Ridley Update - In Which Self-Care Vindicates Sleeping Beauty and the Best Thing we Do is Eat Berries

Thursday - As incentive, David had made a promise to buy a hamburger for a young therapy client who had successfully remembered - and correctly recited - the three emotional states men are allowed to own publicly (the curious may inquire by email). So when the appointed time to depart for the session in Rigby had passed and Dave knew Arctic Circle for the purchase en route, a prayer of “God speed” was offered. Is it any surprise that the therapist and the burger arrived (without breaking the speed limit) just at the stroke of on-time?

Friday - When there's nothing to do, you make it up. And so it was that Emily found herself at the park and then, when three whiny children were withal yet woefully bored, on to the river. Matthew provides us this account, "There's like two beach things at the river. We climbed all the way down to the water. The water was really cold; I felt it. We found three feathers. I had the short one, Nathan had the medium, Hayley had the big. We brought them home. I bet it's still in the car." David got to move yet another piano with the Elder's quorum after work. Surely this proverb stands as a testament to the verity of the Church - Never have so many pianos moved so much with so few movers crushed.

Saturday - Now it may seem to some that, in these updates, Emily takes a lot of naps and vacations. And that's because she does. Perhaps the perspective on her pardonable reprieve is skewed for when she takes time to take care of herself, the family definitely takes note. During her absence, David got the children out of the house (and thus out of the sonic range of Sleeping Beauty) on the pretext of some adventure. Hayley chose to play catch and a game of cross-bounce was devised with tennis balls - sort of like jugglers passing yellow fuzzy pins. Nathan elected to take the family beyond the bounds of the yard for his activity. He resolved that the party would, upon pain of whining, go to the river to play. This proposal carried the popular vote, but was vetoed at the executive level on grounds that the river was far too distant a destination and, after much deliberation in the lower courts, the Lobby for Compromise succeeded in convincing Nathan to support a bipartisan Apples to Apples game instead. The whole proceedings took long enough for the princess to descend and take her place in the card game. Matthew, then, wanted to play Monopoly, but all were saved from that fate by a phone call and an impromptu pizza and ice cream dinner. This is the customary welcome of a brother from a far country. Casey Ridley and his whole circus were en route - AND! Casey's family would be staying for a few days - who knew?! Nevertheless we were delighted and a full welcoming committee of Mary Jo Baxter, Bob Stahn, Chester Stahn and their attendant households were scrambled and assembled for the celebration.

Sunday - Casey is a human doing - a man in motion - and must have some helpful chore, even on vacation. He looked about him and decided to start with some urban irrigating. He figured out our sprinkler timer, then helped Dave find the valve box. In short order, all were pleased to discover that after the house was vacant for two years, the sprinklers were so almost entirely functional. Colby Ridley got to come to church with us while the rest of the Casey Ridley family got in a much-needed nap. Alarmingly, Matthew had to come home during the service due to bleeding through his shirt. A scab had previously formed on his back where Nathan had kicked him not long ago and, well, Matthew's a pretty active boy even in Sacrament meeting - crawling over and under pews. Emily bandaged and returned him in time to come back and teach Hayley's Sunday School class 2nd hour. Also of note on this day, the children were called to marvel at a wonder of ants under a cement stepping stone in our back yard garden.

Monday - Copilots Nathan and Matthew thrilled the on-looking Ridleys with their death-defying stunt piloting on Wii Resort's "Island Flyover". What goes up must come down and, when Casey’s family had to leave, we did. David and Emily briefly visited a woman in the ward who has been asking for a Visiting Teacher. Hayley spent the afternoon with David who was at the office doing paperwork stuff. She made the best of life in the lobby, doing school assignments and, of course, reading books. Upon this day, so let it be written that Matthew refused to eat dinner and was committed by the dungeon master to spend eternity pondering his unreasonableness in his room. Within a few minutes, all rejoiced when the penitent soul returned to discover that mom's cooking wasn't that bad after all. The meal over, the avid baseball enthusiasts of the family - those willing to brave the storm - sped away to soak out the innings at the local Chuckars game. Meanwhile, David and Matthew made like the maid service and, after cleaning, read their scriptures and hit the hay so early, they were found fast asleep when the soggy sports fans slid into home.

Tuesday – Hayley and the boys put signs on their bedroom doors with the instructions for their grandparents such as, “Gma + Gpa, Wake me up when you get here, no matter what! I’m am so glad you are here !!! – Hayley Ridley. PS Is our house amazing or what?” or Matthew’s, “Do this to Matthew wWake me up. AND MAC MEGIT MY CLOS ON.” They had helped their parents clean the house in preparation of the Grand Visitors and were disappointed when the arrival time was delayed past their bed times. Not only were the children not asleep, but they stayed up for a couple of hours after the McMillans reached the Ridley home.

Wednesday – The McRidley conglomerate visited 1) the Tautphaus Park Zoo, 2) Costa Vida Restaurant, 3) the eponymously historic Idaho Falls falls (please bug Emily for photos of 1 & 3) and then passed up the opportunity to attend the Boy Scout Family Hike activity in our area. (Wonder why!) And yet, with all these exciting adventures, Nathan opines, “The best part of my day was when I ate a lot of blueberries.” Oh yeah – we forgot to mention the flat of assorted Fresh Northwest Berries they brought from Oregon.

Thursday – At this point, the plan for tomorrow is – Yellowstone! Very early.

Ridley Update - In which we seem to eat a lot of free meals and Matthew gets stuck at 4096

7/17/11 - 7/27/11

In our last episode, the Ridleys were just sending children to bed after watching some amazing and varied nature shows...when suddenly...

Sunday - Children who would not settle down and go to sleep were rousted into the back yard to pull weeds in the dark. No such bedtime troubles have recurred since.

Monday - Tuesday - Emily and David waiting in agony wondering if David would be awarded the coveted LMFT from the Idaho Board of Licensure. Tuesday night, the blessed announcement came and we are all grateful. That night, the children were reminded of pulling weeds and told that any child making noise after lights out would gain the distinguished honor of scrubbing toilets.

Wednesday - David and Emily played baseball with a mixed-denomination gathering of local churches. Dave had 1 RBI, a double, a single, and 2 outs as center fielder. Emily had fun. Los Padres Tres played nearby and batted tennis balls to each other.

Thursday - Hayley woke to discover she was under the power of a villainous eye infection that has since spread its evil influence to her brothers. But fear not, citizens - she sought aid from her trusty eye doctor and was equipped with powerful eye drops to eradicate the foe.

Friday - To start the day off right, David gracefully tripped down five stairs and banged up his side, partly pulled out a toenail, tore the skin off under one arm and pulled the triceps of the other. We attended a lunch with Grandma & Grandpa Stahn and the Stephanie Blodgett family in Firth, Idaho. Grandpa gifted the family with a whole bunch of books on prophecy, government, and politics which David has been charged to read.

