Nerf Guns + Grown Men = A Lot of Fun

Yesterday my boss came in to work with a large wrapped present for each of the 5 guys in my office. We opened them to find a package with 2 Nerf guns in each. So for last 2 days, there has been a constant barrage of foam darts flying across our room. At random moments in the day, people would get hit in the head. Other staff visiting our area or trying to take our Almond Roca would get shot. A target was even placed on the wall for the impromptu shooting competitions. It has been so much fun.

This afternoon I think we might have taken it a little far. I realized this when I found myself crawling on the floor under the table firing at a coworker whose arm was outstretched from under his desk. I turned around to see my "teammate" crouched down behind his chair firing at a member of the opposing "forces". I guess you never grow too old for Nerf Wars. At least we held ourselves back from leaving our area and if asked, I will totally deny any rumors of a plot to raid the budget analysts office.

Visiting the Sick and Afflicted

For anyone not following my beautiful wife's blog, my family has spent the month of December celebrating Christmas traditions from around the world. We had a piñata a la Mexico and had a night at the "beach" and a barbecue in the tradition of Australia. It has been a fun and educational experience.

Tonight, we celebrated in the tradition of the Japanese which as I read is to visit the elderly or sick on Christmas day. We went to our local nursing home and took Christmas cards and caroled.

I have to be honest. As a young child this terrified me. There was a funny smell and the people just stared. Luckily, our church had the assignment to take the sacrament there so I got to go frequently, which helped me grow out of my childish ways.

Tonight was a beautiful experience. Oscar met a man named Oscar (who just so happened to mention he hated his name). I had a conversation with a sweet woman named Jody who was just hoping her daughter would start feeling better so they could spend Christmas day together. I met another woman who had no family close and her husband was already dead. She told me she had already died twice in the nursing home but just kept coming back. I told her there must be a reason for her to be there. She said she would rather just go. I could tell she just wanted to be with her husband again.

As I visited with these wonderful souls with my family, I felt burn within my heart the great love of our Savior. I felt His love for them and for us. I left so uplifted and with a great desire to return often. We talked as a family and a setting a goal to return once a month next year. What a beautiful experience it was for us. I am glad it was part of our traditions to celebrate.

I would invite you to visit a nursing home near you. It will brighten both those you visit's day as well as yours, but even more importantly, it will bring the warmth of the true reason for Christmas into your celebrations.

This Everyday Love

There is a Rascal Flatts song entitled "Everyday Day Love" that I like very much. The whole song talks about how the ordinary things that happen everyday in his family are so amazing and that he just cannot get enough of it. As I have watched my wife the last few days, I felt the same way. For instance -

- Two days ago, Tiff visited every store and then went and borrowed from a bakery bubblegum flavoring to add to Ali's birthday cake frosting just because Ali wanted it.

- Yesterday Tiff went out and bought an excessive amount of chocolate things so that Livy could have a chocolate fountain at her party to fulfill her wish for a "chocolate birthday".

- Today, even though she had all the other chocolate treats, Tiff made each of the girls their own cake so they felt special at their birthday party.

As I see Tiff go above and beyond for the kids, I cannot help myself from watching her in awe and amazement. She takes my breath away. I am the luckiest man in the world. My wife is absolutely beautiful in every way. I am grateful God allowed me to have his most special daughter as my wife.

The Christmas Card Pictures That Should Have Been

So I was asked this last week to take pictures of my parents for their Christmas card. I just wanted to share a few of the photos I thought they should have selected, but prudence ruled out. I love you, Dad!

Tender Moments at the Head House

A few minutes ago (approximately 2:30 am) my wife and I shared a tender moment as we hugged while standing together on the towel that was soaking up the red-jello throw up my two year old had spread broadly across our bedroom floor. These are the moments that remind me everything is just as it should be. I love you, Tiff.

It Is Not A Tumah

A few years back, I got a really bad sunburn. When I say bad, I mean really bad. We are talking blisters the size of golf balls on my arms. (We have pictures but my wife gets grossed out every time she sees them, so I won't share here) The result was sun damage on my arms and back.

From that point on, I have just assumed that it is a matter of when, not if that I will end up with skin cancer. So today I decided to finally visit a dermatologist. Besides generally confirming my belief, they identified one spot they want to remove and biopsy. Any one who knows me well, knows I am a worrier and usually about the worst. I am sure it will probably turn out to be nothing, but that does not usually reassure anxious me. My event is on December 22. It might be a long two weeks for me. I guess we will have to just wait and see.

Date Night

My wife and I decided a few months back that we needed to spend more time on us, so we decided every Wednesday night after the kids go to bed would be our at home date night. It was going to be all about us. No email. No blogging (it is ironic to me I am writing that on Wednesday night). Just us together. We started out good, playing games and watching movies together (a favorite activity of ours) but as time went on, it has become less focused on us having fun together and more of us working together. For instance tonight we are wrapping gifts. I guess just being together should count, right?

So I am writing this to solicit ideas for at home dates that you all do with you significant other. As much as I love wrapping presents (and yes, I really love wrapping presents) something about it does not seem to fit the date concept. Thanks for your help.

