Mighty Mighty Joneses

Wrestling

2011-12-07T09:53:00.001-08:00

Science and Industry for a few hours

2011-11-06T11:02:00.001-08:00

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T18:20:00.001-07:00

This Halloween was one of my favorites. Not sure why? I think as the kiddos get bigger it's a little less stressful and a little more delightful. Lots of fun activities!

Halloween Hustle 5K race

2011-10-29T09:01:00.001-07:00

Had a good time this morning at the Halloween Hustle race in Palatine, IL. I ran it with Courtney, Hal, and Tyler. Everybody finished and Hal won for his age group.

We Are Batty 4 Bats

2011-10-24T07:57:00.001-07:00

Dan is studying bats in school. So this weekend we had a little fun with bats. Dan was so excited! Stellaluna is a long time family favorite.

3 ways Subway sandwiches are different in Philippines

2011-10-22T13:31:00.000-07:00

Sometimes if I'm interested in getting something other than the local food when visiting another country, it is fun to try U.S. fast food in other places. Sometimes it is very different from the U.S., like that you can get grilled skewers of shrimp with a side of rice at Pizza Hut in Asia. I find it more interesting when a concept has more subtle changes to appeal to the people of another country.

In the Philippines, Subway sandwiches are very much the same as in the U.S., but with a few differences.

#1- they deliver, which is more of a Jimmy Johns thing in the U.S.

#2- if you order a foot-long sub to go from the store, they will still slice it in half but instead of wrapping the halves together, they wrap them separately. I think they assume that no one person is really going to eat a whole foot-long sandwich themselves. Leave that to the gluttonous Americans :)

So, since they assume that the foot-long is for two different people, they ask separately about what sauce or toppings I want for each of the two halves of the sandwich. It seems novel to them that I want the same thing on both sides of the foot-long sub.

#3 - All the sauces are the same as the U.S., except that written in on the chart is "ketchup" as one of the sauce options, and sure enough, there is a big bottle of ketchup there if you ask for it as your sauce. I know in the Philippines that ketchup is pretty popular, people put it on their fried chicken and so forth. I found it somewhat gratifying, although I didn't add it to my chicken teriyaki sub, that it was available.

I remember that I put ketchup on most of my sandwiches when I was a little kid and that someone had once questioned why I would put ketchup on a turkey and ham sandwich instead of mustard or mayonnaise. Not sure why ketchup is just for burgers, fries, and hot dogs -- not for a sub sandwich. Apparently, somewhere in the world, it works fine.

A Sunday Walk in Heaven's Garden

2011-10-17T04:58:00.001-07:00

Fall Break

2011-10-11T09:34:00.001-07:00

I feel very supported and I am so grateful.

2011-10-06T19:12:00.000-07:00

Since receiving my new responsibilities in Relief Society, I've felt really overwhelmed with a huge list of Relief Society members that no one knows. I've lost a lot of sleep trying to figure out how to get to know them and their needs. The quantity of them seemed almost suffocating. Tonight we decided to have RS members go visit those members and invite them out. While planning this activity, my biggest concern was that no one would want to come help me. If I was in their shoes, I probably wouldn't want to do it:) Today as I was preparing, I kept thinking... what if no one shows but my presidency? Then this afternoon I started getting emails from sisters. They were apologizing for other commitments but asking for names that they could visit on their own time. They said how much they supported this activity and wanted to help in anyway they could. Then when I got to church tonight I was humbled by the desires of the sisters to take not just one name but multiple names. The stack has dwindled from a dinning room table full of names to a small stack. There is a quote by Marvin J. Ashton that says, "Satan wants us to feel unequal to our worldly tasks." Since accepting these responsibilities in RS, I've very much felt unequal to these tasks. However, tonight I realized that I have many sister willing to help carry the load. I am grateful for their goodness.

Us Together

2011-08-21T05:38:00.000-07:00

Took this shot at a wedding last night - fun!

Back from Russia

2011-08-20T21:23:00.000-07:00

Made it back from Moscow yesterday from a work trip. Was neat to see the Kremlin and other sites around the city. Learned a bit about Russian history and got to meet some interesting people.

Wonderful News

2011-08-09T16:33:00.000-07:00

Forgive my boastfulness but I'm now allowed to tell--Harry received an AMAZING promotion! I have no idea how to explain what he does, but it's still with Abbott in Chicago. He's very excited about it though and in this economy I couldn't be more relieved and happy for him. Love My Go-Getter Man!!!!

Utah Vacation

2011-08-06T17:19:00.000-07:00

Had a nice vacation to Utah; just returned today. We spent half the vacation in southern Utah, and the other half near Salt Lake City.

A few favorite things were seeing temple square, where we happened to meet a former companion of mine while touring the conference center. He plays organ for the Mormon Tabernacle choir, and let Courtney and Hal play the organ.

We also had some fun hikes in Zion National park (lower and upper Emerald Pools hikes), Bryce Canyon (Navajo Loop and Queensway hikes) and a visit to the north rim of the Grand Canyon. I also took Courtney and Hal on a longer hike to Sundial mountain in Big Cottonwood Canyon.

We spent a day taking a tour and volunteering at the Best Friends Animal Shelter near Kanab, which was pretty cool for the kids.

When visiting Provo, we took a prospective students tour of BYU, and also drove by the missionary training center.

The 4th

2011-07-06T18:42:00.001-07:00

It was a great weekend. For the past 3 weeks we have had various children gone to different camps. It was nice to be all together again. It was really low key. We swam a few times, took in the fireworks, set off a few fireworks, had a BBQ with a few good friends and went to the drive-in theater. All in all lots of fun. Next week the big boys will be off to Indiana to work in the corn fields for a few weeks.

Tyler the mile swimmer

2011-07-01T19:24:00.000-07:00

Tyler swam a mile a scout camp yesterday. I followed along in the rowboat. Way to go, Tyler!

