DI 2013

What up G? 

Bingham had his first year in DI and he had a "staring" role as a star named G. Gangsta jokes never get old when you hear them from a group of Kindergarteners. His play actually had nothing to do with gangsters of any type, but thinking outside the box is what DI is all about. His teacher was their team leader and she is amazing at communicating and working with these little ones. She makes me want to be a Kindergarten teacher when I grow up.

This being Colorado, I guess it wasn't strange that our worst storm of the season happened at the end of March, but it was a little unfortunate for many of kids who couldn't make it. For Sonya and Austin's team we were missing 3 out of 7. This definitely added another level of difficultly to presenting a play they had been working on for months without 2 of their key players. But again, in the spirit of DI this little team went to work rearranging their play, scrounging up impomptu costumes and even asking the cafeteria lady for some lettuce to replace our missing carrot. Austin, who originally only had a part at the end as a prince, played two other parts changing character as he went. His execution was impressive. He also did an excellent job answering the questions from the judges at the end and explaining all the changes they made from their original plan.

Soni played her part as a secret spy bunny to the T and had the judges rolling with her secret spy roll. In the end they placed 5th out of 13 teams, and got an award for their determination and resourcefulness. I was so proud of them and couldn't have asked for a better team.

Eve's group was small this year, but was by far the best group she's had so far. They've worked independently all year, taking responsibility for every aspect of their solution. This year's challenge was to present a play including a disguise, a morphing mask, and a decorative mask.....and only using non-verbal communication. Despite being a little shy, they qualified for the state competition in 3 weeks. This is an awesome bunch of girls and I'm looking forward to taking them up to Denver to show their stuff.

To be continued.....

Fun Times

With a week off school there was a lot to catch up on, and "fun times" was pretty high on our list. More specifically the bike park. We went this spring and the kids loved it so much they have been asking ever since to go back. Phil even took the day off last minute so he could come too.

 

The teeter totter that Austin is going over below is tricky. I tried it once  and had no desire to do it again. It's pretty skinny and plus it's a teeter totter. Austin has just enough guts and skill to do it pretty well.

It took Eve a couple tries, but she kept working at it and some of the other ramps until she could do them all. Then she got off her bike for a break. She asked if it was normal for her arms to still be shaking that bad. I was impressed that she kept working at it so hard when her body was telling her to go sit in the shade.

Soni worked hard getting better at the sharp turns and steep little hills and sang songs the whole time. She even crashed once in order to get out of Bingham's way so he wouldn't crash....what a sister.

After a while I told Eve and Austin I would go up with them to the big hill and get some pictures. They came down the hills in good form and such focus.

It paid off and they caught some good air.

 

This was the last run of the day and I think Austin felt a little pressure to make it a good one. On each jump there is a high one and a low one. They both had been using the low one until this time.

Austin hit the high jump and went a little higher than we both planned. The top of the hill is about 10 feet flat before it drops down hill again. Ausin completely cleared the top and didn't hit for a good way down the hill.

I didn't see it, but he said he landed and held it for a second then lost it. He came walking back up the hill with blood running down his face. Later he told me his tooth was stuck in his lower lip and he had to push it out with his tongue...lovely. But it wasn't his lip that was making me nervous, it was the chunk of chin hanging down from his um..chin. It must not have hurt too bad (whatever) because he insisted we eat lunch before we took him to get it stitched up.

This was our first emergency trip with the kids and I think it was a good one. Phil and I were both there so he took the kids while I went with Austin. It wasn't such a huge emergency that we couldn't logically think our way through the insurance process and make sure we were covered there. It was a good learning experience....would it be horrible to say I'm grateful for such an easy accident to learn on.

We were in and getting stitched up in less than a half hour after lunch and I made it all the way to the third stitch before I almost lost my cookies. Such a strange experience, one minute I'm completely fascinated by the needle and raw flesh and the next, the room is feeling a little hot and I have to hang onto the side of the bed so I don't tip over. Luckily there was only four stitches and I made it by sheer will power to not look like a pansy in front of my kid. 

