The Road Less Traveled

Our Blog Has Moved

2009-10-28T11:20:00.000-07:00

We've moved our family blog here and will no longer be blogging on this site. We wanted to shift from Blogger to Wordpress.

The new site is www.palmerjourneys.wordpress.com (just replace "blogspot" with "wordpress"). If you're using an RSS reader, here is our new RSS feed.

And we have a new post up about Laela's birth early this morning.

We'll see you on the new site!

Achieving Unity Through Personal Revelation

2009-10-18T17:38:00.000-07:00

What is the connection between personal revelation and unity within our families and the Church?

While you’re pondering that, here's a brief history of radio:

As early as 1802, scientists were proposing that electricity and magnetism were linked. This led to the discovery of the electromagnetic field, which is one of the fundamental forces of the universe, along with nuclear forces and the gravitational force.

The discovery of the electromagnetic field led to two key inventions: the telegraph in 1809 and the telephone in 1871.

By the late 19th Century, it became clear to scientists that wireless communication was possible through electromagnetism.

Nikola Tesla, the scientist credited with the discovery of the radio in 1893, wrote:

“The idea presented itself to me that it might be possible, under observance of proper conditions of resonance, to transmit electric energy thru the earth, thus dispensing with all artificial conductors.”

This idea led to numerous experiments and the development of an apparatus that became the radio.

In 1919, the first human speech was broadcast to the public. FM radio was patented in 1933, and the first FM radio stations appeared in the late 1930’s.

Here’s my point about the radio: Scientists did not create radio waves. Radio waves have always existed; scientists simply found ways to tap into and harness them.

Joseph Smith Taps Into God's Signals

Joseph Smith discovered something similar in 1820, after reading the famous scripture in James that states clearly that God answers prayers.

The impact of Joseph’s First Vision is incalculable. In a brief visit with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, Joseph discovered truths that had been hidden, corrupted, and debated for centuries.

He discovered that the Godhead consists of three separate Beings. He discovered that God and Jesus Christ have physical bodies.

After he had received priesthood authority and the Church was established, continuous revelation clarified doctrine, dissipated darkness, and eliminated confusion. We learned that there is one Lord, one faith, and one baptism.

Furthermore, we learned that God is always transmitting messages to His children.

Just as Tesla and Marconi did not create radio waves, Joseph Smith did not create personal revelation; he simply tuned into signals that have always and are always being transmitted from God.

The Need for Continuous Revelation

During the Apostasy, it was commonly taught that revelation from God to man had ceased and that we were to rely solely upon the Bible to know God’s will. This, of course, was a recipe for confusion, bickering, and disunity even to the point of bloodshed.

Without authoritative revelation, it was impossible for mankind to unite around definitive doctrines. But as we learn in 2 Nephi 29:9,

“…I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and…I speak forth my words according to mine own pleasure. And because that I have spoken one word ye need not suppose that I cannot speak another; for my work is not yet finished; neither shall it be until the end of man, neither from that time henceforth and forever.”

Radio waves existed at the time of Adam and Eve, but we did not discover how to tune into them until the late 19th Century. Similarly, God has always and will always transmit revelation to man.

The only variable is whether or not we choose to tune into His revelations through personal worthiness.

As we learn from Moroni,

“…remember that he is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and that all these gifts of which I have spoken, which are spiritual, never will be done away, even as long as the world shall stand, only according to the unbelief of the children of men.”

How to Receive Personal Revelation

The same elements that led to Joseph Smith’s revelations are the same elements that are required for us to receive personal revelation. The two most important factors are humility and purity.

We must obey the truths we know at any given time. We must be willing to lay our perceptions and desires upon the altar of sacrifice.

As we humble ourselves and strive for purity and righteousness, God replaces our false perceptions and impure and misguided desires with His light and truth, His desires, and His will.

In an essay entitled The True Wireless, published in May of 1919, Nikola Tesla, the inventor of the radio, wrote,

“The history of science shows that theories are perishable. With every new truth that is revealed we get a better understanding of Nature and our conceptions and views are modified.”

So it is with spiritual truths. Through personal revelation, then by obedience to our revelations, we begin to see things as God sees them. We act as He would have us act. We do what He would have us do. We become what He would have us become.

We are purified and elevated. In other words, we become one with God. Our will is united with His.

Jesus Christ spoke of this unity in what is known as the “Great Intercessory Prayer” found in John chapter 17:

“Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one…”

Personal Revelation Leads to Unity

Think of the question we started with: What is the connection between personal revelation and unity within our families and the Church?

The connection is that when one person tunes into the mind and will of God, personal revelation occurs. When numerous people tune into God’s will, unity among those people occurs. They become unified around and through God’s perfect knowledge and perfect love.

So how can we achieve unity within our families and within the Church? By having access to the mind of God, through revelation, by being pure and humble. Unity is a function of righteousness.

If a radio station transmits on the frequency 92.5, we must tune our radio to that precise frequency if we want to receive a clear signal. If we’re just one decimal point off, the signal will be fuzzy.

In the same way, sinning is like turning our spiritual sensors to the wrong frequencies. As we sin, signals from God become “fuzzy” and distant, and will fade altogether unless we repent. The purer our lives, the purer the signals we receive from God.

Not only do we become more attuned to a direct connection with God, but we also become more in tune with the counsel we receive through His servants, the prophets. In Mosiah we read a perfect example of this process:

“And they were called the church of…Christ… And…whosoever was baptized by the power and authority of God was added to his church…And he commanded them that they should teach nothing save it were the things which he had taught, and which had been spoken by the mouth of the holy prophets…he commanded them that they should preach nothing save it were repentance and faith on the Lord, who had redeemed his people.

"And he commanded them that there should be no contention one with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another.”

The unifying process is this:

God transmits His will through the words of His prophets and through direct, personal revelation through the Holy Ghost.
As we become pure and submissive, the signals that God is always transmitting become increasingly clear.
As we obey the revelations we receive, we become one with God. Unity within our families occurs as each member of the family submits to this process. Unity within the Church is achieved in the same way.

The only way we can be united with each other is if we have individually submitted to God and are thus united with Him. In fact, Henry B. Eyring taught:

“The joy of unity…is not solitary. We must seek it and qualify for it with others….God urges us to gather so that He can bless us. He wants us to gather into families. He has established classes, wards, and branches and commanded us to meet together often. In those gatherings, which God has designed for us, lies our great opportunity. We can pray and work for the unity that will bring us joy and multiply our power to serve.”

Elder Eyring also taught that,

“Revelation is the only way we can know how to follow the will of the Lord together. It requires light from above. The Holy Ghost will testify to our hearts, and the hearts of those gathered around with us, what He would have us do. And it is by keeping His commandments that we can have our hearts knit together as one.”

Staying Unified Daily

What can we do on a daily, practical basis to increase unity within our families and the Church? Live worthy to receive personal revelation, and seek it constantly.

If we’re offended by a family or Church member, we can pray for the ability to judge righteously and the strength to forgive. Through revelation, our minds and hearts will find greater opportunities to serve. Through the humility that revelation requires, we can overcome pride and selfishness.

President David O. McKay taught,

“As I think of the future of this Church and of the welfare of the young men and women, as well as of the mothers and fathers, I feel impressed that there is no more important message to give than ‘to be one,’ and avoid things that may cause a rift among members.

"I know that the adversary has no stronger weapon against any group of men or women in this Church than the weapon of thrusting in a wedge of disunity, doubt, and enmity…Unity of purpose, with all working in harmony within the structure of Church organization as revealed by the Lord, is to be our objective.”

Just as Tesla tuned into radio waves in 1893 and Joseph Smith tuned into God’s will in 1820, may we also tune into the revelation that God is transmitting through purity and humility, then live in strict obedience to the revelation we receive.

As we do so we will enjoy peace, harmony, joy, love, and unity within our families and within the church.

Movie Recommendations

2009-10-18T04:06:00.000-07:00

We are extremely picky about our movie choices, which makes it extremely difficult for us to find anything we're interested in watching, especially at the video store.

About six months ago we joined Netflix and we're ecstatic about the convenience and selection, the control it gives us in our media choices. It turns out that there are tons of excellent movies -- we just never hear about many of them through traditional channels.

We especially like that we don't have to wade through garbage at the video store. We won't even take our kids into Blockbuster anymore. Every time we do they're blaring horror film previews, not to mention the soft porn you see plastered all over covers.

Below are a few of our favorites. We'll continue adding to this list over time (since we currently have 142 more saved in our queue).

Amazing Grace (5 stars)
August Evening (4 stars)
Beyond Belief (4 stars)
Beyond the Gates (3 stars)
Beyond the Gates of Splendor (3 stars)
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (4 stars)
Children of Heaven (4 stars)
Darfur Now (3 stars)
The Elephant Man (5 stars)
Emmanuel's Gift (4 stars)
The Future of Food (5 stars)
God Grew Tired of Us (4 stars)
Grace is Gone (3 stars)
In America (5 stars)
John Adams HBO Series (4 stars)
The Kite Runner (5 stars)
The Namesake (3 stars)
Paper Clips (3 stars)
Saving Private Ryan (5 stars)
Searching for Bobby Fischer (4 stars)
7 Pounds (3 stars)
The Soloist (4 stars)
Sweet Land (4 stars)
Slumdog Millionaire (4 stars)
Under the Same Moon (4 stars)
War Dance (3 stars)

Libby Says

2009-10-05T14:30:00.000-07:00

Libby and Avery were having a conversation that was making absolutely no sense whatsoever about dogs. Libby totally misinterprets what Avery says (understandable) and it's hilarious.

Libby starts crying, "Avery says that she wants scary dogs to come on Halloween and they're going to eat me...but I don't want them to...'cause I'm too beautiful."

Earlier today in the car Libby says, "I want to drive a minivan...when I grow up...when I'm a teenager...when I turn 5."

I don't know why she pauses between what she says, but it adds to how funny it is.

Avery & Angels

2009-09-29T10:14:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Avery was on the floor coloring while I was finishing breakfast. All of a sudden she looked up, pointed at the ceiling, and said, "Angels." I said, "Angels?" She pointed again, looked all over the ceiling, and repeated (in her baby voice), "There is angels." Then she went right back to coloring.

It was so out of the blue and precious, it made me want to cry. She's so lucky.

Things Libby says

2009-09-28T19:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Libby was frantically undoing her pants as she entered the bathroom in a hurry. As she passed, Daddy said something to her and she said, "Hold on. I'm on-dressing." But she didn't think that sounded right, so she then said, "I'm off-dressing."

Tonight, as I tucked her into bed, she said, "I want to be a truck driver...(her eyes lit up) and a school bus driver...(then she cradled a pretend baby in her arms very tenderly) and nurse...and clean toilets...and do laundry...and clean the kitchen floor...and wash the dishes...and vacuum..."

Spank Daddy

2009-09-20T16:54:00.000-07:00

Libby whispered to me, "Spank Daddy real hard." (For the record, we don't spank our kids. It's a playful joke at our house).

I said, "What if he starts to cry?"

She said, "Daddys don't cry. Only girls."

Science Saturday: Light Spectrum

2009-09-20T16:06:00.000-07:00

I Love You

2009-09-20T16:04:00.000-07:00

The kids were being particularly cute and sweet to each other one day. I said, "Guess what?...I love you guys so much."

