Great Family weekend

We had our whole family together for Michael and Tara's wedding last weekend. Here are a few pictures of our weekend.

First, I got to meet Kennedy for the first time. She is the cutest baby girl EVER!!

We went to a park on Thursday. The weather was great, so we spent time out of doors.

Ben was "hiding"--

We went to an aquarium on Friday. Here are the boys in an octopus cave

We took family pictures Friday afternoon. Kristen (Tiffany's sister) did a FABULOUS job

Phillip and Kelly's family--
Tim and Tiffany's Family--
Matt and Lecia's Family--
Mike and Tara beginning life together--

Our four children and their spouses--

On Saturday we went to the Salt Lake Temple, where Mike and Tara were sealed for all eternity--
They were respectful when they fed each other wedding cake. No Cake in the Face from either one--

March's Marching Order

For some time, I have wanted to again enumerate some of the blessings in my life. This month seems to be a very good example of why I feel so grateful for the life Father has given me. So, here goes, although not in any particular order. It is also NOT an exhaustive list !!











Uno ==> My oldest son Phillip was born on March 2, 1980. Because of the long labor, he went into fetal distress every time Kayleen had a contraction. The miracles of modern medicene not only allowed both Kayleen and Phillip to survive, but also for Kayleen to have three additional children. I remember coming home and having Phillip running down the hallway to meet me. He would grab my keys and try to fit them into the doors, luggage, or other keyholes. I will always remember that excitement for life.


B ==> My second son Tim was born on March 9. I remember him hunkered down next to the strawberry patch in Idaho looking over the "just picked strawberry plants." A few minutes later he would be toddling back to the house with his fists clutching ripe strawberries that we had missed. The creations of the Lord continue to amaze me and even when I think I have seen the wonders of the creations, I will see something new.


Next ==> My third son, Mike was born in July, but is getting married on March 21. His optimisim is a contstant inspiration to me. His wife-to-be was born March 11 {Edited}. I have two additional daughters-in law and one son=in-law. I love and admire each of them. The more I get to know them, the more grateful I am for excellant spouses for my children.

4 ==> My second grandson Gabriel was born March 30. I now have four grandsons and two grand daughters.
















E ==> My wife Kayleen were originally going to be married March 17. But all the churches were booked for the Relief Society birthday dinners. We moved the wedding to February 23rd. Each day with Kayleen is another adventure. I am grateful for those additional 3 weeks.
'Nuff said.



6 ==> I am grateful for Sunday evenings.
Finally ==> This month is Easter. I am reminded daily of the goodness of our Savior in so many aspects of our lives. This earth was created through His matchless power and word. My family is sealed together throughout eternity through His priesthood. My hope of Resurrection and eternal life comes through His sacrifice, his suffering and his empty tomb. All that is important to me, comes through His various gifts to me. I can only thank Him by trying to be obedient, by trying to be as good as I can be, and by trying to serve Him and His children to the best of my ability.

25 (Almost) Random Things About Me.

It took a while to think of these.

Josh tagged me to write 25 random things about me. But on facebook, I don't have 25 friends who have not already taken the challenge. I only have 33 total facebook friends, and most of those have already done this. So I will post the items here.

1. I was Born in Provo, UT but only lived in Provo for 6 months when I was a senior in college.


2. My older brother Clark and I were often mistaken for each other during elementary school.


3. I kept the newspaper from July 21, 1969 for about 10 years. The front page story was about Neil Armstrong landing on the moon the day before. The newspaper was apparently thrown away when I moved away from home. Now I have a son who was born on the 15th anniversary of the 1st lunar landing.


4. I burned the field (just west of our house ) down several times when I was young. Some times were intentional, some not.


5. I like to get to the airport a few minutes early when I am flying out. Sometimes as much as 120 minutes early.


6. I have a BS degree from BYU in Business (Accounting) and a MA from University of Phoenix in Organizational Management.


7. I do not like instant pudding. I generally only eat "Cook and Serve" pudding.


8. I proposed to Kayleen, my wife during an argument. On Feb 23, 2009, we will have been married 30 years )


9. I gave up church basketball after the Bishop of a ward in our building broke my nose during an early morning game. It may not have been actually broken, but it bled for quite a while and my eyes were puffy.


10. During a missionary meeting in the upper room of the Salt Lake Temple, I was rebuked by Elder Gordon B. Hinckley. One of the Elders in our district insisted that "Eve's new name" was revealed during the endowment. I disagreed with the point, but agreed to ask the question during the meeting. Elder Hinckley said that it was ridiculous and such questions should never be asked anyway.


11. My total score for the CPA exam was 3 points over the absolute minimum to pass all four parts of the exam. Nevertheless, I am certified in 2 states, but I do not practice as a public accountant.


12. I believe in math - but I do not like Vector Calculus.


13. I have a real live phobia against snakes. Nothing will cause me to lose my cool faster than being close to a snake. (Unless it is having to listen to the "logic" of the Democratic Congressmen or Congress Women. Oh, come to think of it, they are also of the reptile variety.)


