Paddle Boats and Fishing Poles

Merritt has been working on a lakeside house these past few weeks, and the owner invited us to come spend some time at the lake. We took a paddle boat out to do some fishing. We saw a beaver dam, which was fun for Collin. And when the boat began to get a little crowded (and the kids a little restless), we headed back to the dock to do some more fishing.

Luke just wanted to splash in the water with his feet. He tried out lots of different spots. He went to each side of the dock and both sides of the boat. I'm not sure what he thought would be different about each spot. But he seemed to be testing them out.

Collin was really into practicing his cast. He got to be pretty good at it. Unfortunately, we only caught one catfish that we had to put back. Collin wanted to stay until we caught at least one fish that we could bring home, but he got vetoed.

A couple of weekends ago C0llin and his dad caught five fish and we ate them for dinner. I think Collin expected the fishing to be that easy again. So he was a little disappointed when we left empty handed. So I promised him we'd still have fish for dinner. (We grilled up some salmon from Safeway.)

Last weekend was not so restful. We spent Friday evening at the strawberry patch (Bush's Farms) picking fresh strawberries. We left with four buckets full and two flats of pre-picked strawberries. Which meant that all day Saturday we slaved away in the kitchen making jam. We wanted to make a year's supply since the kids eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches almost every day for lunch. It took us all day but we ended up with ELEVEN batches of jam. And it is delicious!

Here is Luke with strawberries all over his face at the patch.

Here is Collin blowing a big bubble after church on Sunday. Collin is a gum expert. He collects it. And every day after lunch he practices his bubbles. Once we went to a party where the kids got to hit a pinata. It was full of cheap gum, and Collin was the happiest boy alive. He stuffed his pockets so full his pants were almost falling off his body. His stash lasted him for months. And thus began his addiction. I can bribe Collin to do just about anything when bubble gum is involved.
Last Sunday at church I took a cute picture of the boys by a flag they made in Primary a few weeks ago. Each child colored a picture of their family on a square of material, and wrote down something they can do to strengthen their family. The inspiration for the flag came from a talk by Elder Russel M. Ballard about the family proclamation.

He said, "Today I call upon members of the Church and on committed parents, grandparents, and extended family members everywhere to hold fast to this great [family] proclamation, to make it a banner not unlike General Moroni’s “title of liberty,” and to commit ourselves to live by its precepts (Ensign, Nov. 2005)."

I think the flag is very cool. We made it at a Primary activity day. My husband actually dressed up like Captain Moroni and told the kids his story from the Book of Mormon. Then he talked to them about how they can defend and protect their homes today. Merritt was such a good sport to do this; you get roped into things like this when your wife is the Primary president. :)

Merritt was speaking at the "house of faith" where we colored our flag. The kids also visited the "house of prayer", the "house of order", and the "house of glory" (see D&C 88:119). They made family prayer boards to help them make their prayers more specific, and become more aware of their family member's needs. They played games at the house of order to help them learn how to serve their family (e.g., doing the laundry, setting the table, picking up toys). Then they spread white frosting on temple-shaped cookies to help them remember their family can be eternal because of blessings available in holy temples. It was a really fun activity.

Collin now dresses up in his play armor and pretends to be Captain Moroni. I love it. I am so grateful to the church for the resources they provide to help me strengthen my family. I love being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I wish every child had the privilege of being raised in a home where proclamation principles and the teachings of Jesus Christ are understood and lived. The church's quest is to strengthen families. And it has been such a joy serving in the Primary and working to strengthen my own family and the families of the children. I truly love the children and want the best for them.