Libby said, "We'll be your best friends forever."

Say Something Nice or Don't Say Anything At All

2009-09-20T15:59:00.000-07:00

It was the end of the day. The kids weren't talking nicely to each other in the car and I was out of patience, so I said, "If you can't say something nice, then just don't talk."

A few minutes went by without any talking. Then Libby turned around to face Alex and said, "I just really want to kiss you."

I'm not sure what Alex said - other than "No" - because I was busy praising Libby for talking so nicely:)

Avery on the Trampoline

2009-09-12T08:50:00.000-07:00

Here's Avery at 23 months:

Cute Winkers

2009-09-12T08:46:00.000-07:00

Avery's ABC's

2009-09-12T08:35:00.000-07:00

The Freedom Garden Grows On

2009-08-30T18:43:00.000-07:00

“We will see the day when we will live on what we produce.” -Marion G. Romney

"There are blessings in being close to the soil, in raising your own food even if it is only a garden in your yard and a fruit tree or two. Those families will be fortunate who, in the last days, have an adequate supply of food because of their foresight and ability to produce their own." -Ezra Taft Benson

“We encourage you to grow all the food that you feasibly can on your own property. Berry bushes, grapevines, fruit trees—plant them if your climate is right for their growth. Grow vegetables and eat them from your own yard. Even those residing in apartments … can generally grow a little food in pots and planters. Study the best methods of providing your own foods." -Spencer W. Kimball

If you've never seen the documentary The Future of Food, you need to as soon as possible. It will make you scramble to grow a garden like a chicken with your head cut off.

With that introduction, here's the garden update:

Texas has two growing seasons. The things to plant now are corn, zucchini, squash, and cucumber.

After watching The Future of Food, I was convinced to buy heirloom seeds. The "normal" seeds you buy from the store are genetically modified. As such, they are either sterile, or if you try to replant them, they'll grow weird stuff. Heirloom seeds are pure; you can harvest and reuse your own seeds from the plants.

Little did I know how incredible these seeds are. In the spring, using store seeds, nothing was up for at least two weeks. This time, I was shocked to see everything up within 4 days.

Heirloom corn, 4 days after planting:

Heirloom cucumber, 4 days after planting:

Heirloom zucchini, 4 days after planting:

And get this: On the fourth day (the day these pictures were taken), I turned the water on at 8:30 a.m. When I came back at 9, there were plants up that weren't up an hour and a half earlier. I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.

Now check out our plants exactly 2 weeks after planting (and remember that nothing was even up by this time with our previous seeds):

Corn:

Cucumber:

Squash:

Zucchini:

I can't get enough of this stuff.

Remember

2009-08-23T19:15:00.000-07:00

So much of the gospel is founded upon and revolves around the concept of remembering.

The most fundamental covenant that we make -- baptism -- is a covenant to remember. We covenant to remember Christ, and in turn, God promises us that we will always have the Spirit, which has as a fundamental role to “bring all things to our remembrance.”

The more we remember Christ the greater our ability to remember Him, thus increasing our desire and capacity to serve Him, which in turn helps us to become like Him.

As I have studied the word remember, both its linguistic origins and scriptural and prophetic usages, I’ve learned that it is used to convey three specific meanings:

To recall
To retain
To study

Recall

A few more synonyms to further explain what I mean by "recall" would include renew, recollect, revive, remind, awaken, return.

Because of the veil, we are prone to forget things we have learned in the past, including the most important things regarding our salvation.

In Helaman chapter 12 the prophet Nephi laments:

“…at the very time when he doth prosper his people...then is the time that they do harden their hearts, and do forget the Lord their God...how slow are they to remember the Lord their God.” [emphasis added]

There are numerous scriptures that command people to “return to God,” the context being, of course, when the people have become prideful and wicked because of forgetting God.

A recurring phrase in the Book of Mormon is the prophets “stirring up the people in remembrance of their duty.” God commands us to “recall” things that we have learned previously and to return to them; in other words, the concept of recall, as it relates to remembering, is also synonymous with repentance.

Retain

Other synonyms of retain include to think about or to think of, to be mindful of, to observe, to keep, to obey.

To help us retain the gospel, we are commanded to pray unceasingly, to read the scriptures daily no matter how many times we’ve already read them, to attend church meetings even when they’re boring from repetition, to attend General Conference, and even given church callings.

The institutionalized aspect of the gospel seems directed toward the goal of retention; helping us to daily observe, keep, and obey the commandments. We’re asked to make and keep covenants and then we are given physical reminders of those covenants in order that we might retain in remembrance those things necessary for our salvation.

The key here is to always be in situations where it’s easy to retain a remembrance of our covenants. Surfing inappropriate websites, listening to inappropriate music, going to the lake on Sunday instead of to church, shirking in our church callings -- all of these things and others inhibit our ability to retain saving knowledge and to always remember Christ.

Study

Other terms that help describe this concept include seek, ask, ponder, pray.

How can we retain in remembrance something that we have not yet learned through personal study? In Alma chapter 5 Alma asks, “Have you sufficiently retained in remembrance the captivity of your fathers? Have you sufficiently retained in remembrance his mercy and long-suffering towards them?”

In other words, he is asking them if they have studied and remembered history.

By knowing and understanding history we are able to learn from the mistakes of others so that we can avoid them ourselves. Santayana said, “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Historian David McCullough added, “History is who we are and why we are the way we are.”

In Doctrine & Covenants Section 88 we are commanded, “…seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith.” In Section 90 we read, “…study and learn, and become acquainted with all good books, and with languages, tongues, and people.”

Elder Marlin K. Jensen taught us that one of the most significant things that we should remember is church history. One excellent way to do this is to do our own genealogy.

In his journals, my fourth great-grandfather, Thomas Sirls Terry, tells of a difficult period of his life in the winter of 1850, and then writes,

“You will see by reading the past that I have been thrown into various circumstances in life. Being of poor parentage, but yet honorably so, you will see that in all of my ups and downs in the world that I had the spirit of perseverance. In my travels through life, when misfortune seemed to press down hard upon me, I always pressed forward the harder and would accomplish that which I undertook to do. And when famine and starvation stared me in the face, and hunger had so weakened my mortal frame, that when at labor I would have to sit down to rest in order to gain strength that I might perform my day’s work, still I hung on to my faith and integrity in the Lord…Therefore, my dear children, let nothing of an evil nature persuade you from a righteous course through life, and carry out your righteous decrees and be firm in your determinations.”

Until we study the gospel, the scriptures, church history, genealogy, and history out of the “best books” we have nothing to remember, retain, recall. Through study, pondering, and prayer we learn about the gospel, and then we are invited to live the gospel daily using all of the tools and resources that have been provided for us.

The Remembrance Formula

After analyzing these three aspects of remember, 1) recall, 2) retain, and 3) study, we are able to put them all together and learn a critical formula for safely navigating mortality and returning to God.

The formula is to first, acquire knowledge by study, pondering, and prayer, second, always retain in remembrance that knowledge, and third, when we forget and sin then we must recall that knowledge and repent.

Consider this: In the word and concept remember we find the entire plan of salvation.

Implicit in this formula are duties of Man and reciprocal duties of God. It is our job to study, to put things into our mind in order that we might have anything to remember in the first place. It is His job then to, as we learn in the book of John, “bring all thing to our remembrance” by the gift of the Holy Ghost.

When we have forgotten the gospel and become prideful and sinful, it is our job to recall what we have forgotten and to repent. When we have repented, it is His job to forgive us and make us whole and clean; if we remember His gospel, He will forget our sins.

As we learned from Elder Marlin K. Jensen, “Coming unto Christ and being perfected in Him is…the ultimate purpose of all remembering.”

Let us study the life of Christ, learn of him, then retain a remembrance of Him by always being in the right time at the right place and fulfilling all of our church duties, and then, if we forget at times, to quickly recall and repent.

As King Benjamin taught:

“…this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not.”

Charades

2009-08-23T18:20:00.000-07:00

Tonight was Family Night. We decided to use "sports" as our theme for charades for the night.

Libby (4 yrs.) was doing great. She did gymnastics for one, ballet for another, and she was an animal for some of her turns.

She was also the final act of the night before we had treats, and we could not guess what she was for the life of us. She was holding her hands by her sides and jumping up and down, then side to side.

It was time to be done; we wanted our treats. We desperately tried to get clues as to whether she was doing a sport or if she was a person or what. But we were just getting more confused.

We said, "Okay, just tell us now." She said, "No, guess! Use your brain!"

So we decided to randomly start guessing things and just throwing stuff out there.

"Zipper!"
"Pine tree!"
"Elevator!"...

Steve said, "Catamaran!" And Libby beamed and delightedly exclaimed, "Yes, yes, that's it!"

I said, "What's a catamaran?" Steve didn't even know.

The point is, I'm pretty sure it was Daddy that guessed right every time it was Libby's turn. He can do no wrong. She really loves her Daddy.

Summer Day in Round Rock

2009-07-25T15:27:00.000-07:00

I'm immensely enjoying this summer day.

First, we went to a Pioneer Day celebration pancake breakfast at the church and Libby and I wore the bonnets I made. It was hot. It was humid. I'm pregnant. I wasn't comfortable in my long black skirt, socks and shoes, long sleeve shirt, and bonnet.
But then... we came home to our air-conditioned, comfortable home and had naps. And it only got better. Although it was nothing out of the ordinary, I have to write it to remember it.

At lunch Libby says, "Mom, is Alex still in CA?" I said, "Yes, he'll be there for a while." She said, "I. Love. Him."

I ask Avery if she wants chocolate milk or strawberry milk in her bottle. She says "be-be-be" for "strawberry" and I think it's the cutest thing ever.

Daddy worked this afternoon, Alex is in California, but my girls and I spent the rest of the day outside.

Our yard makes me so very happy. Our porch is long and wide with ceiling fans and a porch swing. The big trees shade almost all of the grass and the trampoline and playscape so it's cool enough for even me to at least just sit outside and watch the kids. It's pretty too. I have an expansive view of the park across the street and all the trees there.

With nowhere for us to go for the rest of the day, I don't care that my hair is getting frizzy from the humidity or my makeup is slightly melting. The water from the hose that the girls are playing with is splashing all over my feet and legs, and if they spray it on me I wouldn't care. I'm able to drink in every moment of their play.

Libby is wearing her swimming suit; Avery is in her diaper. They're eating popsicles and it's melting all down their bellies and dripping down their arms to their elbows. They offer me a taste now and again.

A butterfly lands very near the girls. The girls get down on their haunches, and it allows the girls to study it until a drip of their popsicle lands too close for comfort and it flies away. Avery does the sign for butterfly and she watches her little hands.

Avery loves my toenail polish. She points to my toes and very distinctly says, "toenails," then proceeds to bite them. She thinks it's funny.

Libby washes her stickiness off and then washes Avery with the care of a mother so as not to make Avery cry.

After Libby hoses off the patio to clean the mess from the popsicles, she spies a little black bug and starts to mother him, then starts to squish him. I tell her not to hurt a bug in its home outside, that I only kill bugs that are in our house. He's saved.

Libby now has to save him from Avery. She's trying to teach Avery to be nice to the bug, so Avery lays down on her belly to spy him up close.