But the fun didn't stop there. While we were waiting for the nurse to come back with our papers, Austin got a little bored and stuck his fingers in the holes at the end of the bed...both hands.

They were stuck tight and when the nurse came back I was trying to work some soap down inside to get them out. She pulled out the packets of lubricating jelly and within 5 minutes had him free. Hope they didn't charge for that one, I don't know if our insurance covers stupidity. (I can say that because I too remember having my finger stuck tight and needing my dad and a whole lot of dish soap to get it out.)

Back to School!

I dread it, I welcome it, I panic as it gets closer and I anxiously count down til it's here. Who would be excited to have their kids gone all day five days a week? Who wouldn't? Count me in both groups. This year was even a little more difficult since I had already spent a week in teacher training (more on that later) and missed being with my kids horribly, but was so anxious to have a consistent place for them to go while I would be at work.

I took Eve to get her registered a week before school stated. We walked around the new to her building with all it's lockers and classrooms and different teachers and schedules. By the time we were done, she felt a lot better and I was completely freaked out. She looked so small as she got on the bus the first day...much smaller than even her first day of kindergarten, and I cried as I walked home from the bus stop alone.

 A month later, I think I'm getting used to the idea of my daughter being in middle school, and it has it's perks. I get to wake up early with her every school day and we get one on one time that I love. She still wants me to walk her to the bus (I guess she missed my cry baby display on the first day), and then she rides home with me in the afternoon. After I drop her off at the bus I have just enough time to go for a run before it's time to wake up the rest of the kids. And best of all, she got a cell phone (remember...freaked out mom) and she sends me funny texts all the time. I guess I can deal.

I missed dropping Soni and Austin off this year, but on the flip side, Phil got to. I missed there excitement as they got dressed and met up with old friends again.

Don't they look so excited? I have to believe their gloomy faces are because I wasn't there...also the reason Bingham is bare foot...sigh....

They all survived without me and now a month later they seem to have adjusted to the school schedule again. Austin is just pulling through his usual "back to school" rebellion and is finally making the connection (again) of self regulation and a happy teacher. Soni must not be getting enough homework because she has enough time after school to organize and create homework for Bingham and leaves us in the morning with strict instructions to make sure Bingham does his homework while she's gone.

Bingham goes to preschool in the afternoon and has met a new friend named Shark Boy and wants to be called Shark Boy too. I told him that we used to call him Laser Boy and maybe we could call him that again, but he wasn't impressed. For the Apple Day parade he was supposed to dress up as what he wanted to be when he grew up. He picked Spider Man. Honestly, I believe him.

That's all I need

There are 24 hours in a day.

That's 1,440 minutes.

And 86,400 seconds.

That's a lot of seconds, but it only takes one....

to beat my son in the Apple Day fun run.

Just one second and I'm still on top...

at least 'til next year.

Austin: "Mom, you beat me?!?!"
Me: "Of course I did."

Finding Summer Part IV

My favorite date night activity is going on a walk. Simple, cheap, and easily accessible. It was on one of these lovely walks that Phil and I came upon a little garter snake in the road. It looked dead, but when we nudged it, it turned and snapped at us. Feisty little thing. When we first moved here Phil killed a blow snake not realizing its gopher eating potential and has felt bad ever since, so he went to great lengths to get this little garter snake out of the road away from deadly tires. It was quite a process, and a little funny.

A little while later it had started to get dark and we were just about home when we heard that sound that automatically invokes fear before you even consciously know what your afraid of. Phil had just about stepped on a big ol' rattlesnake. Good thing it wasn't as feisty as that garter snake or I would have been taking Phil to the hospital that night. Instead it just slithered off in the grass.

Phil got over his sorrow for killing the blow snake and took off running to get his shot gun...leaving me alone in the dark watching a riled up rattler. Now, I suppose a shovel would have done the job, but Phil has always been an all or nothing kind of guy, and by the time we were done, (one shot mind you) the rattlesnake was in 3 different wiggly pieces.  Austin had come out once he realized there were snakes and weapons involved and it's a good thing because he was the only one brave enough to reach out and get the rattle.

