Category: Adventurous kids

So much, but nothing

I feel a bit burned out. It’s the last week of summer and I am so glad that we canceled our trip to Yellowstone this week. We need a chance to breathe before school begins.

I’ve been thinking about all we have done since school got out in June. We sent Paige to EFY, Girls’ Camp, and Youth Conference to paint a house and spend time in the mountains on canoes and a ropes course. I went with her to Youth Conference. We sent Daniel to Scout Camp and Richard went along for part of the week. We traveled to St George and sped around on wave runners. We went to Fish Creek and rode motorcycles. We camped in our backyard, read The Hobbit aloud, and made about 20 trips to the library. We spent several days at Spring Lake, celebrating with family and working on projects with concrete. Richard overhauled two motorcycles and fixed up the tent trailer. I painted doors and baseboards. Daniel painted the walls of his bedroom. Richard and I got new callings at church (ward missionary and YW secretary) and spent many late nights editing my book. We sent Timothy to Cub Scout camp and Richard went with him. We spent about a week in the mountains at the family cabin with 20-40 people, depending on the day. We saw moose and a bear. Mark started piano lessons, so piano music is almost always in the background with four piano students practicing each day. I finished my first quilt. We watched the neighbors’ quadruplets. We read a lot of books. Daniel joined an orchestra and mowed the lawn each week. Timothy tended the garden. Mark and Timothy hunted almost daily for wasps. We have had a steady queue of guests stay in our home and we have learned that Salt Lake City truly is the Crossroads of the West. This is where our energy has gone this summer.

Perhaps I have earned the lethargy that I feel this morning.

I wrote, nurtured, and edited 120 pages about my grandmother.  I wrote 14 posts about my experiences as a Mormon and why I love my church. Perhaps these were all of the words I had to give this summer.

It’s been a good time and I get emotional when I think of school taking the kids away each day. We’ve been in Utah a year now (as of this weekend) and one of my favorite things about Utah is that there are distinct seasons and something special to look forward to in each. My task today is to find something to look forward to about school beginning. It might take me all week to do it.

 

Twenty years from now

DSC_0100-001 DSC_0102 DSC_0103 DSC_0104I think the kids will remember the night we brought home our new tent trailer and let them sleep in it in the backyard. I think they might also remember that I read aloud from The Hobbit that night, and it just happened to be the chapter with Gollum and Bilbo doing riddles in the dark. I did my best to do a worthy Gollum voice. Good times.

Fish Creek

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Grandpa always knows the names of the plants.

We spent a day up in the mountains this week with some of Richard’s siblings and his dad. We sat by the creek and rode motorcycles. When we reached the meadow, I sang the entire Sound of Music song because I felt like it. We found flowers, insects, and colored glass. It rained on us and it smelled heavenly.DSC_0050 DSC_0067 DSC_0088 DSC_0089-002 DSC_0090 DSC_0091 DSC_0096 DSC_0097 DSC_0098DSC_0057

Youth Conference 2013

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Our youth at Heber Valley Camp (photo by D. Brockbank)

Paige and I went to youth conference with our Stake in June. We spent a day doing yard work and painting in an older neighborhood in SLC. The next two days we spent at Heber Valley Camp doing ropes courses, canoeing, going to classes, and hiking. The first four rows of kids in this photo belong to our ward.

I love being a youth leader.

EFY

Paige loves going to Especially For Youth at BYU. Here are some photos of her group.

EFY 2 EFY 2013It’s almost been a week and she’s still wearing the wrist band. Times must have been very good.

We discovered that her EFY director was my favorite seminary teacher from high school. Hooray for Ben Knowlton!

Last Day of School

The kids finished school last week. We were busy, then suddenly, we were not. And the house was full of school papers to sort and the music room felt little bit empty without the cello we rented for the school year.

DSC_9936-001Those are real smiles, earned from a year of adjustment and work. They did a marvelous job. I don’t have a picture of Paige or Daniel because they promptly took off with friends once they got their freedom.

The social outcomes we had envisioned for our children when we sent them to public school were achieved this year. There were surprises and a few disappointments, but overall, I am so pleased at the growth I have seen and their broadening circle of friends.

Little Slugger

DSC_9906DSC_9898-001 DSC_9900  DSC_9911 DSC_9914 DSC_9920 DSC_9924 DSC_9927 DSC_9929 DSC_9934We might have a first baseman in the family in Mark. It’s delightful to see him catch and throw so well. He gets excited and hops in place as he watches the plays. He is proud of his RED helmet and bat.

He came home with a trophy last night after the game. So fun.

Yesterday was also a special day for Mark at school because he won an iPod touch in the school reading contest. He came home a celebrity after the school assembly.

We gave him a CD for his birthday with a mix of his favorite songs such as Payphone, That’s what Makes You Beautiful, the theme from A-Team, It’s Always a Good Time, etc. He comes home and rocks out in his bedroom each afternoon.

It’s just so fun to see Mark enjoy life.

Paquita

DSC_9830DSC_9798 DSC_9806DSC_9810DSC_9840Paige is performing as a demi-solist in Paquita this week. Ballet is beautiful and rigorous. Paige’s feet are raw and her pointe shoes are bloody. I tell you this because she makes it look easy. She is strong and beautiful and we are so proud of her artistry and the sacrifices she has made to become a dancer.

I had no words for her last night as we drove home late from her dress rehearsal. I ached for her; I was proud of her; I didn’t say enough, I am sure. All I could do was buy her a milkshake and sit with her while she ate it. I have never experienced anything like she did at that grueling rehearsal last night.

Ballet is one of the lonely battles she faces. She’s an example of how to face difficulties and challenges with a smile and with grace. Only two more nights, Paige! You can do it!

You are an artist.

You are strong.

You are beautiful.

You are loved.

A Program, a Concert, and some Fashion

Timothy participated in his 4th grade program this week. It was a celebration of Utah, full of songs for voice and recorders, a fantastic choral reading, and he presented a flawless speech. It represented a year’s worth of Utah Studies and music. I loved it.

DSC_9764 DSC_9765Mrs Johnson was a wonderful teacher for Timothy. This was her 35th year of teaching. She’s retiring this week and the school won’t be the same without her.

I have inherited my Great Aunt Susan’s wardrobe. It’s classy and smart with whimsical touches. I love fashion, but I don’t buy clothes very often for myself. It’s a real treat to wear her clothing. I wore this to Timothy’s program with a brown and white beaded necklace. I wore heels with the wide-legged pants and pulled my hair into a loose bun. Overdressed for a school program? Yes, but who cares.

DSC_9760-001  We don’t have photographs of Daniel’s orchestra concert this week, but we were so proud of him for playing the solo for Beauty and the Beast on his cello. He did a great job and was a good sport about playing the girls’ choice of music for the finale: Firework by Katy Perry! I wore this outfit. I love the red corduroy peplum jacket with big buttons. The pants are a nice heavy knit, comfortable, but dressy.

DSC_9743And for church today, I wore this outfit. The beads belonged to my Great Grandmother Spencer. The jacket and dress were Susan’s.

DSC_9768-001This week there are two ballet performances to attend and two fancy outfits to plan. Although it feels a bit silly and indulgent to post photos of outfits, I am sure it won’t be a permanent habit. Oh, but I do love clothes.