Hooray for rain!

Dear Sister Payne and Elder Payne,

Happy Saturday!  I hope today was a good day for you. Ours was nice.  Most of the things to tell today made it in my journal, so read on.

Love,

Dad

Happy tenth birthday Neil!

Today was lots better than yesterday.  I slept until almost 8:00.  That felt nice.  The weather has been delightfully cool with rain off and on today.  It almost feels like we live in the pacific northwest.  I wouldn't want this weather every day, but a day like this every week would be terrific.

Ella and Annie came over for a while this morning while David and Lisa looked at a house for sale in Springville.  The house was wonderful, but the neighborhood was not.  They were pretty disappointed. 

We cleaned the Church today.  After being mostly unused for the last two months, there wasn't much to clean.  We cleaned the windows and spot-checked a few other things, but it was mostly perfect.

We did chores at the house and then Dad, Mom and Randy came over for Neil's birthday pie.  After enjoying pumpkin and chocolate pie I cleaned up the kitchen while others started playing an animal guessing game.  I joined shortly after they started.

Julie and I went shopping to get some stuff to build a chicken coop.  We still need to get some 2x2's and wire mesh.  Hopefully we'll get that done next week.

Abbie and I made chicken noodle soup and cornbread for dinner.  It was amazing.  Then we played freeze tag for half an hour before beginning the bedtime routine.

Thankful: I am grateful for rain, especially when the rain comes with thunder.

Ministering: We ministered to David and Lisa by watching their kids today.  It wasn't a big thing, but I hope it was helpful for them.  I think they're going to take a break from house hunting for a while.  One thing I have learned – when it is right, you need to do it.  But if it's not right, there is no point in looking.  We have looked when the time wasn't right and when it was.  Things worked out just fine in both circumstances.

More later…

Playing freeze tag, we were all frozen

Happy birthday Neil!

Happy birthday Neil #2

I had an orange in my lunch today

Dear Sister Payne and Elder Payne,

There's not much to say about today, so here's a very short journal entry.

Love,

Dad

Tonight after dinner Isaac and I played War and Skip-bo.  He beat me at war after I lost a triple-war that left me with only two cards.  I pulled off the win in Skip-bo.

Thankful: I'm thankful Isaac and I could play games tonight.  That was fun.

Ministering: This didn't go according to plan today.  Before leaving for work this morning I saw a small package addressed to Scout (Steph's daughter) sitting on the counter.  I remembered that she had left something here last time they were visiting.  So I took it to the post office and mailed it for Julie.  When I got home today, I saw a receipt from the post office for something else that Julie had mailed today.  So much for saving her a trip. Then she reminded me that Steph is in Utah right now with her kids, and we'll probably see her in the next few days.  Not only did I not save Julie a trip, my effort was totally unnecessary.

More later…

A photo of Kyle and Sophia at Grandma's birthday on Tuesday.

How do you spell portulaca?

Dear Sister Payne and Elder Payne,

It took me several tries to get "portulaca" spelled right.  Microsoft still doesn't like it, but Google is okay with it.

Mom has put me in charge of the weekly geography trivia this summer.  Here are the questions I came up with for Austin, Texas:

1. Austin is among the southern-most capitals in the United States.  Are any other state capitals farther south than Austin?  What capital has the closest latitude to Austin?
2. The Rio Grande River forms part of the southern border of Texas. What other river in Texas has the same name as another American River?
3. Texas borders Mexico on the south.  How many other states border a foreign country?  (Oceans aren't countries.)

Bonus trivia facts:

1. The Texas State Capitol building is the largest state capitol building in the United States.  The only Capitol building that is bigger is the United States Capitol.
2. Nearly 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats live under the Congress Avenue bridge that spans Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin.  This is the largest urban bat colony in North America and is one of Austin's many tourist attractions.
3. Austin is the only city in the world that maintains "moonlight towers."  These are like very tall streetlamps.  Each one is 165 feet high, has 6 lamps, and can illuminate an area 3,000 feet in diameter.  That's over half a mile!

And now a journal entry.  I love you both and hope you have a great day!

Love,

Dad

The chickens are not cold.  It's 76 degrees outside, and my kids are worried that the chickens are going to freeze tonight.  Sheesh.

Work today was pretty good.  I closed the general ledger for May and got started on the financial reports.  It wasn't a great month, but given the coronavirus, it was probably as good as we can expect.

