Coach Bob
My favorite father-in-law had his own segment on local TV today. Brent posted the video on his blog here.
Add comment August 27th, 2008
He volunteered
Rees gave his first talk today in Primary, on the subject of baptism. The way it is set up in our Primary right now, children are never assigned a talk, scripture, etc unless they specifically volunteer. I’m not sure why - I clearly remember being assigned stuff when I was growing up, regardless of my desire to do it. Anyway, he volunteered, and he did a great job. Bryan helped him write the talk, which was loosely based on a talk Bryan gave at his nephew’s baptism. Rees read it almost entirely by himself. I helped with a few words he struggled with, which must have been nerves because he practiced beforehand. The talk had three parts:
(while holding a picture of Jesus being baptized) “One of the great commandments is to be baptized. Even though Jesus was perfect, he was baptized because he wanted to do everything our Heavenly Father commands.”
(while holding a picture of a boy being baptized in a modern-day font) “When we are baptized, we promise to follow Heavenly Father and keep his commandments. We also promise to stand as a witness of God so that when people see us, they will be reminded of God. After you are baptized, you will be a representative of our Heavenly Father. After being baptized, we start a new life. Baptism is a symbol of rebirth - we go down under the water and leave our old life there. When we come up out of the water, we are reborn.”
(while holding a picture of Jesus raising the dead) “After Jesus was baptized, he began to do all the wonderful things that he did. It marked the beginning of his mission. It should be the same for us - we should be an example to all our friends, neighbors, and those we come in contact with, just as Jesus did. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.”
He didn’t seem very nervous and he got a lot of compliments, which made him happy. And Grandpa B made a special trip to watch, too.
We went to my parents’ house in the evening for dinner with everyone (including Great-Grandma Hansen), since Kathi and kids are in town. We ate ham, my twice-baked potatoes, salad, veggies, etc. The kids had so much fun playing. Michael also took a family portrait in the middle of the vegetable garden. Later, when Rees found out that Thomas would be staying with Grandma and Grandpa H tonight, he immediately asked my mom if he could stay over too. Their plan is to sleep outside in a “tent” Bryan made them out of chairs and a tarp. It will be interesting to see how that goes.
1 comment August 10th, 2008
BET-TY!
Today I made myself a new skirt, based on a pattern for a tiered one in this book my mom gave me. I changed it a little - I did three tiers (the example had five), used one fabric (the example used five), and I stitched the ruffles on inside-out, leaving raw edges on the outside. I also added a muslin lining - I like more fabric between me and the world (it must come from being such a jeans girl). It turned out really well, I am happy about it.
Bryan hooked up the TV antenna today to his new TV. He is excited to have everything finally hooked up (he also bought this and he got this for Christmas last year). Now we need to install a mantle shelf and try to clean up the cables and stuff a bit.
We went out with Jeff & Cashell to see The Incredible Hulk tonight. It was okay. I thought that they skipped over all of the interesting stuff (in a flashback at the beginning) and then dwelled on a simple chase story for two hours. I liked the actors, but couldn’t really get emotionally involved in two CGI hulks fighting each other. I liked Iron Man better. And of course, nothing touches Batman Begins. Can’t wait for The Dark Knight (we’ll be there on opening night).
After the movie we went to one of our favorite restaurants, Sampan, in Sugarhouse. Mmmmm. Bob babysat for us while we were out, and the kids had fun playing with him. What a guy. We got him a vanilla frosty, Coke, and chicken nuggets as payment.
1 comment July 5th, 2008
Oooooh! Ahhhhhh!
We spent the evening tonight with Bob at the Eaglewood Golf Course by their house in NSL. Bob staked out a spot early and we showed up a few hours later. He also saved us a parking spot and brought snacks for us. We ate, played around, relaxed, and listened to the assorted cover bands that were playing. The boys liked the parachutes and just running around.
When the fireworks were about to start, Rees started to get nervous, saying that he wanted to go home. He said he didn’t like fireworks and he was afraid they would be too loud. But once they started, he was excited. Both boys loved the fireworks and were doing lots of “oooohs” and “ahhhhs”.
Thanks to Bob for hanging out with us and being such a nice host. Fun times.
Add comment July 3rd, 2008
Delta
We got started later than we planned (shocking!) and thus did not arrive in Colorado until late afternoon. The kids were great during the drive.
The hospital in Delta is small, but very nice - it looks pretty new. We were the first family members to arrive, but Grandma had plenty of company. Her many friends had been keeping a constant watch over her since her arrival at the hospital. She was groggy and unable to move her right side. It was very sad to see her like that. When Bryan’s parents and aunt arrived, the kids were getting a little rambunctious for the ICU, so I took them out for dinner and to a park in Delta to play.
Afterward we picked up Bryan and went to the ranch. Bob stayed at the hospital with Grandma K and sent Maryanne and Anadeane to the ranch with us to get some sleep. Bryan’s cousin Ben also arrived with his little boy William. The mood is definitely somber. Being at the ranch without Grandma just doesn’t make sense.
Add comment June 28th, 2008
Slip-sliding
It’s been a cousin extravaganza around here lately. Today the boys went to Grandma & Grandpa B’s to play on the slip & slide (again) with Amanda, Tyler, and Brielle, and Berkeley. They enjoyed watermelon and played with some neighbor kids before having lunch and playing more inside.
Add comment June 26th, 2008
The golden egg
Today is Easter Sunday. We had our Easter lessons in Primary, and the boys enjoyed playing with their bunny ears and wore new Easter clothes. We didn’t do any kind of Easter baskets or gifts for them, since Bryan’s parents have an egg hunt planned for later today. I don’t really want to overload the kids with secular junk on this holiday. That makes me sound kind of like a religious freak, which I’m not. I just get annoyed when the commercial industry tries to take over religious celebrations and convince people that they need to buy a bunch of junk for yet another holiday. Cynical, no?
After church, we went to the Berretts for their famous Easter egg hunt. The kids are each assigned a color and size of egg (they each get four), and the eggs are hidden with appropriate difficulty for each child’s age. There are lots of boulders with great nooks and crannies for hiding eggs, so it can be tough. Bob also hides one egg for each daughter-in-law, and he goes all-out. One year, he was so clever that he forgot where he hid Shantell’s egg, and nobody else could find it either. It remained hidden for years.
My egg this year was metallic gold, and was the last to be found. After much searching by all, it was finally located by Brent in the water fountain near the front door. The egg was first placed in a zipper-seal sandwich bag. This bag was then placed in a gallon-size zipper-seal bag with a large rock (to hold it underwater), which was placed in the fountain and covered with a decorative frog statue from the garden. Classic Bob.
The kids had so much fun with the hunt, and eating all the candy afterward. It’s a really fun tradition.
Add comment March 23rd, 2008
Totaled
The insurance company took their time, but the Subaru has finally been totaled. Luckily, we broke even on the whole situation. And, the wrecking company agreed to let us remove the custom wheels from the car (apparently they were not figured into the value). Bryan and Bob spent the afternoon at the wrecking yard getting the wheels, which we’ll be able to sell for a significant amount.
We’ll miss the car - we’ve really enjoyed it and would buy another just like it in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, they’re not too common, so it’s time to choose something new.
Add comment March 15th, 2008