What do you do in the Summertime?

Oh what do in the summer time when all the world is green,

Do you swim in a pool to keep yourself cool or swing in a tree up high?

Is that what you do? So do I...

Michelle and I have been going in the mornings (6:30 am) to swim laps but it's been a little nippy. I spend the rest of the day trying to get warm. But I am so proud of myself because when I first started I struggled to swim a whole lap and the other day I swam 20 consecutive american crawl and 12 more laps alternating different strokes!

It's been such a cool summer that I have loved it so far. My yard looks good and my garden is pretty. The deer seem to enjoy it too. Unfortunately they love my strawberries, but I have had a few raspberries and peas. I think my blackberries are going to come on while we are gone. One day Randy came home for lunch and there was a deer on our front porch getting a drink. I wonder if my ponds make it too much of a suitable habitat.

Today is Father's day and I just want my boys, (Aaron and Gabe too. They are my boys now too) to know how much I admire the kind of father's they are. You all seem so good at it , like it comes naturally to you. You treat your kids with respect and you give them such good examples to follow. Of course you have your father as the best example. If you live your life like he has you will have happy, emotionally healthy kids who love the Lord and want to choose the right.

We leave for the Miller reunion and Nauvoo this Thursday. I'm so excited.

Disciple Preparation Center

I started my first class on my Bachelor's degree this week! It's just an introductory class so I learn how to do the online thing but one of the first things we did was to read a talk by Elder Bednar. (He's a close second favorite, next to Pres. Eyring) He compares the church colleges to the MTC but calls it a Disciple Preparation Center and says our homes should become DPCs too.
MTCs have these characteristics 1. People stay there for relatively short times, 2. the nature of instruction is focused and intense, 3. There are distinctive requirements for demeanor and dress 4 most are located near a temple. A disciple is a follower who learns of and from our Saviour and lives according to his teachings. A preparation center is a place to be made ready to allow their influence to flow out to the world. What a perfect description of what our homes should and can be. I went to Amy and Aaron's ward last sunday and he talked about what we can do to become stronger disciples of Christ. He talked about the health challenge that Amy sent us and changed it to be a spiritual challenge. The things he challenge us to do are.

1. Read scriptures daily (set a personal goal about how long)
2. Keep the commandments (pick one that you need to improve)
3. Take time each day to ponder.
4. Provide service every day.
5. No gossiping, back biting, evil speaking (My friend Linda Alderman's test is: Is it Kind? Is is True? Is it necessary?)
6. Meaningful personal prayer twice a day (or family prayer if that is what you need to practice)
7. Go to the temple at least once a month (for those who are close it could be more than that)
8. One on one family time (weekly date with wife and one on one time with kids)

Anyone want to join me in this spiritual challenge? I will prepare a record chart to track progress and we will go to the Oquirrh Mtn temple open house at the end.

Looooong Memorial Day Weekend

So we went up north for Memorial Day Weekend cause it was a long weekend and Randy's nephew Weston Lamplugh was getting married. We spent time with the kids and we were just passing the Lehi exit on our way home when Amy called and said they were taking Gage up to Primary Children's hospital to have his shunt fixed. Could I stay and help with the kids? I called a substitute for school and went out to their home and they left about 10 minutes later. They had an appointment to do it the week after school was out because they thought it was infected. He had a couple of sores by the shunt line, one behind his ear and one on his chest, but the one by his ear started bleeding so the Dr said they might as well just get it done. I stayed with Claire, Levi and Judd and on Wednesday we went up to the hospital for a visit and I stayed with Gage cause Claire and Judd were scheduled for surgery to put tubes in their tear ducts on Thursday. The Dr came in Thursday morning and said they couldn't find any infection so they might as well put the shunt inside his head and send him home. So Amy and Aaron had three kids surgeries in one day. The little ones were done about 9:00 so they all came up to PCH and I took the three youngest ones back home and Gage had his second surgery about 1:00. He ended up with 62 stitches! He's one tough cookie. He came home the next day and acted like nothing had happened. Kelly came up to an Efusion Mtg so I went home with him and Randy came and got me from Cedar on Sunday.