Bald Guy Blogging

Cars, Glass, and Science

2011-01-23T20:25:00.000-08:00

Saturday was rather busy. The day started off with the annual Cub Scout Pinewood Derby.

Mitchell's car was not the fastest, but it was the most appetizing. Notice the bite marks he chiseled out of the sides.

After the Pinewood Derby we spent some time blowing glass. Sarah found a deal at the Sonoran Glass Art Academy and thought it would be fun to take the kids. She was right on, as usual. We all had a blast "gathering" molten glass, adding our chosen colors, making a design, and blowing an ornament.

Lizzy did a great job blowing her ornament.

It takes a lot of lung power to get the bubble started.

Here is Lizzy turning her glass in the furnace to keep it hot.

She loved the cool safety glasses she got to wear.

Mitchell's ornament will end up Blue and Green. The glass is so hot is looks red and orange.

Mitchell was excited to jump right in and give it a try.

Maddie was a little apprehensive at first, but did a great job.

This is my ornament. I am pretty proud.

This is Sarah's ornament while she is blowing.

We also worked on Madeline's Science Project for school.

It involved different kinds of candy and how they react with Diet Coke.

Sarah got some pretty cool pictures of the resulting geysers.

Noah was pretty excited with the fountains of Diet Coke.

Not sure if he can be any cuter.

Christmas Break Project

2011-01-02T21:13:00.000-08:00

Madeline has been helping me with my Christmas Break Project...

Refinish the dining room table.

Putting on the last coat tomorrow morning.

Latest Addition

2010-09-12T09:06:00.000-07:00

This Coach Whip Snake is the latest addition to the Bisel Family Desert Museum. We saw it slithering across the grass this morning while we were eating french toast. It wasn't easy to catch as these are very quick creatures.

Another Desert Creature

2010-08-09T19:47:00.000-07:00

We caught this horned lizard on our walk around the neighborhood.

Family Reunions and Monsoon Creatures

2010-08-08T20:36:00.000-07:00

Sarah and the kids spent 3 weeks in Utah this summer and I joined them for the last week. Utah is gorgeous this time of year and we took the opportunity to snap a few shots of the kids.

We spent one morning hiking to Cecret Lake at the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon. Named Cecret Lake by the miners who discovered it and who weren't all that hot at spelling.

Nothing says "Summer" like ice cream!

We had Sarah's family reunion the great little town of Eden, Utah. And we even managed to round everyone up for a photo.

Monsoon season in Tucson brings out the wildlife.

Everything that has been sleeping until the rain comes decides to make it's presence known.

We found this little guy in our backyard. The kids wanted to keep him and take him to school.

We decided their teachers may not appreciate him.

This Arizona Blond Tarantula scared the daylights out of me when I picked up the garbage can and noticed my hand was 2 inches away from him. Tarantulas are nocturnal so I am sure I scared him just as much as he scared me. After I regained my composure I managed to snap a couple pictures, however, this picture was taken by talented neighbor Summer.

300 Win Mag

2010-06-20T17:55:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of my father in Law, I am the owner of Remington 770 300 Win Mag. Last night I took it out shooting with some friends. I discovered I am not man enough for this rifle. Besides almost getting knocked on my backside, I have a severely bruised shoulder... I only shot it 6 times.

Sarah on TV

2010-06-14T14:17:00.000-07:00

Check out Sarah on Tucson's Morning show "The Morning Blend" talking about her new book. She did Awesome!!!

http://www.tucsonmorningblend.com/videos/96177159.html

Catching up and Catching Snakes

2010-05-23T21:20:00.001-07:00

Time for another mass update on my blog. I really should do this a little at a time, but for some reason it just stacks up.

How do you know when summer officially arrives in Tucson?

You find one of these in your back yard. Actually Sarah found 2 snakes in the back yard, but there was only one left when I got home. We managed to catch this gopher snake and play with him for a while before letting him go in the desert.

The day I have been waiting for... Mitchell is old enough to mow the lawn.

Madeline played Sacajawea in her school musical. She did a great job.

Noah is such a fun kid.

Sarah's book is releasing on Tuesday, and the publisher sent her flowers and an early release copy.

We found this fountain at the Mall and I diverted the water while the kids crawled inside. They didn't get too wet.

Mitchell's new favorite game is Killer Bunnies. He has been saving his allowance so he can buy all the booster packs.

Published Bisel

2010-03-07T21:14:00.000-08:00

My amazing wife is a published author!!!!

