It has been a full week, stuffed with church responsibilities, school registration, shopping, sports practices, mission prepping, vacation planning and lots of extended family. It is the last hurrah of summer and we are cramming in everything possible before it slips away. The kids are finally starting to feel that excited anticipation of a new school year and though we could use some scheduling around here, I'm not.
Lily gave her first talk on Sunday. Her assigned topic was, "Jesus Can Heal the Sick" and she was excited. She came down with some bug and was curled up on her bed, with a fever, stomach ache and headache all Saturday and Sunday morning. 12:15 (we usually leave at 12:30) she suddenly felt better and learned first hand the power of prayer and Jesus' healing power. We quickly got her ready and added a sentence to her talk about her experience. She did a great job, with hardly any help.
Sunday night Mikayla and I attended the first meeting of the newly called stake YM/ YW Aaronic Priesthood Committee. Each year the personalities and dynamics of the committee are so different from the previous year. These youth were quiet as the grave, which made for a long meeting, but hopefully they will loosen up as the year progresses. I'm excited to be able to work with Mikayla.
Tuesday morning Scott flew into town and my teens grabbed some friends and floated the Middleton section of the Boise River. It was a cold day, but they are good at crazy and seemed to have fun. It was a quicky visit, but a fun experience for all of us to get reacquainted. It is unfortunate that we live so far apart and travel is so expensive, but we are fortunate that we can visit with both Scott and Taylor over the Thanksgiving holiday, as they take a short jaunt from BYU in the Fall.
Wednesday and Thursday were full of school clothes shopping, which is always a fun experience for children and a bit mind numbing to me. We made 3 separate trips and are almost done. Thrift stores and clearance racks first, then discount stores, then finish off with the sales. Mikayla and Eden are relatively easy and I am along just to be the voice of economy and modesty. Abe is initially easy because he'll agree to almost anything if it means he gets out of the store more quickly (getting him to actually wear anything new once we're home is a whole other challenge:). Lily and Sophie are exhausting as they are completely immersed in the process and pull things off shelves to show me at alarming rates, regardless of appropriate sizes, and once we finally make it to the dressing room they think they are the main attraction at a vaudeville show and you'd think they had never seen a full length mirror before. They are both posing and twirling and dancing, and giggling (none too quietly) and when we finally emerge, I am exhausted. It is a semi-annual highlight of their year, and it takes me that long to recuperate:)
Eden spent a good part of the week in volleyball tryouts. She's never played and we aren't an especially athletic family, but even after two days of suicide drills, designed to force people to drop out on their own, she stuck it out, but didn't make the team. She was a bit heartbroken. Volleyball is a big deal in Middleton and all of her friends made the cut. I was sad to see her hurt, but the demand and intensity of organized sports makes me crazy and I wasn't especially supportive of the whole idea as it was taking her away from so many family activities. She's still pondering practicing with the team, where less dedication would be required, but I have never understood the pressure of it all. It should be an outlet, but it seems to always be a frenzy instead. Sorry, I know I am in the small majority here, but give me the good ol' days where kids played together in the vacant lot...........for FUN!
Friday, Hyrum and Desi invited the whole family on a boating excursion at Lucky Peak. They staked out a private dock and we had exclusive rights all day (no one else would have been brave enough to put in anywhere near that kind of pandemonium:) It was a lot of work for them (Hyrum ferrying people across for the better part of the afternoon and providing and preparing almost the entire dinner for over 40 people), but they were perfect hosts which made for a fun, relaxing and rewarding day for the rest of us. The last car didn't drive out until after 10:00 and of course a good number of cousins had finagled sleepover plans. Ben ended up with a gaggle of girls; I ended up with 2, and Marg might have had some. Saturday morning Ben called with this inquiry. "I woke up this morning to find that I was missing a child. You're the last one I've called. Do you have Sabrina?" He's a goof ball and of course he was kidding, but the whole transportation scenario was mayhem and I wouldn't have been surprised if that had actually happened. Luckily, everyone got back home safe and sound on Saturday, most shoe-less and still in their swimsuits, but happy.
I am grateful to have a day of calm before the storm of packing and last minute vacation planning that will surely blow in tomorrow. I've made plans for Olive and Maunzy to be looked after by Marg and Liz, who said I sounded like I was leaving my children, when I called with instructions. I hope I haven't crossed that line, but I do worry. The pet guilt factor is definitely a part of my daily routine. Both of the twins know that feeling well, so I know Olive and Maunzy will be in good hands.
The weather forecast for Lincoln City is looking "iffy", but our rental house is situated on a cliff, directly overlooking the beach, so even if we get forced inside most of the time, we will be able to play family games and watch the ocean storms rage. We'll take warm jackets and hats and whatever happens, it will be therapeutic to get away together and put life's distractions aside for four days. I'm looking forward to it immensely. We have good books, movies, activities and food planned for the drive, so even that it sounding endurable (though that silver lining may wear off quickly after the 8th bathroom break and the 6th, "are we there yet?":) We're just crossing our fingers that our radiator will hold out and this pile of nuts and bolts we optimistically refer to as our Suburban doesn't fall into a heap an hour out of town. Vacationing in Ontario doesn't have the same appeal to me:)
--
Posted By Bloomers to KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES at 8/15/2010 09:38:00 AM
Lily gave her first talk on Sunday. Her assigned topic was, "Jesus Can Heal the Sick" and she was excited. She came down with some bug and was curled up on her bed, with a fever, stomach ache and headache all Saturday and Sunday morning. 12:15 (we usually leave at 12:30) she suddenly felt better and learned first hand the power of prayer and Jesus' healing power. We quickly got her ready and added a sentence to her talk about her experience. She did a great job, with hardly any help.
