Andy's Six

Me baby boy turned six today.   What an amazing little boy.  We had a very full day at work which caused me to alter plans a bit but everything worked out great.  Well, if you put all the screaming to the side it was great.  We had some conflict going on and that got a little old. 

Grateful for Andy and the joy he brings to our family.  Here are a couple pics with a little commentary.

 

 

Andy wanted a Batman cake for his birthday.  There was one at Wal Mart last night but I really was not that impressed.  I went' back for it today but it was gone.  I had planned on accessorising it myself so I picked out a different cake and made it happen.  Andy loved it.  My Batman symbol was a little off but hey, that's free handing it with a frosting tube.  It did the trick.

 



 

 

A Remote Control Camero from Rachel.  He was very excited about this present and has waited patiently, or not so patiently for the last two days.  He loves it.

 



 

 

 

The Caped Crusader showing off his get up with Grandpa and then leading the parade with his cousins Anna and Tommy close behind.  They paused the parade for the picture.  Andy is a big fan of starring in a parade.  I don't know where that comes from because I don't really do parades.  It gave me a laugh watching him do his thing. 

 

 

We have a regular customer from Saudi Arabia, a couple of them actually.  Anyhow, the customer I am speaking of is Saleh.  He is fantastic.  Saleh cried when he was at Yosemite.  I may have mentioned this in a previous Post.  Anyhow, Saleh was in yesterday and we talked about it being Andy's birthday.  He asked a few questions and then went to work.  After I had left he shopped around the store and picked out this Uncle Sam doll.  What a guy, totally unexpected.  I don't know that Andy really new what to do with the doll but he handled it just fine.

 

 

Well, that is all for this round.  Sure do love that kiddos and am grateful for out family.  

Prone to Injury

I don't know what the deal is but tonight was the second week of softball and the second week I injured myself.  Am I just now of the age when everything is starting to go?  Last week was the power sliding into second and leaving half my leg on the field and tonight I was headed to second base and I pulled a muscle in my leg, the thigh region.   It hurts pretty good.  Not enough to take the pain out of my other leg.  No, that aching seems to linger longer.  So looks like another week of nursing injuries.  So much fun.  Maybe it is just life reminding me that I am prone to accidents.     

So Very Tired

I sat down to write this an hour and a half ago.  I have not been able to stay awake enough to get it even started and have tried several things to try and rouse my faculties.  Maybe it is just time for me to call it a day and get some sleep. 

Had a fabulous little walk to school with Andy this morning.  We talked about what day it was and that he had 2 days until his birthday.  He is pretty excited about that.  I am too.  I need to figure out what we are going to do but we will get that done.  I marvel that he is turning 6 years old.  Can he really be 6 already?  Yep, really.  He is such a wonderful boy, a little feisty and a bit headstrong right now but wonderful. 

Tonight doing homework with Jack we had a tender little moment.  Jack talked about being 18 years old in 10 years.  He then talked about how he will be an adult then.  In that conversation Jack shared that one day he will be a father just like me.  I replied that I will then be a grandfather.  He looked me square in the eye and said "You will always be my father".  We both were a little emotional and it was a very tender moment.  Glad to have a tender moment in the middle of working through the hell that can be homework. 

Natty - special moments?  They all are. 

Grateful for these wonderful kids in my life. 

Bobcat Jack

Today was the first Pack Meeting for Jack.  It was a good meeting.  He did pretty well.  We actually had a bit of an emergency that delayed our arrival some and when we got there they were reciting the pledge.  At first Jack stopped, saluted and started reciting the pledge.  Then he noticed the Color Guard and walked right up to the front and joined them.  No invitation needed.  Bobcat Jack was ready to go. 

They gave away awards and he got a packet with his belt loops for archery and BB gun shooting, one for collecting, a summer pin and a couple other things.  It was great.  Later he got called up for his Bobcat award.  Fantastic.  I got to go up to get the Bobcat pin.  Jack managed to get it on with a little help from me.  I'm sure I broke all the rules of cub scouting when I helped him with the pin.  I am almost certain this was the first time he'd even seen anything like that and he was lost.  When all was done the pin was on the inside and the stop was on the outside.  Don't know if you call that a stop but I did.   He was excited tonight to see his cousins come in.  They just turned 8 and so this was their first activity.  That will be great. 

I am completely spent.  I was just sitting here dreaming about sitting here and dreaming.  In my dream I was dreaming, knew that I was dreaming and was trying to wake up but was powerless to do so.  Call the people at Inception.  It is time for a sequel.   Perhaps my story line lacks the needed flare. 

Natty and Andy are also doing quite well.  Sure am grateful for and love these kids.  I

His Element

I stopped by the house after visiting with the Doctor today and picking up a couple of prescriptions - let the drugs do their thing is all I have to say about that.  The heat in my leg has gone so that seems that it would be a good thing.  Anyhow, I was dropping the prescription medication off at home and the kids were home.  I was heading back in to work and Jack wanted to go with me.  We headed in and Jack headed to his favorite part of the store.  We have a red shelf filled with little toys and trinkets perfect for a boy.  He loves that stuff and can spend a lot of time there looking, playing and dreaming of things to do. 

Makayla was sharing a story about Jack as told by her boyfriends uncle who happens to be Jack's teacher this year, Mr. Shirley.  Jack was having a hard time with math, math is not like the toys, it is way out of his element.  Anyhow, Mr. Shirley talked to him some and asked what would help him to calm down.  Water was his reply and so Jack was off to get some water.  He was still a little upset so Mr. Shirley asked him what else could help him calm down.  Jack's reply... "Whipped Cream Shots".  That's my boy.  Nothing quite as comforting as firing away a whipped cream shot.  Mmmm delicious, and calming.  I guess Mr. Shirley had a good laugh and talked about how much he loves Jack. 