After months of hard work her quilting book is available for pre-sale on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com

I am so proud of her!! Just one of the many reasons why I am amazed that this incredible woman married me.

Great Job Honey!!!!

Our Littlest Man

2010-03-07T21:11:00.000-08:00

Have you ever seen such a handsome baby?

Noah is figuring out how to control his hands and put things in his mouth.

His latest discovery... Graham Crackers!!

My Little Girl

2010-03-07T21:07:00.000-08:00

What happened to my little girl?

She got braces this week. Is she old enough for this?

Seeing my kids growing up scares me a bit!

Game Night

2010-03-07T20:54:00.000-08:00

The other night the kids asked us why only the adults get to have a game night. We didn't really have a good answer, and the kids didn't have school on the following Thursday or Friday, so Thursday night became the first Bisel Family Kid's Game Night.

Each of the 3 kids invited 3 friends to the 3 hour event.

After mayhem and wrestling in the yard for about 45 minutes the kids all broke up into their various activities.

Mitchell and his friends played on the Wii and Bakugon.

Maddie and her friends played Life.

Lizzy and her friends played with dolls and building blocks.

Mitchell learned the hard way to avoid your opponents front kick.

Bella the Great

2010-02-21T17:01:00.000-08:00

Today's economic environment has made it very difficult for many people to provide for their basic needs in life. Many wonderful people have found themselves in financial distress, not knowing where their next paycheck will come from. Some have chosen to just sit by and see what will happen. Others, however, have chosen to fight to improve their financial situation.

My best friend, Derek, and his wife, Gina, are part of the latter group. They have decided to use their creative juices to get on top of their finances. The result is a series of children's books they have written based on the adventures and experiences of their oldest daughter.

INTRODUCING!!!!!!

Please visit their website for information on how to order the first book in the series as well as other Bella the Great gear.

Sledding in Utah

2010-01-04T18:45:00.000-08:00

A couple videos of sledding over the Christmas break. The first is Mitchell by himself, then me and Mitchell, then me and Lizzy, then me and my niece, Jessie, with Lizzy on the tube.

Bisel Family Christmas

2010-01-03T20:50:00.001-08:00

Our Christmas vacation started in AZ (Warm and Comfy) but quickly moved to Salt Lake City Utah (Freezing Cold and not so Comfy). For those of you that didn't get a christmas card... see below for a family picture... it's was the best we could do.

Utah was... Cold! But the kids loved every minute of playing in the snow and sledding. Lizzy and Mitchell couldn't get enough and Madeline tolerated the sledding. Noah's cold coping method was to promptly fall asleep anytime we went outside.

I think he just didn't want to deal with it.

We talked Sarah into sledding with us a few times.

Noah grew a lot on this 3 week journey.

He has begun babbling more and smiling and laughing a lot.

Our kids look surprisingly awake on this Christmas morning photo considering they didn't go to sleep until 4:00 AM. They got up promptly at 6:30. Needless to say there were some melt downs later in the day... after the sugar high wore off.

Mitchell discovered if he pulled Noah around in this little

sleigh he would stop crying and fall deep asleep.

Sarah found any excuse she could to get out walking even when it was freezing. Behind her you can see the hill we would go sledding on.

We took a horse drawn carriage ride in downtown Salt Lake City to see the Christmas lights.

My hot snow bunny wife.

Lizzy got some new books from Santa and really enjoys when mom reads to her.

Sunday Morning Birth Control

2009-11-04T22:29:00.000-08:00

The Setting:

A lazy Sunday morning. Sarah and I are laying in bed contemplating whether to get up and start the Sabbath morning process. Lizzy, our cute five year old, enters the room and starts rummaging through my side table drawer. I roll over to see her holding up a string of condoms. The following conversation ensues.

Lizzy: What are these?

Me: Umm... Those are condoms.

Lizzy: What are they for?

Me: Umm... Well... We use those if we don't want mommy to get pregnant.

At this point Sarah has perked up to see how this conversation is going to end.

Lizzy: Do you put them on her tummy?

Me: No... Umm...

Lizzy: They're stretchy... I know... I opened one before and put it on my foot.

Lizzy then puts the condoms down and leaves the room. Just another Sunday at the Bisel home.

Dad Finds a way

2009-10-30T17:01:00.000-07:00

I decided to go the Ward Trunk or Treat as Charlie Brown. Sarah put the finishing touches on the back of my head.

