This picture represents our experience with cars over the past month or two. The van had a bad battery so it kept dying, and the Toyota had worn out battery cables and terminals, so it didn't always work to jump the van with it. We were trying to jump start the van, and hooked up the jumper cables wrong. Both cars started smoking, and the jumper cables melted. A few weeks later, we were jumping the van again, and David went to the trunk to get a tool. The key broke off in the keyhole. When he finally got the trunk open, it wouldn't shut again, so he spent another 15 minutes fixing that. Last week, we were taking the van in to get the brakes fixed and it wouldn't start. When we went to pick it up a few days later, it wouldn't start so we finally bought a new battery. David installed it in the parking lot of the mechanic's shop. Then the Toyota wouldn't start, so David finally replaced the battery cables and terminals. As soon as he walked in the door, he noticed that our water heater was leaking, so he spent the rest of the evening replacing a valve on it. We're wondering what will break next.Usually, Nathan and Clara do not sit next to each other so peacefully. I've never seen them do this before. They were exhausted after a trip to Lowes to buy parts for our water heater.

In the past couple weeks, the kids have realized how fun it is to play dress-up. Nathan loves his "Indiana Jones" hat. Clara usually prefers to wrap herself in dish towels and dance around the room.
Last week, we attended the openhouse of the new Draper Temple. We thought it would be a wonderful experience for the kids. They yelled and ran all over the place, in spite of our best efforts to keep them reverent. We were so embarrassed, and felt bad for all the people nearby who were trying to enjoy their tour. David's mom told us about taking David to the openhouse of the Jordan River Temple when he was Nathan's age. He acted about the same, and ended up sitting in a corner and refusing to move. She pulled him by the arm to get him to move, and his arm came out of its socket. Needless to say, they didn't finish their tour. She never returned to that temple until our wedding day. David was much better behaved that time. When I think of all the stories I've heard about David's childhood, it gives me hope that Nathan will turn out to be a well-mannered, respectable adult. I just hope I can survive until then.