...Wherein the in-laws venture South...

There are many stories told to couples in the midst of courtship about the dreaded "in-laws".  They talk about how EVIL they are and how much they dislike you for "stealing" their beloved son/daughter away and chaining them to you in the bonds of matrimony.

If these stories are actually true, then I may just be the luckiest guy on the whole planet.  Like, won the lottery without buying a ticket, lucky, because I have AWESOME in-laws.  And they took time and flew down to visit us after having returned home from their mission to South Africa, late last year.

For one of our adventures while we were here, we took them to the Lubbock Ranching Heritage Museum.  Dad tends to dig on history a bit and there's a fair bit about how ranchers and frontiersmen used to live to be learned there.  Old cars, old wagons, old houses, roughing it...  What's not to like, right?

Here's Jacob on one of the old freight cars that they used to transfer cattle and feed from location to location once they finally got track laid down.

Another day, we went to see a museum that I've wanted to see for quite a while, but whose hours are almost always when I am at work or otherwise occupied.  It was the Silent Wings museum.  Apparently, during WWII, Lubbock was the largest training ground for American glider regiments in the country.   I knew that glider-borne infantry was used quite a bit in landing troops behind enemy lines during initial campaign assaults (such as capturing Pegasus Bridge on the Caen canal at Benouville on D-Day).  What I didn't know was that such training began in America, having thought that it started during the preparation for the invasion of Europe in England.

The museum had all kinds of glider parts and even a few actual gliders one could look in.  Below, you can see the kids in front of an engine built around that time.  What kind of engine, you ask?  Why, Jacobs Radial Engine of course... :) 

Below, Dad and the kids are standing in front of a Douglas C-47 Skytrain located out in front of the museum. The propellers of the engine on either wing are bigger than both of the kids.

 Additionally, they were here over Easter Sunday, for which there is apparently a requirement that there are eggs decorated.  Naturally, with Mom & Dad here, the kids wanted them to participate.

Mom, however, is just too cool to do eggs, unless it involves the greatest potato salad in the world.  THEN she'll do eggs.  Come to think of it, I should have had her make some.  :(  Next time, I guess.  But for now, she's chillin' in the dining room while Grandpa does the hard work of posing for egg photos with the kids.

It was great to see them again.  We look forward to doing so in the future as well.  We love having them around and wish they were closer, but the distance makes it all the more special when we do see them.

- Josh          

The Shadow knows...

I have, for the entire time we've been in this apartment in Lubbock, been vehemently against getting a dog.  First off, we have a perfectly acceptable, sedate cat named Rambo (no, we did not name him), or if you're my mother in-law, Fred.  Rambo has figured out how things are going to work in this house and stays within the rules.  We very rarely have problems.  Second, I feel kind of guilty keeping a dog in an apartment.  I've always imagined that they would be miserable not having a backyard that they can just run free in as their nature would seem to dictate.  It seems cruel to me.  Third, did I mention Rambo was sedate?  We get along that way.

So imagine my surprise when, today, I get off work after a 10+ hour shift and come out to the van with my wife and kids ready to pick me up to find a dog among their number.  Meagan, appropriately, named the black dog, Shadow.  So without further ado, I introduce the newest member of our family:

We were told that he is a Cocker Spaniel/Schnauzer/Pug mix.  We think he also has some Chihuaua in him as well. Shadow is an active puppy and seems to have really warmed up to the whole family.  Well, the whole family except Rambo, who is no longer the center of pet-ly attention, nor the only non-human occupant in the house.  He ranges from ignoring Shadow to hissing and swatting at him depending on the level of the perceived "infraction" that Shadow has committed (walking in the same general viscinity, existing, etc...).  No harm has been done, and Rambo still has the run of the house after everyone goes to sleep, but it has certainly been an adjustment for him.

- Josh             

Homeschooling adventure

Homeschooling?

So Josh and I have been praying very hard lately as to how to better be parents and teach our children and help them learn to teach themselves. We have noticed things that have been going on in the schools and, well, for a lot of reasons we decided to start the process of learning more about homeschooling. Our plan was to wait the year out and start the next year of school here in the home, but as life usually goes, our plan is not the Lord's plan and things happened such that we pulled Meagan out of public school last week and began our adventure. I was not ready and very nervous but it is what needed to be done. Jacob is still in school until the end of the year (unless the Lord changes THAT too...). 

We have had one week so far and lets just say there were some bumps but all in all a very good productive week. 

This is Meagan now and I LOVE homeschooling. One thing that sucks is I don't get to see my friends at school very often. I have the best teacher which is my mommy. She is the BEST!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait to do new things next year. L8R!!!!!

I am still learning and I have a really great resource (my sister) to help me smooth the bumps along the way. She has been homeschooling for many years, and has given me great advice. 

One of the fun things we did was a science experiment using the scientific method to find out what makes the best material to use in a parachute, like the ones they use on the Mars rover to make sure the package arrives safetly. We used eggs as our package and tested cloth, newspaper, and plastic wrap. We dropped the eggs three times in each case and watched them crack, smash and some even scramble as they hit the ground. Oh by the way plastic wrap was the best choice!

