bigs day

Today we visited Gtown and the big kids got to do some awesome activities at a city party.

We also got to play human foosball.  lP got really incensed when the other team had 3 people on the goal rod.  It was embarrassing.  But overall we had a great time.  Thanks Gtown!

The kids also learned how to weave boondoggle today.  Fun.  Thanks Grandma!

current times

There are some really terrible hatreds being laid to sunlight in our country and the world.  The group, white people, that has enjoyed power and position for the last 200 years in America is very upset that talent in other ethnicities is no longer under their control.  I've read from people claiming this is just a desire to honor their ancestors.  Fine.  I've also read ridiculous claims like "This country has been 90% white for hundreds of years."  The wealth and power in this country has been held by white people for hundreds of years.  Because our towns and communities are often very segregated it is easy for some people to be completely unaware that there are other races represented in our citizenry.

The church issued this statement quoting Gordon B. Hinckley: “No man who makes disparaging remarks concerning those of another race can consider himself a true disciple of Christ. Nor can he consider himself to be in harmony with the teachings of the Church of Christ.”

“White supremacist attitudes are morally wrong and sinful, and we condemn them.”

A blogger I have been amused to read claims that the church is being hypocritical to have a Polynesian cultural center.  This person doesn't seem to get it that BYU, and BYU-I are European cultural centers.   She must take it for granted that BYU and BYU-I are just teaching what is "normal" or all that is worth knowing.

I loved going to school at BYU.  I value the training and experiences I had there.  My professors were all wonderful Christians and excellent in their field of study.  I studied music and in that field it is particularly obvious that the only history we study is European music history.  That's OK.  Just recognize that European history is already being taught.  It is not an assault on the value of European history to teach other histories as well.

still walking

I'm still walking.  Walking has opened up many opportunities for me.  If I hadn't been a walker on this past trip to Virginia we wouldn't have had the experience of walking to the park or the gardens.  Walking gives me a lot of quality time with the children.  I'm so grateful for walks.  It's not just good for my body, but for my mind and relationships.  I'm so grateful to be in the best health I've been in over 12 years!

talk

I got to give a talk today in Sacrament meeting.  I thank my mother for raising a woman that loves to give talks.  It takes a lot of preparation and I cry a lot, but I always learn a lot and don't hate the actual act of public speaking.

I talked about how the scriptures help us during these trying times.  I talked about how our times are trying and that the scriptures are love letters from God.  He loves us  a lot and looks forward to seeing us again.  I included this gem from P's family history:

I concluded that I must have a house and housekeeper, for the way I had to live was too troublesome. I had agreed with a young woman in Vermont to marry her. I had written two or three times to her, but received no answer, and I concluded she had give up the bargain and thought she would not go so far from her father and mother. I wrote a letter to that effect and told her to marry to suit herself if she could. I would not stand in her way and I gave up the idea of going back to see her. I went looking about to see if I could find anyone I liked to keep house for me. I went down the creek about 10 miles from Abner's to a meeting, and I got talking with a young man there and told him what my name was and where I had my claim, and it was very unhandy for me to go so far night and morning to work and I needed a woman to keep house. He said he knew of one he thought I could get and he would introduce me to her. I stayed with her that night; she seemed very willing to marry me and wanted to know when I would come again. I told her I did not know; I had no house of my own and I didn't know when I could get one. Perhaps in a week or two...I thought I would go and see her again. I went over to the spring and was making ready to go to the meeting and see that girl, when here came a person and handed me a letter. I opened it and behold it was from my sweetheart in Vermont. She wrote with so much affection that I sat down and wept freely. She wrote that she was astonished at the last letter I wrote her--that she had written three or four letters and I had got none of them--that she had not changed her mind at all, and had been preparing to go there just as soon as I thought proper; that she was willing to go into that country and her folks were willing she should go there. We all were well acquainted with each other, for we had lived within a half mile apart for about 10 or 12 years, and had been to the same school together every winter. I did not go to see Miss Polly Done and I heard that she was very much disappointed, for she thought to catch me, and was preparing to keep house for me.

When communication breaks down we think someone doesn't love us.

The summer I met P we dated for about a month, then he went to school in Florida.  I didn't hear from him for 2 weeks.  I was pretty sure he'd gone back to Florida and moved on.  Ouch.  

He likes to point to this family history for why he didn't write, because after all....  And didn't I know he loved me?  But when you're 20 and the guy leaves, and you don't hear from him, in a time of letters, email and phone...  Sheesh.

zombies

I've never let my kids play games with zombies.  I don't like shooting games in general.  I didn't like the idea of the undead or their receiving callous abuse.  Today the kids were playing minecraft which I specifically don't like because of the zombies.  I'm OK with creator mode. 

I think it's really toxic to create this class of people that are un-people so it's OK to kill them.  That's the basis of so much killing in the real world.  And children are practicing this mental categorization through video games from a young age.  Then when they are older and feel like someone they don't like is a zombie, it's OK to denigrate, violate and kill them.  Great.

It's interesting to me that the survival mode of Minecraft is free.  Obviously if creator mode was free, who would ever pay for the survival mode.  Clever marketing.  So if you don't want your children to play with zombies, you have to pay.  That's OK.  We'll probably never pay for it, but we definitely won't let them play survival mode.

Once Crazy Summer

School starts next week.  That's impossible!  Summer just started.  I went out to Utah at the end of May to help my dad.  P was able to take some time off work so he handled everything, everything, with the kids while I was away.  The remaining summer has been a blur of handling things for my dad and we went up to Virginia for the last 2 weeks to handle more things for my dad.  I can't believe this summer has gone by so quickly.

While in Virginia we did spend some awesome times with my sister MJ.  She came with her kids and we had fun.  The kids got to walk to Mason District park and to the Green Springs Garden.  

We'd never really explored the walkable area around my dad's house.  It was really nice.  I brought a blow up pool and the kids had fun in that one day. 

Then it rained and we took it down until the next week when we set it up and it rained with hail!

Mary brought a cotton candy machine!

We went downtown and spent time at the Natural History museum.  There was a Maori art display and a dance troop there doing traditional dances.  It was really cool! 

 It was nice to spend time with my sister's family and my dad. 

My dad gets annoyed by children running around and possibly damaging the house.  But there were several sweet moments like this where he took time to be kind.  He was trying to show L how to spin the fidgit spinner.

Another time these 3 rascals were fighting on the couch and my dad said "Don't fight, don't fight" very sweetly instead of yelling...  These 3 boys are 1 year apart each and it was my little L that was often dictating the craziness level.  L also liked to climb up into MJ's lap and say "Mine" just to drive her son crazy.

Later in the week we met up with P's gator band friend M and his family.  The playground we went to in Arlington was amazing!  We'll definitely go again.

We also went to the Medical museum at Walter Reed that afternoon.  It was intense but I'd like to make it a regular visit.

  Seeing those body parts and medical history was really different than anything I'd ever seen.  Then we went up to the temple visitor's center and had a nice visit there.

We still haven't done school shopping!  Now we're back in the coastal town and hopefully we'll have time to get to the beach.  Hopefully.

Reign of the Judges

We've been reading the Book of Mormon with the Stake since February.  We started a tradition of all saying "reign of the Judges" together and dramatically whenever that is mentioned in the scriptures. We just finished Helaman with many instances of it.  Those that are following along in their scriptures are more likely to catch on faster than those that are just listening.  B loves to echo so we wait for his little voice like the other shoe dropping, after we chime in.  Then we hear his little voice, sometimes from another room, "The Reign of the Judges!"