Courtney's Job

2011-06-30T18:45:00.000-07:00

Harry and the big boys are at camp and high adventure this week. So one night Courtney called from her job and said no one was at the pool and that I could bring the little kids over for a swim. They were so excited. The water was really warm but the air was a little chilly. It was the perfect end to a crazy day. Dan said on the way home that Courtney is a "Nice" Lifeguard. He has divided all Lifeguards into two categories: Mean or Nice. He doesn't like them to blow their whistles. He thinks it's not nice. We are all glad Courtney made it into the "Nice" category:)

Dan's 6th Birthday

2011-06-21T16:55:00.000-07:00

Earlier in the month we celebrated Dan's birthday. He is so easy to please. When I asked him what he wanted for his birthday, he said, "Go to the beach with my best friend, Jack". Unfortunately the weather has been cold here in Chicago, today was the first day that was beach worthy. So we made all his dreams come true today:)

My Little Helpers

2011-06-21T16:25:00.000-07:00

I love Summer! I feel like Summer is a time to pull everyone in and regroup and recharge. The little ones always love to help with the smallest tasks.

Cousins in the Garden

2011-06-19T20:42:00.001-07:00

Amy's crew came to visit last weekend. As always the kiddos have a GREAT time together.

Courtney Lifeguarding stories

2011-06-07T20:10:00.000-07:00

Courtney has had some fun with her first job, as a lifeguard for a nearby pool. It's a small pool, and she is usually the only lifeguard- some highlights so far:

1) The first two days on the job nobody showed up to the pool, so she was bored
2) She had to threaten some people that she would call her manager because they wouldn't leave when the pool closed
3) Some people were complaining because someone had been smoking in the pool restroom
4) A kid was struggling to stay afloat in the water, and Courtney helped him to get to the side by reaching with her red floatation device

Big birthday for Hal

2011-05-29T05:24:00.000-07:00

Hal is 15 years old now! He had an exciting birthday yesterday-- he and I ran in the Soldier Field 10 mile race, and Hal was pretty quick on the first 9 miles, but at the 9 mile marker the medics grabbed him and put him in a big tub of ice water for heat exhaustion and dehydration. He got to spend a few hours in nearby Mercy Hospital.

Afterwards, we had some of Teresa's famous strawberry/spongecake / whipped cream / pudding cake to celebrate Hal's birthday. Yum! It went pretty fast. Hal played his new video game, Portal 2, which looks kind of confusing to me. He also got some new clothes.

The whole family went to see the new Pirates of the Carribean "On Stranger Tides" movie last night, as part of Hal's birthday request. Lots of pirates and swordfights in that movie, by the way.

When we got home, we had Drumsticks and Hal worked on his talk for today on repentance. A pretty big day for Hal.

Courtney had her first real day of work yesterday working as a lifeguard at a nearby pool. She was texting me about how Hal was doing in the hospital, and was very bored because not a single person came to the pool all day. Maybe not so exciting being a lifeguard at times, I guess.

Allie's Spring Vocal Concert

2011-05-26T10:06:00.000-07:00

Spring is the time of school concerts. Allie has the best vocal teacher, Mr Nagle. His concerts are always entertaining. We've lived in a lot of school districts and this is not always the case when it comes to concerts. We are lucky and blessed. My favorite thing is that Allie gets to do all of these concerts with her bosom buddy(they just read Anne of Green Gables together) that lives right down the street.

My Beautiful Lilacs

2011-05-26T10:03:00.001-07:00

My Lilac bushes were exceptionally loaded with blooms this year. Our house smelled so wonderful at night when we opened the windows.

Visitors to our yard

2011-05-22T19:28:00.000-07:00

Sunday Walk at Cuba Marsh Nature Preserve

2011-05-22T19:21:00.001-07:00

Hanging out with George and Anna in Taipei

2011-05-21T13:58:00.000-07:00

It was fun to see George and Anna in Taiwan this week. Their vacation ended up overlapping my meetings in Taipei, so we got together and ate at McDonald's and rode a ferris wheel. Cool!

Allie's 4th Grade Spring Orchestra Concert

2011-05-18T19:14:00.001-07:00

Allie has been playing violin for one school year, now. It amazes me how much she has learned in one year. She has a great orchestra teacher, Mr. Sackschewsky. The kids call him Mr. S. He was Hal's middle school orchestra teacher, too. He is a great guy and my kids love him. He gently encourages them but makes them work hard, too. He is another one of the teachers we owe great "on". The top pic. is Allie and her BFF.

Ty becomes a teenager

2011-05-17T12:33:00.001-07:00

Where does the time go? It's hard to believe Ty is already a teenager. He is a good kid and I'm grateful to be his Mom.

5/11/11 = 18 years!

2011-05-11T18:14:00.000-07:00

Today is our anniversary! We have been married for 18 years. In many ways the time has flown by so quickly. However, when I look at these photos, I hardy recognize these two young children. Wow, we were young. We had no idea what love was really about but I'm glad we were willing to give it a try. I'm grateful for the last 18 years and my wonderful husband.

Volleyball, Volleyball and More Volleyball

2011-05-10T19:36:00.000-07:00

Both big boys are doing Volleyball this Spring. This is Hal's third season and Ty's first. They are both doing really good. As a Mom I noticed something the other day. Seventh grade Volleyball makes me a nervous wreck(it did when Hal played too). The seventh grade team is still learning to play as a team and it's hard for them. It is almost painful to watch them struggle to learn this skill. But it amazes me how much they improve by Freshman year. The Freshman games are a lot more enjoyable for me to watch because they are not so abrupt. They really have figured out how to work together at that point. It's hard to believe they are the same boys as the year before sometimes. Tyler is an excellent server and Hal does a great job blocking on the front row.

Allie makes a quilt for her 4th grade teacher's new baby!

2011-05-08T18:01:00.000-07:00

Allie has been busy for the last few weeks making a quilt for her 4th grade teacher, Mrs Robins. Mrs. Robins is having her first baby at the end of the school year. Allie made the quilt all by herself. The only thing I did was cut the fabric for her. We love Mrs. Robins. She is an amazing teacher! The Japanese always speak of owing "on" to those that have done a great deed for them that can never be repaid. That is how we feel about Mrs. Robins. We owe her great "on". She is one of those teachers that really makes a difference in your child's life and we feel blessed to have her be a part of our daily life.