When we got home from The Little Brick House the neighbors dogs were out playing.  Jack went right over to them.  He is not intimidated at all by them.  3 big German Shepherds.  He gets in the middle and calls them by name.  Apparently the neighbor thought that was pretty impressive, that he could remember each of the dogs by name. Talk about being in your element.  Dogs are certainly one of Jacks elements. 

Leg Infected

Looks like I somehow managed to mess up my leg.  Some sort of infection has set in and I am going to have to get it looked at.  Hopefully there will be no permanent damage.  And that is all I have to say today as I am falling asleep at the moment.

Double Arch Cove

It has been a very full day.  Not necessarily filled with multiple activities, just two really.  A little Ward social at the Fawson's for a breakfast of able skievers.  I have no idea how to actually spell that.  It was a great activity.  I should have taken some pics.  Next year.

We had a plan to hike Taylor Creek in Kolob Canyon.  Our start was a little late but we went. Mack came with us and that was great for Natty. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful hike. I have to say that Andy is one tough little boy. He managed to make it all on his own. It wasn't without a little whining, wasn't without complaint but he made it. I reminded him of last weeks hike and that he was able to do hard things. I do have to say that our pace was extremely slow on the way up. It was a chore to keep Andy moving. When we arrived at the cove it was with great silent rejoicing. It was beautiful and well worth the hike.

I love these Saturday adventures. There is so much to see in this area. So much that is beautiful here. I want to find additional family friendly hikes. Sometime in the next couple of weeks we are planning on hiking in the Narrows.  The kids will love it.  Saw a few more hikes in other areas of Zion that we are going to have to do.  It is a great family activity. Anyhow, here is a pic of the Double Arch Cove and then another of us on the trail heading back.  The hike has two cabins on the trail that they are restoring.  The pic below is of the second one.  I have more pics but am experiencing some technical difficulties uploading from my phone at the moment.  I am also completely exhausted and need to call it a night. 

Kindness

Tonight I was treated to a belated birthday celebration.  My friend Nica was out of the Country on my birthday and when she got home she decided that I needed to have a birthday bash.  I think when you are a single guy whose getting older birthdays tend not to mean that much.  At least for me.  I don't make a big deal out of the day.  It is usually just another day.  Well, Nica believes in prolonged and meaningful birthday celebrations.  So, tonight we went out to a dinner of my choice and we went to see The Bourne Legacy.  I am a fan of the Bourne movies and was looking forward to this one as well.  The movie didn't disappoint.  It was a good one. 

Anyway, I am grateful for the kindness shown to me by Nica.  It is nice to have someone make a big deal out of your birthday.  I certainly had a good time. 

Not So Softball

I just typed a wonderful story about my leg getting a bit beat up.  I posted it and somehow lost it so here I am at scratch again.  Church Softball began tonight and I am a big fan.  Love to play a little softball with the church though this year, this night it was Not so softball.  Turned a home run on my first at bat - inside the ball park.  On my second at bat I turned two and then slid in beating the ball.  The ball got through and so I ran again somehow managing to beat the throw.  It wasn't without a cost.  That slide into second was like taking a power sander to my leg.   It wasn't pretty. 

Bout to pass out so I am signing off.  May add more to this later.  Enjoy the pics.  It's not so bad.   

The Quiet Game

Fun moment with Jack today.  On Thursday or Friday of last week Natty mentioned that Jack had to develop a game for Cub Scouts this week.  I had no other details other than Natty saying "the person who dropped him off said he had to have a game...".  Well, I didn't get any info from Jack until this morning.  We were getting ready for school and I asked if he needed to have a game for Scouts today.  He said, "Oh, did I forget to tell you about that?  Well, (pause) we'll just play the quiet game."  I thought that was fantastic and had a good laugh.  I didn't think the quiet game was going to fit what they were looking for so I suggested that maybe he should come up with a game that had something to do with trains.  He did.  It is based on Red Light Green Light and could appropriately be called Train Signals.  When the signal is up it means go, when it is in the middle it mean go slowly and when it is down it means stop.  Pretty good game idea I thought.  A bit more involved than the quiet game.  Good work Jack.

We were going to try and put together some sort of signal after he got home from school and before Scouts.  After walking Andy to school I realized that this was going to be challenging for me to pull off with work.  I formulated a plan on the walk home and went straight into the garage to see what wood I had and to get started.  I had half of a dog eared cedar fence plank and another piece of scrap fence plank.  I cut an arrow shape out of the scrap and then a signal post out of the half dog eared plank.  With a little sanding, routing, painting, drilling and a wing nut I had it done.  Actually didn't assemble until a few minutes before Scouts but we got it done, came up with a last minute stand per Jack's request and he was off.  Apparently all the Scouts came up with games for today so I don't know how much time they actually spent playing Train Signals but Jack came up with a great little game and he loved his train signal. 

It was a fun little project and a fun experience for me.  Here are pics of the signal in its various positions. 

Go Forward

Go Slowly

Stop

Goodwill

What is goodwill?  I was working with Jack on his Bobcat award in Cub Scouts and one of the things he had to do was learn the law of the pack.  The last part of this says The Cub Scout gives goodwill.  In defining this further the handbook says the following:  'Smile.  Be happy.  Do things to help others.  Little things make a big difference.'  Well, I like that definition. 

Small pause, we are in the middle of what sounds like a torrential down pour.  It is thundering outside pretty well also.  Hope there are not basements filling up with mud right now. 

So anyhow, goodwill.  I have been thinking about doing something special for the schools in Iron County.  We want to help them provide something special to the teacher of the month from each school.  I don't imagine they get a lot but I really don't know.  We would like to give them lunch on us.  Today I thought of it as goodwill marketing.  Doing things to help others.  Little things make a big difference.   