Just because you have a fussy 8 week old doesn't mean you can't have fun on the Wii. Noah was a little cranky so I put him in the baby carrier and he fell fast asleep. I think he likes it when dad plays the Wii.

We carved our pumpkins a little early for the AZ sun. Now our pumpkins look scarier than ever.

Have to Laugh so I don't Cry

2009-09-12T11:03:00.000-07:00

56" JVC Flat Screen TV... $1700

Nintendo Wii Game System... $250

Playing Wii Sports with your kids and giving them a chance to watch their Dad throw the Wii remote into the TV...

Priceless!

I think I am going to be sick!!!!

Genesis 6:14

2009-09-07T14:38:00.000-07:00

My beautiful wife gave birth to our fourth child on Saturday night at 11:08 PM. Our new little one weighs in at 6 lb 11 oz and 19 inches long. Welcome home little man.

His brother and sisters love him so much he may be permanently scarred from all the fighting over who gets to hold him next.

Proud Papa Craig holding his newest grandchild.

Nana and Papa came to visit at the hospital

Snuggling into mom for a nap.

Big brother is excited to even things up in our house.

Big sister number one is going to make the perfect second mother.

And big sister number 2 squeals with excitement every time our new little one moves.

My Talented Wife

2009-09-04T16:47:00.000-07:00

My talented wife has a blog documenting all of her talents. The blog, of course, is not large enough for all of her talents, but she documents a small portion of them. Currently she has instructions on how to make this cute little diaper clutch (basically a purse for your diapers.) I assume she will be making me a murse version soon. She made an extra one and is giving it away. All you have to do is visit her blog and leave a comment telling her your favorite movie. Good Luck.

Milk and Honey Designs

No Fear!!

2009-09-01T20:06:00.000-07:00

The trick is not let the wild animal know you are scared. I think Mitchell has it down!

No Noah Yet!

2009-08-28T14:39:00.001-07:00

I would like to be blogging about the new addition to our family, that we thought would be arriving last night, but decided not to come. Sarah was up all night with contractions and thought for sure this was it. 11:00 = 10 minutes apart... midnight = 7 minutes apart... 1:00 AM = 5 minutes apart... 2:00 AM = 4 minutes apart... 3:00 AM = no more contractions... WHAT!!!

So instead here are some other events that have happened lately. Lizzy was so excited to lose her first tooth. It was quite loose and the new tooth was quickly growing in behind so she came to me ask me to pull her tooth out with my leatherman. She has seen me perform this feat with her two older siblings so she knew I was competent. I grab on to the tooth with the promise that I will not pull it until they tell me it is OK. Then when they give the slightest indication that it is OK, the tooth is gone. Each time I do it they don't even realize the tooth is gone until they stick their tongue in the empty space. This time was no different. She didn't stop dancing around with excitement for about 20 minutes. I am surprised we got her into bed that night.

Every morning about 9:00 our backyard is covered with these little lizards. This one stuck around long enough for me to snap a shot. One of favorite activities is catching these little guys. Although the bigger ones are much easier to catch.

12 to 16 Hours!!

2009-08-15T20:32:00.000-07:00

When you decide to purchase a new playset for your kids and the instructions inside the box says that it will take 12 -16 hours for 2 adults to put it together... put the instructions back in the box and return the entire set to the store!

I think this is what happen to the previous owners of this playset before we found it at Costco for a "great price". Only the instructions and one of the other 6 six boxes had been opened. I was not smart enough to take my own advice. When I read that it would take 12-16 hours for two adults, I thought to myself, "Hey... I am a fairly mechanically inclined guy. I bet they are just being conservative. I am sure it will only take me about 6 hours."

15 hours later (over the course of two weeknights and a 10 hour friday) the set was complete. You might be thinking that is pretty good for one person, but please don't be mistaken, without the help of my wife and father it would have taken much longer.

If you decide not to take my advice and want to embark on this adventure, here is some advice:

1. Make sure that your wife is willing to help out. Mine was a life saver. She stayed 2-3 steps ahead of me the entire time, locating wood and hardware so it was ready when I needed it.

2. Make sure that your wife is perceptive enough to know when you are over your head and is willing to call your father to have him come help you, because you are too "manly" to call for help yourself.

3. Make sure that your 5 year old daughter isn't sitting near by with her play cash register and makes you "buy" everything before you can assemble it. It's very cute, but will also add significant time to the process.