Finding Summer Part III

Austin has had an interesting summer. Right at the beginning he made some bad choices resulting in a broken window....and this is not his first broken window. In all fairness it really humbled the kid, he felt horrible and was more than a little nervous about what his dad would do when he got home. So we sat down and wrote out a schedule of work he could do to pay for a new one. I gave him several options, but weeding the garden was his top choice, so that's what he did. Every day. Even when everyone else was playing in the pool, or chasing around with friends he pulled weeds.

Honestly, I thought it was something I would have to fight him over, but it seems his sorrow was real, and for the most part he worked hard and willingly. I liked going out with him to get a few weeds of my own, and of course, I loved the time spent with him. He's a funny guy, so honest, and (shh, don't tell I told) screams like a girl when attacked by a baby toad.

One evening he started talking about the amount of money he had earned and it started to connect some dots for him. I've always had a list of jobs for the kids to do if they want to earn extra money, but they've never really taken advantage of it. It's hard to imagine a few dollars here and there adding up to anything substantial. But this time he could see that it does, and a whole world of possibilities opened up for him.

Now that the window is payed for, Austin still goes out and weeds or digs trees out of our field (elm trees are the only thing that grows in our field when we can't water). I'm proud of him and a little nervous he might break the bank. I might need to follow the example of my mil and establish a mission account....

Child: "Mom, can I have the money I earned?"
Mom:  "It's in your mission account"

Not so fresh

I  love the work of spring and it's almost instant gratification. Everything is so willing to grow after a season of rest. It makes me feel like an expert gardener and when Bingham asks if we're farmers I smile and say yes.

The downside is that everything happens so fast that before you can even get your camera out blossoms are fading and the heat and hard work of summer set in.

With that in mind...here's another attempt at a  little catch up.

A few months ago we found some new hiking trails. Really just strolling trails, but scenic and perfect for those days when strolling and holding hands is what is needed. Separated from the pleasant peaceful trails were some other trails reserved for bikes. Marked with signs like this....

and this....

So of course we made plans to return on a day when we were looking for a little more than a stroll.

I love my sweet quiet Eve, but I also love to see her put her reservations aside and go for it!

Bingham and Sonya stayed busy on the speed bumps at the bottom. Not bad for a kid just off training wheels.

Sonya did great on these little hills. She took her time, had just enough speed and still managed to make it all look like an easy day at the park.

Austin did achieve a little "airborne at high speeds."

Eve achieved some carefully approached high speeds.

Her caution paid off...

although she wasn't airborne as much, she didn't eat as much dirt as Austin did either....especially after this jump....the look on his face says he's aalready tasting a little.

He redeemed himself by doing the teeter totter thing. 

They did this teeter totter thing too...I think it felt good to keep their feet on the ground for a bit.

It was a good day, and we will be back...maybe I can put my camera down for a minute, step out of mommy mode and try out my rusty wheels.

Bike Ride

Yesterday Austin and I finally went on the bike ride we had been planning all winter. For the middle of February you couldn't ask for better weather. I didn't bring my camera which I am kinda bummed about, but really I don't know when I would have used it...it was a lot of work to keep up with that kid. The plan was to ride up around the reservoir on the back roads, but of course we didn't stick to that plan. We spent a lot of time messing around on some hills and ditches and I'm pretty sure I haven't ridden like that since I was Austin's age...but I'm not Austin's age and my body is feeling the pain today. I need one of those cushy old lady seats.

After playing off road for a while it was a little boring to get back on the road so we took another detour which proved to be fun and a little wet and completely worth it. The reservoir was still frozen at the far end so of course Austin had to check it out and see how much abuse it could take. It was fun to spend the day with Austin and I have to say the kid is growing up nicely. There was a time when he was all guts and rookie skill and a ride like this would have ended up with Austin bloody and upset, but now things are balancing out, the boy has skills and just enough fear to keep him from doing anything too crazy....most of the time.

NINE

So Austin had a birthday this month. Actually, it was yesterday, but we celebrated it 2 weeks ago.



