Sunday, January 25, 2015

I love the size of this tree!

 

"When we rationalize wrong choices, big or small, which are

inconsistent with the restored gospel, we lose the blessings and

protections we need and often become ensnared in sin or simply

lose our way."

-Elder Quentin L. Cook

 

Jared made bacon and pancakes for breakfast this morning.  Emmy and Molly played in the snow some more.  There was no television or music and the house was nice and quiet.  Emmy wrote a talk about Jesus loving the little children which she gave in Primary today.  Since I wasn't going to be at Primary to hear it, I listened to her give it this morning before we left for church.  Their meetings don't start until 12:30. 

 

Jared got a call from the realtor around 10:30 saying she wanted to show the house in a couple of hours.  We cleaned up our mess and packed our stuff in the car while Jared and the kids cleaned up the rest of the house.  Jared and the girls were late for church.  We took James with us because he needed to be there early to help prepare the sacrament. 

James H. helped pass the sacrament.  I noticed all of the boys passing had on suits 

 

Since today was the Franklin 5th ward conference both the bishop and the stake president spoke.  The theme was taken from Mosiah 5:1-2 where the people are changed through the power of the Holy Ghost after the preaching of King Benjamin regarding Jesus Christ and His Atonement.  "They have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually."  The whole focus of the meeting was about "Change."

We gave everyone a hug and left after sacrament meeting so we could get home at a decent hour.  We had to stop in Deming for gas and we also got something to eat at Sonic.  This is why I hate to travel on Sunday.  We got home around 8pm.  It was a fun trip except for the fact that Gerardo Rico totally ditched us and that was the original reason for the trip in the first place.  I am really glad we went because we had a great time with Jared and his kids.

 

Trina sent me this picture of Lola today and her mom Susy posted the other one of Kreed and Ruby.

I love this picture and her dimple!

I love the look on Ruby's face as she looks with

adoration at her cousin and best friend, Kreed.

 

 





Saturday, January 24, 2015

 

'From the Book of Mormon in 2 Nephi we read:

"For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way,

and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do." (2 Nephi 32:5)

We must never let the noise of the world overpower and overwhelm that still, small voice.'

-Elder L. Tom Perry

 

In conjunction with their ward conference Jared's ward had a service project today.  There is a site called BillionGraves.com where you can download an app for your mobile device.  James and I downloaded this site on our phones and when we got to the Memory Gardens of the Valley Cemetery we were ready to take pictures of headstones, transcribe the information, and download it to the BillionGraves site.  Jared for some reason could not download the information onto his phone and James and Anna's minipads don't have a data plan so all the work our family did was with our two phones.  I downloaded 68 names and James did 47.  I was a great service project and involved the youth as well as the adults. 

I am not sure what is wrong with Molly. 

She spent most of the time we were here playing with her friends from the ward.

I believe the ward did over 2,100 transcriptions.

 

James left the cemetery service project a little early because of award basketball game.  When we were finished, we went and watched him play.

James played in his jeans until Jared got there

with his shorts.

James's team, Franklin 5th ward, won 23-17!

 

After the basketball game we were all starving so we headed for Kiki's for some authentic mexican food.  We are still celebrating Anna and grandpa James's birthdays.  This treat was on Jared.  Thanks!

Waiting to be seated.

Looking at the menu

Emmy and Molly shared their meal.

James Hayden, Jared and I all got the machaca.

Might tasty!

 

Back at Jared's Molly and Emmy working on building snow people.

 It's so funny to see snow in the desert!

Molly's snow family

These two can be the best of

friends when they want to be.

Anna dropped her phone in the toilet awhile ago and now it randomly calls people.  Emmy practiced her spelling words again today.  Here were some of the words she practiced:

trattoria, capricious, archipelago, pizzicato, just to name a few. Pretty had words for a 4th grader, but Emmy is super smart!  Of course Molly wants to do whatever Emmy does so she would practice spelling them too. 

 

James spent a lot of time trying to get papers the realtor sent him for selling our commercial lot.  I think we might have to take care of this business when we get back to Chandler. 

James Hayden was going to go to the stake dance but on the way there he decided not to because he "just didn't feel liketalking to people."  The kids watched the movie "The Pacifier."

 

 

Back at home in Arizona:  Evan scored the only goal his team made at the soccer game this morning.  Sheri took this picture at the game:

 

Joshua didn't go to the soccer game.  He went to the Pinewood Derby instead.  He got first place in our ward and third place in the stake.  Congratulations!

 

 

















Friday, January 23, 2015

Happy Birthday to this guy

who turned 67 today.

For his birthday we made a trip to Deming and to El Paso.  He was supposed to meet Gerardo Rico at the court house and take care of some tax business and then Rico was going to pay him for this month's rent but he was a no show. 