Awful Burden

There are some things that we experience in life that simply are not that fun.  Sometimes things are said and we find ourselves standing alone and feeling that all eyes are on us.  I think that there are moments in our lives when we are harshest in critiquing ourselves.  I remember something Bishop Van taught me years ago, he said: Be gentle with yourselves, Christ has borne the awful burden. I wrote that down in my scriptures and every now and again I come across it and I think about Bishop Van, I think about the Savior and my heart fills with gratitude.  He loves us for who we are.  There are not titles with him that we need worry about.  I am grateful for that love and know that he is aware of me.    

Tacos Fontano

There was a time in my teenage years that a decision was made to have tacos for dinner every Sunday night.  Let me just say that this was the best decision ever.  I don't know exactly when this particular recipe started but I can say that I love tacos the Fontano way.  I believe this was a Grandma Vi recipe and I'm sure mother can enlighten me sometime.  Anyhow, my first day back in the U.S of A and all I wanted to have for dinner was Tacos Fontano.  Ma did not disappoint.  They were wonderful that day and are wonderful every time I have them. 

I decided a few days ago that we needed to start that same tradition - Tacos on Sunday.  I started it today and, well, it may end today as well.  I love them but it is a ton of work to put everything together.  I don't know, I will attempt to get the kids assisting in the project.  Natty is capable of loading tacos though hers may end up without tomato, some of them anyway.  Hmmmm, worth a try for sure. 

Family Hiking at Kanarra Falls

We took on Kanarra Falls today in a little Familiy Hiking Adventure.  It was a fabulous time. I wasn't sure how the kids would do on this hike when I did it originally at the beginning of July.  Thought it might be a little challenging for them.  I think it was but after Squaw Cave last week I knew they could handle this one.  The biggest challenges would be the distance and the log climb at the waterfall.  I think the water had a lot to do with the distance not being a huge factor and you can see in the photos below that the log climb at the waterfall was not too big of a problem.  We got to that spot and I barely got a shot off before Jack started making his way up the log.  He wasn't scared at all as he knew what to expect from a conversation we had before we started.  I wanted to prepare their minds for what I thought would be the biggest obstacle.  They all did great.  Andy was a little nervous and so we went together.  I was right behind him all the way up it and down it.  He did great.  Natty also managed it quite well with a little slip on the way down that she quickly recovered from.  I think it was one of the highlights of the trip. 

My guess is that we went somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 miles on this hike.  It was really good for the kids.  I know it was tough and there were quite a few times on the hike back that Andy wanted to be carried but I didn't carry him.  I just kept encouraging him to put one foot in front of the other.  I told all of them how impressed I was with them and that I knew that they could do hard things. 

There are certain things that strengthen bonds in a family.  This was an activity that I believe will prove to be a bonding one for us.  We are allready talking about the next time we go and the kids also want to know where we are going next Saturday.  The answer - I believe we will be heading to Kolob Canyon in Zion National Park and taking on the Taylor Creek trail.  It's a 5 mile round trip hike and shouldn't be to bad.  I've heard it is pretty kid friendly.  Hopefully that won't be too boring for these guys.  We are also talking about hitting the Narrows but Andy says he will have nothing to do with Angels Landing.  We had a blast and I am really happy about that. 

I tried to take a lot of shots and have posted quite a few here.  I will comment on a few of them as we scroll through and then close it up with a thought at the end. 

These first two shots are of our second water encounter.  Andy got half way through and then decided he needed to hold my hand so he turned back and came for me.  The water was up quite a bit from the last time I went.  We have had some good rain in the last while. 

I tried to capture the kids in the beauty and splendor of this slot canyon.  Jack and I were hiking buddies and it was rare that he was too far out in front of me.  When he saw that I was taking a picture he would do something silly.   He was a great little hiking buddy and really did well.  He had a small encounter with some grabby roots we had to climb down.  He slippend and tumbled down a small hill.  He was back up and moving in no time and I was quite grateful nothing serioius happened.  

I previously mentioned the kids climbing up the log.  When Andy and I were getting ready Natty was looking down from up top.  Then Jack wandered in to the picture.  They were both pretty excited about getting up that log.  Andy got up a few steps and then came back down.  He was just a bit nervous but we made it. 

After a while we got to this waterfall which is also a natural wterslide.  I had told the kids about it and they wanted to go down it.  I had to lead the way so I did it.  It was great.  Natty followed and then Jack.  I had to go again and then after a bit Andy decided he could do it.  I caught him at the end.  They were great.  Here's a picture of a soaking wet Andy after the slide. 

Mud in the Basement

This is a sad tale of a wonderful elderly couple in the Ward whose house got hit by a flood this evening. A major storm rolled through a little before 6 and dumped a huge amount of rain. At seventeen minutes after 6 there was an urgent text message on my phone from President Fawson. It was an invitation to come and help clean. Everything in that basement came out of it.

The rain came down hard and fast.  There is a drainage ditch that flows behind the house and it couldn't handle the volume of water.  As a result the yard flooded and then the wells to the basement filled up.  The windows couldn't hold back the water and shattered under the weight.  Sister wiser was in the living room of the basement when the window pictured below broke.   A torrent of mud, water, broken glass and bark came rushing in.  She ran down the hallway and then another window burst in the last bedroom. 

