up to Jordanelle and we were there until about 9:30 tonight. Afterwards, we got a quick dinner at Wendy's in Park City and went straight home to bed. The kids had a great time. They both love Grandpa's boat and loved riding in it, riding in the tube, being with their cousins, etc. This was the first time that we have had the boat out this year. When we first left the wake less area, we went full throttle, T had the biggest smile in the world as the V8 engine let out its growl and the boat rapidly accelerated. I love that he loves engines and things as much as his Dad. Once the boat was going nearly 50 MPH (think of going about 95 MPH in a car) T let out a huge scream of excitement, followed by A saying "yee-haw!" They are so funny. T loved the tube, the water, and everything. He said, "why don't you let me wake board Dad? How about if I go skiing? I want to try the knee board!" The only reason I would not let him is because all those things are FAR bigger than he is, and his feet would slide right out of most of them. He has skied with me before though, so I am sure we will do it again next time. T loved just being with his cousins out in the tube with no grown-ups. A loved the tube, but as you can see in the picture we had to LAY (very precariously I might add) because she did NOT like the cold water at all. She was not really scared or anything, just hated the cold water. This is the same child that I find in a jacket or winter coat in the house because the air conditioning is too cold for her. Maybe we will take the boat to Lake Powell sometime and she will feel the 70+ degree water and be fine. Just so you know, here is what the pictures show. One is of T with his cousins in the tube (I had to keep telling him to sit down). The next one is A and I laying on the tube (you cannot see her, but my niece is hanging on the back of the other side). The next one is a lucky picture we got of my brother getting some air on the wake board. The next one is just us cleaning and packing up the boat at the end of the day. We wipe it down with apple cider vinegar and rags because that removes hard water spots and keeps the finish nice. Because of shutter lag we did not get any really good shots of me on the wake board (not that I am some great wake boarder or skier anyway). So, I just posted a regular picture of me skiing. It was a lot of fun for all of us, and even with gas being as expensive as it is, something we hope to do often this summer.

Things you all should know about me...

So, I found this funny website, that tells you some interesting funny things about people. Here is what it said about me when I took the quizzes.


How Angry AM I ?

You Are 15% Angry

You're so laid back, no one could ever accuse you of getting angry. While there are a few little things that may annoy you, you generally play it cool. In fact, your calm attitude tends to provoke people with anger problems. They may think you're screwing with them, but that's just the way you are!

How Angry Are You?

For those of you who don't think I act my age! (I will be 29 in 9days, so I am actually 9 days too mature!)

You Act Like You Are 29 Years Old

You are a twenty something at heart. You feel like an adult, and you're optimistic about life. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. You're still figuring out your place in the world and how you want your life to shape up. The world is full of possibilities, and you can't wait to explore many of them.

What Age Do You Act?

Interesting and Informative

So, I was telling a friend about this awesome haircut experience I had the other day, and figured I might as well write about it here. I went in like I do every couple of weeks to get my haircut. I always have the kids with me, and they are usually really good to color or something while I get my haircut. The stylist (kind of a misnomer as I still have no style) and I were making small talk as she was cutting my hair. So, in the natural course of things it came out that I was divorced, that I have the kids quite often, etc. She said, "it is really an attractive quality when a Dad puts such a priority on his kids." I didn't really know what to say, so I think I said, "okay." She then went on to tell me of her many experiences dating guys who have kids (hopefully none of them were still married). She told me all about her "party" lifestyle and her very, very liberal way of thinking. She then went on to say that basically with kids, no matter what, you just come in second. She then said, "that is why if we dated, it just wouldn't work." All I could think to say at this point was "oh." In my head I was sort of thinking it would not work for a lot of reasons besides that one, but that is just me. She said, "I am not going to date someone and feel like I am second the whole time." I think I only said, "uh-huh." It was really funny. She kept ranting about how things would not work between us, and brought up many reasons why. The crazy thing is, the whole time I kept trying to remember when I asked her out. This went on for quite some time. As she was taking off my haircut superhero cape (they let really special people like me wear them, and I even wear it on my front, not my back) she said, "okay you're all set handsome!" Again I think all I said was, "okay." As I got the kids together, paid, and left, I just kept wondering what could have been. If only she would have given me a chance. We seemed to have so much in common, but she shot me down before our relationship even had a chance to blossom. I am sure I cried myself to sleep that night (yes, I know sarcasm does not translate well in typing).

Just Another Manic Monday

For some reason the first two images turned this way no matter what I do, so just turn your screen sideways to view them.

I was given two kits for Father's Day to make these stepping stones. The top one is the one I made with T (as you can see it cracked after being dropped). We are going to make a new one since we still have plenty of stuff left over, we just need to get a tiny bit more concrete mix. The top part has his name, and so I cropped the picture.
Here is A's stepping stone. This picture has been cropped at the bottom since it has her name as well.

Anyone who read my past entry entitled "Co-Conspirators" would easily be able to recognize the significance of this plate, the reason there are two forks, etc. This time I did not catch them in the act, they came and bragged to me about what they had done. "Dad, guess what we did!" They are so funny.

This is a picture of two small Pound Puppies (we also have some of the regular size ones). One is easily 20 years old (left) and one is brand new (right). One was mine when I was little and one Grandma bought for A today. She has always loved Pound Puppies and is so excited to have her own. She asked me to take a picture of them together.
To the well trained eye, it looks as though T had taken a marker or stamp to his face. In reality, all it takes is a hand stamp at the gate of a Demolition Derby, and then a few hours of sleeping on said hand. It took me a while to figure out what on earth he had gotten on his face when he woke up Sunday morning. I thought it was funny.