Saturday - We attended the Pioneer Day breakfast at church. Dave helped crack 60 dozen eggs. Emily took many pictures. HayNatMat then marched with a troupe of primary kids in a "parade of values" holding the individualized plastic banners they made themselves.

Sunday - We had an overnight visit from Joe Blodgett's family. The adults threw health, wealth, and wisdom to the wind and stayed up until 2 in the morning. For some reason, the children didn't wake up any later than usual. We brought Jello and Emily's amazing 9-layer bean dip to the weekly dinner at the Stahns celebrating a variety of relatives including the Oliana Scott family, the Grandparents Stahn, and the Blodgetts Ginger, Joe, Marlowe and their younglings.

Monday - We had four Owen girls at our house all day long and the kids loved it. We were invited to enjoy a pulled-pork dinner at Aunt Tana's house with Grandma & Grandpa Stahn, Aunt Ginger, the Bob Stahn Family, Jennie Parkinson, and Holly Burkman's children. Someone suggested the "Water in the Face Game" (AKA Thimble Game) wherein the water-bearer chooses a category (such as "languages") and goes from person to person until someone names the predetermined item in that category (such as "Gaelic") and rewards the item-namer with a splash (or bath if you are using a cup rather than a thimble). The strategy of the dry, then, is to name extravagant and unique items (like "Klingon") to avoid the "prize." Bob and Donella Stahn were such sports as to help us to inherit some new furniture and move two old couches which our boys subsequently acquired to the basement to jump, dive, & flip on.

Tuesday - Home Summer School as usual. Then Mary Jo, Ginger Stahn, and the Burkman children came to play in the afternoon. We had a visit in our home for the first time from our home teacher who talked shop about mental health and PSR at length with Dave. Around bed time, Matthew added one plus one. This was not impressive to anyone. Then he drew more and more attention from his astonished family as he doubled numbers in his head from 1 to 4096 with no help. (I tested him again just now and he did it again, so it was no fluke). Try it yourself! Doubling 4096 presents problems that stymie his five-year-old brain for some reason. Professor Emily says it is because he has to handle 4 place values and carry too many ones and because he's not that good yet at distinguishing the ones and thousands place. But that didn't slow him down much before this obstinate barrier.

Wednesday - While on assignment with LDS missionaries, David arranges an interim visiting teacher (Emily) for a woman who is trying to leave her abusive alcoholic husband, blesses a home, invites four families to come to dinner with the ward that night, schedules for a young family to come to our home for a missionary discussion this Friday. Emily & David attended the church dinner and had an excellent time getting to know interesting people in our community. It was a very pleasant evening to be without children - who were home watching Incredibles and getting into no trouble whatsoever.

Ridley Update - Several Days of Stuff - In which Hayley makes the newspapers, Nathan wins pirate's booty, & Matthew sums it up.

7/8/11 - 7/17/11

Friday - It appears that our family was invited out to the birthday party of a 7-year-old boy mostly because of Nathan. The park was pleasant, the people were pleasant, the cake and ice cream were pleasant. Maybe it just felt odd because we were the only people there who were not blood relatives to the celebrated pre-denarian. It was a bit like crashing someone else's family reunion. The kids ran up and down the grassy hills and challenged each other (and David) to see who could cross a mighty obstacle course of jungle-gymery without touching the ground once.

Saturday - Emily attended a "Super Saturday" Relief Society event between breakfast and lunch - she states she learned about food storage and meal planning. She also learned that her Relief Society group does not attend such meetings very well. David had 3 hours of therapy (2 free, one paid) before and after Emily's meeting - wrapping up a week which saw 16 hours of therapy completed (many of which were promotional/free therapy hours - but still, a relatively good week).

Sunday - After a home teaching visit in which Nathan accompanied his father, the family who were visited rewarded Nathan with a bag of "pirates treasure" - candy and novelty toys themed around sea-going looters. Back at the Ridley hideout, the booty was divided. Matthew was impressed! He was so excited to go help home teach the next family with Dad an hour later - but came home empty-handed because the second family had not had a recent pirate-themed birthday party for their five year old.

Monday - As a one-on-one-time activity, David asked Hayley what she wanted to do together. Hayley led David out to the back porch to just smell the rain and, moments later, to feel the light warm drizzle. Soon Emily popped out with her camera to capture the sunset rainbow. Two full bows could be seen, the outer ring with inverted colors. During a later Family Home Evening lesson on service, the family sat and watched a few clips about missionary service and talked about how Grandma Dena and Grandpa Verl are on a mission. Emily and David put the kids to bed and discussed what movie to watch together. Emily had to be convinced that You've Got Mail would be a better date movie than Jurassic Park. Seem a little backward to anyone else?

Tuesday - While Emily was watching the MLB All-Star game and Nathan was sentenced to clean up the basement, Matthew and David saw a neighbor sitting on their driveway coloring with chalk. So they grabbed their sidewalk chalk and walked over to be social. After drawing some whales and Star Wars themes, Matthew and David were recruited to help hunt for slugs in the neighbors garden. Seven slimy slugs suffered slaughter by salt solution submersion. Matthew would not leave until he had showed the grandmotherly neighbor lady his cartwheel and head stand - brief but graceful. Meanwhile, Hayley was enjoying Activity Days at the Collector's Museum seeing "a lot of, like, olden culture stuff" such as "blown glass, antique teacups, Native American carvings, and lots and lots of dolls."

Wednesday - the kids didn't have enough players for teams of baseball at the park. Matthew says, "we just had batting practice. We pitched to mom. We had one turn for each, except for three people." The children participated as audience members in a production of Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" at the library. Hayley learned, while at that library performance, that her picture was in the paper on Saturday (from her role as Polonius the week before) and that she and her mother were quoted therein. David went out with the missionaries that evening. After some brief visits with people on their list, a first discussion was taught to a 50+ woman who is both a recovering addict and an addictions counselor. David talked about the role faith in a higher power plays in raising people's self-worth and commitment to change in therapy. The woman accepted the missionaries' invitations to read, ponder, pray, and prepare for baptism.

Thursday - While Emily mowed the lawn and went to book club, David and the kids skipped off to Rigby to move a piano. Actually, the children were no help - but they played out of the way and caused no trouble. A certain Jennifer Owen bought a discount upright, and her husband Jesse got to round up some roadies to relocate it from across town to their family room. The move was one of disquieting smoothness and simplicity; several commented how oddly non-laborious and injury/damage-free it was. The only concern arose when the pickup with the strapped and cinched spinet buttressed by David Ridley momentarily appeared to some to be attracting the attention of several patrol cars along the route. One hardly has occasion to contemplate just how seat-belt laws apply to professional piano movers crouched strategically in open truck beds until one is one.

