Return to Blogging

I have sat down to update this blog so many times over the past few months, but somehow found it too overwhelming to tackle.  We had such a great summer and did so many fun things together as a family and at some point I will have to document them all - or at least a few.  But for now, let me start with something simple - something to ease myself back into blogging.

The First Day of School 2012!!

I have been anticipating this school year ever since Abby was in Kindergarten.  It's true.  Way back then, we had just moved into this neighborhood and I was pregnant with Peter.  I remember thinking as I sent little Abby off to Kindergarten, that when she was in sixth grade, this little baby inside me would just be Abby's age and would be starting Kindergarten himself.  

Foolishly, at the time, that seemed like a lifetime away.  But, here I am what feels like five minutes later, with Abby in 6th grade, Isaac in 4th grade, Henry in 2nd, and that little baby, Peter, is in Kindergarten.  Crazy.

The first day of school arrived with its unique blend of nervousness and excitement.  The kids had carefully picked out their outfits and had loaded their backpacks and they were ready to start a new year.  

Technically, Peter wouldn't start school for another week, but here are 

my four babies who all attend the same school. I love it!

Here's my darling sixth grade girl.  

Ready for 4th grade!

How is this little peanut already a 2nd grader!?

The kids were able to meet up with their friends at the neighborhood breakfast which always seems to calm the nerves.  I love seeing these cute kids reunited and ready to face the year together.

Isaac and our neighbor.  These boys logged a lot of hours together this summer - legos, swimming, basketball camp.  Isaac loves having a friend next door!

Abby and her cute friends.  

I refuse to acknowledge that these girls will be in Junior High next year.

Walking to school hand-in-hand.

Henry and his 5th grade buddy Jake, make their way to school.

These three had a great first day of school.  They all came home happy about their teachers, excited about the kids in their classes, and totally enthusiastic about doing homework.  (Well, at least for the first day.)

Peter and Lucy didn't start school for another week and man alive, was that a long week.  Everyday they would ask how much longer until they got to start school and everyday, they were unhappy with my answer.  Those two younger kids were ready to get in on the action.

Oh, I love these two kids!

Peter spent the morning of his first day feeling a little nervous.  He wasn't very hungry and had so many questions about how the day would go. "What kind of things will my teacher have me do?" he asked.  "How will I know where I'm supposed to go?"  "Who am I going to sit by?"  I assured him that he would be fine;  his teacher is so nice and there are so many great kids in his class.  I promised he would have a great day.  By the time we were ready to go, Peter was excited and ready to get to school.  

Look at the enthusiasm on those faces!

After school, Peter walked home with Abby, Isaac, and Henry and when he got here, he burst through the door with a huge smile on his face and ran straight for me to give me a huge hug.  "Today was awesome!  Kindergarten is GREAT!" he said with more enthusiasm than I know how to type.

Lucy had a great first day of preschool - although when I went to pick her up the only thing I could think was that she is way too small and has way too little hair to be in preschool.  

I am excited for this year for my kids.  They all seem so happy with their teachers and they have great friends in their classes.  They are all involved in activities they seem to love and enthusiastic about.  And as for me, now that Peter is in kindergarten and Lucy is in preschool, for the first time since the day Abby was born, I have two afternoons a week all to myself.

At least until March....

Performances

Last week our family was inundated with performances.  In fact, Lucy was the only one not involved in the performing arts.

Peter had his preschool performance on Tuesday.  For months, he had been singing his songs as he went through the house, and when the day came, he was so excited for us to see him perform.  When I woke him up in the morning and told him we needed to get ready for Kindermusik, he said he wasn't sure if we had time for Kindermusik because we had his performance that night  - at 8:00.  I assured him we could do both.

Peter was proud and a little reserved as he made his grand entrance.

 It was a little hard to hear most of the kids sing, because one girl sang, yelled at the top of her lungs. 

 I tried to think it was cute.

I loved it when the kids sang, "Proud to be an American."

Peter's performance came at the end of crazy day with all the kids needing to be different places at once.  I loved ending my day watching my cute boy perform and it made me more than a little sad to think that this was his last preschool performance.  I am NOT ready for Peter to start kindergarten in the fall.  But, as he often reminds me, "at least you get Lucy for like six more years, or something."

