Fun with the (grand)kids

Wednesday, January 15, 2025

The next few days were a bit of a blur. We wanted to take Ally to the Midway but Kira & her family have been there often enough that they wanted to do something different. So the Leavitts headed off to the Midway and the Palmers went somewhere else. Not entirely sure where, but it involved water and food.

Sydney is about to launch an F-18

Boy does that kid love life

Justin and Evan eating on the beach

They have now opened the conning tower for visitors. Brandon decided to drive the boat.

Those beds are about the right size for McKenzie and Grayson. I don’t know how I would make it.

Hayley getting ready to take off

When we ran out of daylight, we met up at home and ate leftovers.

On Friday, Dec 27 we had two additions to the crowd. Flora and her husband Kyle were visiting his mother up in the LA area somewhere and they were able to drive down for the morning. Flora is my niece, Lesters second child. It was great visiting with them and catching up on their life in Wisconsin/Michigan. They live right on the border. He has a great Engineering job, and they have some pretty cool property.

The second addition was Charlotte, Ally’s youngest. Ally shares custody with Charlottes father and this was her year to spend Christmas with her father.

Ally and Brandon were able to bring her out today. Rather than have her fly alone, she travelled with Ronny, who is Coopers father. In this way the trip was more pleasant for Charlotte and Cooper was able to spend some time with his dad. It also gave Ronnie a nice break in beautiful San Diego.

We spent the morning catching up with Flora and Kyle and loving on Charlotte and then we bid goodbye to Flora and Kyle who returned to his mothers. We then headed off to the Point Loma lighthouse.

We tried to take a picture of everyone, but with so many people, it was impossible to keep everyone together. Here is a picture of some of us with the palmers. The other Leavitts were off exploring down the hill.

Left to right: Rosalie, Piper, Sydney, Landon, Mackenzie, Kira, Brandon, Grayson, Justin, Cameron, Lisa, Fred, Finn, Evan.

After Point Loma we headed to the Hotel Del. We went inside to check out the huge Christmas tree they have every year but then we spent the rest of the time at the beach.

Looking at Hotel Del from the Beach

The teenagers decided that they wanted to walk out into the water on this concrete wall.

Sydney on the wall

Landon on the wall

Hayley on the wall

Before we left, we sat on the front lawn and watched the light show they had in the trees. It ended with snow falling on us.

--------------------trivia--------------------

Scientists’ data on 709 islands across the Pacific and Indian Oceans showed that nearly 89 percent either had increased in area or hadn’t changed much in recent decades. Only 11 percent had contracted.

-----------------------------------------------

Christmas Day

Wednesday, January 9, 2025

Christmas morning was a great start to a great day. The kids slept in so we got a good sleep. We were also able to open the gifts one at a time so we can all enjoy what each of us received. That is tough to do when there are forty people opening gifts.

Mom had her nice egg breakfast ready so we also got to enjoy a good meal and everything went peacefully. I got a lot of cool gifts, I just hope I can remember them all. First and foremost, Brandon and Ally bought us tickets to Disneyland. Now days that is over $200 and we had a glorious day with Brandon and Kira’s families. More on that later. Let me try and make a list of my gifts.

Element Socks                                Santa

Windup Fred Flintstone                  Santa

A bar of fancy soap                         Mom

Shaving Kit                                     Mom

Worm Hotel                                    Mom

Nuts in shell                                    Mom

Solar Battery Charger                     Mom

Sweat Pants                                     Mom

Fleece Jacket                                   Mom

Nice Jacket                                      Mom

Star Trek Ship                                 Mom

History of Engineering                   Mom

Rubber Duck Spock                       Kira & Justin

Engineering T Shirt                        Kira & Justin

Church Socks                                  Brandon & Ally

Spock Buddah (very cool)              Brandon & Ally

Nice Fluffy Blanket                        Alycia & Trevor

Coming next week                          Sarah & Sam

Glass Swan Tree Ornament            Charlotte

Replacement window Screen          Andrews

Electric Salt & Pepper Grinder       Andrews

After we got the Turkey in the oven we then headed up to Black Mountain Park and shot off rockets. I finally got tired of the rocket controller being so finicky that I made my own controller. It worked flawlessly.