David and Lisa and their kids joined us for dinner.  They are looking for a house in Utah County and came down to check out a few possibilities.  The one that sounded most promising was disappointing, which is a bummer.  We had tacos for dinner, and they were great, as usual.

After dinner we pulled some weeds from the front flower beds.  They are looking good.  I especially like how the Portulaca looks this year.  Then we played duck, duck, goose for a while.  Now all the kids are telling me that they're not tired and need to go downstairs.

Thankful: I'm thankful for how nice our flower beds look this year.  Last fall I cut our front hedge way back, and it has grown back very nicely.  The flowers are looking good, including on the left side where they usually look lousy.  So far, so good.

Ministering: On my way to work this morning I stopped at SunPro to get an outlet cover.  As I walked in an elderly woman mistook me for an employee, so I helped her find an appliance light bulb for her oven.  A small thing to help someone.  I also sent a text to Jared Robinson, someone I minister to.

I'm really tired.  Time for sleep.  More later…

No weeds

Dear Sister Payne and Elder Payne,

Not a whole lot to say about today, so I'll get straight to the short journal entry.  I love you all!

Love,

Dad

Lots of meetings today, I think I got a lot done.  This evening was really nice at home.  After dinner we went outside and weeded the garden.  In about 20 minutes we got it all weeded.  Awesome!  Then the kids shot arrows at a cardboard box and I put some zip ties to hold up the plastic netting that we have over the deck to keep small people from sticking their heads through the slats.  The weather outside was just perfect.  It was nice to be outside.

We had a nice visit with Jessie late this afternoon.  She was available to talk while I was driving home, so I joined audio only.  It was really nice to talk to her.  It sounds like they're slowly starting to be able to interact with people a little more normally.

Thankful: I'm grateful for beautiful spring weather, and that our grass is starting to look better.  I think I'm going to fertilize again this weekend to try to control the weeds.

Ministering:  I ministered to the goats by pulling weeds that Abbie fed them.  That's pretty pathetic.

More later…

Nathaniel looking stylish in his shades

The boys shooting arrows

Grandma's birthdy!

Hi Sister Payne and Elder Payne,

I hope you had a great day today and that p-day tomorrow is excellent.  I love you both!

Love,

Dad

Happy birthday mom!  We went to dad and mom's house this evening to celebrate her birthday with cake.  Abbie made zucchini chocolate cake to share, and it was excellent.  I ate two pieces, then brushed my teeth immediately upon returning home so I won't eat a third!

While we were at dad and mom's we visited with Kyle and Marisa.  Marisa volunteered to help Mark with his Spanish; that will be really nice.

This morning Suzanne and I went to SLC to check out some interactive teller machines at Horizon CU.  They are neat, but we decided we are not at the point that we can implement them and realize the economies of scale necessary to make them worthwhile.  On the way home I picked up a cubby-shelf thing for Julie for the living room.

Thankful: I am thankful to live in peaceful circumstances.  A week or so ago an African American man was killed in Minneapolis by a police officer while in handcuffs.  It has sparked nationwide protests, many of which have turned violent, including over the weekend in Salt Lake City.  That just makes me feel sad.  Why can't we see each other as children of God and work toward mutual understanding?

Ministering: I visited tonight with the Osborn's so I could sign Isaac's baptism paperwork.  It was nice to visit with them for a few minutes.  Their family is doing well.

Tomorrow morning is packed.  I hope to get more done in the afternoon to close the month.  More later…

Nathaniel figured out holding a bottle briefly last night...

How many grandchildren does it take to light birthday candles?

Happy Birthday Jessie!

Dear Sister Payne and Elder Payne,

Emma is reminding me that I need to go outside and make sure the chickens are in their "palace," so this will be short.

Jessie, I hope your birthday was wonderful.  I thought of you several times today and hope you felt our love from afar.  Thank you for your gift of time, love, and service to Jesus and our brothers and sisters in Canada.  We all pray that the next year will be amazing, just like you!

Love,

Dad

Woah, the first day of the month should not be allowed to be a Monday.  Reyna's car broke down, so she didn't make it in to work until early afternoon.  I probably spent half the day today working on loans.  That's not my comparative advantage anymore.  As a result I didn't make much progress on the rest of my responsibilities today.  Fortunately, Reyna bought a new car today, so that problem should be in the past.