I was heading over at the same time Jay was on his way.  We got the right street and then saw a house with a member of the ward standing out front.  We went in and saw no one we recognized.  We couldn't spot President Fawson and finally figured out we were in the wrong house.  They had a little flooding in the basement but had a crew of family there taking care of it.  I say a little flooding and sounds like I am minimizing things.  Well, they would get out of this mess with carpet cleaning and shop vacs.  When we got to the Wisers home it looked like a mud pit in the basement and we found a crew of familiar faces.  We joined in and got to work.  A few hours later the basement was empty and there was a pile of mud and carpet out on the road on front of their house.  The furniture filled the garage and ward members were cleaning mud off as best they could. 

It reminded me of going to Mississippi after Katrina.  The damage there was much more severe but this was no less traumatic for the Wisers and seeing people come together to help in anyway they could, that is always inspiring.  The only thing we didn't do in this basement was cut the drywall 4 feet up and take it out.  There was a rep from the restoration company there after a few hours and said they would be handling all of that with their crews in the morning.  He was amazed with what we had come together and accomplished and then gave us a warning about the elements we were working in.  That water was filled with a bunch of nastiness as pesticides, poop and whatever else you can imagine was picked up and carried by it. 

Jack had come with me and did very well.  He found a riding lawn mower that he sat on for a couple of hours and pretended to drive.  I should have gotten a picture of that but there wasn't a lot of time for picture taking.  I did snap the two below.  It is sad to see this happen and yet is a great blessing at the same time as it brings people together in the service of others.  There are bonds and friendships forged in these situations that are had to duplicate in other ways.  Grateful for good men and women who answer the call and go at a moments notice.

Schatz in Zion

That is a great little title.  I will have to convince John and Kathy to come back with the kids and spend a day doing photo shots of the Schatz in Zion.  As it is I only took one picture with my phone of the Schatz in Zion, in fact it is the only picture I have from our trip to Zion today.  I took a few with their camera and hopefully they turned out well.  We had a great visit and it sure was neat to be with John and Kathy as they experienced the beauty and majesty that is Zion.  Next time I need to definitely be better with the camera.

We had a good time first driving through the park.  I wanted them to get a feel for what was there and it is amazing all the different terrain you see.  Once you get through the tunnel heading East it changes again.  I find the place quite amazing and quite a lot of fun.  We parked off the side of the road and walked down into a river bed then under the road and up a little canyon.  There were some neat formations where the water flowed down.  It was also full of color.  John and I hiked up to the top and Kathy built a rock sculpture below.  We had a good time and good conversation. 

On the way back into Cedar Kathy saw the cabins up on the side of the mountain and wanted to drive up there.  We did and then stopped at the C look out where they were able to get a great view and shot of Cedar City and the surrounding area.  Mountains are an amazing thing and when you live in an area that is flat like Florida they can be rather breath taking.  The C lookout sits at 8200 feet, that is a little higher than sea level. 

Later we enjoyed dinner at Cafe Rio - a first for the Schatz.  Kathy mentioned she wanted Mexican food but knew she was in trouble having read my post about the fine Mexican food establishments in Cedar so Cafe Rio it was and I think they liked it.

We all went to Discovery Park and played around for a while, enjoyed watching 3 teenage boys do that jumping around obstacle stuff, watched Jack and Andy do their own version of the same and then I pulled off an amazing feet myself and climbed up a side of the playground equipment, did a dramatic leap to the top and then made my way to the slide where I jumped to the ground and did a tuck and roll landing.  I don't know if the teenagers enjoyed my version of their artform but I had fun.  John was able to walk up to the wall I scaled and reached the top standing flat footed on the ground.  We had a good laugh at that. 

It was time to say goodbye.  The kids were sad about that and really wanted to spend more time with John and Kathy.  Andy wanted them to come and watch him play the Wii.  I don't know that there is anything more exciting then that.  Anyhow, we said our goodbyes in the parking lot after a quick picture or two.  Always sad to say goodbye but very grateful for the time they took to come and see us.  We will have to save our pennies for an eventual trip out to Florida.  Since we will literally be saving pennies it might be a while but we will get back there some day. 

In other news it was the first day of school.  Here are some pics of the kids before they left for school and one of Andy in his class.  The report back from each of them was very positive.  They all enjoyed their classes.  Natty was happy with 7th grade and feels good about everything so that is positive.  I am sure it is a little easier this year not being the youngest grade in the school.  Jack found it very interesting that Mr. Shirley isn't at the school for lunch.  He walks home everyday for lunch.  Oh, and he learned how to write a cursive I. Finally Andy reported that school was Awesome!  Very glad for a good start to the new school year. 



Florida Family

In February 2005 we moved to Lakeland Florida.  Our first Sunday, I want to say it was the 13th but I could be wrong.  Anyway our first Sunday in the Highlands Ward was fun.  We were blessed to meet some wonderful people who have been great friends to us over the last 7 years.  John and Kathy Schatz invited us to their home that Sunday evening and we have been treated as family ever since.  When you live on the other side of the country far from your own family life can get a little lonely.  You are excluded from most family things simply because of location and sometimes you miss having that association.  Well, we were blessed to be included in the Schatz/Lake/Marlowe family gatherings.  Every Easter was spent celebrating with them, we were at their home for Christmas meals and other get togethers.  These wonderful people took us in and loved us and we love them. 

Today John and Kathy dropped their son Nick off at the MTC.  After doing so they drove down to Southern Utah and are here in Cedar.  They came over and visited with us, the kids were excited to see them as was I and we enjoyed visiting with them.  We went and had a little dinner at the LBH where John had a Buffalo Chicken Philly.  When I told my crew the order I mentioned that this was for the guy that taught me how to make the sandwich, they were feeling the pressure.  That lesson in sandwich making came during a time when once again the Schatz helped us through a hard time.  Our Philly is also inspired from those lessons and is the recipe his crew used to make for me.  The secret was a little lovin they would put into each sandwich.  I am grateful for those experiences and those times when my brother was there to help lift me up. 

