Just To Make You Giggle (Out Loud - Guaranteed)

I was introduced to this silly little thing by my friend, Amber. His name is Strong Bad. The concept is that you can email him any question you want and he will answer his favorites in the form of video shorts. There are tons of them at the homestarrunner.com website under "SB emails". Enjoy one of my favorites: Technology. You'll definitely giggle!! http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail143.html

Whew (Read On, You'll See What I Mean!)

We had an incredibly full, fun day yesterday. John and Sheri (Brad's sister) and their son Adam came to spend the night on Friday, after touring the Twin Falls Temple with Amber (their daughter) and her fiance, Joe Reeder. We were thrilled to have them here for a little while and took full advantage of their time and attention while they were here. The kids were particularly excited to swim with Adam since he is such a tease, and is always willing to play with them!
Kate getting thrown high into the air by Adam! She loved it and begged over and over for him to do it again and again. Thanks for being a good sport Adam - we love you!

Todd getting thrown around, too. Luckily, Adam is really strong!
After John and Sheri left for Twin Falls again, we ran out to Oakley where Todd performed for the town Pioneer Day Celebration. What a cool stud, huh?

From Oakley, we headed for Twin Falls to enjoy the Blue Angels Air Show compliments of Joe Reeder's family. They own Reeder Flight Service, and were very involved in all the preparations for the Air Show. We really enjoyed ourselves, even though it was mega-hot. Jack was one happy little boy. He had perma-grin as he thoroughly checked out every airplane, helicopter and jet in sight.
Sheri, John, Todd, and Adam (and Jack-Jack in the background). The only shade available was under the wings of airplanes. We were glad for the relief we got from the scorching heat!

Jack, in his element.
The Blue Angels jets. Wow, can I just say watching them fly was one of the most incredible feats I've ever seen. The precision with which they fly is something to be seen. I was completely in awe.

After the air show Joe showed us his office and let the kids sit in some of the helicopters and planes they are working on. They absolutely loved being in the middle of the action!

This pretty much captures Jack's mood for the entire day :).

Kate and Todd checking out the cockpit with Adam.

After the airshow (and a LOOOOONG wait in traffic) we decided we might as well not waste the opportunity to visit the Niagara Falls of the West (Shoshone Falls). With gas prices as they are (hovering at $4.15 or so) we realized that we need to enjoy vacation spots that are close to home. The falls this year are absolutely spectacular.
We ended up hiking all the trails around the area so we could see the falls from as many different vantage points as possible.

While hiking the kids got blisters on their feet (I guess we should have planned our day and footwear a little better!). We talked a lot about the pioneers and the conditions they walked in. The kids bucked up a little after that and stopped complaining. At one point I told them the story of the big brother that carried his little brother to the top of a mountain on his back, then after reaching the pinnacle, sat down and died. They were amazed by his love and bravery and a little while later when Kate was fussing about how much her feet hurt, I heard Todd coaxing her onto his back for a ride! It touched my heart. But I had to laugh when about 30 feet down the path he sat her back down and exclaimed, "She's HEAVY!" Oh well, I guess it's the thought that counts.

By the time we returned home we were completely exhausted. We fell in to bed and no one budged until after 7 this morning (except for Brad, who had early meetings). It's a good thing we have church at 11:30!

Twin Falls Temple Open House

Yesterday was our stake's first assignment at the Twin Falls Temple Open House. Brad and I were tour guides from 8am until 1pm. We arrived at the temple a little before 7am for a devotional and some last minute instruction from Elder Nielsen and members of the temple committee. It was so exciting (and a little nerve wracking, I don't mind saying!). Brad and I were there mainly to guide Spanish speaking tours, but due to a severe shortage of Spanish speakers we were given a couple of English speaking tours instead.

As we were getting ready to leave one of the ushers grabbed us and asked us if we could stay and guide an extra tour for one small Hispanic family. We gladly accepted and proceeded to take them through the temple. The family consisted of the father, mother, and a little 4 year old girl. They were such a wonderful family. The mother had taken two days off work, just so she could come see what the temple was about. She begged her husband to take her and he consented. Brad did a beautiful job of presenting the tour in Spanish, and I got to take the little girl by the hand and show her all the paintings of Jesus and the beautiful flowers and chandeliers in the temple. She was an absolute doll -- and spoke impeccable English, which was a blessing for me! After the tour, Brad asked the gentleman how he enjoyed the temple. He simply replied, "It was really peaceful there. I forgot about all my problems." Brad told him that feeling peace and a respite from the things of the world was one of the blessings and promises of temple attendance. We were so thankful to have had the opportunity to share a little peace with such a beautiful family. They filled out a comment card, so I hope they'll pursue the gospel.