Nine years. That’s a lot to celebrate. Especially when you live your life like Austin does…10 feet off the ground and 90 miles an hour.  Now if we could just figure out how to apply that “zest” to his spelling homework….seriously….I’m open to suggestions. I made the mistake of telling him that I have always struggled with spelling so now he blames it on me; says it’s in his DNA.

But really, what a loveable kid, and our world would be a pretty quiet place without him….too quiet.

This year we’ve had warm weather all season…and have really missed the snow, but it sure made the wiener roast we planned for Austin’s party a lot more enjoyable. We had a few friends over, several different kinds of weapons, plenty of ammo and fire.

Good times for all.

We even got a hold of some of those mondo marshmallows to test out. The verdict is…WOW, so cool, but really…that’s a LOT of mallow. Very scientific, I know.



(here’s Bingham trying to eat a mallow all in one bite…and I’m guessing from the ketchup all over his face, this is how the hotdog went down too.)

All in all it was a great way to celebrate another year with Austin, and I’m so looking forward to whatever the 10th year brings.

Shooting babies

Bingham thinks Austin's BB gun is a baby gun, and it shoots tiny little babies (bb's).

So Thoughtful

I know my kids love each other. The really look out for each other. For example, Austin went to a lot of work to make sure Bingham would be safe....

...when he threw a football at his head.

See the pillow behind him to cushion his fall from the blow...

these kids think of everything.

Sum, sum, summer time...

I think that after getting so far behind on my pictures this summer I just avoided my camera for a while. This last week it has slowly been making a reappearance in our lives and so...

Yep, Soni lost another tooth. It has been loose all summer and finally I just reached in and grabbed it. She thought it was extremely painful until she saw the tooth in my hand. Now I get such a kick out of her lisp. She is going to a surprise princess party next week and every time she asks about it I have to tease her a little bit.

Austin and Phil ran another 5K last Saturday, I was planning on running it too until my friend talked me into running a marathon this fall so we did 12 miles before the race. That's my friend's kid that's running with Austin. They're both so dang competitive, but they really worked together and planned a tie at the end. They came in at 26:42...speedy boys.

We went to the reservoir last week and took Sam and Joe. Their older sister was the one killed in the auto accident and they spent most of the week at our house. It was good to have them here and I just wanted to help anyway I could....the problem came when Eve and Sam floated away from the creek and out into the reservoir. They can both swim, but there was a pretty strong current and they both panicked. Phil and two other boys jumped in to get them back to the shore. It was a little scary there for a minute, but my biggest fear was telling the mom who had just lost a daughter that I just about drowned another. I mentioned it as casually as I could and I'm pretty sure she was so emotionally wiped out it didn't even click on her register...and she let me keep the kids several times since then, so I think we're all good.

So....next week school starts and again I ask myself..."why do I send my kids away all day?" Yes, they drive me crazy, but it's a good crazy and things are awful quiet when they're gone.

What a weekend

We had a great weekend. It started with a little unexpected girls night out. I have a friend whose husband is in the army and is on leave. They have 4 kids and she homeschools them all and was in need of a break. Phil offered to take the kids for the night so we could go up to Springs for a doctrinal fireside given by Pres. Mcconkie. So we left Phil with 8 kids (go ahead, you can laugh a little), some pizza and lots of movies, and hit the road. The fireside was amazing, I think this man has read (and memorized) anything and everything pertaining to religion that has ever been written. I took notes like crazy...have you ever been lost and you drive around for a while until you finally find something farmilliar but you're in a completely different place than you thought you were in, and you think it would be nice to see a map, just to see where you had been....well, it was kind of like that, and hopefully, my notes will be that map.

We got home to find everyone healthy and happy, even Phil. I guess there was a minor poop emergency, but the kids were good to help out with that one. Oh, and Bingham and Belle (2 year old girl) both had their toenails painted black...by each other, nobody else saw anything of it, and I have yet to find the bottle or the mess. Overall, not bad for 8 to 1.

