Said Spencer, "Mama, do you think it would be sensible for me to play on the iPad?"
Why, my good man, I can think of nothing more sensible than that!



Said Mama as Spencer climbed into bed for a morning snuggle, "I love you buddy!"
Said Spencer as he hugged tightly and closed his eyes for maximum sincerity, "I loooooove Daddy!"

Thank.  You.  Son.


Said Leah after hearing the 80's song Amadeus, "Dance in mah pa-ants!"  (Instead of "Amadeus, Amadeus!")



Said Cody after hearing the 80's song One Night in Bangkok, "What are massage koalas?"  (As in, "So you better go back to your bars, your temples, your massage parlors...") 

Those darn massage koalas.  Bringin' the whole joint down...



Said Spencer, "I can't eat my oatmeal!  There's too much wind!"  (Steam.)



Said Leah in her Father's Day card to Ryan, "I like that you don't get mad at me... mostly."

Ha ha!  World's Okayest Dad for sure!

Said Spencer, "Mama, can I have some of Leah's chip licks?"

Blank stare.

"Lap chicks?"

"Lip Chicks?"

Ah.  Chapstick.  Of course!



Said Nathan immediately as he stepped off the plane, returning from his 9 day church history trip, "Bet it was hard without me."

You cocky little son of a gun.  Of course it was! 



Said Spencer to his mama, "I have two sisters, you and Leah."
"Oh, no, Leah and GRACE are your sisters.  I'm not your sister."
"Oh.  Right.  You're my girl, huh, mama?  You're my girl."

Yeah, little buddy, I'm your girl.



Said Spencer, while asking Mama for one of her chocolate covered almonds, "Oh, I can't have those, right?  Because they are too good for boys."

MUCH too good for CHILDREN!!  The Trunchbull had it right!  (Matilda the movie?  Anyone?)



Said Spencer as he came out of his room, "Sorry, mom."
"Sorry for what?"
"I had a bad attitude, so I went to my room and sat on my bed, but I will have a better attitude now."

Upon further investigation, it was discovered that no one told Spen to go to his room, he just punished himself on his own.  IDEAL. 



Said Spencer while in the shower, "Dad?  Dad?  Dad?  Dad?  Sorry, dad.  Sorry.  Sorry."
"Sorry for what, buddy?"
"Sorry because I'm about to pee in the shower."

PREEMPTIVE SORRY SAYING PLUS self-punishing?  I think my job as a parent is done. 

 Ok, look.  Sometimes I am guilty of wishing away the time.  There.  I said it.  I admit it.  I know I shouldn't, but sometimes I DO.  Sometimes I think of how amazing it will be when our kids are more grown up-for whatever reason.  They'll know how to put their own stuff away, they'll make their own breakfast, they'll be mature enough not to pick pick pick and fight with each other, they'll actually DO what I ask them to do, I mean, whatever it is, I sometimes wish they were older.

But today, I'm feeling absolutely great about things just the way they are. 

Nathan, a tree of a 7th grader, who insisted on wearing this silly family reunion t-shirt, against the express advice of his mother. (Uncle Trevor will be so happy.)  (Also, don't worry, new kicks have been ordered for his gigantic feet, but have yet to arrive... the store's probably like, "WHAT?  You want WHAT SIZE??"  They're still panicking and running around the warehouse trying to wrap their minds around it.  ;)  But he's just such a great kid, so responsible, so sweet, wants to be so good.  He's the complete package and he just makes my heart burst with pride.


My Cody.  First day of 4th grade.  He's got his special shoes on for good luck.  Shoes, while not PF Flyers, believed to make him run faster and jump higher, and he wants to come out and have a good showing for his first football recess.  He has already observed the potential troublemakers on his class list and has told me his plan to try to help his teacher by setting a good example and helping others to behave well.  (You're welcome, Mrs. Saum.  You're welcome.)  And the awesome thing about Cody is that he is SO nice, so FUN, so CHARASMATIC, SO STINKIN' COOL that kids actually DO want to follow his example.  Best kind of peer pressure.  Talk about wielding his power for good!  This boy has such a soft, kind heart.  He loves his baby (and his mama) and tries so hard to be helpful and make our lives better.  How I love this boy.



Sister.  First day of SECOND grade.  I think second grade might be the year of most pronounced growth for kids.  By the end of first grade, they're still mostly babies.  Still pretty much like kindergarten.  And second grade STARTS that way.  But by the end, they're real kids.  I can't wait to take the journey with Leah.  She's pretending it's fall today because this outfit is just too cute to wait 'til actual fall, and she's a little fashionista.  I am too hard on her sometimes.  She's just trying to find her way, and she's doing the best she can.  She wants to be good, she wants to please.  She loves being with people and doing things with people.  She is a great big sister-plays so well with Spen and is 100% sweet to her Gigi.  This girl of mine.  I am so lucky that she's willing to forgive all my mistakes as I try to figure out how to raise a girl, and that she still wants to be my pal.  She's a gem of a girl and I love her so.



 LOOK at these kids.  Could I be luckier?!

But see, that's not even the end of the story.  THEN, there's the Stay At Home Gang...




Look at these two.  I am super happy to have THREE in school, but to still have two little buddios to stay home with me.  These two are a constant party.



There's my Spenner.  I LOVE hanging out with just ME and SPEN.  We are best buddies.  I love that I get how his mind works.  I love that I can predict what things will throw a little kink in his works.  I love that when a kink DOES get in his works, I can usually diagnose the cause and make it right.  I love his exuberance for life.  His love is BIG.  His happiness is HUGE.  His sadness is DESTITUTE.  He is SO CUTE!  As I sat there rocking him today (kind of violently, I mean, it is Spen.  And I don't mean I was making it violent, HE was rocking with a violent enthusiasm.  Just trying to keep the picture real here.)  But anyway, as we rocked, and I wrapped my arms around him, and he tried to squeeze me just as hard as he could, my heart just about broke with how lucky I am to have him.  And to still have him WITH me.  I need him.  He's my guy.



