Hector Hawk Halloween Leonard

Christmas Letter 2011

2011-12-23T16:47:00.003-06:00

December 2011

Dear Family and Friends,

We hope you had a great year!! We have been busy, but we have had a wonderful 2011.

Shawnie was recently released as a councilor in the Primary Presidency and is now an Activity Days Leader in charge of helping the children obtain their Faith in God awards. This past year she has enjoyed the opportunity to fit in some sewing between the children's activities.

Kyle was called to be the Ward Employment Specialist and is also teaching Sunday School to the 14 and 15 year-olds in the Ward. Kyle's big home improvement project this year was to remodel our hall bathroom in September.

Brittany is now twelve years old. She is in the 7th grade at Brooks Wester Middle School where she participates in Pre-AP (Advanced Placement) classes, the school's Concert Choir, and was among the largest group of students in the school's history to try out for the All Region Choir. While she was not chosen to sing with the choir, she learned a lot and she hopes to make it next year. Brittany also joined the Young Women's program this year where she currently serves as the Beehive Class Secretary and loved Girls Camp. Brittany is a great help around the house and has begun baby-sitting for Mom and Dad (whoohoo!).

Megan is ten and is in the 4th grade at J.L. Boren Elementary. Megan is a very inquisitive student and has stepped up to the challenges of 4th grade. We were excited this fall to watch Megan use her physical talents as she played soccer again with her team, “Super Stars.” It was awesome to watch her work ethic on the field and her desire to assist her team mates to succeed. Megan has also joined Brittany and Kyle to sing in the Ward Choir.

Joshua is eight and is enjoying 2nd grade, also at J.L. Boren Elementary. Joshua chose to be baptized this year and also joined Cub Scouts. His first week happened to be the Pinewood Derby! Josh also played soccer this fall and was picked from the draft to play with the Mansfield Venom. He learned a lot from a very good coach. We were excited to see his growth.

Paul is five and loving Kindergarten, also at J.L. Boren Elementary. He is a friend to many. We watch as he always seems to have a new good friend to lift and have fun with. Paul also played soccer this fall. It was a joy to watch his team, Lightning, grow from running around aimlessly to a well-oiled team of Kindergarteners! Paul loves to ride his new bike and playing with his siblings.

Erica will be four this December. She loves helping Shawnie at home, especially cooking and playing with her little sister, Lydia. Erica took dance lessons this fall. If you can convince her that she really took the class, she might even dance for you. Whether she acknowledges it or not, she really does enjoy dancing!

Lydia is 18 months old and is our friend maker. Wherever she goes, she loves to look at people until they acknowledge her. Recently, she learned how to say hi, and will say 'hi' to complete strangers. She definitely knows how to lighten up someone's day. At home she loves giving hugs and kisses.

As for the coming year, we look forward to the addition of our seventh child in June 2012! We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Love,

The Kyle and Shawnie Leonard Family

**Thanks to Brittany for writing the letter this year.

Brittany (12)

Megan (10)

Joshua (8)

Paul (5)

Erica (3, almost 4)

Lydia (18mos)

The Little Red Hen & Why projects fail

2011-10-13T06:16:00.000-05:00

Do you remember the children's story "The Little Red Hen?" Wikipedia reminds us of the storyline, it is a story about a Hen who...

"...finds a grain of wheat, and asks for help from the other farmyard animals to plant it. However, no animal will volunteer to help her."

"At each further stage (harvest, threshing, milling the wheat into flour, and baking the flour into bread), the hen again asks for help from the other animals, but again she gets no assistance."

"Finally, the hen has completed her task, and asks who will help her eat the bread. This time, all the previous non-participants eagerly volunteer. However, she declines their help, stating that no one aided her in the preparation work, and eats it with her chicks, leaving none for anyone else." (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Red_Hen)

Let's add a new modern twist to this story. What if the Farmer came to the Hen after planting the seed and told her "Good job! You've succeeded at planting the wheat. Now change your focus to work on making the bread. I need to justify to Mrs. Farmer the need to have you around." The Hen may protest, "But I don't have any flour yet." The Farmer's arrogant reply is , "It doesn't matter, I need results now. It doesn't even need to be a full loaf, one piece will do!"

It does not matter to the Farmer that a project plan was vetted through him and Mother Nature. It needs to be changed now, even though following the original plan will get the Farmer a great tasting LOAF of bread. He just wants the Hen to throw something together by next week and 'prove Her worth' or to 'meet Mrs. Farmer's need for one piece of bread.'

Isn't this the typical reason projects fail or are extended? What seems at the moment a great pressing need to succumb to outside pressure to change the scope of the project, is allowed to creep in and change everything up. "Oh, we don't need to weed the soil or harvest the new wheat, or thresh & mill any new wheat. We can use the pile of old flour over there.

If the project is just allowed to progress, the bread will be made at the end of the project. Or maybe a new project will need to spin up concurrently to make the fancier bread (raisin or multi-grain bread) being requested. Non-the-less, either the natural progression of the project is stymied and ground is actually lost or the results of the project are not the full results that could have been achieved.

"But," goes the argument, "Mrs. Farmer got her piece of bread!" And to that I reply, "Yes, but next time, the old pile of flour will have been used up and more work will be required to get the same results."

So are we going to be a people of 'get rich quick' and rush to the results or at some point are we going to wake up to the fact that the foundation steps are required to achieve great results?

August 2011 photos

2011-08-22T12:49:00.000-05:00

Weed through the many photos taken by the kids and you'll find birthday photos/videos.

First Day of School!

2011-08-22T12:39:00.000-05:00

July Photos

2011-07-28T20:30:00.000-05:00

June 2011

2011-07-28T20:25:00.001-05:00

Click the photo for the whole album (with lots of video clips).

May photos

2011-05-17T18:43:00.000-05:00

I've been waiting to post these photos until after we returned from my Brother Keith's wedding. Mostly because of the pictures of the quilt Shawnie put together in a matter of days for their wedding gift.

I love my talented wife!

Easter Photos

2011-04-24T15:02:00.001-05:00

JWL as a referee

2011-03-13T19:17:00.000-05:00

Soccer has begun

2011-03-12T17:20:00.000-06:00

How to Match Your Clothes, by a 3 year old

2011-02-18T09:01:00.003-06:00

When getting dressed this morning, Erica chose a skirt with blue and purple flowers. Then she wanted me to choose her shirt. I pulled out a purple shirt. She said no. I pulled out a blue shirt. She said no again. I told her to pick her own shirt and left the room. A few minutes later, Erica came out dressed. When I said that the pink flower shirt didn't match the blue and purple flower skirt, Erica said, "But they're both flowers," in the most matter-of-fact way.

So if you see Erica, or another 3 year old, in the store with an odd outfit, you should know that she did in fact choose matching clothes, just according to her own rules.

One room school-house learning

2011-01-22T06:25:00.000-06:00

What is wrong with education today?

Schools have become too socialized in their approach. They look to the institution too much, rather than the individual. Our mega-schools are geared towards saving a dollar and mass producing students, rather than meeting the individual student at his or her level and helping him or her learn and grow. Decisions are made at the district and principal level, rather than at the classroom and individual level. In other-words, decisions are made for the whole rather than for the individual. A socialized rather than a democratic approach to education.