And Another Funny Dan Story

2011-05-03T20:00:00.000-07:00

Tonight Courtney and I had to dress like each other for a young women activity. She wore some of my things and I wore some of hers. Dan thought it was hilarious. While I was driving to the activity someone pulled out in front of me and I had to stop quickly. Dan pipes up from the back seat, "She even drives like Courtney." He is such a little stinker sometimes:)

Run to Remember

2011-04-30T18:21:00.000-07:00

Hal and I raced in the Run to Remember http://www.cpdmemorial.org/run this morning, which was a fun 5K along Lake Shore Drive in Chicago. There were 2928 runners this year, and we did OK. Hal was #137 overall, and I was about a hundred people behind him, at #236. Hal also came in fourth place for his age group.

Sub sandwiches taste test

2011-04-30T13:15:00.000-07:00

We just completed a taste test of submarine sandwiches from different restaurants. We ordered two types of subs from each restaurant = 1) turkey on white bread with cheese and lettuce, 2) turkey and ham on wheat bread with all available toppings.

Quizno's was the champion, as first choice for three in the family, second choice for two, and nobody picked it last.

1st = Quizno's
2nd = Potbelly
3rd = Subway (very close in the voting to Potbelly)
4th = Jimmy John's

Those who liked Quizno's liked it for the bread and texture. Subway comments were generally around the toppings, which they offered more than any of the others. Some liked this, and some didn't. Dan preferred Subway because it was not toasted.

Home again

2011-04-22T19:10:00.000-07:00

Just got back from a marketing research study done in Indonesia, Vietnam, China, Philippines, and Malaysia. Definitely good to be home! Just in time for Easter, and am looking forward to seeing some of the family this weekend. Tyler and Hal are already at Grandpa Harry's. Courtney went to the church-sponsored modest prom in Milwaukee tonight. Here are some pictures of Courtney before heading to the dance.

Cu Chi Tunnels hard to find

2011-04-22T19:04:00.000-07:00

Had a little time while I was in Ho Chi Minh city in Vietnam during last weekend, so I took a tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels, which were used by the Vietnamese during the Vietnam war. There are over a hundred miles of underground tunnels still in Vietnam. They said I was too big to get into this particular hole, but I was able to get into the tunnels in other places. It was extremely hot and cramped. There was also a firing range not far away, and I got to shoot an M60 machine gun.

Missionaries in Indonesia

2011-04-22T18:59:00.000-07:00

Came out of a store while on a trip to Indonesia, and saw two elders. One elder was from Hawaii, and one was a native of Indonesia. It's neat to see that the missionaries are all over the world.

What????????

2011-04-20T13:32:00.000-07:00

That is what the Easter Bunny said after we ate off his ears. by Allie and Dan

"A House Full of Little Bedlamites"

2011-04-04T21:23:00.000-07:00

I love Elder Holland. That was the best sentence spoke yesterday in conference. It perfectly describes our house at bedtime:)

Museum of Science and Industry

2011-04-03T11:58:00.000-07:00

Joe Rogers chili in Springfield

2011-04-03T11:54:00.001-07:00

We had chili at Joe Rogers' in Springfield. The chili was good, and we even managed to eat a small bowl of "Firebrand" chili, featured on the show "Man vs. Food".

Man v. Food - Firebrand Chili in Springfield

2011-04-03T11:54:00.000-07:00

Springfield and Abe Lincoln

2011-04-03T11:48:00.001-07:00

I had low expectations for Springfield, but it was actually a really good visit for a couple of days with the kids. We got to see Abe Lincoln's house, and the new Abraham Lincoln museum and presidential library was definitely worth the trip.

Was also fun to see the Illinois state legislature in action (ha ha or inaction, as the kids pointed out that most of the representatives seemed to be watching YouTube videos or talking on the phone while bills were being debated)

Jones Kids ranking of Nauvoo vacation sites

2011-04-03T08:50:00.000-07:00

The five Jones kids voted on their top 10 favorite Nauvoo tourist sites that we visited on vacation. Note that Carthage is not included because it was closed to have the floors re-done. We also did not include the carriage ride or the wagon ride, which covered multiple sites.

We were in Nauvoo from the 27th to the 30th of March.

1) Webb Blacksmith Shop
2) Nauvoo Temple
3) Brickyard
4) Joseph Smith movie (at visitor's center)
5) Nauvoo family living center
6) Rendezvous show at Nauvoo Cultural Hall
7) Browning gun shop
8) Riser Nauvoo home and boot shop
9) Pendleton log home and school
10) Stoddard Nauvoo home and tin shop

Nauvoo

2011-04-03T08:31:00.001-07:00

Funny Dan Story

2011-04-02T16:28:00.000-07:00

My niece asked Dan to be the ring bearer in her wedding next Fall. Dan was very nonchalant about this assignment. Today in the van one of the kids asked Dan how he felt about being a ring bearer. His reply, "Will I need to wear a bear costume?" He must have thought he was going to be a ring "bear".

Lifeguard in the family

2011-03-26T17:09:00.000-07:00

Courtney learned today that she got a summer job as a lifeguard in one of the pools near here. Her first real employment! Way to go, Courtney!

New Calling

2011-03-20T19:10:00.001-07:00

Teresa got a new calling today as the Relief Society president for our ward. This means she will be pretty busy. Good luck, honey!!

Johannesburg Temple

2011-03-13T10:48:00.000-07:00

I got to visit the Johannesburg temple while visiting South Africa. The lady in the picture came by bus for one and a half days from Zibabwe to attend.

The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever. Jacques Cousteau

2011-02-23T11:08:00.000-08:00

This is the beach that was closest to our home is Royal Palm. It was wonderful to be able to go back and spent some time there. Our family has many fond memories on this beach.

The worlds Largest Gummy bear

2011-02-12T12:23:00.002-08:00

by: Tyler Jones
This gummy bear is the worlds largest gummy bear as its name suggests that we bought from vat19.com that is 5 pounds it is 9"x 5.5"x3.5" it is equal to 1400 regular gummy bears and is 12,600 calories we recently decided to name it Steve after the monkey in cloudy with a chance of meatballs.Dan was going around chanting"Steve, Steve, Steve" Dan is very exited about it.

