In Which We Cook Outdoors, With Mixed Results

Having conquered the badlands of our front room, we decided to try camping in a wilder, more remote location: my parents' backyard.

Here are the menfolk setting up the tents.

Daniel applauds Daddy's tent setup skills.

In the evening we made foil dinners and cooked them over our campfire (inside an old washing machine drum; don't ask where Dad got that--I don't know). Alas, we cooked them a bit too long and they got overdone (read: charred).

Fortunately, the Dutch oven cobbler turned out fabulous, so we didn't starve.

And of course, what hardcore wilderness experience is complete without crafts and a Crazy Hat Luncheon the next day?

The Big Family Temple Trip

A few months ago, I started feeling curious about my family history. I asked my parents for any info they had, then made an appointment with my ward's family history consultant to help me navigate the Church's new family history website and fill in my pedigree chart as much as we could. My dad's ancestors were all pioneers so there wasn't much to do on that front, but my mom's mother was a convert and I figured there might be some work left to do on her line.

The timing of this effort was fortuitous. It happened right around Sean's baptism, and when the missionaries taught him about temple work my family agreed we wanted to go do temple baptisms together. Knowing that I had taken a recent interest in family history, Dad commissioned me to find out whether any of our ancestors still needed temple work done.

The ward consultant and I set to work. We found that only a handful of Grandma G's ancestors that were in the Church's family history database, and most hadn't had their temple work done. We also discovered in Mom's files a booklet compiled by a Catholic cousin listing the descendants and dozens of the ancestors of Grandma's paternal grandparents. None of those ancestors were in the Church's files; they were all just waiting for someone to open the book, find their names, and take them to the temple. What's more, when we were searching for one of their birthplaces on the internet, we found someone else's pedigree which verified much of what we had and added many more family members we didn't know about before. In the end, we were able to take the names of over 70 of my ancestors to the temple for vicarious baptisms.

Until this year, I'd never done temple work for a member of my own family, let alone someone I myself had researched. It was sweet to hear baptisms performed for people whose names have become familiar to me--Elizabeth, Jacob, and Anton, to name a few. This has been a special day for me, and I hope it was a joyous one for them, too.

Ducks, Peacocks, and Really Big Fish

The LA Arboretum offers free admission the third Tuesday of each month, so we decided to meet some friends there to go for a stroll and feed the ducks.

Our bread crumb buffet attracted all sorts of creatures--ducks, geese, turtles, and enormous fish. I tried to get a good shot of the feeding frenzy, but all I managed to capture on film was a duck and some post-fish ripples (oh yeah--and some cute kids).

No matter how many times we go to the Arboretum, I never stop feeling a little enchanted by the peacocks that roam the grounds. They're such an exotic treat--like unwrapping a roll of quarters and finding a pirate doubloon in the stack.

Do you like how Daniel's trying to psyche the bird out? "No touchee, bird. Noooooo touchee."

The Great Indoors

We were blessed with a big tax return this year, and we felt we should use it to get our family a little more prepared for emergencies.

One of the main items on our list was shelter, so we headed to REI and invested in a big tent. That very night, we set it up in the vast, uncharted wilderness known as . . .

. . . our front room (note the giant pink lizard in the foreground--it's a jungle in there).

Here's hoping our tent gets lots of use on campouts and none in emergencies. :)

Snipping and Tossing

These days Joy's favorite activity (aside from wearing her sunglasses) is cutting paper with the little craft scissors she received in her Easter basket.

Daniel's favorite pastime is pulling the board books off their shelf. He likes hearing us read them, as well, but nothing quite compares with the thrill of hurling them all to the floor.

His second favorite activity is collecting goose eggs on his forehead. This crawling and walking business isn't easy, but to his credit he keeps trying.

Simple Garden Pleasures

After looking rather scraggly and forlorn all winter . . .

. . . our sage plant is putting out lots of new leaves and some pretty purple flowers. They make me smile every time I walk past.

This evening Joy asked us to harvest a carrot so she could have a snack. There is a certain satisfaction in watching your child eat something you have grown.

The Prophet and the Choir

It's Conference time again, folks!

Joy likes seeing the Prophet.

Um--hey, Joy. Quit texting during Conference.

Actually, Joy's favorite part is watching the Mormon Tabernacle Choir perform. Here she is demonstrating how the director leads the music.

You gotta admit--the music was really great. So was Sister Beck's talk.