Jaden's First Primary Talk in Church.

Sometimes my daddy says I yell like a monkey...but I am NOT a Monkey!
Sometimes my sisters say I bug them...but I am NOT a bug.

Sometimes my mommy says I am as snuggly as a bear...but I am NOT a bear.

I am PRINCE Jaden. I am a son of God.

My Heavenly Father gave me a mom and a dad.

He gave me sisters to live with here on earth.

Someday, I will live with my Heavenly Father again.

In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.



(Jaden gave his first primary talk last Sunday. He was so proud to walk up to the microphone and speak in front of all the primary children, teachers, and parents. He has been in the church primary for 3 weeks and was asked to give a talk! He's the youngest kid in the primary (ages 3-12 years old). I was surprised that he wasn't the least bit nervous. He showed the animals he brought as he spoke. He put a paper crown on his head when he said he was a Prince. He showed a picture of his parents and his sisters, and finished with an artists' portrait of the Savior and Heavenly Father when they appeared to Joseph Smith. He was so cute and we were very proud of his latest accomplishment. Yeah Jaden!!)

Wuthering Heights--a book report by Jordin Annett

I give it a mixed review!

Wuthering Heights takes place in the charming moors of England, set in the first decade of the 1800's. It starts out with a man, by the name of Mr. Lockwood, who is renting a mansion from Mr. Heathcliff. Mr. Heathcliff owns another mansion on a few acres not very far from where Mr. Lockwood is renting. Mr. Heathcliff is not very hospitable and neither is his household. The household consists of4 people: the servants Zilla and grouchy old Joseph; Hareton who is Mr. Heathcliff's cousin; and Cathy who is Mr. Heathcliff's daughter-in-law. When Mr. Lockwood suddenly takes ill, he is nursed back to health by Nelly. Nelly used to be Mr. Heathcliff's nurse.
Since there was no television or video games in the 1800's, you either read, played a board game, or listened to a story for indoor entertainment. Mr. Lockwood's illness prevented him from reading. So, Nelly tells him the history of Mr. Heathcliff and his household. She tells her story from chapter 5 of Wuthering Heights until the end of the book. With a few breaks in between, Nelly's story makes up most of Wuthering Heights. Of course there is a happy ending to this story, however, most of the time it looks as if there won't be. Mr. Heathcliff had kept Hareton from becoming educated. Hareton was ashamed to be around anyone who was better educated than himself. Cathy scoffed at Hareton's attempt to learn. This only discouraged Hareton from continuing his education. The happy ending came to pass when Hareton and Cathy decide to stop making each other miserable. Cathy, who is well-educated, chooses to quit being hateful and help Hareton with his schooling. The two become best friends and even decide to get married. This heals the story. Despite the many broken relationships, one does survive and flourish. I discovered from reading this book that even though life may be hard, we can still find the time to forgive and the room to change. I think that this is a good morale for all of us to learn.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond--a book report by Jaxin

I give it a thumbs up!

I just finished the Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare. The main character is Katherine. People call her Kit for short. Kit is a girl. She has dark long hair, brown eyes, and no religion at all. Kit was born in Barbados. She has to leave Barbados because her parents died. Then her grandfather took her in , but he died. Her family was rich. However, her grandfather had a debt to a man. After her Grandfather died, the man said, "I don't want money, I want you to marry me." He was an older man and Kit did not love him. She ran away on a boat to Weathersfield where her Aunt and Uncle lived. Her Aunt and Uncle did not know she was coming. When she got to Weathersfield, she went to her Uncle and Aunts's home. They found out she was their neice. They let Kit stay. Her Aunt had two children named Mercy and Judith. The next day, Kit went to church with her Aunt and Uncle. She found out that they were Puritans!
One day Mercy asked Kit to help her teach at a Dames school. A Dames school is where children learn their ABC's and how to read so they can go to school. One day kit said, "Let's do a game of make-believe out of the Bible." The story she picked was The Good Samaritan. The boy she chose to be the Samaritan was a boy liked in school. The children Kit chose to be the thievesreally beat the boy up. Then the man who started the school waked in. He slapped a child and every body stopped the play. He said, "This school is closed!" Kit ran out into a meadow and cried herself to sleep. Then she woke up and saw an old woman standing over her. Kit mad friends with the lady. The old lady's name is Hannah Tupper. Hannah Tupper is known as, "The Witch of Blackbird Pond". The reason Hannah is called a witch is because she lives by black bird pond,and because she hardly comes out of her home. She is a Quaker. Puritans don't like quakers. Weathersfield is a place where Puritans live.
Months later, a group of people decided to burn Hannah's home and kill her. They went to Kit's Uncle's home and asked if he wanted to help. Kit's Aunt told Kit to goto bed. Kit went to her room. She put on her cloak and went beack downstairs (everyone is asleep). Kit went out the back door and went to Hannah's house to warn Hannah before the mob came. She ran inside Hannah's house and woke Hannah up. They hid behind a bush. Then the mob came and threw torches into Hannah's home. It burned down to the ground. Suddenly, Hannah's cat ran out with a mouse in her mouth. The mob thought Hannah had performed witchcraft and turned into a mouse. So, the mob went after the cat. The cat got away. The mob ran back to their homes. Then the Dolphin arrived. The Dolphin is the boat that kit sailed on to Weathersfield. Nat, the Captain's son, stopped the ship. Nat was a friend of Hannah's. Kit told him everything that had happened. Nat said that he would take Hannah to his grandmother. The next day Kit was accused of witchcraft and taken to court. She was found not guilty. then she went to the docks and Nat asked Kit to marry him.
I like this book because of the adventures in it, the things it teaches me about Purtians and Quakers, and that you need to stand up for what you believe in.

