More Firsts

You may have forgotten that I have three kids because it seems like I usually write about #1 or #2. But I do have three. Here she is, #3 on her first day of preschool.

Since school started last week I've been realizing the precious gift this school year is: the chance to bond with and know #3 better. She's different than my other two. She has an iron will and a heart that breaks easily. She is affectionate and loves to snuggle more than the other two combined. She has a crazy good memory and loves all things beautiful and frilly. She has the most adorable, strong lisp.


Just for fun, here are the others on their first days of preschool. Seems just like yesterday....

day two

I attended three elementary schools. Starting Kindergarten was easy. I had the same teacher my sister had the year before and I knew my mom liked her. I was too young to think about friends. But old enough to learn after the first embarrassing time, that it was not OK to yell from the bathroom in the same sing-song voice I used at home, "Come wipe me!"

First grade was at a new school, almost 2,000 miles away. I remember standing on the playground alone, wondering what I was supposed to do at recess without friends. I know it's hard to imagine it, (especially after that horrible confession in the above paragraph) but I used to be very shy.

I finished my elementary years, 4th-6th at yet another new school, in a new state. By now I knew what to expect on the first day, so I wasn't surprised by the pit in my stomach or the embarrassed loneliness I felt standing alone on the playground with no one to talk to.

Two decades later and I feel like I'm doing it all over again. Nervous and apprehensive for #1 and #2, starting school in a new place. I'm reliving that sinking feeling you get when you feel entirely out of place.

Today was actually their second day and it was almost worse than yesterday. At least yesterday was accompanied by some excitement. Today it seemed like almost pure dread. For me or them?

I know that the kids are where they are supposed to be and things will work out happily for them. We just have to make it through the first few weeks.

A quiet moment in the car on the ride over.

Heading over to the big kid playground. I had to drop #1 off and leave her ALL ALONE while I took Buster over to the Kindergarten playground. I did not like that!

Here is #1 getting in her teacher's line, her nervousness written all over her face.

My Kindergartener! This boy asked to wear his new "Kindergarten shoes" every.single.day. this summer. He was very excited until the moment we stepped into the Kindergarten playground, then he was all business, "Mom we are going to be late!"

Back to School Fashion

We are experiencing the excitement and the expense of having to purchase "school clothes" for the first time. #1 has been at a uniform only school for the past two years and even if it was a little annoying to have to pay for things I didn't necessarily like there were some big advantages:

1) No fuss about what to wear each day. Would you like to wear this light blue polo or this light blue polo? Khaki skirt or khaki shorts? Will you be wearing your long white socks today or the short white socks?

2) Very cheap. We only needed 3-4 identical tops (Friday was college shirt day) and 5 bottoms, 5 socks and one pair of shoes. For the entire year. There was no point in buying #1 clothes that she couldn't wear.

I will not deny that it has been just a little bit fun HAVING to spend money on cute clothes. Sometimes I fantasize about me getting a paying job so I would be forced to buy some nice clothes for myself.

So to commemorate this new experience for our family I have prepared a little treat for you readers: a back to school fashion show! It stars #1 and #2, my two school kids, and a few random shots of #3 who wouldn't be left out of the fun even though she isn't going to school and didn't have any new clothes to model. You may note a few things 1) the movie is short because they don't have very many new clothes and 2) #2 has considerably less face time (and not all of his clothes are new).... Lets face it, it was really about #1 all along.


Enjoy and happy back to school shopping!


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Mike Tyson's Victim

I was making my family late to church and late = folding chairs in the back, which I hate. So I sent Spouse on ahead with the promise to follow quickly. When I arrived the meeting was well underway. I slid into our pew and sat down next to #2. He smothered me with kisses as if we've never been separated before. Then he excitedly began to fill me in on everything I'd missed.

"Mom! Look at that man! He has gold teeth. Gold teeth right here! (pointing to his front teeth). And, AND someone bit his ear off! Look!"

A little embarrassed by #2's very loud whispering voice, I did not follow his gaze, but instead gestured for him to hush. But he was insistent.

"Just turn around (trying to push my face around) and look. His ear is eaten! Someone bit his ear off. And he has gold teeth!"

Now I was a lot embarrassed. In my mind I could imagine the poor man, an investigator, sitting with the missionaries, feeling out of place with the gold grill in his mouth and mangled ear, which I assumed was from prison or street violence, here in our well-bred, homogeneous, East Valley ward. And my son, MY son yelling his differences to the entire congregation.

