Primary Activity!

Friday the kids had a Primary activity. It was a lot of fun for them. The theme was scripture Olympics. They went in pairs to different stations as they explored the scriptures and did activities. First, they shot pees at a nine foot tall Goliath (no it was not me), while they learned about David and the faith he had. Then, they built a tower like King Benjamin stood on to talk to his people. Next, they matched up animals to put in Noah's ark. After that they learned about Captain Moroni and the Title of Liberty. Last, they learned about preparing for missionary work just like Jesus and the Apostles as they fished. It was a great activity and in the end they walked away with a medal (a foil wrapped ding dong, again we are not talking about me, with a ribbon made to look like an Olympic medal). They had a lot of fun. I have become the unofficial photographer at all of these activities because all the other parents hurry and take off and all the leaders are busy. It is fun and it is great to see the kids having a great time.

Both the boys pose nicely just before they build a "King Benjamin's Tower."

T being just like Captain Moroni and defending his family.

After matching the animals for Noah's Ark A paddles her way across the ocean.

A fishing just like the Savior and Apostles.

Thank You My Friends

While I was at work tonight I was listening to a talk. The speaker said two things that really stood out in my mind. The first one was "the world makes wrong things look right." If you really think about that and how it is true, it is very profound. The second one was a story of a boy who asked his Mom, "Do I have to lower my standards to keep my friends?" Neither one of these things was the major topic of the talk, just two things that really stuck out in my mind. After the talk was over I turned it off and I began to think. I am so lucky and grateful to have the friends I do. As I asked that question to myself I knew that I would never have to lower my standards to keep my friends.

I am so grateful that I have truly been blessed with great friends. This includes my amazing, wonderful family. So many in the world are unable to call their family friends. I am extremely lucky that I can list my family among my best friends. I am grateful to all of you who make me a better person. I have never felt the need to lower my standards with you, my friends. Instead I work to attain more of the standards and greatness that each of you possess. I am so grateful for all of you and the wonderful people you are. You are all great examples and I treasure your friendship. So, with all the sincerity of my heart, I say to you all "thank you my friends."

LEGOS!

So, I figured that the weekend would be all about A with her 5 dance recitals. So, Friday I went out and bought this little lego fire truck and trailer for T. I told him that we would put it together before bed time on Sunday night, and so we did. I think I loved the experience of building it with him as much or more than he did. It is slightly bigger than it looks, but not huge. It also has MANY pieces despite its size. It come with a oxygen tank, an ax, a mask, a saw, etc. It has a ton of things that the fireman can put on him. T played with this thing non-stop on Monday. It was so much fun to build with him, and it was a great special bonding time just for us after he did SO well supporting his sister and her dance recitals. He is such a good boy (although a little wild at times). He is so sweet with his sister most of the time, for instance he always makes sure to share one of the two laffy taffy candies that he gets at the end of Itty Bitty Ball with her without ever being asked. Although they are twins he definitely plays the bigger brother and loves and watches out for his sister so much (he is older by 57 seconds, so I guess that explains it all).

• A was standing in an empty laundry basket. T told her that it was on fire and that he was coming to rescue her. A said, "NO IT IS NOT ON FIRE! I am just standing in a normal basket! T responded, "ok A if you want to burn up so that we have to throw you in the garbage then whatever."
  
  

Here's to Moms!

I picked these flowers for all of you Moms for Mother's Day. I hope you like them.

So, with it being Mother's Day I want to express my feelings. I am so grateful for my Mom. I swear that Heavenly Father sat her down and said I have this plan for you. You are going to have 6 smart-alec boys and 1 girl down on earth. The last child will cause you particular grief and agony. You will never really stop being a Mom when your children are grown and you will just take on MORE responsibility with the addition of many Grand-Children. In exchange for all of this you get to go straight to Heaven when you come back. She obviously said "yes," but I wonder now if she ever second-guesses her decision. My Mom is so great and constantly willing to help anyone who asks. I am grateful for her example and kindess. I am grateful for so many friends, sister-in-laws, ward members, and family who constantly carry on without complaint and are such wonderful Mothers. Each Mother is so amazing and is so important in the lives of their children. I am grateful for the sacrifice that T & A's mommy went through to bring them here to this earth. I am SO grateful that I get to be their Daddy (some may only know me as their Dadd-o). I am grateful for the sacrifices she is willing to make each day and for the good things that she does for the kids. So, I just want to say I hope to each who reads this that you all had a wonderful Mother's Day. You are ALL amazing and I appreciate your examples and your love for your children and those around you. HERE'S TO YOU MOMS!

Dance Recital WEEKEND

I thought this was such a cute picture with A winking her eye.
A loved the flowers I bought her after her last performance. It was so cute to see how excited she was to have her own flowers.

