Because He Can

Leader decided to make himself a hammock off of his bunk bed.  He's a silly kid.  Here he is writing in his journal before bed. 

They are on count down.  Only 10 more months until the four kids don't have to share a room any more!

Determination Turns 12!

Determination turned 12 recently.  He was able to be ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood by his father and lots of family standing in.  The same day it was a baby blessing for my niece.  It was a neat day.

Determination has enjoyed doing is duties so far.  Today he went out and collected fast offerings (free will money donations from people in the community) with another deacon and their leader.  When he came home he had really big eyes.  I laughed and said, "What? Did you get chased by dog while you were out?" I was totally kidding.  He responded, "No, two actually."  He laughed and told us a very funny story.  I think that is only the beginning of  the very many adventures he will have as a priesthood holder.

'Like' the Kendrick Brothers

Technically I have a facebook account. I haven’t accessed it in over 14 months and I have no idea what the password is.  (Obviously I can get that, it’s just a convenient excuse).  However, I secretly loathe facebook. 

Anyway, I’d like to say that I had a point with the above paragraph, but I don’t think I really did.  I get sidetracked when I start thinking about facebook.  Here is the point though:  Our family really, REALLY, REALLY likes the Kendrick Brothers.  I am sure they have a facebook page so if someone could go on and “like” them on behalf of our family that would be great. 

So who are they anyway? I mean the Kendrick Brothers not facebook. They are the writers, directors, producers, etc. of the following movies,

Flywheel (not very well known)

Facing the Giants

Fireproof

Courageous

Their movies are part of the outreach of the Sherwood Church in Georgia.  The Kendrick brothers learned that the public, and especially the youth, were more influenced by the media in regard to choices and morality than any other way.  So they got the wild idea to start making movies to reach people.  At first it was just for their little community, but the response was so positive that the movies starting reaching out farther and farther.  What’s amazing is that in these movies everyone involved is a member of their church.  Everything is donated.  Most of the actors (or camera men) are just people from their church with no real training.  The later movies have included professional actors like Kirk Cameron though, but I think everyone is still on donated time.

Kudos to the Kendrick Brothers for their ministry efforts.  If you enjoy watching movies I invite you to watch their movie trailers on the links provided and see if one of their movies is right for your family.  Each movie's production quality gets better with each one.  It is amazing to see what they have done with the resources they have.

They have positively impacted my life and my family’s life.  They have challenged me in my faith and caused me to ask some tough questions regarding whether I believe, “that through Christ all things are possible.”

And they are just soooo funny.  I invite you to also watch the special features, because that is where you get to know all about them.  If you watch all the movies you can catch spoofs of their other movies inside the new movies.  Also many of the actors are in all the movies and so it’s fun to find people “you know” from previous movies.

Family Pictures

Here's a couple of family pictures.  We had sunlight problems.

Happy July

Our big plan to have the internet installed was foiled.  Alas, it looks like no internet anytime soon for our family.  

Our unedited 4th of July Family Picture

We have been having a great summer!  It is especially wonderful because we didn't participate in 4-H this year!  We are enjoying the hot weather, the campfires, the laughs, the swimming, and the silliness of families.  Here's a brief recap:

Family:

• Enjoyed a week with some friends from out of town
• Saw a production of the "Music Man"
• Went to a concert about the life of Chopin
• Attended a Music Fest Concert
• Had a great Family Reunion with "my side" of the family
• Working on our second session of swimming lessons just because we can and we want to!
• Lots of time weeding the garden-we finally have tomatoes this year!
• Finally bought a Vita-Mix blender and we use it all the time for everything we can
• Continuing to take a lot of piano lessons

Mr. Patriot:

• Bought an additional business and has been working hard!
• Led the hike with Hank at Girl's Camp this year again
• Playing lots of basketball when he can
• Turned 37
• Still eats a lot of ice cream, but he's definitely doing better about cutting back.  We haven't been to Cold Stone since the middle of June!!

Me:

• Went to girls camp
• Read lots of books
• Drove the horse trailer to the vet's and back and survived (and so did the horse)

Liberty:

• Turned 13
• Completed her second year of Girls Camp
• Finished her Personal Progress; Bishop's interview scheduled for next week
• Taking an online History Course through Williamsburg Academy (when we have internet she is the one using it now)
• Hurt her hand; it was a possible hairline fracture (made her cranky because she couldn't play the piano for a while).  The Doctor told me that she has a good two years of growth for sure left (based on her growth plates) and she will definitely be taller than me.  She's 1/2" shorter than me now and had I had hoped she had stopped growing!
• Trying to get her horse bred and doctored (see her blog)

Determination:

• Went on the 11 year over nighter with the Stake Primary with his dad
• Finished up his requirements for his First Class Rank in Boy Scouts
• Completed his first merit badge: swimming
• Loves Louis L'Amour and is reading lots of great books
• Is in charge of the lawn (mowing, watering)

Imagination:

• Enjoyed Cub Scout Day Camp
• Continually making forts, arrows, bows, ladders, travois, etc from scraps on the land
• Bought himself some suspenders at the thrift store and loves to wear them! He thinks he's "Farmer Boy."
• Wanted his growth plates x-rayed to see when he would "start" growing.

Leader:

• Enjoyed Cub Scout Day Camp
• Turned 9.  My baby is 9!!!!
• Rides his bike everywhere
• Catches bugs and creepy crawlies constantly
• Sports new glasses that he manages to remember to wear

Hank:

• Continues to roll in manure
• Takes long naps
• Went on the hike to girls camp and loved all the attention from the Young Women
• Learned how to be a cow dog and helps us get the cows in the right field when they get out

Review: The Phantom Tollbooth

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I was going to write a fantastic review, (because that's what I do-write fantastic reviews, haha), but then I saw the back cover and it summed it all up. It reads,

"For Milo, everything's a bore. When a tollbooth mysteriously appears in his room, he drives through only because he's got nothing better to do. But on the other side, things seem different. Milo visits the island of Conclusions (you get there by jumping), learns about time from a ticking watchdog named Tock, and even embarks on a quest to rescue Rhyme and Reason! Somewhere along the way, Milo realizes something astonishing. Life is far from dull. In fact, it's exciting beyond his wildest dreams!"

My children really enjoyed this book as I read it too them. There are clever lessons to learn, silly people to met and many play on words. If your family enjoys fairy tales this might be an enjoyable book for your family.

View all my reviews

Love, Imagination

Imagination, age 10, loves to write stories and "express" himself.  Here is a sampling of two things he recently wrote.

Dear Mom,

I am fantastically glad that you are my mom.  You make me feel happy all the time.  I am also happy that you do the dishes for us.*

God choose you to be our mother to prepare us for the final days.

I love you.

Love, "Imagination"

This was the Father's Day poem he wrote today in primary,

As life gets rough,

and you get gruff,

Remember Jesus and what he had to do.

And when they say boo.

Just remember Jesus

A whole lifetime through.

*My children do not like to wash the dishes.  They will all do anything but the dishes.  So I do the dishes (they clear, put things away, and empty the dish drainer though), and they do everything else in the house.  I enjoy the dishes so it works out.  No laundry.  No bathrooms.  No trash. No dusting.  ..... Every body's happy.