I quieted down #2 and whispered some things in his ear about the Lord loving everyone and wanting everyone to come to church and how pointing is impolite. In my heart I was praying that no one had heard #2's outburst.

The meeting ended and I had forgotten all about the man with gold teeth and bitten ear. A nice looking lady in her 60s leaned across the pew bench from behind us. We are still pretty new in our ward and I assumed she was going to introduce herself or welcome us into the ward.... or ask us not to sit in front of her anymore because my kids were too rowdy. But she didn't speak to me. She looked over at #2 with an understanding smile.

"Did you know that a long time ago they didn't have sunscreen? And when Brother .... was a little boy he used to play in the sun a lot and his little ears got really bad sunburns. So when he was older he got skin cancer and they had to take off part of his ear. I didn't bite his ear, but it looks just like someone did! So when your mommy tells you to put on sunscreen you should always listen."

During this little talk, I turned around to finally see the man with gold teeth and bitten ear, the man I had assumed was an out-of-place-looking investigator. It wasn't. Brother ... was a nice looking older gentlemen, wearing a blue sports coat and a few gold capped teeth near the front of his mouth.

Oh, Toto, we are definitely not on the West Side anymore.

Bear Lake '10

My kids are always looking forward to something. After Christmas they start talking about Easter. After Easter they start talking about Bear Lake. That's how much they love and look forward to the week we spend there every year.

It was a banner year for me: NO DIAPERS!!!

Among this year's highlights:

Kite flying

The annual tunnel to China



Over priced rock climbing



Homemade slime



Scooters!



Horsing around with cousins

(#2's 19 year old identical cousin is such a sweet pal to Buster)


An evening retreat to the cabin in Logan Canyon

Next up: Moving. The good, the bad and the ugly.

Summering in Utah

When Spouse and I moved to AZ eight years ago, we decided the only way I would survive the distance from our families and the infernal heat was to take an annual summer sabbatical to our families in Northern Utah. Some years the stay is a little longer and some years a little bit shorter, but typically we are gone for a month. A whole month packed with cousins and fun, green mountains and cold lakes, blue skies and cools night. It's something we look forward to all year. The one regret is that Spouse can only be there for about a week and has to miss all the memories we are making.

Maybe that is why I take so many pictures?

This year was a doozy. Over 500 photos.

And I've posted them all here on my blog.

Just kidding. I've selected a few below to give you a sampling of the first half of our stay with my family. All six of my siblings were able to make it to the reunion at my parent's house. That's right, seven (+spouses) adult children and 16 grandchildren under the same roof for a week. My mom planned activities and meals for each day and kept things moving at an easy going, but fun pace.

American West Historical Farm

#3 helping to sweep out the pioneer dugout. On the left my dad is showing #1 the old weaving loom.

#2 taking a crack at the hatchet throwing

Children's Tea Party. #1 is in the middle with the big Anne of Green Gables hat. The farm functions as it would have in the year 1910, so the ladies putting on the tea party talked to the kids about family life from that period before serving handmade cinnamon rolls hot from their antique wood burning oven.

Then the kids made fairies from silk flowers.

#1 with one of her sweet cousins riding the miniature train around the farm.

Boating at Hyrum Dam

All my kids successfully tubed behind the boat, some having more adventurous rides and than others. Thanks to Brother Brig for all his boating skills and for staying late in the day to let me waterskii in private.

I call this my Michelle Obama picture. *

Family Freedom Run

1.5 miles complete with custom racing bibs with each child's name, a finish line to break through and an after race celebration with donuts juice and trophies for each finisher.

Here is #1 with her cousins sprinting away from the starting line.

After a few attempts to quit, #2 eventually broke through the finishing tape

#1 is the first girl grandchild and has some awesome older cousins that are so sweet to her.

#3 and her trophy, with a little bit of doughnut on her face

Lemonade Stand

These cute girls sold lemonade and homemade star-shaped sugar cookies. They would wave and yell "Happy 4th of July" to the cars as they passed by.

So many kind people pulled over and often left big tips for the girls. When there was a lull in business, Nana or an uncle or aunt would miraculously appear to keep things rolling.

Blacksmith Fork Freedom Run 15K

Post 9.3 miles. From left to right, my little sister JA, moi, s-i-l and brother Miguel. Spectators included Spouse, #s 1, 2, and 3, and niece and a nephew.