I had read on Glenn Beck's Facebook page that the Adobe Deli in Deming was a good place to eat so we MapQuested it.  It was out of town off the beaten path, but we found it.  This is what we found on the outside and James swore up and down it couldn't be a restaurant.  I asked him where his sense of adventure was and we headed inside.

 

When I saw this sign I knew we were at the right place!

From the outside it did look like someone's barn or shop.

Lots of antiques and animal heads on the walls

finished up the décor inside.  James just corrected me,

and said it wasn't heads, but full body mounts.

I sat next to this guy.

James ordered the Reuben sandwich and I ordered a BBQ beef.  We both got a side of coleslaw. 

James taking a dainty bite of coleslaw.

How do you take a dainty bite of this?

MY BBQ beef sandwich.  I could only eat half but took the

other half with me.

Snow on the mountain leaving Deming.

James almost ran out of gas because I was reading to him.  We could not have gone another ten miles.

 

Molly and her snowman that she built

on Jared's back patio.  He lives up against the mountain and

there was still snow around his place. 

The road into Jared's place.

View off Jared's patio

We picked up a cake at Baskin Robbins at Jared's request and

sang Happy Birthday to Anna and grandpa James.  Anna would not let me take her picture.

That's Anna getting ready to blow out the candles.

Grandpa and Emmy

James and his namesake, James.

Molly with her ice cream and cake

Jared was so nice to give us his bedroom and bath while he slept

with Molly on the air mattress we brought. 

 

After cake and ice cream I helped Emmy with her Italian spelling words.  Some of them were really hard but she wants to learn them because there is a spelling bee this coming Thursday.





Thursday, January 22, 2015

Phoenix temple

 

"I believe that Heavenly Father binds us to our

kindred dead in many ways.  I feel bound to

Great-grandmother Ballard by the priesthood sealing

ordinances.  I also feel bound to her faith, which I

have learned about through her own written

words and those of other family members who have

recorded her history."

-M. Russell Ballard

 

While James and David were finishing up at the Willis' this morning, I went shopping for James's birthday at Kohl's.  I bought him a shirt, pants, and shoes.

 

This afternoon we went to the Gilbert temple.  On the way we stopped at Deseret Book and got another book by the same author of the last one, Laurie Alice Eakes.  This one is called "Reluctant Courtship."  I think we missed one that goes between this one and the last one so we will be reading them out of order.  Oh well.

This series is called The Daughters of Bainbridge House.

 

Oh temple session was wonderful, and just what I needed.  I always feel such peace and comfort in the temple.  We took the opportunity to put several family names on the temple prayer roll. 

 

After the temple I met with John Usher and we walked around the yard.  It looks worse than I have ever seen it.  He came me a price and said he would come and do it while we are out of town on Saturday. 

 

This evening we joined the other fans of the "Scuba Steve's", the name of Michael and Joe's band, at Sozo's Coffee House.  They put on an awesome show!  One of their favorite bands is "Good Ole War" so they sang some of their songs.  One of the guys who used to be in the band "The Format" introduced them.  Tara, Paul's sister,  even came clear from the British Isles to hear Michael perform.



 

"Better Weather"

I had to include this!

John, Michael, Matt, and Joe

 

 

Joe doing a solo

Michael and Joe

Connor joining the guys on stage to help sing Michael's original

song, "The Pirate and the Bear."  I think it was my

favorite song of the night.





Wednesday, January 21, 2015

 

"The effort and the determination to seek Him and to follow Him will  be rewarded with the blessings we need"

-Elder Eduardo Garret

 

I went to Staples today and made copies of this 3 month schedule for reading the Book of Mormon.







Here is the deal:  Everyone who reads the first column by our first FHE on February 15th gets $20.  The second column by March 13th when Jared and his kids are here for the next FHE is another $20.  And the last column must be read by Easter, April 5th for the last $20. Stacy, Kim, Sheri, Ben, Michael, and Joshua are really trying to make the deadlines.  Sheri is way ahead and says she loves reading 3 or 4 chapters a day.  It's fun to see people excited about the Book of Mormon.

 

We took my car to Sears today to get the oil changed and the tires rotated in preparation for our trip to El Paso on Friday.  While there we had delicious grilled fish tacos from Rubio's and read from our book "Necessary Deception."  

 

I missed my meeting with John Usher, the guy who is going to give me a quote on cleaning up the yard, because Sears was so slow.  

 

In other news, the Pinewood Derby is this Saturday and Paul takes it very seriously.  Michael and Dallin took first and second in the stake when they were in Cub Scouts so he feels like he has a reputation to maintain.  

  Joshua sanding his car.

 



Max's pirate gun came today.  The first one I ordered was plastic.  This one looks like the real deal and came all the way from Europe. 

  

 

When we take the kids to Disneyland they get to choose a souvenir.  Max wanted a pirate gun but they were all out so I told him I would order him one.  I think he liked it.

 

 

Evan is an artist and a writer.  This is a picture he drew for an assignment for school.

 

I especially love the guys face!