Jacob's 10th Birthday

Once a year, it comes to us all.  That day of days comes where we celebrate a personal event which we had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with aside from simply showing up... the day we were born.  Jacob, when he celebrates, usually celebrates things with his crazy dance moves...

This year, we were INCREDIBLY lucky and found a deal that was too good to pass up for a gift for him.  Since we're homeschooling now (and will be including some programming and online resource sites), and because he wanted a way to play MineCraft on his own, we, after hunting for months, found a steal of a deal on a computer for him (THANK YOU CRAIGSLIST!!!).  We surprised him with it, but it still took him a few seconds to fully process what was going on.

So naturally, we had to get a shot of him playing MineCraft.  As an additional surprise, an online friend of mine and I put together a "family-friendly" MineCraft server for the kids to play on as well as a few of our friends and their kids.  Because the bulk of us are likely to be members of the Church, we named it MormonCraft.  I spent several hours today playing with him.  While I'm not anywhere near as big of an aficionado as he is, we had quite a bit of fun.

In the evening, we had our friends the Robinsons and the Dowers over for cake and ice cream and for Jacob to show off his stuff.  The Dowers family brought him a "creeper" hat from MineCraft.  He naturally had to start wearing it immediately.

One of the joys of a combination camera and video camera is that you can capture stuff like this without having to try to time the shutter JUST RIGHT to get him blowing out the candles:

Some photographs of our friends who came to help us celebrate...

And we managed to get a shot of all the kids that were in attendance by our fireplace (we HAVE a fireplace...and a mantle too.  How crazy is THAT?).  Of course, not all of them are actually looking at the camera, because, as any parent knows, getting THAT many kids to all do the same thing is more difficult than herding cats.

So our little man turned 10.  We sure love him and who he is growing up to be.

Like most 10 year old boys, he has a fairly single-track mind (which is sometimes irritating), but that mind can come up with some of the most amazing things if you watch carefully enough.  It is so fun to watch him learn and explore new things.  We can't wait to see what another year brings.

- Josh                             

More Camping Fun

Just a few more pictures from our AWESOME camping adventure!

Josh really loves his "Camping Hat". I keep wanting to say "G'day mate"

 This was Meagans first time swimming in something other than a swimming pool. She commented that it was a lot harder because of the wind and movement of the water. I thought she did very well.

 Jacob didn't want to risk it and played it safe and kept his life jacket on.

 I love watching little kids and seeing the excitement they have when the can explore and learn on their own.

 I am not sure why but I always thought that buffalo came out looking how they look at adults.....I was wrong :D

 If you haven't figured out by now I have some silly, crazy, fun loving kids.

 Jacob is so funny. He really have some character in him. Always a joy to listen to and watch.

 Sibling......Love?

 

Another great view of where we were.

   - Sarah     

Camping in Caprock Canyon

So for our first "big" vacation (actual getting away) in a couple of years, we decided on camping and went to Caprock Canyons State Park.  Once again, we opted to take some "family" along for company, and what a great time we had.  The entire area is covered in red rock and we saw trees.  Yes, ACTUAL TREES...IN TEXAS.  No, we are not hallucinating.  See?

We arrived around 9 AM and spent the next couple of hours setting up camp.  One of the first things we discovered was that apparently, Caprock Canyons State Park, apart from being the home of the last free-roaming bison herd, it is also a wildlife refuge for the common housefly.  Who knew?  They seem to be doing well, as about 1,000,000 of them joined us for the whole duration of the camping trip.  The weather, in typical Texas form, was mildly warm (about 100 degrees both days).  Fortunately there was a lake nearby where the kids could cool down.  Below, you will find a picture of the lake's fishing dock.  As you can see, there is a "slight" difference between the water level and the dock level.  We might be in a drought that has lasted for several years or so...

So as they ventured into the lake they discovered several things.  Jacob discovered that there are all kinds of rocks everywhere and most of the ones under the water are smooth.  Meagan discovered that there is a BIG difference between swimming in a pool and swimming in a lake - one is fairly calm, the other has current.  She really had to work at it to maintain her location.