Dan loses his first tooth

2011-02-11T15:25:00.001-08:00

Dan lost his first tooth on Wednesday, right before the school bus came. He was pretty excited. He was the first boy in his class to lose a tooth.

Hal's Got "Skillz"

2011-02-11T07:06:00.000-08:00

Hal started selling homemade wheat bread to his lunch table this week. The rumor spread that he has "Mad Skillz" at breadmaking. He has sold 11 loaves since Tuesday at $5 a loaf. He thought the gig was up when the lunch lady caught him but quick thinking saved the day. He gave her a slice and she is hooked. She ordered a loaf for the next day:)

Tawny Scrawny Lion

2011-02-08T07:10:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things about having all the kids in school is that I can now volunteer in the classrooms. When I had little ones at home this was never an option. Yesterday I had the privilege of reading in Dan's class. The Tawny Scrawny Lion is one of our families favorite books. Many of the kindergartners had not heard this book which kind of surprised me. They were all very excited to hear the book and could hardly wait for me to read the next page. One little boy in particular really wanted the lion to eat all the other animals and became very sad at the end of each page when that did not happen. It was hilarious and part of me wanted to make up an alternate ending just for him where the lion has delicious rabbit stew. Afterwards I went to Art Class with them and helped with their paper mache penguins. All the little kids kept asking me if I would get that book back out about the skinny lion. The best part.... Dan still thinks I'm cool:) I've still got him in the dark on that little secret:)

Snowstorm

2011-02-02T21:35:00.000-08:00

20.2 inches of snow. The third most in Chicago history.

Dan 5 minutes after the cousins left

2011-01-04T05:36:00.000-08:00

Dan had so much fun with his cousins over the holiday weekend. This is how we found him 5 minutes after the cousins left for Indiana. The second he woke up he wanted to know when we could see the cousins again:)

Christmas Eve Fun

2010-12-24T14:20:00.000-08:00

We went downtown this morning to see Santa and the German Christmas village. Had a nice time, and left just as the snow started to pick up.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

2010-12-07T05:23:00.000-08:00

Christmas activities are in full swing at our house. I love Christmas activities except for one. That one is making Christmas Cookies with the kids. I hate the mess with icing everywhere and ending up with ugly cookies. I always have to guess at what character they have decorated. They don't like it much when I guess wrong and think their "Jesus" is a snowman. However things have changed. This year I went to a cookie exchange with some friends from church and one lady brought the most darling cookies. She called them Cookie Carolers. She makes sugar cookie dough and cuts off several chunks of dough and tints them different colors. The kiddos use the dough like play dough to make their amazing creations and then you bake. The kids loved this activity (even my teenagers). They had so much fun that they asked if we could call that our trial run and do it again. The best part for me is that it's not as messy and they turn out so cute. Love It!!!

Dan and Tithing Settlement

2010-11-29T17:59:00.000-08:00

Yesterday our family had tithing settlement. Before we met with the Bishop we helped Dan figure out how much he would give to the church. Dan would give 68 cents. In our meeting the Bishop asked each of the children how they felt about the money they had given. Each of the four oldest children expressed their gratitude for the blessings that has come into their lives because of tithing. We thought we were in the clear with just little Dan to go. Hopefully we would make it out of tithing settlement without our children saying something weird or our children's favorite.... not answering questions posed to them by the Bishop but instead staring off into space as if he didn't exist. Maybe this would be "the year" that we would be somewhat normal. However, when Dan was asked how he felt about the opportunity to give to the church, he said, "Well, I was going to go to college in China with that money but I guess I won't now."

A Day at the Circus

2010-11-28T07:02:00.001-08:00

We went to the Hadi Shrine Circus in Evansville the day after Thanksgiving. Teresa remembers going to this same circus when she was young, and they had some of the same acts. The kids seemed to like it a lot-- the favorite was the bear act. Grandma Rane also came with us.

Wikipedia steps up

2010-11-21T07:37:00.000-08:00

I was working at an international congress of allergists and immunologists a couple of weeks ago, and saw something that I didn't think I would see. I was sitting in a symposium led by a world leader in allergy and asthma research, and on the bottom of one of his more technical slides, he included the reference as just: "Wikipedia". Wikipedia has definitely made it to the big leagues! :)

A Few of My Favorite Things

2010-11-08T16:43:00.000-08:00

1. Dan still blows me kisses as he is pulling away on the bus. He keeps blowing them until I can't see him anymore.
2. Allie is a chatter box. The second she steps into the house after school she tells me every detail of her exciting day. Allie never has a day at school that isn't exciting.
3. Ty loves to play piano. I never have to remind him to practice. He sometimes practices multiple times a day.
4. Hal spilled a huge bowl of spaghetti on the kitchen floor and proceeded to clean up the whole mess. He even mopped the whole kitchen floor. I didn't have to say a word. He just did it.
5. Court kept Dan completely occupied during Stake Conference. We even got there 1.5 hours early so the boys could help with parking. The last 15 minutes of conference Dan was completely done with the whole conference thing but Court continued to try to keep him happy.

My disappointment in kitchen cabinets.

2010-11-03T16:34:00.000-07:00

Every house we have lived in the past had really old kitchen cabinets. I hated how ugly they were and dreamed of new cabinets. So when we moved I was sooooo excited about this house because of the new kitchen cabinets. However, that excitement quickly diminished. They are very pretty but are poorly made and are not meant to withstand the heavy use of a large family. Plus the previous owner installed them himself and didn't know what he was doing. One fell apart last Christmas, but luckily my brother-in-law, Chuck, was here and he fixed it for us. Recently, the ones holding the microwave oven up fell completely apart and became a huge hazard. Harry helped me take it all down in pieces. As we were taking it down, I was sure we were in big trouble and that it was going to cost us a small fortune to return it to some type of a normal kitchen. I slowly tried to replicate what Chuck had done and added some of my own inventions. I was able to get the cabinets back together but was nervous about getting them back up and stable enough to hold up the microwave. But we did it and it really didn't cost us much of anything other than wood glue, some scrap wood and some metal reinforcements. Yeah we did it!!!! The funny thing is I would rather have the ugly stable cabinets than these. I guess... I'm just never happy.