Friday - The Ridley house was full of children who had gathered for the junior book club. They had read the Narnia series and drew battle lines in the back yard to fight with specially-decorated paper shields and willow-branch long swords. When they tired of their dizzying cycle of capture imprison rescue repeat, they could take a short break and enjoy a lemony, sugary Turkish delight. After work and dinner, the Ridley family went to a local production of "Rockwell, the Musical" - not to be confused with Norman Rockwell; this is the break-into-spontaneous-song version of the life of distant relative Porter Rockwell. Hayley wanted to see the whole thing, but we ended up leaving at intermission because Nathan and Matthew were so disturbed/disturbing. Though there were certain charms about this musical tribute to a bodyguard/frontiersman, the sound quality was poor and the unfortunate stage layout made it hard for the boys, particularly, to see what was going on.

Saturday - Emily reports that she "spent all day getting ready for the Prestons." Emily's cousins' family came to enjoy some time on their way back from Yellowstone. Dave - who carefully avoided any of the said "getting ready" by surreptitiously working at the office all day - arrived home on cue to grill dinner. It seemed an easy task - light the grill. Yet it took almost an hour, several pages of phone book, and a considerable amount of rubbing alcohol before the briquettes were that happy orange and gray that says, "FINALLY! Now let's clean up all this ash and get these burgers on - I'm starved!" The food was good - and the company arrived just moments after the Ridleys had finished off the first round. When everyone had eaten and played and yelled and ran and screeched and frolicked as much as those over 30 could stand, the smaller people were sent to the basement as if they would go to sleep. We're pretty sure several didn't sleep until after 11.

Sunday - Bacon & sausage rarely appear on the breakfast menu at our house. And a reliable source leaked that the Preston tots are most often compelled to take various forms of hot cereal for their morning repast. So you can imagine the cheers when a frying pan was produced and savory sizzling deliciousness greeted the eager eaters. No sooner commenced than consumed, the meal gave way to all manner of horsing around until everyone under 5 feet tall had to settle down for lunch and church. We pronounced our pre-church goodbyes to the Prestons who premeditated a post-sacramental absconsion. David taught a 2nd-hour lesson on service in which the class was divided into teams to competitively enumerate the most ways to serve others. After church the kids watched Planet Earth and we learned that 1) a blue whale can alternately go 5 months without eating and then eat more than 3 tons of krill per day; 2) when hungry, a pride of 30 lions can (and did!) take down a full-sized elephant (ever seen a lion mount and ride a running elephant?) and a band of gorillas can (and did!) take down and cannibalize members of a rival band; 3) seals can catch and eat penguins on land but not with nearly the grace a great white shark can catch and eat a seal in water; and 4) there is seemingly no end to the creativity of Heavenly Father who made such an amazing and varied world for us to learn and grow upon!

Sunday, according to Matthew - "Every time in my Sunday class, we have to - no in our other class - whenever I go there when I don't have a teacher, we have to tell the teacher something we did yesterday - on Saturday. I could only remember this day. What I said today is about the Prestons Saturay and when they left I told them that. And In class, I had something exciting. Letters. Little letters and they had little letter...little papers like they are dads and moms going on a mission - what the missions mean on them - and I'll tell you the kids names in my class. It's me, Kyra - Kyra Jardene, Dalton...Dalton Miles, um, Nathan...yeah, it's Nathan Monson. AND the ones in my class that came, they were coming in there too and it's Avery, Tyler, and Owen. I found Tyler looking for our teachers and then I went to go to get - my Dad told me I went to get my scriptures and when I got back, Owen was there. And when I was there, Avery came in. [whispers] that's all my comment." Thank you, Matthew, for your contribution.

This week we could use any prayers you can spare for the Idaho Licensing Board to approve Dave as a fully-licensed therapist (as he is in Utah) - otherwise we may be less-employed until October when the board will reconvene to make judgments on licensure applications. We thank you for your concern and your petitions on our behalf.

Ridley Update - In Which Matthew Gets Lost, Hayley Incurs a Mortal Rapier Wound, and Nathan Gets Himself Into More Serious Trouble

6/27/11 - 7/8/11

Sunday - We found and played an online geography quiz game to sharpen our skills after Yakko Wakko and Dot watched the National Geographic Bee the night before wherein Alex Trebek told the finalists "The least you can win today is ten thousand dollars." That's plenty of reasons to learn geography! Nathan and Hayley and I also flipped through literally hundreds of Greg Olson paintings and decided this was our favorite one. We enjoyed the traditional Dinner at the Stahns.

Monday & Tuesday - Nothing Happened. Or at least nothing memorable, apparently. It is the day that time forgot. Mass amnesia.

Wednesday - The Three Fates participated (as audience members) in "Tantalus", an ancient Greek play - this time performed by young American children - at the local library. Nathan recalls, "The only thing I remember is that he turns his son into soup." Emily escapes in the evening to help throw a surprise party for her dear friend, Jennifer Owen. Dave & the Three Stooges stayed home to play computer games and generally goof around.

Thursday - The Three Billy Goats Gruff endured many anxieties and worries for Aunt Maurine and her to-be-born-bambina. Hayley had Activity Days, meeting to trade favorite family recipes with her colleagues.

Friday - Canada Day! To celebrate, we stayed at home and did nothing. TroyAndMaurineHadABabyIt'sAGirl. We are so glad "baby brynn is home". Welcome, Brynn! May your parents teach you proper word spacing and capitalization.

Saturday - The Three Musketeers attended the baptism of a friend, Abby Droegemueller. Hayley thought Abby's dress was pretty, "but probably all the boys remember is that she handed out suckers afterward. That was definitely their favorite part. Mom played hymns for a while as we waited for Abby and her Father to come out."

Sunday - Due to the heat (and because it seemed fun at the time) we set up mattresses in the basement for The Pokey Little Puppies to sleep on. They have been camping out down there ever since. We got to visit with Mariah, Rosie, and Oliana and their families at the weekly Dinner at Uncle Bob's. We brought his sofa out on the front lawn and talked about sundry topics including Dan and Rosie's family's pending move to Montana. We shall miss them. Hewey, Dewey, & Louie had various dramas about the tree house, secret clubs, rejection, retribution, and restitution with their cousins.

Monday - A great overcast day for a parade, nap/movie, barbecue with some members of our ward, fireworks (supposedly "the biggest this side of the Mississippi" - maybe they mean the biggest between ourselves and the Mississippi) with our friends Droegemeuller friends who were so kind to let us visit them, and a traumatic traffic jam. "We moved three car spaces within an hour!" fumes Hayley, who says she had to go to the bathroom at the time. Matthew the Wise prudently fell asleep, avoiding anguish.

Tuesday - Commencement of the Summer Schedule of the Ridley Academy. Nathan says we should change the name to "The Ridley Torture Academy." In the evening, we attended a Chukars baseball game in which the local team pulled off an 8-run rally (we called it "an Ate One Wowie") against the Casper Ghosts in the bottom of the 8th inning to win by 1 run. Following the victory, The Three Amigos got to run the bases - AFTER Matthew got lost in the surge of departing fans. Scary! For him as well!