Anyway, on Thursday and Friday of the same week, Abby and Isaac performed in their school's production of "Beauty and the Beast."  This was a play that they had been working on, two mornings a week before school, ever since October.  It was nothing short of fabulous.  

Isaac played the part of a villager.  He was adorable up on stage singing praises to Gaston, doing push-ups as part of a dance number, grabbing a plunger to use for a weapon as the villagers went after the beast, and fighting with the silverware and plates in the final scene at the castle.  

My own little villager - the most darling one on the stage.

Abby had a roll as a "Silly Girl;" you know those girls who flirt with and fawn over Gaston.  She was absolutely adorable in her roll, and while I have never known her to fawn over any boy (yet), she was very convincing up on stage.  

Abby conspiring with another Silly Girl.

Giving her dreamiest expression - far left.

Although Henry didn't get to be up on stage, (it was only for 3rd - 6th graders) all the kids in the school were taught a dance routine to "Be Our Guest." Then, in the middle of the performance all the students who were spread throughout the audience, did a sort of flash mob dance and performed along with the kids on stage.  Henry loved being part of it, if only from the audience and it was great to see so many students in the audience participating.  Henry's class also helped make masks for the wolves in the forest to wear.  He was so proud of his contribution.

As I mentioned, Lucy was the only one not involved in a performance last week - but that doesn't mean she didn't try.  All throughout the play on Thursday and Friday, Lucy stood in the aisles and danced along with the musical numbers.  Then, as the play progressed, she would walk up the aisle toward the stage.  At first it was just a couple of feet and then she would come back to our seats, but by the end of the play, she gathered her courage and went right up to the stage.

Lucy makes her way to the stage and tries to get Abby's attention.

Finally gets noticed by Abby.

Makes a run for it back to the seats.

I'm sure Lucy is already counting down the days until she can be up on stage.  She is already a little performer.

Anyway, the play was awesome and I loved every minute of it.  At the end of the night, the teacher who directed it and spent thousands of hours putting it all together (without extra pay), stood on the stage and talked about the importance of the arts in the lives of children.  I got really emotional as I was filled with gratitude for the experiences my kids have with the arts.  I am so grateful my kids go to a public school that emphasizes the arts in so many ways and I am grateful for teachers who work hard to make a difference in the lives of their students.  I know that the opportunities my kids are having, will last with them always.

I loved this past week seeing all my kids involved in various performances.  I loved the work that went into preparing for their performances and I loved the excitement and satisfaction they all felt when they were done.  Congratulations to all of you cuties

Isaac's First Birthday (Party)

So here's a question for you: what kind of mother would make her child wait until his 9th birthday before he finally got a birthday party?

Oh wait,  that would be me.

Before I continue,  let me outline the valid reasons, lame excuses for why, up until now, Isaac has never had a birthday party.

1. Spring Break:  Isaac's birthday has fallen over spring break several times.  So, lest you feel too sorry for him, let me remind you that he has spent one birthday in Mexico and three birthdays at the beach in California.  Not too shabby if you ask me.

Isaac's First Birthday in Puerto Vallarta

2. Pregnancy: all of my children were born in the spring, in the days and weeks following Isaac's birthday.  That means, that for three of Isaac's birthdays, I have been in the final weeks of pregnancy.  And let me be honest here; in the final weeks of pregnancy, I have a hard enough time getting dressed in the morning, let alone hosting any kind of birthday party.

Isaac's 2nd Birthday when I was four days away from delivering 10 lbs 6 oz of Henry.  

Isaac later told me, "You was fat - like a horse." (Best line ever!)

Well, a few weeks ago, when Isaac came to me with his big blue eyes and asked with his most gentle and sincere voice if he could have a birthday party this year, I didn't have a single excuse for him.  There was nothing I could say, except "Let's have a party!"

Isaac was thrilled and fortunately for me, he knew exactly what he wanted to do.

He wanted to have a Star Wars party and invite a few of his friends to go see "The Phantom Menace" in 3-D in the theater.  Because I have no interest in or appreciation for anything relating to Star Wars, I knew this was the perfect job for Andrew.  I would feed the kids dinner - and he could take them to the movie.  Perfect!

Abby was excited to help me get ready for the party.  Together, we hung streamers and balloons.  We made clever name cards identifying the food and Abby made a poster welcoming the guests to the party.

