Intellectual

In a couple of the pictures from yesterday's post,

Milo is playing one of his favorite games.

Several times a day, he asks to do "Letters."

One of us will hand him the alphabet flashcards,

and he will put them all on the floor.

Then, he finds matches. For example, "W" and "w."

He loves it.

His other favorite game is "Ruckus," but he hasn't been

able to play it lately. Every night, John tells him that if

Milo goes right to sleep, they can play Ruckus the next day.

Unfortunately, Milo is on a sleep strike, and only falls asleep

after he has gotten out of bed at least 20 times. So until he

decides to go to sleep on time, the Letter Game will have to do.

Grandparents Day

Our school held it's second annual Grandparents Day

on Friday. I imagine that this is a great thing for kids

who have Grandparents living nearby, but it isn't so

great for those who have Grandparents out of town,

or Grandparents who work, or can't come for some reason.

Luckily, both last year and this year, my parents were

able to make quick trips to town for the occasion.

This year, they arrived after 8pm Thursday,

and were on the road back to Idaho by noon on Friday.

This didn't give them much time to play, but they

did get to introduce the kids to my Mom's i-pad

(Milo was happy to show her how to work it),

my Mom helped Ruby finish a project that they started

last spring (I failed to help her finish it - whoops),

and they were able to spend an hour at the school

with Bentley, Maxwell, and Jonah.

They made it home without any difficulty, and were at

the Temple in time for their assignment Friday afternoon.

Thanks to Pa and Grandma for making the drive!

We love you!

Cheeri-O

Our High School cheerleaders had a fundraiser this week -

a mini-cheer clinic with a halftime performance on Friday.

Ruby went to practice on Wednesday and Thursday,

and last night John and I got to go watch her halftime dance.

Here are a few photos from the evening:

And this is my favorite photo from the night -

when she realized that there was a football game going on.

She told me that she didn't know the football players

were going to be there (later she told me she thought

it was going to be a basketball game). I love her face here.

The highlight of the night for her was the face painting.

She liked it so much that she kept going back for more.

Finally the JV Cheerleaders ran out of skin to paint.

(I'm glad she was wearing pants or her legs

would have been covered with paint, too.)

I've been wanting to see a game all season,

so I was really happy to get the chance to go.

Ruby had a lot of fun and somehow came home

with two pom-poms (she'd been given one at the beginning).

The hard part was convincing her to scrub the paint off.

She wanted to show all her church friends her art work.

Here's the link to the performance. The video starts out

pretty choppy, but it gets better. She's on the left.

Krispy Kreme Take 4

The first Joy School theme this year is Obedience and Decisions.

To learn about obeying laws (and recipes) we took a trip

to Krispy Kreme. On the way there, the Moms made sure

to obey all the traffic laws, and once we got there, we watched

the bakers following directions to make the doughnuts.

Once again, the hot light turned off right as we arrived,

but the kids got to pick a doughnut (sprinkled was the favorite),

and to enjoy the fruits of following directions.

I didn't teach this lesson, but Milo and I tagged along anyway.

(Joy School group plus 3 future Joy Schoolers)

Krispy Kreme 2006

Krispy Kreme 2008

Krispy Kreme 2009

Logan Bound without any Snakes or Snails

After Cassidy's Walk (and a soccer game for Jonah),

John and I were able to go to Logan for the Temple

Sealing of two of our friends and neighbors.

John and I rarely do things with friends, and when we do,

it's usually with all of our kids in tow. I thought we were

accidentally anti-social because we usually have

a baby at home, and because it's so difficult/expensive

to find a babysitter for five rowdy children.

Turns out, that is only PART of the problem.

On this trip, I learned that the OTHER

part of the problem is that John would rather sit

in the basement playing computer games.

Who knew?

Although he volunteered this sad information

during our fun mini-getaway,

I think that he enjoyed leaving the basement

and spending some quality (kid-less) time with friends.

(He did express some disbelief that he had driven 2 hours

to see the Sealing of people he's not even related to,

but he seemed to be more surprised than upset.)

After the Temple Sealing, we ate a late dinner

at the historic Bluebird Cafe

(get the cherry ironport, skip the chicken fried steak),

and fought traffic to get home before midnight.