Wednesday - The Three Little Pigs played soccer at Tautphaus Park with families from our current church ward, from our previous ward, and from iFamily (homeschool program). Later at the library, Hayley volunteered for the part of Polonius, suffered death by Hamlet's sword thrust through the tapestry in the queen's chamber, and was interviewed (posthumously!) by Post Register newspaper regarding her part in the drama.

Thursday - Cosby Show marathon! Really?! Was it only 2 episodes? Okay, well, it SEEMED like a marathon as we waited for Netflix to "retrieve" portions of the show from time to time. Maximizing mid-movie moments, many Mini-Ridleys were sentenced to many minutes hard labor - basement beautification, toy removal division. Nathan got in trouble for hitting his brother, throwing a toy at his sister, knocking all the books out of the book shelf, drawing on the wall with pink chap stick, dropping stuffed animals out of his 2nd story bedroom window, and ripping 4 bedtime pull-ups. But he remains a fairly happy kid nonetheless.

Friday - Dave wrote the belated update. Dave accidentally deleted the belated update. Dave re-wrote the accidentally-deleted belated update. The Three Blind Mice "assisted" Dave in pounding pokey carpet nails to protect their mother's feet (but with little regard for their father's fingers). No thumbs were damaged. Emily attended the temple while Hayley and Dave prepared an excellent rice, broccoli, and apple-sauce lunch. And now we wonder what stuff the rest of the day might bring...

Ridley Update - In Which We Camp and Stuff

6/20/11 - 6/26/11

We had a week. We did some stuff. What did you do with your weekly allotment of days?


In our usual Monday way, Piano and violin lessons were exchanged between ourselves and the Jesse/Jennifer Owens family at our home. We alternate between our house here in Idaho Falls and their house in Rigby for lunch and lessons. Emily and Hayley can now play mostly-distinguishable renditions of simple tunes, such as Go Tell Aunt Rhody. We had heard about free Ice Cream being served down town to celebrate the centennial of Bonneville County. The usually-quiet streets of Idaho Falls were packed with people in an almost fair/carnival feel. A classic car show, a bluegrass competition, a robot demonstration, and a hands-on fire hose target activity were simultaneously underway. At some point, I saw a reenactment of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" being performed. And I still can't figure out why there was a 2-story rubber duck parked in the street. The randomness of it all notwithstanding, it was fun.

At Hayley's routine check up on Tuesday, doctors discovered what Emily terms "the mysterious asymptomatic strep". Now Hayley is tortured with regular doses of yogurt (which she hates) and Amoxicillin. To her, the cure is far worse than the disease.

Our kids join weekly at rotating parks around town to play baseball or softball with children from the ward and some of the home school associations we've made. This is followed by the traditional Wednesday afternoons at the library. There they receive their summer reading prizes and take part in a little play. Hayley and Nathan had parts as Apollo and Calliope in "Orpheus and Eurydice." Eliminating all need for rehearsals, they streamline from casting straight to performing - the Librarian tells them their lines and they act it out with costumes and props. It's fun. They like it. And next month they make the shift from Greek Myths to Shakespeare.

Nathan and Matthew did not escape the torture of doctors. Their check ups - which due to some odd office policy couldn't be scheduled at the same day as their sister - included some terrible shots. According to Emily (I wasn't there), the nurse told Matthew to breathe out to help him relax. He would not breathe out but tensed up. The more he tensed up the more painful it would be and apparently there was some screaming. Now this is the same kid who they had to draw blood from twice last time and he got extra prizes and much praise from the nurses for being so tough. Not this time. And after all that pain, he and Nathan had to have their fingers pricked and spill blood into the little vial - and to top it all off, they got nothing but a sticker each! No suckers! The blood work for Nathan caused doctors to call Emily and say they think he's "a little anemic". Seems odd for Nathan to be called anemic. They suggest he take some Iron medicine. Maybe we'll stock up on beef, broccoli, and spinach.

Our weekend began by splitting up the activities: Hayley and Emily went to see Sound of Music performed by a local drama troop. They report that it was interesting to see the stage production versus the movie. The girls got to see some pretty talented people in the parts and commented on the good sets and costumes for a local performance. They got to see Jennifer Owen in the pit orchestra and watch Uncle Bob and Christian Stahn perform on stage and talk with them after the show. Hayley really liked it.

Meanwhile, the boys and I drove off to what our Elder's Quorum likes to call the fathers and sons "Camp Out, Pig Out, Shoot Out." The "camp" was really in the spacious lawn and pine tree grove of a member of the church. Matthew got to choose the site for our tent before many others arrived and we commenced setting up. We had our scripture study and family prayer inside the tent and were promptly called out to dinner. Initially, the complete lack of camp fire was disappointing to Nathan and Matthew - for whom the words 'camp' and 'marshmallow' are intertwined. They quickly found comfort, however, in the ample supply of grilled hamburgers and hot dogs served with chips and soda. My duties were simple - keep them from falling in the canal or stumbling through rattlesnake territory. Other than that, I had it easy. So the three of us hiked a small distance across the canal bridge and through the supposed snake zone and discovered some hives of bees. We were, of course, careful not to disturb them too much as we did a test to see if they liked root beer. Apparently, the hike lacked enough danger for the boys and they grew bored. So we returned to the camp where we participated in a Priesthood meting where high school aged scouts and their leaders gave talks on various gospel topics. I think by the half-way point, Matthew had decided he preferred the hike. But he sat on my lap and wrestled with me a little as we listened. Pretty soon, he was perched on my shoulders piggy-back style and wobbled on and off of his roost, poking pieces of grass in my ears until the speakers ran out of wind. Then all the boys played capture the flag until bed time. I was sure that with 20 or so boys of various ages zipping between the ever-less-visible trees someone was going to have an injury. Sure enough, first aid was administered, but it appeared to be for one boy's preexisting knee condition and not the result of a collision. Nathan and Matthew have been quick to tell anyone that their team won most of the rounds. And they were having too much fun playing to even stop for dutch oven apple & peach cobblers I was sampling. Nathan wanted to see the stars as we laid down to sleep, but the chill in the air caused me to put the rain fly on the tent anyway and everyone settled to sleep quite quickly.

