Learning Co-op Activity

We had a great time together Friday.  We met at the park and painting wall art on canvas, using masking tape to make designs.  The pond was a pretty backdrop and it was fun to see the ducks.  We also played soccer, a water balloon game, and had treats.  A big thanks to Laura for being in charge and doing such a great job!

Putting up a metal Quonset building

This week for a family work project, we put up a Quonset shed.  The kids and Kim and I put the 7 pieces together that form each new section. Twenty sections,  each one took 60 bolts.  I am guessing that for the whole building, we put in 1200 bolts and nuts.  Ouch!  Hard on the fingers;)

 We were so glad for the help from our out-of-town cousins, that made the job go soooo much faster!

 Nathan took some shots from up high with his phone.  The kids were really great helpers, especially the older they are.  It was fun to watch the piles of sections get smaller and smaller, and then GONE!!!Yes!  My back was so happy when we finished:)

The first day we were trying to do it with a forklift and loader.  It worked much better the second day when the genie was here.

 Gotta love the genie!  Gets you right where you need to be and is a great help.

 Nathan and Jane were in the genie putting in the bolts that held the sections together once they were up.  They couldn't stand on the building, so they got in some pretty strangely contorted positions at times.

What happens after we die?

This is a great little video expaining what happens after we die-very touching.

What happens after we die?

Saving Your Life....Losing Your Life

Elder Christofferson  gave a wonderful talk Sunday on the Savior's admonition found in Matthew 16:25-27:

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

He talked about making our discipleship public and not being ashamed, so that the Savior will  not be ashamed of us.
Also, when we concern ourselves more with other, we spend less time thinking of ourselves.  The more we serve others, the more substantive we become, the more of us there is to find:)  I like that.  He talked about people who were heroic during the Teton Dam flooding, and they were the same people who were heroic in the small things before the big thing happened.  Little things matter.  I really enjoyed and appreciated his words.  You can watch the whole talk here:

https://www.lds.org/broadcasts/watch/ces-devotionals/2014/01?lang=eng&vid=3784612887001

I also like the Bible video clip that goes along with it:

https://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/whosoever-will-lose-his-life-for-my-sake-shall-find-it?lang=eng

Stuccoing

Besides school, what have we been doing?  Playing in the mud, of course!  As a family (or at least most of the family), we helped stucco out brother-in-law's house last week, and then this week we stuccoed the little house we've been fixing up here in Fallon.  That one went much faster-it only took about maybe 10? hours?  It goes pretty fast when lots of people are helping.  The younger kids fill the hods with mud and the older ones spread it on.  It is a fun but exhausting family project.

Brent is our "mud" mixer.

This house is looking tiny compared to the last one:)  I am loving those clouds in the sky.