4. Wear lots of sunscreen and drink lots of water because you are going to be out there for a long time.

With all that said, the kids love the new playset, and I am a sucker for seeing my kids having fun. Given the choice, I would probably do it again, but I'm sure this time I could do it faster.

Madeline's Cooking Madness

2009-08-12T19:14:00.000-07:00

We have learned that our oldest daughter has a talent for cooking. So we decided to make a cooking video of Madeline making her mom's delicious chocolate chip cookies. MMMMMMMM! My favorite!!!!!

In case you are interested here is the recipe:

Cream together:

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

1 cup butter (not margarine, and yes it makes a difference)

Mix in until creamy:

2 eggs

Mix in:

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups flour

2 cups old fashioned oats (not instant, and again yes it makes a difference)

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Scoop dough into golf ball size balls and place on baking sheet. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 11 minutes or until the edges just start turning brown.

ENJOY!!!!

Camping

2009-05-09T19:14:00.000-07:00

Over the last month, or so, I have had the opportunity of embarking on 2 separate camping trips. The first was at the beginning of April. Several of my friends and I decided that we should have a "Daddy - Daughter" camp out. My two girls have been requesting the trip and I finally caved and organized the outing. The second camp out was our annual "Father and Sons" event that happened at the beginning of May. Both camp outs were at the same location (Parker Canyon Lake in AZ). After spending several days in the wilderness with both my daughters and my son I have made a few observations.

Here are the things I have learned:

1. When camping with girls a Tea Party, complete with gold fish and hot chocolate, can break out at any time.

2. Girls have about half the patience of boys when it comes to fishing, and boys have about half the patience of a gnat.

3. Girls can spend hours in a tent talking about... I'm not really sure because the dads are not allowed. Then when you kick them out of the tent they will set up a group session in the largest unlocked car. In the car they will spend hours talking about... again I am not sure because the dads are not allowed. After running the battery dead in the car, they will head out on a hike where they will separate themselves from the dads because they need to talk about... see above comments for the rest.

4. Boys are fascinated with fire, and will throw anything they can get their hands on into said fire. They will also poke at the fire with any long flammable objects they can find, and after catching the object on fire, they will proceed to run around with the object until some other camper gets injured.

5. Girls are also fascinated with fire, but are content to watch from a distance and get just close enough to stay warm.

6. When camping with girls you need to be sure and bring enough hot chocolate and cups for anyone within a 500 yard radius of your cooking area. Apparently there is a need to set up a free Hot Chocolate stand and solicit orders from all who are present.

7. I learned that when it comes to camping and helping out that the following saying is applicable for boys and girls:

A boy is a boy. 2 boys is half a boy, and 3 boys is no boy at all.

8. No matter the weather boys/girls would rather tough it out then go home early.

9. Finally I learned that no matter the gender I enjoy camping with my kids. They are the best.

Next time we need to get mom to come along as well.

Oh What Do You Do in the Winter Time?

2009-03-18T09:57:00.000-07:00

Oh what do you do in the winter time when everyone is cold... well I guess not everyone is cold. Here are few things we do in Tucson during the frigid winter months.

Over the Christmas break we took a walk in the desert near a golf course. All the cousins had a great time searching for golf balls. Luckily all the rattlesnakes are asleep this time of year.

Playing at the park is another common activity in the Bisel household. Madeline's hair looks great from the static of the plastic slide.

Backyard football has become a popular event. The kids have learned that it is fun to tackle and be tackled. Dad gets to play full time quarterback. I think Lizzy has a future in football.

Mitchell did not escape this ferocious tackle from Lizzy. As you can tell he did not mind too much

Madeline has some sweet moves as she jukes Mitchell and runs for the touchdown.

Recently we visited Colossal Cave near Tucson. It was a little chilly this day so the kids have on their jackets. If I remember correctly it was about 65 degrees.

Maddie and Lizzy posing for yet another cute picture near the caves. There was a lot of great places for pictures here. We may return next year for our Christmas photos.

Soccer is a year round activity in Tucson. This is Lizzy's first year. I am coaching her 3-4 year old team. Mostly we just try to keep the kids interested and headed in the right direction. Last week our team scored 3 goals for the other team.

Swimming is not a normal wintertime activity in Tucson. Not because of the air temperature, but because of the water temp. Most pools in Tucson are not heated in the wintertime. However, we were visiting my Aunt and Uncle (the preferred pool of the Bisel kids) and the kids wanted to go swimming. So on came the suits and into the pool. After they jumped in I checked the water temp and the thermometer read just under 50 degrees. No need to ask... I did not get in. The kids, however, stayed in for hours.