Libby has a million and one questions about this bug, from what she can do for him, and what he would like, and if it's okay to do this or that. All the while Avery is also jibber-jabbering and mimicking Libby.

Libby makes the bug a home with an ice cream container. She finds a heart-shaped leaf in her hunting but for some reason decides it looks good to eat. She eats it despite me telling her it will taste gross and it's not a leaf she's supposed to eat.

Avery is thirsty and says "gu, gu," because that's what she says for water. It came from reading together and seeing a drink on the page and I would pretend I'm chugging it. So "gu, gu" has always meant water to her.

Today is not unusual. It's like this 4 or 5 days out of a week. But as I'm sitting on the swing, my unborn baby girl is kicking around a lot and I'm reminded that when she comes I will be enraptured, enamored, entranced, engrossed with this new life and I won't notice these little things about my Liberty and Avery as much. It makes me teary.

I have no doubt these are the best days of my life.

More Sewing Fun

2009-07-21T16:46:00.001-07:00

In the girls' closet was a boring jean dress that even Libby never wore when she was little enough. So today I sewed a butterfly on it and turned her underpants into some bloomers.

Here she's concentrating on showing me her karate kick. (Hey, when you're trying to get a 1-yr-old to hold still for a picture, you do things like that.)

This is a dress I made for Libby. It's all wrinkled because she wore it to church but I forgot to take a picture. The last thing they need is more dresses but I just can't stop myself.

Avery in July 2009

2009-07-12T15:49:00.000-07:00

It's Hot. I Have Proof.

2009-07-09T06:56:00.000-07:00

After church one day, we found our super-hyper, ADHD squirrels like this. I thought this little guy was dead because our squirrels don't sit still for a second. But then I saw his significant other on the branch behind his, so there were actually two lifeless squirrels on this day.

You Know You're a Home Body When...

2009-07-06T06:44:00.001-07:00

1. The idea of family vacation isn't terribly exciting in the first place.
2. Our idea of "family vacation" is visiting Houston for a couple of days to hang out with family.
3. We have a great time and accomplish all we set out to accomplish while away, and yet we still wonder why we take trips at all.
4. We want to kiss our floor and fridge and air conditioner and bed when we get home.
5. Alex (9 yrs. old) says, "Man, I just cannot stop saying how happy I am to be home!"
6. Avery (20 mos.), who hasn't seemed happy since we left, is immediately relieved when we walk in the door.
7. At 8:45 a.m. the morning after we get home half the house is still sleeping.
8. Why is my family only sick when we leave the house?
9. Steve and I have vowed not to take another trip until our youngest is 4...and our last baby isn't even born yet.
10. We came home to our first beautiful red ripe tomato from our garden.
11. Our idea of home is a place we never feel the desire to escape, even for just a couple of days.
12. We don't like to drive.
13. We don't sleep when we travel.

Now you know that if we make or have made the effort to come and visit you, you must be very special!

Pictures of our 4th of July in Houston:

On the way home, Steve stopped to help a car on the side of the road. We had a lot of reasons not to stop (at least I thought so), but he did it anyway. We had reasons not to let them into our car and give them a ride (at least I thought so), but we did it anyway.

One was a gay black man, he smelled like smoke and alcohol, and when we stopped for the bathrooms he was smoking and drinking. The other woman had a child 18 mos. old and did not have a car seat. I had to double buckle Alex and Libby so our guests would have seat belts and a car seat.

It was an incovenience and there was a risk we could get ticketed, but the bottom line is...I'm glad we did it. They needed someone's help; they were so grateful. Thanks, Steve, for being a good example of compassion and charity, even when it's not completely convenient to do so.

Libby's 4th Birthday

2009-06-28T17:04:00.001-07:00

Libby's birthday is today (Sunday). We celebrated yesterday since it was a better party day for us.

We've been talking for months and months about how she can have gum when she turns 4, which turned into how she's going to have a "gum party" for her birthday.

Libby helped make her rainbow cake (only a couple of egg shells got in) and she decorated it with gum balls. We went to Chuck E. Cheese as a family, came home for cake and presents, and hung out with some family friends into the evening.

Alex gave her gum "tape" with a dollar inside the container, and he bought her a microphone and a huge gemstone ring that opens up from Chuck E. Cheese. I made her a pink silky pillowcase to match her pink silky blankie, and her friends' gifts were coming to Chuck E. Cheese with us, as well as make-up, a purse, and hair clips. Grandma Judy and Grandpa Chad & Grandma Jackie sent money in the mail, so now she says she's rich.

This birthday has really been a big deal for her; it marks her becoming "bigger-bigger." At Chuck E. Cheese, Steve was on a ride with her that simulates a roller coaster. They accidentally chose the "haunted" setting, and Steve was worried that it would scare her, not knowing what it entailed.

He told her, "If it gets scary, I'll cover your eyes, okay?" To which she responded, "No, I'm four now. I'm bigger-bigger."

I was worried she might be disappointed with the pillowcase gift, but she LOVES all her gifts. She carries her pillow around now; she loves it that much. She wore her new skirt I made for her, her birthday purse, and her birthday make-up to church today (that Alex helped her to apply).

Sewing Creation

2009-06-25T16:06:00.000-07:00

This is my latest creation. I made this from two pictures I saw of similar-type skirts. It's Libby size. I made a lot of mistakes during the process -- I miscalculated measurements, I took out many, many stitches, I did a lot of figuring and refiguring. It was worth it.Why I can't stop sewing, I do not know. I can't sleep because I'm thinking about my projects, eating is an inconvenience and bother, my back aches and it's okay.

I'm indulging myself with this hobby because I know that it will soon end...oh, and because Steve is extremely supportive of this creative process that I'm enjoying. Please just be patient with me while I blog about it.

Summer Swimming

2009-06-24T19:49:00.000-07:00

Swimming these days has been fun for the whole family. Yes, I bought a big ol' swimming suit that fits my prego body and I swim too (but there won't be any pictures of that).

The kids love it! Alex can dive and jumps crazy off the diving board. Libby refuses to get out of the pool, she loves it so much.

Avery loves it too and will stay just as long as the rest of us want to. If she hears the word swim, she won't stop saying "swimsuit" in her little baby way. Then I'll put her in the car and she'll cry until I assure her that yes, we are going to the pool but we have to drive there first.

At a birthday swim party recently, Libby walked straight over to the edge where her friends were already in the pool and just jumped right in. It was the craziest thing. Fortunately, she was wearing her floaty swimsuit so she came to the surface right away, but boy was she shocked that she went under like that! (And please don't worry about my kids, I'm extremely vigilant around water).

Scout Camp

2009-06-21T17:50:00.000-07:00

Scout Camp is cool, that's all there is to it. Four full days of fun and Alex did not want it to end. He made me promise that he can go next year.

He's feeling very outdoorsy now, and informed us that he wants to live where houses are a mile apart so that he can ride a horse everywhere he wants to go.

Homemade Dress #2

2009-06-21T14:15:00.001-07:00

Awww, they're matchy poo-poo now.

This pattern taught me ruffles and elastic. I'm movin' on up.

Did you know that pattern sizes are a lot bigger than sizes you buy in the store? So I've also learned how to take in the sides and modify it in other ways so that it fits them better.

Homemade Dress

2009-06-19T11:35:00.001-07:00

Her name is Liberty. We call her Libby or Boojy. Don't those names just fit the personality that you can see here?!

I'm feeling really good about making this dress. I followed a pattern, I did sleeves even. Just knowing that I can do this now gives me satisfaction and makes me happy.

Art Class for Alex Day 2

2009-06-19T11:33:00.000-07:00

He's inspiring me to want to take art class too.

A Small Sample of This Week's Harvest

2009-06-13T20:50:00.000-07:00

Onions, broccoli, green beans (we're getting about 60 green beans per day now), green onions, green peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, and our first cucumber of the season.

I can't begin to describe how magical and spiritual I think this whole process is. What a profound privilege to take part in the wonder of creation. It might sound weird if you've never gardened, but it's seriously incredible. I'm addicted.

(By the way, notice that corn is conspicuously absent from the picture. We have a sinister, furry fiend that apparently loves corn as much as we do. I have a trap set tonight, so with any luck I'll be posting what should be a highly entertaining video tomorrow.)

Sisters

2009-06-13T16:42:00.000-07:00

As Avery grows up, she plays with Libby more and more. It's super duper cute to watch them play. The other night Avery was "pretending" to be the baby and Mommy Libby was changing her diaper. It reminds me of when Rhyetta and I used to play house when we were little.

So Avery wants to be like her big sister, of course. And since Libby sucks her thumb, Avery thought she would try it out.

It's also super fun to watch Libby teach Avery the way of the world because she's gentle and kind with her approach. Libby told me to get the potty out of the garage for Avery, and if you look at Libby's face you can see that she's teaching Avery what to do on her potty. Hee-hee.

Special Moments

2009-06-13T16:36:00.001-07:00

At the exact moment that Steve called me from the garden to tell me that picking the apples from the apple tree was an outright spiritual experience for him (we're prone to be dramatic like that), I was capturing this moment during dinner clean-up.

Daddy Love

2009-06-13T15:16:00.000-07:00

First we have Alex, who has never in his whole entire life wanted to cuddle. When he was a little baby I used to whisper, "Please just be my baby and let me hold you." I was so confused as to why other babies were just sitting contentedly on their mothers' laps. Can you see how uncomfortable he is? In this picture we were teasing him and coaching him on how to cuddle, telling him that he's got to relax and just breathe.

Then we had Libby, and ahhhhh, what a cuddly and content little baby she was.

But Avery takes the cake on her desire for closeness, for freely giving hugs, and kisses on request.

Pioneer Farms

2009-06-13T15:03:00.001-07:00

Every Friday morning our family goes to Pioneer Farms to do the morning feeding of the animals there. The farm is run solely through the efforts of volunteers. There are horses, donkeys, sheep, chicks, cats, pigs, cows, and chickens.

We initially started doing this because of Avery's love of animals, but it's only spurred our desire for getting some land ourselves and having our own small farm...very small farm...with a great big garden.

Make sure you check out the pigs we've been feeding because one of them will end up in our new deep freeze in a couple of weeks.

Perfection is in the Journey

2009-06-11T07:59:00.001-07:00

I'm settled at the free throw line, tossing up shot after shot. Enjoying the moment. Pondering the wonders of the universe, as I'm prone to do.

Suddenly, I'm struck by an astounding thought: Suppose after shooting one hundred free throws, I make sixty-five. Then, I keep shooting indefinitely and never miss another shot. Thus, every time I make a shot, my shooting percentage increases.

So if I keep shooting forever, never missing a shot, my percentage will increase forever. Yet it will never reach one hundred percent (or so I think). How is it possible for it to increase for eternity and never reach one hundred percent?

This thought seized me and wouldn't let go. I had to find the answer. Luckily, I have a brilliant mathematician friend. I contacted him, and here was his response:

"The pure theoretical answer to your question is that if you did shoot infinitely long, then you would eventually reach one hundred percent. In mathematical terms, the limit of (x-40)/x as x goes to infinity is 1 (or one hundred percent). Intuitively, infinity minus forty is still infinity (since it never ends)."

Whoa.

Is it just me that's reeling?

