Summer Reading Program

Summer is right around the corner. Each summer we participate in a summer reading program. This summer we thought we learn about one of our ancestors and how far they walked. We have determined to read 2,000 pages for each of the miles that he traveled with the Mormon Battalion.

I grew up learning about Israel Evans who walked the 2,000 miles in Company B. He was stationed in San Diego after arriving in San Diego. He later was a captain of a handcart company. Lance, my husband, and I have talked about him. On his messenger at work, he had written "Israel Evans walked 5,000 miles." One day he was asked by a co-worker why Israel did that. He  responded, "Because he believed a prophet."

Before we went to the presentation, we looked up on Family Search to see if Lance had a member in the battalion. He did. His name was Riley Garner Clark. He was in Company A and was assigned to Los Angeles after arriving in San Diego. He eventually settled in Panguitch, Utah. We haven't learned much about him yet.

The only battle that the Mormon Battalion fought was against bulls south of Tucson. Their march took them through the desert in the winter.When they arrived in San Diego, most had no shoes, and their clothes were in tatters. After the presentation, the boys got to dress up and see different displays. We are glad we learned about our history.

This summer we will start our summer at the Mormon Battalion Visitor's Center in San Diego, CA. We will keep track of the pages we read. We hope that as a family we can meet the 2,000 miles. We haven't determine how we will celebrate when we reach our goal. Maybe we will built something like the soldiers did when they arrived in San Diego.

Iwig Dairy

So as I was planning, I came across the website called Roadtrippers.com.

You put how you are traveling and you can select what you'd like to see.

When we lived in State College, PA, we loved Meyer Dairy.

Iwig Dairy bottles their own milk in glass bottles.

We stopped and tried their ice cream and bought chocolate milk.

The ice cream flavors we tried were 

*chocolate bacon, 

*blueberry lemon, and 

*pumpkin spice.

They were all delicious.

Oklahoma City National Memorial Site

We pulled into our next stop:

The Oklahoma City National Memorial Site. 

The National Parks Service and the Oklahoma City have partnered

on the site to remember the bombing on April 19, 1995.

The memorial is a beautiful place, 

and the boys wanted to earn a Junior Ranger badge.

 

We found the Site Ranger and started on the workbook.

The boys learned that there is a chair 

for each person who was killed in the bombing.

Smaller chairs represent the children who were killed.

Each chair has engraved on its base the name of a person who was killed.

The reflecting pond is the outline of the building hedged in by 2 walls.

One wall has written on it one minute 

before the bombing representing innocence.

The opposite wall has one minute after the bombing 

representing the beginning of healing and hope.

Underfoot asked a question about the families and how they healed.

What a golden opportunity to talk about love, healing, and eternity!

The families of the bombing victims had to learn to live and find peace.

We talked about how we believe we will see each other again after we die,

and if we are obedient to our covenants, we will be a family forever.

Death isn't the end of our family.

 

An American Elm tree sits on the property that was there when the bombing took place.

It was scarred and hurt but grew back bigger and more full than before the bombing.

The tree is called the Survivor Tree. 

It shows how we as individuals can be resilient to hardships in our lives

and to choose to be stronger.

The boys have talked about the tree since we've returned home.

Blessing Outfit

Our nephew, The Great Bambino, will be making his appearance in December 2015.

Our boys wore the same blessing outfit that their Uncle Aaron was blessed.

Aaron and Rachel live in Mexico right now.

Yesterday I pulled out the blessing that these 3 shared. 

All of them have grown and can't wear this outfit any more.

The boys posed with their shared outfit.

Underfoot has grown.

He is tenderhearted, happy, and excited to live life.

He is curious about the stars and how things work.

This boy is now grown up.

He loves his family and is excited for a new cousin.

When he was blessed, he was too big for the outfit,

but we used rubber bands on the button holes in the back.

Hurricane was blessed 4 days after he was born.

Uncle Aaron drove from Idaho 

with Grandpa Kirky, Aunt Katie, and Uncle Shaun

for his baby blessing.

They did the trip in less than 72 hours.

We were thrilled to have them here!

And this boy has grown up.

He is curious, witty, and loving boy.

He continues to develop his personality.

 We are thankful for his hope and cheerfulness.

Our sons are growing up.

We loved when they were babies.

They are changing and developing every day. 

Their blessing outfit brought back sweet memories.

We know that Aaron and Rachel will make 

wonderful memories with their Great Bambino.

Viral Pneomonia

Remember I was sick?

For the enter month of February, I couldn't get better.

Well after going to urgent care twice and
finally getting to see my doctor, and a chest x-ray,

I had viral pneomonia.

