Developing the cheerleader

I should be making lunches for the school kids, but I'm running on those year-end fumes, aka slacker-ville. Instead I'm messing around on the iPad. In my defense, I began this session by helping Grace research Dorothy Hanock for a school project. Keeping kids motivated these last couple of months before summer is hard work. Truth be told, I think we are almost always having to prod certain of them along in different ways. Today I had my 76th "ultimatum" conversation with Noble about his slacker-ness this year....after listening to his long list of sobby (I know that's not a real word, but you get what I mean) excuses. Blah blah blah blah. Our conversation usually ends in a variation of this exchange: Me: "Noble, I know you have some high expectations for yourself. You need to overcome these bad habits if you want to achieve them." Noble (emotional): "Will M.I.T. still let me in if I get a bad grade now in the 5th grade?" Me: "Well... (pause...I see I have the advantage, and I don't want to waste it) Noble, the habits you form now will follow you. In every aspect of your life. If you won't learn to work hard, that doesn't just change. It's up to you." Noble: (still emotional, now resolute) "OK. This is what I'm going to do...." and he procedes to lay out his plan for change... And then we find ourselves a week and a half later having another ultimatum talk. And he's discouraged. I have learned that a BIG part of being a parent is trying again and again and again with your kids - resisting the urge to escalate with time. If you get more frustrated each time, and louder, that's a recipe for failure. I mean at some point what are you going to do? Disinherit them? Of course not. Maybe in the process the child will learn the more general lesson that it's never too late to change, even if they fall down a bunch of times in the process. And also that I will love them forever. No matter what.

Flashback Friday

A couple of items today, taking me back in time...

#1. The news of the passing of MCA, of Beastie Boys fame. Mitch-darling will likely be firing up his collection this weekend in memorial.
#2.  My good friend from high school/college days, Tadd Truscott (the one and only), was featured on NPR's Science Friday (my favorite radio program!) today. He is a hydro-dynamics engineer at BYU these days. Very cool. Have a look:

The 4th Annual

(photo cred. - one of my race route volunteers at the 5k turn-around)

The latest NPA 5k/1 mile fundraiser came together beautifully. We had lovely weather, a good turn out despite the race being scaled back as we transition to a fall race (there will be 2 this year). Our display clock timing was, no-question, the BEST way to accommodate this kind of race. I love the simplicity! I love that the school owns its own clock so I don't have to hope for nice people to help out and donate timing every year. Quite a load off. The Health Department showed up again and made themselves a nuisance (did you know you have to have TWO CONJOINED WALLS to serve food? ?????  It's true. But I have decided that the Health Department does not operate with the same logic as you and I. I took a Food Handlers class once and I totally sat their thinking, "this guy is so OCD & phobic he needs psychiatric care. FOR REAL.")  One of the volunteers did a good job of making the young man from the H.D. feel important - and that goes a long way with people with jobs like that. Other than that - it was a breeze this year. So grateful.

Thanks to everyone who supported us in one way or another. We appreciate the love.

BTW- some race results for you: Noble finished his first ever 5k with an impressive 23:26 (he beat Mike) and Jessie 25:16.  Grace and T. ran on their own for the first time this year and gutted out some good times respectively.

Not too shabby.

Move Over Princess and the Pea + Games We Play

Actually Sully's talents run the other end of that spectrum. 

This morning when I woke Sully up he rolled over and stretched in that comfortable and cozy morning way. When I said, "Good morning" and kissed him, he just smiled his lazy, comfy morning smile. Then he casually sat up and THIS was under his back. Nothing like a sharp-edged boulder under your spine to produce a restful sleep.

Favorite games lately:

Keep the Sweeping Pile Away from the baby.

Abner loves to chase the rubbish pile around as you sweep. We both find it fun and exciting since Abner can crawl at the speed of sound now. Sometimes I cheat and pick him up and move him to the other side of the room to give myself a head start. But it doesn't give me THAT much of an advantage. The other day he saw a M&M in the sweeping pile and he locked onto that like a heat-seeking missile. That was one exciting match!

Keep the Baby Out of the Shower.

