A glance at our nightstands

My stack of books:

Ty's stack of books:

Notice a theme here.

With Kiersten entering junior high this year, I know I need to revamp our Super Money Credit Union idea for her and who better to get some ideas from than Richard and Linda Eyre. I particularly wanted to know how they ran their family economy (Hence the reason for so many of their books on my side of the bed.).

I just finished reading Three Steps to a Strong Family. It was a book I had to renew from the library just to finish it. Not because it was hard to get through but because it had a lot for me to think about. Kiersten actually thought we owned the book since she had seen it around so often. I'm still gathering ideas and hope to have a system in place before school starts.

Ty has been concentrating on nothing but the yard. I doubt he read all of his books but maybe just having them there inspired him a little.

Currently I'm reading Journal of the Trail, a book of journal entries about the handcart pioneers, particularly the Willie and Martin companies. I'm hoping to finish it this week in time for the 24th of July celebrations. I love biographies and books about true incidents. Everyone has a story to tell.

And I just wouldn't be Missy if I weren't in the middle of at least one or two other books. Divine Signatures is quickly becoming one of my favorites, but that is a blog for another day.

Lego Club

Erik has been busy this summer with his involvement in the First Lego League. Last May he was given the opportunity to TRY OUT for this club. I didn't really know what to expect. Out of 30 who were tested, only 10 could make the team. Erik, along with his cousin Scott, was selected.

Every Wednesday and Thursday for an hour and a half he gets together with his team members to get ready for their competition in January. They will be given a problem to solve based on a real-world scientific topic sometime in September using computer programmed Lego robots. Again, I'm not really sure what he is doing exactly and think I'll have to step in one day just to see what they're up to. But in the meantime I've been able to get a little glimpse through their team website.

He has loved it, and I'm happy it's given him something to do this summer.

The halfway mark

Yesterday marked exactly 6 more weeks until school starts up again and summer is officially over. Sniff, sniff. Why does summer go so stinkin' fast. I'm sure my kids feel like we haven't really done anything, even though we did mark the second half of summer by heading to the library, AGAIN, and enjoying ice cream afterwards, a fun little tradition we started this summer. It sure seems all our little traditional activities always seem to include food.

Here's a recap of our summer so far.

A trip to Phoenix sans most of my kids.

Our annual trip to Manor Lands but without really going to Manor Lands. We weren't sure how the snow situation was up at the cabin, so we opted for a "camping" trip to Kamas where we stayed at the Winterton home with running water, showers, and beds. I even went for a 6 mile run one morning.

A new playset and teeter totter.

 A visit to the zoo.

A very fun family 5k with the best cheering section ever.

A Peter Breinholt concert with Jon Schmidt as a surprise guest. Fireworks followed.

(Mom/Grandma thought Peter Breinholt looked just like Tyler. Hmmmm . . . maybe.)

Cub scout day camp for Nate. I am lucky enough to be his Wolf leader and got to go.



A short trip to Ferron for an open house. While there we had an unexpected visitor show up. Paul Johanson. I hadn't seen him since he was 7 and I was about 9 when they moved to South Carolina. I was good friends with his sister Mary. Dad asked if I knew who he was. I took one look and said, "He's a Johanson." Then Dad asked if I knew his first name. I answered, "Paul." I think I shocked everyone, including myself, that I would remember someone I haven't seen in about 26 years. He was passing through and wanted to see if he remembered anyone. I'm glad he did. I also got to catch up with another good childhood friend, Amber. Love going home and seeing old faces. (Also got in a 8.5 mile run; that 1/2 marathon is creeping up.)

While the boys spent time in Ferron, we talked the girls into cruising the Jordan River Parkway on bikes and rollerblades instead of going to a parade on the 4th. Lucky for us, Grandma Laura and Grandpa Brian came along for breakfast because we forgot the bike piece that connects the bike trailer to the bike for Alex.

Practiced our nursing skills on this poor girl. Natalie tore her ACL playing tennis and ended up having surgery the day before her mom (my mom) left for Phoenix to attend a baby blessing. The poor girl was miserable and just wanted to be home. Notice the little red cowbell? That's our dinner bell and she was under strict orders to ring it anytime she needed something and four darling little angels would magically appear.

