April 20th, 2008

While life is incredibly busy between home, church, and work, we continue to have memorable experiences that if undocumented will be forgotten.

Garrett's First Time Bowling...During 2007, Christine and I decided that we would each take one of the children out for an "outing" each month. (Elena and Carson don't get outings yet : ) April was my month to take Garrett out for his outing. He has really wanted to go bowling, so he and I went to the "Tower Bowl" here in Parsons. Garrett did really well, and had a great time. They even gave him a signed bowling pin for having bowled for the first time. For the lanes on either side of us, the real entertainment was watching me try to remember how to bowl (probably has been 15 years) and then teach Garrett- who knocked about as many pins over as I did.

Camille's Dance Class...With all of Garrett's activities (soccer, baseball, piano etc...) Camille has begun to express a desire to do "fun things". She loves to play soccer- which we do in the backyard. Unfortunately, she's too young to play on a team. Camille also loves to play dress-up, and be a princess. So we decided that Camille would enjoy taking dance lessons. So for the past few weeks, Camille has been taking ballet, tap, and tumbling once each week. She loves it, and it appears to be the highlight of her week. I can tell that it really makes her feel important.

Funny Conversation... For being two and a half, Elena has an amazing vocabulary and a real ability to carry on conversation. Not long ago, came down the hall, hearing her talking to someone. I thought this was odd, as Christine had taken Garrett and Camille on errands and Carson was down for a nap. I cautiously peeked into the toy room- as not to disturb her- and found her talking back to one of the toys. While I realize this is not uncommon for toddlers, this was a toy that asks questions, and Elena was frustrated, because she had already given the toy all of the answers. "I alweddy told you that!" she exclaimed. After a few more bursts, she got up in a huff and said "I no wanna talk to you anymoa!"

Trip to Kansas City... Last weekend, we made a trip to Kansas City. First we stopped by Children's Mercy Hospital to visit Katherine. This was the first time the kids had the opportunity to see Katherine. When we first entered her room, Camille was extremely shy- she wasn't prepared to see Katherine in a wheelchair- and she visibly looked different. For Christine and I, seeing Katherine like this was a dream. That last time we had been up to see them, Katherine was still in the Pediatric ICU on a ventilator, with very little movement. Katherine is now talking, singing, and eating. We're confident she will be walking before long. Anyhow, while we were in her room, the girls had to go potty (of course- typical girls). Camille walked into the bathroom and announced- "Dad, something's wrong with this potty". We got a real kick out of what we saw. (picture) We had a very nice visit with Katherine and her mother JoAnne. JoAnne and Katherine accompanied us to the hospital entrance, and Camille got to push Katherine in her wheelchair. Just before leaving, Camille tugged and JoAnne and said "Heavenly Father is hearing our prayers". Oh, how's that?- said JoAnne. "Because Katherine is getting better"- Camille said.

I love the faith of little children. And I'm grateful that my children are being raised in a home where a loving mother is always present, and where principles of the gospel are taught on a daily basis.