Merry Christmas!

"God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son, Jesus Christ."
The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles

Merry Christmas to all!

Let's talk food

I have another blog. It's called Whole Food Family, because that's our goal. Right now I'm in the process of posting our current favorite recipes.

Sneaky Early Present Openers Beware!

I've been wondering where our child-safe nativity set pieces had scooted off to... Then today I found this.

Apparently, this shepherd was sent to guard the presents! He may need back up, though. As Christmas gets closer and the pile of presents grows, it is getting very difficult for some children (William and Amanda) to leave them alone. We've had two fully opened already.

Christmas Sing Along

Following in the Jones Family tradition, last night was the 2nd Annual Horne Family Christmas Sing Along. It was great fun for all who attended. We sang lots of songs, some even new to us (Suzy Snowflake). We had a few special performances, ate some yummy food and lots of hot chocolate!

Mark your calendars for next year's Sing Along - Sunday December 20th.

Wherein I am called a genius

In my pursuit of employment, Jennifer suggested I apply with the church. One of the jobs had the title "Technical Genius". It wasn't clear from the description what they wanted, but it did say that those that were among the brightest should apply. In school, especially at BYU, I was the one that people would come to find answers to difficult engineering problems we were assigned to complete in our classes. So I applied.

I received an email on December 1st saying I was chosen to take a technical test from amongst the many candidates that applied. I was scheduled to take the test on the 11th. I had two hours to complete four sections: Problem solving, technical knowledge, logic questions, and writing pseudo-code for a sort algorithm.

I took the test and felt I did well in all the sections except technical knowledge, in which they asked for a picture of how people connect and interact to a site like amazon.com to purchase things, and asked for definitions of terms, most of which were networking and database related and therefore I know nothing about them. In fact I had never heard some of the terms before, such as SAN, NAS, HBA, 3NF, SATA, SOA, SOAP (no, not the stuff in the shower), and others. I did know a few, such as TCP/IP, grep, SCSI, NIC. I did my best to draw the picture of the amazon.com thing, but boy it looked weak to me.

The problem solving was mostly "story problems", and the logic section asked questions about people on a amusement park ride, sitting in cars. After specifying some elements like "Amy is in a car with someone else", "Gwen is in car 4 or 5", and "The car in front of Mark is empty and he is alone in his car", etc. they asked a bunch of questions. Then they did a similar thing with trophies on shelves.

I felt that I would not receive a call because the I did so poorly on the technical definitions section. But, to my surprise, on Thursday (the 18th), I received a call at about 8:00 am as I was styling my hair asking if I could interview that day, as soon a possible. Well, since all we were planning to do that day was put Venetian plaster on out kitchen walls, I instead put on a suit and tie and drove to Salt Lake in an awful snowstorm. I arrived late due to the snow/urgency of the request. I apologized to the interviewer, Heber, for my long hair and I was taken up to the "war room".

Those in the "war room" told me I had either the #1 or #2 score on the "genius test." Well, OK, I know I'm not dumb, but I flopped all over the technical knowledge section. So how could possibly be #1 or #2? The only thing I can think is that my lack of networking/database knowledge aided my score. The other sections were quite easy but I did use the full two hours of test time, and I left blank probably 3/4 of the definitions. This may have allowed more time to complete the other sections.

I was taken to a small conference room and the interview proceeded. They asked me a bunch of questions like, how do I learn, and do work best alone or in a group, how did I solve a problem in my previous work, what did I don, yada, yada, yada, you know, the standard drabble interviewers like to ask. Then they asked me the "General Authority" question, as they called it. And we discussed databases for a bit.

Then Heber asked me about the amazon.com drawing. Could I fill it in more? Well, no I couldn't. I told him I wasn't really a networking guy, and I know I bombed that section. He then took a look at scores from each section and said he didn't realize I had done so poorly on that section. Upon closer review, I missed 1 question in the problem solving section and aced the logic questions, with a decent score on the sort question. Oh blast, I said, I thought I had all of those right. I've now reviewed my answers and found I made an adding mistake on the one question I missed.

I asked them about pay, and, surprisingly, they pay well. Apparently they turned that around a few years ago to attract talent.