The weather was perfect so we all spent a lot of time outside enjoying my new yard and the deck.

After a wonderful Christmas dinner, we headed to Torrey Pines to enjoy a short hike.

And a beautiful sunset

About this time Kira and her family arrived so we rushed home and spent the evening together.

I love how Kira always dresses up for the season.

At some point we started playing games which went far too late. What fun.

It turns out that Sydney and Rosalie struggle with Tellustrations. The point of the game is that you are given a word, and you need to draw a picture so the next guy beside you can guess the word. If these girls aren’t sure of what the picture represents, they answer with a sentence even though they know the answer is one maybe two words. On the other hand, if they are given a word, their art skills leave a lot to be desired. Let me give you an example of probably the best artwork of the entire Christmas vacation, maybe the best ever.

Sydney was given the word “snot”. She tried to draw a picture of a nose with snot coming out of the nose. This is the picture she drew. 

Justin sat next to her, can you guess what word Justin guessed?

--------------------trivia--------------------

2 U.S carrier battle groups have equal firepower to the rest of the worlds blue water navies combined. And we have 12 of these with 3 more on the way.

----------------------------------------------

The Texas Leavitts

Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Monday, Dec 23, we walked Christmas card lane. It was very crowded. 

It was going great until we decided to pose as a group for a picture and we noticed that Grayson wasn’t there. That led to a very panicked half hour. Mom had a picture of him which she shared with people and we saw the Blankenbillers and recruited them to help with the search. Finally we called 911 figuring that if anyone saw a distraught boy lost on the steet they would probably call 911.

While the police were on their way, one of the Blankenbiller boys called in to report that Grayson had found his way to where we had parked the van.

That answered a lot of fervent prayers. We were all quite amazed at the calm manner and logical thought process Grayson used in a situation that would have caused most kids his age to panic. You may notice that Grayson isn’t in the picture. The lady you may not know is Lorie Roberts who joined us that day.

On Christmas Eve Mom finished up her Christmas baking which had been delayed by stockings and I made pie. We were now ready for Christmas.

For our POP dinner (Pig Out Palooza) we made food runs to In N Out, Taco Bell, Chick fil A, Raising Canes, Cotija’s, Starbucks, Panda Express and Jersey Mikes.

As far as I can remember, for our traditional Christmas Eve talent show we had the following:

Finn                 Gymnastics

Grayson

MacKenzie     Piano

Rosalie           Splits

Hayley           A weird knee walk

Sydney          Sang a song

Cooper          Kidnapping

Griffin          A Narcoleptic Event

Brandon       Smoked Ribs

Ally              Piano

Mom            Stockings

Me                My latest patent 

We then read the Christmas Story from Luke 2 and then watched moms favorite Nativity video and then sent the kids to bed. We then stuffed the stockings and we went to bed.

--------------------trivia--------------------

During an average persons life time their hair will grow 590 miles

-----------------------------------------------

Happy New Year

Wednesday, January 7, 2025

What an exciting Christmas Holiday we just had. I have a lot to catch up on. I guess the best I can do is just take it one day at a time.

This year was our off year so we weren’t expecting anyone to come and spend Christmas with us but Brandon and Ally didn’t come last year because it was their first year with their new merged family and they thought it was best to do that at home. I think it was probably the best choice. They decided to come this year. 

They left Texas on Saturday, December 21, spent the night in Las Cruces and arrived on Sunday. That is one long an boring drive with little to see or do on the way, but the desert can be beautiful at times. The kids get a lot of sleep on the trip.

Meanwhile we were working furiously to get everything done for Christmas and they’re arrival. That wouldn’t normally be a problem but Lisa decided to make six new stockings for Brandons kids. 

She had made stockings for Brandons family when him and Serene were together but when he married Ally, she made new stockings for Ally and her kids. We finally decided that we were giving the 

 wrong message though, because Ally’s family had one stocking pattern but Brandons family had a different pattern and we wanted them to be one family. That meant six new stockings which I believe Lisa finished the day they arrived. Now they were one family. One BIG family.

