Category: Adventurous kids

Two musicals this month

Paige and I are singing in the musical, From Cumorah’s Hill later this month. Paige is also being featured in a video section of this production. We invite you to attend on Thursday, November 20 or Saturday, November 22! It’s a big production with a gorgeous set, powerful music, and my favorite: the youth share their love for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

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Daniel is attending rehearsals for this, but he won’t be able to perform because he is playing piano for Les Miserables at his high school on those evenings. We invite you to come see Les Miserables on Friday, November 21.

Halloween 2014

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The boys have been planning for months what they wanted to wear for Halloween. We worked hard to make each detail.

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We covered Richard’s motorcycle helmet with painter’s tape and made the oxygen pack on his back with oatmeal containers. I found a design and ironed it on Mark’s sweats.
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Timothy bought this shirt in August and I made the robe. The headband was made by my mom. We bought the beard and wig and made his staff from a milk jug with spray paint and some pvc pipe.

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Are you wondering who these characters are that the boys chose for their costumes?

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Mark was Benny from The Lego Movie
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Timothy was Vitruvius from The Lego Movie

Primary Program Smiles

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Today these two boys spoke in church. It was Timothy’s last Primary program. How did that happen? We really enjoyed hearing all of the children speak and sing for us, but there is something special about being able to claim a few of them as our own.

Each boy carefully wrote and memorized his part. They were confident and prepared.

Here is a small quote from each boy today:

In our pre-mortal life we had free agency. Before we were born we chose to follow the Savior.

Satan had a different plan. He wanted everyone to follow him and be forced to obey. This is a bad plan because we wouldn’t be able to choose for ourselves.

The earth was made so we could gain bodies and be tested. It’s important to make our own choices on earth because it tests our faith. If we make good choices, we can be with Heavenly Father and our families in heaven.

-Mark, age 8

 

Part of the plan was that the Savior would die for us. This helps us all the time, at school, at home, and everywhere. We can repent and always have a good example to follow in Jesus Christ.

Part of the plan is to be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost has helped me in my life. I have learned that I can pray before tests and things I have to do at school and other places. When I do this, I am reassured that I will do well. Every time I have done this, I have passed the test. When we are sad, the Holy Ghost can comfort us. I know that the Savior understands what we are going through and helps us return to Heavenly Father.

-Timothy, age 11

Timothy’s Summer Job

Timothy earned some extra money this summer because he got a job mowing a neighbor’s lawn. He has been faithful and hard-working. I know it was a challenging thing for him to do, but he didn’t act like it was.

1-IMG_20140926_175213Timothy is a saver. He decides what he wants and takes the time to save for it. He bought a Lego set last week that he’s been working for all summer. After he built it, we decided it was terribly overpriced. I almost want to write a letter to Lego. Their profit margin is over 30% and when I think of all the hours and labor that this boy gave for that disappointing set, I am a little frustrated. Timothy is happy, but I think he has learned to be a little more cautious.

 

Work day

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On Saturday the boys and I went down for an afternoon at Spring Lake. We stayed a lot longer than we expected because the boys (especially Mark) were having such a great time. We hauled trash, dug holes, moved dirt and rocks, poured cement, and admired the house. This is the area where they will build a deck next week. There is a lot of prep work and a concrete retaining wall to build. The big hole in the ground is to manage drainage off the house and hill. It was a great activity for younger boys. Daniel was the cement mixer and Grandpa’s right hand man.

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Two Baseball Players

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Two baseball players made 4 baseball games a week plus a practices this fall. Richard and I have divided and conquered since the games fell on the same nights. I was Mark’s cheerleader, and Richard was Timothy’s assistant coach. It’s been a good season for each boy. Sitting outside looking up at the mountains changing color during the games make it seem like an ideal activity. Evenings where it was cold enough to huddle in blankets were rare this year.

The Homecoming Dance and Dress

 

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I went out of town for the weekend to visit my grandmother and I missed seeing Paige’s homecoming date. Richard took pictures for me. The dress looks so much pinker in natural light. In the store and in the house, it is a lot more muted in tone.

Paige and I found the dress on a clearance rack after shopping at 10 stores. It was only 12 or 14 sizes too big and it lacked sleeves, but it was the right length and the beads were gorgeous!

IMG_20140922_172927It had pockets, too, and I knew we could make some cap sleeves with these.
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IMG_20140925_090958It was a very nice dress and fully lined, which meant I had a lot of reconstruction and hand sewing to do. The finished dress had about 8 inches less fabric around the waist and the cap sleeves went on very easily, thanks to an online tutorial. I watched episodes of The Paradise while I hand stitched the lining back into place. I probably ate chocolate while doing all of this, so really, it was pretty fun, although time consuming.

Daniel’s Day

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Daniel joined our family in the early evening, a perfect baby after a difficult pregnancy which included major abdominal surgery. I was ecstatic that my little Daniel had made it through the lion’s den of my health issues. Prayer, faith, and a priesthood blessing were important elements in that miracle. (You can read about that here.)

He has always been resilient and strong. It’s a blessing that I don’t have much to worry about with Daniel. His independence, height, resourcefulness, and encyclopedic memory set him apart. He is great company in the car because he always has something interesting on his mind. You could come and hear him play a piano concerto on October 17th if you are in town.

Today we celebrate with homemade pizza, cheesecake, and presents, but the best celebrations are in my heart for a son who constantly amazes me. How thankful we are for Daniel.