There is no treatment but time.

Recovery is longer than being sick.

I should be better when summer starts

or when the boys go back to school.

The Family

In our efforts to clean up and change rooms,

art work came down.

When Underfoot was about 3 years old,

he was painting, and I painted along side him.

This was the result.

It has hung in our library since then.

We took it down and it ripped badly.

So the clear solution was to take a picture to remember

and move on.

Here's to moving on and grateful this family is my favorite!

For Unto Us....

We put up a different type of Christmas tree this year.

Isaiah 9:6 is a favorite because of the Messiah.

Grandma Kirkham loved to decorate for Christmas. 

December 1st marked the first day to put up decorations. 

She usually gifted to her family a decoration of the December 1st.

So in honor of Grandma Kirkham, this is our December 1st decoration.

Budding Photographer

Hurricane likes to take pictures with the camera or the phone.

This is one of hundreds of shots. 

I think it is perfect perspective.

He sees the world from this high.

My pants and shirt have been baking all day.

I forgot to put on an apron.

A clip about being real about being a Mom.....

even in my imperfections.

A New Perspective For Moms from Elevation Church on Vimeo.

Hurricane and his brother came to me as a great gifts from God with a great gift to love. 

They have energy that is boundless. They have imaginations that goes beyond the stars. 

They needs to have a gentle hand in their lives so 

they will know they are loved and can return to live with God one day.

Watch Me Grow

My Grandparents started to mark our heights 

on the wall in their apartment above the store. 

They lived in the apartment for over 40 years. 

When they moved, the wall was cut out, framed, 

and presented to them in their new home. 

When they passed away, the wall was moved to the cabin.

The cabin was built while they lived in the apartment.

The cabin was project for their sons to grow up and be men.

We now mark the wall for with their great-grandchildren.

I am excited to watch them grow.

Sweetheart and I hope to have opportunities

to teach them to grow to be men as my Grandparents did.

The Apple Tree Chain

My Grandpa would pull engines from cars
with a chain in the apple tree. 

Grandpa, age 18, is behind the wheel of his 27 Model T road buggy 

next to his mother and brother with his brother's new 1941 Ford.

Source

 When he entered the Navy for WWII, 

he left the chain in the tree.

Grandpa and Me (early 90s)

He took us and shared the story of pulling engines.

Cousin Terry, Dad, Brother

We came again and shared the same story

of industry and sacrifice.

The tree is still there with the chain.

 

My brother has pulled engines using chains.

Usually the chain is attached to a heavy machinery.

The principle is to use your resources is applicable today.

So how will Underfoot take from this experience?

Back to our Roots

We visited the home of my Grandpa.

Uncle Dean is pictured with us.

His brother, Uncle Dean, lives in the home now.

He and his siblings were born in the home.

My Grandpa was always proud to say he was 13 pounds.

My Grandpa is pictured here with his Mom, LaVerde, 

on the same front porch.

Here are the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th generations.

We came here as little children

and posed with our Grandpa.

 

Uncle Dean sounds like my Grandpa.

His mannerisms are like my Grandpa.

I wanted to remember the special bond
between Grandparents and grandchildren.

 Oliver, my great-Grandpa, was a hard worker.

The wheelbarrow is his. He taught his sons and daughter

 how to work 

most likely using this same wheelbarrow.

The front wheel is metal.

Grandpa Oliver was a carpenter.

He created a table saw before modern table saws.

My Dad was bathed in this sink as a little boy.

Miss Sunshine is about the same age as he was.

 The homestead was given to my Grandma LaVerde 

as a wedding gift from her parents.

Grandpa Oliver built the home and the additions to the home.

The home was on the edge of town until just a few years ago.

The town built up around them.

We loved being here and especially with Uncle Dean.

Goofin' Around

Before we left on our summer trip,

Hurricane and I took a few minutes break from packing.

He is enchanted with my phone camera.

Obsessed might be a better word.

I've deleted it feels like thousands of walls.

But under some supervision,

we had a moment together.

Door Decor

Our front door is our greeting even before anyone enters our door.

Once Underfoot saw what the door said,

he repeated the phrase "Happy Happy Everything!"

whenever someone was sad or angry.

He would even say it to people in the store.

What a great reminder from a happy, happy boy!

A Passover Seder

I did this post for Jocelyn at  

We Talk of Christ! We Rejoice in Christ! in 2011.

She sent it to me so I could have a record of it. 

Tonight starts Passover.

We celebrated and enjoyed the evening.