Not much has happened today, so I don't have much to write about. We went to the park today and we did our normal Monday chores. We also ran some miscellaneous errands. I have needed glasses for about the last 3 or 4 years, so I decided to pick some out today. They should be here in 7-9 days. I am thinking I will get contacts in the near future, because things like having prescription sunglasses and switching between glasses often, sounds not only expensive, but somewhat annoying.

• No matter how many times I think T has been told, whenever he feels some one's muscle, he always grabs the sides of their elbow. It is the funniest thing. He is probably thinking that the muscle must not be anywhere else or no one would do that stupid motion of bringing up their arm and bending it. He also LOVES to wrestle with me. He is full of comments like "oh, yeah" and "you're going down," and he never gives up. He wiggles his way out of any reasonable position if you give him long enough.
• Today we started wrestling and I had him pinned. He said, "oh, boy you're asking for it now, the fun has just begun!" He says all this with what I can only describe as his tough guy voice. It is so funny, he seems to talk the most trash when he is in the more defeated positions. I love to wrestle with my little buddy and often engage in the fun light-hearted trash talking.
  

Early Church after a late Saturday Night

So, I don't know if anyone has ever kept their 4 year old twins out until 10:30pm to go to a demolition derby and see fireworks. It is definitely one of those things that is completely worth it, but must only be done every once in a while. It is probably not so bad when you don't have church at 9:00am the next morning. So, I got everything I could possibly get ready before I woke up the kids. I finally had to wake them up around 8:30. I got them all ready, did A's hair and I think we ended up being 3 minutes late to church (there goes the sticker on the Primary chart this week). They were actually really well behaved during church, especially considering the late night. They learned all about "families and froggies" in their primary class. They have the two greatest primary teachers. One of them teaches fourth grade at an elementary school. They come up with things (like froggies) to teach the subject of the lesson. This not only serves their ability to teach the kids, but it also helps the kids to remember what they learned. Ever since they were called to be their teachers, the kids can always tell me what they learned about in Primary. It is so cool. They are learning a lot and loving it, sometimes when you ask them about their favorite thing in Primary they will even say their teachers.

• It would be a boring life if one of the kids did not say at least one funny comment each day. So here it is today from T. As our home teachers were here this evening, he was being pretty wild. As they were talking I sat him on my lap and flipped through The Friend so he would look at the pictures and stop causing a raucous. He suddenly found a small picture of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. They were (as usual) arranged so that the men were sitting on one side and the women on the other side. T asked how come they were separate. I told him that "men's voices sound one way and women's voices sound another way, so they separate to keep the sounds together." He laughingly said, "that is not why they are separated!" I said, "it's not?" He said, "NO, they are separated so they won't pester each other!" I don't know where he would get the idea that when people are pestering one another we should separate them. I can't imagine that ever happening at our house (yes, I know sarcasm does not translate well in typing).

Demolition Derby

Tonight we went with some friends to dinner and to the Bluffdale City Fair to see the demolition derby. They had never been to one, so we went. If you have never been to one, they are hilarious and you will have a great time. You don't have to live in a double wide trailer or have a confederate flag bumper sticker to attend (at least not in Utah). They are so much fun. The kids had a blast and loved cheering for their favorite cars. We cheered on a green one that got stuck up on a wall for the first match, but did amazingly well in every subsequent match. The kids would choose other favorites as well, and we would all laugh and cheer at each slam of the cars. It is amazing the amount of damage an automobile can sustain before it no longer runs. It is even more amazing when you think a car is completely done for and how quickly they can fix it up for it to continue to run just a little longer. There were fireworks after the derby and then we headed home. It was a great time. I can practically judge the fun factor in my kids by whether they fall asleep in the car on the way home. It definitely registered on the fun factor, I carried both of them in to the house tonight and they never woke up once (I even slid on some pajamas and they only stirred slightly).

This station wagon nailed the black car really hard, just before the orange car was kind enough to make it a three way collision.
Just a preview of what 1-15 will look like the when the first snow storm hits this winter. It is incredible how people have to re-learn how to drive in snow after having any nice weather.

All of the tow trucks scramble onto the field to remove all the non-running cars at the end of each match. They do a great job of clearing the track for the next round of cars to get smashed to oblivion.
A with their friend sitting on the bleachers and having some fun.
T was having a blast, but clearly did not want a picture taken. He was much too busy watching the cars. Their friend did not mind getting his picture taken as much.

Saturday Yardwork

A always states how cold she is inside the house, and how hot she is outside the house. She likes to dress up in different things. I guess I did not understand how cold she really was. All she is missing is her gloves and boots. Hopefully she will not start stripping clothes off when she gets too hot outside, that wouldn't go well. I guess I haven't noticed the frost growing on the TV, but maybe it takes time. Obviously she knows something I don't know if she finds it necessary to pull all this out of her closet.

T loved when I made him the trash compactor and bounced him around to make more room inside the can. He is too much fun and too good of a boy for me to ever really throw him away.

All aboard the Manure express. T was pretending to be a train conductor. I want them to have the freedom to be whatever they want to be, however if he is going to be a train conductor I hope they let him haul something besides smelly old mulch.

T definitely loves to be outside and do yard work. A likes it as well most days, but probably not quite as much. She was inside much of the time watching Sleeping Beauty (her favorite show if you don't know).

• T is sick of A choosing Sleeping Beauty every time it is her turn to choose their one TV show per day. He said "if A chooses Sleeping Beauty one more time, then I am going to throw it away and turn myself into a DUCK!" I don't know if that is a good solution or not, I have never turned into a duck to solve any sort of conflict. Do ducks encounter less problems and confrontation than humans? Perhaps he is on to something, maybe it IS the solution.