The other "really fun" thing that we did, as Meagan says, is that she was not feeling well one day and instead of doing nothing, I thought that she could watch a movie and write a paper on the good vs. evil dynamic of the movie. She chose to watch Lord of the Rings, one of her favorites. Let's just say after her second draft, that paper really rocked. She blew both Josh and I out of the water with her thoughts and ideas. We both thought, "That came out of our sixth grader?" I wish I could write the whole paper but I won't.  I will, however, write her first couple of sentences:

"Everybody knows about the classic hero vs. evil stories. Does anyone know about the good and evil within ourselves? J.R.R. Tolkien has created a masterpiece to show exactly that....." 

She goes on to present a very convincing argument of how the movie shows this through the character Frodo Baggins and his struggle with the ring of power. It really was a great paper! We still have to work on grammar and spelling, but I am so proud of her.

This last week has had some really hard times (getting her to do math) and some really great ones but all in all I think that this adventure is going to be a good and rewarding one.

-Sarah

 

Date Night, Take 2

I had the whole week to dread this night.  Sarah gets this look in her eyes whenever she's being crafty.  It's positively sinister whenever she knows she's going to push me outside my comfort zone.  There is this childlike glee she takes in making me uncomfortable.

I hate it.

That said, she knows that I keep my word and we committed to each other to go on a date every week.  This week was her turn to plan it.  So, of course, she gets our friends involved, because where's the fun in just turning up the pressure a little bit?

What does she choose?  Face paint.  The actor in her chooses face paint.  Not just anything, though.  Animals.

For our entire marriage, I have been her teddy bear.  So naturally, that's what I get to be.  Now, with that said, Sarah is actually a fairly darn good artist.  It's a talent that she is starting to develop in several ways and I'm excited to see what comes out of it.  She's using it to make new friends, and it helps her connect to her grandmother who has passed on, another talented family artist.  Anyway, even with a rough canvas like my face, she can do a passable bear.  That's what I call talent.

Then it was my turn to do her.  Now, I can't draw anything on my own to save my life.  So I scoured the internet looking for something that wouldn't require me to paint her WHOLE face (less opportunity to screw it up) and was fairly simple to replicate.  We came up with a peacock.  It still felt like it took hours.  I suppose, however, that it didn't turn out too bad.  The smile, however, makes all the difference.  The peacock doesn't hold a candle to the smile.

Our friends opted for a lion...

...and a raccoon.

At that point, we went over to their house to do some karaoke, some of which even sounded like singing.  I learned that I haven't sung in a VERY long time.  Apparently, it's not quite like riding a bike.  You actually have to consistently practice.  Who knew, right?

All of the songs had to relate to our face paintings.  So the Lion chose The Lion Sleeps Tonight, by the Tokens.  The Bear chose, Bear Necessities, by Baloo the Bear.  The Peacock chose Wind Beneath my Wings by Bette Midler.  Last, but not least, the Racoon chose Who Let the Dogs Out by Baja Men (because YOU try and think up a song that has a raccoon in it...).

After karaoke, it was decided that we would play a game.  Now, normally, when we get together with this particular set of friends, the games are pretty amenable (board games of all types, etc...).  Not this time.  Oh no.  THIS time, we were going to play a "social" game.  The game was Fluffy Bunnies.  It sounds innocuous, but it is actually an insidious game designed to punish those who hate marshmallows.  Honest.

First you place a marshmallow in your mouth and hold it there.  Not the minis, a big one.  Then, with this marshmallow still in your mouth you say out loud and clearly distinguishable, "One Fluffy Bunny".  Everybody takes a turn.  Then you add a second marshmallow.  And still holding it all in your mouth, you say out loud and clearly distinguishable, "Two Fluffy Bunnies".  And so on, and so on, until you cannot understand what the person is saying.  Now, I hate marshmallows.  Not dislike.  Not have a slight lack of fondness for.  Hate.  The Lion, king of the pridelands, managed to eat four Fluffy Bunnies before we could no longer hear her roar.  The bear followed.  Upon reaching seven, I could not hold any more of the vile morsels in and had to recuse myself.  The peacock followed at eight.  And true to his scavenger/hoarder nature, the raccoon ate nine Fluffy Bunnies and had room for more.

So, for an uncomfortable face painting, a pitiful display of acoustic skill and a run in with evil treats, I got to see a smile on my beautiful bride's face (and a peacock too).  All in all, that's probably a fair trade.  Until next time, when we see what other craziness she has in store for me.  I'd better get used to living outside my box. :)

- Josh                     

Date Night, Take 1

One of the things Sarah and I are working on this year is to go on dates more often.  With a 12-year old in the house who wants practice babysitting so that she can start earning her own money, this is an opportune time.  She can watch Jacob, and we can go out on dates.  The catch: I, Josh the unromantic, have to plan and execute HALF of them.  When we started talking about this, I was thinking 1 every 3 months or so and she'd do the rest because she's better at it/more creative.  Whoa no.  Not a chance.  Half.  And not only that, I got volunteered (amazing how that works in a marriage isn't it?) to do the first one.  So I did what any good engineer would do when tackling an unfamiliar and bizarre problem: Google.