Heber told me I am a genius, but I would have a big learning curve to come up to speed on networking and data bases. But, says he, I am genius. Well, thanks Heber, now could you please hire the genius???? (No I didn't say that to him.)

Well, NO, they didn't! Turns out there was a hiring freeze, starting Friday/Monday (they weren't sure at interview time), announced on Thursday morning, so they called their top "4 or 5" prospects for an interview that day so they could make an offer Thursday/Friday. I called Heber Thursday evening and asked about the status. He said I was the second candidate for one of their 3 openings and I would know by Friday at 5:00 since they had found out that that was the deadline for offers. Alas, Friday at 5:00 has passed and I have no offer. Also, the kitchen is not done. Well, that's for tomorrow...

How often does your couch look like this?

At our house, it's on a daily basis.

Our van is back!

We got our van back last night. It looks great and runs great. They even cleaned it thoroughly, which hasn't happened in years. Seriously. It looks better than it has in a long, long time.

Lyman started working yesterday. I like the idea of him being self-employed and setting his own hours. I also like that it's only part-time for now. We've still got a kitchen to paint...

What better way to spend a warm December day than an Easter Egg Hunt! It was DJ's idea, and he filled the eggs with Cheddar Bunnies and Sunny Bears for the other kids to find. Amanda missed the first and second hunts, because she was napping. But I'm sure they'll be happy to have another when she wakes up.

Chess, anyone? No crying allowed!

Many years ago, before we had children, Lyman asked me to play chess with him. I knew the basic rules but hadn't played in years. Due to a derogatory comment about my playing ability ("Don't quit your day job"), I vowed never to play chess with him again.
But playing with my children is another story. DJ was in a homeschool chess club a few years ago and he and I are on about the same playing level - advanced beginner. I have a hard time abiding by the suggestion of finding three moves before making one. Anyway, on with the story...
Today I made good on my goal to play with my children more. I asked DJ if he wanted to play chess with me. It was hilarious game, which I won by chance more than skill. Lyman was a spectator at the end and could hardly keep from offering advice. The loser ended up in tears, and immediately challenged a less-skilled competitor, 5 year old Gwennie. Alas, that game broke up in tears before there was a winner.
I guess my next goal should be to teach the kids about good sportsmanship. And to make sure they eat regularly so their blood sugar levels will be more evened out. One goal at a time.

You're Hired!

Yes, I have a job now. It's not a regular full time job, but it could turn into one. I'll be consulting 15-20 hrs. per week at my former employer, Phonex. There is a possibility of becoming a regular full-time employee next year. I'll still be looking for work, but now we can buy a few Christmas gifts and ease the moratorium on spending.

It's actually the perfect arrangement for me now. I can work part time at Phonex and make enough money to feed us and keep a roof over our heads. If S5 begins to hire people again, I can go back there without any hard feelings at Phonex since they know I am still looking for work.

The interesting thing is, this would not have happened if it weren't for my car accident. The body shop where our car is being repaired is just around the corner from Phonex, so when I went to the shop to sign the papers for the car, I went by Phonex. That's when they started talking about bringing me back. Thanks to the Lord for blessings in disguise.

Lyman

If Bad Things Happen In Threes...

Then we've reached our allotment. Lyman was in a car accident last night. Luckily he is fine, but our van is not. It has major front end damage which will probably cost more to fix than it is worth. So, it looks like we will need a new vehicle, as our Cruiser can not legally hold all 6 of us.
On the job front, there is no news. A few places have said thanks for applying, but you're too qualified. Unemployment checks will start coming in two weeks, which will be just enough to cover our mortgage.
We are so grateful to have a full storage room of food, and clothing for the kids for the next year. It's amazing how much money I can save when I have to, and I plan on carrying this frugality over to the time when we do have income again!

Just a note

We have fixed our process in that I now have my own account so whenever I post it will correctly identify me as the poster.

Lyman

When it rains, it pours

I just found out that S5 Wireless is shutting down operations for a while, until they can get some money. Their backers ran out of money due to the economic downturn. Also due to the economic downturn, the companies that were in talks to buy S5 have no money from their parent companies. The companies are still interested, but they have no cash right now.

So I am looking for a job.

Posted by Lyman

Halloween Pictures

Just a quick post with pictures from a Halloween Party we went to on Saturday. Amanda was thrilled to be a spider, as that's her favorite "animal". Unfortunately, we could not find the spider pants. Gwennie had to settle for being a cow, because her princess costume got lost in the mail.

