And the rains came down...

The Wise Man and the Foolish Man

1. The wise man built his house upon the rock,
The wise man built his house upon the rock,
The wise man built his house upon the rock,
And the rains came tumbling down.

2. The rains came down, and the floods came up,
The rains came down, and the floods came up,
The rains came down, and the floods came up,
And the house on the rock stood still.

3. The foolish man built his house upon the sand,
The foolish man built his house upon the sand,
The foolish man built his house upon the sand,
And the rains came tumbling down.

4. The rains came down, and the floods came up,
The rains came down, and the floods came up,
The rains came down, and the floods came up,
And the house on the sand washed away.

Words and music: Southern folk song

Matthew 7:24-27

Helaman 5:12

Happy Birthday!

Sometimes (not always) it's a choice...

Veteran's Day

Today is a good day to spend some time thinking about special people...  Love you, DAD!

My sweet niece posted a couple of years ago.  I like re-reading it, so I'm sharing it HERE.

My sister posted on the family blog and I'm sharing it HERE!

Mormon Leaders Congratulate President on Election Win

The First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued the following statement Tuesday:

We congratulate President Obama on winning a second term as President of the United States.

After a long campaign, this is now a time for Americans to come together. It is a long tradition among Latter-day Saints to pray for our national leaders in our personal prayers and in our congregations. We invite Americans everywhere, whatever their political persuasion, to pray for the President, for his administration and the new Congress as they lead us through difficult and turbulent times. May our national leaders reflect the best in wisdom and judgment as they fulfill the great trust afforded to them by the American people.

We also commend Governor Romney for engaging at the highest level of our democratic process which, by its nature, demands so much of those who offer themselves for public service. We wish him and his family every success in their future endeavors.

Bubba

Mr Bo seems to be fascinated by The Adventures of Tin Tin!

HAPPY ELECTION DAY!

I recently found this and thought it worth sharing...
Lesson from the Civil War, General Lee's surrender to General Grant...
The terms of the surrender were recorded in a document completed around 4 p.m., April 9. As Lee left the house and rode away, Grant's men began cheering in celebration, but Grant ordered an immediate stop. "I at once sent word, however, to have it stopped," he said. "The Confederates were now our countrymen, and we did not want to exult over their downfall."
Please remember that what unites us is greater than what divides us!

Some clouds...

...have a silver lining.  Some clouds create a beautiful sunRISE!

 Now picture three (extremely camera-shy) sisters in the foreground :-)

Word of the day...

Imperturbability

An unexpected surprise

This was unexpected in two ways...we didn't expect that three whales would be hanging out that close to shore...and with the glare on my camera I had no idea I got a video of anything until I down loaded it!

31 for 21

I like to google search to find resources for learning and possibly posting. Usually I google the term "Down Syndrome". Today I used "31 for 21" and this is the resulting list of some bloggers participating this month. I feel privileged that I am allowed to read about these families and gain from their experiences and perspectives.

I hope the link works for you.

https://www.google.com/search?q=31+for+21+down+syndrome&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari

Family, friends, fun

31 for 21

I'm a little late, but what a great month for appreciating some of God's most precious souls! To learn more and take a fun journey, join my friend here http://the-so.blogspot.com/2012/10/october-is-here.html!

Sunday lessons

“And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.”
—Helaman 5:12

Tsk, tsk

While the owners are away....

(did they give the sitter a hard time?!)

Gotta love it!

Prove you are human?

To my blogger friends... I enjoy checking in and seeing your families and reading your thoughts. However, the cyber-gods must not think I am human because they keep refusing my input on those silly characters. After multiple attempts I have given up. I think it might be an Apple vs PC issue, but oh well. please know that your posts are being enjoyed, even tho I cannot comment.

So many pictures...

So little time?! It sure was hard to leave today. Love these guys to the moon and back... And we will be back soon!
"I love you so so much Emma. Do you love Me?"




Marion and Grampa rocking to iTunes music videos!




Cruisin' in the rental mini-van








The star of the show...








A trip to Bass Pro Shop...




That Marion keeps us laughing! (Climbing in Emma's seat!)




Ice cream time!


Big helper


Emma's first Skype with Grampa!


Helping daddy research iPhones

Sunday thoughts...

Grandchildren complete the circle of love...

First came Lukas...



Then came Goy...



Next came Kaylee...


And Marion made four...



Now we have Jordan...



And finally Emma Lue...



With so much love, what's a grampa and gramma to do!

Babysitting....

Master Lukas was very disappointed to hear that mommy was teasing about babysitting Jordan while she made dinner, so she let him "watch" her for a bit. Look at that face of responsibility! And Miss Kaylee keeping them company. I sure miss them!

More precious moments

Hand-me-downs...

Anyone that is not a first-born child knows the story of getting hand-me-downs, especially child #3. I don't think Miss Emma Lue will mind getting this hand-me-down...how 'bout Gramma gives her her own birthday! Gramma has gotten LOTS of birthdays so she is giving Emma her own day. What a great 'last' birthday present for Gramma. Happy 'birth' day, Emma! Welcome to the family!

Goy gave her lots of flowers...





While Marion just wanted to cuddle her "I wuv you baby"

Along the way...

So, this is shopping 'containment' at its best, and if you use the center of the aisle little hands can't reach the shelves!



And if you want a really effective, all natural sleep aid, just sit close to this, listening to two deep breathing sleeping children!