This one is tough. Abner LOVES the shower. He used to just like to sit there and pull the curtain to the side and hang out feeling the mist on his face. But the other day he was doing that, and I closed my eyes for a second to rinse my hair, and felt something moving past my leg. I looked down, covered in shampoo suds, to see Abner sitting fully clothed looking up at me with a grin on his face in the shower spray. Ever since then he is like a magnet to the shower and I stand there trying to bar his way with my foot to give myself a couple of more seconds to get rinsed. It usually doesn't stop him totally. I alternately try to slow his progress, laugh frantically, call to Sully to see if he can lure him away from the shower somehow. But every day he ends up in various states of wetness.(Or, if he's striking out with the shower he'll take the bathroom garbage can as an alternative.)

Give them a try. Lots of fun!

Race Redemption

With April coming to a close I am once again swamped with preparations for the annual NPA 5k/fun run fundraising event.
This year we are making significant strides to both simplify and improve.

You may recall the series of unfortunate events that was last year's race. This year we purchased a professional display clock (so we don't have to beg for the donation of timing services every year), and we'll let the folks make a note of their own time while they're in the chute. With the simplified finish line, I am throwing more effort into route support so we don't have a fiasco like last year. I mapped out the course myself with Mitch-darling this last weekend. It will be marked, mapped, staffed and we're even looking into having race volunteers pacing/with maps & info in the race.

Hopefully, that will take care of any eventuality. Short of an alien invasion.

Having said all that, please come out and support the kids' and our school. This is our big event of the year (and in my unbiased opinion, definitely the most fun!). April 28th 9AM sharp, Roi Hardy park - 12600th South in Riverton on the parkway. You can register to run ahead of time (this week- let me know) or that morning. $20/participant. Pre-kindergarten age = free. Or you can sponsor the kids. Or come cheer them on and eat pancakes!

See you there!

Heaven is a Half-pipe

The theme of our Saturday pursuits.

Mike and Noble laid 80 feet of PVC pipe (a little more than half the distance up to the garden from the nearest valve box). A new drip system for the garden boxes in the works.

And after working Noble like that, Mike figured he owed him a little mano-y-mano, doing something more interesting. So they built a skate ramp. yeehaw!

(I'll be making up waivers for all of Noble's buddies' parents to sign. Just kidding. Sort of.)

 Also today:

- Mike and I mapped out the race course(s) for the up-coming annual NPA 5K/1mile.(And I FINALLY figured out the Garmin watch Mike got me for Christmas. I never claimed to be quick with technology.) My goal for the race this year: NO ONE gets lost.

- We assembled the soil components for my new square foot garden boxes this year. Not sure how I'll like this method - but it's sure to save on water. I need to get shakin' so I can get things planted.

Doing our best to keep things productive.

Easter weekend in its entirety

Easter and Spring Break coincided this year. So we had a nICE long weekend to enjoy together. Even Mitch-darling took off Friday and Monday to spend the time with us.

Easter snuck up on me this year. I did not get around to commemorating the week of Easter like I did last year. I had plans to at least have a Passover meal on Thursday .....but....that didn't happen. We did manage some of the usual things: coloring Easter eggs on Friday with Mike's parents and a big Easter egg hunt with the Sullivan clan on Saturday (after a work project in the morning at the homestead).

The kids scored hydration packs in their baskets this year - (for many hiking adventures to come! )

I was sick on Easter Sunday (I kept getting a feeling of deja vu) - so I stayed home from church.  Thankfully, Mike's mom and dad had us over for Easter dinner - otherwise my family would have been deprived of a fancy Easter meal with me out of it.
Thanks Jacque!

 On Monday I was feeling quite a bit better so we packed up the dudes and got on the train for an afternoon in the city.

We walked through the new City Creek Center - which was only mildly impressive to the kids (mostly they were disappointed that we weren't actually shopping for anything & Jessie was embarrassed to be seen with her family - you know, the typical stuff), ice cream in the food court (where Mike had to intervene when Grace and Tillman got into a fist fight in the play area), a brief scare when we lost Tillman for a few minutes, then a lovely walk through Temple Square, a quick historic tour to our first apartment below Memory Grove in the Avenues, and finally, dinner at the Lion House. 