And then little sister.  Baby Gigi.  As I watched her giggle with thrilled slightly scared delight at Spen's antics, as I watched her curiously crawl all over (and with curiously capable speed for a beginner!), as I held and cuddled her little butterball self, and she laid her soft cheek on my shoulder, as I kissed and kissed and kissed her before putting her to bed, I just felt so blessed.  So blessed to have one last little baby-and the SWEETEST ONE YET, as it turns out.  Well really, could life get any better than it is today?



Probably not.  Today is awesome and these kids are awesome.  By the way, it's amazing how easy it is to be a good, loving mom when you don't have quite so many kids... ;)

  Hello! For those readers who have begun to read this without any idea what they are reading, here it is: I, Nathan Weed, went on a trip with my three cousins, grandma, and grandpa. We went mainly to Nauvoo on July 22-31, 2016.  Also, before we begin, I'd just first like to say that I am a 12 year old boy, and therefore am not as good as my dear mother, but, I'll try.

(Haaaaaaaaa ha ha ha ha ha ha, oh my word, this is going to be great.  He wrote this entirely on his own, without any help from me.  Let's all buckle up.)

  So I suppose that the story starts at Spokane. The day before I had flown to Spokane from Boise, and then I arrived at my aunt and uncle's house. So I woke up at 4:45, because that's how early we had to get up for the airplane. First we flew to Minneapolis, then to St. Louis. These two pictures show us in front of the St. Louis Arch. For future reference, this is the order in which my family appears in the picture (from left to right):Maddy who is my cousin and sister to Ethan, Jaya, my cousin, Grandma Meyers, my grandmother, Ethan, my cousin and brother to Maddy, and finally, me.  



 
  After we saw that, we got dinner and took a riverboat cruise up and down the Mississippi.  During that, we saw some more of the arch, a couple of bridges, and a factory or two, not to mention the hundreds of barges.  This here is us sitting on the topmost deck of the riverboat ship.




Afterwards, we got in the car and drove to our hotel in Quincy. We arrived late at night and I went to sleep.

  The next day I got up and we went to church.  After church we went to the place where the Saints crossed the Mississippi River. This is us standing at that very spot.
 



After we saw that, we went to Carthage Jail. Here are the pictures I took of the place:








  (In the middle two pictures, my Grandpa Don's the one on the right).


 
 I described it in my journal (Yes, I kept a journal) as:

  "The Carthage Jail is a sad/odd/cool place.We went into the visitors center and sang a few songs, then we went into the building itself. It's made of bricks and stone."..."Then there was the martyrdom room."..."When I entered the room, a powerful wave of sadness came over me. This was where, knowing full well what they were facing, two brothers came. This was where two brothers, both dedicated to their cause, died together. This was where our beloved prophet Joseph Smith died."

  I hope that's enough to explain.

  Following that, we drove to Nauvoo. We got into our bed and Breakfast, which was:


Afterward, we went to the Visitor's Center for a concert. We attended many of these over the trip (14, to be exact) and in different places. Here are some pictures:



  One of these plays was a British Pageant, the music of which was very good. Here it is. I especially 
 liked No. 16.
  Also throughout the trip, we visited lots of old Nauvoo houses and shops. Those pictures are displayed here:


One other highlight about our trip was the Nauvoo Temple. That was really cool too. A sense of calm came over me here, and it was a very enjoyable trip. I did my male 13 names, which I researched and found before my trip, and my 8 girl names I gave to my cousin Jaya. Here are the pictures:




After four days in Nauvoo, it was sadly time to leave. On our way to Kansas City, we visited three stops.

  1. Adam-ondi-ahman

  Here, there was a rock called Preacher Rock, and the Valley of Adam-ondi-ahman.





  2. Far West

  Here are the Far West pictures:



  The first picture here is the sign that they have showing you that, yes, you have arrived in Far West. The second collage is of the temple stones for the soon-to-be-built Far West temple.

  3. Liberty Jail

  The Liberty Jail is a center where is is a building built around the almost-replica (some things are original) of the jail. This is where Joseph Smith dwelt for four months, being falsely accused.






  So then we arrived in Kansas City, and we slept at our hotel that night.The next day, we went to Worlds of Fun! It's an awesome amusement park in Kansas City. Click here for more details.

  The next day we went to the Independence Visitors Center. That is a really cool place, with lots of different copies of the Book of Mormon, and in the general vicinity is the Temple site and cornerstones for the Independence, Missouri temple.








 
Afterwards, we got on a plane to Oakland, and from there, Spokane. I stayed a night, went to church there the next day, and then caught my plane home.

  I'd just like to end with my testimony. This trip has strengthened my testimony in a couple of ways. First, of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Of how great a man he was, and that he was a true leader and prophet, directed by God. And second, of the Saints themselves. Of their great faith. They had to move like, four times! Not knowing where they were going! But they trusted God. And in the end, it paid off. Lastly, of our Heavenly Father. He had a plan for the Saints, and all they needed to do was to trust him. Can't we apply that in our own lives? I mean, yeah, the Saints faced challenges like disease and hunger, but we face challenges like unfaithfulness and bad people. Essentially, we face more spiritual trials then physical. But the solution is the same. Trust in God, and know that he has a plan for you, and I promise that you will be blessed. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

  Well, that's it! And I must say goodbye for now. Keep the Commandments, eat your veggies, and get some sleep. I'll see you next time!