--------------------trivia--------------------

In 2022 Canada and Denmark created the first land border between the America's and Europe when they agreed to share a tiny, barren and uninhabited outcrop in the Arctic.

-----------------------------------------------

 

I Am in Mourning

Thursday, February 13, 2025

Tuesday was a rough day for me. I am starting to train for a Ragnar with Justin, Kira, Ben and Alex in April. While Lisa and I walk almost daily, I haven’t run regularly for almost a year. As I started to run and up my miles a little bit my left knee started to hurt. That always happens when I haven’t run for a while and I just back off a bit and ramp up slowly. This time when I did that, the knee didn’t really get any better. It didn’t get worse but it wasn’t improving.

I have had so many friends lately getting hip and knee replacements that I am now a bit paranoid so I decided to make an appointment for my overdue physical and ask my doctor about it. He sent me for an x-ray and I got the results on Tuesday. I have grade 2 arthritis in my left knee. I love running and the thought of not running is quite depressing.

Before I started running I was riding my bike more and more and when Alan Bird got me hooked on running I always said that I would run until I couldn’t run any more and then go back to biking. Right now I have a very nice road bike and a very nice mountain bike. I have rarely used either one of them. I guess it is time to dust them off and get going.

Meanwhile, there is no way I am not runnig the Ragnar in April but I will not be training for it. I will ride my bike five days a week to get my cardio in shape, and then I will do my best at the Ragnar.

The knee doesn’t really hurt much and I can run four or five miles just fine. I just know that running will agrevate my arthritis and I need this knee to last another twenty years or so.

--------------------trivia--------------------

In hot weather, humans are the fastest long distance runners on earth. In more temperate weather, we would be beat by dogs, ostriches and prong horn antelope. An Ostrich could run a 45 minute marathon. 

----------------------------------------------

Dad, Tell Me About the Time (47)

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

What is the hardest thing?

The weird thing about having a child is that you feel what they feel and with pretty much the same intensity. If your child is happy, or experiences something wonderful, then you feel it with them. If they are in pain, then so are you. The problem is that sometimes that pain is of their own doing and you need to let them suffer the consequences of their bad decisions even if you are hurting along with them.

What may be worse, is when their pain is caused by someone else or just bad luck. There is nothing you can do about it. That is tough.

Dad, Tell Me About the Time (46)

 Monday, November 18, 2024

Can you draw or just doodle? Use these pages to sketch something you’ve learned to draw.

I love to doodle and to draw. I’m not very good but I enjoy it. I used to do it much more often than I do now but that is probably because I have very little spare time anymore. Rather than doodle something here I will just share a couple of paintings I did not long after we were married.

                                  

I know my life is crazy busy but I need to just make some time to start painting again. I know it isn’t that great but I enjoy it and my kids will have to tell me they like it. Maybe they will even put some on their walls. 

Together we make a FAMILY.

A Family of my own

Kira Anne Leavitt               September 2, 1982  Edmonton, AB

Brandon James Leavitt       June 2, 1984            Brooks, AB

Benjamin Scott Leavitt       February 25, 1986   Brooks, AB

Alycia Grayce Leavitt         February 3, 1989     Brooks, AB

Alexander Thomas Leavitt March 12, 1991       Brooks, AB

Sarah Christine Leavitt       August 24, 1993      Poway, CA

What is the best thing about raising a child?

The best thing about raising a child is that you always have an automatic friend. I know parents aren’t supposed to be “friends” with their kids and that is true when it comes to discipline etc. but you can still have rules and obedience with your kids as well as be their friends.

For me, I love little babies and because they are so sweet and loving, it is easy to over look the diapers and crying etc.

When they get to about two years old, they are old enough to get into everything but they are too young for you to really communicate rules etc. I would be happy to give me kids away when they turn two and take them back when they are four.

