Our Day at the Mesa Arizona Temple

Amy and I had a great opportunity to spend Saturday morning at the temple in Mesa. My sister Jenn came over and watched the kids (thanks a million Jenn). It's such a blessing having family close to watch the kids so that we can go to the temple together. It was nice to sit in the chapel and Celestial Room together. There is such a feeling of peace that makes the stresses of the outside world seem so insignificant when we're there. It is so easy to forget this if too much time lapses between visits. We look forward to going back soon ... not just by ourselves, but with other family here in town.

Bowling With The Boy Scouts

I bet you didn't know that we had a "semi-pro" bowler in the family. This past Thursday the Scouts went bowling as a fun activity to recognize all the hard work they've been doing on merit badges and rank advancements.

Look at David's laser focus and super intense concentration ... you can cut the tension in the air ...

He sets up for the spin off the wrist ...

Look at his follow-through as he "wills" the ball down the lane ...

AND ... all the pins are still standing. I guess he won't be going pro anytime soon. He still had fun.

The Twins Just Doing Their Thing

Elyssa and Joshua love hanging out in the backyard. One of their favorite things to do is walk on the brick border around the grass. When one of them is on there ... the other one is usually not far behind. Follow the leader??? It's hard to tell who is leading and who is following at times with those two. One thing is sure ... they both can instigate and get into things equally.

They love saying "cheese" and posing for the camera most of the time. They move so fast that it's often hard to get close ups like these even when we can get them to stand still for 1 second. Their personalities shine through more and more each day. They are tons of fun.

Mt Lemmon EYO Scout Campout

This weekend was the Eleven-Year-Old Scout Camp Out up at the Church Campsite (Camp Zion) on Mt. Lemmon. At 7,000 feet it's quite a bit cooler than the rest of the valley. It was near 80 degrees on the valley floor when we started driving up the mountain and when we reached the campsite it was about 43 degrees. It remained nippy for the rest of the afternoon and then the temperature dropped down in to the 30's once the sun went down (brrrrrrr).

We arrived early enough to get camp set up in the light ... and as you can see below ... David has become a real pro at setting up our tent and personal camp area.

The view from the campsite is just spectacular. The sunset was beautiful and you can also look down on the city lights.

The next morning there were activities planned for all the EYO Scouts from 3 different Stakes. It ranged from service to first aid, orienteering to lashings, archery to BB guns.

This was the first time David had picked up a bow. He learned quickly and did great when he got a chance to shoot arrows. His form and follow-through are "text-book."

It was also David's first time to shoot a BB gun. He was a great student in this environment and I enjoyed watching him absorb all the training and then put it into practice (firearm safety, dominant eye, breathing, slowly squeeze the trigger, etc.). His first shot went high, but then he got settled in and it tightened up a little more. I then coached him a little more on his breathing and the rest of his shots were within the 9 and 10 rings of the target.

This is the 2nd camp out where David has been exposed to orienteering. He is also picking this up quickly and is getting really proficient with a compass. This is the first time that he used a map and oriented himself using declination for the local area.

A few of the activities that had been organized for this camp were service activities. David and the other EYOs carried water around the campsite to put out the fires in preparation for breaking camp. They also helped set up tables, paper bags and napkins for the lunch that was provided that day. The young men were pushed to the limit carrying large buckets of water up and down the hills around camp. A little hard work only builds more character.

David is so excited to be in Scouts and very actively counts down the activities and achievements he needs to get to the next rank advancement. He is currently a Tenderfoot and only has a few more requirements to pass off both Second Class and First Class. By the time he turns 12, he'll either be a Star Scout or pretty close. When the troop has the Court of Honor in July or August he should have 3 merit badges under his belt (Reading, Citizenship in the World, and Swimming) ... if not 1 or 2 more.

On the way up to the camp out he wanted to talk about different Eagle projects and what I did for mine. He is SO competitive when it comes to achievements like this. He wants to be an Eagle at an earlier age than I was. His goal is to have his Eagle before he turns 14. Amy and I are so proud of how he likes good things and wants to do the best he can.

Easter Dinner in Tucson

This Easter we had everyone over to our house for dinner (Mom, Dad, Ali, Jay, Zoe, Noah, Jenn, Alexis, Julee, Garry, Kristy, Stone, Sammy and Tyler ... along with the 6 of us). It was a little chilly outside so we pushed the couch and easy chair out of the way and set up our tables inside. I can't imagine doing this again like we did in our house in California ... no room ... and when we did have a few more people in the house there it was like we were sitting on each others' laps.

We really enjoy living close to family and being able to have them over to the house or going over to do things with them. We can't wait until it gets a bit warmer so that we can do more things out on the patio or in the pool.

Lyssie's New Sandals

Elyssa got some new sandals for the summer this weekend. She is so proud of her new shoes. When she woke up this morning she wanted to get dressed so she could put on her new sandals. When she took her nap today she wanted to wear her sandals when she slept. We took them off and she got really upset ... SO ... being the push over parents that we are ... we put them back on her and then she went to sleep. At least she wears shoes. When David was a little kid it was hard to keep his shoes on him.

Josh and Grandpa

Josh sure loves hanging out with his Grandpa. Josh doesn't say many words ... but "Grandpa" is one of them. Josh and Lyssie always get excited when we go to Grandma's and Grandpa's house.