Somewhere around 4:30am, I awoke to the quavering moans of what sounded like a little boy calling out for his daddy. Because it was a father and sons trip, I assumed he was having a nightmare and that his father would be helping him shortly. Then the moans turned into short screeches and then to long, full-volume, intense screams! Cries for "daddy" were intermixed with moans and weird sobs as I stumbled out of the tent and went looking for the boy I thought must be lost in the trees. Maybe his father was not responsive? Maybe dead? And how come nobody else was responding! Surely they couldn't sleep through this screeching! Many unpleasant possibilities presented themselves to my imagination as I found my way in the dark to the source of the commotion. A boy was standing shirtless upright in his tent and had resumed shrieking for his father. The only other occupant of the tent was another boy trying to ask him what was wrong. I realized the boy was semi-coherent at best. Apparently, I was witnessing the worst case of night-terrors I have ever seen! The other boy in the tent trying to get him to talk was making matters worse. So rather than talk about what was making him scream, I asked the shirtless boy if he was cold. He calmed down to consider this, "...yeah. A little." Then I suggested he put his shirt on and lay down, which he promptly did and went back to (or sunk deeper into) sleep. I stayed up for several more minutes to make sure the 13-year-old boy (whose father, the Elder's Quorum President in charge of the activity, is a doctor and on call and had to leave the camp earlier that night to return to the hospital ) was actually asleep. I was baffled as to how not one other adult got up to see what was going on in all the previous several minutes of screaming. Somewhat unnerved by it all, I finally went back to bed and sleep. Nearer to dawn, the moaning and crying recurred, but not with nearly as much intensity and I could hear his tent-mate asking him to go back to sleep, which he must have done.

The next morning at breakfast, many of the fathers greeted me with guilty smiles, laughed and apologized for failing to warn me that 13-year-old Eli does this regularly - thought they said they'd never seen his night terrors get that bad, that loud, last that long, or involve standing up and screaming like he did. It is one of those things that are much funner after they are over. Breakfast being over - and us not having a single gun for the "shoot out" portion of the day - targets and clay pigeons - we packed up our things and went home. Later that day, Hayley attended a birthday party of a close friend of hers. And I took the kids biking to a nearby park where we played catch for a while and rode our bikes up and down a steep hill. That night, we camped in the back yard (partly because Hayley had not got to camp with us). Nathan got to see the stars through the tent roof this time. Nathan and Matthew zonked out pretty quickly, but Hayley abandoned the rest of us after less than an hour. She went inside to her bed because she claimed she was having trouble falling asleep. I was just glad everyone was quiet all night.


It has been a week of painting, caulking, and touching up the new wall, trim, and door that was just built between the master bedroom and bathroom. Emily has also applied a few coats of paint to the formerly "intentionally rough worn look" banister so it now matches the bright white of everything else.

It's really amazing the number of scans, prints, emails, faxes, tabulations, calculations, estimations, formal requests, notaries, phone calls, follow-ups, fees, checks, and double-checks that have been involved in getting my application for full licensure for therapy in to the state of Idaho - to say nothing of actually filling out the forms (which...nobody could have actually used before me because they were highly inadequate and had to be retouched and doctored in Paint & Word before they could even contain the necessary information). I get the sense that I'm very much pioneering a new trail here. The Idaho Board of Licensure (IBOL) had to check with their legal counsel to determine if - since my intern-level license expires the day before they convene to grant me my next licensure level - I will be allowed to practice therapy AT ALL in the event something is not to their full satisfaction. Ultimately their legal counsel was indecisive so they're advising me with their standard, noncommittal "Well, just turn it all in and we'll see what happens" response. Anxiety! The Bureau of Licensure stated that I'm the pilot case for this unique predicament. I think it's because very few MFT graduates put up with this and try to apply in this state! Even therapists in other disciplines (i.e. Clinical Practitioners and Social Workers) here complain that Idaho's licensure process is an "all or nothing shot" and they give you little guidance. So if it works (and there some some significant technical holes which they can't reassure us about either way until they meet) than we're golden. If it doesn't go through, than we may easily be unable to work at my present job from August 18th - October 4th when the board reconvenes to decide the next round of applications. But now it is all done and mailed. I am praying the board will be reasonable and not legalistic. Your prayers are appreciated.


--
- David Ridley

Ridley Update - In Which We Celebrate & Stuff

6/13/11 - 6/19/11

Hayley and I had the singular experience of attending a "celebration of life" memorial service for a person we'd never met along with a family we don't know. A nineteen-year-old girl died in a car accident and her family - recently moved to Idaho Falls from New York - have very few connections here in our local area. So a call was made by our bishop for as many members of our church to attend the memorial service as possible so the family didn't have to feel so alone. I believe there were only 9 or 10 people in attendance who knew the girl who passed away - yet there were more than 50 people who showed up. Hayley and I represented the Ridley family at the commemorative service since it didn't sound good to bring the Destructo-Boys to such a solemn meeting where they would have to sit still. Grief notwithstanding, it really was a good meeting! Along with life sketches from the family, people from the congregation were invited to the pulpit. They shared their condolences from their own experiences with grieving and loss of loved ones. Stories were told, scriptures were read, assurances were shared. That the departed is in a better place was the most oft repeated message of the evening. People who didn't even know the girl who passed shared genuine tears together. The bishop's counselor admonished the bereft to remember the precious moments they had with her as a gift from God. Meanwhile, Hayley and I worked to distract/calm a little girl in the row ahead of us who kept urging her mother to let her out in the isle to play. Then we were all invited to retire to the cultural hall for refreshments and Hayley chatted pleasantly with an older couple who were obviously impressed with her. As they left, they confided to me what a charming daughter I have. We stayed there eating cookies and punch until most of the mourners had gone home - then took down the chairs and went home ourselves.

Emily had a birthday this week. On Birthday Eve, she got to visit the farmer's market where a friend made her some gluten free doughnuts (pasteries she can eat without getting sick! How wonderful!) Then she and I both had what I was told was a Sweedish massage. Since this was my first venture into massage, I cannot tell you what makes it Sweedish. Emily said it caused her to feel very peaceful and relaxed. It triggered anxiety for me at times. Overall it was good, but very odd for me. It made me much more aware of the big knots in my shoulders and between my shoulder blades (where I now have slight bruises instead of knots). Emily said she was impressed with the quality of the place and the service itself. For any of you who are in Idaho Falls, we now have a supply of free one-hour massage coupons to hand out, so let us know if you are interested.

On Birthday Morn, Emily got to lounge about in bed for a while - I would say "sleep", but she's not one to actually sleep when anyone is up rattling those pots and pans. Dishes were done and a fairly-new creation - the omelette pizza - was created. With the help of our children, we added a bowl of cereal, grapes, freshly-stirred lemon-aid, and a granola bar to her tray and was about to take it up to her when she emerged, showered and dressed for the day. So much for breakfast in bed. She said she preferred to eat at a table anyway. Not long after that, the doorbell rang and another friend - one Jennifer Owen - appeared, singing and bringing yet more gluten free pastries. She enjoyed phone calls and online well-wishes from many of her adoring fans. Emily got to go to a movie with Mary Jo, watch some baseball, catch some live bluegrass music with the family down by the river, and eat a measure of a Friendy's Reces Ice Cream Cake which is reminiscent of her younger-years in Connecticut.