Funny Little Girl

This morning the kids' Mom picked them up. So, I am back to work and school and the kids will come back Thursday night. It was so much fun having them with me for all of that time. I hope they liked the time as much as I did.

• Just a day or two into her vacation, their Mom called to talk to the kids. She said that she had gotten a bear for A. She was of course very excited. Just before coming home their Mom was talking to A again and told her that her boyfriend had just proposed and now she had a really shiny ring because they were going to get married. A simply said, "Oh, but I need to know if you still have my bear. Do you still have it and are you going to bring it to me?" I thought it was pretty funny. I am glad my kids are not obsessed with all of the worldly things (ha, ha).

Father's Day Thoughts

This Father’s Day I think about the gratitude I have for my Fathers and for the blessing of being a Father.

I first think of our kind and patient, loving Heavenly Father. He is the Father to so many children here on earth, yet he always has time for me. He hears my prayers, He responds to me individually. He gives advice and loves unconditionally. He is there to comfort me, strengthen me, and help me whenever I simply ask. I have never felt Him say he is too busy. He is ready and willing to help whenever I call upon His name. He sacrificed His only begotten Son so that I may be able to live with Him again one day. He has found a way for justice and mercy to coexist with each other for our benefit. How grateful I am for a wonderful Father in Heaven who continually has done nothing but good for me. He speaks to my mind and my heart whenever I simply ask, and as the perfect example of a loving Heavenly Father, he makes time to lead me by the hand and show me the way. I am so thankful for Him.

Ever close to our Heavenly Father is my earthly Father. What an amazing man he is. He has mastered so many of the attributes of our loving Heavenly Father. He is always patient, kind, and thoughtful. He is a righteous man of God who has always led by example rather than words. I have never heard him speak poorly of others and I have never seen him look down upon anyone. In my mind there are three kinds of people in this world. Those who want to do as little as possible and MAY only do something when they are asked, those who will do anything for anyone as soon as they are asked, and those who recognize a need and instantly fill it. My Father is definitely described in the last. I have seen time and time again of his constant service, love, and patience for those around him. He brings out the best in people and helps them to be more. He has always had time for each one of us although there were seven children, a successful career, challenging church callings, and many other organizations pulling for his time. While he is not perfect, he is one of the most perfect people I know. By most any measure he is a success, and, where it is most important he is the most successful. He has always recognized the importance of the Gospel and lived his life accordingly. He has always treated my Mother with respect and kindness and has demanded the same of each of us. He is continually an amazing Father and teacher. Most of all there is no doubt of his love for his wife, children, grandchildren, and brothers and sisters here on this earth. What do I want to be when I grow up? It really doesn’t matter as long as I am just like my Dad.

The kids’ Mom has been on a vacation; therefore, this Father’s Day comes on the heels of having the kids solely with me for the last 12 days. That has been one of the best Father’s Day presents I could have asked for. Sure, the kids were not acting appropriately all the time, and I am sure I did not respond perfectly all the time, but I am so grateful just to have time with them. I cannot express how much of a blessing it is to be a Father, to be entrusted with children of God and be asked to nurture them on this earth. What an amazing gift for a loving Heavenly Father to bestow. Despite all my frailties Heavenly Father still thought I should teach and guide two sweet spirits back to him, and entrusted me to do so. I cannot express the love I have for my children. They mean the world to me. Being a Father is unlike any other experience in this life. It definitely has its challenges. I wish I could say I mastered each challenge perfectly. Fatherhood is filled with all levels of emotions and worry. In the end it is a sweetness that cannot be experienced anywhere outside of the family. I value my time with the kids so much and try to teach them the way our Heavenly Father would want me to. I am so far from perfect, I often question how I am doing, and I certainly should not go around giving advice. Like almost any parent, I only hope for the best for my kids. I want them to be happy, healthy, and successful. I want them to be happy by choice and see importance of the decision to be happy. I want them to be successful, not in the world’s way, but in our Heavenly Father’s way. I want them to feel the deep love that I have for them, and to know that I am always there for them. I have seen many odd looks as I tell people I live with my parents. I am sure I can figure out what many are thinking. While I often joke about it, in reality I shrug it off; in my mind my purposes are clear. I could have a different life; I could have more money, time to myself, “better circumstances” (by the world’s standards), etc. All pale in comparison to the time I have with my children and the love that is mutually felt. How foolish would I be to seek to fit in with the world, seek for money, or other selfish desires? I already have a treasure that is beyond value. I choose to spend the moments I have with them and care for them. If I am never successful by the standards of the world, but my kids know of my love and have learned good things through me, I will die the wealthiest man.