Our friends, Garald and Lori Bair, were also leading tours yesterday morning so we rode together (and their sweet daughter Nikelle babysat our kids all day). In their first tour they had a large number of visitors including one man who looked very serious and unapproachable. Lori related that she felt the spirit pushing her to strike up a conversation with him as they walked from place to place on the tour. She was reluctant because of his demeanor, but decided to follow the spirit, so she asked him where he was from, to which he replied he was from Chicago. He is an architect (or maybe studying to be an architect) and had recently become fascinated with temples (both ancient and modern). Through his studies he came across the mention of a temple in Nauvoo, Illinois, so he hopped in his car and drove there to see it for himself. You can imagine his disappointment when he arrived, only to discover that he couldn't enter the House of the Lord. He petitioned everyone he could think of, but kept getting the same reply, that no one without a recommend could enter the building. Then, one of the workers mentioned that although the Nauvoo temple was not available to him, there was another temple that was not dedicated yet, and tours were underway. So he excitedly got in his car and drove for 3 1/2 days and finally arrived in Twin Falls, Idaho on the morning of July 24, 2008. He said he just felt 'compelled' to get here. He was there for one of the first tours of the morning. After that tour he asked Sister Bair if there was any way that he could be allowed to go on just one more tour. She excitedly told him that he could stay all day and go on as many tours as he wanted!! We left around 1pm, but other friends of ours who were there later in the day told us that he went on several more tours, at least one of which was a private tour guided by a counselor in our Stake Presidency (President Loren West, an amazing, loving, wonderful man). My visiting teaching companion was an usher in the temple, and she related to me this morning that she saw him come through with President West, and by the look on his face she could tell that he was contemplating more than just the architecture.

These are just a couple of simple experiences that happened yesterday in the temple that have so strengthened my testimony of the importance of sharing the temple with the entire earth. As Brother Bair said on the ride home, "I'm sure the Lord is so pleased to see His children flocking to His house and gathering in such great numbers. For so many it may be the first time they have ever felt the spirit." We are so lucky to be included in this unique opportunity to share the gospel.

And Speaking of Vocabulary ...

Todd: Mom, I have a problem.
Me: What's the matter, sweetie?
Todd: Um, I'm a little like Grandpa, I think.
Me: What's that supposed to mean?
Todd: Ummmmm, I'm a little uncomfortable around too many people, and I don't think I like small places very much. I think I have, ummmmm, ummmmm, squishy-itis or something.
Me: Um, I think you mean claustrophobia. But, I have to say, I think your word is more descriptive, I'm tempted to add it to my vocabulary. Let's check with Webster's and see what they say.
Todd: Sounds like a plan, as long as I don't have to stand in any large crowds. :D

Aren't kids smart?

A Good Deed You Can Do Daily

One of my other frequent internet stops is a favorite site called freerice.com. I love it because if I'm waiting at my computer for any reason (slow connection, uploading, downloading, etc.) I can jump over to this site and learn something while contributing to the cause of ending hunger around the world. The concept is this: you are presented with a vocabulary word and four definitions under it. You select the word you think is the best synonym or definition for the presented word. If you're correct you have just donated 20 grains of rice to the UN World Food Program. The vocabulary words get more and more difficult as you answer them correctly. (Words are scored by difficulty, 60 being the highest level.) When you miss you drop back a level and must answer 3 in a row correctly to move to the next level again. 20 grains of rice doesn't sound like much, but it really adds up quickly! In the FAQ section of the website you'll find lots of good information about how much rice has been donated so far (the site has been up and running for less than a year, but has donated an incredible amount of food) and how the money to purchase the rice is generated. It's easy, fun, enriching, and benefits those who need it most -- all without ever leaving your cushy office chair. Nice, huh?

