Introducing Indy!!

This is Indy! "Which is short for Independence, but actually stands for Indiana Jones," says Luke the proud owner of his new betta fish. It is a winner of a name for a red, white and blue fish!!!!

Luke and Indy outside of Petco

Indy is a male Crowntail Betta. Luke specifically was looking for a red, white and blue fish because he picked the name out a few weeks before he got him. He and I were just tossing fish names around for fun and we thought of doing something patriotic because we'd be able to go get a new fish around Independence Day. We tried names of presidents and other 4th of July sounding names when we happened to say Indy. Luke immediately associated it with Indiana Jones too. (and why not? Luke after all thinks he's named after Luke Skywalker. Bruce agrees. I named him after Saint Luke in the Bible.)  Dallin and Luke spent time on the computer looking at different kinds of betta fish. This coloring is a rare variety in nature. So when Luke saw the fish at Petco it was pretty exciting to actually find a red, white and blue fish. Indy is a happy, little fish in his new home! We sure like him!

Clothing a Missionary

I've never been one to spend a huge amount of money on clothes or shop without looking at the price tags. Oh, I'd LOVE to be able to shop like that, but it would not be responsible of me. However, today was different with this boy!

Granted we had checked out Peterson's Clothing a few times before the mission call came so I did kind of know what the price tag would be to get this Elder out the door. After thinking about it and talking to LOTS of other moms who said "Peterson's is great. Just go there and get all the clothes. The shirts and suits REALLY did last for two whole years. It might be more, but it will be worth it!"
Then Dallin and Lance went there one night for a priest quorum activity and Lance was impressed. So today Dallin and I spent several hours there with my cousin, Elias Lines!! So fun to have him there working when we came in.

Elias fitting Dallin's suit 

Clothes we bought today for two years!!

2 suits that come with 2 suit pants--1 charcoal grey, 1 black with small brown stripes
8 short sleeve shirts
2 long sleeve shirts
1 pair of taupe dress slacks
1 belt
1 solid grey sweater
10 pairs of socks (that come with a 2 year guarantee--if his socks get holey he just needs to e-mail a picture and Petersons will send him a new pair!)
1 winter coat with a zip out liner
scarf
earmuffs
leather winter gloves
4 new ties
2 pairs of shoes
1 white tie
1 pair of white socks
set of luggage

bonus stuff:
sewing kit
pediometer
shoe bags for packing shoes
laundry bag
little flashlight
toiletry bag

Dallin does have a few more ties at home along with a pair of slacks and a dressy pair of shoes. Plus some other stuff. Kind of fun seeing his check list get checked off! 

What 10 new shirts look like out of the package

Octo

The Life of Octo with Luke (May 5, 2013-June 11, 2014)

For Luke's 8th birthday he asked for a fish. We were super sneaking and we were able to surprise him with a beautiful blue male betta fish. Luke, who is very cleaver with naming things, came up with the name Octo in honor of being an eighth birthday present. Such a great name.

Luke was so good at feeding him a few little fish food flakes and a little dried up brine shrimp most days. (It's okay for betta fish to miss a day of being feed.)

He lived on the edge of the bar between the family room and the kitchen. It was fun to look at him swimming around in his little tank while I was working in the kitchen.  

The past few days Octo hasn't looked too good. He'd hang out at the bottom of the tank at a funny angle. He didn't come to the top when it was feeding time. Sadly Luke knew it was Octo's final days. Luke looked at me with his sweet blue eyes all big and said with his serious voice, "he might have Ichthyosis colitis" It was so sweet to see how concerned he was about Octo, even with his cute summer freakly nose and blue eyes looking up at me. The term Ichthyosis colitis is something his learned off of an old Danny Kaye movie, Up In Arms (which is super funny and worth watching). Ichthyosis really is a human dry skin condition in which skin looks like fish scales and the Danny Kaye character is a hypochondriac that tells people they might have this disease. I do think that Octo may have really died from Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, which is the fish disease a.k.a. as "ich." Fish tend to have quick shallow breathes, hide in different places than normal, have no appetite, and hang out at the bottom of the tank. Poor Otco.

Luke decided to just have a burial for Octo in the backyard back by the firepit. Luke gently carried Otco's tank out to the backyard. Hunter attempted to dig a hole (Dallin finished it up--something about having a bit more height and muscle makes that easier). Lance said a few words that were so sweet. Luke really didn't want too much though. Then it was time to put Octo in his little grave. I was curious to see how Luke would do it. I didn't know if he'd pour Octo and the water from the tank into the grave or what. He surprised me by very tenderly putting his hand into the tank and sweetly cupping his hand around the little fish body and gently laying him in the ground. What a sweet, tender soul this boy has!

Pinewood Derby #10

Yep, that's right #10 happened on February 25, 2014. The Warnicks' tenth pinewood derby in a row! Two more to go for Luke. Lance does a super good job at teaching the boys how to make their own cars and then letting them do it with just a bit of guidance from him.