In another time of trial and heartache, in a time of suddenly being alone and overwhelmed Kathy was there to guide me through a lot of hard things and organized sisters in the ward to help me and to help the kids.  There were meals provided, baby sitting set up, rides from school arranged and so many other things.  Phone calls with an encouraging word helped to bring light and hope when all seemed lost.  I will never forget after moving to Cedar and needing to go back out to be in court I stayed at the Schatz home, we built a bunk bed for the girls that night.  Anyway, the next morning I was off to the courthouse and I was very sad, very low.  It was one of the more difficult days of my life.  Kathy was there, she gave me encouragement and helped me through it.   

There are people that we meet in our lives who have special meaning.  They are more than just acquaintances, more then merely friends.  These people are family.  John and Kathy and their family became our extended family in Florida and they will forever be regarded as such.  Simply wonderful people whom we love dearly.  So happy to have them here for a couple of days.   

Jessie

Back to school night at South Elementary tonight.  I went to Andy's class with him and Jack went to his class by himself, well, Natty went with him.  Andy's teacher seems great and I have heard good things about her.  Mrs. Jansen was at the LBH last week and told me that Mrs. Brunson student taught under her a number of years ago.  She was excited to hear that Andy has her and she said she would be going in during the first few days of school just to see how her extended day kids are doing.  Sure do love that Mrs. Jansen.  It looks like Andy is going to be a busy boy at school.  Fortunately the only homework we will have everyday is reading.  That is the priority for Mrs. Brunson and after battling with Andy to do all his homework last year and get in all his reading I am pretty excited. 

I didn't get a chance to meet with Jack's teacher Mr. Shirley until after a big meeting with everyone.  I apologized for not being there and he was fine with it.  He said Jack was there and he explained things to him.  He laughed and said Jack walked in and said "I'm here, sorry I'm a little late".  I can picture him doing it. 

On my way out I stopped at the Smile Room and saw Mrs. Coonan and Mrs. Trevort.  Jack hadn't stopped by to see them and Mrs. Coonan has been looking forward to seeing him for some time.  I told her he was out on the playground so we walked out there.  Jack was there playing and when he saw us walking his direction he got really excited, yelled out "Jessie!" and sprinted towards us.  He gave Mrs. Coonan a big hug and then they talked for quite a while.  She had on special Moose earrings just for him and was really excited to hear about all the things he did.  It is hard for me to put into words how grateful I am for Sharon Coonan or Jessie as Jack affectionately calls her.  Two years ago we came to Cedar and she has made such an impact in his life and has been a huge support to me.  I am thankful for this great blessing in our lives.  Cedar has been a wonderful place for us to be. 

Thursday morning is coming soon.  I am afraid it is going to come really early for a few kids.  Hopefully we will all adjust quickly.  The kids are all excited to go back to school and that is a great thing. 

Fiesty Little Fella

Little Andy has a bit of fight in him.  He is getting a little physical when things don't go his way and he is developing a little mouth.  I am going to have to nip this now.  Not quite sure what is going on with feisty little fella. 

Now look, I am one of 6 boys, one of eight kids.  We knew what it was like to not get along with each other and there were times when a little fight would break out here or there.  Throwing the occasional blow was perfectly normal.  Flicking ears  or giving a horsey bite, that was normal.  Wrestling that had the potential to get out of hand, that was part of life.  So I am really not shocked when I see Andy throwing haymakers at Jack.  I'm not surprised when I see Jack retaliate.  I am not shocked but I also don't like to see them fight so I tend to intervene.  I don't know what the deal is and why Andy is such a fighter lately but I hope it is just a stage that will quickly pass.  Also need to work on a few language skills.  Wow. 

I do love these sweet kids even when they are more on the testy side.  They are fun companions and I appreciate their friendship very much. 

To Be Faithful

I was just kneeling at Andy's bed in prayer while the boys fell asleep and I was filled with joy.  I had carried a weary Andy in and was laying him down in his bed as Jack was saying his prayer.  I love his sweet and innocent prayers of faith.  A few minutes earlier we had finished our scripture reading and Natty turned to a scripture she had read in church today and she had some questions.  It was the Lord speaking to Nephi in the third book of Nephi.  Nephi was the prophet and got to stand for truth and right in some pretty difficult times.  It is where the Lord talks about how Nephi has with unwearyingness declared His word.  We talked about that a bit and how Nephi didn't seek for his own pleasures or for the things of the world that he could have enjoyed but rather he went and did the things that he had been asked to do by the Lord, even hard things.  Natty really liked that and I like that Natalie likes that.  She told me she was going to start reading The Book of Mormon on her own. These are things that bring joy to me as a parent.  These are things things that make the long hours and the suffering through gospel basics worth it.  To see the testomonies of your little ones begin to take root and to grow is a joyous thing.  As I prayed I expressed my gratitude to my Heavenly Father for these children and for the goodness of their hearts.  I also thought about my responsibilities and prayed that I would be faithful to those things that I know to be right and true.  I believe that as I am I am entitled to help from the Lord.  I will be strengthened to be able to accomplish the things that I need to as the Patriarch in my home.  It is the desire of my heart to be faithful in all things.  I have so much work to do, so far to go but I know that Lord will help me and I know that this desire is a righteous one. 

I went to the Singles fireside tonight and listened to a couple speak.  They shared stories of an ancenstor who joined the church in Switzerland only to be rejected by her family.  They shared that he served a mission many years ago in New Zeland and then they together served a mission in Sydney Australia.  Pretty amazing.  I shared with them that I grew up with Grandparents who served missions in Switzerland, New Zeland and  Sydney Australia.  I enjoyed the messages shared especially the story of the Ancestor who joined the church in Switzerland though it meant rejection from her family.  She made it though,  she had to dip stale bread in the fountain just to have something to eat but she made it.  Isn't this what it means to be faithful?  Faithful no matter what challenges my come.

