A Vote for No Change, Followed by A Change in the Weather, and the Making of Champions

**Disclaimer - before you start reading - this is a mega-post, and all over the map. But it's good stuff!**

Mike worked hard this past Election Day as a poll manager. Ahead of the election he had several training sessions, spent hours prepping the voting roles, and set-up the night before. On election day he was at the poling place from 6 AM until 9 PM.   Everyone should have the experience of working an election. It is such a fundamental and important way of serving in a free society where we all have a moral duty to help carry the load of governance, helping people to exercise their agency.  We take so much for granted.

The night before Election Day. More prep work.

 Speaking of Election Day...I know I am not the only one who found it hard to sleep Tuesday night. The presidential election was a big disappointment for approximately half of the country (at least among those who bothered to vote), myself included. Not the kind of disappointment that goes away the next day. The kind that fills you with foreboding. Life goes on...but down a path I hoped it wouldn't go. Still, I am an optimist. I believe all things work together for the (eventual) best. So, onward (not so much "Forward") - remembering to pray for our leaders.

Bringing us to Thursday...when the weather looked like this...

70-ish degrees. One last mowing.

Only to wake up Friday to this...

30-ish degrees. The first snowmen of the season.

And then on to Saturday, which looked like this...

Holy smokes, what a day! Noble's team played their championship game in whiteout conditions with over a foot of fresh snow on the ground.  

I am telling you, this was the best day of football ever! 

Sidelines lined with huddled die-hard fans trying to stay warm, dads working to shovel the yard lines before the game just so the players and refs would know where they were (Mike was soaked with sweat after that), hot chocolate,  players slogging through deep snow every play (sometimes the snow did the tackling), fumbles, face-masks packed with snow after a tackle, warming the game ball over propane heaters to try to keep it flexible, cold feet, and a championship shut-out to show for it at the end of the 4th. 

Bingham - 19.  Bountiful -0.

Chillin' on the sidelines. (Beth was awesome! 8 months pregnant - in a snow storm...to watch a football game. Love her.)

Noble on a tackle.

White-washing.

Noble - gunner on kick-off team.

Super fans - Cousin Hal and Grandma Sullivan. Casey and Helen and their posse were troopers!

Celebrating another touchdown.

Noble in pursuit.

Post game with Coach.

More dedicated fans - some from out of town. Thanks to everybody who came! We had a blast!

CHAMPIONS

Brothers

Time to bring it down...

***Now, I know when we started down this road I was hesitant about football. I worried, and wondered about the wisdom of Noble's choice. In retrospect, would we do this football thing again? Was it worth it to let Noble fulfill this dream? Absolutely. Everything about this season and this experience was meant to be. Amazing things happen when you let kids choose and grow. I am just glad I was along for the ride. (It has been So much FUN!)

Thank you, Noble. You are a champion. 

Seasonal Highlights

Another great Halloween, come and gone.

The annual pumpkin patch visit.

Carving the pumpkins. Jessie - determined to carve her elaborate "Captain America" pumpkin, even though we were short on time (aren't we always?) - missed the deadline to be in the family photo-op.

The also-annual Sullivan family party at the homestead. Dinner and games at the church, a hayride to the Sullivan farm, a treasure hunt, donuts on a string, stories around the fire... and a near-full moon.

Bonfire story-telling.
No worries. An actual National Guard Range Master (my little brother, Sean) was on hand for fire management. 

Double-A in his monster/alien costume.

Mom playing Kay's popular (if a little gross) "Stick the Wart on the Witch" game. Two words: chewing gum.

HALLOWEEN

Halloween dinner of champions: pig-in-a-blanket "mummies", veggies, and kiwi "ogre eyes". Fuel for the big night. Other festive food today: a breakfast of "scrambled brains" (green eggs), grapefruit and toast and a snack of "green slime smoothie" (spinach, blueberry, yogurt, bananas & coconut milk), and "monster apples" (apple slices in the shape of a mouth with slivered almonds as the creepy teeth). By the way, I LOVE Sully in this picture!

Game faces on.

We had a crowd of about 15 fidgety kids standing around in the front yard waiting impatiently for me to take this photo, so they could get going.

Ready...set...