This is how Luke made his car, narrated by him:

Dad taught me how to make my car.

First, I made a design on some paper.  I traced the wood block on to the paper. I had a top view and a side view. Then I designed my car on the paper.

Then I cut out the paper design and traced it onto the wood block.

I craved the design with saws and sandpaper machines.

Then I painted it with spray paint. And I made designs out of tape. I even sprayed the tape purple. It was blue.

Then I put on the wheels. (There is a secret to this part. But I won't tell.)

My car was very fast. It almost got third place overall, I think. I won some of the races. Mostly I got second in the races. Sometimes I got third.

The car is named "51"

Anticipation!!!!! The first race! Levi, Zanny, Luke and Sean

Faces as the cars fly down the track. I don't know why Zanny looks so concerned. The next picture was super blurry but all 4 had HUGE smiles on their faces.

Luke won the "Split Spoiler" Award 

The Last Wolf

We Warnicks love the scouting program. We are scouters. Luke is our last Cub Scout. He couldn't wait to be a scout like his brothers. He loves wearing his uniform. He would really like us to get him even more uniform parts, especially the hat. I might just have to surprise him with one!

Luke worked really hard to finish up everything he needed to get done for his Wolf Scout badge before his birthday. He made it! He also earned his gold arrow point and two silver arrows. Pack meeting was May 26th, after his birthday, so he is now in the Bear Den and he wore the blue neckerchief for Bears. I didn't even have to tell him. He went and found it all on his own.

Cub Master Lee Hoffman awarding Luke his Wolf Badge. Luke and brand new Wolf Leader of one week, Cameron Whiting in the blue shirt.

Trying not to stick Mom with the Mother's Badge (she really earned this one!)

I had to ask for it, but I am going to get as many hugs as I can from this guy as I can!!

Years ago when Dallin started Cub Scouts I imagined super organized meetings with all the scouts dressed in their uniforms and standing neatly at attention and anxiously engaged in the meetings. I am pretty sure my ideal looked just like a Norman Rockwell painting. Something like this!




It took me a little while to come to grips with how Cub Scouts REALLY look. A bit more like this!

I have since really looked at Norman Rockwell's painting of scouting and noticed that they do have a lot of elements of scouts being real boys: learning, working, serving others, camping and yes, even being like that painting, at little bit of serious and proud to be in a uniform and part of something much bigger than themselves. So after having years of helping at day camps, going to pack meetings, and helping scouts grow, I truly LOVE pictures of scouts being themselves. So even though it's blurry (that what happens when your subject moves his head around during the shot) I love this Cub Scout picture. And this Cub Scout!

The REAL Cub Scout: Luke!

I Hope They Call Me on a Mission

A year and half ago in the 2012 October General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints President Monson announced a change the affected our family. Young Men can now serve a mission at 18 years old if they would like to as long as they have graduated from high school. A whole year earlier than before. Exciting! A new revelation that really has become part of our family!

Bruce immediately was the most excited about this change. He can't wait to be a missionary! He says he's going as a soon as graduates from high school.

Dallin had some thinking to do about it. For a while he didn't say much about it. He was pondering and thinking. I was shaken up a bit thinking about it. Ever since I found out he was a boy that would be born in July 1996 these were my plans for him:

Grow up
Graduate from high school in 2014
Go to college for a year
Come home
Start filling out mission papers
Get a job
Work until you turn 19
Go on a mission for two years

That thought process was now different. There were other options now! I said to him several different things.
"You could right after you turn 18"
"You could still go to school for a year if you want, you'll still be 18 after one year of college"
"It's all up to YOU. You get to decide what you want to do."

Then in November or so of 2013 Lance took Dallin to an open house at a Boise hotel for Utah State University. As soon as Dallin walked through the door into the dining room the first thing out of his mouth to me was, "Utah State will hold my admissions and scholarships for up to 2 1/2 years." And there it was. His mind must have been settled at that point. He's going was on a mission first.

We started seeing how good it will be to go first. No wasted time in college not knowing what to really study and just waiting to go on mission. Just go and serve the Lord first. Everything else will fall into place later.

So when his senior year started this year we started planning a little bit more. Mission papers can go in around the end of March (120 days before his availability date). So he needed doctor appointments and dentist appointments. Lance was the first to schedule one. He took Dallin to his cleaning (which we've been doing yearly since we pay cash for all dental work) and he came home and said, "I scheduled his next appointment earlier because he'll need to get his mission papers filled out."  Wow! Okay. What a great plan. We picked a new doctor (time to move on from the pediatrician) and went and saw him in August just so we'd know him before mission physical time. 

The beginning of March Dallin meet with Bishop Roger Christensen and started everything going. Doctor and dentist appointments were easy! No problems. This kid is healthy! Then he filled out all the information on-line that he needed to. (I LOVE that the church is SO tech savvy! It's amazing how simple things are when everything is done on-line.) Then Dallin meet with our stake president, President Shane Beus on March 30th. After President Beus talked with Bishop Christensen he sent the paperwork and his recommendation to the church offices in Salt Lake City.