The Chalk Festival

After lunch today, we decided to head down to the Chalk Festival at the Gateway. It was really neat. We were going to invite friends, but we heard about it last minute. Also, I not only forgot my camera, but also my phone. I don't know how I managed both of those in one day, especially considering my phone is attached to my hip almost every minute of the day. So, I did not get to snap any cool pictures of the amazing artwork or anything else, but it was still really neat. I had to salvage what pictures I could when we got home. There were some drawings of Disney characters, superheros, and every other kind of fun/fantasy item. There were also some very real looking pictures that looked as if the person was going to turn and walk off of the picture. I am amazed at people's talents (mostly because I have none), it was especially amazing to remember these were all made with chalk. They also had a ton of free things for the kids, T won chap stick at KSL's tent and A won a notepad. They both got handheld collapsible fans (think waving something in front of your face type) at the Comcast tent. They also got a bag full of stuff from one tent that included numerous coupons and advertisements, a beach ball, a bear shaped straw and tons of other stuff. A also got her face painted and a fake tattoo. T had no interest in either one. Last they had a guy who made cool shapes with balloons. T just wanted a sword, but A asked for a turtle. I thought, boy let's see this guy make that! He DID! It is pictured below. It is a wristband turtle and it is pretty amazing. She has a sudden obsession with turtles, probably because she has figured out that may be the only pet she may ever have a chance to own. We came back and helped with just a couple minutes of yard work, ate dinner and got ready for bed. I paint A's finger and toenails every Saturday night before church. It is fun to spend time with just her doing that. The best part, I am terrible at it! So, after I am done, I get to take a Q-tip and some nail polish remover and smooth off the edges that I have messed up. Come on, at least give me points for trying. Actually, after the clean-up has ended it really doesn't look too bad (if I do say so myself).

A's turtle face painting
The balloon turtle
T's sword, notice the handle has already popped! Doesn't stop him from performing kung fu.
T thought he was pretty hot stuff when Grandpa let him wear his yard working hat while we finished up the yard.

• This morning we washed Grandpa's car on the lawn. I let the kids ride with me as I drove the car onto the lawn. The kids kept commenting on how smooth the ride was on the grass. Apparently they are able to figure that out in the four feet we moved. Heaven forbid we would have driven over a sprinkler. They would have thought we were doing some serious off-roading.
  

A Car Show on Too little sleep...

Two of the Andersons and T and A by a Corvette I would gladly take home.

A decided last night that she was not really in the mood for sleeping. She woke up about every 20 minutes between 2AM and 5AM and then decided she was completely up for the day at about 6:15AM. Lately they have been waking up around 7:45-8:30AM. So, I think she has felt the effects of a long day. I just felt the effects of some serious whining. This morning we mowed the lawn. We then washed the car on the lawn, which the kids could not seem to get over. We had so much fun that we decided to wash Grandma's car for her as well. The kids loved getting a little spray here and a little spray there. Looks like they are not the only ones who like to make other people's clothes wet after all. After lunch they played at a neighbors house for 30 or 45 minutes. Tonight we went and picked up Grandpa's Father's Day present. Then the Andersons called and invited us to a car show by their house. It was a lot of fun. They had a ton of classic/show cars. Many of you know I don't really like cars (if you really think that I think you may want to smack yourself with a two by four). I have always especially loved Corvettes, old and new, and the 1968-1972 Chevy/GMC Blazers and trucks. What can I say? I am a GM kind of guy, although I am not completely opposed to other cars. I do have a 1972 Ford truck after all. I think the part we all liked the best was the burnout competition. It is great to see other people spend $100 of their money on gas and probably even more on rear tires to make a huge cloud of smoke for everyone. Watching some were funny, while others were down-right amazing. After we had all the meltdowns we could handle (from the kids and the tires, pun intended) we decided to head home. Thanks again to the Andersons for inviting us to hang with them. It is really fun to go and do activities like that and even more fun when they don't cost anyone a dime.

• Tonight I took the kids to McDonald's for dinner. I actually allowed them to get Happy Meals (which I normally do not do). T requested one toy and A requested another. I asked the drive-up speaker if they had each of the toys and could we get them in their Happy Meals. He stated they did and we could. When we got to the window, it was another story, they told me they were out of the toy T requested. I explained the situation to T and he screamed, "Let's never go to this McDonald's again, they are so frustrated (yes, frustrated, not frustrating), and I think that is bisgusting" (you and I may know that as disgusting).
• As we were leaving the car show the kids decided that the tires had done enough of the meltdowns and it was their turn (the whole way to the car!). I told the kids that one or two of the Andersons was not feeling very well and that their screaming was making them feel worse. T said, "how come every time we need to throw a fit, someone does not feel good?" I have found it somewhat of a challenge to discipline my children when some of the funniest comments come as they are "needing" to throw a fit.
• A was eating a popsicle today and when she finished she realized her mouth was a mess. She said, "Daddy can you come help me for a minute?" I stopped washing the car and asked what she needed, she said, "this" and wiped her mouth all over my pants. She then laughed. I asked her what she did that for and told her I was not a napkin. She said, "Daddy those are your junky yard working clothes anyway." I smiled, and told her, "as long as she never does that to my nice clothes then stuff like that is fine." She said, "I won't Daddy." I cannot even believe she knows the difference between my "junky yard working clothes" and my nice clothes, but as long as she respects the boundaries and only pours lemonade all down my nice shorts at the movies, I think we should be okay.

A helpful tip!

T & A riding off into the sunset when we hauled the bikes to the park after dinner tonight.

Today was pretty uneventful except for the trip to the park. My Mom took the kids with her to the hair dresser today while I was at school. Luckily she only had to have them with her for about 30 minutes of her 2 hour appointment. She said they were pretty well behaved. The kids played in the backyard most of the day, while I did housework. Since I am home I figure I might as well get as much done as I can so that we can just enjoy the weekend and do fun things. I figure I will mow the lawn tomorrow and other than the usual laundry and clean up on Monday, we should be set.