From four on every year older they get the more fun they are. Once they get to eight or nine you can start having philosophical discussions with them and as teenagers you can solve the worlds problems. I love my kids and I especially loved them as teenagers right up until they left for college.

Sending your kids off into the world to fend for themselves may be the hardest part of having children. Driving away from their apartments after having helped them get all setup is a bag of very mixed emotions. After all, this is what you raised them for. We had done all we could to prepare them for the world and while it is enormously exciting (and fulfilling) to see them spread their wings and fly, it is so sad to know that from now on they will not be a daily part of your life.

Dad, Tell Me About the Time (45)

Thursday, November 14, 2024

Anything special or unique about your spouse or being married that you want to share?

I was going to just answer that there is nothing unique about our marriage but I noticed that they give two full pages for an answer so I guess I’d better say something.

I still don’t think there is anything unique about us, we argue as much or more than most marriages, we certainly don’t agree on everything but I guess there are a few things that in my mind keep Lisa and I close?

If we are angry with each other we always resolve it. Early in our marriage someone told us that we should never to go bed angry. Well, if we did that, then we would both be much more sleep deprived than we are now. We may not resolve our issues right away, but we almost always resolve them. We don’t just pretend that nothing happened.

We also do things together. We don’t always get a date night in every week, but we usually do something together several times a week. It can range from watching a show together, go to a high school football game, a school play or just a walk on the beach. Lately we’ve been going on a walk together almost every morning but we certainly couldn’t have done that when the kids were little. One time Lisa even took me to a Star Trek Concert. Every once in a while Lisa and I will meet up for lunch.

Dad, Tell Me About the Time (44)

Friday, October 11, 2024

What qualities are most valuable when looking for a life partner?

I am no expert in this kind of stuff but having compared my life to others, I think the first thing I’d watch for are some red flags. I know it seems unfair and unromantic but the first thing I’d look for are signs of depression. I’d also look for signs of a sociopath, physcopath and narcisists. Sociopaths and physcopaths are probably pretty rare but depression and narcisists are for more common than I would have thought. If your potential partner doesn’t suffer from any of those problems then you can probably make anything work.

The problem is that people can hide those traights for a long time when they are trying to impress you. That is why I would go for a long courtship and short engagement. I figure that if you’re looking for signs of a problem they will probably show up within six months. Certainly within a year.

So, to answer the question of what are valuable qualities, I would watch for kindness, patience and someone who has similar views on parenting and budgeting as you do.

How do you keep a marriage relationship happy and healthy with a house full of kids?

As much as I love my kids, sometimes you just need to be alone with your spouse. While it isn’t always possible, your goal should be to have a date night once a week and do something you both enjoy. That means that until your oldest child is around twelve, you need to find a good babysitter in your neighborhood.

Have you been married more than once? If so, list each of your spouses’ full names.

Just once, thank goodness.

Have you been divorced? What did you learn from that experience?

I’ve never been divorce but from watching others go through divorces I’ve learned that you better put a lot of thought and prayer into picking your partner. To be fair, people do change and the person you marry can become someone completely different. As long as people have their free agency there will be divorces. While divorce is awful, it is often the best option for your own well being and for that of your children. You should do all you can be keep it civil.

Have your ever been widowed? What advice would you give to others who are going through the same experience?

Thankfully I have never been widowed and I have little advice to give others. When I go to funerals, I never know what to say to the loved ones at the funeral. When my mother died, I paid attention to what people said to me and perhaps the most meaningful thing people said was, “I’m sorry about your mother”.

In the moment, I don’t think it is helpful to remind people that their loved ones are in a better place and that you will see them again. The pain can be so great that knowing that the separation is only temporary doesn’t help much but, what a comfort it is for us to know that the separation is only temporary.

Dad, Tell Me About the Time (43)

Wednesday, October 9, 2024

Do you have a special song? What is it?

While I love good music, I have never sat and just listened to music. I prefer silence and I contemplate things in my mind. I love to invent things. If there is a long period of silence, I would prefer to listen to talk radio over music and now days I will listen to a book on tape.

