Where were we....

Where were we when I last posted?  Oh ya... October. :)

One Saturday Ryan and the kids went on their pumpkin picking adventure.  This year they visited the nice woman with white hair and a bun who has the farm at the end of Mutton Hollow.  If you are from K-town, you know who I'm talking about. 

Some years we do the pumpkin patch thing.  But this year... we simplified.  It was either the woman farmer or the grocery store. :)



On the way home from pumpkins, they stopped at Dairy Queen.  Who doesn't love a fudge brownie blizzard? :)  Yum!  Plus, DQ is right next door to the farmer. :)  Only in K-town can you get ice cream and a pumpkin within a few feet of each other.

Not sure what these pics were about, but they are some classic shots, Lex. :)

Izzy sure enjoyed her ice cream.  You can see it on her face. :)

 

Izzy Busy Rests...

One night, Ryan and I returned home from a date to find our little Isabella soundly asleep in her bed.  There is something so precious about your babies when they are asleep.  It isn't just because the house is quiet and the sibling squabbles have stopped for the day.  It is more than all of that.

When you see these little spirits quietly sleeping, you have a moment to reflect on their lives.  You feel lucky to be their parent and yet at the same time, so inadequate.  Sometimes, your children teach you far more than you teach them.  As a parent, you reflect on what powerful spirits they have and how much potential each of them possess.

The period of time where my sphere of influence is most impactful to them, is so short.  I remember a coworker told me years ago, long before I even imagined baby Alexis, that she only had until age 5, when her daughter entered kindergarten, to really mold her.  After that, the world would have a bit more of her daughter.  I have always remembered that.

My children are all now in school.  For me, that magic window is closed.  But... hopefully I did my job well.  Sometimes I wonder.  Did I do enough?  I wasn't a get down on the floor and play with blocks kind of mom - although beauty shop was my favorite.  But.... I was great in other areas.  Hopefully I passed along those core values and principles that really mattered.

I would like to think my sphere of influence still exists.  Yes, Lex and the kids now have friends who matter a great deal to them.  But hopefully, if we can keep the lines of communication open, my thoughts, opinions, and example can and will still continue to influence my children.  Oh, how Ryan and I love them.

 

The Candy Bomber...

The first week or two of school, the kids had a special surprise.  Our wonderful Librarian, through much hard work and perseverance, and with the support of the PTA President, arranged for The Candy Bomber to make an appearance at our school. 

 

 

 

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the story, here is a great little recap.  Just skip through the little ad at the front and get to the main gist of the story.

 

The Librarian's dream was to recreate the candy bombing for the children.  A few days before the event, she asked me if I would help her construct hundreds of little parachutes containing a piece of candy for the children.  It was so fun to be a part of such a special memory for our children.

Just this morning, my children and I were watching a rebroadcast of the Mormon Tabernacle Christmas Program.  Tom Brokaw was a guest on the special.  He highlighted this very story and Captain, Gail Halvorsen was there in the Conference Center.  It was fun to see my kids remember the event and the story from their school experience. 

 

After the Captain arrived, he came into the gym for a short assembly with the kids.  He was able to show pictures from that time period and tell the kids what it was like to be alive during that period in history.

 

I spy Collin in the crowd.  Do you? :) 

 

During the assembly, it was actually quite touching.  We were in the presence of a hero, someone who had been apart of our nations history, and someone who made a difference in so many people's lives.  The delicate nature of mortality touched my heart.  I know this sweet man will not be with us for many more years.  He is 92.  Even though his body is aging, his mind and his energetic spirit is alive and well.  To say he is a pistol is an understatement.

 

I was able to locate all my kidlets when we went outside to see the Candy Bomber in action.  I love ya, Jackson.

 

My handsome little, Collin.

 

Such a happy first grader, Izzy.

 

Oh, and here was a surprise.  Gus Girls, perhaps you'll remember our friend, Peggy Grainger, from Farmington.  She is now a teacher at our school.  Sarah, we just love your mom.  What a great addition to our school.

 

Getting ready for take off...

 

The ascent...  The kids were LOVING it!

 

The helicopter circled the school.  On the pass around the school, the Candy Bomber dropped all of the parachutes we made for the children. 

 

 

After the drop was complete, the kids were told to stay on the hill and watch.  The school was very worried the kids would flood the field and possibly make connection with the helicopter.  Can you imagine the danger?  But... the kids were very obedient and followed directions. 

