Anyway, we did go out occasionally and I have pictures to prove it. There is also a fun cultural event coming up that I want to make sure everyone knows about. First, here are some pictures of some of our latest outings:
Free Zoo Day:
We were here for quite a while. The kids are getting to where they like reading the information so it's fun to take it kind of slow and we fill each other in on the things we read.
The mom with the 2 cute little kids is my "cousin" Lisa. We're not actually related, but our families have been friends long before I was born and we have always considered them family. I had never just "hung out" with Lisa and it was a lot of fun! I also saw my old friend, Jamie, from MBA school (our husbands were in the program). She and I used to run together and she got me interested in racing. She has been on a lot of adventures and I had no idea she was living so close now. Hopefully we can get together soon!
You'll notice Spice isn't in any of the pictures. That's because she took most of them :-)
This museum was a pleasant surprise. We actually went to the University of Utah to see the Natural History museum, but when we got to it, we found that they were closed because they were changing locations. I saw signs for Fort Douglas so I thought we might as well check that place out instead. The volunteers there were amazing. One man who fought in the Vietnam war took us on a tour of the museum and explained things. He told us about some of his experiences and he knew a lot about guns which kept Bud asking a lot of questions. It was small, but there was a lot to learn there. Ray wasn't too interested in it all, though, and his favorite part was playing in the snow as we looked at the outside exhibits.
Concert:
Last Tuesday, we drove to Logan to see "The 5 Browns" They were pretty amazing. I took a really awful picture (best I could get with the iphone in that lighting as I held Ray in one hand) so I'll put a better one from the Internet below it. If you haven't heard the interview they had on the Mormon Channel, you should listen to it. They are really down-to earth and their words were inspirational. I'll link it here.
You can listen to the full interview here.
CONCERT COMING UP:
The next performance we plan to go to is The Lamb of God by Rob Gardner. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Lamb of God CD so I am so excited to go to the actual performance.
Here is Rob Gardner talking about the piece:
You can see a schedule of the performances at: http://www.spiremusic.org/
They'll be in Salt Lake, Ogden, Las Vegas and Oakland.
You can get tickets for the Salt Lake performance on the church's website. Here is the link.
We went to see Rob Gardner's Price of Freedom performance a few months ago and I was extremely impressed. I wouldn't miss this one for anything (except for my kids' choir performance which happens to be on the same day as the Salt Lake City Lamb of God performance! We'll be going to Lamb of God in Ogden the following day though (if they weren't in Ogden the next day, I would seriously consider skipping our choir performance - that's how exited I am about it). I did already order tickets for the Salt Lake performance though, so if anyone is in need of tickets (I have 12) let me know!
More California:
Finally, I have more pictures from California that my husband hadn't uploaded from his phone before I wrote my post about the trip so I'll post them here:
 |
| Tom Sawyer island was one of my favorite places. It felt peaceful compared to the hustle and bustle of Disneyland and there was a lot of nature. |
Oooh, ooh, I could sure use some tickets. If you still have them :) I could use anywhere from 2 to 6 tickets. My email address is krisis86@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteAh man! The lamb of God concert is after my due date! I'm so bummed. Plus Aby is the only one of my kids that would get to go. Maybe next time...
ReplyDeleteSo a friend called me yesterday to ask for all 12 tickets. It's really no big deal, though, for anyone who wants tickets. They are free from the church's website (see link above). I got them in the mail and they are just general admission so you can get good seats if you get there early. I'm pretty sure they still have plenty. You can only order 4 per person so I ordered 4 under my name, 4 under my husband's name and 4 under my mom's name (who I knew would want to come until I realized it was the kids' concert that night). Anyway, I'm sure you'll love it!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it amazing how many 'field trips' are available? I did a list for my area and could NOT believe how many pages it was-and many of them were free.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait for the weather to get a bit better, it makes exploring seem much easier.