Dan documentary made by Tyler

2010-10-31T15:49:00.000-07:00

Courtney's last swim meet of the season

2010-10-31T14:50:00.000-07:00

Courtney did great in her JV conference swimming championships yesterday. She got 1st in 50 yard freestyle and 2nd in the 100 yard freestyle, which was pretty cool. She's the one in front in this picture.

Dold for Congress

2010-10-31T09:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we met Dold the republican candidate for the House of Representatives. I love the pic. of Dan and Dold. Dan has a very discerning look on his face. As if he is not convinced that he should vote for this guy. However, Dold definitely has my vote. Go Republicans!!!

Trunk or Treat

2010-10-31T09:33:00.000-07:00

The kids had a wonderful time Trunk or Treating this year. Dan wanted everyone to be a Mario character. Dan did his best to convince Hal he needed to be Donkey Kong and Court should be Princess Peach. But Court had a Swim meet and Hal is getting to "cool" for dressing up. He is more into being the candy man, which IS a huge help.

Halloween Hustle

2010-10-31T08:36:00.000-07:00

Harry and Hal ran the Halloween Hustle 5K on Saturday. They did awesome. Hal came in 34th and Harry came in 61st out of 469 runners. The race was supporting a program called "Fathers Supporting Fathers". There were lots of fathers and sons running. The weather was perfect... a little crisp but sunny. We all had a great time.

Allie's First Violin Concert

2010-10-28T06:07:00.000-07:00

Allie started orchestra about 4 weeks ago. This was their first concert of the season. All the kiddos were soooo excited to show off all they had learned. It was fun! Allie is using one of the violin's Grandma Linda gave us. Hal used it and now Allie. It's getting lots of good use:)

Dan and Harry's little project.

2010-10-27T05:53:00.001-07:00

Pumpkin carving

2010-10-25T17:57:00.001-07:00

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-23T18:29:00.000-07:00

Hal finishes off the Cross Country Season

2010-10-21T07:19:00.000-07:00

Things I Learned about Cross Country Runners this Season.

1. They are very dedicated. They are often on the track and ready to go by 6am.
2. They need a ton of food to fuel that much running. Also the food needs to be ready to go the second they walk in the door or the frig. will be emptied in a matter of seconds.
3. Cross Country Runners have lots of leg injuries:(
4. Cross Country Runners have THE worst feet. Blisters on blisters. Missing toe nails. Blood blisters and the list goes on.
5. Cross Country Runners are some of THE best sportsmen. They tend to compete more with themselves than other players.
6. Cross Country Runners develop a strong brotherhood. Hal's team had a learning disabled boy on their team. At every meet this boy ran, the team would gather at the finish line and cheer him in. Impressive young men!

Kid's Club

2010-10-21T06:42:00.000-07:00

Dan started Kid's Club last week and he loves it. He goes into school 40 minutes early 4 days a week. The bus comes to pick him up! It's a club to work on feeling more comfortable in a large group. His teacher says he does really well talking and working with an adult but tends to be very reserved around all the other children. This kind of surprised me. He definitely is not reserved at church or anywhere else for that matter. His teacher feels that Kid's Club might help him become more comfortable in the classroom. There are 14 students and two teachers and it sounds like Dan is enjoying it. I'm grateful for his teacher. It is always nice to have the insight of another adult when raising children.

Ty receives the "Thumbs Up" Award

2010-10-08T17:13:00.000-07:00

Every Friday in Ty's Middle School they give "Thumbs Up" awards. They give it to children that are caught in the act of doing some sort of random kindness. Ty was helping someone pick up some items they dropped. I'm proud of many things my kids do but this type of award makes me the proudest. Way to go Ty!!!!

Courtney Takes First Place in the Free Style 50

2010-10-07T19:00:00.000-07:00

Tonight Court had a swim meet. There was a mix up on the roster and she somehow got put on a Varsity match up. She was the only JV swimming against 7 Varsity girls. She took first place with 27secs. in the Free Style 50. The JV couch was jumping up and down with excitement. The Varsity couches were not nearly as enthused about getting beat by a JV girl. In fact, they were rather hot under the collar about the whole incident. I was going to put Court's pic. up but for some reason she doesn't want one on here of her in a swimsuit:)

The Awakening of Teresa Jones

2010-10-06T07:02:00.000-07:00

Since I was a teenager I've been told that for someone of my height I should weight 125 pounds. There have been times in my life with extreme exercise and dieting I have weighted in at that amount and lower but have never been able to maintain that weight. I have felt really bad about this. Yesterday I went to have a ShapeScan Body Analysis. This measures how much Lean Body Mass and Body Fat you have by sending an electrical current through your body. It is proven to be one of the most accurate and less invasive ways to measure Lean Body Mass. My results said that I have 125 pounds of Lean Body Mass. This means that if I weighted 125 pounds like the charts say I should weight, I would have zero body fat. Women my age are recommended to have 21-25% body fat..... This means that for over 27 years I have felt bad about my weight and have been trying to achieve something that is extremely unhealthy. Gosh-Darn it THAT REALLY STINKS!!! The funny thing is the weight that my body has always been very comfortable with(if I don't overeat) is actually my ideal weight but I always dieted because it wasn't 125 pounds. Life certainly is interesting:)

Ty Loves History

2010-09-29T06:43:00.000-07:00

This is a model of a fort form the French/Indian War. It's Ty's extra credit project for his History Class. His History teacher is a fabulous teacher and Ty is having so much fun.

Dan a.k.a. Johnny Appleseed

2010-09-28T11:11:00.000-07:00

The kindergarten bus came rolling down the street yesterday with a busload of kids with pots on their heads. Little Johnny Appleseed hopped off at our house and was so very proud of his creation. It's a week full of apple projects and he couldn't wait to hop back on the bus this morning to see what exciting thing they would do today.