Freedom Parade

What? Doesn't your family have it's own parade to celebrate Independence Day?
Here's what to do:
Decorate your bikes, scooters, 4-wheelers and motorcycles with festive stuff.
Everyone wear their best red, white and blue.
March/ride/scoot through your neighborhood carrying a big American flag and singing patriotic songs like, Grand Old Flag and God Bless America.
Wave and smile and wish you had brought candy to throw to the neighbors who are staring at you incredulously.

OK, you got me. I didn't have any red or blue and my white was dirty.

Next up: Bear Lake with In-Laws!



*I have tried and tried but for some reason I can't upload the Michelle Obama picture. If you must see it, just google "michelle obama state dinner dress" to see what all the fuss is about. Yikes!

Human Proportions

Hello, friends. Long time, no blog, eh?

We moved. Across town. More on that later. But first, three stories of human proportions.

I
While packing I unearthed a box of photos that never made it into photo albums or scrapbooks. Most were pictures taken around the time of my engagement and early marriage with Spouse. #1, looking over my shoulder, wondered aloud who the girl was. It was me, without wrinkles.

Then I came to a photo of me waterskiing at Flaming Gorge, in the Uinta Mountains in Utah. I had to do a double take to make sure it really was me, because the girl in the photo is laying it out, nearly horizontal on the glassy water with a watery plume of spray behind her. It's a good picture, taken at the peak of my water skiing days.

Typical, unsentimental me, I tossed the other photos but kept the waterskiing picture and posted it on the refrigerator, at eye level to remind me of my former self. Every time I see that photo I feel satisfied. Not because I used to be a good waterskiier. And not because I think that girl is still in me. I feel satisfied that I chose to give that up and not look back. At some point I decided I would stop defining myself as "the girl who used to ski well" and fully embrace my less glamorous, less thrilling life. I don't see myself as giving up, just facing reality and deciding to be happy with it.

II
My children scrambled out of the jeep and hurried across the pavement to the swimming pool entrance. A few paces behind I watched them inadvertently cut in front of a single man waiting in the line to pay. I apologized and offered to let him go in front of us, but he kindly declined. As we waited for a minute or two for our turn, my mommy-alert-radar went on automatic as I scanned the area for perverts, where the bathrooms were located, hiding places.... just so I could be on guard as I was alone with three kids at a public swimming pool. (I'm not crazy, right?) My suspicions landed on that single man waiting behind us in line.

What was he doing going to a swimming pool in the middle of the day in the middle of the week? Why isn't he at work? He doesn't even have kids with him? Ok, he doesn't look too creepy. He's probably only a little older than me. Hmmm, I'm going to keep my eye on him and if he gets weird we are outta here.

The pool was great; the water was cool and it wasn't crowded. It didn't take long for #2 to start begging to go off the diving board. So I took #3's hand and we walked with him down to "the deep end." I took a seat near the edge of the water to wait. That's when I noticed the single guy from the line. There he was dripping wet, waiting in line for the diving board, standing between children who were only as high as his waist. Suddenly he didn't look so creepy and I was curious. His turn came and I watched him deftly adjust the springs of the board with his feet, walk to the end of the plank, take a deep bounce and holy cow! Double flips high in the air, rotation and smooth straight entrance into the water!

At some point in his life, this now semi overweight, man in his mid 30's must have been some kind of diving superstar. We watched him do this over and over. He would do some kind of crazy dive, swim to the side then walk to the end of the diving line, along with all the belly-flopping, cannon-balling kids. When he finished diving he picked up his towel and left the pool. Probably went back to work.

I was impressed (and sad that I had judged him) that here was someone who had found a way to keep his talent alive. There were no spectators, except me and a bunch of kids; he wasn't going to win a medal or receive any recognition. Apparently he just loved to dive.

III
I picked the up phone yesterday, it was my brother Miguel. "JL? Guess, what? I ran 26 miles this morning!" My response, "You, freak. You are crazy." It was only two weeks ago that I had listened to a message from him, "Hey JL, call me back. I want to ask you some questions about long distance running." He had recently read a book about how human physiology is uniquely designed for distance running and how people can run a lot farther than they think they can. So he decided one day to see how far he could go. He ran 10 miles. That was two weeks ago.

Although in good health, Miguel is not an athlete. He plays basketball a couple times a week and probably does push ups in his bathroom in the morning.

So, last night after a healthy meal, Miguel decided he was going to see if he could run a marathon. So he woke up at 3 am, ran 26 miles (without gatorade, energy gels, an ipod or proper shoes) showered up and went to work.




What about you? As you mature, how do you balance your talents and interests with reality? What do you do to push yourself?