Aunt Audrey has a costume box that had a knight costume that fit Will perfectly! Will loved this costume so much that he wore it every single day on our trip! I could barley get it off him to go to bed at night.
As well, Will was in for a huge treat on this trip because we monitor play weapons very closely at our house, only allowing certain kinds and very few....Well, when Will found the weapon box at the Mcneill's house he was like an addict that jumped right back on the weapon wagon. Will literally carried all of the swords with him for a couple days. Will was so excited to have so many swords that he wouldn't even put them down to take a drink out of his cup!
This was a site to see! Although the kids play that their house cat is a mountain lion, that likes to protect them in the mountains, the orange cat in this picture is their cat named " Peanut " , since the Mcneills have mountains in their back yard everyday is a day to explore and their cat follows along with them in their games! It is an incredible site to see the cat that thinks he's just one of the kids!!!!
Of course who needs a side-kick cat, when you have the " brave knight Will" around with his sword to protect you?
I zoomed in from Aunt Audrey's balcony at her house to take these pictures of the kids playing in her mountain back yard :)
When we were in Cortez, Audrey took us to an amazing and unforgettable World Heritage Site. We wont forget almost running out of gas on our way up the mountain either. We like adventure so much that we just like to make ourselves all excited about things we don't need to be ;) Just kidding....
It was kind of exciting to have to find a ranger to help us get more gas for the car though...
We told Brooke and Will as we neared the homes made by Indians thousands of years ago, that this might be a good way to visualize how relatives of the Nephites and Lamenites lived. Brooke and Will only heard half the sentence I suppose, as they raved on about how, " They were so excited to meet a real Nephite today! "
The cliff dwellings were almost just as exciting, because they didn't complain when there were not real Indians in the cliff dwellings. But, I am sure it perked the ears of some tourists passing by us as Brooke exclaimed to Will, " Will....This is where the dead Nephites might have lived!"
"Mesa Verde, Spanish for green table, offers a spectacular look into the
lives of the Ancestral Pueblo people who made it their home for over 700
years, from A.D. 600 to 1300. Today the park protects nearly 5,000
known archeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings. These sites
are some of the most notable and best preserved in the United States. " Mesa Verde National Park website
The long awaited day is here! Brooke's first day of Third Grade! Brooke is very excited about her teacher that she already knew from the previous year! Many of her friends are in her class again because she is in the GT cluster of children, which includes four children in our church, or ward ( congregation ).
Who need to pay to go get a mud bath at the spa when you can just go down to the lake in Cortez and mask your whole body in the stuff for free!?! There is no spa to be found in Cortez anyways....So this was our idea for some relaxation and unwinding when visiting Aunt Audrey in Colorado....
The kids all
had a very muddy blast! No matter what they do with their cousins in
Colorado, Brooke and Will have fun....but, add some dirt, water, and no
house rules, and it's all you need to get the party going with these
kiddos. Mommy and Aunt Audrey got pretty muddy too! Even if it could
have been avoided, Aunt Audrey, and I are both some pretty adventurous
Mommas, so we didn't mind...The least to say was, that there were a lot
of laughs amidst this mud! And as usual there were some little screams
of terror that are just part of any adventure....
We kept reminding the kids that there was no such thing as quick sand in Cortez, Colorado !!!!!!!!
Elias and Brooke
Fawn and Brooke
Elias and Brooke
Hyrum and Will
Thank goodness there weren't any snakes!
But, we did catch some mud fish....so that was pretty cool!
Will thought it was really awesome to fly on an airplane this time. He did keep saying as we took off and he looked out the window, " What if we fall down from the sky Mommy?" I guess he sensed the danger this could be even though I had never mentioned planes crashing or anything. He still thought it was fun, and even more fun to walk down the ramp off of the plane. Brooke was happy that she got a window seat and row all to herself, since we couldn't all sit together....she had her own row across from us!
Will loved being called " Spidey " all day in the airport with his Spiderman gear. He carried his own suitcase all the way too! He wouldn't let me help him, because he felt so big!
Just as we were arriving at the airport to our surprise Grandma was right there in the same Durango airport, and waiting to leave Colorado and go back to Texas. Didn't expect to see Grandma and Grandpa...funny surprise!
Grandma and Grandpa's plane was delayed so they had time to get the kids and myself to Aunt Audrey's car outside and snap a pic of " Pack girls".
Only a little over a week ago I was so worried that I could not sleep at night. I kept waking up knowing that one of my best friends, and big sister was scheduled to have a very painful surgery, with a long recovery that night. Knowing this, I had gone to the temple that night to say some extra prayers for her and receive some peace, since I as so worried about her. I also began a fast upon hearing this news. The doctors did not know this time why Audrey could not keep her food down, and was in such horrible pain for such a prolonged time? Audrey had already finished her prescribed antibiotics from the infection not being totally gone, due to having her appendix out a few weeks before. Even Audrey's husband who is an Internal medicine doctor did not know what was going on with her this time?
