The Karate Kid

We signed Hunter up for karate to let him try something new and boost his self confidence. He felt pretty tough in his last class when he got to break boards. His teacher often comments on how focused he is. He doens't horse around like some of the other kids and he tries to execute each move with perfection.

Minnesotans

I don't know the name of this lake but it has not lost its utility with the coming of winter. In the back of the picture is a black tent where people stay and ice fish. Cars and trucks drive out onto the ice and children play hockey and ice skate.

Another Lost Tooth

When Hunter's tooth was semi-loose, he begged us to pull it. This was a shock to RJ and I since he fears discomfort so much. We were a bit squimish ourselves knowing it would take some tugging. The thought of the toothfairy overwhemled him and outweighed all reason so I pulled out the ora-gel. He accidently got some on his tongue and began to second guess himself. We were unsuccessful at extracting his tooth that night and he didn't bother us about it for a whole week. It was practically hanging like an ornament in his mouth so RJ manned up and gave it a yank. It made a bloody mess in our sink and when I asked Hunter to smile for the camera, he hid his face because he said he looked too scary.

Weighing In

Our dainty little peanut is growing so fast! At her two month well check, she weighed in at 13 lbs. 2 oz. She is in the 95% for weight, 75% for height, and 50% for head circumference. Hunter saw her before her bath and was concerned that she may be overweight when he saw her alligator belly.

Mitt Boy to the Rescue!

Hunter was playing around one evening and I thought he got pretty clever with these mitts. He was happy to oblige me with some photos of our super hero in action.

Henne's Art Company

RJ and I went to an art show for our January date. We were really impressed with some of the work that we saw. However, I must say that $800 is a hefty price for some black scribbles that Hunter or McKenna could easily duplicate. There were some unique people there. It was a fun and different date though and it got our creative juices flowing.

Back to Basics

While travelling in December, RJ came up with a new family vision for the Reeves. We talked about it, then he presented it to the kids at our first FHE of the new year. It is called "Back to Basics." There are two main areas of focus. First- creating a more gospel centered home. Second- embracing a more active lifestyle.

A gospel centered home is one where we make spirituality a priority. Not only should we make good choices but the best choices. We ordered "The Friend" a few months ago and will use Sunday's to better utilize this great magazine. We will continue to read the scriptures as a family (we are so close to finishing the Book of Mormon for the first time. It has taken about 3 years!), and say prayers. We will also read the Doctrine and Covenants (children's version) before the children's elective story at bedtime. RJ and I will go to the temple more frequently even if that means we have to go individually at times.

An active lifestyle includes getting unplugged and getting healthy. When RJ told the kids what it meant to "get unplugged", McKenna hopped off the couch, made a b-line to the TV and yanked the cord out of the wall. Hunter was equally enthused. He jumped on the couch and cheered while RJ explained that we are not going to be boring people. We aren't going to make excuses for not doing the things that we want to do. We are going to start utilizing our non-TV time to learn music, read, exercise, get organized, get involved in sports or clubs, or simply enjoy each others company.

I'm really grateful for RJ's inspired counsel. I'm so excited about growing as an individual and as family.