Of course, the day wouldn't be complete without the opportunity to swim with her buddy, Cheyenne.  She wouldn't go out into the water with anyone but Meagan.

Jacob, on the other hand, was perfectly content to stay in the shallows looking for cool rocks...and occasionally trying to skip them.

And because it can't be called camping otherwise, we had Hobo Dinners for our first evening's meal.  They were great.

If you zoom in REALLY close, you can probably count at least 1000 flies in this picture...  It didn't seem to matter whether they could get to any actual food or not.  They KNEW we had it, and the second we slipped up, they were going to take it.  Somehow, though, we managed to keep our good humor even with all the annoying buzzing going on.

The second day, we decided to drive the "scenic" route through the canyon.  You know, for being in the "desert" of Texas, there were some incredibly scenic vistas.  We stopped at one and took family pictures.

Looking out at actual greenery and skyline that was not "flat" (changes in the horizon like there are actual mountains)

Well lookie here!  An actual mountain.

A closer shot of that same mountain...

And did we mention actual Tatonka (buffalo)?  Kevin Costner would feel right at home.

A shot of (most of) the campsite.  Our friends' tent is off to the left of the camera.  Lots of people in one "small" space, but somehow we managed to get along and even like each other still after the experience.

2 and a half days of camping leaves one tired, dirty, and with a LOT of laundry.  But as fun and peaceful as being out in nature for extended periods is, the shower that you take after you return home in a REAL bathroom is a gift from the Almighty.

- Josh & Sarah       

Family Home Evening

 Lubbock has blessed us with great friends that we now consider family.  One set came over for Family Home Evening this Monday.  After a lesson on letting our light shine, we played a game.  This one is from Sarah's repertoire. 

First you take a plate and a packed measuring cup (1 cup) of flour.  Place the plate on top of the measuring cup and CAREFULLY turn the whole thing over so that the measuring cup is now on top.  Also CAREFULLY remove the cup so what you get is a stack of packed flour in the shape of the measuring cup.  Finally, take a penny and CAREFULLY place it so that it stands up in the middle of the pile of flour without making it collapse (are you tired of being careful yet?).

Now, using a butter knife, you take slices through the mound of flour, scooting what you have sliced away from the main body of the flour.  Much like Jenga, the object is to NOT be the one to have the tower collapse.  Whoever collapses the tower with their cut, must retrieve the penny... using their mouth and nothing else.

 Jacob was the first to make the tower fall.  I think, when he gets older and has kids of his own, he will make a GREAT Santa Claus.  Just look at that white mustache and beard...

 Nicole was next, and while she didn't get a white face for her troubles, her teeth would make a dentist proud.  Who knew actual flour was a teeth whitener?

 Not to be outdone by her brother, Meagan wanted to powder her nose with her collapse.

And last, but not least, Cheyenne got a demure dab of flour on her chin.  Just to be like mommy and her friends.  As far as I'm concerned, it all adds to the cuteness.

- Josh         

Jacob's garden

Good times....

Since living in a house, we have been having a lot of fun adventures.  Jacob loves to explore and asked if he could have the old fence post that we had to replace (because our dog would have escaped if we hadn't). I asked what he wanted it for, and he said he just wanted to experiment with it. 

I let him loose and thoroughly enjoyed watching him have fun.  He started by taking the hammer to it and pounding it over and over.  He said he was trying to break it. I told him that it wasn't working, and to try and think of another way he might accomplish his goal.  He stopped and thought about it, and I could see the "light bulb" go off in his head.  He then asked if he could use the brick in the garage. I told him of course, unsure of where this was heading. He then proceeded to put the fence post over the top of the brick and stood on top of it. Nothing happened, he then ran over to the side of the yard and ran as fast as he could and jumped on top of each side of the fence with the brick in the middle....eureka!!! It broke and he again repeated the process till he had the post into three pieces. 

I asked what he planned on doing now that he had demolished it. 

"I know exactly what I want to do with it.  Can I please have some nails and paint?" Intrigued, I said yes. He asked if he could go into the garage and "work" on his own.  A little nervous and curious, I agreed.