Fifth earliest snowfall on record

At the beginning of September I posted that there might be an early winter. Well, the weather cooperated. On October 12th, the Salt Lake valley received measurable snow in the 5th earliest snowfall recorded (since 1928). This doesn't mean winter proper has arrived. We are still experiencing autumn. It just means things they are a changing.

I didn't post this on a whim. I posted it because the PDO has flipped to it's cool phase. This will likely lead to a cooler climate in the western US and ultimately the world. This is the first time since the 1970s that the PDO has been this consistently negative.

Update:
Just so nobody thinks it is Jennifer patting herself on the back: Posted by Lyman :)

Sorrow and Gratitude

Early in the morning, on October 16th, Jennifer miscarried our 18 week baby boy. It has been a roller coaster weekend. We are deeply saddened by the loss of our son, but grateful for the knowledge we have of the eternal nature of families.
We thank all of you for your prayers and well wishes on our behalf. We have been truly blessed by generous service and heart-felt prayers the past 6+ weeks.

DJ's Baptism

DJ was baptized last Saturday. He was very excited and very prepared. Lyman did the baptizing and confirming.

Since it was a stake baptism, we didn't have any part in the program. We just got to sit back and enjoy.

We hosted the usual dinner at our house for friends and family which was a lot of fun.

DJ and Gwennie started soccer a few weeks ago. Saturday morning we spent 3 hours at the soccer field, since DJ had two games. He's in a league of 3rd to 6th graders. That's quite a range in age and size! His favorite position is halfback.

Gwennie is in a league for 4 and 5 year olds. They play without a goalie and with the coach on the field. Gwennie is the only one who scored a goal on her team.

William and Amanda have a new favorite pasttime of picking and eating tomatoes straight out of the garden.

I'm still on light duty and so we are just hanging out enjoying the beautiful weather. And that's how our summer is drawing to a close.

Jennifer Goes on Bed Rest

On Wednesday, Jen planned this secret getaway for us, it being the last night that our live-in babysitter, Elyssa, would be with us. So we drove to Park City for dinner (she didn't tell me where to turn until we got to each turn, but I guessed Park City).

When we arrived at the restaurant, Jen got out of the car, and felt something tear. She went to the bathroom and when she came out, she told me we had to leave because she was bleeding. We thought the baby might be lost.

The staff said there was no hospital in Park City, but there was a clinic nearby. We went there, but they didn't have an ultrasound machine, so we had to drive back to Salt Lake. They did an ultrasound and found that the baby is still alive. We saw her moving around doing acrobatics. (We think it is a girl but have no physical evidence since it is too early to determine from an ultrasound.) They found a subchorionic hemorrhage, which means a blot clot formed and then broke away, tearing some of the placenta off of the uterine wall. The prognosis is worse for 1st trimester pregnancies and women 35 years and over, and we fit both of these categories. The doctor was surprised that the baby was still alive based on the amount of blood.

So now Jen is on bed rest by doctor's orders. She mostly follows these orders. Namma and the ward are helping us. We would love another one of these, so we hope everything works out:

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I just had to include this cute picture of William and his "Ruff-Ruff" taken shortly after he fell asleep tonight.

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The fetus is measuring due on March 17th, St. Patrick's Day, giving us a reason to keep the green magnetic shamrock on our car. This is one day earlier than we had calculated based on ovulation (there is a +/- 1 day error bar on our calculation). Sorry Elyssa! (Elyssa was born on March 18th.)

The End of Summer

Summer has come to and end here in the valley of the Great Salt Lake. A big storm is dropping rain as I type this. This will make up for the dry summer we've had.


Earlier as the cold front was passing, I took a photo looking east toward the Wasatch Front. The only front visible is the cold front. This could be Erie. Gray, and no mountains visible. I'll try to remember to take a picture Tuesday after the storm passes so that a comparison to clear skies can be made. Update (9/1): I've added the clear sky picture and also a close up of the mountains with snow on the peaks (below).







