"March"ing Forward!

Hello dear ones,

What a week! Ups and downs, as usual, but the Lord is mighty and He makes everything work for our good. Onward and upward-- CARRY ON!

This past week I have FINALLY been painting the coffee table and an end table from the living room with chalk paint. Yes, Mom is actually working on a project! I am wishing I could paint every bit of wood in our house WHITE, but we'll just see if I get this particular project finished before I get too ambitious.

;-)

New pi-nano!

I forgot to tell you that we got a new-to-us piano! It's a beautiful antique, and it has a lovely, though old-fashioned, tone. And best yet, ALL the keys work! YAY! I'm including a picture, so we'll need you to try it out for us someday.

Missionary News

M-- B-- is heading out to the MTC this month! I can't remember where she's going, but I think it's in South America. She'll do great! Her mom is so proud.


I think I saw on Facebook that M-- W-- just got to Hong Kong. That's about all I know, but you know M--; he'll do great work as a missionary!


B-- W-- leaves next week-- his farewell is Sunday. So Lliam and some of the other guys in the ward are going to get together this week.

Little ones on a long board

Family Stuff

Saturday, we spent real time together as a family at the park. Daddy and I brought some lunch and the kids all ate and ran and played. Eryn and Grayse both fell down and got scrapes, and the kids had fun pushing each other around on Lliam's longboard. Joy and tragedy all in one day! ;-)

Gorgeous weather! Warm AND overcast.
(With Fiona not having fun...)

I'm reading some new books on homeschool and organization-- yeah, the usual. LOL! We need to do a BIG PURGE, so that's another project I'm tackling.

Yesterday, Daddy and I fasted and prayed to know if we should put all our energy into trying to stay in this house, and we got a "Yes," so that's the new goal. Whether we are successful or not remains to be seen, but we are going to do ALL we can to stay in this house. We'd love it if you could join your prayers with our. Miracles CAN happen, right??? :)

Today it's "cold" and rainy. I mean 50-ish degrees! *tee-hee* But really, we Arizonans are enjoying the weather thoroughly.

We love you, and are so grateful for the good example you are setting for ALL of our family. We know the Church is true, and that the restored gospel is the only way we can return to our Heavenly Father.

I want you to know that your mother has a firm testimony of Jesus Christ and the reality of His life and resurrection. I want you to know that I will ALWAYS follow the living prophet. My one goal in life is to be true and faithful to the end, just as those who have come before us.

I love you, son. Keep up the hard work, the obedience, and the faith. Your faithfulness is a wonderful source of joy for me, and I appreciate you.

Much love,

Mama Rachel

This Week!

The Gilbert temple on President's Day

Hola, Elder Keppy-Face!!!

:-D

We are so, so sad we missed you last week. :-( But we hope you got our package, as a consolation for no letter. (Did you get it? Huh???)

This has been a busy week at Das Keppnerhaus. Last Sunday evening, we had Daddy's Keppner cousin and her family over for dinner. They live in San Tan Valley, and have three boys. The oldest is seventeen, the middle on is 14 (I think?), and their ten year old little guy is autistic, like Morganne and Gavin. It was crazy and fun, and it was wonderful to reconnect a bit. Who knew we had Keppner cousins in AZ?!

Early Monday morning, Avalon and I went to the dentist's office so she could get a tooth pulled, a spacer put in, and several teeth filled. After we got there, they weighed her and then gave her some special medicine to make her sleepy. She and I waited in a dark room where she laid down on a special little bed and watched a movie. When the medicine kicked in (She was so funny!), they led us in to a room where Avalon could sit in the dentist's special chair to get her work done. She was so good! She help still and hardly remembered a thing.

Avalon getting sleepy...

When we went home with her, she was so good about eating only soft things, and slept pretty much the entire rest of the day. We are so glad her owie tooth is better and that she was such a brave girl. (See the picture of her getting sleepy below.)

Tuesday afternoon, I took everyone but Gavin, Ronan, and Davy to see the E-- boys performing in "Seussical the Musical!" (Gavin and Ronan said they didn't want to see it, but they really missed out!) It was PHENOMENAL!!! Those musicals [high school] puts on are awesome, and we were so glad we got to see it. Sister E-- emailed me that their cast was performing the show at --- for FREE for some public school students, and that we could attend. There were plenty of seats available, so we got good ones and had a blast!

Morganne, Lliam, Bonny, and Dierdre were all raving as much as I did. You would have loved it, too. EVERYONE in the show was amazing-- it was just soooo good! One of the G-- boys played Jojo in the show, and did a great job.

Wednesday had the usual craziness, with mutual, scouts, and all. Ronan helped with the flag ceremony for the Blue and Gold banquet, so he was the only one who attended. Can you believe that we have NO Cub Scouts in our family right now? Weird...

Friday we had our TJLA classes. During my English Literature class in the afternoon, we had a really special experience. We are studying the early Victorian Era and were going over Tennyson's poetry specifically that day. In a flash of heavenly inspiration, I walked my class over to the basketball park, and I read them the poem "Crossing the Bar" out loud on the green rolling hills. Picture the cloudy sky above, with birds chirping in the background:

Crossing the Bar

Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea.