When Lisa and I started dating, we would just talk, and since I knew nothing about music, we never talked about music. For this reason, we really don’t have a song. The closest thing we have to a “special” song is the song we danced our first dance to at our wedding. That will now be our official special song. The only problem is that neither one of us can remember what it was. Lisa assures me that it will come to her.

What activity is your favorite activity you do together?

Lisa and I love to do a lot of things together but perhaps one of our favorites is to go for walks on the beach. We don’t get out and do it often enough but we have walked at least twenty different beaches in San Diego, many of them we have walked several times.

In addition we have walked beaches in Hawaii, British Columbia, Florida, Oregan, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Bahamas, Grand Caymans, France, Belgium and probably others that aren’t coming to my mind right now.

When you wake up each morning, what is the first thing you notice about your spouse?

The first thing I notice when Lisa and I get up in the morning is how she is just as beautiful now as she was the day we got married. I am actually quite amazing at how well she has aged. On Sundays, as I look out at the congregation I can’t help but compare Lisa to all the other women out there. Of people her age, no other woman in the ard comes close to matching her beautfy.  She is the prettiest woman in the building. She is more beautiful than women much younger than her.

That of course is the first thing I notice. She has a lot more beauty that is more than skin deep. 

Elder Bednar

Wednesday, October 30, 2024

A couple of months ago we learned that an apostle was coing to visit San Diego and that of the fifteen or so Stakes in our area, he had chosen to visit our Stake. Last Sunday we had a special Stake Conference. Sadly mom and I had already bought tickest to St Louis for Charlottes baptism and were scheduled to land Sunday afternoon but we changed our tickets to take a late flight home on Saturday. Actually, it was cheaper to buy two new one way tickets than to modify the cheep tickets we had.

Stake Conference started at 9:00 and we were worried that everyone from the other fourteen stakes would try and get in, so we decided to be there when the doors opened at 7:00. We got there at 6:00 and we were the first ones there. By 6:30 there were already so many people in line that just the people in the line would fill the chapel so we weren’t sad that we got there when we did. Have you ever seen a line of people outside the church waiting to get in?

The conference was amazing. Let me give you a quick summary.

President Gosch called four people out of the audience with no warning. The first was Van Sharp, one of our young men. He did great and he talked about how the spirit is guiding him as he plans for the next four years of his life (mission, college, marriage etc). Then there was a young woman that I don’t know who talked about how God loves us and will be there for us when we need him. The next was Eva Navaro originally from PQ3. She fell off the deep end as a teenager and after hitting rock bottom she is putting her life back together. She did a great job. The last speaker was a little older (our kids generation) who basically said that Christ will never give up on you.

We then heard very short testimonies from Pres Mauseth and Pres Isaccs. I think they were given no notice either.

President Gosch then spoke and gave great messages about remembering who we are and using our time better.

Elder Bednar then got up and spent a few minutes reminding us that President Gosch has the keys for leading our stake and what he says over the pulpit is for our benefit. He emphasised that Pres Gosch wasn’t just filling time while we wait for an Apostle to speak to us but that his message is just as important as any message that Elder Bednar gives us.

He then proceeded to talk for an hour about those two messages shared by Pres Gosch. He mostly talked about remembering who we are and he gave examples out of the scriptures about people who failed because they forgot who they are and people who succeeded because they remembered.

He even pointed out that there is really only one sin, forgetting who you are. If you remember who you are then you will always make the right choice. Satan does everything he can to make us forget who we are.

In the interest of time I won’t repeat all the examples but here are the scriptures he referred to.

2 Samuel 11: 1 – 3 King David should have been with his armies and not hanging out in his apartment watching women bath.

Matt 4: 2 – 11 Satan tempting Christ. The three sins are physical apatites, fame and stuff. Satan tried to make Christ forget who he was by implying, “if you be the Son of God”.

Moses 1: 1 – 16 Satan calls Moses the son of man rather than the son of God.

We can live in a world that is getting increasingly screwy and be of good cheer.

--------------------trivia--------------------

Temple Square is that 15th most popular tourist attraction in America drawing five million tourist every year.

----------------------------------------------