How to solve it?

I believe the solution is found in the basic ideas that made America great. Individualism, hard work, and local community. We need to recreate the local structure in the neighborhood where students can be nurtured at an individual level. Provide support and use a structure which promotes the individual rather than the class or group. The Boy Scouts troops and merit badge model is a good example of this type of learning. Or the model we have in universities and colleges. Take the child out of the group and create small groups that meet specific needs. When those needs are met, restructure for the new needs, all the while meeting group and societal goals for learning.

At a young age (up to age 6), larger groups of children working together in a classroom setting to learn collective ideas of community is important. However, after this age -- or more importantly-- after the list of basic skills achieved today in Pre-K, Kindergarten, and 1st grade are achieved, the notion of community has been established and the building blocks of the child have been established. (reading, writing, basic arithmetic, etc) I'd suggest keeping these building block classes in place. All children should participate. However, it may be at different ages (earlier or later) than currently implemented.

After establishing that the children have these basics down, the next step is to add knowledge in each of these areas. The approach to learning found in the Boy Scouts is the closest model to what I'd think matches best the philosophy I am suggesting. Create small groups where the focus is on a list of badges (learning objectives) to earn. Classes at schools may still be offered in mathematics, science, social studies, etc. but instead of being assigned by age, it is assigned by the merit badge or list of topics being mastered.

The other aspect of the Boy Scouts merit badge model that is important is the notion that the student has responsibility to accomplish the goal. However, the student cannot have all responsibility or the goal will never be met. Instead, it is a shared responsibility among a group of people all focusing on the individual: the student, parents, teacher/mentor, counselor. To this end, small groups of students with an adult mentor and student leaders could be formed with the purpose of encouraging students to accomplish goals and report their progress to each other.

A similar structure to what exists in schools today could continue. However, the difference would be in how the student is held responsible. A higher level of individual attention would be needed. Parents would need to take more time to help make sure the child is achieving each learning goal (Merit Badge), school structures would need to change to provide a more ad-hoc approach to learning. Support systems at schools would need to change from classes of students to groups of individuals working to help each other achieve learning goals.

I see this as a one-room school-house approach to learning. Children at individual levels learning side-by-side the different lessons they need -- meeting their individual needs, rather than the group's needs.

What do you think? What did I miss? How would you improve education?

Lydia Speaks

2011-01-09T21:25:00.002-06:00

Celebrating the New Year -- in pictures

2011-01-03T21:04:00.000-06:00

Christmas Letter 2010

2010-12-25T19:27:00.000-06:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Merry Christmas y'all! We have had a good year and hope you did too.

Lydia Kate Leonard was added onto our family on May 6, 2010. She is now 7 months old and crawling.

Erica will be 3 on December 27th and is very excited to be three and joining Primary as a Sunbeam. She loves playing with her dolls and with Paul and Lydia.

Paul is a very active 4 year old. He enjoys being loud, playing with his younger sisters, and older brother, Josh.

Joshua (Josh) turned 7 in September. He is enjoying 1st grade. He likes playing Legos and cars, and riding his bike. He also enjoys playing with his brother and sisters.

Megan turned 9 in November. She enjoys attending Activity Days (with Brittany) and 3rd grade. She still adores horses and enjoys playing soccer with the family.

Brittany is 11 – in 6th grade – and enjoying every minute of it. She enjoys singing in the school and church choirs.

Shawnie stays at home raising the children. She enjoys quilting and sewing, as a matter of fact, she has quilted 2 quilts and accomplished several sewing projects this year. She is a good cook and very helpful with the children (especially the girls). She serves as the 1st Counselor in the Primary presidency.

Kyle has been through a lot since March. He lost his job and thankfully found a new job with AmeriCredit/GM Financial in October. He is the Ward Mission Leader.

Other than a new baby, unemployment, a broken dishwasher, a new job, a new pair of glasses, a brand new school year, and two bike crashes (Brittany & Grandma; Josh & neighbor boy), we have had a pretty normal year (if you call that normal)!

With Love,
The Leonards

(Special thanks to Brittany for crafting our letter this year!)

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T17:33:00.001-06:00

Romania Pictures

2010-12-24T14:28:00.002-06:00

Romania Pictures

How does that go again?

2010-12-09T08:23:00.001-06:00

One of Paul's new vocabulary words is "regot." He says it instead of "forgot." I think it is one of the cutest kid language mix-ups I have ever heard.

Judy Leonard Pierce

2010-11-28T19:22:00.000-06:00

This past week a beloved Aunt and friend passed away after a short illness (See her obituary here). Judy was a good friend of Mom's before Mom knew who Dad was, a friendship which continues today. Judy also held a special place in my heart. As I look back on my youth, I can point to Judy as someone who influenced my development and continued to offer her concern, wisdom and love each time she saw me.

Judy helped me as a youth to learn the value of a dollar. She worked for a printing company responsible for a local phone book. Judy enlisted me and my cousins to deliver the local phone book. We were paid 10 cents for each book we delivered. The day would start by loading up Grandpa's old farm truck with boxes of phone books, then we'd drive to a neighborhood, put down the tail gate and jockey for the first one out delivering. Judy would shuttle back and forth between streets while groups of us took 10 books in our arms and carefully threw the books to the front doors. Judy would carefully mark down how many books we took and mark the streets we delivered to on one of the phone book maps.

Judy somehow knew which homes had the angry dogs, where the 'hidden' bungalows were located, which door was the 'front' door and how much to push us before we were ready to break. Her concern was especially great one spring day, while delivering books. The air was still crisp and dirty snow still spotted the neighborhoods. We were riding on the tailgate of the truck and rounded a corner to drive up a hill to work from the top down. In the gutter was black ice! The truck was driving slow, but the sliding on the ice, then sudden stop as the wheels caught hold of the pavement was enough to throw us in the bed of the truck and throw me off the tailgate and onto a hard pavement below. I was dazed from the fall and bump to the head and scratched and bruised. I don't remember the pain of the fall, my memory is of Judy's concern for me and the others in her care. She quickly took charge, had things put away and and had me get into the cab for the ride home. I don't think I've had quite such a benevolent boss since.

At this time of loss I am truly grateful for the principles of resurrection and the eternal nature of our existence. The blessing of knowing "...that same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there [in the Spirit world]..." is truly comforting. (Doctrine and Covenants 130:2) Also the knowledge that Jesus Christ died and rose again on the third day, providing for us the gift of resurrection. I especially love the teachings in the Book of Mormon (Alma 40-42) which simply present the Plan of Salvation, what Christ did for us, and our part to play to receive Salvation.

Thank you Judy! Til we meet again.

I think it's safe to say...

2010-10-25T13:07:00.002-05:00

that Kyle has a job!!! This is his second week, and I'm convinced it is real. It is what he was looking for, and it is close, so we do not have to move. Thank you for all your prayers and referrals and encouragement. It was a long time, but the Lord truly blessed us and took care of us.