 

The librarian was overcome with emotion when it was all said and done.  This project had been such a labor of love her.  You CANNOT even imagine all the red tape and paperwork she had to fill out to make this happen.  Evidently liability is a big deal.  :)  But... the stars aligned and in thanks to a very generous family at our school, it all came together.   

 

We were all so grateful we were able to spend the morning with this great man.  He represents his generation well.  It is sad to think there are only a few of them who remain.  Soon, they will all be gone.  But, their stories, and the accomplishments of their era will remain.  They are jewels.

 

After the kids went back to class, a few of us went and gathered all the parachutes.  We then took them back to the library, untangled all the ropes, and divided them into classes.  As we walked them around to the classes, the kids were so excited to get their parachutes - all 800 of them. :)  Don't you wish our librarian was at your school? :)

Birds of a Feather...

Another great reason for having a summer fun list is that it makes you do things you wouldn't normally do.  Well, the list can't make you do anything, but it certainly holds you accountable.  That list is staring at me from the fridge and is my mental barometer of how many out of the norm things we did as a family while the kids are home  Summer is tricky.  I love not having to police homework and not having school dictate a good chunk of our day.  But... it can also be taxing to hear the sibling drama, remind kids to complete jobs, and to be out of consistent routine when you are use to the structure of the school year. 

 

So... for us, the summer fun list works.  It helps us go and do things that we might not otherwise make a priority.  On this particular day's agenda, Tracy Aviary and Liberty Park's water feature in SLC.

 

Lex, our resident photog, was able to capture some great shots of the wild life and flowers.



 

 

The only down side to the day was that it was HOTTTT!  So, Jackson was a little more intense than normal.  To be fair, I'm sure we all were.

 

Luckily we found a mister and fan.  We actually had to leave a Bird in Flight show because we couldn't tolerate the heat.  We were in direct sun.  We thought it would be better if we could move around a bit and not be right in the sun.  Luckily these fans and misters were right outside the show.  Not sure why my eye looks so jacked up in this picture.... but, at least we have one of me so the kids knew I took them somewhere.  I think that is a mom's curse.  You do so much for your kids and yet, you sometimes feel like you aren't doing enough or they tell you they never go anywhere fun. :) Love it.

 

Lex's beautiful flower shots.

 

I think this is a great shot.  A black bird in the middle of the pink flamingos.  If I had Circe's literary talents, I could come up with great analogies of how we may feel like we don't belong in the group.  Or I could go on and on about how Jackson is working his way through life against the grain and norms of other children his age.  Or, how as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, we must be okay with being different and being a light to others rather than losing our light in the acceptable culture of the world.  Or, how we must stand out and be leaders.  Because I'm feeling under the weather today, I'll let you come up with your own story for this one.  So many possibilities.

 

This one cracks me up.  I had to include it because it so perfectly captures so many moments of our life.  I'm so glad I was able to snap it.  Jackson was DONE.  He was hot, tired of walking, and he was ready to go.  I wanted one last cute picture with the bird on our way out.  So... Jackson let me know he REALLY DIDN'T want to pose for the picture.  When he communicates his frustration, he puts his lips together, his eyes get big, and then he breathes out really hard and loud to let you know he is going to lose it on you. :) 

This is the more composed face of our J Bird.  Miserable, yet composed.  We left right after this was taken. :)

 

 

The next stop... to cool down in the water feature at Liberty Park.  It isn't a secret that I'm kind of a germ o-phobe.  So... seeing the kids go BARE FOOT in this water was a little gross.  But... I know it is treated and monitored and the kids were having fun.

 

After we left Liberty Park, we stopped to get the kids an ice-cream.  On the way there, Collin had some sort of melt down.  I had repeatedly asked him to stop what he was doing and he didn't.  I told him if I asked him again, he wouldn't get a treat.  Well.... he did it again.  So, when we pulled up to get treats, he had to stay in the car and didn't get one.  The whole car was shocked.  It was so hard for me to follow through with the consequence.  Collin was beside himself.  I was actually nervous he was going to jump out of the car and run away.  Collin is very quiet and reserved.  But... when he gets ticked, he is TICKED and has an intensity that you just can't picture coming out of this little guy.

 

But... we made it through.  Collin survived the lesson (so did I and the rest of the car).  I think days like this are great examples of what you can learn by being part of a family.  You can have fun together, you learn from each other, you can be frustrated, you can have consequences when you make mistakes, but you also have joy knowing that no matter what..... FAMILY HAS GOT YOUR BACK.  We are all in this together.  Forever.