Joshua's First Testimony

Today was testimony meeting at church.  It was very nice and uplifting.  At one point, Josh asked about the "talks," hoping it was the last one.  Then I explained to him that since it was Fast Sunday, people could get up and bear their testimony (or share their feelings on the gospel).  He thought about it for a moment then asked if he could go up and do it.  I told him that we should wait until next month and we could practice a little more at home, since we can't go up there and tell him what to say... that wouldn't really be HIS testimony, would it?  So, he told me he knew what he would say, and told me what it was.  I told him to ask his Daddy to take him up.  :)  Peter got up and took him up to the stand.  When he was the next one, Josh had Peter go stand behind him, and then he said, "I believe this church is true.  I know that God lives.  And I know that Jesus died for me.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."  Completely unprompted, and not exactly what he told me he was going to say.  He is growing up so fast, and I'm thankful that he is developing a good foundation in the gospel.

How To Prepare Fish - Emily

Tonight, Tuesday, August 16, we had the missionaries over for dinner. Emily was especially talkative. At one point she started explaining how to prepare fish. (We had rice and beans in homemade tortillas, so I don't know what sparked the fish conversation.) Anyhow, here goes...

Emily - First you catch the fish on a hook. Then you take it off the hook and take it in and put it in a bucket. Then you cut out the eyes, and cut off the mouth.

I said - You usually just cut off the head.

Emily paused for a moment as she thought about that and then said - then you cut off the head. And then you cut it open and take the bones out. And then you take it home and put it in the freezer. And then you take it out and cook it for 5 minutes and then you can eat it. :)

I have no recollection of discussing this with her, and we've never gone fishing with her, except once when she was really young, and that was catch and release, so no fish preparing. Did she figure this out on her own? Maybe so. What a brilliant little girl!

Joshua's Hunting Story

As related by Joshua on 8/7/2011 as he was going to bed:

When I have a wife, I’ll ask her if I can go hunting. And she might say “Yes” and she might say “No.” We’ll have to wait and find out.

I want to go hunting so that I can see if I like it.

When you go hunting you have to be really quiet so you can sneak up on the animals. You have to wear sneakers so you can be quiet enough to sneak up on the animals so you don’t scare them away.

Also, when I go hunting I’ll take a sword and a gun. I’ll put the sword in a thing on my belt and the gun in a thing on my belt. Then when I see an animal, I can pull out the gun or sword and use it. I’ll use the gun to shoot birds when they fly up. I’ll use the sword to kill the other animals. I might even need to use them both at the same time. I might even get a hunting dog to help. I will use the gun if the animals try to run away.

I want to go hunting in a big open place so the animals can’t hide. You know like a big forest where there aren’t any trees.

I can use a rolling bag to put all of the food in so that I can take it with me when I’m done. I can put all of the animals I get into the rolling bag.

Some Assembly Required

On July 23, we went and picked up some shelves for the toys. However, some assembly was required before the shelves were ready.

Here is a picture of the shelves before any work had been done. :)

Thank goodness my husband knows what to do when provided with few instructions on a project such as this.

After a week of hard work, the shelves were ready for the kids to help with the finishing touches. They got to paint the beautiful decorations on the shelves. They did such a good job... too bad the sun was in their eyes. Otherwise, they would have been all smiles. I promise.

Jessica was tired of pictures so I stood in for her this time. Again, the sun was just not cooperating with us. Oh well. The shelves are really nice. That's what's important.

Here are the shelves in the house. I'd forgotten there was carpet in this corner. It's so nice to have a place for things. :)

Blue or Pink?

Well, I had an ultrasound done on Monday, August 1. The technician couldn't tell me much, but I assume everything is alright. This baby has a nice little heartbeat, and all the parts I could make out. Anyhow, below are the pictures they gave to us.

The top left picture is of the spine. The top right picture is of the face. You can also see a little fist up there, too. The bottom left picture is the profile. And the bottom right picture is a leg and foot.

Now for the answer to the question... drum roll please...

We will be pulling out all of Joshua's old BLUE clothes... and the other color ones as well. But yes, he will have a brother. At the moment, he'd rather have his own room, but I don't think it will be too much longer before he decides a brother is far better than his own room. :)

Gardening

When we were visiting family in Oklahoma on our way out here, my dad gave Joshua a packet of "Magic Beans" to plant in our new backyard. Joshua waited, not necessarily patiently, until planting day finally came. I think it was on July 2. Here are some pictures of our progress so far. Just one month into it.

Joshua got to help water after he helped plant. He still loves to water those plants most days of the week.

This picture is just about 3 weeks into the process... sorry I don't have up to date photos here. This is a picture of Joshua's feet as he inspects the magic beans. They sure seem to be doing well so far. Hope they give us some food soon.

This is a mound of cantaloupe.

And here are the carrots. I think they need to be thinned a bit. We planted awfully late in the season, but we're hoping that the magic soil of California will help in this process. Wish us luck!

New Brighton Beach

On July 1, Peter had a holiday, so we decided to take the kids to the beach. Peter's mom told us about New Brighton Beach where they would go when she was growing up, so we figured we'd try that one out. I was surprised to see bonfire pits all over the beach, but apparently, people like to gather there in the evenings, and they need the fires to stay warm. It's definitely a different experience here than back in Florida, but it was nice to see and hear the ocean again.



Peter and the kids heading down to check out the water.

Jessie had a great time running away from the water as it would roll in. Then she chased it on the way back out.

Part of every good trip to the beach includes a well made castle in the sand with a great moat to protect it.


Did you know that the current here comes down from Alaska? When you step in the water, it feels like sticking your feet in a cup of ice water. Brrrr! So, my take on the Pacific vs. the Atlantic.... If you like to surf, and are willing to wear a wet suit, the Pacific is the right choice for you. Apparently, the waves are bigger here. BUT, if you are like me, and like to play in the water and sit on the nice warm beach, the Florida Atlantic is the way to go. I will miss the Atlantic, but I know as soon as I figure out how to handle cold, I will learn to love the Pacific too.

The kids didn't seem to mind the cold one bit, and had an absolute blast the whole time.