New Heights

I found this picture from July and realized that it was definitely blog-worthy.  Big Brother helping Little Brother climb the tree.   I love what this picture represents.  Landon is such a great example to his younger brothers.  Yes, he pesters them and gets annoyed with them like any 14 year old.  But he really loves them and watches out for them, too.  I know his example will inspire them their whole lives.

Landon loves to climb trees.  If we are at a park or on a hike or something and he sees a good, climbable tree, he's up in those branches as fast as you can blink.  Here's one example, at a park up Provo Canyon 2 years ago.  And another one at our family reunion at Palisade State Park last June.

Landon just started the 9th grade, which means that he can now take LDS Seminary.  In Utah, kids are released for one class period to go to an LDS Seminary building, where they study the gospel.  I love that every other day, he is starting his day on a spiritual high-note.  I can see changes in him already since he started seminary.  Yesterday, his teacher, Brother Perry told his class that he had not missed a single day of reading his scriptures for the past 30 years! He challenged his students to read them on their own for the next two days (many of these kids are not yet in the habit.) This is the funny part:.  He then told them that if the whole class would commit to this, he would do a head stand on top of one of the desks.  Landon said they were all like, "uh..OK."  So,  sure enough, this 50-something year old man put his bald head right on that desk and lifted his feet up into a head stand!  He then sang "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam" on his head.

Seminary teachers are so awesome!  Hey, if they have to stand on their heads to get their kids into good habits, they'll do it.  Whatever it takes, right? We are so lucky as parents to have these teachers to back us up, and not only that but truly inspire our kids.  Being a first-time seminary-student mom, I have to say how grateful I am for this program! 

This is kind of unrelated, but I need a place for these great pictures I took at a park last month. Here we have Daddy lifting baby Eli all the way up for a slam dunk. 

Bennett was looking on, saying, "My turn, my turn!"

Sure enough, he got his turn next.

I remember when I was about seven, my daddy coming home from work at night and throwing us up to "touch the sky."  He did this into his 40's.  It's a wonder we didn't break his poor back!  Dads are the best.