Abby's sign welcoming Isaac's friends

Not the best photography skills, but you get the idea.

In any case, Isaac's friends came.  They ate pizza.  They had a burping contest.  They were fascinated by the candles on the cupcakes and wanted to spend the next 20 minutes playing with fire.   They were mildly obnoxious, but they were cute, typical, nine-year-old boys and Isaac loved having his friends over for his first birthday party!

When it came time for the boys to leave to go to the movie, Abby was totally worn out and exasperated.  She  was so incensed that not one of those nine-year-olds had commented on her sign or the decorations or the clever names we had for the food.  She was delighted when they left and she could recover from the stress of the party.

So, it was a good day for both Abby and Isaac.  Isaac had his first party and felt loved and celebrated by his parents and his friends.  He went to see Phantom Menace and opened presents and loved every minute of his day.  

And for Abby, she learned one of the fundamental differences between boys and girls: girls are all about the cute and clever details, and the boys are just there for the food.  Get used to it.

My tired boy on the morning of his birthday.

Happy Birthday dearest Isaac.  We love you beyond words.  And if you want, you can start planning now for your next party - nine years from now when you turn 18.

One Evening in September....

I am always so sad about summer ending that I forget how much I love fall.  Every September, I am reminded that this time of year is nothing short of perfection.  Warm, sunny days - cool, crisp nights and leaves changing colors before my eyes, pretty much equals Heaven.

So often we are so busy this time of year that we don't get to take full advantage of this season - but on Tuesday we found ourselves with a free night and took the chance to go on a family hike and enjoy this amazing weather.

We just went up Neff's Canyon (only ten minutes from our house) where we enjoyed the warm autumn sunshine, leaves just starting to change, and incredible views of the city below.

(I was especially impressed with Henry's courage to leave our home wearing 

a BYU t-shirt just four days after the disastrous BYU/Utah game.)

After a fun little hike, we reached a great spot where we could stop and eat dinner and the kids took turns swinging on  a huge rope swing.  

The kids had a blast - but as usual, it was all fun and games until this:

Turned into this:

Yes, two broken wrists later, the hike was over and it was time to come home.  Isaac has been a trooper - no complaining, no crying and he even insisted on having his piano lesson two days later.  

Even with an injury, I still came away from the hike feeling like this time of year is pretty darn close to heaven here in Utah and we're lucky we get to enjoy it.

Isaac's #1 Summer Goal

At the beginning of summer when we made our family "To Do" list, Isaac's number one request was that we go to Hidden Lake so he could hunt for frogs.  My parents had taken the kids on a hike there last year and it was such a highlight, he insisted we go again this year.

Luckily for him, on Monday, on the way home from the cabin, Andrew stopped with the four youngest kids so they could hike around the lake and Isaac could look for frogs.  All the kids had a great time and Isaac finally caught those frogs he'd been dreaming about all summer long.

(No frogs were harmed in the making of this blog post.)

Isaac's Baptism

On Saturday Isaac was baptized and confirmed by Andrew.  It was an amazing day for our family - one that I will always remember and treasure in my heart.

First of all, the weather could not have been more beautiful.  It has been an unusually cold (freezing) and wet spring, but on Saturday the sun was out, the flowers were blooming, it was warm, and it was gorgeous.  It was the perfect day for my Isaac-boy to get baptized.

Isaac and Andrew had to be to the church by 9:30.  Isaac was up by 7:15, so excited for his baptism, so excited to wear his new church clothes, and so excited - recognizing the importance of this day.  Isaac has thought about his decision to get baptized for a long time.  He understands what his baptism means and he understands the covenants he is making, to take upon him the name of Jesus Christ.

Isaac got dressed in his new church clothes and then when he and Andrew got to the church, they changed into all white.

Andrew baptized Isaac and then confirmed him, as he received the gift of the Holy Ghost.  Isaac had lots of aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and even great-grandparents there to support him on this special day.  

All our kids were so excited for Isaac.  Occasionally that excitement translated into slightly hyper behavior.  After Isaac's baptism, our bishop stood up to say a few words, and just as he started to speak Peter let out an enormous (and I think an unintentional) burp.  All the adults were shocked (mostly me) but all the kids erupted in laughter.  Unfortunately, it will be a moment of the day we'll never forget.  Thankfully, the bishop was unfazed by our son's horrible, yet comical manners and just continued with his thoughts with an understanding smile.

