August 2016

August came and so did school. 

Mmmmmmm......

Sometimes in the back of my mind,  I wish I was a home schooler mom.

And it's really a silly and completely implausible wish, that only lasts for a mili-second, but begins to manifest whenever I step foot inside a school....  

and smell the stinky school smell and sense the presence of hundreds of thousands of germs.

I gag a little bit and sort of dry heave.

It's the same smell in every school...  dirty body mixed with stale tater tots.

I get the oogies everytime.  I am on my 18th year of first days of school....

And it's not getting any less ooooogieish

But, I have digressed

 Back to School Night was was the same as it always is.  We go super late.  We turbo through.  Not a lot of socializing happened even though it seemed like we saw everyone that we knew there.  The girls met their teachers and looked around their classrooms.  Their teachers, for now seem nice, although we have come to learn that Peyton's teacher is very strict.  This shouldn't be a problem for Peyton.  She has never once stepped out of line. We have also heard that she is VERY academic and the kids in her class really learn.  I am really hoping that she thrives in a classroom setting like that... my 7 year old that acts like she's 30.

 Kaleigh showed us where her cubby with her name on it is located.   She also saw a toy kitchen with real pots and pans that she can't wait to try out and she "also spotted lots of beautiful toy fairies and unicorns"....  I didn't see any fairies or unicorns.  She is not at all interested in what sound letters make or what 2+2 is....  the world is too beautiful to think about those things.  All we need to focus on in this world is loving everyone and being happy.  She may single handedly be the answer to world peace.

 Allie is a Freshman this year.  She is trying to convince me that she is too cool to ride the bus this year.  I want to believe her...  really I do.  But, her being cool does not work into my already established morning routine.   She asked...  and I promise...  I pondered driving her to school every morning on my way to work, thus sparing her of the horrible devastation of riding the bus with the (uh-hum) pathetic eighth graders.  I pondered it for 8.3 seconds and then I quickly came to my senses.  The very last thing I need in my life is another morning-time complication/responsibility.

Having said that....    here's what occurred on the very first day...

Morgan and I went to the gym from 6-7 and at 7:15, Morgan noticed that Allie's bedroom light was still off.  She went in and found her snoozing in her little bed.  So, she woke her up.  And Allie acted all frazzled and convinced Morgan that she was late and mom was going to be so angry with her and then she begged her to drive her to school so she wouldn't be in huge trouble.  Pah-leazz-ah

First day=No bus

Morgan totally fell for it and her little plan worked like a charm.   I think she'd been planning that one all Summer.

Peyton was all ready for her first day by 7:30, a whole hour before her school started.  Papa and Nana came over to take pictures and the four of us drove over to the elementary school....  which was pure chaos.
Crazy moms running everywhere, in their yoga pants and tennis shoes.   SO excited to be back at school.....  So invested and interested in their children's elementary education.  What a sight.  I rolled my eyes.  Why am I doing this grade school thing again?  AGAIN????  It's so NOT me.  This isn't fun for me.  In fact, I am bordering on loathing every part of it.  My mom will be so mad at me for saying my thoughts outloud....  But, I can't be the only person that feels this way.  ALL I can think of is....   In 7 years this will all be over and it will be a distant memory.... again.  I know we are not supposed to wish these years away...  but I have done this before.  No one should have to do it twice in one lifetime....  especially me.  Besides,  I have seen the other side.

And ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BLOWS!!

It blew in the 90's....  it blows in the 2000's

I wondered all day how she would handle all day school.
She is very mature and grown up...  but she is a home body.
She loves being at home, working on her computer or playing with her dinosaurs.
We'll go swimming or hiking and she is good for about 30 minutes and then
she'll start asking if we can go home.

When I got home and asked her about her day, I felt so much better because she said her first day was "wonderful" and she loved eating her (7 course meal) that dad packed in her lunchbox.  I think all day school makes her feel grown up.  She LOVED playing on the big kids playground with the big kids and walking home with Sadie the FIFTH GRADER.

On the second day of First Grade, Peyton turned 7....  making her the very oldest in her class.  I got a brilliant idea that I wanted her to be able to wear a shirt that said "it's my birthday".  Only I thought of it the day before her birthday.   And of course, no one sells those.  And none of the screen printing companies would ever lower themselves to make JUST ONE SHIRT for anyone.  So, I had to run to JoAnn's after work and buy the stuff to whip up a shirt, so that she would feel like we loved her.   Sadly, I am not that creative.   And I have no skills.  AND I bought a shirt way too big.  But, she loved it.  And she told me I was the "best mom she has ever had".   What a relief.  I'd hate to come in second after all this hard work I have put into this mom thing.  That would be humiliating.