Well, I have rambled on here for a bit.  I am grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and for the blessings that freely flow to us as we strive to do what is right.  I hope that I can be more faithful as I press forward in the work of the Lord.

Squaw Cave

Great time today with the kids and the cousins as we ventured to squaw cave.  It is a short hike just on the East side of Cedar.  Perhaps Jay said it best, it wasn't as much a short hike as it was short rock climbing excursion.  There is a little waterfall area to climb up and back in to.  The level of difficulty was not extreme but there were a few little challenges for the age range we covered on this tour.  I actually look at it as a good test and figure that having done this the kids could handle Kanarraville Falls.  I don't know that we would go up the log climb at the second waterfall in Kanarraville Falls with the kids but certainly the first log climb with the large foot holds hammered in would be possible.  I think they would absolutely love it.  They had a lot of fun on this little one and they all did well climbing the rocks.  Hopefully we'll remember a thing or two about climbing. 

Here are a few pictures of the kids:
 

Natty climbing in the back of the cave.  The water flow made this area like a shower.

We're missing Andy, Mack and Tom in this picture.  Having fun in the cave.

Andy's favorite part of the cave was this little water slide.  Over and over again...

We extended the hike to DQ and enjoyed an ice cream cone.  Andy was all about the chocolate.

After our little hiking adventure Natty headed down to St. George with Jay and Sara and I took the boys over here.  We ended up going to dinner at the LBH and then we drove over to the potential new location to have a look at the area.  That was when I go the idea for us all to go on a little of-roading adventure.  It was a fun little drive and I found a couple of steep hills to drive down and get everyone excited.  I almost might have high centered the truck at one point but managed to get unstuck when I turned the wheel and had Jack, Jayson, Jaykob and Andy pushing.  That was a relief and it was fun to go back and drive around the mountains. 

Well, Squaw Cave.  It was fun, a little short but fun nonetheless.  

I Don't Sleep

I think I realized this week why I am so tired during the school year.  I don't sleep.  A certain 5 year old boy somehow manages to find his way into my bed every night and for some reason he cannot remain still when he sleeps.  I am kicked, bumped, bruised, hit, breathed on and whatever else could possibly happen all night long.  What sleep I do get is only in short bursts between kicks and hits.  It makes for some extremely long and restless nights.  So, priority number one at night - somehow get Andy to stay in his own bed all night long.  We are working on it.  So far it isn't going very well.  The whole tired/exhaustion thing was like a crazy revelation, so clear and so very true.  We do our best.  The funny thing is that I don't wake up when he comes up stairs anymore.  I don't wake up until he is sleeping next to me and kicks me or something.  So in an attempt to be accurate, I probably get one or two hours of sleep before the beatings begin.  Such is the life of a parent though.  He is such a wonderful little boy, what am I going to do?  I'll lose a little sleep I guess. 

Dead Pump

Walked in the LBH this morning and new that we had a problem.  The last few days have been quite hot in the front and I have thought there was a problem.  I pulled out the ladder, jumped up on the roof and found that the pump in the cooler was out.   That makes for some miserable times.  It is allready extremely hot in the kitchen and having the cooler out doesn't help at all.  I pulled up the hose and soaked the media in the cooler just to try and cool it down a little during the lunch rush.  Following that I headed to the local Home Depot and picked up a new pump.  I grabbed a new water line while I was at it because there were a couple of pinhole leaks in ours and I figured if I am up there I might as well take care of it. 

I did run in to one small occupational hazard in this adventure, actually several small hazards that flew around my work space.  A group of hornets built a nest inside the electrical box for that cooler.  It was driving me nuts so I took it to em with a little wasp and hornet spray.  That stuff is amazing.  They just drop dead.  There were a lot more then I thought though.  They just kept coming.  Anyhow, we took care of the hazard and managed to get everything else hooked up and operational once again.  I quite enjoy a little handy man service every now and again.  It mixes up the day a bit. 

Speaking of handy man, Andy has been wanting to create something with some scrap wood he picked up at the LBH.  He had kind of settled on an airplane.  Tonight I grabbed the scroll saw and brought it home.  We went to work on the little airplane.  I've got the body and the wings cut out and sanded.  I need to bring home the jig saw tomorrow and then we should be ready to assemble and glue it.  Andy was pretty excited about it and wants to fly it.  I don't think it will do real well at that but we'll see I'm sure.  Jack joined us in the project and, you guessed it, he wants to build a train.  I think we'll have to do it. 

Accidents Happen

I was walking out of the local grocery store and heard a sound I had heard before.  For me it happened 17 or so years ago in Las Vegas, Nevada on a rare wet night.  Today it was for a gentlemen that was loading groceries in his car when the truck next to him began pulling out.  Actually, it was a trailer directly next to him that was connected to a truck.  The driver of the vehicle started pulling out when his wheel on the trailer caught the passenger door of the truck and took it with it.  That popping, crunching metal sound is unforgettable.  It rings memories in my ears as I think about being stuck on a boulder in the wash and watching my door bend back in the wrong direction while I was reversing off the boulder with my door hanging open.  I don't know how the land got there but it did and it toasted my door.  Well, the door of this truck was likewise toasted.  It also appeared to damage the front panel of the vehicle as well.  Oh it wasn't at all pretty.  The owner of the damaged vehicle was quite upset and a few choice words escaped his lips.  I felt for both because I could relate to both.  It is so sad when you see yourself cause an accident of this nature.  It seems like it in slow motion and there is nothing you can do about it.  Then seeing the damage that is done is equally as upsetting.  I hope the driver made it out of there alive.  The victim, in this case, was quite animated and quite upset.  Hey, accidents happen.  It can be fixed.