This is a fairly early end to summer in comparison to recent years. Now we wait to see if winter arrives early. I remember 1985, when I was a sophomore at East High. At the end of September, it snowed and it didn't warm up. The PE coaches decided to take all activity inside that year until the spring. I wasn't too pleased. I doubt winter will arrive in September but I would not be surprised by an early winter in, say, mid-October this year.

DJ's Miniture Golfing Birthday Party

For DJ's birthday, he wanted to go miniature golfing. So Lyman took him and six of his friends golfing: Alex Richardson, Adam Aubrey, Anders Jensen, Fischer Jensen, Joseph Horne, Asael "Ace" Horne.

At left, see a picture of DJ watching his ball after hitting it.

This is a group shot. From left to right are: DJ, Adam, Ace, Joseph (behind others), Anders, Alex, Fischer.

Did you notice the red cast on Alex's right arm? (Alex = red striped shirt.) Alex was the only one to hit a hole in one.

After returning we had presents & cake. This is a video of us singing happy birthday to DJ.

DJ Becomes a Cub Scout

Here are some photos of DJ being inducted into the pack. They paint his face as you can see. It was a fun time and DJ enjoyed it. There is some saying that goes with each color, but I don't know them. Perhaps Jennifer can update with the appropriate meanings.

DJ's Birthday Lunch

Posted by Lyman

Happy Birthday DJ! We now have an 8 year old living in our house!

We just finished DJ's birthday lunch. We went to...wait for it...Sweet Tomato's, of course. While in line plating our salads, the power went out. We were able to eat our food in silence (no elevator music playing). However, we did not have the variety regularly available since electricity is required for some of the items (i.e. to cook to pasta, to push the ice cream out of the machine). As we were about to leave, the power was restored. The remainder of the family stayed for ice cream. I walked back to work.

The staff also returned our credit card they left in the paper credit card machine. Nice, eh?

The master bath floor

Alternate title: What I (Lyman) did Wednesday Night (and Thursday morning, to be technical)


We decided we needed to remove the carpet from the master bathroom because it was growing mildew. Why anyone puts carpet in their bathroom is beyond me (and beyond the scope of this article). We are planning on changing the layout of the bathrooms so this is just a temporary floor. It only cost $30 for the squares, so I think it is worth it.

This is the first step in the prep for us to meet Jennifer's requirement that we be moved from the downstairs bedroom where we are staying to the master bedroom by March, when the baby is due.

Here's how it went:
8:00 Mandy was asleep, Gwen was reading books to William, DJ was playing with Adam (the back-yard neighbor), Jen & I left for Home Depot for the project, leaving Elyssa with the children.

Jen knew about sticky back linoleum squares from her mom, who used them to redo their bathroom in Spokane. They have sticky backs, and can be cut with a knife or scissors. Jen wanted to buy a pattern with lines and a flower in the middle, but I convinced her we should get a marble looking pattern. This turned out well in my opinion, especially given the fact that I had to do some patching of missed spots. More on that later.

9:00 We were back with the materials, pictured below. We also bought: a knife & a threshold.



I neglected to take a before picture. Sorry! Use your imagination. You can see the carpet color & pattern in the picture below.

By 9:15 I had removed the carpet & the pad. Unfortunately, there were a lot of staples plus the carpet tacs to remove. These had to all be removed in order to obtain a flat surface to stick the sticky-back squares of linoleum down.






I used pliers, a pry bar, a claw hammer, and a screwdriver. By 9:45 I had removed some staples, and started the carpet tacs. It was not easy work because I had to either kneel or squat. I don't have any knee pads, but they sound like a good investment about now.

Below is a picture of the slightly water damaged floor near the shower. The carpet tacs pictured were badly water damaged and fell apart. I didn't need the pry bar for these.



Below is a picture of damage to the wall near the shower. The moulding appears to have been set in place, not attached, since it came right off and had no nails in it.



I had to use the pry bar to get under the sink area and near the toilet in order to lift the carpet tacs. After using my claw hammer to tap the pry bar under them for a while, I decided to try to find a rubber hammer. By this time is was 10:45. I could not find a rubber hammer, but I found I could place my knee between the hammer and pry bar and this would prevent my getting a metal shard in my eye. Yep, that's another tool I need: a rubber hammer.