Things that Happened Last Week

2010-10-03T21:10:00.002-05:00

(in no particular order)
1. Joshua had his 7th birthday.
2. Joshua crashed into a neighbor on his bike. After he started asking the same questions repeatedly and not remembering what had happened, we were worried and took him to the ER. He had a concussion but checked out all right. We learned that helmets really are important. (Yes, he was wearing one.)
3. The dishwasher, which has been extremely noisy for several weeks, completely quit. It is time for our children to learn how to wash dishes by hand. Today I realized that they really don't know how, so this is a good opportunity.
4. We enjoyed General Conference. We now have a family tradition to set out snacks, each one with a list of words. When one of the words is said, everyone can have a snack. Of course, this only works when watching at home.
5. Kyle had several phone interviews. He has more interviews scheduled this week, some will be face-to-face.
6. Kyle and I got a babysitter and went on a date to a dollar theater. We enjoyed ourselves, and the children were happy, too.
7. Lydia started eating solids - baby oatmeal. She is almost sitting by herself.
8. Paul and Lydia both had doctor check-ups. Lydia weighs more than most her age. Paul weighs less than most his age. Paul was excited to report to Kyle that he got 4 shots; Lydia only got 2.
9. Paul finally graduated out of a car seat into a booster seat. He is older than any of the others were, but he just now met the height and weight requirements.
10. The evenings have cooled, and it is getting dark earlier, so the children have begun their fall games of playing in the back yard in the dark between dinner and bedtime.

Hermine flooding around town.

2010-09-08T14:52:00.000-05:00

Photo/Video update

2010-08-16T14:54:00.000-05:00

Video of Lydia

And photos too

08 - August 2010

Baby Talk - Lydia @ 10 weeks

2010-07-31T15:08:00.000-05:00

OK, so maybe I am acting a bit like a first time father, but there were three or four different cute parts of this three minute video. Here you go Grandma.

"I don't have nothing to do."

2010-07-29T22:57:00.002-05:00

I've been hearing this a lot lately. This particular wording is from Erica, and although I have tried, the problem with double negatives is lost on my 2 year old. Mostly, though, we are still enjoying summer.

At 8 weeks

2010-07-11T19:06:00.000-05:00

Playing in the Gulf of Mexico

2010-07-09T18:07:00.000-05:00

At six weeks

2010-07-09T17:58:00.000-05:00

One month old

2010-06-08T21:52:00.000-05:00

One week old...already?

2010-05-17T10:06:00.001-05:00

What's in a name?

2010-05-14T14:48:00.000-05:00

I find it interesting how different people come to conclusions on how to name a child. It seems there are some people, who know from a very young age the names they want their children to be called.

Shawnie and I don't fall into that group.

It is fair to say, we have struggled a lot with what names are appropriate, desirable, and fit for the individual child. For at least one of our children there was clear direction on what the name should be (and what it shouldn't be). Otherwise, each child's name was part of a list of names that couldn't be finalized until the baby was born.

From the first list of girl names we compiled, Shawnie included the name Lydia. This name was inspired from a person in Shawnie's family history who is also a famous woman in LDS church history.

Lydia Knight is a true inspiration and hero. I hope our Lydia learns of her experiences and challenges. I hope she uses this great pioneer woman's example as an example in her life when life gets hard. While there are many things written about her life, this article sums up her life beautifully.

Remember Lydia, "God Rules!"

Intro to Lydia

2010-05-10T16:24:00.000-05:00

New Baby GIRL!

2010-05-07T17:08:00.000-05:00

We have all been waiting for a good while for this news, Lydia Kate Leonard was born Thursday May 6th, 2010 at 11:57am! She weighed in at a hefty 8lbs 11 oz and 19-3/4 inches long.

Shawnie and Lydia returned home this afternoon and both are doing very well!

Shh! -- A poem by Brittany

2010-04-28T09:17:00.000-05:00

Shh!

The little babe is sleeping.

Shh!

You don't want to wake it up.

Shh!

If the little one

should wake

screams

will

fill

the

place.

Shh!

Say again?

2010-04-20T14:54:00.001-05:00

I was sitting down and this image happened to be on the screen. Paul looked at me with a very serious look and said something to me. I asked him to repeat what he said so I could understand. He said, "Dad, I want this thing for my birthday!" I replied. "OK, Paul. I'll see what I can do.

See the full post here.

Erica being her cute self

2010-04-19T12:35:00.000-05:00

Erica being her cute self.

Net neutrality...a little more on the subject

2010-04-14T23:02:00.000-05:00

The "Net neutrality" fight is important. It is a fundamental issue with how the Internet works. Which side are you on?

The death of Net neutrality: Five quick thoughts | ZDNet Government | ZDNet.com
government.zdnet.com
Today, a federal appeals court rejected the FCC's claim that Comcast couldn't 'sculpt' Internet traffic and block the flow of BitTorrent data.

<--------- This post is a follow-up on my Facebook post above --------->

Who does the Net neutrality discussion involve? There are only a handful of ISPs in this discussion. The last-mile ISPs (your ISP) are small players out of the realm of this discussion. The ISPs (if you can call them that) in this discussion are the national and trans-national network owners which make up the back-bone of the Internet in the US. Essentially, if you think of the Internet being made up of different sized roads, from a driveway into your house to the 10 lane super highways, the "Net neutrality" debate is a basic battle over who should control the rules of the road and mostly involves discussion about the 10 lane superhighways which connect the different parts of the country together.

In-other-words, if ATT owned the Dallas freeways and Timewarner owned the Ft Worth freeways, should they each be allowed to determine who can
get on the freeway, speed limits, road sign design, and the other rules of the road OR should the FCC be in charge of setting the rules?

The ruling was in favor of the near monopoly network owners. Essentially, the networks can decide who is allowed on the network.

Update

2010-04-14T08:38:00.004-05:00

We are nearing the end, of several things.

First, the remodeling. Kyle has been working hard. The ceiling and walls have been textured and painted. All the trim has been installed and painted. Last night Kyle and I filled nail holes and applied caulk to the trim. All that is left is some touch-up painting before the carpet is installed on Friday or Monday, and putting on the door knobs. Yay! It looks great, thanks to Kyle's hard work and attention to all those little details.

Second, the pregnancy. I have finally reached the point that I can stop worrying about the contractions I have been feeling for months and instead look forward to our baby being born.

Now it is time to look forward and try to prepare ourselves for whatever is coming next, too bad we don't know what that is!

Religion and politics

2010-04-07T06:04:00.001-05:00

Had an interesting conversation recently on various political subjects with someone. Our political views were somewhat divergent. I don't know that we made any huge strides forward, but we communicated our views.

It greatly concerns me that in large part US politics are becoming a WIN-LOSE proposition. We and our leaders are not able to find common ground with each other. We no longer listen to each other, connect in meaningful ways, and compromise.

Even more so, it saddens me to see so many LDS people who are so politically closed minded that civil discussion is not possible. What makes this country great is its diversity. What makes the gospel great is the diversity of people who can accept it. How can an LDS person think it impossible for a member to be a member in good-standing if s/he is not a Republican? Where does it say in the baptismal covenant that I have to be affiliated to a certain party to join the church? Why do we judge our fellow members are not worthy if they do subscribe to our personal political beliefs? Why are we so narrow minded?

It is with great interest I found this article from the Church. Maybe it is time to rethink politics and religion and who is allowed into our 'club.'