What a mind-boggling, piercing, hope-infused concept. Mathematically, if we continue to progress eternally, we are perfect.

Perfection is attained through eternal progress, not in never making a mistake. It is in the repeated showers of repentance, not completely avoiding the mud puddles of sin. It is a state of perpetual motion, a continuum, a progressive journey -- not a static position or condition.

Even Christ's perfection was achieved "line by line." As Ezra Taft Benson taught:

"The Lord asked the question of the Nephites: 'What manner of men ought ye to be?' Then he answered by saying, 'Verily I say unto you, even as I am.' (3 Ne. 27:27.) What manner of man was Jesus during those thirty years when He was personally preparing Himself for His three-year public ministry? Turning to the Book of Luke in the New Testament, we read these words: 'And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.' (Luke 2:52.) From modern-day revelation we learn that Jesus 'received not of the fulness at first, but continued from grace to grace [not from sin to grace, but from grace to grace], until he received a fulness' (D&C 93:13)."

Though Christ was never stained by sin, neither did He arrive on earth as he would eventually become. He became perfect through eternal progression.

Burrow even deeper and we expose the truth that Christ's "infinite atonement" made this concept of progressive perfection possible. Furthermore, Christ is the "Alpha and Omega," the beginning and the end -- the Infinite One.

Perfection is built into infinity, and infinity is Christ. Those who come unto Him are therefore perfect every moment they repent. It's not that perfection is a future hope or ideal, as in, "I can't wait until I am perfect." Through the atonement, we can be perfect here and now, on this tiny speck of an eternal timeline.

If we can't be perfect in any given moment, we can never be perfect, since infinity is not bound by this mortal existence. We reside within eternity. All imperfection is erased by 1) our choice to improve eternally, and 2) the nature of eternity itself, which is the nature of Christ.

Keep moving forward and you're perfect -- you're not moving toward perfection; you are perfect. What matters, then, is not your current position, but the direction you're heading. Everyone who consistently gets closer to God is perfect.

So how does it feel to be perfect? And how does it feel to be surrounded by perfect beings? I don't know about you, but I'm glowing.

(And if your mind isn't boggled enough, consider this: If you start one mile away from your home and cover half the remaining distance every ten minutes, how long will it take you to get home? Answer: Eternity.)

Gymnastics

2009-06-10T15:39:00.001-07:00

Alex's season of gymnastics has come to a close. It's on to art class and judo.

He's a gymnastics natural, that's for sure. I hope he'll want to continue with classes in the fall.

First Day of Art Class

2009-06-10T15:38:00.001-07:00

> Alex's first picture from his first day in art class with John Howell. http://www.cordovanartstudio.com.

Pinewood Derby

2009-06-10T11:58:00.000-07:00

Just click on the picture to see it closer.

Alex's car was called "Plain Speed" because of the basic approach they took to painting and designing the car.

Thanks, Steve, for spending so much time on these projects. You're a great dad!

Girl Time

2009-06-10T11:50:00.001-07:00

Girls are really fun. Sunday mornings we do hair, make-up, and pick jewelry.

Libby is constantly choosing from my jewelry box the ones she wants for her wedding when she's 4.

Easter '09

2009-06-10T11:20:00.001-07:00

So...Easter. You remember Easter, right? Wayyy back in April? Ye-ahh. It was fun.

Alex woke up first, knew exactly what to do, and set off to find all the jelly beans lying around the house. And find them all, he did! Till there were no jelly beans left for the little girls.

But, Alex is a good brother. So he and I quickly put back in place many of them so that the girls could have a good time finding them too.

I must say, if you're surprised that I let Libby not wear any pants, that it was actually lucky that Libby is wearing a shirt for all these pictures. I am often surprised to find that she has ditched her shirt in the night and usually she comes to breakfast wearing only her pajama bottoms.

We went to John and Jamee Howells' home for egg decorating and hunting and crafts. We had an egg toss (with uncooked eggs) that was super fun for the adults. Alex was the only kid crazy enough to get the egg hidden high up in a tree...of course, 'cause he's my monkey.

I don't know why some of these pictures are cut off. I hate Photobucket but don't know what else to use.

The iPod Quest Comes to Fruition

2009-06-06T20:25:00.000-07:00

Did I ever tell you how amazing Alex is?

So here's the conclusion to the story: After four weeks of washing cars, mowing lawns, and doing odd jobs, Alex earned $107.10 total. Since he was saving 30% (10% to tithing, 10% to savings, and 10% to mission fund), he had $74.97 in his iPod fund.

His goal was to buy an Nano, which would have cost $95. But after all that hard work, he decided that the Nano wasn't as cool as he initially thought. He also realized that he could buy both an iPod (a cheaper version) and a Nintendo DS game. The deal was sealed.

He bought an iPod Shuffle and a Star Wars game for his hand-held Nintendo. We bought them on Amazon and he about went crazy waiting four days for them. I've never seen him so excited as he was when the packages arrived.

So there you have it. Alex is pretty much the man. I can't rave enough about how proud I am of him.

Here he is with his sweet purchases, sitting on his money maker:

Thanks again to everyone who participated.

The strange thing is that I haven't been able to get him to mow our lawn for the last two weeks...

Yet Another Garden Update

2009-06-06T19:54:00.000-07:00

I've hit an interesting phase with the garden. On the one hand, it's getting really cool because we're starting to harvest quite a lot of schtuff. On the other hand, the honeymoon phase has worn off -- it's getting to be really hard work.

So far we've harvested yellow squash, zucchini, green beans, peppers, onions, carrots, peas, spinach, lettuce, and corn. As you might guess, the squash and zucchini are going bonkers. Our tomato plants are getting huge -- higher than my waist -- and we have a bunch of tomatoes forming, two or three inches in diameter.

Our corn is killing me. I just realized today that we have worms eating the heck out of it. I pulled off most of it -- about 30 ears -- because it was totally wasted. I brought home four good ears that we'll eat tomorrow, though they also had worms in the tops. I sprayed the plants with insecticide so hopefully our next batch will do better.

Check out the recent pictures. I've included some old ones as well because it's cool to see the progression.

Here's a picture of our nasty, hide-chapping corn. Blasted worms.

In addition to our six tomato plants in the garden, we also hung three tomato plants in buckets on our fence at the house. You cut a hole in the bottom of a five gallon bucket, thread the plant through so it hangs out the bottom, fill the bucket with dirt, and hang it up three or four feet off the ground. We're told that this will produce higher yields than plants in the ground, but we'll see.

My "Inbox" Surprise Today From Steve

2009-05-18T16:42:00.000-07:00

i Would Be Fine Without You

“You would be fine without me,”
You once said
as i strangled on the thought.

Yes, thought i, i would be fine without You
like isolated prisoners are fine without sunlight and conversation.

If basic survival were all that were required of me
if the awful exertion of facing each empty morning
became bearable through super-human means.

If life endures in black and white
in songless spiritless flat existence
i would be fine without You.

If tears could heal
if i could hibernate the years away
by immersing myself in work
if the pursuit of escaping misery could distract
me enough to melt your memory
into a dull enough ache
i would be fine without You.

i would be fine without You. Without You, life would be

like Beethoven’s music would be fine on paper
lacking a symphony to breathe life into them

like the cloud-oppressed day is fine without the sun
like the black night is fine without the moon and stars

like ingesting a gourmet meal intravenously

like pressed flowers, absent of form, substance, and scent
with only the memory of what once was

like a vacuous and pointless journey that
leaves me stranded every time i turn to share

yes, i would be fine without You
enduring like a comatose patient
hanging in a skeletal existence.

Avery Sleeps

2009-05-17T13:24:00.000-07:00

For the first time...ever...in all her 19 months of life, Avery slept through the night!

The best news is that she's slept through the night every night since as well, even when she had to sleep in her Pack -n- Play in my closet 'cause we had guests staying in her room.

And...she's way cutting back on her nursing. In fact, now I feel like I'm the one in charge of her nursing and that I could cut her off any time I felt like it, which makes me feel a lot better since we have a new baby on the way :)
She's taken to this baby doll recently and I think it's super cute that she fell asleep with it like this.

The Clean-Up Escape Artist

2009-05-03T13:43:00.000-07:00

Just to give you some context before you read the dialogue below. Alex is the fastest cleaner-upper ever; Libby's fast too, but she'll do anything to avoid cleaning up. Time-outs worked like a dream with Alex; not so much with Libby.

We realized that time-outs don't work the same with Libby when, a while back, I said, "Clean up or you'll go to time-out. One..." She shook her head and said, "Huh-uh." "Two..." She yelled out, "No." "Three." She screamed, "Ne-ver!"

If we have treats out and we're all about to eat treats, I'll say to Libby, "Finish cleaning up and you can have treats with us." She'll say, "I don't want treats," and while we're smacking our lips eating treats, she won't even complain about it once.

We have very little leverage.

And we think she's very funny. I guess because she's only 3.5 and we think it will eventually pass, because we're at least consistent with our methodology.
This picture is from the other night. Alex did almost all the clean up but left just a little for Libby. We told her she could come upstairs when she's done cleaning up. Upstairs is where everything for the rest of the night was happening; Libby knew this. It was where she could have had a bath with Avery which she likes. She could have played with Alex which she likes. She could have watched Super Nanny with us on my bed which she really likes (oh, the irony).

She finally just fell asleep on the chair, obviously not touching the tiny bit of mess that was there. The next morning, though, she had it picked up in 1 minute because she couldn't come to breakfast till it was done. Good news, I guess mealtime is leverage.

This dialogue happened today.

Libby: I want to play Chutes and Ladders.

Mom: Okay, great. Put Candyland away first, please.

Libby: (whining) I don't want to. I want Alex to do it. Where's Alex?

Mom: You can play C & L after you put Candyland away.

Libby: (hopeful) Just send me to my bed.

(She really likes her bed 'cause she just falls asleep there. That's one great thing about Lib; she's a fantastic sleeper.)

Mom: (changing tactics at the last minute because I was about to say, You'll go to your bed) No, you'll have to sit in the corner in a time-out if you don't put the game away.

Libby: Okay.

Mom: (nursing Avery) One...two...three. Go to time out.

Libby: (just standing there)

Mom: (yelling upstairs) Steve, please help come manage Libby.

Steve: (yelling back) Just put her in her bed.

Mom: No, she wants to go to her bed. Please put her in the corner.

(Steve walking down the stairs)

Libby: (tattling) You told him to put me in time-out and he's not doing it.
(Steve tries not to let Libby see him laughing. Puts her in the corner.)

Libby is very happy to be sitting in time-out and not cleaning up the game. Her goal has been accomplished. She sings there. She tries to get Avery to come over so she can play with her.

She starts singing, "I'm ready to listen, I'm ready to listen..." over and over and over again till Alex is going insane.

Three minutes is up.

Mom: Libby, are you ready to clean up the game or do you want to sit in time-out for three more minutes?

Libby: Three more minutes.

This goes on at least five more times.

Libby: (sudden realization) Three minutes isn't very long.

Mom: (smiling)

Libby: Can I play C & L if I put Candyland away?

Mom: Yes. Are you ready?

Libby: Yes.

(She leisurely picks up five cards while singing, then throws the five cards, then picks up five cards. Clearly the motivation to clean up the game is just not there. I've been racking my brain for leverage. Maybe treats? no... Maybe a one-on-one story? didn't work.)