11:00 The fasteners were all gone now except for around the toilet area. I needed a short break...had been kneeling/squatting too long. A quick check of the solar activity report revealed no sunspot seen today (Thursday in most of the world). That's 31 straight days and counting. Another week of this and we'll hit a top 20 for the longest spotless streak (since 1849). (At publication on Mon. the 25th, we are now up to 35 days, tying for the 21st longest streak of spotless days since 1849.)
http://www.dxlc.com/solar/index.html
http://users.telenet.be/j.janssens/Spotless/Spotless.html

I got back to work and had all the carpet tacs and staples removed by 11:58. Whew. Then I sanded what appeared to be drywall joint compound on the floor around the toilet area. It was quite bumpy and would have prevented the squares from seating properly. Then I swept and vacuumed the floor, pictured below.



I started by placing a square tight against the wall on the left in the pictures and against the shower. I proceeded down the wall, requiring me to cut out portions of two of the squares so that the vent was not covered. After I had a part of the wall done, I started the next row.

I proceeded with most of two rows, then did the toilet area. This required me to cut out part of the squares using scissors. I'm not really good at matching the shape, but since it's just a temporary floor, I'm not too concerned. In a couple of spots, I cut off too much and had to use a scrap piece to fill in the area where the sub floor was showing. This is where the handy marble pattern came in to play, because it doesn't show the mistakes unless you look hard. The flower pattern would not have been so forgiving.

After finishing the toilet area, I proceeded to finish the remaining portion that required only straight cuts. It took a while to finish, and Jen woke up and came upstairs to see the progress. I finished at 2:50. I say "finished", but it's not actually done. I haven't yet installed the threshold.



The moulding is now an inch or two off the floor and doesn't look right. Another problem that remains is the hole in the wall that appears to be caused by water damage. However, the floor is now in and usable.

Here are all the tools I used for the project. The level was used as a straight edge for cutting the linoleum.



Today Jen told me she wants to just get a new toilet and cabinet/sink. That way we don't have to redo two bathrooms before March. We definitely have to remove this old carpet from the master bedroom area. It is worn out. We have some decisions to make.

Doesn't the new floor look great?

News Flash

Since word is spreading like wildfire, and I'd hate for you to be the last to know...

We are expecting baby #5 around March 18th! We are very excited. Thrilled, even. Except I could really do without the pregnancy nausea for once. Wishful thinking, I guess.

A few weeks ago we went hiking near Bald Mountain in the Uintahs. We had great plans to do lots of hiking this summer, yet to be realized. We are still hoping to take DJ on a hike of said Bald Mountain sometime this month.

Amanda Walking

Amanda followed in her sister's footsteps, literally, by choosing not to walk until past 13 months old. She's still not a full-time walker, but we're sure that's soon to come.

William's news is he packed the treats for Church all by himself today, on his own initiative, even. I guess he was hungry.

Gwen's news is she has a new favorite book series. It's Amanda and Oliver Pig. She has developed quite a fondness for trampolines lately. Maybe we'll see one in our yard someday soon.

DJ went out with Lyman on Friday for some Father-Son time. They played miniature golf and had a blast! He can't wait for Lyman to take him fishing now.

Jennifer's news is she's now the Den Leader for Wolves and Bears Cub Scouts. In our pack, that's only one boy right now. DJ will make two next month.

Lyman's news is he finished the Orson Scott Card Ender series and is now reading The Last Jihad.

Keep checking for more updates on our recent trips and other exciting news flashes!

Happy Father's Day!

One of the biggest issues to work out in a marriage is learning what your spouse expects and trying to live up to said expectations. I am happy to say Lyman and I are making great strides in this area. He knows when my birthday and Mother's Day are approaching to ask me what I want for gifts, if I want breakfast in bed, etc. I don't have outlandish requests, so I usually get what I ask for. This arrangement works great on the flipside as well.

A few days ago I asked Lyman what he wanted for Father's Day, what his expectation were. He said, "I don't know, nothing really." So I got away with making breakfast a little fancier - french toast with strawberry sauce AND powdered sugar - and an unwrapped CD from one of his favorite bands (Collective Soul). I did buy a couple of Father's Day cards, one from me, one from the kids, but they aren't signed yet. I also made him a yummy chocolate banana shake tonight. (Actually, I made it for me, but since it was 5+ cups of shake, I decided to share rather than save half of it for later.)