After the baptismal service, the whole family came back to our house for lunch.  It was a perfect day to eat outside, enjoy yummy food and spend time together as a family.  

It was such a special day.  I am so grateful for Isaac - for who he is, for his decision to get baptized and for his commitment to live his life righteously.  As part of his special day, I made a video for him documenting his first eight years of life that lead him to this day. It was like watching his life flash by in real time, but I hope it helped Isaac understand even more how much we love him and how grateful we are to be his parents.  

We love this sweet boy!

Isaac's 8th Birthday!

We've had two birthdays in our family recently and they must recognized and celebrated on this blog.  The first was Isaac.

Isaac turned 8 a couple of weeks ago.  The poor kid had to spend his entire birthday stuck in a car driving to California.  Luckily, he's such an easy-going child, he didn't really seem to mind.  (Of course, it helped that at the end of that long birthday car ride, he got to spend an entire week at the beach.)

I think it also helped that for a present that morning, he got his long-dreamed-of-and-coveted "Jimmer jersey."  He's hardly taken it off since - although I'm not sure it's improved his jump shot.

Isaac with his game face on.

Isaac is a great boy and we are so lucky to have in our family.  Here are just a few of the thousands of things we love about Isaac.

1. You are so thoughtful.  Whenever you are given a treat somewhere, you always brings home to share with your brothers and sisters so they can have some too.  I love that about you.

2.  You are the only child in our family with blue eyes.  (It doesn't hurt that those eyes are framed by the longest, curliest, darkest eyelashes I've ever seen.)  I love your bluish-green eyes.

3.  You work really hard in school.

4. You can be so silly - really, really silly.  

5. You know what is right and what is true.  Your spirit recognizes truth and you have faith to believe.  You work hard to make good choices and want to be obedient.  

6.  You are so creative.  I love your drawings and your art work and your stories.  I hope you'll always hold on to that creativity.

7.  You love facts.  I love it when you share interesting facts and figures you have learned with our family.  

8. You are kind.  You are so sensitive to how others around you are feeling.  You look for ways to make people around feel better.

9.  You still hold my hand when we go places together.  I love the feeling of your little hand in mine.

10.  You know who you are and you are confident in that.  I love that about you.

Isaac, you are a great boy.  I will always remember the day you were born and I held you for the first time.  I recognized you immediately as a strong and noble spirit.  You are such an important part of our family and I love you.

Happy Birthday Isaac-boy.  I love you with all my heart.

Anything's Possible

Last Thursday and Friday, after nearly six months of rehearsals, Abby and Isaac (and 160 other kids from their elementary) performed "Seussical the Musical."

Last week, Abby and Isaac had to be to school every morning between 6:30 and 7:00 to put the finishing touches on the play.

On Thursday, I spent most the day with butterflies in my stomach.  Abby played the part of Jojo, one of the leads in the play and while I've heard her sing around the house (and think her voice is lovely,) I'd never heard her sing on stage.  I was a little nervous for her - for sure more nervous than she was.

As it turned out, I didn't need to worry.  She blew me away.  She was utterly adorable up on stage and was totally confident.  Best of all, her voice was beautiful.   Here she is singing, "Anything's Possible." (her solo part really begins at 0:46)

Isaac did a great job as a Who.  His part wasn't as big as Abby's but he sang and danced with energy.  The greatest thing about Isaac is that he was Abby's biggest fan in this play.  He couldn't wait to perform in front of the school because he knew that afterwards everyone would say, "Your sister was awesome!" 

He's right.  She was awesome.  And so was he.  And so were all the other kids who worked so hard on their parts.  And so were the teachers who put so much time and effort into making it amazing.  I think Dr. Seuss himself would have been proud!

Abby and Isaac after the play - and yes, Isaac is two years younger than Abby.

(photo courtesy of Amanda Lewis.)

A Dancing Machine

On Saturday night, my sister Laura took our four oldest kids to a rodeo in Heber.  The main attraction at this rodeo was bull riding but in between riders, there were activities to entertain the crowd.

The highlight for my kids was the dance competition.  Isaac (and his uncle David) were selected out of the crowd to go down in the arena and take part in a dance-off  between several other contestants.  The person who got the most cheers, won the competition.