Allie spent the weekend sewing for Conkerr Cancer

2010-09-20T06:21:00.000-07:00

Conkerr Cancer is a group that makes cute, homemade pillowcases for children who are struggling through cancer/chemo. Allie did an awesome job with her sewing. If anyone is interested in a service project, Conkerr Cancer is a national organization. This project is great for children who are just learning to sew. It's all straight seams.

As Dan would say,"Hal with rockets on his shoes". Cross Country

2010-09-14T06:19:00.000-07:00

Family Campout Labor Day Weekend

2010-09-12T10:22:00.000-07:00

We had a great weekend family camping trip at Illinois Beach State Park. The weather was good except for high winds Friday night and Saturday morning, which made putting up the tents pretty difficult.

We had a hammock in our back yard in Ohio, but don't have a good place to put it in our yard in Illinois, so it was fun to find a spot to set it up in our campsite.

Each of the kids took one or two meals between Friday and Monday to plan and prepare-- they did a nice job. We had dutch oven mountain man breakfast and also did foil dinners several times. A pretty relaxing weekend, with short trips back home for church and for Hal's cross country and Courtney's swimming meet.

Courtney's first drive on day she gets driving permit

2010-09-12T10:21:00.001-07:00

Courtney just got her driver's permit and is taking driver's education in school this semester. This is a picture of her on the first day she got her permit, and her first time to drive in our car and in our neighborhood.

Courtney driving video

Vancouver and Whistler Vacation photos

2010-07-28T03:37:00.000-07:00

Big kids go to EFY in Normal, IL.

2010-07-13T19:25:00.001-07:00

More fun in the City

2010-07-12T14:34:00.000-07:00

We love the Windy City

2010-07-12T06:50:00.001-07:00

Scout Camp photos - Ma-Ka-Ja-Wan

2010-07-04T07:29:00.000-07:00

Hal High Adventure

2010-07-04T07:24:00.000-07:00

Hal got to go on a high adventure trip to Boundary Waters, in Minnesota. Just got back last night, really enjoyed it and sounds like he got to jump off some big cliffs.

His route was:
Ely MN
Snowbank Lake
Disappointment Lake
Ahsub Lake
Ima Lake (Camped on island)
Hatchet Lake
Thomas Lake
Alice Lake (Camped)
Lake Insula
Hudson Lake
Lake Four (Camped)
Lake Two
Lake One (End)

4th July Weekend

2010-07-03T20:27:00.000-07:00

Thursdays are Beach Day

2010-06-25T18:47:00.001-07:00

Courtney's Summer Sewing Project

2010-06-15T07:06:00.000-07:00

10 Funny things about Turkey

2010-06-13T04:37:00.000-07:00

I went to Turkey last week, working at a European pediatrician's congress. Here are 10 funny things about Turkey:

1) Ask for a fish to get a receipt
2) Tour guides will try to sell you rugs
3) Saw traffic snarled for a long time because a bus was stuck under an overpass tunnel. Had to let air out of the tires
4) Lots of billboards, none show women
5) Complimentary cigarettes and matches in hotel room, was offered a cigarette in public twice
6) When ordering ice cream, a show goes with it - the guy puts the cone on top of a scoop on a metal paddle, and he spins the cone around on the paddle as a game until you catch it
7) Saw the rod of Moses, the sword of David, and footprint of Mohammed (not sure I believe it)
8) Cars checked for bombs and hotels had airport style security
9) New York is New York. Chicago is Sikago.
10) Honey is served for breakfast with the honeycomb still in it. Also, always freshly-squeezed orange juice.

A few photos from Turkey

2010-06-13T04:28:00.000-07:00

Does Life Ever Get Better Than This? A Back Step, A Best Friend and A Popsicle!!!

2010-06-09T08:15:00.000-07:00

Hal graduating 8th grade

2010-06-07T16:27:00.000-07:00

The things I love about summer

2010-06-07T16:19:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day weekend

2010-05-29T00:10:00.000-07:00

We're heading to Odon for the weekend to see Teresa's mom and to do some genealogy research in the Daviess county area. I printed a bunch of family information off last night, and am hoping to find a few obituaries at the Washington public library.

Yesterday was Hal's birthday, and we celebrated with a birthday carrot cake. Hal is 14 years old now, and is getting pretty big. He had a good day also yesterday because he did well in a race at his school-- they had their annual "fun run" of 2.5 miles for all the kids in his school, and he got a medal for coming in first place in his school. He was pretty happy about that.

I spent a few days this week at work meetings in Columbus Ohio, and am glad to be back. A couple of weeks ago, I spent some time attending work events in Guatemala and Costa Rica.

Funny picture

2010-05-04T20:12:00.001-07:00

Japan Trip

2010-04-24T03:28:00.000-07:00

Had a great time in Japan with Teresa. I think we could get used to taking vacations occasionally just the two of us.

Teresa prepared for the trip by brushing up on her Japanese with Rosetta Stone software, and it was great to hear her speaking Japanese. One of the neatest things for me on the trip was getting to hear her speak Japanese to people, asking for directions and talking to taxi drivers. That was pretty cool.

Mom and Dad came up to Chicago an Saturday 27 March and drove us to O'Hare airport, then took all five kids back to Fort Wayne for the week, which we greatly appreciated. The kids were counting down the days before they got to go stay with grandma and grandpa. We got to the gate at the airport, and it was very crowded, almost no place to sit. The flight was 100% full, and was in fact 10 people oversold. We thought about taking the bump until the next day, but were too excited to get to Japan to give up our seats.

Because I had planned ahead, I got us exit aisle seats, which generally means more legroom. On this flight, however, my seat in 33A had "limited legroom because the emergency exit door protrudes into the legspace." Meaning that I couldn't extend my left leg during the 12 1/2 hours on the flight. It was fine, though, and we were excited to go. We had the same seats on the way back, and Teresa was really nice to take that seat -- thanks, Teresa! :)

Our flight left at 12:48pm on Saturday, and arrived at 4:00pm on Sunday into Tokyo. We ended up waiting in a long line to get through immigration for about an hour and a half, then went to get Japan railways passes which gave us unlimited train use around Japan for a cheaper rate since we were tourists.