Just so there is no doubt, I want the world (or at least those that read this blog) to know that I love my husband dearly. I get such a kick out of watching him interact with our children. His methods are so different than mine. I admire his patience and gentleness. I love the little songs he makes up for the kids. They each have their own. Besides all that, he is intelligent, funny, and usually willing to follow all the directions I give him. I knew I had a winner when, before we were married, I told him I wanted 12 children and he was okay with that. I have the best Father for my children that I could ever hope for!!!

Amanda's Birthday

Yes, our baby is a year old now. She had a bunch of cousins visiting for the week of her birthday, lucky girl! It was a small, family party, with lots of balloons and this tough to blow out candle.

She loved being sung to, and it happened about five times that evening. She loved her presents - a box of tissues, a brush and comb set, a purple soccer ball. And some pretty princess shoes she picked out for herself.

Happy Birthday, little princess! We sure love you!

Books

I stole this from my sister-in-law, Lillian. I love books. Let's see how I've done with this list.

This comes via Yogamum. It’s a list of the 106 most unread books on shelves. The rules are to bold the ones you’ve read, underline the ones you read for school, italicize the ones you started but didn’t finish. I'm also italicizing the ones I own but haven't started yet.

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Anna Karenina
Crime and Punishment
Catch-22
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Wuthering Heights
The Silmarillion
Life of Pi : a novel
The Name of the Rose
Don Quixote
Moby Dick
Ulysses
Madame Bovary
The Odyssey
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Eyre
The [A] Tale of Two Cities
The Brothers Karamazov
Guns, Germs, and Steel
War and Peace
Vanity Fair
The Time Traveler’s Wife
The Iliad
Emma
The Blind Assassin
The Kite Runner
Mrs. Dalloway
Great Expectations
American Gods
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
Atlas Shrugged
Reading Lolita in Tehran : a memoir in books
Memoirs of a Geisha
Middlesex
Quicksilver
Wicked : the life and times of the wicked witch of the West
The Canterbury Tales
The Historian : a novel
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Love in the Time of Cholera
Brave New World
The Fountainhead
Foucault’s Pendulum
Middlemarch
Frankenstein
The Count of Monte Cristo
Dracula
A Clockwork Orange
Anansi Boys
The Once and Future King
The Grapes of Wrath
The Poisonwood Bible
1984
Angels & Demons
Inferno
The Satanic Verses
Sense and Sensibility
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Mansfield Park
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
To the Lighthouse
Tess of the D’Urbervilles
Oliver Twist
Gulliver’s Travels
Les Misérables
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Dune
The Prince
The Sound and the Fury
Angela’s Ashes : a memoir
The God of Small Things
A People’s History of the United States : 1492-present
Cryptonomicon
Neverwhere
A Confederacy of Dunces
A Short History of Nearly Everything
Dubliners
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Beloved
Slaughterhouse-Five
The Scarlet Letter
Eats, Shoots & Leaves
The Mists of Avalon
Oryx and Crake
Collapse : how societies choose to fail or succeed
Cloud Atlas
The Confusion
Lolita
Persuasion
Northanger Abbey
The Catcher in the Rye
On the Road
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Freakonomics : a rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance : an inquiry into values
The Aeneid
Watership Down
Gravity’s Rainbow
The Hobbit
In Cold Blood
White Teeth
Treasure Island
David Copperfield

Hmm. Looks like I have more reading to do! These are the books I am currently reading:
Moby Dick (it's taking me awhile to get through this one!)
The Last Days by Joel Rosenberg
Enna Burning by Shannon Hale
The Book Thief by Markus Zukak
A Year with C. S. Lewis
Eldest by Christopher Paolini

New hobbies

It's been a busy few weeks for me. I am glad I have absolutely nothing on my schedule for this week, except playing with the kids!

Last week our Relief Society started creating a quilt. We were each assigned to make our own quilt block to contribute. Not having had much training, and even less success, with my sewing machine, I was daunted to say the least. With the help of some lovely ladies, here is what I managed to create:

I was so inspired, I decided to take up sewing and especially quilting for my new hobby. I started with sewing the badges on mine and DJ's scout shirts. Well, good thing I got a new seam ripper, because I didn't have any help with the scout shirts and it's going to take a few tries to get it looking good.