But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.

Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;

For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crossed the bar.

We then had a great, GREAT discussion on our life's callings, and what the future holds for us. I had then eat go off alone in the park, somewhere quiet, and had them write a list of FIVE things they want to do OR be before they "cross the bar." And by "crossing the bar," it could either mean before they die, or before they leave home, or...?

I did the exercise, too, and it totally made me cry and realize what is MOST important to me.

After gathering back together at the end of our debriefing discussion, I suddenly felt prompted by the Spirit to share how important Grandma Nielsen's living testimony has been to me in my life. I totally cried and bore my own testimony.

I don't know if the class helped the students that day, but I know it helped ME. Heavenly Father is so good to give what we need, right when we need it!

Saturday was full of housework and lazing about, too. Then, that evening, we went to a play done by another new homeschool group. The play was actually written and directed by D--, who also starred in the main role. It was fun and cute, though they had some itty bitty ones in their cast! (9 and 10 years old) It was a moralist story with a defined message, but also was done in Shakespearean-esque language, though not in iambic pentameter. I guess K-- and S-- helped write it, and S-- was also in it. We had a fun time, and I thought they did a great job. :-)


Yesterday was really great, with a wonderfully inspiring ward conference. (President D-- and Bishop W-- are so great!) Daddy and I both took several notes, and have some new goals. GOOD STUFF!

Just waiting...

This morning.... (drumroll please...) Lliam did something major!!!

He...


passed...


his...


driver's test!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He OFFICIALLY has a real Arizona driver's license.

WOW!!!

It's so exciting!!!! :-)

We love you, we miss you, and we know the work you are doing is the Lord's. We're so proud of you for your devotion to Jesus Christ and His work. Stay True and Faithful always. We love you!!!


Carry on,

Mama Rachel

Field Trip: Going to WAR!

 WARNING: This post includes LOTS of pictures. You have been forewarned! *wink*

A couple of weeks ago, we had the opportunity to attend the annual SCA Estrella War with our local homeschool friends on an educational tour. We always look forward to this great event, and are so thankful we got to go this year! (Initially, we were on a waiting list for the tour.)

The SCA (The Society for Creative Anachronism) is a medieval reenactment group with chapters all over the world. My husband and I used to "play" when we were first married, but experience taught us that it is not a family-friendly organization to be heavily involved in. We find that being able to attend Estrella War each year is just the right amount for our family.

Here we are gathering with our homeschool friends. (Check out Lliam's interaction with his younger brother. *sigh*)

The girls are ready to go!

This was our tour guide. She had a brand new baby with her, and a sore ankle, but she walked us all over the acres of encampment in order to show us everything.

This falconer was great! He knows so much about falconry, and was really kind to the kids.

Head of an SCA "Household." He was full of little known facts about medieval food, cooking, feasting, and living. His enthusiasm was super contagious!

The table and chairs are handmade and collapsible.  This feasting hall was really amazing! I found myself wishing we could return later in the evening. (But then, I am not into drinking mead and singing medieval drinking songs. *wink*)

This lady played the part of a "pilgrim", and had lots of really cool stuff! She explained how rosary beads are made (out of rose petals!), and she had all kinds of small, handmade things a real pilgrim from medieval times would have carried as they made their way to Canterbury. (Notice Baby Eryn being held by my good friend, Toni. Doesn't she look cute in her little medieval dress and bonnet?)

Gavin really enjoyed trying on the Viking armor!

Our big boys probably spent 20 minutes standing here asking the Vikings questions. They were fascinated!

This lady had told us all about how real wool felt is made and shaped. Fascinating stuff!

 

Morganne was so happy to be there! (Doesn't she look pretty in the medieval dress Granna made her?!)

This woman was spinning wool thread. The wool yarn to her right was dyed with onion skins!

The cooking area was a real favorite with all the kids. They not only got to see cinnamon rolls being made, they got to taste samples, too!

Here's Grayse trying her hand at rolling biscuits.

They were really baking in these really cool clay ovens! They said that when the clay would crack, they'd just lay more wet clay on them. Then, when the event was over, they could just break them up, and sweep them away.

Here's a lady baking cinnamon rolls and telling us about how fire was the biggest danger medieval women faced. Cooking over an open flame is not as romantic as it sounds!

A BATTLE!!! The boys wished they could be out there in armor, too.

This fighter taught us a lot about the rules of fighting in the SCA. He was really nice.

We just HAD to take this picture of Avalon in front of one of the many shops on Merchant Row!

Temple Open House

The Gila Valley Temple

This past Thursday, our whole family got to attend the Gila Valley Temple Open House. It was so fun to take a day trip down to southeastern Arizona and see this beautiful house of the Lord.

Ronan, squinting in the sun.


Dierdre and Grayse


MacKenna and Grayse-- whoops!

The very BEST part was being in the temple with our ENTIRE family around us-- something that I always keep as a visualization for what I want for our family someday: Eternity together!

Ten of my FAVORITE people on the planet!

And the two people who started this family...

Together Forever is the goal!

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth."3 John 1:4