How to Waste A Whole Lot of Time

So I got it in my head this afternoon that I wanted to change the look of my boring blog page. So I started looking around for new templates, and 3 hours later I've finally put something in place. Can I just say that there are complete subcultures on the internet that I had absolutely no clue ever existed. Since I usually only visit my email, netflix, and favorite blogs, and maybe Amazon.com once in a while, when I'm on the internet, I am oblivious to all the crazy and amazing things people spend their time on. I can see how entire days and weeks can get eaten up on the internet doing something as inane as choosing a new blog skin. Now I must repent for completely wasting a huge block of time that could have been spent doing something much more worthwhile. However, it will be good to look at something new on my blog. As many of you know, I'm the girl who moves her furniture around for no good reason whatsoever, just because I can't stand to look at the same configuration for too long. (It's either that or buy new furniture, so I bet Brad is pretty glad I only move stuff around. :D)

The Giving Yard

I love this time of year, when your yard starts to pay you back for all the hard work you've done since April! I hadn't really looked at the garden in over a week, so this morning I was shocked and thrilled to find that we had a few things ready to harvest. Fresh fruit and veges are so much yummier than anything else -- dinner will be delicious tonight.

Rose Family Reunion

The abbreviated Rose Family Reunion took place this weekend. I forgot to pull out my camera, so I'll have to pull some pics from other family members later. It was so fun to be together even for a short period of time. The kids had a ball with the cousins, and I loved having some time to visit with Mom and Dad and Cindy and Julie. Our lives are all so busy that we rarely have these times together anymore. It was such a treat to spend even a few hours. Friday was spend at Mom and Dad's house. We had an amazing dinner (thanks Mom), followed by a fun FHE and the annual talent show. As usual we were wowed by all the great talents shared by each of the kids. My favorite this year was 3 year old Lily's word for word recitation of the book "The Three Billy Goats' Gruff" complete with character voices. She is a hoot. Each of the kids had something wonderful to share (including Kaleb, who danced and showed off his muscles -- way to go Little DJ Jr.!) One of the highlights of the evening was Grandma Johnson coming with Kim, Deron, and Collin, who were visiting from Arizona. It was so fun having a chance to catch up with them. They are such a terrific family. We love them so much.

Saturday we got up (after sleeping in -- which was such a gift), ate a yummy breakfast, then headed to Idaho Falls to spend the day at Cindy and DJ's house. The kids played nonstop, and I got to hold the twins (which I had been aching to do!). We had the perfect relaxing day, just spent visiting, catching up, laughing, eating, and watching the kids. Even though it was short, it was great to be together.

The only thing that was rotten about the whole weekend was that Matt, Sara, Luke, Emma, and Gavin weren't there. We missed them so much. Thankfully we were able to spend some great time with them a couple of weeks ago when they were out. We love you all so much and thought about you often while we were together.

I'm so thankful for the Plan of Salvation and for the sealing power of the temple. Families are such a blessing. I love each of you and I'm so thankful for the opportunity to bound together for eternity.

Jack is Back

Because music camp week is so crazy busy, Cindy graciously offered to take Jack for the week in exchange for her girls. (She is a saint, considering she has newborn twins and a 2 year old of her own to care for, and I took her two best babysitters to my house for the week!). We laughed a lot about the fact that I had four heads of hair to do and she ended up with four little bums to change. I have to say that I definitely got the better end of that deal (no pun intended :)).

I missed my little Jack-Jack so much, and I wasn't the only one. Todd was absolutely heartbroken about his little bro being gone for such a long time. Halfway through the week he broke down and cried in my arms for a good 15 minutes because he missed our little man so much. It was so sweet and really touched my heart that he loves that little guy so much. As for me, I could hardly stand to think about him, I would get teary and just long to hold him, so I just tried hard not to think about how slowly the time crawled by without him. It was good that we were so busy as it helped the time go by much faster.

I am so grateful to Cindy for taking him, though, because there is no way he would have survived the week. The schedule was way too hectic -- he would have been absolutely miserable. As it was he had the best time with Kaleb. It was great for them to have some cousin time. We sure appreciate Kaleb being willing to share all his stuff with Jack. He's such a sweet little boy. Also, we're thankful that he taught Jack how to talk a little bit more. He is really trying to speak now that he's been around a little guy his size and seen that it's possible to communicate using the English language. Jackanese is still the preferred language, but we have high hopes that a transition is underway! Thanks Kaleb!!

As fun as the whole week was, we are so excited about going back to our regular routine again. We love our little Jackaboo so much. It's so good to have him home again.