Libby: Mom, I promise, promise, promise, if you let me play C & L I'll put it away when I'm done.

Mom: (Still thinking of leverage opportunities. Fortunately, while I was thinking, she cleans up the game.)

The end.

HEB Family Camp

2009-05-01T14:09:00.001-07:00

Family Camp was a group of camping homeschoolers from Monday through Thursday. What a cool place!

Some of the pictures are of the Claytons because I only took a few pictures and they took more so I stole some from them.

I particularly enjoyed having a cook all those days, the bathroom in our cabin, the distraction from pregnancy woes, canoeing to the waterfall, and the last night when I finally found a comfortable mattress and Avery only woke up once in the night.

Some of the things we did:
- Alex caught a bass fish and did many other things I'm unaware of because he was off having a grand ol' time.
- Avery, Libby & Alex thoroughly enjoyed playing in the sand
- Steve played Frisbee golf
- Made colorful butterflies from magazines and played with clay
- Libby played for hours on scooters and other kids' toys
- Alex passed the swimming test in the Frio River (brrrrr)
- Went to the talent show
- Went on a short nature hike
- Went canoeing
- Talked about being mission-driven and many other things
- Enjoyed the rain and thunder and lightning (a lot of it)
- The trading post where kids traded "stuff"
- Went to the family dance
- Won some food with our raffle tickets

We're home. We're tired (Steve and I). It was so beautiful. We're excited to go back.

The iPod Quest: Week 1 Report

2009-04-25T18:48:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I know, we're full of drama -- everything's either a "saga" or a "quest" at our house.

All drama aside, Alex is doing great. This week he swept two driveways, washed a car, mowed two lawns, and weeded two flower beds. Here he is weeding away like an iPod-obsessed animal:

Looks like he has dirt in his teeth from all that weeding. He's hard core like that.

So you're probably curious to know the grand total of his earnings. Drum roll please...

The wildman earned no less than $35.40. If I'm lyin', I'm dyin'. That puts him ahead of his goal of $30 per week. After paying 10% to tithing, 10% to savings, and 10% to his mission fund, he's left with $24.78 in the iPod fund.

What's cool about this whole thing is all the teaching moments that arise for a wide range of topics.

For example, he's learning a lot of math. Every day that he comes home with money, we sit down and walk through the math. He's learning addition, subtraction, decimal points, and percentages.

He's learning how to present himself, do a door approach, and interact with customers. (Yes, Kristi, we had a nice talk after he finished at your house. I told him that he can only go into customers' houses to go to the bathroom or to call us when he's done).

He's learning that it's much easier to market to a warm market, rather than to make cold contacts. (Thanks so much to everyone who has offered to give him jobs!)

He's learning about how circumstances and people fall into place as soon as we commit to a goal.

He's learning to be a finisher (although I have to manage that part).

He's learning that commitments can be hard (he hasn't played much with friends this week, and it's a constant struggle for him).

He's learning the satisfaction of receiving fair pay for honest work.

He's learning that we can earn and achieve anything we want in this life through focus, dedication, and persistence.

He's learning the value of delayed gratification.

I could continue. He's such a good kid and I'm so proud of him. I think I'm going to be more excited to buy the iPod than he is.

Thanks again to everyone giving him opportunities to achieve his goal. Thanks for being patient and understanding with him. Thanks for not giving him something when he hasn't earned it. Parenting is definitely a community effort, and we very much appreciate your support, guidance, and encouragement in the lives of our children.

The Garden Saga Continues

2009-04-25T18:07:00.000-07:00

"Gardening requires lots of water -- most of it in the form of perspiration." -Lou Erickson

I spent about five hours in the garden today, which added about five years to my back.

It's coming along well. The good news is that everything that came up is growing much faster than we anticipated. The bad news is that we had quite a bit that didn't come up, and all our tomatoes died.

Today I weeded, then replanted the tomatoes, as well as all the gaps in everything else.

The corn, spinach, and carrots did pretty well, with just a few gaps. The squash -- the cockroach of garden plants -- is thriving as expected. The lettuce had some pretty big gaps. Only one plant of each came up on the bean, broccoli, watermelon, and cucumber. Only a handful of peas came up, and hardly any green onions.

Luckily, we have a long growing season, so everything should be fine.

And here's the best news: We ate our first harvest last week -- cilantro that we put in pico de gallo. So I guess that makes us official.

April Date with Alex & Mom

2009-04-24T13:09:00.001-07:00

We went to Camp Mabry for their exhibition that day. His favorite part was the World War II re-enactment. Don't know where the pictures of that part went, though.

My Trip to the Grocery Store

2009-04-24T12:54:00.001-07:00

I went to the store to buy chicken and rice. That's all, just chicken and rice. But this is what I came home with.

Our food budget goes WAY up when I'm pregnant.

To truly put this in context, we never buy soda, chips, cookies, processed cheese slices, or even cereal for that matter at any other time throughout the year.

I'm totally getting fat.

Alex's iPod Quest Begins

2009-04-21T05:54:00.000-07:00

Alex is such an amazing kid.

Since he was about six, he's always paid tithing and put 10% into savings and 10% into his mission fund. He's always been very good with his money and very coachable.

The other day he had $1.50. We were going to Wal-Mart and he wanted to buy a carrying case for an old cell phone that we gave him (doesn't work, he just thinks it's cool). We never dictate how he spends his money -- he knows it's always his choice.

But I thought it was time for a lesson in delayed gratification. I knew what would happen to the carrying case -- it would get discarded in a couple of days, lost in piles of unvalued toys.

So Alex and I sat down and listed all of the things he would like to buy. The list included such things as Transformers, a machete, Nintendo DS games, and an iPod. I asked what he wanted most on the list, and he responded, "An iPod."

So issued a challenge to him to set a goal to purchase an iPod and to not spend any money on anything else until he bought his iPod. He committed.

Setting the Goal

So we sat down and went through the whole goal-setting process. After making our calculations and mapping out a plan, we printed out the following page and taped it to his wall:

"I will buy an iPod Nano by May 20th, 2009.

"In order to do this, I need to earn $95.00. I have 23 earning days from today, which means that I must make at least $4.13 per day.

"I commit to earning five dollars every day except Sundays. I commit to paying 10% of everything I earn to tithing, 10% to savings, and 10% to my mission fund. I commit to saving every other dollar I earn. I will not spend any money on anything else until I buy my iPod.

"Ways I Can Earn Money: Mow Lawns, Wash Windows, Wash Cars, House Chores, Babysitting, Sell Candy, Walk Dogs, Recycle"

He reads it out loud twice a day. After reading it, he spends a few minutes visualizing accomplishing his goal, holding his iPod, feeling the headphones in his ears, etc.

The Rubber Hits the Road

Yesterday was his first official earning day. We told him we'd pay him $5 to mow our lawn, front and back.

I want him to learn how to mow perfectly so I don't have to manage the process and to ensure he'll do a good job on other people's lawns. So the deal is that for everything he misses that I have to point out, $.50 is subtracted from the total price. As I expected, there were so many missed spots that he lost the entire amount. But it was good practice and he's getting better.

By this time it was 4:30 in the afternoon, and he only had until 5:30 before dinner and Family Night. Undeterred, he went knocking doors. I had helped him create a door approach: "Hi, I'm Alex Fish and I would love to mow your lawn for $5. I have my own lawn mower, and if I don't do a good job you don't owe me anything. Can I mow your lawn?"

Sure enough, he was able to get work from two neighbors. They didn't need their lawns mowed, but they had him sweep their driveways and sidewalks. Would you believe it? The kid earned a whopping $10.30 his very first earning day.

Lessons Learned

As he was mowing our lawn, four of his friends came to the house and begged him to play. Wanting him to understand the choice, I explained that for every day he missed, it added $5 to the next day, so if he missed today, tomorrow he would have to earn $10 to make up for it, etc.

You could see how torn he was. He wanted to play with his friends so badly, but he chose to stick with it. He's learning that commitment entails sacrifice.

Then, as we were getting ready for bed, he came to me and said, "I get so scared to knock on doors and say what you taught me to say. But when I get scared I just think of my commitment and it helps me to just do it."

Like I said, the kid is amazing.

Alex's Primary Talk

2009-04-20T15:37:00.001-07:00

Most people know that we do things a little differently around our house with our kids.

One of those ways is that we've never forced/coerced Alex to participate in Primary. And can I just tell you, it's been a challenge at times because I have felt the judgments of Primary leaders who don't fully agree with our way.

I remember as a kid feeling so inadequate and being so scared of Primary because participation was expected. We just feel that forcing kids before they are ready does more damage than good, so we decided to let him decide when he's ready.

The last time Alex gave a talk was in Sacrament Meeting when he was about 6. He's agreed to give talks in Primary since then, but when it comes right up to the delivery, he chickens out, his nerves get the best of him.

Well, last Sunday, at 9.5 yrs. old, he decided he was ready and he delivered. Steve and I (and Alex too) were so proud. What a fun day.

I sat in the back, he knew I was there, he stumbled on a few words and the brand-new Primary president stepped up to lend a hand. He paused after the periods, he remembered to pause when he asked the kids a question.

I hope he remembers how he felt after he did it, and I hope he has a chance very soon to do it again :)

R-O-U-T-I-N-E Spells Love

2009-04-17T11:27:00.000-07:00

This post is to get Karina back for proclaiming our mushy love to the world in a previous post.

This is a poem I wrote for Karina for Mother's Day, 2008:

R-O-U-T-I-N-E Spells Love

At 16, love is in the feeling.
The oft-confusing awakening, the eager anticipation
of a prom date, the giddiness of a phone call or a note
from “the one.”

At 21, love is in the long, late hours
speaking dreamily of the envisioned future. The fervent hopes,
carefully-crafted plans, and naïve declarations of
“how it’s going to be.”

At 25, love is in the excitement of discovery…
…and getting past the disappointment of many
unexpected discoveries.

At 30, love is in the routine.

The day-in and day-out cooking and cleaning and working and
earning and spending and weighing and balancing and
juggling and striving and hurting and fighting and
forgiving and sinning and repenting and
laughing and crying and praying and
learning and growing and deciding
and regretting and hoping
and trying.

It’s in my inability to write a poem uninterrupted
because you’re cooking dinner and the baby is crying
and the toddler peed her pants.

It’s in the decreased frequency and duration of love-making
because the baby sleeps in our bed and there’s always
some child or some mess or some matter of business to attend to.

It’s in the dissatisfaction of extra pounds and a receding hairline
and the comforting knowledge that we look better to each other every day.

It’s in the stifling confinement of family movies and going to the park and library to cater to the kids and badly-needed vacations missed and earnestly-wanted clothes and amenities gone un-bought and cavities gone un-filled and living on rice and pancakes and living in a cramped basement with no TV and no money and estranged friends.

It’s in the getting up each and every day to do
it all over again when that’s the last thing
you want to do.

It’s in learning to cheerfully accept and love all of the above by
supporting and serving and compensating for one another.

It’s in the overwhelming boredom of the daily, mundane, repetitious ROUTINE.