She is so skinny

At her request, we ate dinner at Pizza Pie Cafe

And went bowling at Fiesta Fun.

She was a pretty good bowler and she insisted, at the end, that we not make

her use the "ball roller thingy because that is for little kids"

Speaking of skinny,  look at those "elfin" legs.

Parker's missionary photos came back

making this all seem very real.

And Morgan can't stop crying

I don't know if I will be able to handle her when he is actually gone because 

I can't handle her now and he is still here.

Raleigh's work buddies convinced him to sign up for a

Spartan Super Obstacle Course Race.

They decided to sign up like 2 1/2 weeks before the event.

I liken it to those people who say "hey, the St. George Marathon is tomorrow,  I haven't trained for one minute, but I think I will run it"  and then they do, only they are literally dying when they cross the finish line and they are puking everywhere and have to be hauled over to the medical tent where their body twitches for the next hour and the EMTs are poised and just waiting for the go-ahead to wisk them over to the hospital for IV fluids and a psych exam.

~Anyways~

Yeah so, I was a nervous wreck the entire day that he wasn't going to survive it.  I was, in fact, so nervous that I decided to stay home and not go watch him.  He put my phone number down as the person to get alerts of his course progress/heart attack.

I got the text message that his race had begun and for the next 2 1/2 hours, I paced, waiting for the text letting me know that he had crossed the finished line....  alive.

Finally, it came.

His assessment of the experience was

"I was in the seventh circle of hell.   And my hip is probably going to fall out of my body"

They did survive and have finisher medals to prove it

KK had her Kindergarten Entry Exam

She is so excited to go to school.  

Her teacher is Mrs. Hughes and she is very young, but seems sweet and loving
which is just perfect for KK.  She LOVES sweet, pretty people.  

 Kaleigh started Kindergarten on Thursday, August, 18th.... a week after the big kids.   She was ready.  This drop off was not as chaotic.   She chose her dress and shoes and bows.  And she wasn't scared or sad.

 School Girls 2016

 I have to admit that when I look at this picture, I feel a bit emotional.  

Leaving her was almost as hard the day I left Brayden on his first day of Kindergarten.  

That day KILLED me.  This day was almost that hard.  I was pretty anxious for her to get home.

She did great!

Garrett's Mission Call arrived on Thursday as well.  

He had to wait 25 hours to open it.

The family... and well.....  the entire ward showed up to watch him open it.

 You are hereby called to serve in the Lima Peru West Mission and report to the Peru MTC on November 15th.  WOW!!!!   I don't know how I feel about South America...  but a Spanish speaker will be so super awesome.  He is a great kid and will be a fabulous missionary.

 Making our selections

 Cousins

 Dad and Raleigh

Crysti, Brayden, Me and Morgan

The Very Proud Mama


Morgan started College.....  again.
She is a pro by now.
She decided to delay her scholarship until next year, so that all of her
credits would transfer nicely...  instead of stupidly or not at all in the case of 3 of her classes that
she worked hard in and earned A's.
Plus, she is still only 17 and she and I (heavy on the I)
feel that she is way too young to be living in Salt Lake City by herself.
I had massive anxiety EVERY SINGLE TIME I thought about her going.
And I am not saying that I talked her into staying home...  but I can be very
persuasive when I need to get my way.
And I may or may not have used some hypnosis on her while she was sleeping.
Nevertheless,  I have her for one more year.
(And it was totally her idea)
YAY!

Ryker gets to go to Sandra's house while Morgan is at school.
Sandra is the most amazing babysitter/preschool teacher.
She feeds them very well balanced meals.
They practice letters and math.
She reads to them.
They play at the park and go swimming.
We are so blessed to have found "Sindra"
(as Walt calls her).
When he leaves her house she says
"Sandra will miss you, Ryker."
So darling.

Liam Jennings and Walter J. Lund

Football season is underway
which means that I can get my harvest decor out
and can almost start dusting off my boots

I threw a paper towel in the trash and threw my back out.
I struggled to perform my usual routine.
And walked around like a grandma for an entire week.
I am astounded how the smallest incorrect move can cause such
catastrophic results.   I can only speculate how my elderly years will look.
I can't see things improving as I age.  I feel so sorry for my man-boy husband
who will have to be my caretaker.  Guaranteed, he will be cursing this older wife decision.
  I wonder if he realizes he is almost married to a senior citizen?
Consolation... he will be able to live in Sunriver nearly a decade before his
friends... That's sure to soften the blow.