On the Post-Birthday Morn, Nathan and Matthew woke up at a very early hour and raised such a clatter that we arose from our beds to see what was the matter. Then, since we were up anyway, Emily used what eggs we had left after her omelette pizza to create the Father's Day Breakfast - two egg, cheese, and bacon English muffins. Tasty! Then Emily retired for a nap before church. My daughter presented me with a card she made at her Activity Days - complete with pop-out coupons and other hidden treasures. My sons made me a giant wooden train track in the shape of a "'D' for 'Dad'" or "'D' for 'Don't you love our Track'?" Fun times! Then Emily got to go up to bed to take a nap. We got to go to church and I got to tech BOTH Gospel Principles AND Elder's Quorum lessons. Then we had a four-generation potato dinner - with my grandfather, two uncles, myself, and our children (and our respective families). Phone calls to and from various family members - including Mom and Verl on their mission in New York, and Casey who called to help me (unsuccessfully) figure out how to place a call to our Dad in the Philippines - rounded out the day.

Also notable events of this week: Nathan lost another tooth! That makes...5 gone at once? Apples now present a more daunting challenge than ever. Matthew received many lessons in the use of diplomacy rather than whining (with mild-to-moderate success). Hayley made significant progress toward her own line of knitted head wear. Emily preserved her uncanny youth and good looks, defying her chronological age. And I conducted an heroic rescue of a small bird that had fallen into a window well of our house.

Tune in next week when we do more stuff!

--
- David Ridley

Ridley Update - In which more stuff happens

6/05/11 - 6/12/11

Sunday I was set apart as a Gospel Principles teacher in church and the counselors members of the bishopric took several minutes to get to know me - how my family and business are doing - and what it is like to counsel in the church versus what I do outside the church. I was then blessed by them not only with special help to be able to teach my class better, but with special help in my business and therapy that I do with others and that the business would grow. This was a relief to me and something I have been hoping and working toward. Later at home, In the effort to give Emily a break from rowdy and mischievous youths, I took the kids to a park where we sat and played (or tried to play) a board game. Until the pieces started blowing away. Then we trekked up and back on a series of wooden beams surrounding a garden, jumping from one to another and trying to pass one another without knocking each other off.

Hayley and I made a quick errand into a chance to talk on Monday. The recycling had to be taken out, so we took a drive and talked about whatever dads and daughters talk about. She helped me sort and toss various things - including a box of college papers and office items which were not intended to be recycled! Fortunately Hayley dropped the box on the ground and the contents spilled out where I could identify them before they could be pitched.

Tuesday, Nathan and I visited the Bishop's Storehouse here in Idaho Falls on a volunteer assignment to help restock and fill the shelves there. We were surprised to find the front of the storehouse laid out very much like a little market filled with all sorts of necessities from dish soap to deodorant to fresh fruits and meats to canned and frozen foods. All of these are measured out at no cost to families in the area who don't quite have enough to get by - sometimes in trade for whatever skills they can employ to help others. Nathan and I (along with some 20 something other volunteers of all ages) got busy pulling items from the huge warehouse out to the "store" floor and filling things up. Nathan was particularly talented at stocking toilet paper and chocolate pudding packets. He seemed to enjoy driving the box cart and breaking down the empty cardboard cases.

Wednesday morning - because Matthew had not gotten to go on any errands with Dad, he and I arranged to get up early and play the Wii. This is one of Matthew's most favorite (aka most often whined about) activities. He played several Wii Fit Plus exercise games before his brother and sister finally wandered into the living room.

Wednesday or Thursday evening (can't remember which), I learned that Matthew has a particular talent with a baseball bat. He can swat slow pitch underhand tennis balls out of the air with ease and whap them against the far side fence of our back yard. Hayley and Nathan joined in and Emily added some coaching and catching, and very soon we were getting to know our neighbors better through ball retrieval efforts. After Hayley circumnavigated our block to knock on their door, our over-the-back-fence neighbors let us know they had taken the initiative to snake a hose through the fence and thoughtfully water our trees in the 2 years nobody lived in house and could we please give their hose back some time soon.

Thursday I spoke to the Civitan (http://www.civitan.com/) youth group in Pocatello - a bunch of enthusiastic, service-minded teen leaders who did quite a bit more cheering and applauding than I expected. I spoke about healthy relationships - or how to take care of their own emotional needs so they can avoid "really lame" needy, fear-based, insecure relationships. We talked about how paying attention to how much their behavior is simply seeking a quick "feel good" or "look good" payoff rather than a "do good" right/moral choice. The discussion groups were lively and everyone was on-task and involved. At the end, I challenged them to think of something that diminishes their courage to do right and change it within 48 hours, or stand up for something they believe in, and then make a phone call or send a text message to report that they'd done it. Nobody backed down from the challenge. What a good group to speak to! This was my second year addressing them and I hope they invite me back next year.

Friday Emily and I went to a bit of a farewell dinner for the other therapist working with Uncle Bob and I at Well Spring Counseling. I thought I had eaten at Texas Roadhouse once before, but I must have been mistaken because I would have remembered any place where the waiters periodically line dance and every table is equipped with a gallon bucket of peanuts to shell and eat while you wait to order. The food was...really good. I have never seen ribs fall off the bone quite that way before (not that I eat a lot of ribs). And they had a gluten-free menu for Emily. Both of us were quite stuffed and, of course, brought home Saturday's lunch in a box.

Emily has been reading book 3 of Brandon Mull's "Grip of the Shadow Plague" (Fablehaven, #3). And I have been reading Shannon Hale's "Princess Academy" (Hayley has been trying to get me to read this book for about three years). Also, I really enjoyed David McCullough's presidential biography "Truman". I have really enjoyed Mccullough's "John Adams", "Mornings on Horseback" (early life of Ted E. Roosevelt) and "1776" - and "Truman" was no different - although the only copy I could conveniently get was abridged and it is obvious that the book would have been better without chunks dropped out. He's a great writer and must do a ridiculous amount of research for each one.

Ridley Update - In which we randomly do stuff

5/27/11 - 6/5/11

What Passes for an Update
- Or -
Sending out a Quick One with Minimal Editing or Ordering the Days.


Today it was nice. I had to go sit in the back yard several times. Good weather and aint it about time! Our back yard is pleasant. I was thinking how fun it would be to take a few cinder blocks or something and set them up in the back yard for a base and then put our mattress out there and sleep out under the stars since it's such a beautiful and not-too-hot night. Stars are out, slight breeze, and the lilacs are blooming. But we're both waiting for the Allegra to kick in. And ultimately Emily would probably not go for it.

We went to Night at the Zoo on Friday - the children took many pictures with their Christmas cameras, ate free ice cream, and the boys and Emily were complemented on their jungle bongo drum playing at one booth.

Last weekend we went to my brother's 10-year renewal-of-the-vows with his wife in their Nazarene church. Stood to sing several non-traditional Christian songs, listened to the preacher talk about the covenant of marriage, and then (my favorite part) the couple read their vows to each other. Never heard my brother give a "church talk" before. Food followed (hooray!) and the obligatory decorating of the couple's "Just Remarried" getaway car. And, of course, it was VERY GOOD to see all the Ridleys in Grand View and celebrate Kasie's graduation. The kids enjoyed touring the farm and playing.