Tillman was wearing his new Nalgene pack and went through about 2.5 liters of water, sucking on it constantly. Consequently, I think we visited every bathroom in the downtown area. After about the 4th bathroom run, we were really frustrated with him - to which he responded, "I thought you wanted me to drink more water? It's good for me." We told him there was a time and a place for THAT kind of water consumption ...like hiking in Death Valley or something.

That was a fun day. We had a fantastic time with the kids. We were laughing so hard at dinner I think we might have disturbed the other customers.  Sully BEAMED during the entire train ride up and back. Plus the weather was absolutely perfect.

An outstanding weekend.  

Sully's Super Powers

Sully is as boyish a boy as they get - aside from the fact that his current favorite color is pink. We're cool with that.

He's tough and gnarly and loves play fighting and super heroes.

Yesterday Sully was absorbed in a spirited game of super hero - with super heroes of various aptitude. He kept running around yelling HI-YAW!! (chop kicking super hero) and doing Darth Vader hands (you know - when he's doing the deadly Force choke) at people. I caught him in my arms and asked if I could play, and what my super power should be. I said, "Could I have powers to LOVE?"

(Pause while Sully thinks that one through.)
Sully says (with intensity), "OK, y-y-y-you (he stutters) have HEART powers, and I will have HOTDOG powers."

I have no idea what hotdog powers are, but whatever, doesn't matter - because my heart powers kicked in and I kissed him a hundred and fifty times before he wriggled away.

This reminded me that a month or so back he was drawing a picture - totally focused as he always is when he draws. Afterward he pushed it into my face and began to interpret for me:

"Robots are cool!
And them have POWERS!
And them have a beefy arm!"

ha ha ha ha ha.
I HEART 3 year olds (I never got into that trend of saying, "I heart" this and that, instead of "I love".  But in this case...it was appropriate.)

FYI, I have also never written or said LOL - thought you should know.  :)

Sully stops my heart

Sully - earlier today.

Today Sully r-u-n-n-o-f-t for the second time in his young life, nearly stopping my heart. I had gone to take Grace and a friend to tumbling, putting Jessie in charge, Sully was playing with a couple of neighbor girls outside. Apparently he decided he wanted to go with me & took off down the street after me.
Later when I got home Noble met me and explained that a distant neighbor had come to the door with Sully, after having retrieved him from a total stranger who stopped like a good Samaritan and picked him up as he made for the busy intersection at 10600th South (barefoot).

*groan* 

I had an emotional talk with him.
Thank you neighbor and thank you unknown lady who saved my child.
Thank you infinity.

This week

Lots of excitement around here this week.

Wednesday we all went to watch Grace perform with the after school show choir in "Seussical". It was a lot of fun. A few months ago when Grace decided she wanted to do it, I was a little surprised. She usually doesn't like to get up in front of people to perform - AT ALL. So when she asked...I had to go with it. Way to go, Grace!

Also Wednesday, the RS activities committee & I wrapped up another Relief Society Birthday Celebration. Jessie and Grace both came and helped with a white dress fashion show - Grace in her baptism dress and Jessie in my wedding dress. It made me swallow hard to see my daughter wearing my wedding dress. She fits in it better than I do now ... and that means... time is speeding away faster every day. I cried a little to myself.

Speaking of time speeding past, Abner has now graduated past the army crawl to all fours. (a little of his army crawl action a few weeks ago)

He is also doing a lot of standing these days (and sticking his tongue out).

We got some projects started on the house/yard yesterday. Busy bees.

Mitch-darling and I started work on the garden boxes.

Noble started digging a trench in the back yard for a new sprinkler line to the veg. garden.



 

(A googly-eyed) Jessie washed Mike's truck with Sully (taking particular care to wash the special dent).

The Space Donkey - while we worked he preferred to chill in the garage, listening to General Conference.

Today the rest of us got a chance to chill and listen to Conference.

Some of the little people tag-teamed Dad. (There's that tongue again.)

Happy days.