Rainy Day Kindness

Last night the rain started and this morning it was still pouring.

Benny was going to be late for school even if the weather was dry, but you add a semi which had slid off the road by our house to a lot of rain and she was going to be really late.

Approaching the school there were lots and lots of cars.

Everyone who usually walks was getting a ride.

Benny was going to be REALLY late.

As we moved up in the drop-off lane,

we noticed one of the teachers walking up to each car as it pulled up and holding an umbrella over each student as they moved from the vehicle to the school doors.

Benny stepped out under the cover of the umbrella and the teacher spoke in a kind, small-town twang,

"Just go straight to class.  We aren't marking tardies today."

Where in the world have we moved??

Randomness. . .

When it was still hot and humid and we were swimming,

Taffy and Sarah were learning how to dive.

You can see that the concept was easier for one than the other.

In August, Jeremy and I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary.

Yep.  This was our celebration lunch.  Jeremy made it for us.

It was delightful.

6 kids were at school.  KD was taking a nap.

We actually got to just sit, surrounded by quietness, and talk.

We haven't been able to do that for a long time.

It's funny how expectations and things that make you smile change over the years.

But I still love Jeremy.

Exploring. . .

A day off of school = A day of exploration

Destination: Elephant Rock

There are massive deposits of granite there.

Two of the quarries are abandoned.

This very cool building was the firehouse where the fire response train was housed.

Elephant Rock got it's name because on the top there are a string of large granite boulders which resemble a train of pink circus elephants.  Many of the boulders have names and dates carved in them. 

Every time we move we get a chance to redefine our family, keeping or losing things from the previous places.  This trip it was fun to have a picnic together, have Jeremy chase the screaming girls around the playground, see Caden in his new tall body take on a new roll as "big" brother.  It was awesome to explore without a baby in a stroller or in my belly. 

In 2 years Jaycie is leaving for college.  Sometimes I still wonder what our family is going to be. . . and now the oldest is leaving before I feel like we've established who we are.

To wax philosophical. . . This quote from Sai Baba reminds me that the moments of every day create who we are, that the moments of the past 18 years have molded our family, and the future moments will continue influencing it.

"What matters is to live in the present, live now, for every moment is now.  It is your thoughts and acts of the moment that create your future.  The outline of your future path already exists, for you created its pattern by your past."

A choir concert in the church. . .

So it seems that in this small town "In God we Trust" is still ok to stand by.

This is something I love about the midwest.  They still have homespun values.

If the choir concert wasn't in a church (they alternate between the Baptist and Methodist), it would be in the gym which leads to audience loudness (as witnessed in Vegas).  Too bad Mrs. Ligon didn't have a church within walking distance.  It seriously was quieter than a church meeting in here.

This concert was the with the high school choirs.

It was AMAZING!!!!

They sang music that was beautiful and very difficult.

The choir teacher plays the piano awesomely.

It is really weird to be turned down as an accompanist from the high school, jr. high, AND middle school.  Usually I am being begged.  

(Jaycie, Bethany, and Caden all made it into the highest choirs in their respective schools, and Benny and Jaycie just made the All-District Choir.)

To watch this wonderfulness, the kids and I parked at the high school and walked to the church just like the choirs did.  (Jeremy had to work.)

It was a beautiful night. . .

. . . and we got to watch part of the 9th grade football game on the way to the parking lot. 

We are really beginning to love this place.

Dressing up. . .

We curled Sarah's hair for school pictures.

She has very straight hair and by the time she left for the bus, it was already straight.

But we have proof right here that it was curled at one point.

Jaycie's hair is also very straight, but it holds the curl a bit.

This is her on her way to homecoming.

No date.

That is the best way to do it!

She ate dinner with some friends and their dates, went to the dance with them, they left before she wanted to, so she stayed with some other friends and went to get ice cream with them,

then watched Rapunzel with the 2nd group.

(Just for the record, someone wanted to ask her, but she discouraged him because she has decided these last 2 years before college, she doesn't want to get mixed up with boys.  Hurrah!  Hurrah!)

After seeing Jaycie all dolled up, Benny did makeup and fingernail polish and got out the dress-ups for Sarah, Taffy, and KD.  They adore her attention!

Dog Wash

We have awesome Primary leaders.

The kids have been looking for ways to do service all year and as they put up their little honey bees on the bulletin labeled with what they did that week, they earn "honey" to fill up a beehive.

Well, they reached the halfway filled up point and earned a prize.

What was it?

A service project of course!

Members of the ward brought their dogs to the church to be washed.

The kids took turns washing,

brushing,

walking,

and decorating bandanas and pictures to give the dogs to wear and take home.

(It was like herding cats to get the kids and dogs gathered for a picture.)

Buddy

So we all know that Taffy loves toads, right?

Well, she found this one that seemed to give her hugs.

It would sit right inside her sweater and not try and jump away 

and would climb up the front of her shirt.

When she introduced me to Buddy, she said,

"This is the nicest thing a toad has ever done to me!"

(Smiley face!)

 Another beautiful day we headed to the park with some friends.

The merry-go-round was as novel as the tire swing at the last park.

We haven't seen one of those in a while.

 See all those geese?

They were on the grass until our children kindly chased them into the water.

In Vegas there are mostly rocks.

Here, there is mostly grass.

And these rocks aren't supposed to be thrown into the water, children!

We met the Leckies when Jeremy and I first came out to interview.

They are the kind of friends you think you knew before this life.

Jeremy and Joe went to the same med school (missed each other by a year), and Allyson was a huge support and sounding board as I was out looking for a house.

These are the moments to remember.

Cute "O" and Taffy under the willow tree.

The first go at football. . .

Sports are big in this little town.

We thought it best the boys learn how to play football 

so they could speak the local language.

Timo is on the Dolphins, which have a 2-1 record so far.

The first game they got beat by a team who had this little blonde kid who could NOT be caught.

They'd just hand him the ball and he'd take off dodging and speeding all over the place.

Our next Family Home Evening the missionaries were over.

(Jeremy is the ward mission leader)

Timo put on his flags and the rest of us chased him around the front yard, teaching him to be like that little blonde kid.

He did really well until Sarah tackled him for the 4th time.  That girl is determined, I tell you what.

The awesomest thing about watching Timo play is his good attitude.

Whether he's on the sideline or out on the field, he tries his best, talks to everyone, and is just happy to be there.

Go Dolphins!

Gettin' fit!

One perk of this little town we live in is that the Fitness Center is 4 minutes away from out house.

Sometimes we go over with the kids.

The boys have lifted weights, tried out all the machines, and played raquetball.

(Just a note - there is one raquetball court and it's usually available when we're there. 

Awesome small town perk.)

Jaycie, Ben, and I have tried Zumba and Cycling - 

there's no pic of us because we were sweating so much.

And the three little girls get to go into what KD calls "her school".

They LOVE it.

Can you say. . .

Brown Recluse??!!