Ate hot dogs and ice cream at a neighborhood party. We are loving our new neighborhood and seriously could not imagine living anywhere else. (Did a 10 mile run on this day.)

AND . . . yard projects galore. I swear we are the only ones on the block that have tackled the entire acre at once. It is slowly starting to take shape thanks to Tyler who has kept on top of it all. I think the one thing that has surprised me the most with building a home and putting in a yard is how everything interconnects. You make decisions WAY before you ever thought you'd need to. You end up doing things that you thought could be put off until next year just because it's more cost efficient to do them now. Just wondering what next summer will be like. In the meantime we're finishing up a deck and walkways and getting ready for sprinklers.

My three boys

I've been sorting through photos and organizing them, and when I came across this one of Alex,

it reminded me of both Erik and Nathan at about the same age.

Zip line

Weekend fun at Grandma's.

Again, not your typical dry council Sunday

Family.

What's the big deal?

Why are they so important that it is the entire focus of our church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)?

And why is it the one thing Satan is trying so hard to destroy with homosexuality, divorce, abortion, premarital sex, cohabitation?

The talks several Sundays ago were about protecting our families and the last one was particularly good. Even Erik on the way home commented on what a good talk it was. That says something if an 11-year-old boy sits up and listens.

"That by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory;" -Moses 6:59

The speaker gave an analogy of entering a family through physical birth and entering into God's family through spiritual birth.

Water
Physical birth: Baby is completely surrounded by amniotic fluid.
Spiritual birth:  At baptism one must be completely submerged in water just like a baby is totally submerged within it's mother.

Blood
Physical birth: There is blood associated with birth. BUT it isn't the baby's blood that is spilt to give life, it is the mother's.
Spiritual birth: To give us new life spiritually, someone else had to spill their blood. Christ spilt his blood to give us new life through the atonement.

Spirit
Physical birth: At some point during pregnancy, a spirit enters the body. To have a baby there must be a mother and a father. A baby takes on the name of his father at birth.
Spiritual birth: At some point in our spiritual birth we have to allow the spirit of Christ of enter our body. During baptism we covenant to take on the name of Christ. This is why Christ is also considered our Father, the Father of our spirits. It is He who makes it possible for our re"birth".

Eternal life is God's life which is family life. We are here to learn to love being a mother (or a father). Our whole focus should be on the family, and at the judgment day we will have the choice . . .

God's life that includes families

or not.

Closer to Christ - Days 87-90

DAY 87

Scripture study: Ether 13-15

Mark and ponder: Ether 12:27

Scripture thought of the day: Moroni 10:32

Thought of the day: "Hopefully, we're making some progress in our own individual lives. I hope that every person can feel he or she is a little better today than they were yesterday, a little kinder, a little more gracious, a little more generous, a little more honest in purpose and word an deed, a little stronger for the right, a little stronger to resist the wrong."

DAY 88

Scripture study: Moroni 1-6

Mark and ponder: Moroni 4:3, 5:2

Scripture thought of the day: Moroni 6:4, 6

Thought of the day: "Few ordinances or performances in the Church act as a greater incentive to personal righteousness than partaking of the sacrament. Those who partake of the sacramental emblems - having a comprehension of the covenant involved - are making for themselves a course which will result in obedience, holiness, and sanctification." -Bruce R. McConkie

DAY 89

Scripture study: Moroni 7-9

Mark and ponder: Moroni 8:24-26

Scripture thought of the day: Matthew 7:7-8

Thought of the day: "While it is a simple thing in a life of faith, I have truly, truly learned the importance of always praying. When one prays from the heart, it increases the faithful heart. And when one has a faithful heart, a deeper love grows. When love grows, it leads to the ability to treat those around us kindly. Praying unceasingly will bring about a better life as a member of the church. -Hitoshi Kashikura

DAY 90

Scripture study: Moroni 10

Mark and ponder: Moroni 10:3-5

Scripture thought of the day: D&C 11:13

Thought of the day: "Without reservation, I promise that is you will prayerfully read the Book of Mormon, regardless of how many times you previously have read it, there will come into your hearts an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord. There will come a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to His commandments, and there will come a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God." -Gordon B. Hinckley