Tales from Happy Land: October Part 1

Hey, Hyrum!

How are you? I've been itching to hear about your new companion! How are things going?

It was a busy week for us.

There are pictures from Tuesday - Timmy in the Mario hat he made and Benji playing games at his computer. 😅

On Wednesday we made bows and arrows with sticks from the yard and rubber bands - lots of rubber bands!

Also on Wednesday Michael had an orchestra concert.

On Thursday we talked about Ancient Greece. The Spartans conquered Athens, so we made paper Spartan helmets.

Papa had us out the garden back together and add topsoil and manure and mushroom compost. Then he made it all nice for our class to plant things. We water it every day at the beginning of school. So far all we have is some squash. I'm not sure if anything else will come up, but we'll see, and we can try again in the spring.

On Friday Papa stayed home from work and we did some good preparation since Saturday would be taken up by Conference.

And then we had conference. We had sausage and eggs on English muffins, fruit salad, Cowboy casserole, chocolate muffins, chips and salsa, and chicken and dumplings. I bet you could make chicken and dumplings! We put on a pot of water and added chicken, carrots, onion, garlic, broccoli, bouillon, and globs of biscuit dough.

Conference was so much to take in! I feel like I need the written version to study immediately!! It was so good. And President Nelson says next year will be a special year since it will have been 200 years since the First Vision. He says Conference in April will be different from any other Conference so far, and we should do some good preparation for it.

Also, in the Women's Broadcast they told us the names of the Young Women's classes (Beehive, Mia Maids, and Laurel) will be retired, and each ward can organize their classes how their needs will best be met. So if there are only a few young women they can have just one class. Or if they have lots of 12 year olds and just a few of the other ages they can have 2 classes. Or if they need to they can even have a class for each age. Fancy!

I'd better go for now. It's getting late, but I will send more pictures. :)

I think we will help you get a phone, but I don't know when/how. Grandma and Grandpa Badger told me they put money in your missionary fund, but they said they're willing to help however we need it. Anyway, it's all bopping around in my head along with school considerations and how to take care of everyone. We'll figure it out.

Love you so much!! Be safe, my boy! Long distance hugs!!!

Love,

Mommy

PS That's Benji's Play-Doh thumb.

Michael spray painted his cactus costume.

Timmy made a Mario hat and colored on a mustache to go with it.

Benji playing computer

One day the thing we picked out of the jar was to make bows and arrows. We have lots of sticks, and the school gave us lots of rubber bands, so we put them to good use. It was fun. :)

I never noticed until this moment, but he smiles just like his dad!!

Something sprouted! Unfortunately, our garden was doomed. The birds ate it all before it could grow food.

Spartan helmet

Henry borrowed my Chromebook one day and changed the background without my knowledge. It's perfect!

Jeremy was working on something and needed kiddos to go somewhere else, so I took them to the park.

General Conference Play-Doh!

Benji had another bit of Play-Doh for the other side of his mustache, but it fell off before I could take a picture.

Third eye

Traditional General Conference fruit salad

Jill and me at the Women's Broadcast

I think Jeremy made this mouse.

Our Chromebook setup. I got one of those file folder holders, and it works perfectly. This is on a desk in the garage. I have the cords sorted more nicely now and not as tangled. I just needed a bit to figure out a good way to do it.

We tried to send this mail Pouch, but it and another got returned. The directions on it say for pouch mail you can only send a single sheet of paper folded in thirds and taped shut, with the address written on in, no envelope. But I don't think USPS will mail anything without an envelope anymore. This has actually been a big frustration for this mission. Everyone who has mail returned or calls to ask about it gets different instructions. Nobody seems to really know. Pouch mail to this mission should work, but most of it gets returned, and nobody knows why.

Remember how I gave my students bags for nature study sometimes? This is what Emily brought back one day. :( She made a couple big messes with her stuff before I told her she could only bring back one thing in her bag.

We did lots of fun Halloween projects in October. :)

Dancing

Dear Hyrum,

Man, it was fun talking to you today. I don't feel like I learned anything new, but it felt like you were just there at the table with all of us, and it was just so nice! ❤️

Today was Grandma Badger's birthday! And they have less than a month left and are getting their papers ready again, this time with passports in hand! I told them they should request your mission. ;) I don't know if that would be allowed, but it could be so cool. 😅

On Thursday Papa and I went to the Temple. We were too late for the session we wanted, so we ran home and grabbed some names we had that needed sealings. There was a new Temple worker couple who happened to be there. It was their fourth week, and so they were just helping wherever they were needed. They helped us do some sons and a daughter sealing. Also, I got to act as a witness for the first time. It's so neat! It changes my perspective, sitting in that chair and needing to pay better attention. It's so great. Also, the sealer was our stake president when I was little, and his wife taught singing time and was Grandma's good friend. (Brother and Sister Biggs. I don't know if you met them.) Sister Biggs taught us to sing The Spirit of God in Primary. I was afraid of her back then, but she's like the nicest lady ever, and I don't know why I was. But anyway, the couple who came and helped I actually recognized as a couple I see in the gym most mornings. I am by no means a chatterbox at the gym. Mostly I just smile and get to business. But this lady would insist on at least exchanging a few words with most people, always smiling. I love it. So now I know she's Sister Lucero. She's a cool lady. It seems like every time we end up doing sealings there are little "coincidences" like these. It's like we were supposed to be there. Anyway, it had been a while since we'd gone. Life gets in the way so easily. But maybe if we try for Thursday evenings every other week we can do it.

On Friday it was Fair Day, and Benji marched in the parade. I got sunburned. I took the four little ones to watch, and they for bored. Too many trucks and Apache princesses and gold carts and not enough candy. 😅 Still, we all had fun, and after the parade the 4 local bands performed together on the steps of the courthouse. Yea, band!

And there's a picture of two little boys doing what two little boys should on q Saturday morning. ;)

I think I'd better get to bed. Love you so much!

Love, Mommy