I dropped Jack off at scouts this afternoon and on my way back there was a young girl riding a motorized scooter up and around the church.  She got to the area I was at and was running it down the sidewalk and kept looking.  I was climbing in the vehicle and when I looked back up she was looking at me from inside a bush.  She drove right off the sidewalk.  I've had some calls like that myself where I was paying attention to something other than what I was doing.  She was fine and was back on her way in no time. 

Andy followed me out in the street on his bike.  I had made a quick turn and was back to work on something when I heard a crash.  Andy also made a quick turn and didn't do so well.  He was clutching his gut and gasping for a little air.  Nothing like getting the wind knocked out of you.  Poor fella.  He sucked it up fast though and was back on that bike in a half minute, ready to go.  I was happy to see that, not the crash the getting back up and trying again. 

Throughout our lives accidents will happen.  Sometimes they are a little more severe than others though that doesn't really matter.  What matters is how we respond.  It can be easy to blow up and make it a terrible experience for all involved or we can do something to make it better.  We can let it get us down or we can get up and start again.  Well, not much else to say I guess.  Clearly I have rambled enough. 

Thirty Nine for the First Time

I came into this world 39 years ago today.  Mom reminded me this morning that she was there on my birthday.  Yes, yes she was.  Thanks mom, couldn't have done it without you.  I remember when 39 seemed so old.  That simply is not the case any longer.  39 is still quite young.  I still have the rest of my life ahead of me.  I tried to word that just right.  Naturally we all still have the rest of our lives ahead of us.  It's a wonderful thing isn't it?  I think so. 

Perhaps the greatest gift I enjoyed today was having my kids home.  It is wonderful to have them home.  It is nice to have a small break, that is true but I was missing them and am happy that break is over.  Naturally everything isn't roses, we have challenges, we have kids learning and growing, we have little sibling rivalries taking place.  I think these things are normal in families.  We also have a lot of fun, we laugh a lot, we play together and enjoy good times with each other.  I think these things are also normal in families.  Very grateful for my family.

After work I got home and mowed my yard.  I don't know how many people would consider this a great birthday gift but for me it was.  We have been blessed with rain here in Southern Utah over the last few weeks and it seems that every time I wanted or had a chance to mow my lawn we would end up with a bit of a rain storm.  Today, there was supposed to be a 60% chance of rain.  Well, it did rain around us and we did get a few lite sprinkles at the house but I was able to mow.  I had a small jungle to cut back and managed to get through it.  It has been a while since I have had that hard of a mowing job.  It was good though, relaxing and satisfying.  I love to see the yard well trimmed and grateful that I had some time that I could do it.

Sara took her kids and my kids to the new Cedar Theater today to see The Avengers.  They loved it and apparently they went in costume.  This was also a great birthday gift to me.  I appreciate all that Jay and Sara do for my kids and for being there for them when I am at work.  I asked Jack how he like the movie.  He said he liked it.  I asked him who his favorite Avenger was.  He did not immediately answer.  Rather he paused with a bit of a puzzled look on his face.  Then he said, Underdog.  He should be an Avenger.  I love that boy. 

We went out for a little dinner and then made our way to Discovery Park where we played our favorite game, hide and seek.  Can you find anything better to top off your big day then a quality game of Hide and Seek with your kids.  Sure do love them and am grateful for all they do for me.    

My Restaurant

Andy has a little idea brewing in his mind and he is determined.  Tonight we went out during our activity portion of FHE to look at a space I had told the kids about that we were looking at for the LBH.  As we pulled up to take a peak at the property the folks also pulled up.  We ended up being able to go inside and wow, they were in heaven.  Isn't it funny how something so simple can bring so much excitement in someone?

It was like we switched on a light with Andy and suddenly his mouth began moving and I am pretty sure it didn't stop.  He was very excited about the space and was going to open his own restaurant in that very space.  He just started talking about all kinds of things but was sure to tie it all in to his future place.  It was a fun little outing and we all learned a little something.   Every move I made eventually turned into a comment about Andy's restaurant. 

I don't know how soon this restaurant is set to open but I do know Andy means business.  He is all about it and is really excited by it.  He's not quite sure what kind of food he will serve but it will be good.  

A Touching Testimony

I don't know quite how to describe the emotions I have had over the last few days.  I was really missing the kids and was looking forward to their return.  The joy of having them home has been tremendous.  Perhaps relating it to a cup overflowing would be accurate.  These are my best friends. 

In Fast and Testimony meeting today Bishop Elison talked about gratitude and the things we have to be grateful for.  I am grateful that the kids had a wonderful Alaska visit, that they enjoyed their time with their mom and that they have returned home safely.  Natty wanted me to go up and share my testimony because they were home.  I did not but Jack didn't let us down. He got up and represented our family, and did so well.  I have recorded and shared some of his testimonies.  Those who have read them know that they get to be a little bit of fun.  Today's testimony was short for Jack but was extremely touching and powerful.  Here it is:

"I would like to bear my testimony that I know the Church is true.  When I was up in Alaska, I really missed my dad.  I am happy to be back in Cedar City Utah.  Amen".  That was it, pretty simple for Jack and yet so powerful.  I was teary eyed and very grateful for that little boy.  It was a good meeting, a touching testimony. 

Beautiful Noise

Ahhh, Beautiful Noise.  Neil Diamond sings a song, "What a Beautiful Noise, coming down from the street, it's gotta beautiful sound, it's gotta beautiful beat.  It's a beautiful noise and it's the sound that I love, and it fits me as well, as a hand in a glove, yest it does, yes it does.  What a beautiful noise..." 

