Pictures Worth Thousands of Words

There was a time when I thought that having a few little kids was overwhelming. Then I had more. And some of them grew into teenagers. And now I say to my stressed-out 27 year old self ... "Oh girl, if you only knew what was to come..." (And when I am 50 I will say that to my 37 year old self, and so on. Life is a revelation.)
I know you hear this a lot from me here...but I continue to be AMAZED at how much more can be jammed into a family calendar! It's like a hidden dimension ...or a black hole where somehow an infinite amount of stuff can be compacted into a finite space. Mind-blowing.
Mike and I calculated that this past week (actually, this last month) has set new records for our family.  We are learning more every day how to let go, laugh at ourselves, shrug off the small stuff, hang on for dear life, and TRY to savor the moments speeding past us at increasing speed. Could it be that just as the universe is expanding at an ever-increasing rate, we actually experience time passing faster as well? Or is it just the result of growing older? I really think having six kids was part of my plan in life because I needed to learn to swim against the tide of social expectation a little, and to RELAX.
Anyway...here are a few glimpses from life around here over the past week and a half.

Sully - fudgesicle face / moppy hair. I wish he would stay like this forever.

The kids rigged up a 37th birthday balloon drop for Mike - delivered a day late. Consequently, the drama of the moment was somewhat diminished...but the thought was what counted. 

Noble started football tryouts this week (AND somehow managed scout camp at Maple Dell as well). Here he is on  the first day they practiced with pads. He also recently got contact lenses so he could play... I didn't realize how much I had missed his face sans glasses. He looks so grown-up to me now. He turned 12 on the 27th of July (that totally blindsided us) and was ordained this last Sunday to the priesthood. That was such an amazing experience for me. I won't ever forget it. 

Grace wears this outfit whenever we go to the library...complete with accessory glasses. So - while Noble is breaking free from frames, Grace is embracing the look (at least for an hour every-other-week for our regular library visit).  She has been our go-to gal for babysitting lately -as we have been running shuttle services all over creation for the older kids. What would I do without her?

Jessie has the County Fair show this week. She showed her 2-Handed horse, Dolli, on Monday night - where she won several blue ribbons and a spot on the team going to state. Today and tomorrow she is showing with Russell (the infamous). Here she is today with a few friends from the 'hood who stopped by to show support. Jessie looks so old...and beautiful.
She's also done some community service recently. Earlier this week, giving some riding lessons for my sis-in-law's YW group. And last week a horse training demonstration at a boy's summer ranch up by Oakley with my dad. She is quite a girl.

I realize Tillman is the only kid at our house that somehow escaped being photographed this week.  We'll get you next week, T.

Also this past week: a Sampson family reunion here in SoJo / Big Cottonwood Canyon. (That was awesome.)  Girls camp. Birthdays for Mike and Noble (which we barely had time to acknowledge). Another RS service project/activity organized & completed. A new calling for Mike (more later).  Mike started teaching two new Econ. classes in addition to his day job.  And today Mike took Tillman and Sully to spend the last night of scout camp with Noble. With all this - the dirt pile has been on hiatus. I know you were all wondering about the dirt pile.

Somehow we are making things work. Thanks to "the village" (Mike hates it when I used that term - doesn't want to give Hillary Clinton that kind of credit). But really, we would NOT be able to do it all without the help people give. Thank you grandparents, church and scout leaders, aunts and uncles, friends and neighbors!  We are all in it together.