San Diego vacation

Last week, we took the family down to San Diego for a pre-Christmas vacation since the kids were out of school and I needed some time off from work.  Here is what we did:

Saturday, December 17

• Drive from Mountain View to San Diego - make great time on the road and then get stuck in crazy traffic in LA
• Stop for dinner in Oceanside at the home of a friend from college.

Sunday, December 18

• Attend church - and enjoy a wonderful Christmas program
• Visit the San Diego temple and take photos
• Visit the Mormon Battalion Historic Site - very cool with neat interactive technology
• Watch NFL football at the hotel
• View Christmas lights display in Chula Vista - very cool with over 55 homes involved

Monday, December 19

• Visit the San Diego Zoo - we saw all the animals, attended a few shows, and took a trolly tour of the Christmas lights they had setup 

Tuesday, December 20

• Visit SeaWorld - the shows were by far the best part of SeaWorld (with Blue Horizons being our overall favorite) 

Wednesday, December 21

• Visit the USS Midway Museum - super-cool aircraft carrier with a neat self-guided audio tour; the boys also enjoyed answering questions to get their Junior Pilot wings
• Attempt to visit The New Children's Museum - but it was closed
• Attend the Poinsettia Bowl - the kids are really into football at the moment so we bought tickets to a college bowl game; the kids made a poster to try to get on TV but weren't successful; close and exciting game overall with TCU coming out on top; the TCU marching band leaders were also amusing during the game

Thursday, December 22

• Visit San Diego Zoo Safari Park - cool to see animals in a setting closer to their natural habitat; got to see a rhino running for the first time; surprisingly, the garden trail was everyone's favorite part of the day; the cheetah run was over-hyped and over-crowded 

Friday, December 23

• Visit Cabrillo National Monument - great lookout point over San Diego and Coronado; the kids (especially AJ) enjoyed answering questions to become Junior Park Rangers
• Drive to Coronado
• Take the San Diego - Coronado Ferry round-trip - JD especially wanted to do this; beautiful day with nice views from the ferry
• Visit Coronado Beach - threw the football for a little bit on the beach; we'll be sure to return another time when it's a bit warmer; beautiful 
• Visit Belmont Park - went on a bunch of rides as the grand finale; it was great that AJ is now tall enough to go on all the rides! 

Saturday, December 24

• Drive home from San Diego - didn't hit traffic anywhere (yeah!)

All in all, I thought it was a great trip. There were rough spots for sure but, on balance, I think everyone had an enjoyable time.

Family Night Notebook

When I was reading through the June 2009 issue of the Ensign, I pulled out this tip:

You're thumbing through a Church magazine and see a great lesson idea. But by Monday night you've either forgotten about it or can't find it without a lot of searching. It's a good thing there's an easy solution: sumply cut out or copy the article or picture and slip it into a binder or notebook kept specifically for lesson ideas. Using a few tab markers, you can easily organize a growing collection of lesson material by basic gospel topics.

Early in our marriage, my husband had an erratic work schedule that left him little time to prepare family home evening lessons. But with the binder, he could quickly select a topic he felt we needed to study. As a result, we enjoyed consistent lessons and established a good Monday-night habit. Now that our children are old enough to take turns leading family home evening, we still have plenty of lesson ideas in the binder if they choose to use it.

It's easy to update our lesson notebook whenever we read the Church magazines. We cut, copy, and save as we go so we are always prepared for family night.

Seems pretty easy.  Perhaps we can get a binder going and make FHE a more regular thing in our house. (Note: the fact that it's not a regular thing is my fault ... need to work on that)

I shouldn't find this so funny

Every time I see this Dilbert comic, it makes me laugh.  It was originally published on February 27, 2009.  I really love the fact that my wife is able (and willing) to be home right now with the kids.  I wish I could do it too but I'm just not cut out for it.  Perhaps that will change over time.

The Functional Family

On a flight today, I read through this article from the February 2009 issue of Ensign magazine.  Examples abound of dysfunctional families.  This author tried to lay out some principles of functional families based on his experience as a professional counselor.  He was also trying to provide some specificity regarding how to implement what the Lord has commanded us to do in D&C 93:40: "I have commanded you to bring up your children in light and truth."  Here are relevant excerpts from the article:

In the functional family, parents focus their energy on teaching their children correct principles and allowing them to exercise their agency ... Sometimes as parents we slip into the role of a manager seeking to control our children because we expect a desired result. The problem with this approach is that children resist coercion or compulsion, especially as they get older. We will be more effective the less we act as managers and the more we act as coaches, consultants, and guides. That means that we teach our children correct principles and, as their maturity and experience allow, continue to grant them greater latitude to make choices and reap the consequences.