We got on a train that night to Shinjuku station in Tokyo, and walked to our hotel, passing the American Eagle Outfitters store and Krispy Kreme donut shop, which seemed pretty much like home. We stopped in the American Eagle Outfitters with all our luggage as Teresa asked for directions to our hotel in Japanese.

We walked across a main street, and quickly made it to our hotel, the Hotel Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku. The room was small but clean, so I would recommend it. We watched some Japanese TV, then went out to a noodle shop to eat. The noodle shop was interesting because they had to show us how to order-- you put your money in a vending machine, then push a button on the machine corresponding to a small photo of the noodle dish you want. You then take the ticket to the counter for the cook to make for you. It seems like a good system because there is no line and no cashier needed.

We got some snacks that night afterwards at a convenience store, which is where I found Banana KitKat. It was pretty great. During our trip, we tried several different types of KitKat bars, including banana, cheesecake, sweet potato, and wasabi. Some were better than others. Over the years, I have learned, there have been over 60 flavors of KitKat bars in Japan. Anyway... we also went to a karaoke place, where they had karaoke rooms and did that for a while. You don't do it in a bar, just in a small room, so only Teresa and I could hear each other. We did that four times on our trip because it was a lot of fun.

Day 1-

Monday morning we woke up, and I went jogging as part of my theory on getting over jet lag quickly. My no jet lag technique is this:
1) Go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day you are in a new place
2) Eat a lot right before bed (so you are not hungry for "lunch" at midnight)
3) Exercise first thing in the morning
4) Be outside and see the sunlight as much as possible during the day
5) Don't nap

We went to Kamakura, near Tokyo, on Monday. It was great to see some sakura (cherry trees) in bloom as we walked around. We saw a number of shrines and temples in this area, which was an ancient capital city of Japan. We spent a while at Kencho-ji temple, which was quite pretty. We ended up hiking uphill on a wooded trail to Hansobo shrine, then farther up the hiking path there was an overlook of the whole Kamakura area. There were statues of karasu-tengu along the way, big statues of goblin-like creatures with wings and a beak, for added entertainment. We kept thinking that we were at the top of the trail, but it kept going. We probably hiked for an hour up the stairs, which was cool but we were feeling pretty worn out by the time we made it to the top, and we were both sore for about two days after that.

Our motivation for walking was waning, but we did hike north a ways to see the impressive Engaku-ji Temple. It was clearly a very popular spot, with lots of crowds seeing the buildings there. We then took a taxi to Rai Tei, a traditional Japanese restaurant, with beautiful gardens. We sat on low stools and had a great view of Kamakura and surroundings, since it was set on a hill. I had a bento box, and Teresa tried the soba noodles. While we were eating, the sunshine turned to light rain, and the weather was mostly cloudy or a misty rain off and on for the remainder of the trip. It was quite cold, so we were happy that we brought our warm winter coats.

We went by taxi to the Daibutsu "big buddha," which is one of the iconic images of Japan. The bronze Buddha is 37-feet tall, and used to be inside a large wooden temple, until the temple was washed away in a tidal wave in 1495. It was cool to see, and it was clearly another very popular attraction, from all the visitors present. After the Daibatsu, we went to the Hase-dera temple, which had lots (thousands?) of tiny statues representing miscarried and aborted babies. Teresa had seen both Daibatsu and Hase-dera when she was a missionary, so she was a tour guide for me.

We walked from Hase-dera to the train station, stopping at a book store along the way to see the books. It was a quick stop because neither of us could read the words, so only the picture books held any interest for us.

The train took us to Yokohama station, and we got out and walked around. That was a disappointment-- Teresa wanted to see some of the area where she worked as a missionary, but the neighborhood around the train station had been so modernized that there was only one building that was the same as when she was a missionary about 20 years ago.

We hopped back on the train and went to Hakuraku, which was Teresa's first mission area. After a little wandering around the train station at dusk, trying to figure out the right way to go, we started walking up a hill that Teresa recognized. We stopped at a bakery where Teresa used to get good deals on bread heels as a missionary. As night came, we sat there and ate a hot dog biscuit and a soft roll. We were pretty tired and cold by that point, but decided to press on.

We walked farther up the hill, passing a bar that included the English words "Junk food" as an advertisement for their hot dogs and hamburgers. Not very flattering to Western food :). We found the church in Hakuraku, and were surprised to find it open on a Monday night. We walked around inside, and saw that someone was in the chapel practicing piano. We went to the room where Teresa would teach English classes, and explored the rest of the church, which had been updated a bit since Teresa was there.

The next trek was to find Teresa's mission apartment, which we managed to do without a lot of difficulty. We walked up to the door and got a photo there. It was more run-down that Teresa remembered, with a washing machine sitting outside the front door. We had accomplished one of the things I really wanted from the trip, which was for Teresa to be able to revisit some of her mission experiences.

Day 2-

We woke up pretty early, did some scripture study, then headed to Tsukiji fish market at about 5:30am. It was a bit of a ride on the train, and we talked with a couple from London who were also vacationing and heading for the fish market.

We walked around the fish market, and saw all the refrigerated trucks getting fish from the docks, and all the warehouses where the fish were being prepared to ship the night's catch to locations all around Japan. It was quite a busy place, with forklifts, boxes, trucks, and fish all over the place. Or particular quest was to try the freshest (and best) sushi in Japan for breakfast. We went to a sushi restaurant that was filled almost completely with tourists, and had a long line outside. I assumed it was the right place to go, and it really was great. We both had the set menu of squid, shrimp, sea urchin, six tuna rolls, the famously soft Anago eel, two toro sushi, and tamago (egg). Easily the best sushi I've ever had; it was really fresh-tasting. Some was pretty different, but we both ate it all.