What is in a Concussion

So last night, we were visiting my in laws. It was about time to leave and Oscar, as is common, was refusing to clean up. He was laying on the stairs with me standing a step or two above him.

I decided to jump to the bottom while turning to scare him (for fun, of course) so I could get him to clean up. So I leaped, not realizing to floor between the upstairs and down was not far from my head.

The next thing I knew, I was on the floor with a pain in my head. I quickly realized what had occurred, however, I am a little fuzzy about how I ended up at the bottom of the stairs.

My favorite moment of the whole experience was when my wife so lovingly came to me, asks if I am okay, and then asks for the keys. I am so grateful for her concern. I love you, Tiff.

Shepherds Visit Christ Video

I could not figure out how to post it directly, so I thought I would post the link for now. There are other videos at this site that are also amazing. Enjoy.

http://lds.org/bible-videos/videos/shepherds-learn-of-the-birth-of-christ?lang=eng#d

Changes and a Great Sunday

Today was a great day for our family. We started the day in fasting together. We have been having a lot of fighting between our kids. Last night, as a family, we decided to fast together for extra help to stop the fighting. It was great being unified for this purpose. Each person fasted in their own way. I love the faith of my children.

Church went really well. The "Gospel Solutions..." program I recently posted about had some tips for Sundays. One thing was to prepare for Sunday a la "Saturday is a special day..." so that Sunday mornings can be calmer. We tried it and this morning everyone was ready to go 45 minutes before church. We got there early and it was wonderful to feel calm.

I mentioned previously that this week would result in changes to our ward. You often like to believe that you are prepared for change, but I recognized today that preparedness does not always make change easier to handle. So, it turns out only a small part of our ward was removed and added to another ward. We were not part of that group, however, my entire home teaching route was. Some of our families best friends will no longer be in the ward. Seeing them struggle with it was heartbreaking. We will continue to pray for them and have faith and trust in the Lord's wisdom.

The rest of the day went well. One of my favorite people in the world was called to our new Elders Quorum President, as our old one was in the part moved. We spent the afternoon making treats at my parents and watching the Christmas Devotional. There was a great video shown. If I can figure out how I will post a copy here. It truly was a marvelous blessing of a day.

Help! They Need Somebody

Many people take the opportunity during the Christmas season to reach out to help those who may not be in the best of situations at this time. As a family we have elected to follow this path with a portion of our Christmas funds. Tonight we went down to the Grove in Boise to visit the Women and Children's Alliance's (WCA) giving tree. For those who do not know what this is, around the City's big Christmas tree are four small trees with little cards hung all over them. On each card are items needed by those at the WCA. There were items like packs of diapers, toys, grocery store gift cards, and some items to help at the Center. We let each of the kids pick out items designated for children and then we picked out a family item. The items must be delivered to the WCA by December 16th.

The primary reason I am sharing this is because there were a lot of things still left on the trees. I would love to see each of these requests filled If you feel so inclined, I would encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity. It is fun to do as a family and it will help some people out who really need help at this time. I know I left today with a great feeling and know you will too.

A New Blog Is Coming! A New Blog Is Coming!

(Note: This title is to be said with the excitement of Paul Revere's cry about the red coats.)

I know. What am I thinking? I just started actually writing on this blog, but come January I will have a second blog. The impetus for this is that I will be once again helping with the Humphrey's Diabetes Center's $10,000 Weight Loss Challenge. The is the program that helped me lose all my weight a few years back As a former participant and finalist, I have been invited back to each new round of the program. Last time at the kickoff, I was asked by some of the contestants if I had a blog on weight loss stuff. I thought it may be a fun idea and a good way to keep me focused on my health goals. I am not an expert by any means, but I have learned a great deal from my experiences with weight loss and hope it can provide help to others out there. Stayed tuned. I will provide the link when the site is ready if you are interested.

I Win! I Win!

My wife and I have an in spoken competition with each child as to whose name that child will say first. Today, on Maggie's 7 month birthday, I got a voicemail at work with my little girl saying "Da Da Da". I am claiming victory. It may be unfocused babbling but she said it.

Here is a picture with showing how happy she is about this. (Warning: iPod photo)

Great Lessons for Families

In the past week or so I have been trying to make better use of my free time. As I have been working on something, in place of listening to a television show or music, I have started listening to the Mormon Channel. The program I have been listening to primarily is called "Gospel Solutions for Families". It takes a realistic look at family life and provides insight from general authorities and auxiliary presidencies on gospel themes such as the use of technology, gospel worship with children, mother daughter relationships, etc. it has really helped me refocus my relationship and teaching of my children. This program would be beneficial to anyone going through the joys and struggles of raising a family. It can be found as part of the Mormon Channel app for the iPod or iPhone or on the Internet by searching the Mormon Channel. Enjoy.

Winds of Change

Four the last four and a half years, my family has been part of the most amazing ward. I have never been part of a better functioning ward. We have an amazing Bishop, missionary work is done, callings are fulfilled and home teaching is generally done well. There are times when Tiff and I question if they are making up new callings because they ran out of the standard set. I have absolutely loved being part of such a wonderful group.