hi karen
ReplyDeletei hope you remember me from the spring retreat and some other places where we've talked briefly.... anyway, since i heard headgates at the tjed forum last year, i have been trying to implement it. my efforts started out whole heartedly, but as we began to sort through toys and other things, i noticed more fighting and malcontent between my kids. i started wondering if this was a good idea for our family. i've limited time with friends as well, thinking that if my kids couldn't see all the other toys the other kids had, they would feel fine with what they had at home. through this whole process we've talked about character building and working hard and being grateful for the things we have. but it seems that the more i have tried to require work and limit "play" things and play time with friends, there is more fighting amongst them and more frustration. they walk around bored, not knowing what to do, so they pick fights and they complain to me about what a mean mom i am and how our house is no fun and when they're parents they'd never do this to their kids, etc. i expected some of this at first, but it's been a year now and i'm seeing only negative results. i have four kids and it's mostly my oldest 2 (boys ages 9 and 7)that are having a hard time with this. do you suggest just barreling through and keeping up the good fight or should i try something else? i've prayed for guidance and direction and just seem more confused with any effort i try to make. help??
Salcidos,
ReplyDeleteI do remember you, I'm trying to remember your first name, is it Melissa? Anyway, I'm sorry your older kids are having a hard time adjusting. Of course, you know what is best for your family, but I'll tell you my very superficial opinion (since I don't know all the details and things). It sounds like your boys need to work on socialization. I don't mean more time with friends - friends and toys have been a distraction for them so that they didn't need to learn how to get along with each other and how to properly respect your leadership.
I think giving them their toys and friends back would most likely help because they would be distracted again, but it wouldn't actually fix the underlying problem.
I don't have a cure-all for sibling rivalry - we're working on learning to get along every day! At different times I've focused on saying uplifting things to one another, on checking our thoughts about each other, on disagreeing respectfully, on gossiping about each other (even if it's to me), on maintaining a spirit of peace in our home (and how that spirit is driven away), etc. We've been studying the Savior's life and teaching and applying them to our family.
I can't say any one of those things have been a "cure-all" for contention, but I have noticed overall improvements over time. I remember the way my little girl used to speak to me just a couple of years ago (she's always been a bit feisty), but she and her siblings would never speak that way to me now. Things have improved as I've made it a focus to keep the Spirit in our home and to not allow contention.
Another thing that has helped is the reading that I choose to expose them to in the evenings when I read to them. I try to pick books with good old-fashioned values (Little House, Little Britches, Princess and the Goblin, Heidi, Little Men, etc) so that they see the picture of how things are supposed to be as opposed to what is going on in the world today and what they often see in other people's houses (extreme disrespect, etc).
You seem to me a very loving mom, so I probably don't need to say that you can be strict in your standards while sympathizing with how hard change can be and showing them you love them and are doing what you're doing because you know it's best for them.
Also, it is probably best not to show them that you're doubtful about what is best. They need a confident leader. It's okay that they know that you are learning as you go and carefully researching and praying for guidance, and the more you learn, the more you'll change things, but they shouldn't think you don't know what you're doing.
I've never been to your house, so I don't know, but it may be that you need to be stricter in how they are allowed to talk to you and to each other. Disrespect should never be allowed and should have consequences.
Anyway, that's my 2 cents. Again, you know best and I'm just guessing at potential problems. You'll have to let me know what you end up doing if you ever get a chance :-)
I'll keep you guys in my prayers. I'm sure you'll come to know what to do. We all have despairing times when we feel like we're totally failing, but usually those are the times when we look back and see the most growth as we came to find what our family needed.
E-mail me anytime: karenbates6@gmail.com
Karen
ReplyDeleteI've read your blog now for quite awhile and really enjoy it. We are planning to homeschool our three munchkins starting this fall! I'm so excited to start. Thanks so much for all your posts, I've been very inspired by you and your family. I love reading the exact details of your schedules and what you do. It gives me so many ideas for what I want to do with my children.
Callie
I love your updates and pictures - it is always so fun to read about what you and your kids are doing. I love how much culture you are exposing them to.
ReplyDeleteHow fun that you got to see the Five Browns! Did you know they are Natalie Dayton's cousins? They came to Austin last year I think, and she and Josh went to go see them (I babysat) and she told me how incredible they are.