So, A had not only one, but 5 dance recitals this weekend. She had two on Friday night and then three on Saturday afternoon and night. While it was great I think that many recitals was a little much for a four year old. She did have a lot of fun though and she sure was cute to watch. Their dance was "Pillow Talk" as in the old movie. They were so cute with their pillows and their dancing. She did a great job and I am so proud of her. We came back home and went right to sleep at about 9:30pm so that we could wake up early and get to church by 9:00am. They sang for all the Mom's in church today, but their Mom could not make it. She was at least able to take them for 2 or 3 hours today and spend some time with them and she did seem to like her present from them. Anyway, I can't wait for the recital next year, but hopefully they will cut it back to like 3 performances or something. We (especially A) were so worn out last night. The driving was even a little tiring (it was about 40 mintues each way). I went through 2 tanks of gas just this weekend. Normally I go through one tank every 7-9 days. It was all worth it in the end to see my cute little Princess dancing and having so much fun.

Candid Answers for Dad

So, I was helping the kids to make a book for their Mom for Mother's Day. I asked them things they like about their Mom, etc. and put pictures next to what they said. As I was doing it I got selfish and wanted to see what their responses would be about their Daddy. Some are funny, some are just simply honest, and some are cute.

Here are T's questions and responses:

1. What is the best food that Daddy makes? A beans, rice, and Cream of Mushroom soup mixture.

2. What is your favorite game to play with Daddy? Candyland.

3. What is your favorite thing to do outside with Daddy? Ride our bikes together.

4. What toys do you like to play with the most with Daddy? Lightning McQueen Cars.

5. What is your favorite place to go with Daddy? To Murray Park, Target, and boating.

6. What is your favorite place to go to dinner with Daddy? the pizza places.

7. What is your favorite sport to play with Daddy? Basketball

8. What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy when it is cold outside? Build Snowmen and go sledding.

9. What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy when it is warm outside? Eat watermelon and play in the backyard.

10. What is your favorite movie that you watch with your Daddy? The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.

11. What is your favorite book that Daddy reads to you? How Much is A Million?

12. What is your favorite song? I Am A Child Of God

13. What is your favorite thing about Primary? My teacher

14. What is your most favorite toy? All of them.

15. What is your favorite stuffed animal? My doggies

16. What is your favorite movie? Meet the Robinsons.

17. What is your most favorite thing about Daddy? Tucking me in at bedtime, and singing me silly songs in the car.

Here are A's responses:

1. Spaghetti

2. Hullabaloo

3. Sidewalk Chalk

4. Stuffed cats

5. The toy store.

6. McDonald's

7. Soccer

8. Make Snow Angels and going sledding

9. Just any outside games

10. The Care Bear Movie

11. Stories from my Princess Story Book

12. Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

13. All of it

14. "Dad could you stop and just ask me in like 16 years?"

15. Milky (a huge stuffed animal that is actually one of the Littlest Pet Shop cats).

16. Sleeping Beauty

17. Big tight hugs and butterfly kisses.

DEEP THOUGHTS from my SHALLOW BRAIN-Part I

Happiness

So, a lot of times I just am working and I start to think. I think about things that are important to me, the way I view the world, etc. Therefore, I have added a new and continuing element to my blog entitled above. So, last Sunday I taught in Elder's Quorum (apparently this ward thinks that torturing the members is a good way to get people to choose the right) and I was not assigned a topic. So, I decided to do a lesson on Happiness. I decided that in my mind the top 5 ways to be happy are the following:

1. Live the Gospel. Obviously this is huge. It actually encompasses many of the other principles. As I was preparing and giving the lesson, something dawned on me. I do not believe that we are ever really just sitting. We are objects in motion. So, I figure that if we are not doing anything to work towards the good, we are automatically (maybe slowly) drifting backwards. So, I decided in order for me to be living the Gospel, and in order for me to be making progress, I have to constantly be engaged in moving forward so as to at least keep from getting dragged backwards.

2. Be Grateful. I think that this is as important as anything that we do. How can we be happy if we are constantly focused on the negative in life. We need to look for the many ways we have been blessed and for all the good that is around us. I have not had a hard life, so it is hard for me to understand sometimes I guess, but I do not understand why people want to focus so much on the negative. I figure you can learn, be happy, and move on from bad situations or you can continue to relive them over and over again. I believe taking a few minutes each day is a great way to look at all that is good and all the ways I have been blessed. That is why I have put so much time into this blog and my journal writing.

3. Serve Others. Someone made a comment while I was teaching about a study. Some doctors and or scientists studied happiness in humans. They found the ONLY universal thing that made all humans happy was service to other people. Not only was it the only thing to make all humans happy, but it was also the ONLY thing that consistently made humans happy. Oddly, according to the study it is the thing that humans most avoid. Weird that we have a way to be happy and yet we do not use it. That is like having a car that gets a 1000 miles per gallon and never driving it. I also think that people want to have good self-esteem, but they just want it to come. I think self-esteem is earned. You have to accomplish something in order to feel a sense of accomplishment. Serving and helping others is an easy and sure way to accomplish something great and build your self-esteem.