Here is the tip:

Do you have quite a few blogs that you are keeping tabs on? Are you frustrated when you check them to find that they have not been updated since the last time you looked? Well, then I have the solution for you! It is called Google Reader. It is very simple if you already have any sort of Google account (i.e. Blogger, Gmail, etc.) You go to www.google.com/reader. If you already have some sort of Google account you just sign in with that. If not, it is very easy to create them. Then you add the web address of the blogs that you are interested in. It will tell you if there are any new postings in an e-mail type format. I usually go in to see if any are new and then go to the actual blog, but either way. There are two things it will not do however. It will not allow you to add a subscription to a blog that you must put in a password and user name. Those you will still have to check manually. It also will not let you know when new comments have been posted. Other than those two minor glitches, it is awesome. Hopefully it helps you all out. Trust me, it is nice having to only check one place instead of clicking around to see who has not updated their blog lately (definitely not me, sorry I told you I was blogging to keep a journal, its not my fault my life is uninteresting).

• The kids Mom is on a trip in Georgia right now. A wanted to know how they talk in Georgia. I teasingly responded, "with their mouths, just like you." She said, "No, I mean what language do they speak?!" I conjured up my best southern accent and said, "they speak the same language as you, they just talk like this, little lady." She rolled her eyes and said, UUUUGGGGHHHHH!!!

In today's news....

Some of the latest Lego cars that we have T and I have built
A's new diaper bag, minus the bear and accessories.

The other day the kids and I went to the store. I decided that they could have a toy because first, it had been a long time, and second they were so good to run errands all over the place the last couple of days. T seems to really have a passion for Legos. He loves to play with them and especially loves to build them. It is not very often that he takes them apart though, which is interesting (and really nice actually). We bought T the red car quite a while ago, and then this time bought the others. If you look there is a green vehicle, a police car, and a news helicopter which all came together. I thought that was really sad and funny. It was called the Lego Racers series, but let's be honest, it should be called World's Wildest Police Chases series. Hopefully in the future they will include a free DVD of World's Wildest Police Chases 3 hosted by Sheriff John Bunnell. We could watch it after the Care Bears Movie some evening. Anyway, as always it was a lot of fun to build them with T. A decided that she wanted this diaper bag. It came with a little bear, a bottle, and other baby stuff. The funny thing is, the bear is tiny and the diaper bag is about 52X bigger than the bear for which it is supposed to care for. It is sort of like feeling like you need a Suburban for your two small children. Sure, they are 3 feet tall, but all the stuff that they seem to need would easily fill the rest of the car. I would have pictured the bear, but it is currently sleeping with A. For any of you wondering, NO, Milky has not been replaced or demoted and I don't see that happening any time soon.

We mostly just hung around the house for the majority of the day. I got back from school around 11:30am and it was rainy all morning. Around 3pm it started to become sunny, so we went all over with their bikes. T fell down and scraped his knee up a little yesterday. It took him about 3 minutes to be comfortable with riding again. He kept telling me to make sure he doesn't crash. They are getting so fast, that I can no longer walk by them, but usually I have to run to keep up. It is amazing how quickly they grow and develop. Now they seem to race each other. It was not long ago that T was always in the lead, now T really has to work hard to lead, and often keep up with A. It is sort of fun to watch, it is like the Tortoise and the Hare. T can speed by pretty quickly. When he gets too far away I tell him to slow up and wait for A. She will just cruise on by before he has time to react and often gets a commanding lead. It is so funny to watch them interact and see the warm-hearted competitiveness that exists between them.

P.S. Whenever somebody figures out the weather around here, could you please explain it to me? While you are at it, I am sort of interested in the JFK assassination and the crop circles. Just a few of the mysteries weighing on my mind lately. Thanks.

Bathroom Faucet

At the very end of every bathroom faucet (or most any household faucet) you will find this little tiny ring just before the water comes out. This piece is called the aerator. Its function is to make the water spray straight down, be cosmetically appealing, and usually has somewhat of a strainer built into it to prevent things from getting stuck in the spout. This piece can be removed from the spout of most faucets to enable people to hook up kits for filling or draining water beds or for other things as well. So, it was removed from one of the sinks in one of the bathrooms in this house a few years ago when the last water bed was taken out. This aerator, as well as numerous socks has apparently been taken by aliens and has never been seen since. This has not really caused any problems other than the fact that the water sprays out farther into the sink instead of going directly down and that we don't appreciate alien theft. That is until last night..... One or both of the kids washed their hands in that sink around 5:30pm last night. No one had been in that bathroom for several hours after, until I went in at about 2:00am. I walked in and instantly heard a splash as well as a cool, wet feeling on the bottom of my socks. It took me a minute, but I finally figured out what had caused the whole bathroom floor to be flooded. It seems that the sink was BARELY left on. This had caused a tiny little stream to run back along the bottom of the faucet, to the counter. That part of the counter eventually could not handle anymore and it slowly drizzled all over the floor. I had to laugh to myself as I filled 8 full size bath towels and did quite a bit of mopping. Apparently the kids cannot handle all of my clothes being dry at the same time. Sure they will let me wear some dry clothes, but not all of my clothes really need to be dry in their mind. I wonder if a good old fashioned water fight might get this all out of their system. It's okay though, because I usually mop that floor on Fridays, so now I am a couple days ahead of the game. What thoughtful kids to free up more of my time on Friday.

Happy Birthday Mom!