This awesome extended date was made possible by

Greg (who evidently hasn't spent enough time alone

with our kids to know that he didn't want to be responsible

for them for 6+ hours), Mike (who took the late shift

so Greg could go home and go to sleep so he could wake up for

a 6:30am meeting the next morning), and Elizabeth

(who was around to help retrieve Ruby from a party

and to release Mike a little early).

Cassidy's Walk

A week before John ran his 5K, Bentley, Maxwell,

Jonah, and I were able to go to Murray to

participate in an Energy for Life Walk.

Our good friend, Cassidy, suffers from a form

of mitochondrial disease. It's something that most

people don't know about (and doctors don't know enough).

The boys said that they wanted to go, but one of them

wasn't super excited about getting up early

on a Saturday.Once they were all out of bed

they had fun getting a squirrel/horse/skull painted

on their hands, trying their luck at the "fish pond,"

and getting treats after the walk.

Maxwell and Jonah ran the 5K,

but Bentley was kind enough to walk with me.

We love Cassidy and hope and pray for a cure.

Run JDR

John, Bentley, Maxwell, and Jonah ran a Fun Run

back in April, and while the boys' interest in running

has had its ups and downs over the summer,

John commitment has been consistent.

He trained 6 days a week all summer long,

and this morning he tackled another 5K.

The kids and I went along to cheer him on

(well, I would have cheered if I had a voice - stupid cold).

John also had a bit of a cold this week, and wasn't

in top form for the race, but he still did really well.

He ran the 5K in 21 minutes and 56 seconds,

coming in 16th out of 141 runners

and 1st in his age division!

He was disappointed in his time, but we're all proud of him.

(He shaved 4 minutes off his time last spring!)

Jonah was disappointed that we didn't let him race,

but he didn't start training till one week ago.

Hopefully he and his brothers will start running again,

and be ready to take on the Fun Run again this spring.

A Bobcat and a Bear

At Pack Meeting last week, Maxwell was awarded his Bobcat,

and Bentley was awarded his Bear. Maxwell was

hung upside down by John, and the badge was pinned

on upside down. and after he did a good turn, I was

able to sew it on right side up (although slightly crooked).

To get his Bear award, Bentley had to enter the Bear Den

and wrestle a fierce Bear. He lost a shoe in the struggle,

and his hair was messed up, but he survived.

After the awards ceremony the kids played a cooperation game.

They linked arms and walked from one side of the gym

to the other. At least that was the goal. Instead they tried

to run, wiped out a few times, and quit once or twice.

The great thing about both boys getting awards on the same

night is that John and the little kids only had to come once!

Soccer Makes Him Smile

I've been meaning to post about Jonah and soccer,

but haven't had the time. I don't really have the time now,

but I'm going to throw some pictures up anyway,

and try to describe how he feels about the sport.

He loves it!

I think he smiles the entire time he's playing.

For example: he's not even near the ball here,

just running in the same direction as the ball.

And he's smiling.

If you click on the collage you might be able to see

a few more smiles while he is running around the field.

He plays at home, at recess, at practice, and at games.

I'm so glad we decided to sign him up.

Also, we have only taken the whole family to one game.

It could have been worse.

We had Bentley and his friend cheering for

"Cheeseballs and Broccoli," Bentley, Maxwell, Ruby, and Milo

loudly fake crying whenever the other team scored,

and kids constantly trying to enter the field.

Overall it was okay, and I think we'll give it another

shot before the season is over.

At least they look cute here -

A Long Time Coming

Last month we signed Ruby up for another year

of Creative Dance at BYU. She has been really

excited for classes to start, and asked me to help

her make a chain to countdown to her first day.

The chain started out taller than Ruby, but finally

she got to rip up the very last chain, put on her

new leotard, and go to dance class.

She has a new teacher this year, but the helper

is the same as last year. There is only one girl

from Ruby's 3 year old class. Hopefully Ruby will

get a chance to get to know the girls in her class.

Last year she loved to dance, but didn't get to

socialize (something that she thrives on).

She had a great first day, and now we get to countdown

to the next class - 6 days to go . . .

September Five (on the 6th)

(the kids on their current bikes)

Bentley - Still working on the cash for a DS. Today he

tried to mow our front lawn with our push mower

to prove to his Dad that he can mow yards for money.