Sully was in rare form tonight. He (along with his little buddy, the mummy in the background with the head lamp) ran hand-in-hand from house to house until they had canvased a good swath of the neighborhood, the grown ups hard-pressed to keep up. A record-setting night for him. Abner only made it to about 3 houses before we had to call it a night. He couldn't understand why he could only take ONE piece of candy when there was a whole bowl full. The idea of Halloween has not completely coalesced  for him yet. Maybe next year. But he couldn't be cuter.

And...our awesome woodland fairy. 

This was my favorite costume this year. I thought it was magical. Grace saw something like this in a catalog, but it was pretty chintzy and very expensive. So I made this one. (Except the wings, which I paid too much for at a costume store.) Her headband was awesome. (Wish you could see it better in these photos.) We sprayed green streaks into her hair for that final touch.
She pulled it off with STYLE.  (I wish I had a better picture - i.e. not instagram, She was perfect!)

Halloween (along with everything else) is changing as our kids grow up. Suddenly we have conflicts about where the kids are going, parties, friends...and the realization that they are out-growing some of our traditions from when they were young. It is expected...but still a surprise when it happens. Mike and I are trying to maintain the excitement and newness for the little ones, and at the same time, adapt for the older ones. In some ways the new reality seems to lack a bit of the sweet bliss of the old days when all our kids were little, and everything was magic. But, there is still magic to experience. I mean, look at Grace in this picture ^. :)

John Stockton is So Cool

How can you top this guy? I saw this interview today in the news, on the occasion of his being inducted (along with Karl Malone) into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame (I didn't even know there was such a thing). If you have the patience to watch the whole 7 minutes you'll get to see the part when they ask him if he wants to get into coaching in the NBA, now that his kids are getting older. He responds that he still has kids at home, that 5 of his 6 kids are still playing ball, and he doesn't want to miss their experiences for anything. Maybe later he'll coach. Go, John.

For those of you who remember my John Stockton-themed room growing up, you have to admit, he was a quality role model. More people should be like John Stockton. (Too bad I don't have all those posters anymore.)

Weekday Mornings

A snap-shot of my life every AM between 6:30 and 8:30

For the record...so I don't forget when I am old. 

The kitchen after feeding the army:

Abner begins his important work for the day (unloading every cabinet, drawer, and garbage can in the house... repeatedly):

Sully and the cute little sisters of the family we carpool with browse in the kitchen, asking for more of this and that, play with toys, watch cartoons, listen while I read them stories, or sing songs...

And, with a kiss, we send Mitch-darling off to work in a whirl-wind of pajama-clad action...

This is living. :)

6 and 1

That's Noble's team's record for the season so far. They are now 4 and 0 in division play, and locked as first seed for the playoffs coming up in a few weeks.

(Photo credits: #87's mom)

Yesterday they played Bountiful, the toughest team they will play in their division. They won. It was a bit of a fight, but they put up three more touchdowns than Bountiful, and....

...this awesome safety (Noble, #20 coming in on the tackle).

I just love this picture of #35 beating his helmet triumphantly after the safety. He was SO stoked.

My dad kept telling me that I was getting a little "excited"...I can't help it. The kids are so fun to watch.

Mike snapped this great shot of Noble at nose guard.

High fives. Another great game, guys. (I, for one, am having a blast.)

And, as a special treat, footage of the team's pre-game ritual: Dance/Hit/Tag...or whatever you want to call it. Enjoy.

(The best part in this first one is when Noble turns to shush me after I cheered....hahhahaha...)

MVI 5935 from Angie Melton on Vimeo.

...And Noble's rendition of the Macarena to "Eye of the Tiger"...

MVI 5937 from Angie Melton on Vimeo.

This is so fun.

A Weekend in Fall

The kids had Friday off because of parent-teacher conferences during the week. We saw an opportunity to spend a family day, and we jumped on it. We took lunch and had a gorgeous fall hike up the Grandeur Peak trail in Millcreek Canyon. Here are a few snaps.

I think it is so MAGICAL the way these maple leaves sparkle in the fall.

It was perfect! Aside from a few of the older kids getting separated from us on the return hike, and making me a little worried, we had a fantastic time. There is nothing more magical than the mountains in fall.