A Fun Week With the Teichert Cousins

We were lucky enough to have Regan, Morgan, and Jordyn come stay with us for 5 days this past week. I teach at a Vocal Summer Music Camp called "Rise Up and Sing" and have been able to involve Cindy's and my kids for the last 3 years. This year Regan, Morgan, Jordyn, Todd and Kate all attended and we had a wonderful time! Morgan, Jordyn, and Kate were all in the Children's Chorus, and Kate and Morgan also attended an Acting class which they absolutely loved. Todd and Regan each took a master class (a small class where each member polishes a solo to be performed at the end of the week), a theory class, a musical theater class and an acting class. I taught master classes all day, so by the end of the week we were all absolutely exhausted (but in a good way!).

Kate, Jordy, and Morgan singing with the Children's Chorus (Tinga Layo).
We had time to swim and even squeezed in the swim lessons in the evenings.
This was the Super Karate Kick into the Pool move developed by Todd, Kate, and Regan!
The whole gang in their music camp t-shirts.
Jordyn was an absolute star at music camp after she sang "Rubber Duckie" in front of the whole camp! Everyone kept telling her what a great job she did (and they were right!). She developed quite the fan base while there. The other kids were her backup singers. They all wore swimsuits and sunglasses and carried towels and rubber duckies!

We were so busy that I forgot to take many more pictures, but we had the best time with the cousins. We were all completely worn out by the end of the week, but hopefully the kids had fun and thought it was worth the craziness. I sure did! It's wonderful to see the growth they experience each year. I'm thankful they can have these opportunities to build self confidence, and especially that they have had the opportunity to spend some time together.

Jack, Baseball Star

Jack decided he knew exactly how to play baseball while we were at the Wilson Reunion. He kept Brad busy for quite a while showing off his skills. His game consists of throwing the ball, running 'around the bases' (running somewhere far away and then back), then trying to catch the ball, and then throwing the ball again and running like a wild man. We got a good chuckle out of his antics.

Wilson Family Reunion

Over the weekend of the 11th and 12th of July we had a family reunion with the Wilson side of the family at the Misty River resort near Scipio, Utah. Despite some pretty 'rustic' conditions we had a great time visiting with family and playing in the water (can you say 'Murky River' (not so Misty!)). Brad taught the kids how to skip rocks so many hours were spent searching for the perfect skipping rocks. Even Jack got in on the action, although he did more lobbing than skipping!

After the family talent show Kate's cousin Mark gave her his silly moustache. She just loved wearing it, but fell asleep on the way to the hotel with it on. We got a major kick out of it. What a goofball! (Do you just love how Jack is WIDE awake at midnight. Vacations are the best!)
Hanging out in the canoe.
Another family picture in the canoe (this time with everyone).

Three generations of Wilson men. Arvil, Brad, and Jack: July 11, 2008
Kate enjoying a triple piggyback ride on Amy and her boyfriend Jono. One of the best things about Wilson Family Reunions is all the fun the kids have with their cousins. The big kids are so sweet to play with and pack around all our little ones. Our kids are very lucky to have such amazing and fun cousins to look up to.
Family picture with Dad Wilson. We love you Dad!
Jack Wilson Family (as many members as could come this year).
Arvil Wilson Family (missing Machele's family, Dan's family, James, Collen, Amber & Joe: we love you all, wish you could have been there).

Sheri and John made the awesome t-shirts you see pictured. Thanks for all the hard work you do each year so we can have such a nice souvenir. We LOVE our shirts. It was wonderful to be with all the Wilson family again this year. We love each and every one of you.

Super Safety Man

I think these pictures speak for themselves! (I have weird kids :) ).

Brad's 38th Birthday

Saturday was Brad's birthday. Generally speaking, I have a difficult time ever surprising him (he is way too good at reading me and usually guesses - what a turkey!). This year I decided I was going to pull off a surprise. I saw an advertisement for a lunch cruise of the Snake River on a river boat called the Snake River Queen. I made reservations and just told him to be dressed in nice casual clothes by 12:30 Saturday afternoon. He was petrified that I had organized some type of surprise party (he hates those things -- he gets so embarrassed when he's the center of attention!). He kept asking me if it was anything embarrassing or if people were going to be there, etc. I just assured him that I would never do anything to embarrass him :). We pulled up to the place and he was so relieved AND surprised!!! Yea!!! We had a wonderful 2 hour cruise with a beautiful view, lots of time to talk, and a good lunch. The kids stayed home with a babysitter and had a great time of their own (Kate cried when we came back because she wanted to keep playing with MaKyla). Brad's comment was that for some people the cruise might have been boring, but he must be getting older because it was the perfect birthday celebration for him! (He's not at all tempted to sky dive or base jump or scale Mt. Everest, thank goodness!) We hadn't been on a date alone in quite a while so we really enjoyed the day. I just hope I can come up with something fun for next year!

