Dinosaurs With Daddy

Daddy wanted to take advantage of our family pass and come to the Dinosaur Park with us on Saturday. It was only his second time ever at the museum.

Parker tried to be brave by the robotic dinosaurs. Here are the boys showing their brave expressions.

In the museum they have a little room where a real paleontologist studies real dinosaur bones. He let us hold this 85 million-year old dinosaur bone. We learned more reasons of why they don't put the real bones on display. It's true that they're expensive and rare. There are only four complete T-Rex skeletons in the world and they about $30, 000,000 a set. I hadn't realized that they are extraordinarily heavy. The bones weigh as much as a car, so it takes steel braces to hold them up in a display. Because you would want to see the bones, not the display, the brace costs nearly as much as the bones themselves.

This little bone was a little heavy for Jas, but he could hold it. It's not a complete bone, but it's part of one that helps hold up the allosaurus' stomach. As a side note, on the way home, Brad and I talked about the possibilities of dinosaurs. Did they really live 85 million years ago on the earth? In the morning of the sixth day, when God created the animals, did he create the dinosaurs, then did he exert such extreme pressure and conditions that they died and the bones seemed to age millions of years in a maybe a few hundred? When God created the earth, did he use some of the material from where the dinosaurs did live, which is why we find the bones? I don't know what happened. I believe that dinosaurs certainly existed and I know that God created the earth. I just don't understand all of the details. Anyway, back to Jas, the paleontologist and the real dinosaur bone.

Here is Jas by a T- Rex cast. Oh, the paleontologist also said that they have very impressive technology that allows them to cast the bones exactly. They don't have artists add scratches, every place the cast shows a mark, there really is one.

Parker by the Allosaurus. Right between his legs you can see that bone we were holding.

Digging for fossils in the sand.

Liesel loves crawling around in the sand.

Jason was mostly interested in collecting as many brushes as possible.

This is the kids' favorite part.

Liesel by a Brontosaurus.

The boys liked climbing in the cave like Daddy.

I had to take advantage of Brad being there so I could get a photo of me and all the kids.

Here is one of the kids with Daddy. They boys are trying to be T-Rexes.

We're so glad Daddy was able to come with us!

Nature Center

Last week I took the kids to the Ogden Nature Center. We can get in free with our Dinosaur Museum pass, so we decided to try it out. The birds of prey were pretty cool. They had owls, falcons, ravens, eagles and more. The eagles and a few others had been in accidents and that is why they were there. Here are the kids in front of one of the golden eagles:

Here is a bald eagle:

Here is a pelican:

Here are the boys behind the bird blind. Even though Jas can see through that hole, it's in his nature to climb whenever possible. They boys weren't very quiet, but we still managed to see a Belted Kingfisher on the pond.

Parker was pretty interested with all of the moss on the water. They liked the idea of "hiking" around in nature, even though it was in the middle of the city.

Here they are in the man-made bear den. They're growling like Bears.

It was pretty interesting considering it was free.

Humorously Naughty

Jason is a fire-ball of energy. He is always climbing, running, making messes, singing, laughing. He has a zest for life that is so fun to witness. My favorite thing about Jason is that he often runs up to me the most enthusiastic, "Mommy!" like I am his favorite person in the world. He does the same thing almost daily for Daddy and Parker when they get home from work or off the school bus. Every morning he walks into Liesel with the same style of "Liesel!" I love it!

This cute kid certainly knows how to get into things he shouldn't. The other day I walked into his room to check on him during nap time to find this:

It took me a minute to find him too.

The thing about Jason's mischief is that he is so funny about what he does. The other day he went out in the back and picked a few handfuls of my basil. Then he ran inside and flushed it down the toilet while laughing hysterically. This photo was taken one day of the vent in his room. He had pulled it out and put a bunch of the Cat in the Hat game cards inside the vent cover.This is how he arranged the full box of wipes:

Here he is licking the picture. It's a jack-o-lantern made with Karo syrup. He says it tastes good, which is very well might, but that one was made last year. Yeah, ...kind of gross.

It's pretty hard to get mad even though he's a crazy little rascal!

Forget Not

Last night was the General Relief Society Meeting for the women of the LDS Church. I was lucky enough to get tickets to attend there in the Conference Center. It is such a sweet feeling to be in the same room as the prophet of God! The meeting was wonderful!

Julie B. Beck spoke about the things that she would like to have her granddaughters know about Relief Society. She reminded us that the purpose of Relief Society is to increase faith and personal righteousness and to care for the poor and the needy. It is to prepare us to make and keep temple covenants and to minister to others like the Savior.

Silvia H. Allred spoke about charity, or the pure love of Christ. She focused on ways we could increase charity: desire, prayer, scripture study and service to our fellowmen.

Barbara Thompson spoke about the joy, peace and protection that come through honoring your covenants.

After the Relief Society General Presidency speaks, a President Dieter F. Uchtdorf spoke. In the seven years since he was called as an apostle, he has become one of my very favorite speakers. He talked about the tiny forget-me-not flower. President Uchdorf reminded us of five things that we should "forget not":

1- Forget not to be patient with ourselves. Don't compare yourself to others. Our weaknesses can be overcome, but this is a long-term goal and we should celebrate the small successes along the way.

2-Forget not the difference between a good sacrifice and a foolish sacrifice. Sometimes we commit too much of our time and energy to things that are unimportant. They are not worth the sacrifice. Other things are, of course, worth the sacrifice. Discern carefully what things will be most worth your efforts.

3-Forget not to be happy now. He talked about the children's story of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. When the people heard about the golden tickets, they were so anxious to get one that even a candy bar became a disappointment if it didn't contain a golden ticket. Sometimes we wait for our "golden ticket", the key to the happiness they always dreamed about. There is nothing wrong with righteous yearnings, but we should not put our happiness on hold while we wait for that "golden ticket". Don't fail to notice the blessings and be grateful for them now.