There the papers were reviewed by a missionary committee and then a mission is selected by inspiration by a member of the Quorum of the Twelve apostles and reviewed by the prophet, President Thomas S. Monson. Then the call is signed by him and sent to Dallin.

I truly believe that a mission call is given by inspiration. I believe that the Lord has a specific plan for each us and callings help us grow and achieve our own potential, which He knows. Where a missionary is called to serve is important. There are people the Lord knows need that missionary and I believe the missionary needs those people too--to help him grow and learn what he needs to be successful in his calling.

The waiting for the call started right after that interview with the stake president. We knew it would take a few weeks because of General Conference. During the waiting time, our nephew Austin got his mission call. Philippines Bacolod Mission. He enters the Provo Missionary Training Center on August 13th. And Dallin has several friends receive their calls too. It really is fun to see where they all are getting called!

On Tuesday, April 15th Dallin send me this text: 
FWD-BISHOP: Your status says assignment made! 

So the mail comes around noon. I guess. I never really paid attention. Thursday I kept myself busy all morning and went out to the mailbox right around noon so I could send Dallin this text:

Melissa: The mail!

Dallin: Yes!!!!!!!!!!(:

And I could send this text to my parents:

"It's here! Opening later tonight. Lance went to Pocatello today and will be home late. Thinking around ten at this point"
 

I thought I might be a bit weepy about my oldest getting his mission call. I did have a few tears in my eyes when I very first saw it in the mailbox. But then I just started grinning! I was so excited! 

Then I cleaned. Went to the middle school track meet, which happened to be in Kuna. Thayne was throwing and Bruce did triple jump. Dallin helped work the discus event. It was good to keep busy. 

Lance called and said he'd really be home around 7:30. So I contacted grandparents to let them know we'd be calling or skyping at 8:00. 

I took the four young ones homes and we fixes up quick nachos for dinner.
Dallin got home and Andrea Johnson came over to hang out until it was time to open it.

Lance got home. The rest of the Johnson family came over--and they brought brownies too. (Thank you Rhonda!) Jake Wing, Ben Christensen and Josh Hellewell came over too. 

8:00!

Jake, Josh, Ben and Dallin

from left: Kyle, Russ, Hunter, Abby, Kylie, Andrea, Jake, Josh, Ben  (Thayne on the floor--getting ready to Skype)

Rhonda took pictures and video for me so I could just watch. I'll try to figure out how to add the video later. But here's a rough transcript:

Me: "Hey you guys, quit talking"

Dallin opening envelope with his pocket knife, "You guys, this is freaky!"

Someone: "This is awesome!"

Someone else: "Don't cheat!"

Dallin: "I won't cheat. I'll read it line by line, (whispered) precept upon precept."

Reading:"April 15, 2014

Dear Elder Warnick (little sigh of whooh)

You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the New Mexico Farmington Mission. (mouths 'All right' smiles and continues skimming the letter) Serve for 24 months. English! WHOOOOOOOOO!" Pumps right fist straight into the air! 

"I'm SO HAPPY to speak English!" 

Everyone laughing.

Dallin puts paper down on fireplace. Claps hands a little bit while smiling.

Me: "When do you have to go?"

Dallin: "Oh!" grabs letter and looks at it, "August 20th."

After reading the call

Talking to Grandparents (one set on each phone)

Time to check out the map!

A little research

The call: New Mexico Farmington Mission

Yep! He's a bit wired with excitement and kind of goofy!

April 17, 2014

REMEMBER

It's time to get back to recording our lives on this blog. After a couple years break, I have decided this is the best way to do a large part of recording our family's history, especially if I print a blog book every year. So I'll be using more pictures and lots of stories. It has taken me a while to figure out if I want to do post in order or just start again. So I decided that I needed to just start with the current state of lives and do flash backs that highlight the fabulous adventures we've had the past two busy years.

REMEMBER

This is a powerful word. To remember the past builds a bond with immediate family members and extended family and with our ancestors too. Remembering helps you understand where you've been and where your going.This bond is really real! To be sealed to your family is not just something for the next live. It's for NOW too. That bond you can feel with a sibling or a cousin is real. We are really connected to each other and we belong to each other. We're part of a family. A family which is bigger than just ourselves.

I am reminded of a talk about this very subject from the October 2007 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints by President Henry B. Eyring titled "O Remember, Remember ."  He shared why he started journaling.

"I was supposed to record for my children to read, someday in the future, how I had seen the hand of God blessing our family."

That is my goal. I want my children to be able to see the hand of God blessing our family. I want to have them remember throughout their lives what we taught them. And most importantly I want them to know this from the Book of Mormon, Helaman 5:12:

  "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."

So I'm starting again.

With purpose and intent. 

And a lot of LOVE.

The Warnicks Fall 2013