This is a picture of my awesome parents

Today was the birthday of a special lady in my life,
no I am not re-married, therefore, I do not have a wife.
Those who may not know her, I just call her Mom,
I’m thankful for all she does; I think she is the bomb.
She went through a lot; I’m sure, to get to number seven,
raising us seems the REAL hard job, I’m sure she’ll go to heaven.
I cannot even express, the many hours, all I’ve seen her do,
I don’t think it’s necessary, to state all we’ve put her through.
I do not know how it is, that we gave her so much grief,
but then we knew we could always come, and find her for relief.
If we ever need anything, Mom/Grandma is always there,
giving us attention, and showing us great care.
First to say she’s sorry, whether she’s done right or wrong,
Knowing we have a special place, where we always belong.
Time seems to fly by for all of us, it’s birthday 64,
she can’t be around forever, but, we pray there’s many more.
So she is not getting younger, she may be getting old,
Above all else one thing remains, her heart is made of gold.
As I look back on all her great advice, there is one you can’t compare.
Every accident I’ve ever been in, I’ve had on clean underwear!

So Much to Say

Our lives are not too exciting, but here are some of the little things we have done. Friday two of the kids' cousins were over to play in the morning. They were all pretending that ALL the stuffed animals they could find were super heroes. So, I thought every Super-Hero Stuffed Animal needs a cape right? Side note: Apparently the super hero costume designer in the movie The Incredibles does not think so. So, I got the construction paper, scissors, hole punch, and yarn. We made sure all stuffed animals were wearing capes by lunch time. It was actually a lot of fun, and once again the kids were kind enough to not point out how bad I stink at anything even remotely artistic.

Today it seemed like all we did was run errands. We went around and got Grandma's birthday present (a large vine-like flower in a large planter to put on their front porch). We got Grandma birthday cake and ice cream, and then ran a whole bunch of other errands. We even used BOTH our car and our truck today! Ahhhhhhh! the feeling of spending almost $4 a gallon, what a precious thing that is. Tonight T & A's Mom came to get them to take them to dinner before she goes on vacation for a week or so. So, it has and will continue to be great for me because I will have the kids from June 5th-June 17th. I will still go to school, leaving the kids with my Mom for about three hours, but I have taken off work on any of the days that they are with me. It will be so much fun. That is about all that is going on. I know, we have the most interesting lives of anyone in the world. That is why everyone (thick sarcasm attached) reads this blog. Good thing my primary usage is to use my blog as a journal.

• I warned T that if he didn't stop yelling way too loud that he was going to go to timeout, he instantly yelled and I instantly hauled him to timeout. His disbelief was quite apparent as he must have told the walls in his room, "I can't believe he actually did that!" and "why would he really do something like that?"
• T was talking like a baby to be funny, it was really getting on A's nerves. She said, "Dad could you please make T stop talking like a baby, he is ruining my life!"
• As we were going to get Grandma's birthday present, I told the kids that we needed to get Grandma's plant. T said, "we have to get her a plant too? Why can't we just go get her present?" I explained that the plant was her present. He laughingly said, "that is the dumbest thing I have ever heard, you can't give someone a plant for their birthday!" he then added later, "you can't even wrap a stupid plant!"
• T seems to call everything "baby" lately. I think I referred to something a couple of times that way and he has held on to it for a while. Here are a few examples: He tells me he has to "get this baby put away," when referring to his bike. He asks me "are you going to start this baby and mow the lawn?" when referring to the lawn mower. I told the kids that we had to hurry to church and that we were running late. As I turned on the one "busy" street that we go on to go to church I accelerated pretty fast (those of you who know me, know that I don't really need an excuse to drive fast, but I digress). T said, "good thing this baby can go so fast with your big foot on the gas or we would never be on time to church."

Kung-Fu Panda-The stickiest movie I have ever seen!

Today our friends, the Anderson's, (all of our friends seem to have common last names, so I don't see a point in hiding them anymore) invited us to go to the movie Kung Fu Panda with them. We met them at the Gateway theater this afternoon. We all arrived at about the same time and got the tickets. I decided we could splurge and pay the $468 fee for a jumbo popcorn (but hey, it comes with a free refill!!) and then another $920 for two large drinks. One for me and one for the kids to share. So, after we spent the kid's college fund on popcorn and drinks we went into the movie. I was carrying trays (which the kids could eat some of the popcorn out of, with napkins of course), one of the drinks, and the jumbo popcorn. A was carrying the kid's lemonade. We made it all the way to our seats to find that none of the arm rests (which house the cup holders) were down. I had just sat down to arrange everything, not wanting to put anything on the floor for fear the kids would accidentally kick it over. Suddenly A said that her drink was making her hands too cold. I told her to wait just two seconds while I finished the process of lowering one of the armrests. Apparently two seconds would have given her frost bite in her mind, so she LAID their drink, lid pointing down, on my seat, right next to my right leg. She then turned her back to me and began talking to her friends. I hurriedly try to pick the drink up, trying to stop the sudden cooling feeling now piercing my shorts and seat. I also am making a concerted effort not to drop anything else. Both of my kids were busy talking to their friends oblivious of the perilous circumstances I was in. My friends tried to help, but could not make it past all the kids. When all of the sudden the lid pops off of MY drink and I spill about half of it. Some pours on me, some on the seat, and some on the floor (in my defense the cup I was given had a deformed brim and so the lid did not stay on very well anyway). In my scramble the lemonade crashes to the floor spilling its entire contents, and I notice I have also poured a small amount of popcorn from the tub to the floor to top it all off. I am still scrambling, laughing hysterically at what a mess I have made, amazed that in a few short seconds I have suddenly turned our row of seats into Hiroshima. A turns around to see what is going on and yells, "DADDY, WHY DID YOU THROW OUR DRINK ALL OVER THE FLOOR?!!" Her comment only caused me to laugh even harder (which made responding to her and cleaning up that much more difficult). After she said that I thought, "gee, I don't know what I was thinking when I decided to lay that drink down on my seat, looking back that really seems like a silly thing to do." So, I finally got everything arranged and cleaned up the best I could without a fire hose. I now realize that putting things on the floor and chancing that they would get kicked over might not be that bad (at least then I would not be laughing at my wet pants and seat). As the movie began, I went back to the snack bar to buy another drink for the kids, looking like my right leg and rear end had met some terrible ordeal in the bathroom moments before. I purchased another drink and headed back into the movie. The best part of the story? As we were initially moving to our seats, (before the bomb went off) my feet were somewhat sticking to the floor as I was walking. I thought to myself, how do people get these floors so sticky? Well, I don't care what any teacher says, there IS such thing as a stupid question, or at least questions that should not be answered. Anyway, what a hilarious story, I could not stop laughing the entire time, except for the part where I had to spend another $460 on a new drink, but other than that it was hilarious. I don't think I have had a funnier experience at the movies. We were all laughing long after the movie ended. Kung-Fu Panda was really a good show and pretty funny (although I might have been in silly, slapstick mode before the movie even started, thus making everything funnier). I thought it was entertaining for the kids and for the adults. The best way I could describe it would be to call it a cross between Mulan and Beverly Hills Ninja with Chris Farley. The kids and I really liked it a lot. After the movie we went back to the Anderson's house and played into the evening. We had a BBQ and had really good hot dogs and hamburgers. It was a lot of fun hanging out with them. We are trying to squeeze in as much time as we can with them before they move to Ohio in August. They probably feel like I am the Verizon phone guy, but instead of asking "can you hear me now?" I ask, "can you hang out now?" Well, maybe they aren't the ONLY ones who feel that way. As always we had a great time and hopefully we can get together a few more times before they move. At the very least we have given them a story that should ensure they can never forget us.