Em has been making our lawn beautiful. Kids get to pull weeds to grow their character. Em got an electric lawn-mower and put together a weed-whacker from a box from Amazon. (good work honey). Meanwhile I feel helpful because I fixed several things in the house Memorial day including installing blinds in the guest room and family. They look great if I do say so myself.

And then yesterday we collaborated on making these 5 little box things people can drop their info into to "win 2 hours free therapy." I plan to drop them at daycare places. (daycare moms are likely targets for therapy for obvious reasons).

And then there's today - I thought I was called to be gospel doctrine teacher. But for 2 weeks I was deceived. I got all ready for the class, then was told as the class was about to start that they actually wanted me to teach the Gospel Principles class (much smaller and simpler!) - so I shot from the hip and was relieved to have a tiny little audience.

Nathan and Matthew show up periodically and want me to add books to their Good Reads lists. "Where the Red Fern Grows" has been our local family travel book. Nathan's tackling Rick Riordan's "The Lightning Thief" and has made substantial progress. Matthew most recently added "Berenstain Bears' Class Trip" - but then his mother vetoed it on grounds that no one witnessed him actually reading it. So it will be added pending his reading it before a credible witness. Hayley reads everything in the junior reading universe. Emily's trying to catch up with some of the books Hayley's reading. And I'm enjoying Truman by David McCullough and the marvelous comedic writing of Pat McManus and various other lesser books.

I had a birthday. I got a tool box. Cheesecake was enjoyed in the evening. And all the next day. The memory is still enjoyed.

Nathan and Hayley

Matthew

Book of Mormon Challenge

2010...so far

2010 Journal

01 Jan 10, Friday

The new year began with fireworks and pots and pans and a trumpet with our wonderful neighbors, the Jessons. A couple of the kids were brave enough to wield sparklers. We had watched the first two “Home Alone” movies and I don’t know when I have seen Nathan laugh so much! We arose late (around 8 am) and proceeded to make breakfast. I had quietly dubbed 2010 (in my own mind) to be “the year of the dish” in which I mentally committed to remove the dishwashing task from my wife upon every opportunity. The trouble is that she’s so clean and thorough and possesses such a low tolerance for clutter that I arose that morning to find very few dishes to conquer. May all of my resolutions be so simple! For the children, Emily and I both agreed that 2010 will be “The Year of Obedience” for our children. I was more conscientious about having a family prayer before I loafed into work at about noon. I checked in with a few students and their families. I found my clinical director stressing out in her office over sending out what might be the wrong driving directions for people to attend the memorial service to be held tomorrow for our friend’s daughter who passed away suddenly at four months old. I called and reached Tekulve and he assured us there was a stake center at the coordinates where Google showed an open field and Jennifer calmed down when he texted us updated directions and she went home. I had a couple more students to talk with. I was mid-sentence explaining why a family session had not occurred when the room suddenly pitched about 45 degrees and I found myself upon the floor. Staff in the investment area who had seen me go down asked if I was okay. “No, the room is still spinning.” A few minutes later they were able to help me into a chair and called the nurse to come take my blood pressure. Nothing unusual was found and I called Emily to please bring the children in the van and pick me up at work just in case. I don’t know why I fell down suddenly and I hope it does not become a reoccurring problem. Students and staff were asking what I did for a New Year’s party. Not long after we got home, Tom, Sherri & Steven Tyler arrived to lead our family to see some Christmas lights. On some Orem hillside, we parked and watched quite a lightshow synchronized to music on the radio. The children ooh-ed and awe-ed and we left a small donation in the box as we left. Back at our house, our small family party doubled when joined by most of the members of the Johnson family, Emily’s cousins, and we had food and hot chocolate brought by Cheri, et al. The Johnson girls lead us in a few games including questions (where no one was allowed to make a statement) and a large circle of Uno. They also entertained with piano and voice with several numbers from Phantom of the Opera.

02 Jan 10, Saturday

Made charts for the kids such as the following:

Matthew’s Happy Morning

1) Wake up

2) Pray

3) Dress

4) Scriptures

5) Breakfast

6) Play

7) REWARD!

The list is on the refrigerator with a magnet he moves like a board game piece. A piece of candy was attached to number 7. Matthew understood immediately what he was to do and ran to his room to say a prayer and asked for help getting dressed. Hayley and Nathan had to have similar lists. Printed out Scripture tracking sheet for Hayley. Attended the memorial service & luncheon for the Martial-Vann family at noon. On the way, Matthew pretended, as usual, to be racing with other cars on the freeway. We explained to Matthew that when people die, their bodies stay on the earth and their spirits return to be with God. He seemed to accept that. He also played an imaginary game about what special features (wings, jets, invisibility) our car would sprout if he pushed certain buttons. . Watched the kids while Emily did some errands and attended a wedding reception. Kids fell asleep “camping” in the living room listening to the 2^nd Tennis Shoes among the Nephites book.

03 Jan 10, Sunday

Our smallest child is now in Primary. Matthew sat in the front row of the primary room with his new teacher and appeared to be a little apprehensive – but he enjoyed himself and came home wearing a little sun (for Sun Beams) on a string around his neck, explaining to us how the sun helps him be quiet. He likes his teacher and some of his classmates moved up with him from Nursery. Nathan came home with a CTR ring and a little CTR box – very excited about his new class. Hayley told us that she thinks she memorized the Plan of Salvation.

04 Jan 10, Monday

Found the Orem Fitness Center after work and lifted weights with two coworkers. While it was good to get started making progress, it was also obvious that I had not been lifting weights for about eight years. My arms would give out rather suddenly and I had to move to successively smaller weight sets. Emily told me that the magic of Matthew’s sun beam he got yesterday had ceased to work today.

05 Jan 10, Tuesday

Emily introduced her master plan for obedience with children – stickers. The plan is that when they have amassed a pre-determined number of stickers, the family goes out for ice cream. Simple yet effective (if us adults remember to administer consistently).

06 Jan 10, Wednesday

Emily had tutoring in the afternoon. She has been tutoring the daughter of a couple in our ward in math twice a week. She has also been teaching piano to two students once a week.

07 Jan 10, Thursday

Was supposed to go to the gym for weight lifting but ended up missing the other two therapists I lift with and, with no spotters, went to the lower-level of the gym and did a cardiovascular workout by running a few laps around the track before going home.

08 Jan 10, Friday

Worked a fairly long day and came home to help get the family ready to travel to Sun Valley for the weekend.

09 Jan 10, Saturday

Drove to Sun Valley from about 7am to about noon with clear roads, no delays, or car problems. Visited with extended family for the remainder of the day – eating, talking, and shepherding a large and rowdy flock of kid cousins who had not seen each other since the week before Thanksgiving.