4-Forget not the why of the gospel.

"My dear sisters, the gospel of Jesus Christ is not an obligation; it is a pathway, marked by our loving Father in Heaven, leading to happiness and peace in this life and glory and inexpressible fulfillment in the life to come. The gospel is a light that penetrates mortality and illuminates the way before us.

While understanding the “what” and the “how” of the gospel is necessary, the eternal fire and majesty of the gospel springs from the “why.” When we understand why our Heavenly Father has given us this pattern for living, when we remember why we committed to making it a foundational part of our lives, the gospel ceases to become a burden and, instead, becomes a joy and a delight. It becomes precious and sweet.

Let us not walk the path of discipleship with our eyes on the ground, thinking only of the tasks and obligations before us. Let us not walk unaware of the beauty of the glorious earthly and spiritual landscapes that surround us.

My dear sisters, seek out the majesty, the beauty, and the exhilarating joy of the “why” of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The “what” and “how” of obedience marks the way, yes, and it keeps us on the right path. But the “why” of obedience sanctifies our actions, transforming the mundane into the majestic. It magnifies our small acts of obedience into holy acts of consecration."

5-Never forget that God loves you. Your Heavenly Father will never forget you. He loves you. You are the daughters of His kingdom. Even when you feel lonely or make mistakes, God loves you. You are closer to heaven than you suppose. You are destined for more than you can possibly imagine. Continue to increase in faith and personal righteousness. Continue to seek out and help others who need your and the Lord's help.

Here is a clip of the end of his talk:

If you missed the meeting, or want to watch it again, look here. Next weekend the General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It only happens twice a year and is a marvelous opportunity to listen to the prophet and others called of God to help us know His will for us. I can't wait!

Children's Favorites

"You may have tangible wealth untold:

Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.

Richer than I you can never be–

I had a Mother who read to me."

from “The Reading Mother” by Strickland Gillilan

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I love children's books. I have collected several shelves worth and my children and I all enjoy reading them together. If I tried to make a list of all my favorites, I'd have hundreds at least. That said, I will tell you about a few of our favorites. Parker LOVES this book. Graeme Base is an unbelievable artist. Inside every photo there are at least a dozen animals hidden in the artwork. If you haven't seen it, you'll have to check it out.

These are our favorite board books:

My mom introduced this book to me. There is something endearing about the idea of a baby that small.

I was a teacher for several years. I was introduced to many good books during that time, but here a few great ones.

Of course you can't go wrong with a Caldecott winner:

My parents read me many books as a child. Most of them are classics, like these. Here are few that they read that you may or may not be familiar with.

This is one we check out from the library about every other month.

What are some of your favorite children's books?

Jason, Jason, What Do You See?

Jason doesn't love taking naps. He is willing to go into his room, but will play and play forever. I'll usually read him a book or two and then I tell him to read the books to his stuffed animals. (My hope is that he'll actually stay on his bed, so when he drops of exhaustion, he'll be on it.)

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle is one of his very favorite books. Can you tell?

I like these videos because you can hear exactly how his little voice is. He doesn't enunciate each sound individually, but runs them together and drops endings. People who don't know him well, can't understand all he says, but I guess I'm used to it, because it's rare when I can't understand something he says.

I asked him to sing a few songs, which he did. The whole time he was distracted because he wanted me to hand him another book. What a funny kid!

Thank You!

Brad surprised me with these beautiful flowers last week! He had also bought tickets to the symphony in a few weeks. It's fun to have a night out to look forward to...actually, we have a couple, since we're also going out for my birthday. Hooray for date nights with my husband!

Park Day

We try to go to the park at least a couple a times a week. We have one only 200 yards from our house, so that one is pretty easy. Sometimes, however, we like to go to different parks. This is Orton Park a mile or two away. Usually the boys love me to give them underdogs, or "bulldogs" as Jason has started calling them. For a while though, Jas let our friend Rylee push him.

Parks LOVES underdogs "as high as he can go".

Rylee's little brother Bentley is two months younger than Liesel. I am going to have to video Liesel on the swing, because she has flip-top hair that sways as she swings. It's hilarious!

This was actually her birthday. Happy birthday, sweet girl!

Dinosaur Adventures

A few Saturdays ago Brad had to study all day, so I took the kids to the Dinosaur Park. We have a family pass, so hopefully we'll start going a little more often. If anyone wants to come with us, let me know. Liesel is getting big enough to enjoy it a little too.

Posing in front of the woolly rhino

These robotic dinosaurs make Parker very nervous. He was willing to take a photo of Liesel and I near them though.

Jason and Parker by the Triceratops

Of course Parker likes the green dinosaurs. Actually they were fascinated with the bees on it's tongue.

Jason and Liesel with the Stegosaurus

When Jas saw this one was barely bigger than him, he tried to pet him, ha, ha.

We saw this cool butterfly. I think it's a Monarch, but it might have been a Viceroy. Either way, it was beautiful.

Digging up fossils is my kids' favorite part. Maybe we'll have a paleontologist in the family someday.

My boys will rarely smile and look at the camera at once. The only reason we have any good photos of them is sheer statistics. If you take tons of photos, a few are sure to turn out...well, that and Photoshop helps too, ha, ha!

It's a good thing I have little Liesel to show them how to work the camera. She loved playing in the sand, of course.

They have a bunch of silly cutouts and stuff there. Here are the boys with the Flinstones.

Riding the dino

This would certainly be a wild ride.

Little Jas was barely tall enough to peek his little head through, ha, ha!

The kids love the playground.

Seeking for flecks of gold in the rock by the Allosaurus fossils.

It was a fun day! Of course these are the craziest creatures there!