Also today, he realized that if he forgoes all presents from

his parents in exchange for $20, (his idea to earn $$$)

his parents will actually be spending less money

on his birthday than if they were to buy him gifts.

He is adjusting to school and to new friends.

All of his best friends from last year are in different

classes (probably not a coincidence), but he is

renewing old friendships and enjoying his class.

He will be getting his Bear scout award tomorrow.

Maxwell - Just got baptized!!! It is exciting to

watch Maxwell because he seems to be taking his

new covenants seriously and trying to be better.

He will get his Bobcat award tomorrow night at Scouts.

Max was thinking about saving up for an ipod touch,

but decided to spend some money on a small hymnal

to go in his scriptures. We trimmed his mohawk

before the baptism this weekend, and he was pretty

upset, but he has come to terms with his shorter hawk.

Jonah - Jonah also seems to have come to terms with

his new class assignment and friends.

He DOES still love playing soccer and has found friends

to play with at recess again this year.

He has taken an idea that Bentley's friends started

(Ghost hunting) and run with it. He is convinced

that there are ghosts and likes to tell stories about them.

He has graciously passed his preferred bike to Ruby

because the other bike that he rides is too large for her.

He and Maxwell are also into

"Choose Your Own Adventure" books (thanks Elizabeth).

Ruby - Last week Ruby learned to ride a bike

without training wheels! She is now riding every time

she gets a chance and loves it. John has worked with her

off and on over the summer, but it wasn't till last Thursday

that it seemed to really click and she wasn't afraid anymore.

She loves Joy School. Last week she picked a boy from

Joy School to marry and they kept their arms around each

other for the majority of class. Their romance seems to

have cooled off a bit, while a couple of classmates are

still going strong. This is something I haven't seen before.

I guess having a class with a majority of girls

results in some different activities during free play time.

Ruby starts a new year of dance on Monday.

Milo - His tantrum phase seems to have passed

(knock on wood). He is still obsessed with watering the grass.

If I listened to him, we would have no yellow spots

on our lawn because he is constantly telling me,

"We NEED to WATER Mom!" That was the first thing he

said when we got back from Burley last month.

He is very polite these days. Whenever I say "thank you,"

he says, "You're welcome, Mom."

He likes to play Ruckus and to have his Dad push him

on the swing in the back yard (or at the park).

He still likes singing, and is learning new songs at Nursery.

Now that Ruby can ride without training wheels,

her pink and blue bike with the cute white basket has

been passed down to Milo. He seems happy to have A bike.

Eight is Great

Maxwell was baptized today!

Here's a look at the family who was able to be there.

(you might notice that not everyone was happy to be there)

Primary teachers and leaders, home and visiting teachers,

and some good friends were also able to be there.

I think our families might have been most happy that

they didn't have to drive here through a blizzard this time.

Congratulations Maxwell! We love you.

Guts

Remember my anniversary last week?

We never did really get to celebrate, but I didn't have

to fix dinner that evening (kind of a celebration itself),

and John agreed to order some lunch boxes I've been

coveting for the last year or so. The lunch boxes

arrived last night, and after reminding the boys

that the boxes belong to ME, I let them take a look.

The Planetbox site was back ordered, so we got our lunch boxes
from Pottery Barn Kids. The only real differences were that
we got them faster, but had fewer choices for cases or magnets.

The Planetbox site has 5 or 6 choices, while pbk has pink or blue.

Jonah and Maxwell opted for blue, while Bentley

insisted on PINK. I tried to talk him out of it,

but he was certain that's what he wanted.

When I asked him if he was worried about the

kids at school laughing at him, he said,

"No. And they'll only laugh the first day anyway."

Today I packed his lunch and tucked it away

in his back pack, but he insisted on carrying
his lunch out in the open, for everyone to see.

Partway to school, we were joined by a neighbor boy

who asked Bentley why he had a pink lunch box.

After a little back and forth conversation, the boy told

Bentley the following story: His mother had hoped he would

be a girl, so she bought a bunch of girl clothes, some of them

in big kids sizes. This little boy ended up wearing some

gold girl pants. It sounds like it might have been

kind of traumatic at the time, but he and Bentley had a good

laugh over it this morning. Bentley liked the story well

enough that he shared it with me again after school.
And he says that no one laughed at his lunch box.