Focus on Josh

2010-04-06T10:29:00.000-05:00

Josh was recently featured on his classroom bulletin board. He created a poster board with pictures of his accomplishments and things he likes to do. These pictures were his first picks. He then had to narrow it down to fewer. Can you tell what is important to him from the photos? Unfortunately, we don't have any photos of him with his Legos which he drew on the poster!

Changing the batteries in the DVD remote reeks havoc on TV watching

2010-03-25T09:30:00.000-05:00

The batteries die in the DVD player's remote and all TV watching is interrupted. If only because we have programmed the remote to work with the TV as well.

Should be a simple fix, right? But who remembers the code to enter and the exact steps needed to make it work? Luckily, the Internet holds information, even for 10 year old TVs and their 5 yr old DVD counterparts.

So for the next time the batteries die, the code to enter on the DVD remote for the RCA brand TV we own is 1461. Specifically, hold down the
"Quickview" button while entering the code.

Funny email going around: LDS Church explained in cars.

2010-03-22T14:03:00.000-05:00

High Priests are like old jeeps, they can't carry much but

They're reliable and will never leave you stuck.

Relief Society women are like Lamborghinis. They are very

beautiful, move really fast and are lots of fun, but you had

better spend time and money maintaining them or you'll be

sorry.

Elders Quorum brethren are like freight trains. They can

carry a lot and work hard, but it takes a lot of energy to

get them going.

Young Men are like bullet bikes. They can go 200 miles/hour and are

lots of fun but one mistake and they'll wreck fast.

Young Women are like Miata clubs. Cute little cars that

look like they're having fun but they're always in tight

packs and can't seem to figure out where they're going.

And Primary.

Argument for Argument's Sake

2010-03-03T08:59:00.003-06:00

Kyle's been spending more time at home during the day, and he's been surprised by how much Paul and Erica can argue and fuss. (I guess he didn't really believe me when I told him.) One morning, we were all at the table eating when I actually focused on what the argument was about. Then I told Kyle, "These two, who do not even know their numbers, are watching the face clock and arguing about what time it is." Talk about arguing for argument's sake. Of course, I feel that I must also say that most of the time, Paul and Erica enjoy each other and are good friends.

All for a glass of water

2010-02-28T21:13:00.001-06:00

The children put together a little play tonight, then adapted it to make a movie. Lots of fun!

And a clip from a little while back:

Honda, making the mini-van palatable to everyone?

2010-02-25T23:01:00.000-06:00

2010 Chicago: Honda’s 2011 Odyssey Concept Aims at the Hesitators – Automotive News & Car Rumors at Automobile Magazine

I've never been negative about mini-vans, maybe its just my lack of social prowess. But what does it matter whether I drive a cool family car?

Whatever I think, Honda seems to think they can get more people to buy a mini-van by some-how making it more 'cool.' The concept car is pretty cool looking, but will it really make people flock back to the mini-van?

"I want to sleep in my bed"

2010-02-22T08:37:00.003-06:00

This morning when it was time to go to school, Erica was still sleeping. As I lifted Erica out of her crib, I told her that we had to take Megan and Josh to school. Erica told me, "I want to sleep in my bed." I felt bad once again to be waking her up to get someone else where they needed to be, but Paul, and Erica, and the next baby, too, have always had to fit sleeping around everyone else's schedules.

Not since 1978...

2010-02-11T17:17:00.003-06:00

Lights!

2010-02-04T15:39:00.002-06:00

The other day I got out the box of shoes that the older children outgrew but are being saved for the younger children. I found what I needed for Paul and then rushed on to the next thing without putting away the box. Later I found Erica going through the shoes. She had found a sandal with Princesses, and she told me, "It matches me." I think she meant that it fits her, but it also matches her "princess" personality. It looked like it would fit, so I found the mate and helped her put both sandals on. When she stood up, the lights on the front of the shoes lit up, and Erica was very excited. These are now the only shoes she wants to wear, and she loves to jump to turn on the lights. I'm just glad those sandals were made with long-life batteries and light bulbs. Even though Megan is 6 years older than Erica, the lights still work!

Making Progress

2010-01-30T22:12:00.002-06:00

I've been putting up a wall to provide us a space for the baby. Here's a video of the progress.

What's Up?

2010-01-20T08:51:00.002-06:00

You're probably wondering, because we haven't said anything since Christmas Eve. So, here goes.

We really enjoyed the holidays. We had a great Christmas at home, and then we went to my parents for a week-long family reunion. It was a lot of fun, and a blast to have everyone together. Too bad Brian's family was sick part of the time and had to miss some things.

Kyle, with some help, has been spending his free time working on a remodeling project. We are carving a bedroom (sort of) out of our unusually large master bedroom. Actually, it won't have a closet, and you'll have to walk through it to get to our room, so a realtor would consider it more of a sitting room in a master suite. But we are going to use it for a bedroom for the new baby. Last weekend my parents and Amy came to visit, and in one day the project went from stud framing to a wall with all the wall board in place and the french doors hung. Thanks Dad - your expertise and help made that go so much faster and smoother! Now there's just plaster, texture, paint, finish molding, door knobs, and carpet left to do. We have until May to finish, and I think we'll make it in plenty of time.

The children are back into the school routine, Megan changed piano teachers, Josh broke his glasses and got them fixed, I made it through a Primary quarterly activity, we survived a week of frigid cold, and now we are enjoying a week of spring warmth (except for the allergies it brought out in me). So, I think we are back to typical life!

Snow! - Repost

2010-01-02T22:10:00.002-06:00

It is snowing right now -- on Christmas Eve!! It started several hours ago, and now it is starting to stick to the grass. And to think that yesterday it was in the 70s. The children are excited and have been in and out several times. Josh is the most excited, and the most willing to brave the cold.

A Funny Line from Paul

2009-12-20T12:51:00.003-06:00

As Kyle was helping the children with lunch today, he said, "You know, you girls get prettier every day." Then Paul piped up and said, "And the boys, too!"

Paul never wants to be left out!

Pretty funny -- self assembling motorcycle

2009-12-10T18:53:00.002-06:00

Brittany's Art Work

2009-11-29T16:54:00.000-06:00

Transparency art

Self Portrait

Heart art

Another picture by Megan

2009-11-12T19:48:00.000-06:00

Another picture by Megan!

What kind of mother dresses her child like this, anyway?

2009-11-10T21:28:00.000-06:00

Apparently, I am now that mother.

In the past I have let my children wear strange things at home, but I made them dress in clean, matching clothes when we left the house. This combination of competing stripes hurts my eyes, but today, Erica wore this all day, everywhere we went.

That just goes to show how difficult she is to dress. Once we actually get clothes on Erica, I don't really care anymore what she looks like. She's not yet 2, but she has definite opinions, which of course are unexplainable and vary from day to day. I let her pick her clothes, but when I go to put them on her, she has already changed her mind. Sometimes she will get something half way on, and then change her mind. If I force her into something she has decided against, it means a major tantrum. And once she settles down, she still removes the clothes, and we start all over again.

So I've decided that most of the time, it's enough that she is wearing clothes, regardless of how they look.