In the functional family, parents intentionally strengthen their families. This means that you regularly and privately ponder each child’s needs and assess them against the overall needs of the family ... Intentionally focusing on your family also means you think about the impact of what you say or do not say to your children. As parents, you begin sending messages about how you feel about your children from the minute they are born. These messages include your words, actions, and attitudes, whether you mean to or not. All of these messages shape how children come to view themselves.

In the functional family, relationships are of supreme importance. It is a good idea to regularly examine the condition of each relationship in the family ... One thing I’ve learned is that relationships usually don’t get better accidentally; rather, they improve when we make that result a priority.

Try to invest time in the relationship in obvious ways. Here are some things I’ve tried that may work for you: talk together; play together; spend one-on-one time together; send letters, cards, or notes sharing your affection; give compliments; do something fun and unexpected; say, “I love you”; listen to the other person; ask him or her to help you on a project; share personal feelings. All of these require that you personally get engaged in things the other person is doing. Afterward, talk about your efforts with your spouse during your family discussion time. You might be surprised at how far-reaching your positive influence can be.

In the functional family, parents are active teachers ... We need to consider what we teach and how we teach. For example, when holding family discussion time, you might ask, “What do we want to teach in our family in the next few months? How, when, and where do we want to teach it?” Consider writing the answers down as family goals and posting them prominently so you remember them. Then follow through with your goals.

What else might you teach? Anything you think your family needs to learn. Some topics include courtesy, honesty, prayer, scripture study, finances and getting out of debt, mutual respect in the family, how to use time effectively, how to manage angry feelings, the importance of education, and the need for all family members to do their share within the home.

In the functional family, parents lead by example. Children are always watching and observing our behavior, whether we know it or not ... Remember, our children want their parents to set an example of a person who has a clear sense of direction on personal as well as spiritual matters. We as parents need to live worthy of the guidance of the Holy Ghost at all times, especially when things get tough.

Finally, in the functional family, parents teach their children faith in our Heavenly Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ ... “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” states, “Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Remember to be patient with yourself and your family members. Relationships usually improve in stages, not overnight. Strengthening them requires time and effort. However, as you strive to have a functional family based on the teachings of our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and His restored gospel, you will provide your family the best opportunity you can to grow closer together and to face challenges with a greater sense of harmony and happiness.

As a family, I think we're doing a reasonable job on these fronts but there is plenty of room for improvement - particularly by me.

You will succeed if you keep trying

A friend of mine sent this yesterday via email.  It's exactly what I needed to hear.  I've noticed that I've been getting really impatient with things (myself, others, and God) recently - when, in reality, I just need to keep at it and give things more time to come to fruition.  RF, thanks again for sending!

Keep Watering Your Bamboo Tree - Eric Aronson

In the Far East, there is a tree called the Chinese bamboo tree. This remarkable tree is different from most trees in that it doesn't grow in the usual fashion. While most trees grow steadily over a period of years, the Chinese bamboo tree doesn't break through the ground for the first four years. Then, in the fifth year, an amazing thing happens - the tree begins to grow at an astonishing rate. In fact, in a period of just five weeks, a Chinese bamboo tree can grow to a height of 90 feet. It's almost as if you can actually see the tree growing before your very eyes.

Well, I'm convinced that life often works in a similar way. You can work for weeks, months and even years on your dream with no visible signs of progress and then, all of the sudden, things take off. Your business becomes profitable beyond your wildest dreams. Your marriage becomes more vibrant and passionate than you ever thought it could be. Your contribution to your church, social organization and community becomes more significant than you have ever imagined.

Yet, all of this requires one thing - faith. The growers of the Chinese bamboo tree have faith that if they keep watering and fertilizing the ground, the tree will break through. Well, you must have the same kind of faith in your bamboo tree, whether it is to run a successful business, win a Pulitzer Prize, raise well-adjusted children, or what have you. You must have faith that if you keep making the calls, honing your craft, reading to your children, reaching out to your spouse or asking for donations, that you too will see rapid growth in the future.