The other new hobby is hiking. I realized today it's not such a new hobby, because we did a few hikes while we were in Erie. Utah is a great place for hiking and I recently purchased a couple of books on great hikes with kids.

We started with the Jordan River trail. Since it is less than a mile from our house, it seemed the logical place to start. Saturday morning, we got all laced up and packed our water and snacks and headed out.

I think we went about a mile south along the river, ate our oranges and ZBars and headed home. There were lots of friendly walkers, bikers, and joggers sharing the trail with us. And a few dogs. It's a paved trail, which made it nice and easy for us to take the stroller for William and Amanda.

I love my laptop!

I know, two posts in the same week. But it is a different month.

I got a laptop when my very old (6 years) computer died a few weeks ago. It allowed us to have school outside earlier this week, thanks to a neighbor's wireless network.

We were talking about continents, and it was the coolest to pull up Google maps and show them a map of the world and have them pick out the continents. All while sitting on the hammock swing.

My other favorite part is taking the laptop into the kitchen. I taught a raw foods class last week and am doing a smoothie event this Saturday. Preparing for both has been made so much easier by having the laptop, internet, and my saved recipes, in the kitchen with me.

Amanda is our fourth child to learn how to walk using the below pictured walker. She's getting pretty good at it, but hasn't learned how to turn yet.

We were having a great time outside, until it started snowing again this week. Don't get me wrong, I love the cool weather and the excuse to stay inside and read books. But Amanda loves her swing in the backyard.

April is almost over?!?

Where did the last month go?

We took a trip to Logan, for my cousin Brad's wedding. It is always fun to get together with the Daines extended family.

I had a great birthday, doing just what I wanted to do - reading most of the day, shopping at Costco, and going out for a raw food feast.

William was trying to set a new personal best for how many stairs he could jump down - 6. He broke his foot on that attempt, the first metatarsal with a possible fracture of the second. It's been five days since the accident, and he's running at almost full speed again. I love how fast kids heal!

DJ and Gwennie got new bikes. DJ had a bit of a learning curve, now without training wheels, but he's doing great now. He begs to ride to Church every week.

Gwennie had one successful ride around the block on her bike the first week she had it and hasn't gotten out of the driveway since.

I got a new computer, as my old one died after 6 good years of service.

Amanda has started cruising on the furniture, and signing. She eats everything she can find on the floor and everything William gives her. She even tried to eat drywall joint compound yesterday.

The wallpaper is off of the kitchen walls! Hopefully we'll have some new paint up soon.

I have a new calling as the Cub Scout Committee Chairman. It was a lot of meetings the first month, getting trained and all. But I think it will be fun.

Lyman still is coasting without a calling in our Ward. He's keeping busy reading the Ender series. DJ also has read Ender's Game and is working on Ender's Shadow.

My list of books goes on and on. Some noteworthy ones are Three Cups of Tea (Greg Mortenson), Saints (Orson Scott Card), and No Greater Love (Mother Teresa).

We got memberships to the Zoo and the Children's Museum this month. We also have tried out some new playgrounds. We are looking forward to consistent warm weather so we can plant our garden.

Horton Hears A Who

Our babysitter was a no-show last night, so we took the kids out on date night and saw Horton Hears A Who. It was such a fun movie! We all loved it.

In other news, we have new kitchen countertops. And they are beautiful! Thank goodness we have the second kitchen downstairs, as this was almost a week in production. But it's worth it!

Now if we could just get the awful wallpaper off so we could paint the walls...

We're Back

So, it's been awhile since our last update. 5 months or so. The good news is we are settling in quite nicely. We know where most things are located now, I think.

DJ is reading the Book of Mormon before he turns 8 in August. He's in Mosiah right now.

Gwennie is turning into a girlie girl. She got fingernail polish for Christmas, even. She loves to read and give talks in Primary.

William still likes to jump more than anything else. And eat, although you wouldn't guess it by looking at him.

Amanda is crawling and starting to pull up to a stand. She has no teeth yet, but that doesn't stop her from eating everything William feeds her!

Jennifer has started a new homeschool curriculum Karl G. Maeser Academy. It's great, so far and the kids are learning a lot.

Lyman loves his job and has no Church callings yet. What an easy life!

I'll post some pictures as soon as I find the camera.