Pre-Halloween Photos

2009-11-01T20:22:00.000-06:00

A few photos from our pre-Halloween activities...more to come.
http://hectorhawk.blogspot.com/

Josh's Game

2009-10-31T15:42:00.002-05:00

Megan's soccer game

2009-10-18T22:23:00.000-05:00

The Adventures of Paul

2009-10-09T11:36:00.002-05:00

Paul is quite adventurous and daring, and he believes he can do almost anything his older siblings can do. He often performs daring maneuvers, such as jumping off high objects, and he lands in such a way that he almost does a somersault from the force of the impact. But then he jumps up and says, "I OK!" and then runs off to play some more. You need this background to understand my reactions in the following story.

Yesterday after Josh's soccer practice, I let the kids play at the playground for 10 or 15 minutes before coming home. I pushed Erica in the swing while the others played. At one point Paul was crying, and I went over to check him out. He is usually fine unless he is bleeding. I brushed off the wood chips, showing him that there was no blood, and he was fine. I asked him what had happened, and he showed me what he had jumped off of. It was a platform that was as high as the tips of his fingers when he stretched as high as he could reach. Then he went off to play until I said it was time to go. The children didn't want to leave, and there was some whining, but I started walking for the car because it was time to go. Paul whined the most, and then he complained that he couldn't walk because his foot hurt. I had no compassion and made him walk. In fact at one point Megan was going to give him a piggy back ride, but I said no because he shouldn't get things for crying.

On the way home, Paul continued to whine and cry and complain about his foot. I was thinking that he must be ready for bed. At one point I asked Brittany to take off his sandal and look at his foot for him. She was nice and helped him settle down some. After we got home, he continued to complain about his foot and say that he couldn't walk. So Kyle and I checked him out, but we didn't really see anything, no bruising or swelling. We carried him around until bed time and hoped he'd forget it by the morning. I was beginning to have visions of my 3 year old with a cast on his foot for weeks.

In the morning, Paul said his foot still hurt, and he still wanted to be carried. I decided we'd better get it checked out. We went to the doctor this morning, who decided that it was just sprained (especially since there wasn't swelling). I am glad to avoid fractures and casts. He now just limps around. Paul has been temporarily slowed down, but it remains to be seen whether he learns a lesson.

HOPE

2009-09-27T21:31:00.042-05:00

I was assigned the thought for the ward leadership meeting this moring and I was struggling with what to share. Last night, I thought I'd scan LDS.org to see if there were any topics which could provide an idea. I came across a new page: http://www.lds.org/topic/hope/

With the world in so much commotion lately, the messages on this page are wonderful and helped fill a void I hadn't realized was needing filled. I especially liked the submitted thoughts by others about overcoming the various challenges life throws at you with hope in Christ.

Since my purpose was to find a spiritual thought, I also turned to the online Topical Guide to find a scripture or two on hope. That is where I found Alma 13:28-29.

28 But that ye would humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and ^awatch and pray continually, that ye may not be ^btempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be ^cled by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, ^dmeek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long-suffering;
29 ^aHaving faith on the Lord; having a hope that ye shall receive eternal life; having the ^blove of God always in your hearts, that ye may be lifted up at the last day and enter into his ^crest.

More Pictures

2009-09-02T19:37:00.002-05:00

http://hectorhawk.blogspot.com/2009/09/more-pictures_02.html

The New School Year

2009-09-01T11:20:00.004-05:00

From Collages

We have now started the second week of school. Megan is confident now that she is in second grade with the same teacher Brittany had for second grade. Megan has just slid right into the new school year without seeming to need any adjustments. Although there have been some worries about friends and lockers, Brittany is enjoying Intermediate school. The mysterious lockers have been conquered, new friends are being made, and old friends are seen after school. Brittany seems to relish the independence of walking to and from school by herself while I drive Josh and Megan to and from the elementary school. Joshua loves being in school. He is making friends and tells me the work is all easy.

Paul, Erica, and I are having trouble remembering what to do with ourselves without everyone here. Paul and Erica play together for awhile, then they argue a little, then they play, then they think it must be time to pick up the others, but it's only lunch time. Erica has started resisting naps, even refusing on some days. I think 20 months is too young for that! I know I kept busy before, but I can't quite remember how. I think I need to find a project to work on (maybe Christmas preparations?). I am doing a rotating mother's preschool/playdate every Thursday morning for Paul; that will be good for both of us. Yesterday I put Paul and Erica in the bike trailer and went for a 30 minute ride; then we did it again for a Family Night activity. Today I'm sore. Hopefully soon I'll find a good routine because school is here to stay (at least until June).

Luke 15:3-7

2009-08-29T14:32:00.000-05:00

This has been on my mind this afternoon:

3 And [Jesus] spake this parable unto them, saying,
4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.
7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

--Kyle

First Day of School pics

2009-08-27T07:19:00.001-05:00

Paul and Erica

2009-08-16T15:54:00.002-05:00

Paul and Erica are playing together more and more. I enjoy watching them together. Sometimes they get in trouble together. A few days ago I was outside in the backyard for a few minutes. When I came back in, Paul and Erica were both in the kitchen. After listening to their explanations, I put together the story: Paul had climbed up onto the counter to get some crackers. He successfully got a package of crackers out of the cupboard above the stove, but he fell while getting down, hitting his head into Erica's. Every time they do something like that, I worry about them.

But there are also moments like the one I just witnessed that encourage me. They have been pushing around the toy shopping cart and stroller. Erica told Paul that she was hurt and pointed to her head. Paul said "I need to kiss it," and he did. Erica was satisfied and the two of them continued playing.

I am glad they are enjoying each other and building a good friendship.

August ?!

2009-08-02T18:27:00.002-05:00

It's already August?! July flew by, and now we are preparing for school. Brittany has an orientation for intermediate school on Wednesday. We continue to pick up school supplies as they go on sale, and shopping for school clothes, shoes, and backpacks is done. I hope there will still be plenty of time for relaxation and fun before school starts. I will miss the full house as they go back to school.

There will be several milestones this year, as Josh starts Kindergarten and Brittany starts Intermediate school. I will have just Paul and Erica home. (Funny perspective - "just" 2 children home from school.) Speaking of milestones, Paul decided on Friday that he was ready to use the potty, and I went along with it. He is not doing great, but OK. I hope he gets it down faster than Josh did, but I don't have much control over that.

Before school starts, we will celebrate both Brittany's and Paul's birthdays, and Brittany will spend a week with Grandma - just her. She is very excited.

I have been working on reading the Book of Mormon. In July, the Young Women started a challenge to read the whole book by September 2nd. It was supposed to be 9 pages a day, but I started a week late and missed a few days. I now need to read 14 or 15 pages a day. So I have really been trying to read every day, and I have been reading for a longer time. Sometimes I have felt that I am just reading but not focusing very well or learning very much, but I have kept doing it. I have been more consistent than I have been for a long time, and I have seen a difference. The Book of Mormon is powerful. I have not struggled nearly so much with my temper. I have been better at staying calm and not yelling. All I have done differently is read The Book of Mormon, and it has made a huge difference. I think is because the Holy Ghost is better able to speak to me. I am grateful for The Book of Mormon.

Anybody want to move in down the street?

2009-07-31T18:57:00.003-05:00

Looks like the economy hit a neighbor down the street. We'd love to have you as a neighbor...