4. Love Others. Generally speaking I don't think this is hard to understand. Its application can be difficult however. I think that truly loving other people is when you love someone even when it can be extremely difficult. I think it means helping or serving someone when you feel like you shouldn't have to or you have done your part. There have been times when I think that someone is undeserving of my help or kindness. Then I soon realize that those times are probably the times I need to do exactly the thing that I don't want to do, AND do it to the best of my ability.

5. Laugh. One of the quotes that I used in my lesson was that children laugh on average over 400 times a day while adults generally laugh about 16 times a day (I am sure I am in the 800+ category by the time I laugh at all the dumb things I do in a day). I think that laughter builds bridges, brings down walls, and generally gets more accomplished. Anyone who knows me knows that this is and will remain an important part of my life.

Anyway, those are my deep thoughts that I thought I should write about tonight.

Itty Bitty Baseball

A and her good friend. Both of their brothers were busy playing Itty Bitty Baseball at the Community Center. I love A's mischievous look away from the camera. Who would have thought that my kids would have a mischievous side? Wonders never cease.

If that is not a killer baseball stance, I don't know what is. Just wait til that ball on a rope comes back.

This is T and A's friend. He was a little shy at first when it came to baseball (amazingly close to how T was last year), but he started to come around towards the end.

Okay you guys, do you want this home run in left field or right field?

So, today was fun. Normally I take the kids back to their Mom's house on Monday nights where they live until the next Thursday night. She has not been feeling well, so I kept them with me. I have a break between Spring semester and Summer semester (this week only), so I was able to have the kids. I took the kids to preschool and Itty Bitty Baseball this morning before I had to go to work. It is a fun baseball thing for kids age 3 or 4. They have stations where they talk about fundamentals, hit the ball off of tees, hit the balls on the end of ropes, catch, and throw the ball. Their mom only signed T up because A does dance. He seems to be double-booked, however, because you have to pull him out of preschool 45 minutes early so he can go to baseball. At least both things are at the same community center. The kids then went and played at their friend's (pictured above) house for 2 or 3 hours. We used to be neighbors and we wished we still lived there. They are great people and are always willing to help anyone. If only we were as great to ALL of our friends as they are to us. Work went well and was relatively uneventful. Ever since going back to work I am no longer assigned a huge van, but get a mini-van. They say it is because I drive way more miles than the average driver, but I think it has something to do with me and the proverbial "short bus."

Amazing Kids

My kids are amazing. They constantly surprise me with all that they do, say, and think. I explained to them that I had to give the lesson in Elder's Quorum this morning. Later, in Sacrament A asked why I was wearing a watch (I never wear one because I use my phone as a clock). I told her I needed it to be able to tell time while I was teaching. She then asked how it went? Did everyone like the lesson? Did I teach them all that I needed to? What 4 year old could possibly be concerned with all of that? How amazing that she would even ask that. Treven told me that he was sure that Jesus was proud of me for teaching the lesson. How grateful I am for my two best friends. I am so lucky to have such great kids.

Weeds, Wagons, and Waddlers

We love our yellow truck. We drive it about once a week to run errands. We also

think it is cool to help people when they need something big hauled. It makes us feel important. The two previous weekends we were able to help our friends haul stuff to the dump and get their house all ready to sell. It was a lot of fun for all of us. The kids decided to climb in the back while I was mowing the lawn today.

We can't wait to take out the boat. Here comes summer! Well,.......maybe. T thinks I should just go ahead and take the cover off the boat, hitch it to the truck and go. There are only two problems with that. The water temperature is probably around 38 degrees and the truck would tow the boat about 17 MPH up Parley's Canyon with a tail wind.

T loves to pull the wagon. A is more than happy to take her place in her royal Princess chariot.

A thinks it is great to wish upon dandelions. From what she has told me the technique is that you stand on them, blow, then wish and the wish will come true. Hasn't worked for me so far, but maybe my feet are so big I need a bigger patch of them. Let me know if any of you are more successful.

1 in 5 ducks say the unmowed grass and the yellow truck create some sort of rest and relaxtion day spa. These ducks hung out here for about a day and a half.

Well, aside from all the good stuff, I think I survived finals. I have not seen my picture in the obituaries, so I think I am still alive, but I will check again tonight. We have been having lots of fun outside. The kids are more than happy to tell me all the things I do not understand. Sadly, they are probably right in most cases. We went out to breakfast this morning and some Firefighters were there. They gave the kids stickers and they even let them get in the Fire Truck. The most exciting thing for the kids was the steering wheel and the fact that when you open the door the steps fold out, and when you close the door they magically fold back closed. I have to admit it was impressive to me, but I am easily entertained. They must have a competition going amongst themselves lately. Everytime we go to a store they both see how many things they can ask me to buy them. It is absolutely fantastic!!!! Maybe the real game is to hear how many times they can hear me say "not today," "we don't have money for that today," or "maybe one day." I would imagine the phrases with the most letters are worth the most points. So if each letter is worth one point the ending score today at Target would proably be 248,956,492,003 points scored by A and 248,956,492,002 points scored by Treven. It is closely matched, but any given trip to the store could sway the point total by a billion points or so if one of them is off their game. Anyway, that is all that is going on lately...