Jordin's History Project--The Defeat of the Spanish Armada

I made a model clipper ship and then drew a background picture of a Spanish Galleon.

I added flames to create a scene from the defeat of the Spanish Armada!

Defeat of the Spanish Armada
By Jordin Annett
In the 16th century, Spain was the most powerful country in Europe. Spain was bringing in boat loads of gold, had already established more than one colony in the new world, and had the strongest fleet of ships called an armada. Naturally, the other countries were jealous; especially England. Oh boy, was she mad! So what does England do? Does she go find her own gold? Of course not. England turned privateer and started capturing Spanish galleons filled with riches. Under the command of Francis Drake, England captured many gold-laden ships. For Drakes “heroic” efforts Queen Elizabeth (who is at the time England’s ruler) knights him,” Sir Francis Drake”, and proclaims him a national hero. What does Spain call him? A master thief.

It was the year 1588 when Spain declared she had had enough. That meant war! All of Europe was in an uproar! How would England survive? The Spaniards were skilled
swordsmen! There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Spain would win. Soon after Spain declared war, she sent her armada to England.

The Spanish armada consisted of mostly huge war ships called galleons. A galleon was armed with hundreds of guns depending on the size of the ship. This is not something you want to come face to face with. There was only one problem; the galleons could not go very fast. You wouldn’t think that’s much of a problem but that would be there undoing. When the mighty armada got to England, instead of surrendering, England put up a fight. Of coarse the Spanish weren’t expecting this. The English had small fast ships that could easily out run the heavy galleons of the Spanish. What made matters worse, for the Spaniards, was that the English knew that. So Drake sent England’s armada into the crowded bay. The little ships were moving in and out, firing at the slow galleons under belly, creating holes were the crew couldn’t fix them. Plus, Drake sent out old burning ships into the bay. It seamed as if the elements were against the Spanish also, for the wind was blowing fiercely, which carried the embers onto the Spanish ships. You can guess the outcome.

England won against all odds. Defeating the most powerful country in Europe is a big deal. You can bet your boots that everyone heard about the battle. The Spanish nation was in total shock and despair. They had been defeated badly and in the mean time had lost 63 ships as well as 20,000 men. England didn’t lose any ships (except for of coarse, the ships that were purposely set on fire) and only lost 100 men, a very small amount compared to the Spanish losses. Now England was the country to watch and the most powerful one to boot.
I admire the English way of thinking. They thought through the battle and did something no one had ever done. Using their strength (fast ships) to help defeat the one weakness the Spanish armada had (slow ships) took a lot of thought and guts. Tradition was a big thing at that time. No one dared to think outside the box since it just wasn’t done. I also admire the attitude of “I am not going to give up”. I think that is a great quality to have. The other thing that impressed me is that even though England was the underdog they came out on top against all odds. This period in history has taught me to never under estimate anyone because of his or her outward appearance, to try new ideas, and solve problems with a can-do attitude.

History Project by Jaxin Mckay

This is the gourd rattle I designed and made.

I made this rattle out of a gourd we grew in our garden. It represents Estaban's mistake (notice the red feather). The rattle reminds me to be aware of differences in my world so I don't make a mistake like Estaban did!

Esteban’s mistake
By Jaxin Annett
12/17/08

Esteban de Dorantes was born in Morocco. He was captured by the Spanish and made a slave. Esteban loved to party, dance, and sing. He wore lots of jewelry. He was an immoral man who made a small mistake that cost him his life.
Esteban traveled many times. His first journey was from Morocco to Florida as a slave in 1548. He was later captured by Indians and learned their language. On his next journey, he walked for eight years across the Americas until he came to México. His last journey was with a man named Fray Marcos to discover the golden city of Cibola.
On his trip to find gold, he saw the Zuni Indians. Esteban sent a gift to the Zunis. It was a gourd with a red feather in it. That was a bad choice. A gourd with a red feather meant war in the Zuni’s culture. The Indians got ready to fight. When Esteban arrived the Indians killed him and his companions.
This story has taught me that I need to learn my culture and other cultures. Then I won’t offend people and I won’t get killed like Esteban did. I will also understand other people better and have more friends. I can do this by learning their language, their religion, types of food they eat, and their traditions. I hope to learn from the many different people in my world.

Jaden Rides Again

Jaden's Riding Lessons on "Sweet Eloise". His horse used to be named "Chief" but alas has gone through a name change after he fell in love with the straight Egyptian Mare by the name of Sweet Eloise at the Egyptian Event in Kentucky. So while the girls take lessons up the road, Jaden rides around our living room, dreaming of the day he too can be a real cowboy!

Emma's Smile

Emma's homework is still learning to smile bigger than yesterday!