A Fun Visit From Matt and Sara

Like a dope I took absolutely NO pictures of our awesome day with Matt, Sara, Luke, Emma, Gavin, and Mom. Sorry guys, hopefully Sara will post some on her blog so you can see what a great time we had. It was so fun to see the kids and to spend some time catching up. What an amazing family they are. We are so lucky to have them in our lives.

We spent the afternoon swimming, jumping in the bounce house, eating, visiting, laughing, watching the kids play, etc. The time absolutely flew by and before I knew it I had to hurry and get ready to sing at the preshow of the melodrama at the Wilson Theater. They were so great to hustle and get ready themselves, and even came to listen to me sing before they left for Blackfoot. Thanks for the wonderful visit -- we love you all!

4th of July Parade

Did you notice the kids are wearing matching shirts? One night while we were enjoying entertainment on the square we noticed the 4th of July committee was selling "I Love Rupert" t-shirts. So as a show of solidarity (and because we really do love Rupert) we bought a few. The kids proceeded to wear them for the next 3 days straight. Apparently they love Rupert a lot!!

I should have taken more pictures of the kids during the 4th of July Parade, but I just got so enthralled with watching them that I forgot! For a tiny town like Rupert they sure do know how to put on a great celebration. The kids were absolutely thrilled with the parade. Many different floats gave out candy, otter pops, buttons, stuffed animals, fans, water bottles, etc. so the kids came home with a bag full of goodies. The parade always begins with a flyover from some type of army aircraft. This year was a low and slow flyby by a large C-4 aircraft. As you can imagine, Jack was completely captivated and squealed with delight, "ane, Mom, ane!" (that's "plane, Mom, plane" for those of you who don't speak Jackanese). Our stake entered a float which won "Best Use of Theme" (Hooray for the Red, White, and Blue). It was a scene of the signing of the Declaration of Independence complete with actors portraying several of our founding fathers. It was pretty impressive! The parade route is just two blocks from our house, so our friends, the Bairs, let us set up chairs on their curb and watch the parade in the shade. What a fun day - further evidence that small town life is the life for me.

Twin Falls Temple

Brad and I had the amazing opportunity to tour the Twin Falls Temple on Sunday afternoon. We were called (along with about 700 other people in the Magic Valley area) to be tour guides during the temple open house starting in about a week. As part of our training we were taken on a tour of the temple. We will mostly be leading Spanish speaking tours, so Brad will be doing the bulk of the talking unless I suddenly receive the gift of tongues. :) However, the great thing about the spirit is that it speaks a language we can all understand. I'm looking forward to sharing my testimony and to just spending so much time inside the temple. It will be an amazing opportunity to share some of what we have with so many people. I know it will be an incredible missionary opportunity.

As to the temple itself, it is so beautiful. Idaho's state flower is the syringa, so it is displayed prominently in much of the detail and finish work. The stained glass and etched windows have many syringa flowers, as does the wallpaper, carpeting, and woodwork (all of which is absolutely exquisite). The wood itself is from Africa and the marble floor is from India. It's very unique and beautiful. Their is a mural in one of the ordinace rooms that features the Shoshone Falls that is absolutely breathtaking.

The layout of the temple is so simple. It reminds me of the plan of salvation: straightforward, clear, and leading straight to the celestial kingdom. The ordinance room floors each have a slight upward slope, taking you progressively higher until you finally reach the celestial room. It is really a beautiful room; simple, elegant, full of light. It faces west so in the afternoon and evening it is absolutely radiant. What an incredible gift Heavenly Father has blessed us with.

As we walked through the rooms and admired the workmanship and artwork I was so overcome with gratitude I could hardly keep from shouting with joy "We have a temple!!!" I just cried instead, and it felt almost as good. :)