I picked up the kids this morning in Vegas and those lyrics to that song pretty much say all.  What a wonderful day.  I am completely exhausted.  Just put the boys down in their room where I fell asleep on the floor for an hour and a half or so.  I am a little woozy here on the keyboard and hope this makes some sort of sense. 

The silence is gone, replaced by noise and carrying on.  It is beautiful,  a beautiful noise. 

The Call to Serve

It is an interesting time of life as I have friends whose sons I have known as boys are now grown up and receiving mission calls.  There is a lot of joy and excitement in the lives of my friends as they learn of their calls to serve and prepare to send them out in the field.  I am happy for them and I am excited for the things these young men will learn as they immerse themselves in the work of the Lord.  The two years I spent in South Africa were perhaps the most important 2 years of my life.  There were so many lessons learned as I went forth in the Lords work.  It wasn't easy, certainly not.  Perhaps that was part of the growing experience, learning how to endure trials and to exercise faith in the Lord.  Anyhow, I am excited to hear of these calls to serve and am excited for these boys who have grown into worthy young men who are worthy to serve and willing to do so.  I am grateful for their faith.

Nick Schatz is one of whom I speak.  He is preparing to enter the MTC in the next two weeks and will be serving in the Idaho Boise Mission.  One of the really neat things about this is that his cousin, Justin Marlowe, is finishing his Mission in the same mission and will be coming home a few days before Nick leaves.  I think it is wonderful.  John and Kathy are dropping Nick off at the MTC and then they may end up down here for a quick visit.  It will be wonderful to see them.  They have been so good to us and mean so much to our family.  I am grateful for their friendship and I am excited for Nick and for their family. 

Today I saw that Cody Dixon received his call to serve.  He has been called to serve in the Utah St. George Mission.  How about that?  He is serving in the mission that we live in.  Perhaps he will have the opportunity to serve in Cedar City.  It would be extremely wild if he ended up in the apartment across the street.  That would be fun and I would have to make sure he was eating well.  I am happy for Darren and Jenny and their family also. 

These are exciting times.  Of course I am not sure how these young men reached mission age, where has the time gone?  Before you know it 11 years will have passed and Jack will be old enough to serve.  That will be here all too quickly. 

What won't be here all to quickly is the return of Natty, Jack and Andy to Cedar City.  I got a call from Jack an hour and a half ago telling me he wants me to meet him at the tram when they land in Vegas tomorrow.  I don't know that I will be allowed to the tram so we talked about the baggage claim instead.  He sounds great and I am looking forward to giving all three of them a big bear hug tomorrow. 

I am grateful to the Lord for the blessings that come into our lives because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I am grateful for missionary work and for the experiences I had that strengthened my testimony and faith in the Jesus Christ.  I know that the Savior lives and that he loves each of us.  

 

What to do?

As the summer has worn on I've found myself working a lot more.  Perhaps it is because being at work is more entertaining then being alone.  I've gone out and done some hiking, that has been great.  I've gone to some dances, gone to some movies, gone to a few singles activities, gone hiking and I've gone to the Temple in St. George.  I have enjoyed being able to go down to the Temple every week.  That has been a great strength and comfort to me.  I guess if I am ever sitting around wondering what to do, I can always make a run to the Temple and give myself a fulfilling thing to do. 

I got word today that the kids will be landing in Vegas at 9:30 AM on Saturday.  That is wonderful.  I am quite excited to see them, to give them big hugs and learn about their Alaskan adventures.  And now I've got to go to work finding out what to do with them.  I think we're going to go on some Cedar City adventures of our own.  Hiking around would be a great things to do.  I think they would all enjoy it as would I. 

Tomorrow night is my last night without the kids.  What to do? What to do?  Perhaps I will make another run to the Temple and enjoy myself there.  I can seek a little guidance and direction for things that I can do to be a better father to my children.  It is easy to feel overwhelmed but I know that there is strength that comes from doing what it right.  I know how much I need those blessings and so I will do my best to be worthy of them. 

Holding Back

We had a wonderful day at The Little Brick House today.  It was crazy busy for lunch and I had to pull mom in for a little help.  She did great helping me with our Lunch Bunch ladies.  Oh my, they are a great group and keep me on my toes.  I actually had to wait tables, I've never done that but I think I managed to pull it off.  There were 20 or so of them and they were in the middle of our normal lunch rush.  It was a good time for sure.  I was missing Amy who handled these groups in the past.  We made it through and hopefully they were aware of how busy we were and how hard we worked to take care of their needs which happened to quite different from our business model.  I don't think people understand the challenges that these kinds of things can present to a very busy establishment that does things a certain way.  Throwing a wrench in the middle of your business model can cause delays and challenges with every other aspect of the business.  Oh well, we got them taken care of.  Hopefully they will come back.  I did my very best to have fun with them and keep them happy.  I guess we'll see if I was at all successful. 

Okay, holding back.  Well, that has nothing to do with The Lunch Bunch or how busy we were for lunch today.  It actually had to do with a chat I had with a different customer, my neighbor Betty Rosenberg.  Betty and Bob came in for dinner tonight, they are so wonderful.  I was talking to Betty and we were discussing the kids coming home.  She asked how long they had been gone and I told her and she replied something along the lines of "You have missed them" and at that moment I thought I was going cry.  Yes I have missed them.  These are my children and my closest companions.  As a single parent I am busy, I don't do a lot of dating, don't really have time.  My time away from work is spent with my kids.  They are all I have in my life and I have missed them tremendously.  I am excited to have them returning home this weekend.  I managed to get through my conversation without getting emotional but I was definitely holding back the tears.  It is hard to have them gone.