"Honestly Dad"

Hello there again everyone. I hope this finds you all doing well and enjoying the new year. Well, today is the first day of the spring semester and I am back at it. Life is fabulous and the Mclendon family is doing well and keeping warm here in sub arctic Missoula. Matthew and Shanny are back into the swing of things with school as well and they are doing great. They are such a great joy in my life and to see them grow up and strengthen their skills is a treasure. Yesterday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day and we didn't have school so we had a family day out. We went to Fuddruckers for lunch and then went to one of Matthew's favorite places, Costco. When we walk around there his eyes are lit up like we are at Disneyland. After spending a small fortune there we took them to Barnes and Noble booksellers, which is another place they love to go. They spent a little while looking around and playing in the kid section and then each picked out a book to take home. We were standing in line and when it was our turn we told the kids to put their books up on the counter and after Matthew placed his down he looked up at the cashier and said, "Hi, my name is Matthew." It was so funny and he is definitely getting comfortable around others. Matthew has been doing really good in primary especially since he got new teachers at the beginning of the year. Their names are the Allen's (She is from Raymond) and they are a young couple with a little baby named Jack. Matthew has warmed up to them and during class he will sit next to Brother Allen and want to hold Jack. He always says,"Brother Allen, Baby Jack."
A couple of weeks ago Shanny gave her first talk in Church. With a little help from Mom, she stood up in primary and spoke on the Creation. She did a great job, despite the microphone that the primary was using. It looks like it is from the 1960's and needs to be retired. You could barely hear her, but she shined. It is funny to see her little personality to continue to develop and grow. The other day we got home from running an errand and she took forever to get out of the van and I got a little frustrated with her. She turned and looked at me after I gave her a talking to and she said with the cutest little tone, "Honestly Dad." I shouldn't have laughed, but I couldn't help it. She has a way with my heart, but I don't look forward to her being a teenager. I have a feeling that I am going to be one of those dads who clings to her and watches her every move and who she spends time with. I better get use to her saying, "Honestly Dad."
I started working out again today and I am going to try to get back into shape and looking half way decent. The school automatically takes fees out of my tuition for the recreation center, so I might as well use it. It is a really nice facility and there are plenty of us out of shape guys, so I don't feel so out of place.
During the break from school I was able to catch up on some movies. A couple that Kris and I really liked were 'The Pursuit of Happyness," and one that we would recommend to all is "Amazing Grace," which was spectacular. Matthew and Shanny love watching "The Backyardigans," and the songs are really catchy. I sing them all day long. My favorite is 'Samurai Pie.' Things are going great and I am blessed to have such a wonderful family and friends. Thank you to all of you for all that you do for me and for bringing joy into my life. Have a fabulous day and keep warm. Spring is almost here.