This is the hard part for most of us. We get so excited about the idea that's been planted inside of us that we simply can't wait for it to blossom. Therefore, within days or weeks of the initial planting, we become discouraged and begin to second guess ourselves.

Sometimes, in our doubt, we dig up our seed and plant it elsewhere, in hopes that it will quickly rise in more fertile ground. We see this very often in people who change jobs every year or so. We also see it in people who change churches, organizations and even spouses in the pursuit of greener pastures. More often than not, these people are greatly disappointed when their tree doesn't grow any faster in the new location.

Other times, people will water the ground for a time but then, quickly become discouraged. They start to wonder if it's worth all of the effort. This is particularly true when they see their neighbors having success with other trees. They start to think, "What am I doing trying to grow a bamboo tree? If I had planted a lemon tree, I'd have a few lemons by now." These are the people who return to their old jobs and their old ways. They walk away from their dream in exchange for a "sure thing."

Sadly, what they fail to realize is that pursuing your dream is a sure thing if you just don't give up. So long as you keep watering and fertilizing your dream, it will come to fruition. It may take weeks. It may take months. It may even take years, but eventually, the roots will take hold and your tree will grow. And when it does, it will grow in remarkable ways.

We've seen this happen so many times. Henry Ford had to water his bamboo tree through five business failures before he finally succeeded with the Ford Motor Company. Richard Hooker had to water his bamboo tree for seven years and through 21 rejections by publishers until his humorous war novel, M*A*S*H became a runaway bestseller, spawning a movie and one of the longest-running television series of all-time. Another great bamboo grower was the legendary jockey Eddie Arcaro. Arcaro lost his first 250 races as a jockey before going on to win 17 Triple Crown races and 554 stakes races for total purse earnings of more than $30 million.

Well, you have a bamboo tree inside of you just waiting to break through. So keep watering and believing and you too will be flying high before you know it.

The Fourth Watch

I recently rediscovered this CD: "The Fourth Watch: Receiving Divine Help When Your Prayers Seem Unanswered" (buy, sample/download). One of the missionaries let me borrow it about a year and a half ago and I made a copy.  I just listened to it in my car.  It's only about 74 minutes so it goes pretty quickly.  If you've ever wondered why God hasn't answered your prayers and why He isn't listening, I would wholeheartedly suggest you listening to this talk.  There are plenty of LDS-specific examples but the core material is taken from the New Testament and the messages are universal.

Here is one excerpt that I just transcribed since I think it will be meaningful to someone that I love very much.

Sometimes  I think the answers don’t come or the blessings we desire don’t come or the trials don’t end because there is no place for God to put the answer yet. I call it a “holding place”. There isn’t a holding place for the answer. And life and experience has to carve the holding place so He can put it. But He hears our prayers …

When I was just a baby, my father – because of concerns in his own life and challenges that he was having – left our family.  And I was therefore raised by my mother alone – my sisters and I.  As I was growing up, my father had very little to do with us as children. I know he was working with things in his own life, but his decisions created certain challenges and hardships for my mother, my sisters, and for myself.

At age 14 or 15, if you were in my situation and knelt down and said “Father in heaven, help me be at peace concerning my father leaving us and really having nothing to do with us, help me forgive my father”.  No answer at age 14 or 15. 20, 21 comes.  Same prayers, no answer.  25, 26.  Same prayers, no answer.  30, 31, 33, 34 … One day I was asked to prepare a talk on families and I thought "well, I will speak about my mother". My mother was a saint. In my eyes, she could do no wrong. So I would talk about my mother and how she raised us. But the Spirit seemed to whisper “speak about your father”. And I thought “what am I going to speak about my father?” I had hardly anything to do with my father growing up. But the Spirit seemed to urge that I think about him. 

Just at that moment, my two sons – I have three but only had two at the time.  I was married, I had two daughters and then two boys.  Just at that moment, my two sons walked into the room. One was about six, the other was around two. And they stood in front of me – just stood there staring at me.  And I looked at those two boys and all at once the Spirit just flooded my mind with wonderful memories of things that I had shared with those boys.  We’re told that your life passes before you just before you die and you see it all at once.  It was that kind of experience.  All the simple little experiences – none of them were major – carving Halloween pumpkins, trick-or-treating, Christmas morning, listening to their prayers, first Primary talks, the puppy, walks by the pond to see the turtles, piggy-back rides, reading them stories at night, catching a fish out of the same hole I caught my first fish at the ranch, taking them on a horseback ride.  All these little simple, tiny little everyday memories that I shared in those years with my sons.  And then the Spirit said, “I am now ready to answer your question. Now that you are a father, now that you know a father’s love, would you be the son who lost his father or the father who lost his son?”