Take a look and place your bid today. We hope the rumors we've heard are correct and that it is a HUD Home. Otherwise, property values have really dropped on our street!

Tent cities

2009-07-26T03:40:00.001-05:00

Editor's note: I wrote this in March. Not sure why it didn't post back then.

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I have been perplexed by the recent news reports of tent cities popping up with fellow down-on-their-luck Americans populating these impromptu residents. How do you get to a point where you have no other options than to camp out? Where are the families and friends of our down-on-their-luck neighbors? How did they end up in such circumstances where they have no one to turn to? Where is the safety net?

I admit to subscribe to an approach to charitble giving which provides for the recipient a hand up, not a handout. I agree with the following statement:

"True charity to a poor family or person consists in placing them in a situation in which they can support themselves” (in James R. Clark, comp., Messages of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 6 vols. [1965–75], 2:134).

From another angle, what can I do to help those who may be on a similar road within my reach? How do I step in and provide a helping hand. It seems to me that as Americans, we have always helped our neighbors. Historically, we've had barn raisings, work parties, and we give change in jars at the check-out to help others. Sometimes the charity which is provided is simply our providing a 'fish.' Other times we provide the 'fishing pole,' and in the ideal circumstance, we provide the pole and some knowledge where to find the best fishing spot.

Surely we are not now as a nation so full of ourselves, so proud from all of our possessions and things amassed over the recent years of plenty that we cannot step back and help a struggling friend or family member? Does financial success still trump personal needs?

There are many in need. There are also many in just want. We are learning as a nation the difference between wants and needs. Greed and hunger. Hummers and Model Ts. A beautiful house and a house which meets the needs.

Choosing the Truth

2009-07-14T06:12:00.004-05:00

One of the most difficult aspects about living in our day and age is the challenge of choosing truth over the philosophies of men.

How do you decide what is right? How do you define the path you will take? Why do you choose one path over another? Who do you let influence you?

There are many voices pulling at us. We may not notice but they are there. For instance, the Brethren encourage instructors and teachers in the church to use the manuals provided. Some instructors seem to do well with this challenge while others can't help but bring in notions and ideas from other sources. I struggle to keep my eyes off the floor when a talk show host, popular author, or other source is used to introduce or enhance an idea taught in the lesson. More often than not the intent is good, but the principle taught is foreign to the concepts taught in the scriptures. Or the ideas of the popular figure twist the truth in to a partial picture of what the Lord's principles teach. The instructor's true purpose is to ensure truths are taught.

However, getting to a point where you can teach truth or accept truth requires the acceptance of two basic truths. Illustrated in this article from the June 1979 Ensign telling of one convert's story of accepting truth:

"[My friend] Ted referred to and described what he said were two truths contained in scriptures: first, the truth of history, an actual account of the Lord’s dealings with his people; and second, the truth of righteousness, the commandments, the will of God for his children." (1)

With revisionist notions and ideas pushing us to have a lack of faith in the history we've been taught and a culture which accepts any actions as 'ok,' it is as confusing as ever to find the truth. The scriptures are an obvious source from which we can obtain the ideas and concepts which will help us avoid the pitfalls of the world. Do we regularly read the scriptures?

I also think the key to avoiding the pitfalls of our day still centers around the simple principle taught in Primary and by the Missionaries: Follow the Prophet. The leaders of the Church teach us clearly the principles of truth. Is our first source of information the recent words of the Brethren? When we look for clarification through their words rather than that of a world figure on the topic we can be assured we are on the right path.

The world truly is in commotion today. Men's hearts are failing them and they don't know where to turn for guidance and peace. The Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us the truth. We must have faith that the principles taught are true and seek after the wisdom of God's chosen mouthpiece in these latter days. As we do, the promise is that we will have the peace which comes from fully living the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

(1) Bazyk, Robert J., "Inquiry beyond Reason," Ensign, June 1979. Online.

Josh's Talk

2009-07-12T18:34:00.000-05:00

I will strengthen my family

A talk by Josh Leonard on July 12, 2009

Today I have been asked to talk about how we strengthen our family. Elder Robert D. Hales, one of the Twelve Apostles said “The key to strengthening our families is having the Spirit of the Lord come into our homes”

We can invite the Spirit into our home by praying with our family; go to church together; have Family Home evening together; play together; and read the scriptures.

Elder Hales also said “The goal of our families is to be on the strait and narrow path.” So I will strengthen my family by living the Gospel. I love my family. I want to be Together Forever with them.

Yes, We're Still Here

2009-07-08T12:14:00.004-05:00

It has been a long time. I guess I just haven't known what to write. It is summer, and we are being lazy, sort of. Maybe it is just the children who are being lazy. Actually we had a really good vacation to Utah where we went to two family reunions, visited the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House, and kept really busy with lots of fun activities.

And now that we are back, Kyle and I have been tackling the list of things that needs to be done around the house. We found an electrician who could fix our electrical issue without replacing the entire electrical panel (hurray!). Kyle has already glued a cupboard door back together and hung the new shade for the kitchen window. Now he is working on replacing some damaged base board in the family room. After that there is some dry wall repair for the kitchen ceiling, repairs on the back door, and removing mirrors in the bathroom (and then fixing the walls), and probably a few more things I've overlooked right now. Eventually there will also be a new side fence, but that is not happening while temperatures are in the high 90s or low 100s. When we get this list finished, I think we will really work on staying on top of things rather than letting them build up.

During the days, I am trying to keep the children busy enough that they aren't picking at each other. Last summer all they wanted to do was play Webkinz on the computer. This summer the most popular activities are riding bikes and reading.

--Shawnie

Road Construction

2009-06-08T21:51:00.002-05:00

It is almost done. The mud, dust, noise, and excitement (for the boys) is drawing to a close. The road is mostly laid. The last corners of the road are in process. Some driveways are already poured and curing. Soon we'll have a new driveway and they will be able to start working on the yard.

None too soon!

Here's the photo album January through June 2009:

Just 2 More Days!!

2009-06-03T09:04:00.003-05:00

Just two more days of school. After today and tomorrow, summer begins. I am looking forward to having all the children home. I am looking forward to a relaxed schedule. I am looking forward to parks, wading pools, the library, riding bikes, and playing with friends. I am looking forward to a trip to Utah to visit lots and lots of family. The children are also looking forward to summer. I wonder what they are excited about?

Why do you visit?

2009-05-21T19:07:00.004-05:00

This past week we had 132 visits from around the country. Most of you are from Texas. The rest from elsewhere. Nearly all of the returning visitors seem to be viewing the main page. The rest come to a variety of pages. Searches for "chicken-catchatori", "Family is of God," and "Green vs. Blue WalMart," top the list.

So who are you and why do you visit? Please let us know by adding your comments to this post.

Brittany's new glasses

2009-05-13T20:56:00.001-05:00

Hint received. Picture published

News

2009-05-13T12:30:00.002-05:00

Brittany now proudly wears glasses! We discovered last week that she has an astigmatism (like both her parents), but she is not near or far-sighted. Yesterday she got the glasses, and she looks great in them. And I am very glad that Brittany is glad to have them. Maybe soon we can post a picture of her. (hint, hint, Kyle)

A Few Thoughts

2009-05-01T12:15:00.002-05:00

Brittany's BOB competition has been canceled due to the current public health scare. I hope they can reschedule. I want her to be able to see the results of her hard work.