It was a heated contest.  The dancers used their best moves to wow the crowd - but in the end, it was Isaac who was the grand prize winner.  (Grand prize = a churro, a rootbeer and Snickers from the snack bar.)  He danced his little heart out and from all reports, the crowd loved it.

One look at this video and you can see why Isaac won.  The other dancers didn't stand a chance -  not even Uncle Dave who shows his stuff at the end of the video.  I wish I could say I taught him everything he knows, but seriously, I don't think you can teach a person some of the moves he was coming up with.

Congratulations on your big win Isaac.  We love you, we love your dance moves, and we love your courage to get out there and show all of Heber what you've got.

A Work of Fiction

After we got home from Hawaii, I was going through papers that had piled up while we'd been away.  Tucked between spelling tests and corrected math papers, I came across a story that Isaac had written.  It had been typed on our computer.  It was short, but with only a few words, Isaac had told a great story - and it left me wanting more.

And so I present Isaac's story; unabridged and without spell check:


I zapped through lightning and attacked kingdom prededers.


I bowed in front of kings and princesses.


As I grew up I became famous.


I was even in the morning paper.


When the girl I love saw it she was thrilled with excitement.


She was the king's daughter.


She had been wanting to marry me for a verry long time.


Later on we marryed.


And it was pretty easy when she was a princess and I could freeze time.


What do you think?  A future best-seller?  I've said it before, but I love Isaac's imagination and creativity - and now, I love his writing skills.

Strawberry and Cheetos. A Fall Classic.

Last week Isaac and Henry were too sick to go to school, but not too sick to go fishing.  Sounds a little bit like Huck Finn if you ask me.  

Seriously, I had just called the school, early enough that I wouldn't have to talk to anyone, and left a message saying that the boys would be missing school for a family event out of town with their grandpa.  This was all true, Elizabeth's dad (Grandpa) invited us fishing on a pontoon boat (family event) up at Strawberry reservoir (well out of town).   

Not long after making the phone call we had to stop the car so Isaac could get out and throw-up on the side of the road, much like Henry had the night before.   Why didn't I just call the school and tell them the basic facts, that both boys were sick, and would miss school.  We wouldn't want this stomach virus going to other kids, even though that's probably where we got it.  We wanted to keep this within our family.  Plus, puking over the side of a fishing boat is quite common.  I've read "The Perfect Storm" and have seen an episode of "The Deadliest Catch".  

It was a great early start.  The morning sun was impressive shining on the back side of Mt Timpanogus.  It looked like the perfect day.

As we approached the lake, we dropped down into a cloud that filled the valley.  It was 22 degrees but we were prepared for the cold.  We headed out onto the lake with zero visability, in no particular direction, hopefully towards the fish.  

Henry was bundled up and optimistic.  It seemed no one was on the lake but then we came upon this lone fisherman who appeared to be posing for a gear catalog or a motivational poster entitled "Persistence" or "Determination" or "Lose Yourself in Dense Fog".

I looked over to find Henry comatose on the bench.  I guess he figured he'd wake up when the sun burned through.  

Seriously, he slept in this position for over TWO hours.

Then came the fish.  Last time we went fishing, it was more about just enjoying the scenery, the time in the canoe with my son and my father in law, but this time, we caught fish.  We also re-lived one of Elizabeth's favorite childhood memories: fishing at Strawberry with her dad and licking cheetos residue off her fingers all afternoon.  This time, no paddling, great company, cheetos, and a surplus of willing 18 inch long cut throat trout.   And then the sun burned through.  What a sick day.  I've read fishing t-shirts and bumper stickers about this kind of a day.  Now I get it.

Jon, and his brother Steve reeled these in at the same time.  Steve's would not hold still for the picture and tried to bite his finger off, which is why he cannot stop laughing.

Henry chose a special white lure and sure enough, together we caught one.  He loved reeling it in and was very proud of his lure selection.  Here is his fish, just as grandpa was about to throw it back it flipped out of his hands for the picture.

Isaac was very patient, and had endured our last fishless day, never getting frustrated.   He was casting great and having a great time and knew his time would come.  His first one somehow broke the line just as we got it close to the boat.  Finally he yelled out, "got one" and sure enough, reeled in a beauty all on his own.  He was pretty happy.

It was beautiful sunny day and will have to become a November tradition