What I came up with was a list that was not nearly as long as I would like it to be, which means that in about 3-4 months, I'm in trouble.  For now, though, the truly clever or different ones that we do, we'll post.  For the first date, I sent her this:

We then had a list of 6 things that we did in Hastings.  They were:

#1 - Visit the COOKING section & chose a recipe that you would like to make for your spouse.

#2 – Visit the MAGAZINE section & find a quiz in a magazine that you and your spouse could do together.

#3 - Visit the CHILDREN’S section & find a book that was a favorite when you were a child or that holds a special memory for you…and read them to each other when you meet back up.

#4 – Visit the JOKE section and pick out a HI-LA-RI-OUS joke to share with your spouse.

#5 – Visit the TRAVEL section and find a picture or information on a place you would like to visit someday.

#6 – Visit the POEM section and find a poem that describes the way you feel about your spouse.

We spent roughly 2 hours in Hastings, talking and finding out even more about how different we are.  I am still amazed by this woman that agreed to marry me.  Best move of my life.

- Josh

Meagan turns 12! (How do WE have a kid that old?!?!?!)

I wonder sometimes how it is that I got so old when I wasn't looking.  I remember being a teenager.  I remember going on and getting home from a mission.  I remember getting married and the rush of that first year with my beautiful wife Sarah.  The next day, I have a 12 year old daughter.  What.  The.  Heck.?!?!?!?

This is Meagan with her skateboard.  Yes, I said skateboard.  No, I did not bribe her or dictate this picture in any way.  This is my daughter.  All of these, are my daughter.

Pre-present Meagan.

Meagan with Lego Lord of the Rings.  Yes, my daughter likes Tolkien.  I'm tearing up I'm so proud...

Yes, those are Hobbit Pez dispensers.  You may be overwhelmed by awesomeness at your leisure.

And as a side note, this is the picture that I didn't post in the Christmas Blog.  The two other gifts from Grandma and Grandpa Stumm, both from their mission to Africa.

And what birthday would be complete without cake.  And a Rainbow Dash cake that she helped decorate at that.  It's almost like the CAKE is somehow 20% cooler.  I never knew cakes could do that...

Now, however, Meagan is officially in Young Women's at church.  She LOVES it.  We have some fantastic young women in our ward.  To meet some of them, might I suggest you check out THIS.  They are fantastic and we love them very much.  I am so proud of the woman our daughter is becoming.  She inspires me with her love of life.  I am grateful to be her father and look forward to many more years of birthdays and togetherness.

- Josh                  

Christmas

Christmas.  Just the word evokes a torrent of memory.  Excited voices, crumpling wrapping paper, John Denver and the Muppets, cereal...  All of it adds up to Christmas Morning at the Walles home.

Grandma and Gramdpa Walles fed the artist in Meagan with supplies...

...and the builder in Jacob with Minecraft Legos (you'll notice a theme here).

A foam Minecraft Pickaxe.  For when you have to mine something...really soft, I guess.

And then there was the MP4 player.  Now Meagan has all the room in the world to load the songs that she likes from Mom and Dad (as well as those that annoy them) on her own device.  With headphones.

And for those times that headphones just aren't loud enough, a dancing monkey speaker she can plug her MP4 player into.  Because everybody needs a dancing monkey in their life.  Seriously.  They do.

Somebody may or may not have discovered My Little Pony, which has, inexplicably, made a resurgence into popular culture recently.  I swear that for some odd reason I can't seem to nail down, when she wears this shirt, she's like 20% cooler than normal.  No idea why...

It's MINECRAFT... for X-Box 360.  For those times when Minecraft on iPad or PC simply won't do.

Look!  Jacob is happy about a book!  A BOOK!!!! Oh.  It's about Minecraft.  That explains it.

Meagan, on the other hand, LOVES books and so a kindle gift card to download some new ones is right up her alley.

LOOK!!! It's...it's...ANOTHER MINECRAFT BOOK!  Yay!!!  WAIT A MINUTE!  I see what you guys are up to.  You're trying to get me to <gasp> READ!!!

And then the family gift from Grandma and Grandpa Stumm...  A table runner from South Africa, where they served their mission.  It fits ours pretty darn good.

There were a few other things, but unfortunately, I was remiss in my duty to capture every single present to photo.  Yes, I know.  I'm a terrible, terrible person.  You can beat me later.  Christmas time is one of my favorite times of year.  I get to spend a significant portion of it with a family that I love very dearly.  Occasionally, that includes extended family (sometimes, in person, sometimes like this year, via Skype), but quiet (in a very general, not ACTUALLY quiet sense) Christmases with close family, to me, are best.  We can focus on being together, and more easily focus on the real reason we now celebrate, the birth of Christ, our Savior.

May your Christmases be full of joy and family and may you be filled with the magic and the spirit of this great season, and carry it with you all the year through.

- The Walles Family