Well, today it was announced that next week they were going to be redoing the ward boundaries. This could many things which I am sure I will think an rethink over and over again. The biggest thing this means though is that change is coming. I pray that we as a ward can be humble enough to accept these changes recognizing that these are opportunities for growth and for the Lord's work to move forward.

I will post an update after next week.

My Post-Thanksgiving Thoughts

So it has long been a tradition in my family, as I am sure it has been in many of yours, to spend a portion of Thanksgiving day pouring through the ads in the news paper to find out the best deals. The last few years, stores have begun to open earlier and earlier to the point this year some stores opened on Thanksgiving day. As I sat with my family, ads spilt all over the table, I began to get something tugging at the back of my mind. All of the sudden I recognized the irony of what was going on. Here we were on a day in which we focus our thoughts on gratitude, evaluating all the additional things we need and want. This thought ate at me as I went out late last night to surround myself by the mayhem of the sales. As I watched the lines building with people resting in chairs waiting for their desired product to go on sale, I found myself become disgusted by the whole seen. This feeling ate at me more when I heard that the Walmart my brother visited had fist fights and people ripping items out of other people's hands. I mean not to offend any serious Black Friday-ers, because I was there too. I just could not but think of the prophesy regarding this the last days, that "the love of men shall wax cold" (D&C 45:27). While some of the purpose of the craziness is with the intent to give and bring happiness to others, it seems the love in that intent is lost to many and it has been replaced with greed. I, for the first time in my life, felt I could understand the pain Mormon felt when he looked out on the savagery of his people and mourned for them. Now, like I said, I was out there in the midst of this. I spent a good part of today finishing my Christmas shopping. I just pray that my heart was in the right place as I walked the isles trying to find those gifts for which I was seeking. As we now enter officially into the Christmas season, I wish the best for all of you. That the Spirit of Christ may ever be present in your celebrations.

Tenks Given

I wanted to take a moment and express my gratitude on this special day. The title of this post is a reference to my mission. I served my mission in Merida, Mexico. On my mission, we paid the sisters in the ward we were in to cook meals for us. It was Thanksgiving day 2000 and to be honest I had forgotten what day it was. We walked in to lunch that day, hot and sweaty from a hard morning, to find ourselves greeted by a full Thanksgiving meal. It included a roast chicken (turkey is not readily available where I was) mash potatoes, stuffing and pie. On the wall she had spelled out "Happy Tenks Given". It was such a touching experience to me to have her remember this day for me and my companion, two Americans in a foreign land where this holiday is not celebrated, far from their families. Without any reminder from us, she had gone out of her way to make us feel loved and important.

It is this concept of which I want to express my gratitude this day: love. Unrequested, pure unselfish love. My life has been filled with it.

I grew up the youngest son of parents who knew how to show this love. My loving father grew up in a home where this kind of love was absent, but because of his love, he fought and struggled the beasts of his pasts on a daily basis to make sure we had a better life. My mother has always found ways to give to her children anything and everything she could. There are many stories of cars, furniture, an unending barrage of food (my waistline may not be as grateful for this), and as much time as possible being given away without my dad's consent because she knew we needed it at that time. I am grateful for the love of parents.

I am grateful for the unselfish love of my dearest Tiffany. I am granted unending service from her on a daily basis. In place of seeking out her own dreams, she willing stays home teaching and caring for our children. When I, in my thoughtless ways, forget to do something, she is always there to fill in my mistakes without making me pay for it. Nothing is ever as big of deal as I think it is, once I have heard her comforting words. I am thankful for her love.

I am thankful for the incomprehensible love of my children. I am grateful that despite my many failings and the often cases of "the screams" I get, they still want to be held and kissed goodnight.

I am thankful for the love of my siblings. I am grateful that despite our serious efforts to make each others lives miserable early on, we have managed to become friends. I am grateful that despite the rarity of some of our conversations, we can talk as if we talk all the time. As an extension, I am grateful for their spouses and children who add additional joy to our familial relationship.

I am grateful for the love of my wife's family. While we may be a mashed up group right now adjusting to changes in our lives, the ongoing desire and willingness to try and make it work is an expression of our love for each other.

I would express a special appreciation for my brother-in-law, Toby. Toby is one of the greatest examples of love I have come to meet. Over the last year, he has given of himself to me, to my family, and to more people that I can count, with selfless abandon. At times, he is the third parent my children need. I am truly grateful for his love.

I am grateful for the unexpected love of friends and employers; those relationships that develop out of chance encounters and forced association that turn out to be the flavor of my daily experience.

I am grateful for the love of my God. I am grateful that despite my bounteous imperfections, I have a loving Father in Heaven, together with His perfect Son, who love me enough to hear my ongoing pleas for help and forgiveness.

These relationships of love sustain my everyday. They give me hope when I get frustrated by a world filled with anger, betrayal, and unwillingness to compromise. For the purity of these relationships, I express my gratitude this day.

Happy Tenks Given to you all. Thank you for your love.