Syd Soccer Star

Sydney is also playing soccer this year.  I am enjoying watching her become a more confident athlete. Sydney is the Red 5.  On a trivial note, Syd is red and Abby is green and they both played christmas colored games yesterday, and they both tied.

Dishwasher Abuse

Five years ago Monday,  I took Abigail (Age 5), Rebekah (age 3) Nate (age 2) and Hazel (age 7 weeks) to Sears to replace our dishwasher.  Thanksgiving was coming, guests were coming, and I was exhausted.  I told the salesman that I wanted to buy a dishwasher that I could take the dishes off the table and stick them in and they would be clean.  We looked for almost an hour at all my options and finally found one that I could afford.  The baby was hungry and so I had to bounce on my toes to keep her happy in the sling.  Nate and Rebekah were tired of opening all the refrigerators and Abby was trying to climb in the driers.  The salesman entered all my info in the computer and then said "umm it's out of stock and I can't get it to you before thanksgiving..."  I nearly cried.  I calmly said "I guess I am not going to buy a dishwasher today after all".  I turned to go and he in desperation said "How about I sell you the next model up for the same price!" SOLD!  I even bought the 5 year warrantee for $150.  It was the safest bet I ever made.  We have run that dishwasher on average 2x's a day for 5 years.  I think that every part has been replaced at least once including the electronic control panel this summer and the motor assembly last week.  The repair man is making one last visit this week to replace my rinse aid dispenser again.  (I hate to say it Sears Repair Plan "You lost money this time!")

As proof of our use here is a photo of the "chopper".  The left is the new chopper and the one on the right is the used one.  The chopper is a garbage disposal type part.  I had to laugh when we pulled the old one out because there is almost nothing left of the chopper arms.

Mallet Specialist Christian

I love marching band.  I love it for all the fun I had in it, for all the things I learned in it,  all the friends I had in it, and that my kids all want to be in it.  I have a friend who thinks I am missing out on the football because I really only go the the High School Games to watch the Band.  The best part of watching the Band is Christian.  I am amazed at his skill, passion, and concentration.  It is fun to watch him with his peers because in uniform he is part of the group and forgets that I am his mother.  I sit during the halftime show and am amazed at how much closer to being a man he is than the little boy I sometimes think he is.  

 Here he is in the stands at ASU Band Day holding a picture of our dentist! (long story)

Ward Campout

 We went camping this week. It was time for the annual ward campout, and I wasn’t on a business trip this year, and it was October break so all of the kids had no school for the whole week, and even Christian had no marching band or other commitments.  The campground was Northeast of Payson, and our reservation started officially at 2:00 Wednesday; so, Megan picked me up from work in the early  afternoon and we headed out. 
The first day of the campout was my favorite.  Only one other family was there (the scoutmaster’s family), plus two errant teenagers that we had brought along. We brought up the Bishop’s daughter, and they brought up one of our favorite young men in the ward, and it was very pleasant. We set up camp, and the kids played, and we had dinner, and talked around the campfire, and then most of us went to bed while the 4 teenagers stayed up and played games (I still have a hard time thinking of Truman as a teenager). Next day we went on a hike and threw boulders at each other.  Well, kind of - we threw them into the water of a stream in the direction of each other with the intent of causing voluminous amounts of water to erupt onto the people on the other side of the stream.  And, voluminous was a goal that perhaps we never quite reached. Nevertheless, once Megan finally put her foot down and commanded me to go play, I had fun.  I think there must be something about nursing fires, throwing rocks, and splashing water that hold inestimable fascination for the souls of men. These three activities seem to fill the well at the core of our beings, inspire us and compel us, and have the potential to provide hours of good clean (?) entertainment.
Then other people started arriving.  Just a trickle at first, and then a whole barrage.  Lennard and his family had camped at one end of the campsite, we had camped at the other; everyone else filled in the blank spaces in the middle. Too many hard to answer questions, “You’re making fajitas?  And churning ice cream? We’re lucky to have hot dogs!” “What are those?  Maple nut scones?” “Ooh, is that a mushroom omelette?”  “Is that 10 foot marshmallow roaster long enough for you?  Are you able to get far enough from the fire?”  
Friday’s activities were a little more involved - Abby and Truman got to go fishing, and only complained that it was boring. It didn’t help that they didn’t catch anything. I tried to tell them that was the way fishing was supposed to be, that boring is precisely what makes fishing good. I had wanted to go with them but I hadn’t finished cleaning the dutch ovens. I like that job - it helps satisfy my need for order and my obsession for details; even though at the same time it often causes me to withdraw from my my environs and forget that people are important and that they have feelings. So, I missed out on training my kids in the finer points of enjoying fishing, but I did go on the crystal hunting expedition. The crystal hunting was not unsuccessful - I think everyone found some small crystals in the stream bed and best of all wasted lots of time in their pursuit. I, too, succumbed to the enticement of the hunt, and I have my own small collection of beautiful small crystals. I have no idea what I’m ever going to do with them but they are mine, and pity the man (or woman) who tries to take them away from me.
After lunch we came back to the valley. Christian needed to be at the school at  7:30 a.m. Saturday morning to take the PSAT, three children had soccer games, Rebekah had her last ballet class (with “parent sharing”), and I potentially had a refereeing assignment. In the fine print, though, I was glad to have an excuse to come home. We had been camping long enough, there were getting to be lots of people up there, and it was really nice to have a Saturday to play and clean and watch a movie.

(The Campout according to Kenneth)

Throwing rocks

 Trying to throw a really big rock.

 Manly rock throwing

 Cutie-pie on a stump

 Christian and Truman's Mock Archaeology dig that satisfied their last requirements for the Archaeology Merit Badge.

Truman Soccer Stud

Here is my best shot of Truman so far.  (Ok well maybe not my best quality but best story)  This was a fast moving game and there was a fair amount of aggressive behaviors.  I was trying to take pictures and the sun was setting.  Fas moving boys in the dark was not working.  I had the camera on rapid shot so every time I pushed the button I got 3-5 photos in succession. So I am taking pictures and then I see Truman on the ground and parents are cheering because we scored.  I wandered over and asked what happened.  They tell me that Truman made the goal, but that they didn't see it, it was too fast.  The Keeper on the other team is still laying on the ground.  We all are wondering what happened and then I realize that I didn't see it because I was taking pictures.  So here is the picture of Truman scoring the goal and taking out the keeper!

Truman (red jersey #9) stealing the ball back.

Action shot: Dribbling fast!