FHE tonight was nice; I just have to remind myself that little girls grow into reverence.  They need patience and gentle guidance as they mature.  Tomorrow is Grandpa Dee Woodward's birthday, so Julie's dad joined us by video chat to tell some stories of his father.  It was fun.  He loved missionary work.  Mark was especially interested to hear how he started gospel conversations with others.  I'm not sure Grandpa's approach will work for Mark, or for anyone else for that matter.  He was one of a kind.

We sang Happy Birthday to Jessie and enjoyed some chocolate cake to celebrate her birthday.  I can't believe it's been 21 years since Julie and I went to the hospital in Phoenix to have our first child.  Fatherhood has been a wonderful adventure and defines everything I do.  I had no idea what to expect as a father.  Seeing other righteous fathers can only prepare you so far; actually holding your own child is completely different.  It is at once humbling, terrifying, and exhilarating.  Now 21 years later, I still look in the eyes of each of my children and see their potential, my hopes, and the growth that lies before them.  I pray for God's help that I can magnify my role as father, and for the blessings of the atonement of Jesus Christ to make up for my mistakes and shortcomings.

Thankful: I'm thankful for Julie, Jessie, Mark, Abbie, Spencer, Neil, Isaac, Emma, Camilla and Nathaniel.  (Boy that's a long list! 😊)

Ministering: I don't feel like I did a lot today.  Here are three options from today:

1.       I used my turn signals when changing lanes.

2.       I picked up ten library books on my way home for Neil (and whoever else had reserved a book).

3.       I prepared the FHE lesson for Julie, who had spent the day helping the kids with their FHE assignments.  It was only fair because Abbie made the chocolate cake we used for FHE treats.

More later…

FHE buddies

Isaac's baptism card (and cash!) from G&G Woodward

Pork with fennel. Who knew?

Dear Sister Payne and Elder Payne,

Happy Birthday Jessie!  I'm not sure which day you'll see this, but I hope you have a wonderful birthday no matter which day you see it.  You are a delight to our family and bring us so much joy.  We love and pray for you daily.  Hopefully your birthday banner has arrived or comes tomorrow.  If not, imagine it has arrived and then look forward with joyful anticipation for it to actually arrive.  You can continue to celebrate your birthday until the tape yellows and falls from the wall. :)

Love,

Dad

This Sunday went better than some have, but not as well as others.  Some highlights include having the sacrament and playing a scripture game.  We divided into groups of two people – one older, one younger.  The younger person made a two-sided sign with Yes/No or Happy/Sad etc.  Each group looked through a chapter of this week's Come, Follow Me material and made a list of five doctrinal statements from the scriptures.  The statements could either be true statements, or could be "twisted" to make them false.  Then when each person read their statement, we all held up the appropriate side of our sign showing whether it was true or not.  It gave us a good opportunity to discuss some doctrinal points and engage everyone.  It was sort of modeled after Korihor's practice of manipulating truth to make it appear to support his incorrect beliefs.  I think it was an effective activity.

I tried a different recipe today with our pork roast.  (Side note – beef is now $7.99 per pound, while pork is under $3 a pound.  We have become a family of pork-eaters.)  This one included rosemary and fennel.  I've never had those spices on a crock pot roast, and it was really good.  Only complaint is that we all got full before we were tired of eating.  Success!

Poor Emma has had a couple of rough days.  She seems to have become quite selfish, thinking only of herself.  If she doesn't want to do something, she puts on a sassy face and says it's "boring."  Tonight during scriptures I brought her upstairs to put PJ's on since she refused to read with us.  I felt good about my approach – I didn't get upset but tried to understand her perspective.  I think she is trying to process the turmoil that is the reality with the coronavirus.  She missed seeing her friends and teacher at school and wants to go to Primary.  I can appreciate those concerns and desires.  The tricky part is helping her deal with those legitimate needs in appropriate, constructive ways.  Not an easy task for anyone, especially a six-year-old.

Thankful: I am thankful for Julie and the life and family we are building.  We seek for ways to serve each other and bring each other joy.

Ministering: I talked with both Pres. Kent and Sis. Pike today about the stake self-reliance program.  The fifth ward, along with the rest of the wards in the stake, is trying to provide appropriate support for the self-reliance program.  There isn't a lot of interest among stake members for this program.  Today I found another simple resource of the program that might be an effective way to introduce people to it.  I'm going to explore that a little more this week.

More later…

Our Sunday scripture activity