Who you are does make a difference!

IMPORTANT! Once again please scroll down to the bottom of this page and pause the music before viewing this video. This is one of the most inspiring videos I have ever seen. I have searched it out and want to share it with all of you. By the way, I am not selling the system that they advertise at the very end. I just really love the video. I think we can all make a difference and we do not have to buy an amazing system to do it. We already have one, it is called our heart.

Deep Thoughts, Shallow Brain 4.5

TODAY

This day is over, what things have I done,

have I done big or have I done small?
Was it a bad day or did I have fun,

did I hunch over, or did I stand tall?

Would I be proud, at the end of this day,

am I happy about what I have given?
Or would I think, I have more to say,

or could I have been much more driven?

Each day I can block the path of another,

I can make the choice, to be a fighter;
why not instead treat all as my brother,

to strive to make their life brighter?

So I sit, now deep into thought,

thinking of how I have lived;
I recall battles that I have fought,

I only hope that I have gived.

Some days I think I have done quite well,

others I may not be sure;
It is only I who can tell,

a path and life, only I can secure.

But alas, the day is soon gone,

another starts to ensue;
I now must look, to the bright new dawn,

and decide what I’m going to do.


So from my thoughts, a decision has come,

the past day already gone by;
I will now focus, on not being numb,

I can spread my wings and fly.

I have decided to live my new time,

to live new moments, better than the last;
No matter what, mountains I need climb,

even if struggles seem vast.

I can ease the pain, of so many,

simply, by crossing along their way;

and it won't even cost me a penny,

only pure love on display.

But how, you may ask,

do you follow this path, holding to it, all the while?
The mystery may be easy to unmask,

it may be as simple as a smile.

Deep Thoughts, Shallow Brain Part 4

I may only be able to do about 6 more "deep thoughts, shallow brain" segments. I am quickly approaching the highest number I am able to count to. Today two separate people asked me two questions that I feel I am asked quite a bit in one way or another. First, "How can you just laugh and smile no matter what seems to happen?" The second one "how come you rip on yourself so much?" I will answer them to the best of my ability one at a time.



In answer to the first one, I think I have seen both sides of that road and decided that I wanted to take the happy road. Most people who really know me know that I am not ALWAYS smiling and laughing, however, I enjoy that side of life the most. There are certainly times and places for many emotions. The biggest thing to me is defining what kind of life I want to live and the quality of life I live. This obviously will impact everyone I come in contact with. This is especially important for me in raising my kids. Life in general is fun. Everything in life is not fun, but overall you can make most situations in life fun and/or humorous. I TRY to be grateful more than I complain or want more. I cannot say that I always do those things, but I try to focus on them. There are definite steps that I take in finding happiness as I have outlined previously in this blog. When I was probably in fourth of fifth grade I did not have a lot of friends. I did not have a lot of self-esteem and I really probably was not doing anything great for anyone else. Surprise! I didn't feel all that great either. I decided from watching people while I was "a loaner" that the people who laughed usually enjoyed life. The people who were depressed, complaining, etc. did not. Later in life I still do not have many friends, but my perspective changed and I am so grateful for those that I have. I slowly decided throughout those Jr. High years (side note: did anyone just love Jr. High? because if you did I am just thinking a trip to the psychologist is in order) that I was going to make the most of life. I have tried since not to be defined by experiences that happened to me. To instead define who I am by how I react to situations and what I can learn from what happens in my life. I am certainly not preaching and others have things way more figured out than I do. I am only saying that I CHOOSE (yes, I don't care what anyone says, it is a choice) to be happy. Basically I guess if I was a Disney character I would be Goofy. Not the smartest of the bunch, somewhat tall and dopey, not necessarily the most handsome, but I like to smile. I don't think I have that whole Dr. Jekyl/Mr. Hyde thing that he does in some of those episodes though. I will work on the little things in my life that I need to do differently, but overall I want to enjoy life, and so I have set out on that course. I just slip off the trail every once in a while and have to pull myself back up.