Now, when I heard that, I just began to weep. I just sobbed.  My wife came into the room. I hugged those two boys. Just hugged them and cried. Not for me, for my father. Because I knew what he missed. He doesn’t know what he missed – there’s a mercy in that. I knew what he missed. And I knew it was a greater tragedy to be the father who lost the son than the son who lost the father …

Now, why didn’t God give me that answer at 15? Or 21? Or 25? Or when my daughters were born? He needed to wait until I was a father of sons and had enough experiences with my boys to understand what a sweet thing it was to be a father and share things with sons. The holding place was carved in my heart. And as soon as I could hold the answer, He gave it to me.

 

I know that many of us struggle with the question of whether our prayers are being heard and whether God cares about us.  Without equivocation, I will testify that God cares about each of His children deeply, that He hears each and every one of our prayers, and gives us the best set of experiences - at precisely the right time - to help us grow and develop (even though we might not always appreciate or agree with His plan or timing).

Things I Love About...

Here is a quick idea for a family home evening activity that I read about in the Ensign magazine a little while ago (see PDF).  My wife and I are going to try it with our kids and see how it goes.  I think they'll do ok - although AJ might need some help.

Sri Siva Vishnu Temple

This morning, my parents and I visited the Sri Siva Vishnu Temple in Lanham, Maryland.  It's a really impressive Hindu temple in this area - see pictures from our visit.  The architecture and attention to detail were amazing.  My dad said that the facility and the deities are more reminescient of South India than West Bengal.  We also tried to visit the Washington Kali Temple but it turned out to be closed when we got there (too bad).

Children's Letters to God

My in-laws have these cute letters to God on their computer. I couldn't help writing them down so I'd have them for the future. So amazing to see what kids say sometimes.

Dear God,
Instead of letting people die and having to make new ones, why don't you just keep the ones you got now?
J

Dear God,
I went to this wedding and they kissed right in church. Isthat ok?
N

Dear God,
I think the stapler is one of your greatest invention.
R

Dear God,
In bible times, did they really talk that fancy?
J

Dear God,
I think about you sometimes even when I'm not praying.
E

Dear God,
I am American. What are you?
R

Dear God,
Thank you for the baby brother but what I prayed for was a puppy.
J

Dear God,
I bet it is very hard for you to love all of everybody in the whole world. There are only 4 people in our family and I can never do it.
N

Dear God,
Please put another holiday between Christmas and Easter. There is nothing good in there now.
G

Dear God,
If you watch in church on Sunday, I will show you my new shoes.
M

Dear God,
If we come back as something, please don't let me be Jennifer Horton because I hate her.
D

God,
I would like to live 900 years like the guy in the Bible.
Love,
C

Dear God,
If you give me a genie lamp like Alladin, I will give you anything you want except my money or my chess set.
R

We read Thos. Edison made light. But in Sun. School they said you did it. So I bet he stoled your idea.
Sincerely,
D

Dear God,
If you let the dinasor not exstinct we would not have a country. You did the right thing.
J

Dear God,
Please send Dennis Clark to a different camp this year.
P

Dear God,
Maybe Cain and Abel would not kill each so much if they had their own rooms. It works with my brother.
L

I'd hard to pick a favorite - they're all so good - but I think it would either be the one about Cain and Abel or praying for a puppy instead of a baby brother.

India videos

Over the last couple of days, I've watched 9 hours of video related to India - three movies and one travel guide. The movies were Pinjar (3 hours), The Namesake (2 hours), and Gandhi (3 hours) and the travel guide was by GlobeTrekker (the 1 hour portion on West India). All of this is in preparation for my trip to Kolkata in January with my father. I've been trying to get a better feel for India as a country and the specific events that influenced who my father is today. Pinjar and Gandhi were particularly helpful in terms of understanding the Partition of India and the ensuing violence and family dislocations. It's one thing to think about that time conceptually but it's another thing to see some of those events visually depicted and think about what it must have been like to live through that period of time. The Namesake was helpful to understand the challenges that first- and second-generation Indian families face here in the United States - in terms of culture clash and other issues. I don't think I was ever sensitive enough to this topic - since I didn't spend much time trying to really understand it. And the travel guide was helpful to see Kolkata in action and get a glimpse of what I will see and experience there.