10 Jan 10, Sunday

Mom and Verl spoke in Sacrament meeting in Sun Valley, Idaho. They talked about being called as missionaries to serve in New York and shared their testimonies. I jotted down each talk and hopefully can transfer those notes here. Mary Jo and AJ missed the trip. Christa, Casey, and I brought our whole families. Tyler came with his 3 kids but without Sara who was sick at home. Grandma and Grandpa Stahn, Uncle Dan and Aunt Tana, Uncle Bob and his two youngest boys, and Aunt Evelyn were there as well as several of Verl’s children with their families.

11 Jan 10, Monday

Went on the first snowboarding trip of the year. Was pleased to report to my kids at Family Home Evening that I had not forgotten the few skills I had learned the previous year. For FHE, Each family member gave reports from the hearth/stage about their new church classes in 2009, teachers, lessons, and one wonderful thing about themselves. Matthew talked about being a Sunbeam, Nathan explained about Choosing the Right, and Hayley outlined the Plan of Salvation from memory. Emily told us about the changes in the Relief Society meetings and a lesson from Sunday School about Heavenly Father (ala the Book of Moses). I shared how elders become high priests and why I am not one yet. I also told them about a lesson reviewing the talk from the most recent General Priesthood Meeting about building relationships with our fathers & sons. After each person’s presentation, members of the audience were able to ask the speaker questions which added to the fun.

12 Jan 10, Tuesday

Emily went to a dance exercise class (called “Zoomba” which name the kids enjoy) at the Orem Recreation Center and I took the kids to a restaurant to redeem their rewards for obedience. Emily has been giving them stickers for each time they are obedient with the agreement that they get to go out for ice cream when they reach a certain number. The four of us each had root beer floats. Matthew was a bit messy going back and forth between spooning out ice cream and stirring it with his straw. All had fun.

13 Jan 10, Wednesday

Have been listening to Jesus the Christ when I drive to and from work. Have also been listening to Mere Christianity again. I have been working on getting paperwork done at work, but really have not been in the office that much. I need to get things tied up there – it feels like I am in paperwork debt with interest compounding. Emily went to a home school meeting tonight. Nathan, Hayley, and Matthew have played with me much of the evening. I enjoy playing with them, laughing, and having fun. Right now Nathan and Matthew have fallen asleep and Hayley is listening to “A Child’s Prayer” from the Children’s Songbook and the Radio.LDS.org program “Scripture Stories” – tonight we were listening to the conflict between Sherem and Jacob. Prior to that, we read scriptures from Heleman 13 & 14 and talking about the signs of Jesus’ birth and of his death as well as the need for each of us to repent and rely upon Jesus to become clean and return to be with God.

14 Jan 10, Thursday

Back to the gym and boy are my arms wobbly! It’s amazing – plenty of power and going strong and then, suddenly – Kaput! and then I’ve got a bar coming down and my spotter has to save me. Not sure why my arms give out so completely so quickly. Came home from the gym and helped get the kids to bed.

15 Jan 10, Friday

Arrived at work prior to DBT skills group meeting at 9am and spent a day full of therapy, coming home after 7:30. Emily says Friday was “a good example of what happens when we have low-structure” at our house. In other words, the children were quite naughty. I got to hear the details when I got home.

16 Jan 10, Saturday

Emily went to “Zoomba” class again. She hasn’t shown me the dance she does in that class yet. I got to teach Hayley and Nathan the nuances of “Old Maid” while she was gone. We also squeezed in a few minutes of “Mario Brothers X” fan-game which the children really enjoy because we can plug in a second keyboard and have both Mario and Luigi playing at the same time. I think the kids particularly enjoy the games because of the variety challenges, tools, and puzzles. When Emily returned, I went to work on my computer emailing files and paperwork information. At about 4:30 pm, I went to the campus, cleaned my office, printed signed and filed paperwork, and did a couple of therapy sessions that got rescheduled during the week. Came home and had another late-night chat with Emily about school curriculum/schedules, budgeting, and child obedience/parenting.

17 Jan 10, Sunday

Our family was up and out early that we might stand in holy places at the naming and blessing of Blake Nelson, son of Stephen Lee Nelson & Christa Lee Ridley Nelson. I stood in the circle with Steve, Verl, Steve’s father, and others I don’t know. Blake was calm and was looking up at his father with much interest as he was blessed to be “good in sports,” “serve a mission,” & “marry in the temple.” Then we said goodbye to my parents who will be entering the MTC tomorrow and the rest of the gathering and departed the meeting between sacrament and the first talk so that we could arrive on time for the Windsor 2^nd Ward Conference. I had to bring Matthew home between sessions to change his pants which he somehow managed to wet. Then he wouldn’t let me leave him in Primary – so I made the deal that I would watched him and Nathan from the side of the classroom if Matthew would at least take his seat with his class and stop making a scene. This Matthew promptly did. After Priesthood meeting, I needed a nap – I don’t know why Priesthood meetings – which I very much enjoy – leave me feeling so tired. Maybe it’s the Spirit? J Emily outlined with the children a very elaborate home school plan she has been working on and they each chose activities they would be able to work on during “structured play” or “play stations” time. We also watched a couple “Animated Hero Classics” videos along with a “Adventures from the Book of Virtues” on BYU TV before reading 3 Nephi 1 together. Right now, Emily is looking online to see if YouTube has useful episodes of the 1980’s Mousercise videos for a sort of PE class for the kids until the weather warms up.

Family Home Evening - as conducted by Matthew

I had an appointment today after work to have a lipoma removed from my left forearm. Pretty minor surgery. Five stitches. It doesn't even hurt (yet).

Matthew "conducted" Family Home Evening tonight. He stood on the brick fireplace ("the stage") and told us the order of events from the agenda. "And now we will have the lesson! The lesson is: roll a ball and say a letter. Then name a car with that letter." Emily redirected that one by asking, "And how would that help us get to heaven?" So he chose a different activity. He announced that first Hayley and then Nathan were to recite poems, which they both did very well. Matthew directed that we all "Sit in a circle and talk about nice things." Emily was assigned to "say two nice things - about flowers." I was given the assignment to "say nice things about 'how conductors do family home evening'." Nathan was asked to talk "about sitting in a circle talking about nice things" which Nathan politely declined to comment on. As an item of Business in our little circle, Emily reminded the children of the pattern of later and later school assignment completion and admonished them to begin in on their lessons promptly after breakfast so school could be done tomorrow by 1 pm instead of 6pm (when Nathan finally finished his math today). Prayer and song were followed by ice cream, Family Scripture Time (we're in Alma 51 dealing with the King Men), reading time (any book quiet time until 9:30) and sleep.

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young love

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Matthew scored a pizza and 'fishies!

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Hayley downs a tall stack of pancakes with jell-o and hot chocolate for reading at least 250 pages per week.