And one day we’ll wake up contentedly and turn to each other and you’ll smile at me gracefully through your wrinkles and I’ll touch your face gently with arthritic, worn-out hands and say, “Wasn’t that the most exhilarating, fascinating, joyful, and fulfilling ride imaginable?” And a solitary tear will drip from your beautiful eyes as you nod in agreement and we’ll tenderly embrace with
the consummate love of survivors.

Baby at 9 weeks

2009-04-16T17:01:00.000-07:00

It's all good. I had my ultrasound the other day and Baby looks great...well, Baby looks like an alien, but has a nice strong heart beat. I'm at 9 weeks now.

And the ultrasound only cost me $75, which is great because I thought it was going to cost $160. PLUS, they're going to let me come back later to find out the sex of the baby at no extra charge. Gotta love that.

I also love the Unisom and B6 combo that is allowing me to function a lot better than I ever have with my other pregnancies. (knock on wood)

Where Is My Mind?

2009-04-06T15:43:00.000-07:00

Where is my mind? What happened to living in the present? I was just starting to get really good at living in the present, enjoying each moment with the kids, finding joy in the little things, I learned to laugh at the tantrums, look past the messiness of the house...and then I got pregnant.

If you've ever miscarried in any, way, shape, or form, and then been pregnant again, you'll probably relate to how I'm feeling today.

I'm 7.5 weeks pregnant and I couldn't sleep for 2.5 hours last night because I was obsessed with the fact that I probably miscarried this baby. I even brought myself to tears because I convinced myself so thoroughly.

After all, when I went to bed last night I wasn't feeling sick. I didn't need to eat the Saltines that are on my nightstand. I wasn't woozy when I got up to walk to my bathroom for something. I didn't feel like I needed to pee every two hours in the night. There was that one time that Libby leaned on me with her elbow right on my womb and it sent a stabbing pain through me. I have a history of three other known miscarriages. When I found out I was pregnant, I'd wished I wasn't...if only for a moment. At 7.5 weeks, shouldn't I be getting sicker every day and not feeling better? Where did my hot flashes go? Why am I now perpetually cold?

In my mind, I am either too sick to think straight, or I'm not sick enough and I'm plagued with thoughts of despair. There's too much to think about.

Today, I simply must know that everything is okay...or that it's not okay and then I've got to move on, but I must know today because I am not present for anyone and I don't think it's possible for me to be present until I know. I've got to go see the midwife to hear the baby's heartbeat.

This is hard for me to put out there because it sounds so obsessive. I'm not comfortable exposing myself in this way.

I was emboldened after watching an Oprah show about mothers. Apparently there's not enough honesty about motherhood going around. They didn't even touch on pregnancy, so I thought I would. I hope you'll share what's on your mind too.

It felt good to listen to other mothers talk about the crazy things they do and feel as mothers, and how hard it is to be a mom. I felt validated and justified.

I know that, for me, what may come across to some as dishonesty is that I'm simply trying to be positive. I'm trying really hard not to only be obsessed about me and this baby right now. I mentioned before in "Fake It Till You Make It" that at least "faking it" during the rough time of pregnancy will make everyone around me happy.

Even President Monson told a story during General Conference about the man he knew who was on his death bed and yet was always smiling. Remember the man who was bringing Pres. Monson's garbage can back up the hill to his house when he was in a worse condition to do so than most others?

Just how does that relate to me right now? Was that man "faking it" so as to make everyone around him happy, or was it his natural disposition? Does the point of the story relate to me, right now?

I know this. I know that the scriptures are true, and they say that if you want to find yourself, you need to lose yourself in the service of others.

I know that President Monson is a prophet of God and that if I continue to heed his counsel, I will be happier than in any other way.

I know that I have a tendency to find answers to my questions from "the world." But not this time.

Well...I know I feel a lot better.

But just to make sure we're clear: We do want this baby. We want Baby #4 to be here on earth with us more than we want anything else. There's nothing that brings us more happiness than our family.

This will be us in early November (only we'll be at home and in my bed instead of the hospital...I hope:)

Imagination

2009-04-05T17:58:00.001-07:00

It's an old picture, but it captures her personality well.

At 3.5 yrs. old, Libby has a fantastic imagination. Last Friday evening, Steve and Alex were busy reading Ender's Game downstairs, so it was just the girls and me upstairs left to play.

With Libby in the lead as the wicked witch from The Wizard of Oz, she told me, "I'll get you and your little dog too." But then she wanted to be Toto...no, now she wanted to be Glinda the Good Witch...no, she wanted to be Dorothy and hold Toto. She then informed me (repeatedly) that I have a Toto too so be careful where I sit and what I do so that he doesn't get squished.

After spending some time in the Land of Oz with the Munchkins and the Scarecrow and Tinman and Cowardly Lion, it was Mommy's turn to take Libby to Disneyland...but we still had our "two Totos" as she calls them...and it was so much fun.

Even Avery just sat on my lap happily through the whole adventure. I think she was into it. She's growing up. (Cry, sniff, sniff)

Okay. So we did everything at Disneyland, twice, because we went two days in a row and stayed the night at the Disneyland hotel. We went on every ride, we buckled our Totos on every ride, we ate every type of food, we saw all the Disney characters. It was so much fun.

Tonight Libby didn't want to have a bath, but I noticed she was playing with her Toto, so I said, "Maybe Toto wants a bath." Well, of course he would, so into the bath went Avery, Libby and Toto.

She made sure the water wasn't too hot for Toto, taught Toto karate in the bath, told me to turn the water off so that the water didn't go above his nose, and Toto was the first thing she saved when she noticed that Avery had pooped in the bath water.

I love Libby's spunky personality.

Today she picked a wild flower, said she could get married with it, and when Daddy said, "Who are you going to marry, Libby?" she determinedly said, "Daddy!"

Libby, I can totally relate :) I love you so much!

Science Day - Isotropy

2009-04-05T15:54:00.001-07:00

Isotropy is uniformity in all directions. With just corn starch and water you can have tons of fun with this cool experiment.

Origami and Magic

2009-04-05T08:50:00.000-07:00

Grandma gave Alex an origami book because Alex loves working with his hands -- whether it's learning to make knots in ropes, origami, Lego's, magic tricks.

But magic is his latest adventure, and here was a cool one that I did catch on video but I'm too lazy to figure out how to do the technology right now, so just trust me that you would have been impressed :)

Dirty bruise

2009-04-05T08:40:00.001-07:00

For a week I noticed this on Alex's leg, but I thought it was dirty smudge spot.

I finally said, "Alex, I know you've had showers recently, but you need to wash off that dirty spot."

"It won't come off. I think it's a bruise."

Sure enough. He figures he got it when he hit his leg on the edge of a bucket near the trampoline.

And I guess I'm posting this because Alex will think it's cool, years from now, that we have documentation of his injuries.

A Good Day

2009-03-28T08:58:00.000-07:00

She's practically on top of him! He's just used to it, I guess. This is a very common scene. Libby just wants to watch Alex do anything.

Avery sparkles and shines.

A few posts back I mentioned the girls' hair. Libby likes her hair to be "mich-match," especially when she's wearing her Pippi Longstocking dress. Hey, at least it's done!

The Clayton Girls: Anoush, Aryl, Avery, Libby, Emma

Now Avery is starting to be a big girl and wants to be like Libby. They can color in the coloring books together now :)

Fake It Till You Make It

2009-03-28T08:16:00.000-07:00

I'm a genuine person, the type of person who has fewer, close friendships. I've always been proud of the fact that I'm not fake. Everyone knows how I feel and where I stand because I wear my emotions on my sleeve.

Steve is the same way. We'd rather fight openly and get it over with than hold our emotions in and hope that it gets resolved later. Hopefully, we love openly as well to counterbalance the bad.

BUT, this morning I realized that I'm getting good at "faking it" (even though I didn't know I was trying), and I actually think it's a step toward maturity.

Let me explain.

Alex was off to a Scouting activity, Steve was on a business call in his office, it was just me and the two girls. I was feeling desperate for a shower because I'm hormonally imbalanced and my complexion is suffering because of it, also because I have hot and cold flashes so I'm sweatier and therefore greasier than usual. (Sorry if that's TMI.)

Libby is 3.5 and she wants to play, she has a lot of questions, there's a lot of drama in doing anything. Avery is 17 months, she woke up too early this morning, she's needy, she wants to nurse ALL THE TIME, she likes the toilet, and dumping stuff - anything - out onto the floor.
This was my bathroom when I came out of the shower, even after I took the precautionary steps of pushing back all the haircutting stuff and hair bow stuff and toiletries and...crayon basket?...to the back of the counter.

All I could think about was how badly I wanted the solace of a shower. And because my mind was consumed with this thought, I realized that I was being auto-pilot Mommy, I was "faking it."

And everyone was happy :)

See, when Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. But when Mama is a good faker, everyone is happy!

If I can just be fake for the next year - while I'm creating a life inside me - then we'll probably all survive.

This whole "faking it" concept is how I've interpreted the "Come What May and Love It" talk by Elder Wirthlin, specifically as it relates to pregnancy. It was an outright epiphany for me.

Why Roofing Companies Love Texas

2009-03-25T18:08:00.000-07:00

Karina and I thought this crazy hailstorm was pretty cool. Our girls, not so much...

What is RSS?

2009-03-24T05:40:00.000-07:00

In an effort to help family and friends connect more easily, I want to share this video that teaches the value of RSS feeds and readers. Using an RSS reader will save you a lot of time on the web and make it much more simple to stay in the loop with your favorite people.

Ready to set up your RSS reader? I recommend Google Reader. All you need is a Google (Gmail) account and you're ready to go.

99% Accurate

2009-03-21T18:13:00.000-07:00

Heaven help us...

Mommy/Libby date for March

2009-03-21T13:10:00.001-07:00

We went to see "Bedtime Stories" at the discount movie theatre, I fell asleep albeit only for 5 seconds, Libby couldn't wait to leave so we took a break by going to the bathroom.

But then, then we went to McDonald's for an ice cream cone. Now, that was worth it!

Science Day CO2

2009-03-21T12:33:00.001-07:00

Saturdays are now Science Experiment days with Daddy. Carbon Dioxide Gas Cork-with-streamers Launch.

ZPizza

2009-03-21T12:24:00.001-07:00

Our field trip to ZPizza was yummy. They gave us a tour, free pizzas, and soda!

And of course Alex found a tree to climb.

Look closer at the picture below in the shadows. He's shimmying up it, funny kid :)

Girls' Hair

2009-03-21T12:17:00.001-07:00

I must confess that I'm horrible at doing my girls' hair. I never learned how to do anything other than the basics.

Avery gets compliments everywhere we go on her hair anyway because she has a lot and it's a pretty color. I've cut it every-so-often, and it looks the best down. But for the first time ever I did ponytails for her.

Libby likes her hair Pippi Longstocking style, meaning one side pony the other side braid, or "michmatch" as she calls it.

She usually doesn't want me anywhere near her hair but last Sunday she asked me for buns (not sure where that came from) and this is what she ended up with. We were both happy.

God's Laws of Finance Released!

2009-03-19T14:21:00.000-07:00

Karina and I are very excited to launch the website for a book we're writing called God's Laws of Finance: How to Prosper Following Prophetic Counsel.

We've even provided a free e-book for you to download, which is a condensed version of what the book will be.