The catch-phrase for The Namesake is "the greatest journeys are the ones that bring you home". I suspect that will be true about this trip in January.

I'm Watching You Dad

I watched this video last night and thought it was a good reminder that my everyday actions are setting an example for my two boys - whether positive or negative.

I also received this "Family Gem" this morning via email entitled "Brethren Should Maintain Priorities":

As I meet with priesthood leaders, I often ask about the priorities of their various responsibilities. Usually they mention their important Church duties to which they have been called. Too few remember their responsibilities at home. Yet priesthood offices, keys, callings, and quorums are meant to exalt families (see D&C 23:3). Priesthood authority has been restored so that families can be sealed eternally. So brethren, your foremost priesthood duty is to nurture your marriage—to care for, respect, honor, and love your wife. Be a blessing to her and your children.

Hopefully I'm doing an ok job of balancing everything and setting a reasonable example for my kids.  I feel I could do a better job as a role model for exercise, prayer, and scripture study.

Safe, respected, and loved

We've been a little hit-or-miss with having weekly family meetings but we're trying to keep up the habit.  At our family meeting last night, one of the topics I wanted to discussed is how members of our family can feel safe, respected, and loved.  Here's what resulted from the discussion (see PDF).  I'm always surprised at the insightful things that the kids come up with on their own.

A Fine Balance

I recently read a book called A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. It is a masterfully written fiction book about India between 1975 and 1984. My mother suggested that I read it since I'll be visiting India in January with my father to see family there. The book certainly gave me a much better feel - at a very personal level - of the struggles that so many went through in that country (and still go through today). Right before the table of contents, the author includes this quote from Honore de Balzac in Le Pere Goriot: "Holding this book in your hand, sinking back in your soft armchair, you will say to yourself: perhaps it will amuse me. And after you read this story of great misfortunes, you will no doubt dine well, blaming the author for your own insensitivity, accusing him of wild exaggeration and flights of fancy. But rest assured: this tragedy is not a fiction. All is true." I can't think of a better summary for this book. Reading this book reminded me of how many blessings I have in my life that I so often take for granted - a place to live, food to eat, freedom, a loving family, and hope for my children's future (to name a few). The book also made me realize how little I probably know about my father and what it must have been like for him to grow up under challenging circumstances in India.

As an aside, I had thinking that I should try to read some books in preparation for my trip to India but I couldn't decide what to read. The very day I was thinking about this, A Fine Balance arrived in the mail from my mom. It's hard for me to believe that's simply a coincidence - and I am very grateful for so many keeping a watchful eye over me.

Special time

The last couple of months, they boys have been competing for attention more and more.  JD is quite forward and demanding in terms of attracting attention.  AJ has, in some situations, resorted to attracting negative attention - at least unconsciously assuming that negative attention is still better than no attention.  In response to all of this, my wife and I decided to devote Saturday's to dedicated, one-on-one time with kids.  Each Saturday, we alternate which parent is with which kid and that kid gets undivided attention (without having to compete for it).  So far, it seems to be working quite well - especially for AJ.

Here's a quick summary of what I've done with the boys the first four Saturdays.

Week #1: AJ

AJ and I went to the Oakland Zoo and saw animals and went on some rides.  We stopped by the visitor's center at the Oakland Temple and then we got lunch.  We went to Tilden Park after that and rode the train, went to a playground, went to the Nature Center, gathered some leaves, went to the Little Farm, rode a carousel, and got ice cream.

Week #2: JD

JD and I helped with a clean-up at the church building.  We went to Target and bought some Pokemon cards.  We came home, cleaned out the Altima (which had needed a good cleaning for awhile), had some lunch, and learned how to play Pokemon.  Then we went to JD's soccer game.  Afterwards, JD and I went on a two and a half hour bike ride to Shoreline Park and back - including a stop at 7-Eleven on the way home to buy Gatorade.  Since JD hadn't had enough physical activity that day, we wrapped up by playing more sports at his school until it got dark.