I have no doubt that prayers were heard and answered all in behalf of Audrey, such a magnificent person. Audrey did not end up having to have that painful surgery that night as I was waking up and praying over and over for her, as I know many others were as well. The doctors said it was a medical miracle what happened that night. Audrey's blood indicating infection showed to be completely normal the next morning, with out any meds. Her throwing up and pain also had stopped. They don't know the cause for these things..but what a blessing it was..
I decided that night the kids and I would take a trip to visit Audrey...It has turned out to be a wonderful trip! I couldn't stand the fact that Audrey had been through so much and I wasn't there to be a comfort..so better late than never in my mind :)
I am so thankful for prayers and the knowledge that they are heard and answered. I am so thankful for my big sister whom has always watched out for me, encouraged me to do good, and been an incredible example to me through out my life.
Brooke really enjoyed being placed in the " Gifted and Talented " class last year based upon the recommendation of previous teachers. This year as she took the test to see if she could enter the " Gifted and Talented " program she was beyond excitement when we received the letter in the mail that stated she had been accepted into the program! Brooke was literally jumping up and down with joy about her testing high enough to be accepted into the program.
That was not the end of Brooke's excitement. Upon returning to school the next day after receiving this letter, Brooke's current 2nd Grade teacher whom she absolutely adores Ms.Melnick, informed Brooke that she would be the " Gifted and Talented " teacher the following year. This meant that Brooke will get pulled out of class to be with this teacher that she adores, frequently.
This summer Brooke chose one of her summer activities to be meeting with this teacher to play math strategy games, and do challenging problem solving for fun. Brooke loves to learn, so since this was one thing she wanted to do, I figured I would not deny her of that....It's special to have a child who enjoys school work so much that they don't want to leave school for summer.
This is what Ms.Melnick wrote in a book called " Oh, the Places You'll Go " by Dr.Suess. I purchased this book at the end of Brooke's Kindergarten year, and we ask each of her teachers to write in it at the end of the year.
Dear Brooke,
I have enjoyed seeing you grow as we cruised through 2nd Grade together. You are a wonderful student, and an even more precious little girl with great character. I am so glad I will get to continue our journey together in GT.
Love you so much,
Ms.Melnick
Today, I especially understand this scripture at a deeper level as it reads in the New Testament in John chapter fourteen:
“He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth
me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love
him, and will manifest myself to him.” (John 14:15, 21)
I do not normally feel quite as inclined to be educated or informed about the affairs of the world as I should, but I understand this scripture more because in Iraq as of late, the Christians are having to go through great suffering, and I understand this scripture because as Christ said that those who loveth his Father, he will love, and I feel this same way, that these Christian's who are hungry, thirsty and scared are showing their love to HIM, and it is making me love them as well.
From the article below: U.N. agency for
children said many of the children on the mountain were suffering from
dehydration and at least 40 had died.
Brooke showed great empathy today as I told her what was happening to the Christians in Iraq. She was on the brink of tears to know that those who loved Jesus are risking their lives for them and being persecuted so badly. As, I asked Brooke and Will to join in prayer for these soldiers and Christians today, she was more than willing. She then asked Will, " Will, would you love Jesus enough to die for him? " Will said, " I do love Jesus, and I don't want him to die."
We can't do anything to help these suffering but pray, and be thankful....We can be thankful by not letting their suffering be worthless...We can let it move us to do better with the blessings that we have. We can be diligent in sharing what we know about Jesus Christ's restored gospel. We can take advantage our comfortable houses, and devices that allow us to so easily access the precious words in the scriptures, as well from Prophets and Apostles.
We are so blessed and so we can choose to be happy in the blessings that we have been given.
ARBIL, Iraq, Aug 7
(Reuters) - Islamist militants surged across northern Iraq towards the
capital of the Kurdish region on Thursday, sending tens of thousands of
Christians fleeing for their lives, in an offensive that prompted talk
of Western military action.
Reuters photographs showed what
appeared to be Islamic State fighters controlling a checkpoint at the
border area of the Kurdish semi-autonomous region, little over 30
minutes' drive from Arbil, a city of 1.5 million that is headquarters of the Kurdish regional government and many businesses. Related: Obama mulls U.S. airstrikes to help trapped religious minorities in Iraq -NYT
The
fighters had raised the movement's black flag over the guard post.
However a Kurdish security official denied that the militants were in
control of the Khazer checkpoint, and the regional government said its
forces were advancing and would "defeat the terrorists", urging people
to stay calm.
Carnage in Iraq as Islamic State extends reach
The New York Times reported that U.S. President Barack Obama was
considering airstrikes or humanitarian airdrops to help trapped
religious minorities in Iraq.
The White House said the U.S. government and military were supporting Iraqi and Kurdish forces to protect people trapped by Islamic State fighters.