The road continues to be a mess, but they put lime down last week, so it's not quite as bad. I have had more experiences of fish-tailing, spinning out, and not necessarily going where I am steering than ever before.

Erica likes to climb up on chairs and stools to get what she wants. One of her favorite activities while I am fixing dinner is standing on a chair so she can push the buttons on the answering machine. If you have called and gotten random sounds or child-like voices on the answering machine, it is Erica's doing. I am sorry.

Paul likes to play with Erica, but it can quickly change to hitting her, pushing her down, taking her special blanket, or sitting on her. He freely acknowledges that he has done these things, but I can't seem to convince him that they are wrong to do. He also likes to lock doors. I also have not had success convincing him that this is a problem.

Joshua likes to read Encyclopedia Brown books. He has grown tall, and he thinks he may be the tallest in Kindergarten. He is playing T-ball again. He surprised us by how well he can field the ball. Josh and Paul really enjoy playing together.

I have been very busy lately. I have had several weeks where lots of things have popped up, but it has been good to have meaningful things to do. I am trying to catch back up on the housecleaning. (Megan helped me a few nights ago. When she couldn't sleep, she cleaned the family room and vacuumed it. Kyle stopped her and sent her to bed before she dusted.)

I have been enjoying gardening this spring. Their are onions, 3 carrots, peas, green beans, bell peppers, tomatoes, watermelon, cucumber, and zucchini growing right now. I planted cantaloupe seeds yesterday. So far I have only harvested some onion tops (my version of green onions), but the peas, tomatoes, and peppers are all blooming. I hope these plants fulfill the promise of a bountiful harvest. It feels so good to eat the food you have grown yourself.

Captain of BOB

2009-04-17T14:54:00.002-05:00

Brittany joined a team/club this year called BOB (Battle of the Books). They read all the books on the assigned list, and then they need to be able to answer questions on the books. It has been good for Brittany to put her love of reading and good memory to work. At yesterday's meeting, the sponsoring teacher split the group into teams and assigned captains. Brittany is the captain of her team. Brittany explained to me that the captain is pretty important because if the 4 girls on the team disagree on the answer, the captain has to make the final decision. I am sure Brittany will be a great captain. Congratulations, Brittany.

Megan's self portrait

2009-04-15T20:59:00.000-05:00

Construction = Mess

2009-04-13T08:42:00.005-05:00

From Easter Egg Hunt 2009

This is not construction that we are doing. If you look carefully at Kyle’s photos of our road, you will realize that it is no longer an asphalt road, but only mud. The city made the decision to replace the water and sewer pipes and then replace the asphalt with a new concrete road.

They started with the utilities at the end of January. That work is now done, and it wasn’t too bad for us. We had only a few small holes dug in our yard rather than a trench across the entire yard as the neighbors across the street had to endure. Josh and Paul enjoyed watching the tractors and machines at work and up-close, so I humored them and spent hours watching the boys watch the work. The interruptions in water service were also only a minor inconvenience and short-lived. After a couple weeks, the bad taste from the new water pipes even went away.

Now comes the new road. Right now the asphalt has been removed, leaving us with a dirt road. For a few days, that was just bumpy to drive on, and Brittany and Megan enjoyed riding their bikes over the ruts. Then Saturday night it rained. It was a good, long soaking rain, which we really needed. But it left a road that was complete mud. I was glad Kyle drove to church yesterday. I’m never quite sure what I’m going to find when I open the garage with the hope to drive somewhere. I might have to dodge tractors and trucks, which I am learning the names for (since my boys are very interested in these things). I feel that I have to warn anyone coming to my house of the hazards, but I’m never quite sure exactly what to warn them of. There were will be several 7 week periods (for the curing of concrete) when I will not be able to access my driveway (or park on the road). That will be a challenge, with 3 children not in school, and 2 children who must be taken to and picked up from school every day, plus piano lessons and baseball practice, and library story time and playgroup, and whatever else needs to be done that week. We will get a lot of exercise as we walk back and forth to the van.

Oh well, there’s nothing I can do about it. At least there will be a nice smooth concrete road in 2 or 3 months.

More photos!

2009-04-11T17:43:00.002-05:00

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Job openings

2009-04-05T22:03:00.002-05:00

If you know of any job openings, pass them my way. We are looking to help a number of friends/ward members who are out of work.

Thanks.

Another General Conference Under our belts

2009-04-05T21:53:00.004-05:00

Our children are definitely NOT the sit around quietly and listen to conference type. They need incentives to listen...so Shawnie came up with a great idea to get them listening to General Conference.

She wrote on three sticky notes three lists of words. The rules of the game were if the children heard the speaker say a word on sticky note, they could get 1 piece of snack from bowl.

I wish I'd taken a picture or video of them watching conference. They were glued to the words being said. Megan especially did well. Everytime one of them would hear a word, they'd all pounce on the bowl. Paul and Erica weren't sure about the rules, but they were in there as well following their older siblings.

I even twisted the game a little bit for this morning's session which we watched at the Stake Center. Megan watched the whole session and noted three hundred instances of different words on the lists. Her reward was two extra cookies at lunch. She was elated and so were we. We only had to wrestle with Paul and Erica, instead of all five children!

A few links on Gardening in North Texas

2009-03-29T16:58:00.001-05:00

Shawnie has taken over most of the gardening duties in our family, so this is mostly for her…but I want to be in the know as well.

• Dallas Morning news story with a calendar of what to do when in the garden
• Gardening tips
• Somebody’s gardening blog
• http://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/
• http://tarrant.tamu.edu/

March Pics

2009-03-22T17:06:00.003-05:00

Brittany's Joys of Spring photos:

Brittany's-- Joys of Spring

The Temple

2009-03-21T19:40:00.000-05:00

A Family Centered Church

"It is good for people to know . . . how family centered our theology and our lifestyles are. . . .

"Mormons place particularly strong emphasis on family as the basic unit of the Church and of society. We have a deep commitment to marriage (defined as a union between one man and one woman). Polygamy, a limited practice in the early pioneer days of the Church, was discontinued in 1890, some 117 years ago.

"Families and individuals, whether members of our faith or not, can attend Sunday services in our chapels. Here we worship together, instructing one another from the scriptures.

"Latter day Saint families are encouraged to hold family home evenings weekly, usually on Monday nights. This provides a regular and predictable time for parents to teach values to their children and to have fun together. . . .

"The Church has auxiliary programs for women, youth, and children as a support to the family. . . .

M. Russell Ballard, "Faith, Family, Facts, and Fruits," Ensign, Nov. 2007, 26

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Newsroom article from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

I found this article on the Newsroom Web site of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I thought you might find it interesting. Click on the link below to view:
http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/the-publicity-dilemma

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"The temple endowment was given by revelation. Thus, it is best understood by revelation, prayerfully sought with a sincere heart. President Brigham Young said, 'Your endowment is, to receive all those ordinances in the house of the Lord, which are necessary for you, after you have departed this life, to enable you to walk back to the presence of the Father, . . . and gain your eternal exaltation' (Discourses of Brigham Young, sel. John A. Widtsoe [1941], 416)."