We're going to blog the entire book for free, so if you subscribe to our RSS feed, or have new posts delivered straight to your email inbox, you'll get to read the manuscript as it develops.

The idea for the book developed when we fell flat on our faces financially and realized that we hadn't studied prophetic counsel on personal finance like we should have. We had spent years and thousands of dollars reading books, attending seminars, and listening to the "wisdom of men," but we hadn't been as diligent in heeding authoritative teachings.

We began studying everything we could find from prophets and apostles on personal finance, investing, and preparedness. We were surprised at the mountains of materials that we dug up, though not surprised at the consistency of the counsel.

From our studies emerged a comprehensive model, which we call the "Prophetic Model of Prosperity."

We would love your help in creating the most effective book as possible. Specifically, we would really appreciate two things: 1) comment a lot on each blog post to give us feedback on what we're writing and help us fine tune the message, and 2) share with us your personal stories of financial failure and/or success. Personal stories, or case studies, are a critical element of successful books. The more you share the more you help others.

Start by downloading your free e-book, The Prophetic Model of Prosperity, then either subscribe to our RSS feed or click here to have new blog posts sent to your email address.

Thanks so much!

The Garden is Sprouting

2009-03-17T12:41:00.000-07:00

Can you see it? Can you see it? Look real close. This is so very exciting for us, and undoubtedly so boring for you.

It's been 14 days since we planted. We haven't been to the garden for 3-4 days because it's been raining, so today it was fun to see that those tiny little hard seeds actually do turn into plants...well, most of them are turning into plants.

You have to keep reading, though, to see the most exciting thing of all!

Squash (above picture)

Cucumbers (above picture)

Corn (above picture)

Spinach (above picture)

Green Beans (above picture)

Successful peppers (right) and failure tomatoes (left row)...I think they failed :(

Strawberries. LOOK CLOSER. Quit skimming. Yes, folks, that's a live one. Real, tangible, edible food.

We thought this was an orange...

but it turned out to be super duper sour...

look at those arms...see why we call her "Squishy"?...and can you see the tear dripping from her left eye?...

She loved it, though, and threw a fit when Libby wanted to try it. I let her have it in the car and she kept squishing her tiny first finger into the hole and sucking on it.

The Alamo in San Antonio

2009-03-16T12:50:00.001-07:00

March Update

2009-03-09T20:42:00.000-07:00

I don't know what the deal is with tongues around here, but if you'll remember, this post is what happened to Libby recently.

This afternoon, Alex came in the house and said, "I puh a ithe coob on my tongue, it got thuck, tho I tole Loman to lip it off thast like a Band-Aid."

Translation: "I put an ice cube on my tongue, it got stuck, so I told Roman to rip it off fast like a Band-Aid."

Ouch! Looks painful, kiddo!Then at dinner, as we all sat at the table eating, Alex was sulking on the couch because we ran out of applesauce. I said, "You should try eating potatoes and this chicken; it's really soft. Do you think you could just try it?"

In his very put out voice he said, "Ye-ah..with..great..difficulty."

I'm thinking that that doesn't sound funny written down, but it was really funny to me and Steve.

He kept going into the half bath and slurping water. When he came out he said, "I scream if I drink from a cup, but my eyes get big if I drink from the sink."

He also declared, "I'm never, ever, ever, ever, ever touching an ice cube again."

This is Avery with her doggy picture. We're seriously entertaining the idea of getting a dog because of her love for animals. Steve is sold on the idea, and he's the one with allergies; it's me who's still not completely ready.

"Outside" was one of her very first words, but she says "sie." She toddled and giggled as she went from leaf pile to leaf pile all through the yard.And Libby has always been The Best Sleeper. This is after a day at the garden. Hurts me just looking at her.

More on NASA Day

2009-03-06T14:42:00.001-08:00

We just had an amazing day with NASA! Check out the photos in the last post.

- No fits/complaining/nagging.
- No crying AT ALL!
- We were on time.
- No pee accidents (Libby actually used the port-a-potties...twice!)
- Awesome weather.
- Super fun hands-on activities.
- No tired Mommy because Avery stayed in the stroller.
- Mesmerized kids.
- The kids ate their homemade lunches.
- Free downtown parking.

Not one glitch in the whole day. Don't you love that!?

NASA at LBJ Library

2009-03-06T14:09:00.001-08:00

March in Texas

2009-03-06T13:46:00.000-08:00

Libby loves swimming suits. She was very happy that March 5th, 2009 was 85 degrees and she could wear ONE of her new swimming suits.

I'm not gonna lie, I'm very happy about it too :) But I'm not ready to wear a swimsuit :(

Wanted: 3-5 Canyoneering Partners For A Monterrey, Mexico Trip

2009-03-04T07:30:00.000-08:00

*Note: There is time-sensitive material in this post. Please read the entire post for details on how you can join me for a sweet adventure in Mexico in May.

If you haven't been canyoneering, you haven't lived. Canyoneering is a dyamic, intense combination of hiking, rappelling, spelunking, rock climbing, and swimming. The following video will give you a good taste of canyoneering:

When we lived in southern Utah I was canyoneering once a month. But I haven't been since moving to Texas last June. I'm craving it!

Luckily, Monterrey, Mexico, 4-5 hours south of Austin, has world-class canyoneering.

I'm planning a 4-day, 3-night trip to Monterrey in mid to late May and I would love 3-5 partners to join me.

Details:

The first 5 people who give me a $100 non-refundable deposit by April 15th get the spots. It's non-refundable because I need to reserve our spot with the guide company with a 50% deposit. As you'll read below, the total cost of the trip will be between $260 and $270 per person.

I've got everything planned out. You don't need any equipment other than basic hiking and camping equipment. We'll be using this certified guide company, which provides everything from equipment, to food, to medical insurance.

I would need someone to volunteer a car, since we just have one car and I can't leave my wife without it. A minivan or SUV that could fit 6 people would be ideal.

Itinerary:

We would leave on a Wednesday early afternoon, stay in a hotel that night, canyoneer Thursday and Friday (camp out Thursday night), stay in a hotel Friday night, then come back Saturday morning.

We'll be staying at Hacienda Cola de Caballo, which is a great hotel.

The canyons we'll go through are Matacanes and Canon de Chipitin.

Costs:

Canyoneering Package (includes food for two days and all equipment): $156/person

Gas: $100 total (about 375 miles one way)

Hotel Room (standard double): $65 Wednesday night, $100 Friday night

Food: $40/person (lunch and dinner going down, breakfast and lunch coming back)

4 People: $1,049 total, $262.25/person (one hotel room)
5 People: $1,410 total, $282/person (two hotel rooms)
6 People: $1,606 total, $267.67/person (two hotel rooms)

We'll share the cost of gas and hotel rooms, and you're responsible for your own travel food (remember that the guide company handles our food for Thursday and Friday).

Reserve Your Spot Now

So who's with me? I need firm commitments from 3-5 people. The first 5 to give me a $100 non-refundable deposit are in. Reserve your spot or get your questions answered by emailing me at stephenpalmer76[at]yahoo[dot]com.

Watch this video to see what awaits you in Mexico:

Planting Is Done

2009-03-03T18:36:00.000-08:00

We planted our garden today after rototilling and preparing the soil yesterday.

I'm sure you'll be mesmerized as I recount every little detail. On the right are two rows of corn, with strawberries in front of them. The four mounds in the back corner are watermelon, cucumber, and squash. On the far left are tomatoes and peppers. In between those and the corn are beans, carrots, peas, broccoli, lettuce, and spinach.

Spellbinding, right? Okay, maybe you had to be there. We're sure finding it fascinating, faith-expanding, character-building, and just plain fun.

Pray for us and our little plants! Heaven knows they're going to need all the help they can get...

The Garden Saga Begins

2009-03-02T18:19:00.000-08:00

Today we started a new chapter in our life: growing a garden. Some friends, who live just a few minutes from our house, are lending us a 16' x 24' plot. This will be good practice to prepare us for our earthship lifestyle.

Here's what the garden looked like when we started:

We spent about four hours today clearing away the grass and rototilling. We also spread some fertilized soil.

We'll start planting tomorrow. And praying...

Little Buckaroo Ranch

2009-03-02T09:41:00.001-08:00

Crazy Proposal Story

2009-03-02T08:29:00.000-08:00

My friend Kristi sent me this. It's incredible! They're famous already!
http://krazykaitlin.blogspot.com/2009/02/im-engaged.html

February in Texas

2009-02-27T16:06:00.000-08:00

Freakishly hot today, so I petitioned for the kids to wash the car.

Libby liked the worms that came out. Ewwww!

Avery in the Middle of It

2009-02-27T15:59:00.001-08:00

Why look on from the outside when you can experience things from the inside?

Why Austin? Does it Matter?

2009-02-26T20:20:00.000-08:00

It's official.

Karina and I just got our Texas driver's licenses today. We moved here in June of 2008. The transfer is finally complete.

Here's the thing -- we don't really know why we're here. In fall of 2007 my mentor, Oliver DeMille, told me about a school in Austin, Acton MBA. He said that every time he thought of it he would think of me.

I went to the website. After reading just the home page, I knew that we would move to Austin. Without really researching it further, I called Karina downstairs to break the news to her.

And that was that. We made preparations and came to Austin.

After eight months, it's pretty clear that I won't be attending Acton MBA. At first, money was the issue. Now, I just don't think it's necessary for many reasons.

I did, however, find Wizard Academy and Roy Williams, which has been a pleasant surprise. But I wouldn't say that it's the reason why we were directed here.

I still don't have what I would call the definitive answer for that.

Here's what I do know: Our family has never been happier, stronger, and more full of faith. We've bonded with beautiful people. We've been blessed with opportunities to serve. We love our house and our ward.

We love sitting on our porch swing and watching our kids jump on the trampoline in 80 degree weather in February. We're excited to grow a garden this year for the first time in our marriage.

Our kids get to see homeless people and associate with kids and families of widely-varying faiths, ethnicities, and backgrounds.

Of course, they could have equally-valuable experiences elsewhere. And we do miss family.

But all things considered, we know it's right for us to be here. We just don't know why.

But does it matter?

Avery's Sleeping Habits

2009-02-26T16:32:00.000-08:00

Avery has had a very consistent sleeping pattern for the whole 16+ months she's been alive. She's never slept longer than 2 hours at a time, and she sleeps with me because she wants to nurse all night long...and because I let her.

Avery has slept countless hours in my arms. Most people will know me as "the woman with the pink, big-flower nursing blanket around her neck."

No bottles, no binkies, not even a special blanky. I'm it!

We've grown accustomed to each other. It's not one-sided; we're both addicted to each other. Steve and I are fully aware of the monster we've created -- the squishy, joyous, huggy, loveable monster we've created.

It's been exhausting at times, meaning I've been sleep-deprived for 2 years (I'm totally counting pregnancy 'cause it's awful). But it's also been so totally bonding and special and sweet and natural.

I wasn't ready until now. She obviously hasn't been ready either. But it's time.

It started out like a typical evening. She nursed at 7:30 and fell asleep in my arms. I laid her down in her crib. She slept a whole two hours...awesome! But she nursed again at 9:30, then again at 10:30.

By 11:00 she was more than full and I decided to lay her down in her crib again instead of letting her thrash around the bed with Steve and I all night, which doesn't seem to bother Steve but I'm an extremely light sleeper.