Spokesman
Josh Earnest said any U.S. military action would be "very limited in
scope" and tied to Iraqi political reforms, adding: "There are no
American military solutions to the problems in Iraq."
Sunni
militants captured Iraq's biggest Christian town, Qaraqosh, prompting
many residents to flee, fearing they would be subjected to the same
demands the Sunni militants made in other captured areas - leave,
convert to Islam or face death.
The Islamic State, considered more
extreme than al Qaeda, sees Iraq's majority Shi'ites and minorities
such as Christians and Yazidis, a Kurdish ethno-religious community, as
infidels.
France called for an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council to "counter the terrorist threat in Iraq".
President Francois Hollande's office said after he spoke by telephone with Kurdistan president Masoud Barzani that Paris was prepared to support forces engaged in the defence of Iraqi Kurdistan. It did not say how.
Shares
in energy companies operating in Iraqi Kurdistan plummeted on news of
the sweeping Islamist advance towards oilfields in the region.
U.S.
oil major Chevron Corp said it was evacuating staff in light of the
militants' advance, and an industry source said Exxon Mobil Corp was
also pulling out staff, although the company declined comment on
security concerns.
The Islamic State said in a statement on its Twitter account that its fighters had seized 15 towns, the strategic Mosul dam on the Tigris River and a military base, in an offensive that began at the weekend.
Kurdish officials say their forces still control the dam, Iraq's biggest.
On
Thursday, two witnesses told Reuters by telephone that Islamic State
fighters had hoisted the group's black flag over the dam, which could
allow the militants to flood major cities or cut off significant water
supplies and electricity.
The Sunni militants inflicted a
humiliating defeat on Kurdish forces in the weekend sweep, prompting
tens of thousands from the ancient Yazidi community to flee the town of Sinjar for surrounding mountains. A Kurdish government security adviser said its forces had staged a tactical withdrawal. BOMBINGS ACROSS IRAQ
Facebook
and Twitter were blocked in Kurdistan on Thursday, initially for 24
hours. A government official told Reuters the reason was to prevent
militants from gathering any information about the movement of Kurdish
forces from social media, and to stop rumours and panic.
The Kurdish Regional government's Ministry of Interior said in a statement that "our victory is close".
The security adviser said many layers of security and a trench protecting the regional capital. "Arbil city is fine," he said.
The
militants' weekend capture of Sinjar, ancestral home of the Yazidi
minority, prompted tens of thousands of people to flee to surrounding
mountains, where they are at risk of starvation.
Some of the many
thousands trapped on Sinjar mountain have been rescued in the past 24
hours, a spokesman for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs said, adding that 200,000 had fled the fighting.
"This is a tragedy of immense proportions, impacting the lives of
hundreds of thousands of people," spokesman David Swanson said by
telephone.
Many of the displaced people urgently need water, food,
shelter and medicine, he said. A spokesman for the U.N. agency for
children said many of the children on the mountain were suffering from
dehydration and at least 40 had died.
Yazidis, regarded by the
Islamic State as "devil worshipers", risk being executed by the Sunni
militants seeking to establish an Islamic empire and redraw the map of
the Middle East.
Thousands of Iraqis, most of the Yazidis, are
streaming to the border with neighbouring Turkey to flee the fighting,
Turkish officials said.
The plight of fleeing Christians prompted
Pope Francis to appeal to world leaders to help end what the Vatican
called "the humanitarian tragedy now under way" in northern Iraq.
In
Kirkuk, a strategic oil town in the north held by Kurdish forces since
government troops melted away in June, 11 people were killed by two car
bombs that exploded near a Shi'ite mosque holding displaced people,
security and medical sources said.
In Baghdad, a suicide bomber
blew himself up in a Shi'ite district, killing at least six people,
police said. Earlier, a car bomb in another Shi'ite area of the capital
killed 14.
Gains by the Islamic State have raised concerns that
militants across the Arab world will follow their cue. At the weekend
the Sunni militants seized a border town in Lebanon, though they appear
to have mostly withdrawn.
The Islamic State, which has declared a
caliphate in the areas of Iraq and Syria it controls, clashed with
Kurdish forces on Wednesday in the town of Makhmur, about 60 km (40
miles) southwest of Arbil, the capital of the Kurdish autonomous zone.
Witnesses
said the militants had seized Makhmur, but Kurdish officials told local
media their forces remained in control there, and television channels
broadcast footage of Kurdish peshmerga fighters driving around the town.
The mainly Christian town of Tilkaif, as well as Al Kwair, were overrun by militants, according to witnesses.
Grandma and Grandpa Pack took us to the Perot Science Museum this past weekend when Kevin was out of town. We had such a wonderful time! There is so much to see at this museum that we did not get to see it all. We will have to go back with Kevin. We missed him being with us at such a neat family activity, but we are always so thankful that Grandma and Grandpa Pack take those opportunities to help us have fun when he is gone.
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