The second question is somewhat answered in the answer to the first question. I love to have fun WITH people. I like to give people a hard time. I love to laugh and I love to make others laugh too. I love to laugh at myself. I am not perfect and I think that often times when I am not trying to be funny I am the most humorous of all. As I said I want people to laugh WITH me. I would never want to hurt anyone's feelings, or make them feel sad. I try to always stay away from the mean teasing that is out there. It would really make me feel badly if I found out I hurt someone's feelings. I don't ever want to be that person. Therefore, one of the ways I laugh with people is by laughing at myself. I know my frailties and it is fun to not only recognize and change them, but laugh about them. I know it seems completely crazy and probably does not make sense to anyone, but it is quite therapeutic for me and is all in fun. It is also a way of recognizing that I don't need to be perfect, only work towards perfection. I probably end up beating myself up less than I would normally in many situations because I just laugh. It helps me to forgive others more quickly and overlook mistakes. Really in the end, I think I am an okay guy (even if I only think that 2.7 minutes a week).

Milky

This is Milky

So, anyone who has been around A very much has likely heard her talk about her stuffed animal Milky. This is by far her most favorite toy in the whole world and has been for over a year. She has to sleep with it each night. This obviously creates some interesting circumstances if it is left at either her Mom's house or mine when A is no longer there. It has definitely caused me a few hour long round trip drives with the kids. It has also caused me to shift around my work schedule to do some work at a place where I can get Milky back to A. Milky is indeed a Littlest Pet Shop animal, however she (OH, yes, it is a she, just ask A) is not very little and has an enormous head. I am not allowed to lay on Milky when I lay by A to rub her back and tuck her in at night, but Milky can lay on top of me. I mean I know I am fluffy, but I still don't think I am quite as soft as a stuffed animal. I'm just saying. Just over a year ago I bought Milky at Target and our lives have never been the same since. Her known Aliases are The Milkster and Milko. A loves Milky and because of that Milky is one of the family, so I thought I should introduce you to her. This is the closest the kids will ever get to having a real cat in our home because I do not like them and I am allergic. So, I am really, really glad she likes it so much.

• The kids came to school with me last Tuesday. I told them before we left that they had to be so good and be quieter than they are in church (not really a hard thing many weeks). They were so good and just sat and colored and looked around. I could not believe how sweet they were. There was one point where T tried to whisper something to me. I could not hear him and just whispered, "Okay, just color your picture and be quiet please." A then said way too loud, "HE SAID HE NEEDS A TISSUE!" I then got one out of my bag and handed it to him. Most people would have been really embarrassed at this point, I just laughed with the rest of the class. Other than this one incident they really were amazingly good though and I was so proud of them.
• My brother and sister-in-law's house is just a couple of blocks away, therefore we are in the same ward. She also happens to serve in the Primary Presidency. She stepped out for a few minutes during sharing time and when she came back in A said very loudly, "Aunt T looks so pretty today!" I guess everyone laughed pretty hard which caused Aunt T's face to turn as bright pink as her shirt. She is not the kind that really likes a whole lot of attention anyway.
• The last couple of nights I have had a hard time with T wanting to sleep. He keeps telling me that he does not want to sleep and that he does not even feel tired (often through yawns). I told him that he needs to sleep to grow big and strong. He said that he needs to just eat and exercise. I told him that sleep was just as important as those things. So, when he woke up this morning he pulled up the bottom of his pajama legs and said, "Wow, look how much my legs grew last night!" Being the ever encouraging parent I said, "yeah just think how much they will grow when you go RIGHT to sleep tonight."

Deep Thoughts, Shallow Brain 3.5

PROPER PERSPECTIVE

When the path that we walk seems to be quite rough
When our challenges seem to be too tough

Things just don’t seem to be going our way,
we’re so overloaded we don’t know what to say.

We feel that we have done more than our share,
or look at our life, and say "it’s not fair!"

We think our challenges are too much to do,
feeling burdened, inadequate, alone or just blue.

We think of Him, and know that He’s there,
our Savior to guide us, through any despair.

When we are weak, and barely able to stand,
He comes along gently, and guides us by the hand.

We soon realize He’s here all the while,
Guiding our footsteps from mile to mile.

He has been lifting us throughout all time,
How could we not see this gift so sublime?

We were so worried about our world’s affairs,
our sight became blinded, to Him answering prayers.

He has been helping, making us stronger,
we will not find a friend, who has stayed with us longer.

So true, kind, and patient, He will ever be,
helping us clear our path of debris.

We simply reflect on his wonderful grace,
His arms wrap around us, with warm embrace.

Prevailing winds come, He gives great peace of mind,
His constant great purpose for all of mankind.


He has lightened from us, an unbearable weight,
As He did long ago with sacrifice so great.

We weep as we hug Him, and express of our love,
For our great, perfect brother, who lives up above.

Because of His love and His promises sure,
We’ve passed on through challenges, we could not endure.

We then move along, our burdens seem light,
We have flown through the gray clouds, and our future seems bright.

So do we go along now, with a thought not on Him,
Waiting instead, ‘til our cup hits the brim?

Or do we see Him, with every thought,
Thinking of our battles, which He has fought.

It is different for each person, or time I suppose,
Some hold Him close, others wait for life’s blows.

But one thing without question, is always for sure,
He will be there to guide us, with His love so pure.

So let us ALWAYS, stay close to His side,
He’s life, light, and way, let Him be our guide.

He stands there beside us, with one peaceful plea,

"I am thy Savior, please come unto me."