Sunday night Mikayla and I attended the first meeting of the newly called stake YM/ YW Aaronic Priesthood Committee. Each year the personalities and dynamics of the committee are so different from the previous year. These youth were quiet as the grave, which made for a long meeting, but hopefully they will loosen up as the year progresses. I'm excited to be able to work with Mikayla.
Tuesday morning Scott flew into town and my teens grabbed some friends and floated the Middleton section of the Boise River. It was a cold day, but they are good at crazy and seemed to have fun. It was a quicky visit, but a fun experience for all of us to get reacquainted. It is unfortunate that we live so far apart and travel is so expensive, but we are fortunate that we can visit with both Scott and Taylor over the Thanksgiving holiday, as they take a short jaunt from BYU in the Fall.
Wednesday and Thursday were full of school clothes shopping, which is always a fun experience for children and a bit mind numbing to me. We made 3 separate trips and are almost done. Thrift stores and clearance racks first, then discount stores, then finish off with the sales. Mikayla and Eden are relatively easy and I am along just to be the voice of economy and modesty. Abe is initially easy because he'll agree to almost anything if it means he gets out of the store more quickly (getting him to actually wear anything new once we're home is a whole other challenge:). Lily and Sophie are exhausting as they are completely immersed in the process and pull things off shelves to show me at alarming rates, regardless of appropriate sizes, and once we finally make it to the dressing room they think they are the main attraction at a vaudeville show and you'd think they had never seen a full length mirror before. They are both posing and twirling and dancing, and giggling (none too quietly) and when we finally emerge, I am exhausted. It is a semi-annual highlight of their year, and it takes me that long to recuperate:)
Eden spent a good part of the week in volleyball tryouts. She's never played and we aren't an especially athletic family, but even after two days of suicide drills, designed to force people to drop out on their own, she stuck it out, but didn't make the team. She was a bit heartbroken. Volleyball is a big deal in Middleton and all of her friends made the cut. I was sad to see her hurt, but the demand and intensity of organized sports makes me crazy and I wasn't especially supportive of the whole idea as it was taking her away from so many family activities. She's still pondering practicing with the team, where less dedication would be required, but I have never understood the pressure of it all. It should be an outlet, but it seems to always be a frenzy instead. Sorry, I know I am in the small majority here, but give me the good ol' days where kids played together in the vacant lot...........for FUN!
Friday, Hyrum and Desi invited the whole family on a boating excursion at Lucky Peak. They staked out a private dock and we had exclusive rights all day (no one else would have been brave enough to put in anywhere near that kind of pandemonium:) It was a lot of work for them (Hyrum ferrying people across for the better part of the afternoon and providing and preparing almost the entire dinner for over 40 people), but they were perfect hosts which made for a fun, relaxing and rewarding day for the rest of us. The last car didn't drive out until after 10:00 and of course a good number of cousins had finagled sleepover plans. Ben ended up with a gaggle of girls; I ended up with 2, and Marg might have had some. Saturday morning Ben called with this inquiry. "I woke up this morning to find that I was missing a child. You're the last one I've called. Do you have Sabrina?" He's a goof ball and of course he was kidding, but the whole transportation scenario was mayhem and I wouldn't have been surprised if that had actually happened. Luckily, everyone got back home safe and sound on Saturday, most shoe-less and still in their swimsuits, but happy.
I am grateful to have a day of calm before the storm of packing and last minute vacation planning that will surely blow in tomorrow. I've made plans for Olive and Maunzy to be looked after by Marg and Liz, who said I sounded like I was leaving my children, when I called with instructions. I hope I haven't crossed that line, but I do worry. The pet guilt factor is definitely a part of my daily routine. Both of the twins know that feeling well, so I know Olive and Maunzy will be in good hands.
The weather forecast for Lincoln City is looking "iffy", but our rental house is situated on a cliff, directly overlooking the beach, so even if we get forced inside most of the time, we will be able to play family games and watch the ocean storms rage. We'll take warm jackets and hats and whatever happens, it will be therapeutic to get away together and put life's distractions aside for four days. I'm looking forward to it immensely. We have good books, movies, activities and food planned for the drive, so even that it sounding endurable (though that silver lining may wear off quickly after the 8th bathroom break and the 6th, "are we there yet?":) We're just crossing our fingers that our radiator will hold out and this pile of nuts and bolts we optimistically refer to as our Suburban doesn't fall into a heap an hour out of town. Vacationing in Ontario doesn't have the same appeal to me:)
--
Posted By Bloomers to KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES at 8/15/2010 09:38:00 AM
No comments:
Post a Comment
All comments are moderated on this blog which may mean a brief intermission before the comment shows up on the page.