If you look close you can see the shock on Maddie's face. BRRRRRRR!

Mitchell just loves the water... No matter how cold.

It might have been a little colder than expected.

Mitchell and Madeline had a piano recital recently.

They both did excellent.

We love listening to them play.

A very special Lady

2009-03-08T15:47:00.001-07:00

Last week my grandmother, Betty Zitting Fosse, passed away at the age of 86. She is an amazing woman and brought joy to many people through the years of her life. She will be missed greatly now that she has returned to her heavenly home. If I remember correctly she has been without my grandfather for about 20 years. I know that she has missed him greatly during that time. During their 20 years apart Nana had several opportunities to date other men, but always turned them down because she was still married to her sweetheart. It warms my heart to know that they have been reunited once again. I know that she is happier now than she has been in a long time. I put together this video with the pictures I had of her.

It's About Time...

2008-12-30T15:16:00.000-08:00

It seems like my success with keeping up a blog is directly proportional to my success with keeping a journal. So in an attempt to catch up on all things Bisel that have happened in the last couple of months I present this plethora of photos. Enjoy.

In November we took a family outing to take Christmas card pictures. This is the one we decided on.

Although this was my favorite (to pose for) we decided against using it.

This is yet another discarded attempt.

Mitchell was a very somber shepherd on Christmas Eve.

We had a wonderful tea party on Christmas Adam (what my kids decided we should start calling the day before Christmas Eve, because Adam came before Eve you know.) After the Tea party we had a Wii party.

Lizzy was the cutest of elves at her ballet Christmas recital. And she knows how to pose for the camera.

We enjoyed decorating the house for Christmas.

Ahhhhhh... Thanksgiving in St. George. Papa Jimbo treats us all to a 90 degree pool in November. Who could ask for more?

More swimming in St. George.

Lizzy enjoying the warm warm water.

We spent some time traveling to the North Pole on the Polar Express to see Santa. What a nice guy to give all the kids their very own Christmas bells.

On the way to St. George for Thanksgiving we stopped at the Grand Canyon. We have been in AZ for 3 1/2 years now and this is the first time we have visited. It was amazing!!

These two pictures are for all you poor people living in the freezing cold. The flowers are beautiful in our back yard on Christmas day.

Christmas morning was a huge success at the Bisel household. Santa was great to everyone. The kids haven't stopped playing. True to form, Mitchell's favorite present cost a dollar and is called noise putty. We weren't really sure what it was when Lizzy picked it out for him, but how bad could it be. Turns out that when you press it into the container it came in you get a very real sounding "toot". At least it doesn't smell.

Halloween and Haircuts

2008-11-05T18:58:00.000-08:00

Mitchell decided it would be fun if he and I went as each other for Halloween. The first step in that process involved shaving Mitchell's head. He was quite excited about the idea... Now that is commitment to the Holiday!!

We decided to have a little fun during the process.

Little Mr. Mohawk

Aaaahhhhhhh!!!!! I'm Bald!!!!!!!!!

Now that's a shiny Melon.

We had matching soccer uniforms with orange shirts,

black shorts, orange socks, and black soccer cleats.

We also had a fashionable Pippie Longstocking, and the cutest tooth fairy ever.

The Toothfairy had an attitude this year.

Pippie Longstocking never looked so good.

Fall Decorations and M&Ms

2008-10-19T21:20:00.000-07:00

The kids didn't have school this week and I didn't have work on Friday so we decided it would be a good time to decorate for Halloween. We built "Uncle George", and set him on the front porch. He consists of an old sweatshirt and an old pair of my jeans stuffed with newspapers and pillows, with a pumpkin basket for a head. He freaks us out every time we leave the house. The last time we built him was in Michigan so the kids were quite excited to resurrect him this year. My incredible wife, Sarah, decided that she wanted some classier fall decorations than Uncle George. So out came the grapevine pumpkins, fall wreath, gourds, and indian corn. As usual, she did a great job and it looks incredible. For a finishing touch she found some fall colored M&Ms that she placed in clear containers around the other decorations. I didn't even know they made M&Ms in fall colors. They come in peanut, plain, and dark chocolate varieties. They looked really good with the rest of the decorations. They were the perfect touch. I think Sarah's intention was to have these fall colored M&Ms last throughout the fall season. There is only one problem... did you know that fall colored M&Ms taste just like regular M&Ms!? It's true! Needless to say they didn't last for very long. As a matter of fact the peanut M&Ms were gone within a few hours. Sorry Sarah, maybe next time we should decorate with fall colored brussels sprouts... dipped in chocolate of course.