Russell M. Nelson, “Personal Preparation for Temple Blessings,” Ensign, May 2001, 32

Topics: Temple

Gordon Hinckley - Lessons I Learned as a Boy

2009-03-14T20:05:00.000-05:00

Story from Our Recent Past, part 2

2009-03-07T08:26:00.000-06:00

Kyle wanted me to correct the details... At this point, Kyle had graduated, finished a 3 month internship, and had not had work for 2 or 3 months. Our finances were actually worse than when we were students. The TV fell on its head while we were putting up Christmas decorations, and it was working again before Christmas, but I think it may have been broken longer than a week. Kyle didn't mention the night that the two of us entertained ourselves by opening up the TV, looking at it, poking around it, and then putting it back together. We again returned it to its spot on the TV stand. Then one night while Kyle was out doing church work, I turned on the TV out of habit, and it worked! It truly was a miracle, and it is only one of many that we experienced at that time of our lives.

Phone Call from a Stranger

2009-03-06T22:23:00.002-06:00

A movie we recommend ---On Hulu here

Story from our recent past

2009-03-05T20:30:00.000-06:00

About four years ago we moved to Waco then later to Lorena. Our experience living in Lorena/Waco has reached a pinnacle in our family. The experiences are far enough in the past that we can tell stories about the time in the same vein as telling stories about the pioneers or our childhood!

On two recent occasions I told the following story (Shawnie will correct need to correct the details, I'm sure...but here goes anyway).

While living in Lorena, one day we were moving furniture around. [I believe it was to take down the Christmas decorations. Whatever the reason, we were moving the TV.] In the process, I placed the TV on the couch to lighten the TV stand for moving. After turning around from depositing the heavy load, I heard a loud bang. To my horror, I turned around to find the TV up-side-down on the floor!

We didn't have much hope that it would work and as a poor student family, we didn't have the funds to replace the TV. Our concerns were soon realized. Plugging in the TV, we found the screen produced Twilight Zone ghosts dancing on the screen.

None-the-less, we decided to keep the TV. The sound worked fine and Shawnie surmised that at least the children could listen to Sesame Street, even if they couldn't see it. So we finished moving things around and placed the TV back on the stand.

The TV continued to function in the same manner for about a week, then much to our surprise, it began working again! The day following its miraculous recovery the explanation of the TV's recovery was revealed. A faith-filled young Brittany had offered a prayer to her Heavenly Father asking that the TV be fixed. The prayer was answered. To this day we still use the TV!

Israel to strike Iran?

2009-03-04T18:25:00.001-06:00

How likely is Israel to strike Iran? See this article. Has anyone seen any counter point articles?

Oh no!!!.....Hurray!

2009-02-23T08:23:00.003-06:00

First the "Oh No!!!"

I was feeling good that I had finally started the last load of laundry when I noticed that the water was still running after it had started agitating. I thought that was odd, but I was on the phone with Kyle so I didn't give it a lot of thought. After the phone call, I started to go outside, past the washer, when I stepped in a puddle. I quickly turned off the washer...the water kept flowing. I reached behind the washer to turn those handles in the wall that are there for this purpose...they would not budge...the water kept flowing. I grabbed the phone and pushed redial...Kyle told me to turn off the water at the street. I ran out to the street...couldn't turn that knob either...ran and grabbed a wrench...finally the water stopped flowing. Then I got the wet/dry vac (now I'm really glad Kyle decided to buy that last year) and started sucking up the water that covered half the kitchen floor. I just hoped the water hadn't gotten under the new laminate wood floor in the kitchen. Once I got the water cleaned up, I was left with a washer filled to overflowing with clothes and dirty water, and no water running to the house. I didn't dare turn the water back on until I could turn off the water to the washer, and those knobs still wouldn't budge. The neighbor wasn't home, so I decided to wait for Kyle to come home.

Now the "Hurray!"

We decided to cut our losses on the 9 1/2 year old washer. After all, Kyle has been saying for 6 months that the motor sounded like it was going out, and this thing with the water not stopping was something new. So, after spending a good part of Saturday reading up on washers, we made our purchase, and it was delivered last Tuesday. (If the washer had to die, it was nice of it to do it right before President's Day weekend so there were lots of sales.) We chose a front-loading LG washer, and I am very pleased with it. Of course, I was hoping for such a large capacity that I could do fewer loads, but I learned that all washers have their limits if you want the clothes to actually get clean. I am amazed at how quiet it is...all I really hear is the water running! And it should save tons of water and energy. So, "Hurray!"

Now, after buying a new car and a new washer, we hope that our family has done enough to help the economy. We don't want spend any more to stimulate the economy for the next few months.

I love this photo

2009-02-07T21:33:00.001-06:00

"Give me 5$ and I'll tell you a secret!"

Wha-hooo!

2009-02-06T22:55:00.001-06:00

It's official, I have a new car! After much angst and thought, searching and debate, we found me an "almost new" Ford Fusion (2008 with 4500 miles and a previous owner who only drove it for 7 months.). Even so, the negotiations were long and hard but she's all ours.

Papa would be proud. I'm a Ford man once again!

Now I need to come up with a name for her....any thoughts?

Check out my new blog...

2009-02-05T19:54:00.003-06:00

I'm starting another blog for a different audience here. I will post rants and raves, tips, tricks and other thoughts about Oracle's BI tools (formerly Hyperion) and other general topics.

Electric cars and lithium ion batteries...are they the answer?

2009-02-02T20:36:00.004-06:00

I read an interesting article which indicates that maybe the path we're on to make our cars electric isn't such a great idea after all.

Per the article, over half of the world's lithium ore (used to manufacture the batteries used in most electric cars) is found in the tiny South American country of Bolivia. A country which happens to be un-apologetically anti-American and anti-West. Its current President nationalized the country's oil and natural gas production and has sparred with US litium interests.

It seems like we're likely to have an uphill battle with electric cars as well.

*************

If anyone finds any articles on this topic, I'd appreciate other viewpoints on the lithium debate.

---Kyle

Turbulent times and the Fall of Adam and Eve

2009-01-25T15:49:00.003-06:00

Recently I had an experience which highlighted to me the challenging world we find ourselves in. The verses found in Moses 4: 17-21 best summarize the experience. Until the recent experience, I read these verses with the same perspective I gaines years ago in a BYU religion class. I read them in context of this being the pattern Heavenly Father provided for parenting. But this time around I saw something deeper. I also saw a patern for dealing with the consequenses others' poor choices have upon us.

My thinking was changed as I thought about the challenging times we live in. The troubled times we live in are directly tied to these verses (the Fall of Adam and Even and Satan's part in the Plan of Salvation). Satan was cursed for tempting Adam and Eve. Even so, he was also provided power. He is using the power he has to cause as much trouble in this world as he can. Ultimately though, Satan can bruise our heel but we can crush his head. The experience strengthened my testimony. We will come off conqueror, even when another's choice is to turn away from God. Satan’s power may be unleashed to its fullest, but if we keep the faith and keep our covenants we will come off conqueror in the end!

Christmas Photos

2009-01-16T05:13:00.000-06:00

From December 2008

Name this car!

2009-01-14T19:10:00.002-06:00

2009 Ford Taurus

2010 Ford Taurus