Week #3: AJ

AJ and I went up to Pier 39 in San Francisco.  We went to the Aquarium of the Bay - which has some cool exhibits.  We saw the sea lions and got some lunch.  We also bought some ballons at the magic store and some cookies at Mrs. Fields.  We were planning to spend the whole day up in San Francisco but it was raining pretty hard so we headed home.  The ballons we got included some instructions on how to make dogs, swords, and other ballon animals.  It took a little practice but I was able to figure out how to make dogs pretty well.  So we ended up making 8 of them - four for our family and four for another family.  Then we rented the movie "Thomas and Friends: The Great Discovery", popped some popcorn, and watched the movie together.  Afterwards, we took one of the balloon families over to one of AJ's friends along with two of the cookies.

Week #4: JD

JD and I practiced soccer at his school and played 2006 FIFA World Cup on the Playstation 2. It was JD's first time playing home video games. We went to his soccer game (and his Uncle DE and cousin SE came along).  Then we started playing Pokemon, went to lunch at California Pizza Kitchen, and came home to finish our Pokemon game (which JD won since he stacked the deck in his favor). JD used the computer for a bit while I (unfortunately) took care of something for work. Then we went to Sky High Sports - and had dinner at Jack in the Box while we were out.

If you have suggestions on cool things for me or my wife to do with the kids, please let me know.

Good women

I've subscribing to a Church email list called "Family Gems" where they periodically send out interesting quotes from various Church leaders pertaining to the family. I thought this one was particularly good and one I hope my sons will take to heart over time (see the Family Gem for August 29, 2008 on this page):

"You young men need to know that you can hardly achieve your highest potential without the influence of good women, particularly your mother and, in a few years, a good wife. Learn now to show respect and gratitude. Remember that your mother is your mother. She should not need to issue orders. Her wish, her hope, her hint should provide direction that you would honor."

How to tell if you are Mom's favorite

My mother-in-law forwarded this photo to me the other day with the subject line "How to tell if you are Mom's favorite". I thought it was amusing so I decided to post it here. In general, it's hard not to play favorites among your kids sometimes. When the kids were younger, a co-worker told me that there would be moments where both kids would be in crisis at the same time or would be demanding my time or attention at the same time and I'd need to make a decision (in that moment) who I was going to focus on. And regardless of how "fair" I tried to make it over time, the other kid would remember that I didn't pick him over his brother in that instance. Such is being a parent I suppose and I'm sure I exhibited that behavior when I was a child. Interesting to now see it from the opposite perspective.

Sincere but deceived

On my way to work this morning, I was listening to a lectue on CD about the Prophet Lorenzo Snow, the 5th President of the Church. Shortly after his baptism (at the age of 22), he served a mission in Ohio. During that time, he tried to share the gospel with family and friends in that area but had limited success. In the lecture, it said that the general reaction he got among family and friends was "Lorenzo is sincere but he is deceived". I suspect that's exactly how a number of my family members and friends are feeling right now.

Professional

Yesterday, the family went to the park to play soccer. My son JD decided that he and I should be on different teams since it would be "rude" for both "professionals" to be on the same team. That's probably the one time in my life that I'll be called a "professional" in the context of soccer. =) JD will start noticing all my imperfections soon enough. For now, I guess I'll enjoy the "Dad's a professional" phase.

DE

I've been meaning to write a post about my brother-in-law DE. Specifically, I wanted to say how much I admire him and also mention all his good qualities that I lack. DE is outgoing, personable, and connects with people easily. He's willing to put himself out there and publicly discuss his challenges. He's fun and creative and a kid-at-heart. In so many ways, DE is the "anti-GNP" in the best possible way. Sometimes I'm jealous of that. But most of the time I'm just grateful that my family has him, his wife, and his son in our lives. I'm glad my boys have another (and different) male role model. And I'm reminded that we all have unique gifts to offer in this life (see D&C 46:11-12).

Dear Mom, Dad + AJ

JD made a really cool book/card at school today during his free time. It reads (over multiple pages stapled together):

Dear Mom, Dad + AJ, thank you for loveing me and Mom being my mom, Dad being my dad + Andy being my broeder. [heart] JD

I kept in the spelling errors for authenticity. At first, I thought this was a class assignment. But then I found out that JD did this on his own (after making a paper airplane first). He's a very sweet boy.