Crash

2008-10-19T21:15:00.001-07:00

Mitchell has picked up a new nickname... Crash! As you can see from the photo the name fits perfectly. While trying to outrun his sister the other night, he tripped and ended up eating some pavement. Luckily his school pictures were the previous week, and his two front teeth had already fallen out. I think he likes his new look and the new name to go along with it.

31 Years Ago Today...

2008-10-12T21:22:00.000-07:00

Most of you may not realize but October 12th is a very significant day... and no, I am not talking about Columbus Day. I am talking about another monumental day in the history of the world. On October 12th 1977 a incredible event took place. In the early morning hours, at a hospital in Salt Lake City Utah, Regina Redd Mitchell gave birth to my future love and the future mother of our wonderful children. Over the next 31 years she developed into the incredibly talented woman that I now have the privilege of waking up to every morning and falling asleep with every night. I am constantly amazed at the talent, intelligence, drive, love, humility, caring, energy, wit, intuition, insight, patience, kindness, faith, understanding, and beauty of the woman I am lucky enough to call my wife. Everyday I thank my Heavenly Father that I crossed paths with this most incredible woman. The last ten years have been the most fulfilling of my life because of Sarah Mitchell Bisel... born 31 years ago today. Happy Birthday Sweetheart, and thanks for being you. I love you.

Pinewood Derby

2008-09-21T21:37:00.000-07:00

Our ward had a Pinewood Derby that was open to all the members. The kids and I designed and built a car for each of them. They each chose a design and then I cut them out and helped them to build the cars. They had a blast racing the cars and they each won their fair share of races.

Madeline loaded her car up with Littlest Petshop toys. Not sure if these are the first ever pink pinewood derby cars, but I am sure they are among the few.

Mitchell's car had a snake running through from front to back.

Lizzy doesn't like the flash of the camera, but here is a good shot of her car and hand. Also pink with a littlest petshop toy. She wanted her car to be a triangle.

Mentos and Diet Coke

2008-09-05T20:54:00.001-07:00

The kids and I decided to perform some experiments with Mentos and Diet Coke. We invited some of the kid's friends over and went to town. The kids had a great time... and so did I. If you haven't tried this I would highly recommend it. I would also recommend drilling a smaller hole in the cap of the Diet Coke. I think we could have achieved a much higher projection.

Finished Project

2008-08-17T19:39:00.000-07:00

After 9 months of working on the patio cover it is finally complete. 3 years ago we moved into our house with the intention of building a covered patio. It was a long time coming. We poured a 12 x24 concrete slab shortly after we moved in, but the covered portion has taken a bit longer. My brother in law helped design the patio cover and got me started building it. My father also chipped in, but finding large blocks of time to work on it was harder than expected. My patient wife has endured 9 long months of a partially completed project and then this weekend we finally finished the last couple of details. Sanding and caulking happened on Thursday night, painting on Friday, and hanging the lights and fans finished the deal on Saturday. It feels great to get this project out of the way... now on to the next one.

Kids, Cameras, and Fun!!

2008-08-07T21:00:00.001-07:00

The kids and I had fun creating this video. They thought it was great they could use their Jedi powers for everyone to see.

Fasting for the First Time

2008-08-05T19:46:00.000-07:00

My eight year old daughter, Madeline, was baptized 2 weeks ago and officially became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was a wonderful experience to be involved with this event in her life. One week later it was fast Sunday, and she had decided to join her mother and me in fasting through breakfast and lunch. We explained to her that fasting was more than just going without food, but that she should choose something to fast about. Something that was important to her. We gave her a couple of suggestions, but in the end she came up with her own cause. She chose to fast for a very special girl in our ward family. Chantil is severely autistic and mentally handicapped and comes from a wonderful family. Madeline has been listening when my wife and I discuss Chantil's situation. She will be turning 18 soon and as such will become a ward of the state unless her parents go to court to appeal for custody. Madeline, with her sweet spirit and sensitive hearts wants the best for Chantil. So she decided to fast for Chantil and ask Heavenly Father to make sure the right thing happens for her.

My First Blog

2008-08-01T20:59:00.000-07:00

My wife has convinced me that I should start blogging. This is my first attempt, and hopefully the posts will get better over time.