Saturday morning we had a race that Austin and I were signed up for. It's a small local race, but they really do a good job and it was a lot of fun. Eve stayed with Bingham and Sonya (and a lot of others from our ward) and Phil ran the 5K with Austin and I ran the 5 mile. Austin came in at 27:45, a good race for him, and I came in at 40.00.6. I had been telling everyone that I wanted to come in under 40 minutes thinking it would put more pressure on myself to run hard...well, I ran hard, but dang....oh well, maybe next year.

As soon as the race was over and we were all standing around chatting, I notice Bingham is missing. I had just seen him less than a minute earlier, and I wasn't too scared at first, thinking he took off with one of the older kids, but as I found all the older kids and no Bingham I got a little nervous. Did I mention we were at a park near a large, fast flowing river? We had lots of friends there who jumped right in and helped us look, but I had been around the area twice and no luck...can you say, "panic"?  Finally, I went back up on the brigde, it being the highest point, and I see him coming up the trail with some of the final race finishers. I don't know how far he went down the trail before he decided to come back (he was looking for me), but I'm sure glad he did. He didn't like it, but his hand was stuck to mine for the rest of the time we were there.

After that drama, we hit the shower and then the road again for the temple. It seems we never have a Saturday free for going, so we jumped at the chance of half a Saturday...even still, there was a lot of stuff left undone so we could go. Turned out nice, of course. Phil and I took turns staying with the kids at a park near the temple and it everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves. I never get tired of it.

Then there was Sunday. I woke up feeling sore and achy and just blamed it on the race, but by the time I got the kids dressed and to church, it was very obvious it was the flu. The good part is, it was Sunday so Phil didn't have to work, so I came home and went to bed....I don't think I've ever been able to do that before, so even sick, it was nice.

Back Scratchin'

We are a back scratchin' family. You want to tell some one you love them...scratch their back. You want to say sorry...scratch their back. Excited...well, you get the idea. I also learned early on, the calming effect a good back scratch can have on a wiggly child. With Austin, this was one of the main tools we used to get him to settle down in church. But, after a while, it wasn't enough; he began sticking out his arms to have me scratch them too. My first thought was..."they're right there, scratch them yourself" ...but he liked it so much, and who am I to argue with a relaxed and quiet child.

Then along came Bingham.

Oh yeah, he loves a good back scratch, and yes, it does quiet him down in church, but just like Austin...he's no longer satisfied, and asks me to scratch his arm....pits. The little turkey, he doesn't even squirm, and strange enough, it works...like putty in my hands...until he hits puberty.

Big Plans

Last night Austin came home from cub scouts so excited he could hardly speak. Face red and a big grin he said, "Guess what we got to do tonight!"

So I'm thinking....light a fire indoors....use a chain saw unattended....launch granades in the parking lot....what in the world would have this kid so excited???

"We learned to sew!"

heh...not kidding. He hasn't been able to convice his friend of how cool it is, be we did pick out some camo material today at the store, and he's got big plans...big plans I say.

A little this and that...

I finished another quilt top for Joie. The last one was smaller and a lot harder. This one came together so easy and I think it's much more cute. Now I just need to find the perfect back. Maybe while I look I'll hurry and finish the other one, now that my fear is gone.

Austin had his first week in cub scouts this week. He was so excited, and when he was done he folded up his uniform so neat and tidy....he's been holding out on me.

Angel and the chickens have finally come to an understanding, so I've been able to let them out into the yard almost every day. I get a kick out of seeing them strutting around. We're getting about 4 eggs a day, so I guess I'll keep 'em around.

Our rooster is a Dominique, we have 3 Easter eggers, a minorca (i think) and a turken.

Bingham is still adjusting to the no nap schedule, so about twice a week we find him like this. Then one of the older kids says, "Ohh, he's so cute" then run and get the camera, so we have lots of sleeping Bingham pictures.

Phil and I are doing a cleanse....it's been pretty interesting...it's nick named the lemon cleanse if anyone whats to look it up. Good experience so far, the bad part is I'm going to miss out on the best RS meeting ever....PIE NIGHT! Seriously, does it get any better than that? OK, better would be me being able to sample every single delicious pie there, instead of sipping down soup and water. So it goes. :)