And then, something wonderful happened. It was a gift. Or perhaps the start of something new?

She slept...and slept...and slept...for 8.5 hours she slept, through Libby crying out in the night because she was sick she slept, and through the morning light she slept...till a beautiful new day dawned, and didn't wake up until 7:30!

I'm singing "Wonder of wonder, miracle of miracles" right now.

"Scars are Cool"

2009-02-23T14:48:00.000-08:00

Alex was super stoked to get this one the other day. See the great big smile?

He fell out of a tree, of course!

And ever since Barry & Trisha Perkins were here to show him just how high he can go and that he can get onto the roof too, he can now escape from Libby (and Mom) when needed.

He picks it to make sure it leaves a nice scar because - don't ya know - "Scars on boys are cool!"

Angelic Avery

2009-02-22T18:18:00.000-08:00

Silly Rockstar Libby

2009-02-22T18:06:00.000-08:00

Classic Alex

2009-02-22T17:50:00.000-08:00

A History Lesson Might Be In Order...

2009-02-22T16:21:00.000-08:00

This afternoon Alex asked me, "Dad, when you were a kid did they just have log cabins?

The Most Important Decision You'll Ever Make

2009-02-19T14:48:00.000-08:00

Who you marry is the most important decision you'll make in this lifetime.

When I was dating Steve, I told my mom, "I just can't imagine anyone more perfect for me."

Steve's not perfect, but he's perfect for me.

How did I get so lucky?

And I am convinced that it truly does have a lot to do with luck. I mean, we both happened to be married once before we met each other; we both happened to go to the same singles ward on the same day in St. George, Utah; he didn't have to completely suck up all pride, forgive me, and write me that unbelieveably romantic letter after he had broken up with me.

I've known people who were inspired to marry someone only to have it end in divorce many years later. I've known people who got married very young and are very happy. I recall the time when I realized that there are a lot of couples who look like they're doing great, but the truth behind closed doors is ugly.

There's also the opposite of that, which is Steve and I. We've had friends feel uncomfortable with our open disagreements, but it works for us to not hold our feelings inside where they stew, or are forgotten, only to come out later more fierce.

I am married to my true love, to my best friend, to my mentor and best adviser. He inspires me daily -- to serve more, to learn more, to be healthier, to work hard, to be devoted to a cause, to communicate better, to be silly, to have faith, to find happiness.

He makes sure I know I'm the reason for his being, that I get more beautiful every day, and that we're a team come what may forever and ever.

He's not posing for this picture.

If I could spend the day with only one person, it would be Steve. If I could go anywhere, it wouldn't make any difference to me unless Steve was there.

It just so happens that I found a man who chooses each day to be unselfish...for me...and for our kids.

If you've met Steve, if you've worked with Steve, if you're familiar with his family or any of his causes or projects, then you know what I mean by unselfish. He lives to make this world better. And I couldn't be prouder.

Blue & Gold cake for Scouts

2009-02-16T11:19:00.000-08:00

The theme was fantasy; Alex chose to do a castle.

I was told that the boys are supposed to decorate the cakes to auction off so I let Alex do the bulk of it.

But, apparently, that's not really how it works 'cause if you would have seen the cakes there, they were incredible!

We bought the only cake there that was store bought and covered with a lid. If you were sitting next to the cake table and saw all the little fingers touching the cool cakes, wouldn't you?

The mess -- on the other side of the kitchen -- is the price we paid for all the time we spent on the cake. She's a rascal menace :)

Avery's words

2009-02-16T11:07:00.000-08:00

She's 16 months old and says these eight words on her own:

Da-da (means Daddy, Mommy and good-bye)

Al-ts (means Alex and outside 'cause she loooove to go outside)

Na-na (means banana)

Meow

Arf

She does a horsey sound

Shoos (meaning shoes)

Ewww (ever since that time we found the poop)

Have You Had a Hug Today?

2009-02-15T19:26:00.001-08:00

Caught on Video: Alex Reading to the Girls

2009-02-15T18:42:00.000-08:00

A day in the life

2009-02-14T13:28:00.001-08:00

Yes, I'm going to gush about my beautiful life. It's hard for even me to believe that I live the life that I do.

Our home is so heavenly to me.

I was on the phone with my mom in the morning, so Alex started getting breakfast ready. He's learned from his dad that listening to CDs helps chores seem less like chores.

Steve recently burned a new CD we all love and it's common for the kids to be belt out the words, or to take turns being the vocals, playing the "rocktar" as Libby calls it, or the drums.

During home school yesterday, as we sat down on the couch to do our devotional and read together, Avery who is 16 mos. old now can be quite a menace, albeit the cutest "little rascal" menace we’ve ever seen.

We weren’t sitting down for more than 5 minutes when I realized that all these events had taken place:

“Uh-oh, the gate to the stairs isn’t shut.” Alex was jumping up before I finished my sentence; he’s very protective.

“Libby, you can color with your crayons on the floor here.” She says, “I have to go up to the table or Avery will eat the crayons.” “Oh, yes, Libby you’re right.”

“Alex, can you get me a tissue?” (I’m at the end of a 2 week cold) And up he goes again.

“Uh-oh, Avery is ruining our book.” I reach to save it.

I say, “Hold this,” (our book) to Alex so that I can nurse Avery….again. She’s so addicted.

“What’s that sound?” Alex jumps off the couch to catch Avery scribbling with a pencil on one of our books. Thank goodness it wasn’t one of the 30 library books we have lying around.

I will get through one paragraph of our book and Libby will just have to interrupt to show me the colors on her page. “So pretty, Libby, like a rainbow.”

I read another paragraph and Avery will catch our sights as she’s giggling and twirling around in the middle of the floor. We look at each other and laugh. It will go on like this sometimes for 1 or 2 pages. I think Alex is sooooo patient.

Later, he said, “Do you want me to make lunch now?” I was starting to fall asleep on the couch ‘cause Avery was down for her nap and I’m usually up a lot in the night nursing Avery. “Yes, Alex, thank you.”

In Libby’s cute little 3.5-yr-old voice she says, “Alex, can you get me some cheese?” “Yeah, sure, Libby. I’ll get you some cheese and some applesauce. Do you want a half a sandwich or a whole sandwich?” He adds, “Mom do you want your sandwich toasted?”

Later still, during homeschool, Alex says, "Mom, the dictionary is like magic. You just find the word by looking for the letters, then you turn it this way and that way, and then there's the word. It's magic." Now, when we read, he stops me to look up the words he hasn't heard before. He thinks it's...well, magical.

We went to the park for 3 hours with some home schoolers for a Valentine's party. There was food, crafts, a sandbox, someone brought their drums (big hit!). There were dogs on occasion for Avery to go nuts over. And best of all, it was 75 gorgeous degrees.

I’m thinking to myself, Is this seriously my life? What a blessing. If I’m not the luckiest mom in the world, then I don’t know who is. The good news is, I think there’s a lot of moms just like me and that makes me very happy. I hope there’s millions of them.

Friday the 13th

2009-02-14T13:03:00.000-08:00

Alex spend the better part of the day trying to convince me it was a bad luck day, even though he didn't even know what Friday the 13th was when the day started out. His evidence? Two specific unrelated events. See for yourself.

We don't have any pets; just a 16-month-old fresh out of the bath. And before my 16-month-old went to bed that night, she had learned a new word: "Ewwww."

Mormon Messages on YouTube

2009-02-09T20:46:00.000-08:00

Have you seen these videos yet? They only have 8 up so far but it looks like there will be many more in the future.

Here's a good one:

What the Heck is an Earthship?

2009-02-09T18:17:00.000-08:00

Imagine living in a home with no utility bills. Imagine living in a home that stays 70 degrees year-round in the harshest climates using no electric air conditioning and no heating other than the sun. Imagine living in a home that can provide all the water your family needs in a locality that produces 7-8 inches of rain water per year.

Imagine picking ripe bananas and oranges year-round from trees that grow inside your home in climates that get as cold as 35 degrees below zero (keep in mind that you are using no electric or gas heating at all, even during the coldest part of winter).

This isn't science fiction. It's a reality all across the world in earthships.

Karina and I are seriously considering building an earthship. Earthships are completely self-sufficient homes built almost entirely from recycled materials including discarded tires, cans, and bottles.

Earthship n. 1. passive solar home made of natural and recycled materials 2. thermal mass construction for temperature stabilization. 3. renewable energy & integrated water systems make the Earthship an off-grid home with little to no utility bills.
Biotecture n. 1. the profession of designing buildings and environments with consideration for their sustainability. 2. A combination of biology and architecture.

Michael Reynolds is the architect that pioneered them. There's an excellent movie about him called "Garbage Warrior." I invite you to watch it, but just to warn you, there is a lot of language in it from hippie construction worker-types.

You can also find a bunch of great videos here.

Considering the major trends, such as rising oil and energy prices, it only makes sense that we actively seek more sustainable forms of living. And it doesn't get any better than earthships.

What do you think? Are you ready to get off the grid?

Valentine's Day Daddy-Daughter Dance

2009-02-08T20:54:00.000-08:00

Libby and I had SO much fun at this dance! Round Rock does it every year at the community rec center.

Libby was absolutely ADORABLE! We told her about it a couple weeks before and she was so excited to go.

Here are a couple pictures of us before the dance:

After Karina curled her hair she smiled and whispered, "I look like a woman."

We waited in line for 45 minutes for her to get her face painted:

She danced like she was the only one on the dance floor -- uninhibited, carefree, precious, glimmering like the Captivating princess she is. Lots of twirling, and she also figured out how to work the splits into her routine.

The last song was "My Little Girl" by Tim McGraw and I wanted to lift her up, hold her tight, and sing to her but she wasn't done fast dancing yet. "Stop singing!" she demanded and asked me to put her down so she could keep dancing alone.

Reading This Many Books Can Be So Exhausting!

2009-02-08T20:52:00.000-08:00

First victim, Avery, our newest reader :)

Then it's Libby's turn to rest.

Our Little Readers

2009-02-08T20:48:00.000-08:00

This year Alex has really improved his reading skills. He reads to Libby often and mostly tolerates her snuggling with him because Alex has never been a snuggler.

It's also normal for Libby to fall asleep during our morning reading sessions, but this picture is special because her arm is around his neck...that, and she's practically laying on him and he's not bugged about it...oh, and my couch and floor usually aren't that clean. He must really be into this book.

This scene is becoming more and more common around here. Alex is reading Rules by Cynthia Lord, which is a few levels above his current reading skills, but I read this book to him a few months ago, he loved it, and he's slowly pushing through it at the rate of about one chapter per week.

He'll stop to ask me what a word is from time to time, but I'm amazed that it's not more often than it is.

We're currently reading The High King, which is the 5th (and last) book in Lloyd Alexander's Prydain series. They were a gift from Uncle Wo at Christmas. He really loves them, and I know he'll be re-reading them until they fall apart.

Libby "reads" too. She's not just looking at the pictures. She's really talking out the story...or making something up.

For a long time we were reading Nancy Drew books and so whenever she'd pick up a book she'd say, "And Nancy exclaimed..." "Then Nancy explained..." "And her mom died when she was 2..." "But Nancy exclaimed..."