On Saturday we watched Noble and his team get after it on the gridiron again. They dominated again. I think it was 47 to 0, or something. All I know is I heard the referee inform the coach on the sidelines that the "mercy rule" was being applied, letting the clock run continuously in the 4th quarter,ending the game sooner.

 I felt kind of bad for those Cyprus kids.

Noble getting his instructions from the sideline.

I have to hand it to our kids for being good sports. There were lots of "good-job" pats for the other team during play, and help getting up. 

"into battle..." :)

 The most fun was watching Noble score - officially, his first time this season. 

Here he is in the end zone after his P.A.T. 

But even more exciting, was the touchdown he ran in on his team's next drive. I guess I must have been chatting it up on the sidelines or something because it totally took me by surprise (& consequently, we don't have a picture). I suddenly heard his coach yelling, "GO NOBLE!!!!" - & I looked up to see Noble  booking it down the field toward the goal line. I think he ran 30 yards. I was jumping up and down like a dork yelling, "RUN, NOBLE!!! GO, NOBLE!!!" The best part was seeing the HUGE smile on his face as he trotted back to the sidelines. (Later on he was too cool to acknowledge how excited he was.)

That was fun. The rest of the long weekend we spent trying to make a dent in our to-do list, fixing a hissing brake (thanks again, Sean), helping to clear my parents rain gutters, getting the garden cleaned out, mowing the law. But we also had time to listen to LDS General Conference. Noble went to his first priesthood session on Saturday night. A great weekend.

Like a Rolling Stone

Like all good things, September is coming to an end.
Here are some of our September "good things":

I wish I could blow this picture up to life-size because....wow, that was a pretty sky.

Grace's Activity Days Mad Scientist party date with Grandpa.

MORE FOOTBALL!! I have to tell you, I am shocked by how much I am loving this experience. Noble's team is not only amazingly good (They have won every game except one, even though most of their games have been against teams a division up from theirs.), but we lucked out with OUTSTANDING coaches, and really cool kids. They are having some amazing experiences together. Sometime have me tell you about their game from this weekend. I almost cried.

This is where we found Abner sacked out one afternoon. I don't blame him. I'm telling you, that memory foam bathmat is a temptation for anyone looking for a place to take a nap. 

My canning efforts have been pathetic this year (as has been my garden). But I did manage to do about 14 quarts of peaches and make a few bottles of peach syrup this month. Peachy Cream o' Wheat. Mmmmm.

AND ->>>> THe BIG DAY ARRIVED AT LAST!  The long-awaited rock moving. It will forever live in Melton Family lore.
Here are  my dad and Mike poised to move some rocks.

But, mostly we all watched while this man and his machine did the delicate work of  maneuvering the boulders into place. (Thank you SO MUCH, Sean!)

A look from above at our new retaining wall as it took shape. We totally ripped up the back lawn (and left a mark on the neighbor's lawn as well, where we drove the cat through to get into our backyard). But , as I told Mike, it was "necessary destruction" (and Mike told me that would make a great name for a rocker band).
Now, the next step... We just need to recruit some help to move some more dirt, reroute some sprinklers, and grade an access in the back yard. Because Mike never wants to have to drive heavy machinery (or, his truck) through the neighbor's yard again.

More later. 

Adios, September 2012!

Sully's "Worstest Day EVER!"

Sully was sooo busted today. 

His explanation: that he and his buddy were "fixing the rocks". Their method? Dump 4 quarts of engine oil (2-cycle and regular) out in the garden. *I hear that's kind of bad for your garden soil.* Aside from creating an ecological disaster, he also spilled it all over the front of himself, completely ruining those cute leather high-tops I just got for him last week. To add insult to injury, as I walked into the garden to survey the scene, I stepped right into a sizable puddle of oil, camouflaged with a thin layer of grass clippings on the surface. 

With flip flops on. Didn't see it coming. 

When his sentencing came down (time-out after some soap and hot water), he threw one giant fit. He kept yelling, "This is the worstest day EVER!!" (That is his go-to protestation when things aren't going his way.) and, "I don't want to be in a lot of trouble... I want to be in a little bit of trouble!" He didn't get what he wanted. 

He is in a LOT of trouble.