=========================================================================

Growing up, we enjoyed when Easter and Passover fell on the same weekend. My Mom would make a passover meal, and we would be taught about Moses, Jesus Christ, and Elijah. All of their stories point to the atonement of Jesus Christ and his resurrection. I will share a brief history. I know there are others who can give more details and explanation to the Passover. I love to learn how all things connect together. My hope is to share the symbols and a meal and references to how simple or complicated the meal can be.

But first:  Here is a brief history lesson. 

(Note: I am simplifying the account.)

The Ten Commandments 1956 Film

 Moses came to Egypt as a prophet and told Pharaoh that the Israelites were giving their two-week notice and were moving on to a land of milk and honey. God had commanded Moses to do this. Pharaoh really didn't like the idea of losing his labor force and decided to fight against God. God always wins when He wants something to happen.

After bad water, bug bites, nasty food, and dead animals, Pharaoh was still a little reluctant to let the Israelites go. So God said that the Israelites needed to sacrifice a first born lamb and put the blood of the lamb on their door posts. This sign signaled to the Destroying Angel to leave all in the house living. All of the first born children died in the homes of anyone who chose not to sacrifice as instructed, being taken by the Destroying Angel. Pharaoh finally conceded and let the people go. He had second-thoughts though and chased them down again. But that is another story for another day.

The Israelite families held a special meal that same evening. God told them to have the meal every year to remember the sacrifice and the exodus from the bondage of Pharaoh.

Source

 During "The Last Supper", Jesus and his apostles were celebrating the Passover feast which commemorated the Israelites being spared from temporal bondage, which caused an actual death of the first born.

This was both an awakening of their faith in God and a foreshadowing of the sacrifice of the Lamb of God.

Jesus came to save us from our spiritual bondage and from death - both physical and spiritual. His death was the sacrifice of the Lamb not a figurative lamb, but the true Lamb of God. The first born. Christ freed us from all things as long as we are willing to be obedient and believe in Him.

Elijah has a place set for him at the table in most Jewish homes during Passover. At one point during the meal, the door is opened to invited Elijah to come and be apart of the meal. The belief is that Elijah will return with the Messiah. The hope is that the Messiah will come before the next Passover.

Source

According to the testimony of Joseph Smith, Elijah has returned.  He came to the Kirtland Temple equipped with the "keys to bring to pass the restoration of all things." (Source) Surely it is no coincidence that Elijah came during Passover. The prophesy has been fulfilled. And in accordance with that prophecy, the Messiah appeared also in the Kirtland Temple that day with Elijah. (Source)

Here are some of the symbols of the feast of Passover.

• Vegetable - Parsley, celery, or a potato and salt water are eaten together. The parsley is a reminder of the lowly station of the Isrealites. The salt water are the tears that have been shed because of the slavery in Egypt.
• Matzah - Matzah is a flat bread. Because of the flight of the Israelites, the bread did not have time to rise. It is also considered a poor man's bread.
• Bitter Herb - Horseradish or romaine lettuce is to remind of the bitterness of slavery.
• Mortar - This is usually an apple, cinnamon, nut, and wine (grape juice) salad to symbolize the mortar used for the building projects in Egypt. When the bitter herb and mortar are eaten together, it is surprisingly tasty.
• Pechal Offering - The sacrifice of the lamb's blood was used to mark the door.The rest of the lamb was eaten.
• Drink - During the meal of passover, there are 4 blessings over a glass of wine. Each has symbolism in the feast.

A whole meal can be made from the above items if a simple meal is desired. Such as:

• Vegetable - a tabouli with parsley added or just the parsley with salt.
• Matzah - flat bread or a pita bread
• Bitter Herb - a green romaine salad
• Mortar - A Waldorf salad
• Pechal Offering - Roasted Lamb
• Drink - Grape Juice with soda

All symbols are used in the meal. A Seder is the meal of Passover. Passover is known as the feast of the Firstborn or Pesach. The above menu is not a traditional Seder though. Each of the items are represented on the Sedar Plate. Also on the Seder plate, a hard-boiled egg is included representing the destruction of the temple at Jerusalem so there cannot be a Pecach sacrifice. A Seder is the whole evening with the blessings and the telling of the Exodus. This site gives a beautiful explanation of the evening. A festive meal is included in addition to the above items.

If you are looking for a more traditional Passover meal, there are many wonderful menus.  Here is a script if you are interested in having a more traditional Seder.

Thanksgiving 2012

We spent Thanksgiving in a hotel 

and went out to dinner.

The sunset was beautiful as well as the boys.

I ran a race that morning. I RAN the WHOLE thing. I haven't run a whole race since before I was married. It was a great accomplishment. I hope to build on the running and one day run a marathon.....we'll see.