14. I bought the house that we have now lived in for over 23 years, without Kayleen ever seeing it. I do NOT recommend that course for people moving.


15. I have been to only one one regular season NFL game - a Monday night game in Phoenix in which Steve Young was put out for his career.


16. I have four children, all of which are different from each other, but each has attained a strong character of courage and service. Phillip is still serving in the Army - 82nd Airborne - and is on his 4th tour of the Middle East. Tim served a mission in Russia. Mike served a mission in Spain. Lecia was planning on serving a mission, but got married to her Mission Prep. teacher instead.


17. I was once kicked out of Seminary. The teacher was talking about the evils of "long hair" and I pointed out that the picture on the wall showed the Savior with "long hair." The teacher would no longer let his daughter play with my sister, because I would be a bad influence.


18. I helped Dad with his taxes a few times, and we once filed an amended return so that he could get $400 back in Investment Tax Credit. (ITC was done away with in about 1981, never to be heard from again.) After dad got the check from the IRS for $400 plus $40 interest, he gave me a hug and told me he was proud of me. I will always cherish those words.


19. I have suffered from depression for much of my life. A few times the depression has been severe enough for me to seriously worry. I now take my Lexipro every day to help keep those emotions under control.


20. I got Valley Fever in the fall of 2004. It is a fungus that you only really catch in Tucson and parts of Texas and parts of California. I would wake up at night with my pillow soaking wet from the night sweats, caused by the fungus.


21. Wally and I once pretended to fight. Mom came down to our room and began hitting me with a broom to break it up.
    
22. I used to milk cows, by hand. My hands always smelled like, well, they smelled like "cows." I used to be a little embarrassed by the smell, but I did have large forearms and a very strong grip.


23. I really never traveled much until our 25th anniversary. We went to Kauai. We have been back to Hawaii 5 time since, and to Aruba once.
    
24. When I was between jobs in 1997, I took up painting in order to stimulate my "right brain activity." I still paint, but I will never be good enough to show the works. Kayleen has hung many of the paintings in our house, and I have three of my favorites in my office.
    
25. My first computer was a Commodore 64, that had no hard drive and only a cassette tape drive or a 5 1/4" floppy disk drive. I taught myself Basic so that I could write my own programs for that computer. The next computer was a Packard Bell with a 20 MB Hard Drive. I told Kayleen that we would never need a drive bigger than 20 MB.
    
    Bonus Round
    
26. Shortly after my 19th birthday, I received a truly remarkable spiritual manifestation of the divinity of the Book of Mormon. The reality of that experience remains, in many ways, more real than the memories of things that happened this morning. That changed my life, the way I approach life and the problems and challenges associated with life. I do not dare to deny that experience, or that the Book of Mormon is of Divine Origin.


27. It was approximately 3 months from the time I decided to go on a mission until I received my call to go to Germany. I waited only 5 weeks from the time I got my call until I entered the "Mission Home." (That was before the MTC was built.)

Tag, you're it !

More Help, Please

Thank you for those who gave suggestions for my talk. It went okay.

Now I have another challenge. I got tagged on facebook and need to come up with 25 random things about me. I think the keyword is RANDOM.

I am afraid that the randomness may be comprimised if I do not get some suggestions.


So ==> What random things do you know about me?

Liberty Jail, anyone??

Sunday is Ward Conference

I have been asked to speak for 8 minutes on (drum roll)

"The Refining Effect of Adversity."

As our family has seen a bit of adversity lately

• Kayleen's father passed away


• Two of her brothers have prostate cancer


• Emma


• Some more private health concerns in our family

just to name a few ( in no particular order. )

I have a few ideas already, but will welcome any comments, quotes or thoughts on the subject.

UNO

I don't usually post two posts in a day, but this is great. The first movie is Peter playing UNO with Grandma.



The second is Ben playing ... whatever Ben is playing- while chanting his mantra for the week; "DAD-DEE."

The Garden of Little Angels

May Our Granddaughter Rest in the Lord

Emma was laid to rest on January 20th in the Provo Cemetary. The funeral was short and respectful. Andi talked about the things we have learned through this experience. Kayleen read a short poem. I talked about the effects Emma has had in our lives. Kristen sang a beautiful solo "Consider the Lilies." Emma's Aunts and Uncles sang "He Sent His Son."




The temprature gauge in my car said that it was 12 degress. (BURRRR). This is actually a picture of Timpanogus with Jim and Becky's house in the foreground.




There is a little corner in the cemetary called the Angel Garden, reserved for small children and still born children. Emma was laid in a little plot where the angel looks over the children.


Tim dedicated the grave, one of the hardest ordinances he will ever have to perform.


We love and admire Tim, Tiffany, and everybody affected by Emma, her birth and her death. Our prayers continue to plead for comfort for Tim's family. Peter and Ben remain behind, reminding us of the love and experiences we will not share with Emma until the next life.