Home Sweet Home

Well we actually spent the whole week this week here in Colorado Springs! Unusual I know and it was still full of lots of fun and adventure.
It has been raining everyday this week except for Saturday and Sunday and the high temp for us on several of those days was only in the 60s. Let’s just say that it was much more pleasant than the heat we met with while traveling this summer. Makes a big dent in the water bill as well!
With the rain the kids spent a lot of time in doors. That was convenient as Mylinda started school with them this week. Everyone is working to wrap up some straggler work in a few subjects or get started on the curriculum for next year. Each day Michael and Aunnika were driving to finish English and Math coursework. We spent a lot of time trying to catch up on stuff we didn’t do while on our vacations for the last several weeks. (We will report on those soon.) We also started a morning devotional schedule with family prayer each day at 06:55. This way Dad and Mom can be there and all but our three youngest can sing a couple of songs and then have prayer to start the day. This little practice makes a big difference in the way the day begins and the influence that the Spirit has in our lives. I highly recommend it. We still conduct our scripture study at night with more Hymns and another Family Prayer. It will be a good addition to my day as Mylinda and the kids were holding prayer in the morning after I was at work. It is great that my work schedule will permit this change.
By way of details of the week, it was a pretty normal one – Orthodontist appointments, Young Women and Activity Days – oh and then Mylinda got to go and participate in Ammon Redd’s birth on the 29th. That was definitely a highlight of the week for us all. What a great honor it is to have any small part in that miracle! We had a chance to go and visit the handsome little fellow yesterday and he is doing great along with his well pleased Papa and Mamma.
Yesterday we also had some fun with a birthday party for Ian that Michael, Aunnika and Catherine were able to attend. They are all ready for the PGA tour now with their 18 holes of mini golf and then we had a nice time visiting with Sperry and Sarah when we went to pick up the kids and then go see little Ammon.
One highlight of the week that should give you a good laugh was from our devotional on Friday night. I (Mike) was not very happy with the kids who did not have their books ready and were not paying attention, etc. I was carefully watching each of them and reminding them to pay attention and follow along. I admit, I was not very happy with them and they knew it. Well, I was helping Daniel with his verse in Ether where we were reading about the plot of Akish to take the head of the king through secret combinations which were initiated by Cain, who was a murderer from the beginning. He was not staying with me either and I was having to repeat the phrases for him a couple of times before he would say them right. All of this just added to my frustration. Well, he got stuck on the phrase “who was a murderer” and I repeated it a few times before he finally said, in a very matter of fact and serious way “I don’t know.” Well that was the end of the frustration and all of us lost it and were laughing.
We have a great family of little Stones and really enjoy the time that we spend together and I especially enjoy how resilient they are in spite of the shortcomings of their parents. May the Lord bless you all with safety and joy this next week – more to come from this rolling Stone clan in the future.