 After a while he came back in with a huge grin and showed me what he had created.

He has always wanted to grow peas just like grandpa does and now, that is a goal I can help him accomplish. We started these peas about 3 weeks ago and they are growing madly.

It has been such a blessing being able to watch him grow and blossom in ways that he couldn't do before moving into a house. I wish I had video taped this whole adventure, because it was very entertaining to watch. He has such passion and flare in things he loves. The next project he wants to do is to build his own telescope. So we are in the process of learning how to build one.

-Sarah                

Our New Home

There's no Place Like Home...

We did it, we are finally in a home!! After 14 years of marriage, we decided that living in an apartment really sucks!! I couldn't stand the noise and smoking in the halls anymore and everything just laid out perfectly.  We were able to break our lease without penalty, and find a home that was the same amount of rent as our apartment within a few days.  The Lord was really watching out for us and everything just went perfectly with no bumps or delays.

 I have a few plans on how I am going to decorate the front yard, it is to plain for my taste.

This is one view of the living room and yes I know we have a ton of movies!

I really like the ceiling and how there is some character to it.

The other view of the living room...

Our dining room.  I can also start using my family home evening chart I made those many years ago.  Just never had the room to hang it up.  I do now!!!

 

The kitchen photo is darker than I had hoped but you get the idea of how it looks. We also have a bigger fridge/freezer than we have had in the past and I loooove it. Also, look at all that room, we can now cook as a family and not have to take turns of who can be in the kitchen. We all fit!!

Meagan's room. She decorated it very well and yes she does have a lot of stuff.

 

Jacob's room. On the other hand he does not have much "stuff" (and yes dad I know women always have more "stuff" than men :) ).

 

Master bedroom. Our bedroom got significantly larger and I am just fine with that. We needed more space in our room. Now I can finally have my drawing desk in the house. Also Josh now has space to play his ASL (Advanced Squad Leader) board game.

And we have room for all of our books!!! Which the kids are happy with since they used to be in their rooms.

I did not get a picture of the backyard, but I am just happy we have one now.  I am hoping to build some grow boxes and start to garden. We are just so happy to have our own space and a place to run around outside.  It has also been so nice going outside into the garage and get into the car on a normal day in Texas (90-100 degrees) and not burn ourselves on the steering wheel cause it's no longer in the sun.

I am very grateful to the Lord for helping us get here. Also, I am grateful to family and friends who helped.  I did go a little OCD on unpacking and had the house all in order in about a week and a half.  I hate living out of boxes and having things unorganized.  Thank you Josh, for putting up with me and having to deal with my stubbornness.  It really feels like we are finally home!!!

-Sarah

Girls Camp

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

2014

This was the first year Meagan had the opportunity to go to Young Women's camp. I will let Meagan tell you all about her adventures....

Girls camp was soooooooo fun, my favorite thing was the zip line. Our cabin was crazy the best day was the last when we had testimony meeting. The spirit was so strong and I know that I was supposed to go to girls camp to help those to feel the spirit and I can't wait til next year!

The crazy thing was they had to drive 4 and a half hours to get to girls camp!! That and they had cabins with electricity and bathrooms with showers (I remember having to jump into a freezing cold river to "take a shower"). All in all, I think she had a blast and many came up to me afterwards and comment on how impressed they were with Meagan and excited to get to know here better (our new bishop said he was so impressed with how she would give all the girls who bore their testimony and cried a hug, even if she didn't know them). We actually moved to our new home two days before camp, so she went with our old ward but got to meet some girls from our new ward and really liked them. 

 Before...

After...

Strep throat did go around and a few even went home early because of it. Meagan wasn't feeling good so I took her in the next day and sure enough she had strep. I asked her if this would prevent her from wanting to go next year and she said, "Heck no!" 

 I have such fond memories of girls camp and I was praying all week that Meagan would have a good experience and also that I would survive without her (it was my first time being away from her for more than one night in a row). Well I did survive and so did she. She even said she missed her brother and that she wanted to be a better sister to him (The Lord really does work miracles). :P

-Sarah