Moses in Alice in Wonderland

Moses was incredible!  He was a little nervous but handled it like a champ!  We are so proud of him.  Notice the way Mo moves his arms "like a cowboy" and talks "like a cowboy"- I have never seen him practice it like that before (yes I was at every rehearsal, i know all the lines by all the characters in Moses's act's by heart)  it was all impromptu!  We were sad you all couldn't come but hopefully this gives you a taste of what you missed(the good and the BAD).  My favorite parts are Moses's jaberwocky face and his cowboy voice and gestures!

Love this!

Becky Thomas:  The Great Equalizer

Found at MormonTimes.com

"Those of us who teach swimming for a living have come to appreciate the water as "the great equalizer." While a child may be blind, deaf, missing limbs, autistic or any special needs, and not able to run bases, catch a ball, sink a basket or make a puck, they can still learn to swim. They have a freedom in the water that they can't find anywhere else.

I remember teaching a boy for several years who was blind, deaf and mute with even further mental disabilities. He usually arrived with bruises, which he acquired while he was running around the house crashing in to things. It seemed that whatever he did eventually caused him injury. He would constantly fall, trip, collide and crash.

The moment he got in to the water, he enjoyed a freedom that he never had on land. He didn't have to deal with tripping, falling or scraping himself up. He would swim all over the pool, and the hardest thing I had to teach him was to hang on when he came to the edge; he just wanted to push off and keep swimming. When he was in the water, he was finally free.

If I have learned anything from this gospel, and from being a Christian, it is the power of the Atonement and the ability it has to heal us, compensate us and bring us back to the center, despite where we have been in our lives. Regardless what country or cultures we come from, what language we speak, what type of family we did or did not come from, or what poor choices we have made, the Atonement is the great equalizer.

I have witnessed hearts that were hurt, torn, hardened and broken that have been softened and made whole again. I have seen hope restored when all hope was lost. I have watched as sin, which once stood as a barrier to further progress and growth, become a motivator to turn to Christ. I have seen forgiveness go from impossible to liberating. I have seen many, including myself, who have tripped, fallen, collided and been all scraped up from sin, finally become free. Basically, I have seen those who were blind, deaf and mute to the gospel truths begin to see, hear and speak of its goodness.

I don't pretend to understand the power or the ramifications of the Atonement. I only know what little I have seen and felt, and it is because of the Atonement, and only because of the Atonement, that we can be cleaned, healed and free.

Regardless our disabilities, our history or our sins, the Atonement is the great equalizer. I am just beginning to understand it, but one thing I know for sure: It is because of the power of the Atonement, the fact that the Savior lived, died and rose again for me, that I can have the opportunity to return to my Heavenly Father, to be free. Oh how grateful I am!"

Ummm...LOVE IT!  No matter what our upbringing, or talents, or education the Atonement gives us all we need to become perfect like Christ.  The imagery of that little, disabled boy swimming freely gives me hope!

Love to you all!

Vids

Just cleaned off my phone, and found a bunch of awesome old videos...see below!! ~Luke

The Age of Aquarius

The OCD part of me wants to start posting from the beginning of our marriage, starting at the awesome family dinner at Grandma's... but I've only got a few minutes, so I'm going to post our most recent adventure since we only have a few pics of it.
Every few weeks Julie has lab work that she needs to do in Seattle. We drive up together, I drop her off, she goes to lab, I hit the library, we both hit the temple afterward, and then go to the city. Our most recent visit? The Seattle Aquarium.

Chris

We then took a stroll along the pier. Gave a shout to Chris Columbus and a female mummy.





























More to come soon!!


JnL | Team Drake

Banford Business

Dinner time at the Banford's!  We have to coax every bite into Matty's mouth!

Matty says "Hi mom/dad" every time he is caught being naughty, in an effort to distract us.

Avoiding...

Avoiding...

Avoiding!!!

Finally a BITE!

All that work just to keep this little boy fed!

And then there is this weenie!

These boys are so different!  Mo is cautious and aware.  Matty is wild and uninhibited.  But I love how they love each other.  By the way...

...Can you tell who this is?

the start of something..... NEW!!

Hello familia...... i speak spanish now, jajajaj no not really but anyways. Recently i have felt like my family is leaving. While this is true because we are all moving on with exciting times and exciting things happening i have wanted a way to keep us in touch and not have other distractions of facey-spacey or trying to set up skype dates, and all that junk. so i have decided to start this post for just our family...... kid style. i want this just to be for the siblings. so post what is going on in your little family.
the point of this is for as close as we are all trying to be and working on this makes it eeaiser and funnier ( the most funniest? luke i don't know this is a toughie)! so i love you al and let the blogging begin :)