The next stop in our journey was Ueno Park, where the sakura cherry blossoms were in beautiful bloom. It was like a carnival, with food booths all around, and musical performers. There were people and families with blankets and tarps out to have picnics under the blossoming trees. We tried sweet potato fries and okonomiyaki (Teresa's favorite Japanese dish-- a pancake made with egg, meat, cabbage and other ingredients. It's better than it sounds). We set at a bench overlooking a lake with swan-shaped paddleboats for a while. We were pretty tired from our Monday hiking, and it was nice to sit for a while until we got so cold we needed to move again. It was quite a lovely setting, though. We got some ice cream and spent the remainder of our afternoon hanging out in the park. We then headed back to Shinjuku and did some karaoke and walked around a big department store there.

Day 3-

We walked to Shinjuku park, but found that it was closed, so we took a long hike around the perimeter of the park, checking out the neighborhoods and enjoying some morning sunshine before we took the bullet train to Kyoto.

Teresa and I got to sit together during the 2 hour ride on the bullet train, and had the chance to see Mt. Fuji along the way, which was pretty neat. The train was quite comfortable, and had reserved seats. Seemed like a pretty efficient and nice way to travel.

We arrived at about 1:15, and made our way from Kyoto station to the Hotel Monterey Kyoto, which we enjoyed very much. It was a bit bigger than the hotel in Tokyo, and they spoke English really well there, so it was even easy for me to manage on my own there. When we arrived, we walked around the shopping district for a while. We then headed for Maruyama Park, and walked along the paths, admiring the cherry blossoms and nice scenery. The park was not so crowded, and had some places to sit and reflect.

Afterwards as it got dark, we headed to the Gion neighborhood, which is one of the most famous geisha districts in Japan. The streets were lined with traditional wood houses, and we saw a geisha heading to an appointment at one of the buildings, wearing a kimono, of course. We saw a lot of women wearing kimonos in Kyoto, and learned that the city wanted to encourage wearing kimonos, so many attractions in the city are free if you wear a kimono. You can also get free gifts in some shops if you wear a kimono.

To finish the night, we walked down some narrow cobblestone streets with shops and traditional restaurants, and stopped at an inexpensive curry shop for a bite to eat before bed.

Day 4-

We had an all-day bus tour of Kyoto, starting first thing in the morning that day. It was fairly rainy, but we had a great time and covered a lot of ground in one day. We saw:

1) Nijo castle - one of my favorite things to see in Japan. The home and headquarters of the shogun. It featured "nightingale" floors throughout that make a squeaking / chirping sound to warn the shogun of anyone sneaking up on him.

2) Kinkakuji pavilion - a building surrounded by a lake, built by the shogun to show his wealth & covered completely with gold.

3) Imperial palace- where the emperor was made the emperor. Interesting symbolism throughout. Many places in Japan have an orange tree and a cherry tree, which has a symbolic pairing for some reason, but I forget what.

4) Kyoto handicraft center - bought some souvenirs here and had a buffet lunch

5) Hein Jingu shrine- a big orange and green shrine, which also had a cherry tree and orange tree. Had a lot of open space.

6) Sanjusangendo Hall- this was really impressive, with 1001 human-size statues of the Buddhist deity Kannon. Every one was ridiculously highly detailed and were all carved by hand from wood in the 1200's.

7) Kiyomizudera Temple - This is where our guide left us when we paused to get a photo leading into the temple. He had our tickets, so we were stuck outside for a while. The guy at the gate realized what had happened, and let us in, fortunately. It is set up high on a hill, and has a porch that overlooks a wooded area. The fountains of water are rumored to have healing properties, so people come there to gather water or get a drink from the waterfall.

We had eaten so much junk food along the way that day that we didn't eat dinner. I tried black sesame ice cream, which is not as bad as it sounds. Finished the night with some karaoke singing and some shopping.

Day 5-

We hopped an early train to Nara, the "original" ancient capital of Japan, and perhaps my favorite site of the trip. We went to Nara Koen, which is the wooded park area where most of the major sites are.

The claim to fame of Nara is the presence of tame deer throughout the park. Not just a few, but over a thousand. You can buy deer cookies and feed the deer there, if you want. They seemed pretty docile, but there were signs around warning you about the dangers of charging and biting deer. We ran the "deer gauntlet" :) to get to Todaiji temple, which was, I think, the most impressive structure that I saw while in Japan. The temple is the world's largest wooden building, and has a giant Buddha inside. It was quite an active temple, with chanting going on inside, and a number of visitors. It is so massive that it does not seem crowded. I was just amazed that something that massive could have been built 1300 years ago.

We walked toward the Kasuga Taisha shrine, and walked a path with hundreds of ancient stone lanterns. That was really neat to see. They light the lanterns twice a year to invite back the spirits of dead ancestors. The moss-covered lanterns made it seem like a very old place.

We saw a 150-foot tall pagoda and some more temples and a historical museum. After that, we searched for a restaurant, and found a hole-in-in-the-wall cafe that was the kind of place that catered to real Japanese people, not tourists. There was no English menu, and even Teresa had to point at the plastic food in the case outside to show what we wanted to eat. We had a favorite dish of rice, chicken, and egg, named oyakodon. It's a really nice comfort food for a cold day.

We hopped a train back to Kyoto, and caught a taxi to the Philosopher's walk, which was a long walkway along a canal that was lined on both sides with sakura cherry trees in full bloom. It was an amazing sight to see, and we got a lot of photos along the way. It was a pleasant walk, and we stopped a few times to just sit and chat. We made it back to the hotel, and went out to eat at a nice restaurant where they had okonomiyaki and shabu-shabu, which is meat and vegetables that you either boil in water or fry in soy sauce at your table. It was all-you-can-eat, and it was really delicious and fun. Pretty messy though, because it really tested my skills with chopsticks, putting the veggies and cooked meat in dipping sauces.

Day 6-

We headed to the train station, and took the bullet train back to Tokyo to catch our flight back to the USA. It was fun to be there, but nice to get back and see everyone. We left Tokyo on Saturday at 4:55pm, and arrived in Chicago on Saturday at 2:20pm. We drove to Fort Wayne to see mom & dad and to pick up the kids. We stayed the night to celebrate Easter the next day!