May 18th and before

Today was a hectic Sunday and I don't feel like we did much to keep the Sabbath Day holy.  We had the kids and after church they came home with us because Sara had to work. 

Nathan and Isaac in a group of Wounded Warriors at the Picnic

Church was good.  David was able to pass the Sacrament for the first time and the Bishop acknowledged that he did that.  They had talks on the Priesthood for the commemoration of the restoration of the Priesthood an May 15.  The kids were really good in church.  I think they are getting used to us.

The Wounded Warrior Tent

We had the kids over on Friday night and Saturday for a while also and they rented a movie on Friday night and they wanted to watch that again when we got home so I let them while we got dinner.  Then they wanted to go to the fitness center at the community center so Nathan took them there.  Larry and I lay down and went to sleep.  When they got back Maggie came and got me because she was hungary and I fixed them some popcorn and punch.  They started watching the movie again and instead of staying up I went and laid down again.  When I woke up they had made a few messes trying to make more punch because they could not find the punch I made in the refrigerator, so I determined that I should not do that again.  They were watching a Star Wars movie that Nathan has.  We cleaned up the messes and then I started to play hide n seek with them and before long Sara came.  I felt bad because we did not do anything with them to promote the Sabbath and help them to grow in the gospel.

Some of the people at the picnic

Saturday we got up and went to Chick-fil-et for breakfast because the kids preferred that to MacDonald's and we had no food for breakfast at the apartment.  Then the kids went to the pool with Nathan while Larry and I went to Weight Watchers to weigh in.  It was not a good day for either of us as we both gained a little.

Nathan talking to a friend Sarah Bennett who works for Wounded Warriors

Maggie and Isaac at the spinning cups

When we got home Nathan and I took the kids to the Wounded Warrior Picnic at the Phil Hardberger Park that was just down another hill from us than the park I talked about last week and Larry went grocery shopping.  The Park was so fun.  It is a 311 acre park in the middle of San Antonio that has been set aside as green space and for conservation of the native species of Texas.  They had a Jimmy John's box lunch and then we could hike and do what ever we wanted.  We did not hike far because the trails were not as good for Nathan's wheelchair as at the Walker park the week before.  Eventually we went to the playground and the kids played for some time.

 Just as they were getting tired Nathan realized that he could not get his wheelchair to go.  David and I tried to help him figure out what we needed to do but we were not successful at getting it to start.  Larry had texted me he was home and so I eventually called him and asked him to come and help us.  It took him a while to get there because he did not hear me say that we were on the Military Highway entrance to the park and he went to the Blanco Road entrance and was trying to find us there.  Eventually he found us and between him and David and Nathan they figured out that someone had bumped the controls in the back and turn off the controls in the front.  We were all really ready to go home when we finally got it going because it was getting hot and the kids were tired.

Larry and I at Joe's Crabshack for our anniversary

That evening Sara came and got the kids and Nathan went to a parade at the Riverwalk with some friends from church and Larry and I went out to dinner to celebrate our 13th wedding anniversary.  We went to Joe's Crab Shack as that has become a new favorite because we can eat a lot of steamed crab and lobster and still be within Weight Watcher's points.  However we had Key lime pie last night so that blew that.  It was a fun night and Nathan seemed to have a good time with his friends.

I have had an allergic reaction of some kind this week and I have been itching and breaking out on my neck.  I have had to wear my hair on a pony tail because I cannot stand it on my neck.  I decided it might be one of my medications and I stopped taking that but it is still bothering me after I put on my lotion so I am thinking that maybe I do not need the lotion here or something.  I guess I will go to the dermatologist this week and see what he says.

A catepillar the kids found that they wanted a picture of

David and Sammy at the Spinning cups

Sammy and Maggie running on the hills

It was transfer week in the mission this week so it has been a very hectic week for Larry and I.  We had several days where we could not come home to eat lunch with Nathan.  On Wednesday we have to feed the new incoming missionaries a lunch at the Mission home and then we have to feed them a dinner that same night at the mission home plus get our other work done.  On Thursday we had transfers and we went to the transfer meeting in the morning early and then drove to Austin for the transfer meetings there.  Larry had to rent a van and a trailer to help transport the missionaries to the border and back and to Austin and back so he was involved in getting that on Monday and then they used it Tuesday to get the missionaries that were leaving and on Wednesday to get the new missionaries and Thursday's for transfers.  On Friday Larry was supposed to take it back to the rental places but the Assistants did not leave the keys to the vehicles at the Mission Office when they dropped them off.  He was frustrated because he could not take them back until about 5:00 p.m. because they were in meetings all day with the President and he couldn't get the keys.  He was exhausted after we returned them in rush hour traffic.

Maggie

Nathan is becoming more independent in advocating for himself.  He has become more involved in his own finances and working out things at the VA.  Larry has been a big help to him to know what to do for his disability paperwork now he has his disablity compensation because Larry has already gone through that.  We have John Trolinger to thank for guiding Larry through it so he knows how to help Nathan.  Nathan has been able to get people in the ward to help him drive his van to appointments at the VA and is taking over much of the responsibility of advocating for himself.  As he does this he is becoming much more mature in his thinking and  growing in his abilities to do things.  He is also working with the lawyer mostly by himself for the work on the divorce and only asks me to help when he needs something typed which is still hard for him to do.  We are trying to give him the support he needs when he needs it but trying to let him be as independent as possible.  Basically we help him with food and help him dress some in the morning and get his foot brace on and set up some things he needs at bed time.

We listened to Elder Todd Christofferson's talk from April General Conference tonight.  It is an awesome testimony of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and how it testifies of his divinity.  I am so glad to be a member of the Lord's church as I know that it is true.

Isaac and David Racing on the hills

David