Oh man, I don't have time for shenanigans like this.

...then Jessie said, "Mom, I really like being busy..."

...and I looked at her like she had two heads. Because her pleasant sense of busyness is made possible by my never-ending frenetic running. She said this during our conversation about whether she would be permitted to sign up for after school theater again. It went something like this:

Jess: "PLEASE, can  I sign up? Mrs. *** told me she was disappointed that I hadn't signed up. She has a part in mind for me."
Me: (blaming Mrs. *** for this) "Jess, we REALLY don't have time for anything else. We are way too busy already."
Jess: "I really like being busy. I don't know, it's just kind of exciting running from one thing to the next!"
Me: (now looking at her like she has two heads and NO CLUE)            **pause**
 "I'm the one who has to GET everyone to their stuff. You have no idea how hard that is, and keeping everything straight....yada, yada, yada." I went on to list all the things on her schedule alone: 4h, guitar lessons, volleyball, teaching horse riding lessons, school, YW, basketball...  

Unconvinced, she proposed a bargain &  I compromised. I agreed that if she could arrange a car pool, I would let her sign up for the twice-a-week rehearsals for 3 months + performances. What was I thinking? She, of course, found a carpool, but then I felt guilty that someone else was doing all the driving, so I felt obligated to offer to help drive. (I'm still hoping the lady won't ever need me to.) Add one more item to the schedule. On the up side, J. has been walking around the house singing show tunes, rehashing her try-out. And she is so excited about the production. (Good thing 4h and volleyball will be over soon.)

It reminded me of a story that I heard Marjorie Hinckley tell one time, about how one frantic day when their kids were young, she could not find their oldest son to do his chores. Hours later, he came strolling casually through the door and began telling her all about the magical afternoon he'd spent watching ants and basking in the cool shade of a tree, just enjoying himself. She resisted the urge to scold him for leaving her in a lurch, and neglecting his chores.

Many years later, when he came home from college, stressed about his demanding schedule and finals, etc. He reminisced about the carefree days of his childhood. Wistfully, he said something like, "Mom, we had the most wonderful childhood...." and described that magical day again to her. The way she told it, the first thought through her mind at that point was, "I'm glad you enjoyed it..." I couldn't help laughing to myself, remembering Marjorie Hinckley's story, and then thinking about how Jessie naively described  the 'fun' of being busy. I'm with you, Marjorie. ha ha ha.

You know, the point of her story though, was not necessarily to laugh about how oblivious our kids can be, (even though that is pretty funny sometimes). The main thing she expressed, was how glad she was that she had resisted scolding her son - and not ruined the memory of that day for him. She chose instead, in that moment, to reinforce her son's beautiful experience, and it had stayed with him and nourished him throughout his life.

There's a lesson for me in that story.

Another trip to Salina

If you've never been to Salina, Utah - you're not alone. Neither had I until yesterday.

This was Jessie's second year competing there in the State 4H Horse Show. She went down Wednesday afternoon with my parents and the horses. Mike and I got the other kids off to school yesterday morning and then drove down with the little brothers and Mike's Dad to watch Jessie.



The little brothers playing in the manure/dirt at the arena in Salina.    Nice.



In a show of support Mike got out earlier this week and soaped the car with encouraging phrases -  "Go Jess! and Dolli!"  "Go Majestic Riders!" And my favorite:

"Obviously, I'm not even kidding!!! Take State!!!"

That's kind of an inside joke. Jessie's horse, Dolli's official registered name is "Obviously, I'm Not Kidding" (why do people make up such crazy names for their animals? Like a dog named Jupiter the Space Donkey? What's with that?) which we all thought was hilarious - so he HAD to use it.

I tried to get a picture of it - but the glare off the back window in this picture makes it hard to see.

I've been driving around town since Wednesday showing my team spirit - and getting curious stares. I told Mike, next time he gets to drive the billboard.



After scoring blue in trail.

She didn't have her best show ever. Between a confused judge and a well-meaning loud-speaker operator, she had two of her events sabotaged - and scored white. Her other two events she won red and blue.

 

I can't wait for her to get back home. She stayed down there to cheer for the rest of her team competing today and tomorrow.

Have a good time in Salina, Jess! It was a great season.