Life

  Life breezes by, a breeze that slowly creeps up on you, warm with smells of the brink of autumn, with the passing saltiness of summer and the hint of the crispness of a mild winter and then rushes by with the hope of new awakening that spring brings.  That's hokey, but I like it :).  My two girls started a new elementary school and my son started middle school this week. They have so far done the hard stuff, like actually walking into rooms without a parent with grace and some other characteristic that I can't find the name for, but  impressed me greatly.
I keep trying to buy my son socks that don't fit.  This seems trivial, but I consider it an obvious sign that I would rather my kids not grow any further.  As hard as the young years are with kids hanging at my every thread, walking my son onto a campus with 1,000 other imperfect mid-size growth spurting people, I was the one holding onto threads, and wishing we could go back.
But I'm getting better at accepting our fates.  The principle mentioned that the parents might feel that they're sending their kids to school and when they get home they won't be the same person and she said we were right.  Implying that the kids are embarking on a new stage in life. I know what she means and I try to appreciate the goodness in that. I am the parent who would like to press fast forward through the teen years and just say to the kids, see you on the otherside.  I've often expressed to Brandon my fears of heartbreak for our kids, heartbreaks for us as parents as we have to watch kids make mistakes, possibly big ones.  Brandon has always come back with, but aren't you excited that we get to help them navigate this crazy time and what an exciting time it is.  This week I was able to feel that excitement.  Cole went into the crowd nervous and came back excited about drama (even though there are only four boys) and liking his math teacher (whew!).  I could tell he was more sure and excited about this new journey and it made me happy to be able to be a part of it. 
I always worry about my foibles in parenting really messing my kids up and I realize the jury is still out, but I can't be more proud of the young man my son is turning into.  He's not perfect, but I've definitely seen a maturity in him that I'm so proud of. 

It should be noted that the child takes after the same gender parent and I realize Brandon's a big part of this.  I read this today on pinterest...
http://www.mommamadeitlookeasy.com/2012/07/raising-strong-daughters.html

I need to read it daily and implement.

My girls have been really good with the whole starting the new school thing.  My ever so shy Laura was leading the pack to go to her class.  She's sitting in her chosen front of the room seat.  She likes her teacher.  I've given her the assignment to find out the name of the a person who could potentially be a good friend.  Don't even start on sending my beautiful red head to middle school....serioulsy might do homeschool on this one.  1000 kids, my head spins. I graduated with 32 people. Whew!
 
Hannah has stayed out of trouble in the "runs a tight ship" teacher's class and I couldn't be more proud.  But she did have to walk five laps because of someone else's behavior (I hate when they do that).  She got to stir a lollipop into soda on the first day. The teacher only had to add gum into that for Hannah to be in Hannah Heaven.  And she said the teacher read a story that was so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, funny! 

Everyone's gotten up and gotten going and seem happy to be where they are.  I was lamenting last night of how sad it will be when it's not longer exciting and it's not all new, which I'm kind of expecting by Friday :(.

First day pics, all other pics of Cole are with tongue out..

Pressure

Time flies when you should be blogging. Cole asks me intermittently to blog. I like that the he likes to read, but the pressure!!! But I found one (and only) printed blog books and the guilt came crumbling...

so here's things I need to blog about
two camping trips
Christmas
Adventures in Narnia
Substitute Teaching (there could be a book)
Brandon's job
new floors
oh our cat..have I not blogged about the cat?
wanting to keep my kids young..socks, rollercoasters
Brandon's grandparents
the owl outside our window
summer
my (lack of) style-

a couple of don't want to forgets...

I walked in the girl's room the other night after "lights out", Hannah's sitting there and dryly spouts out, "This is lame". Often I want to ask her how old she thinks she is.

Laura has baby fever, bad. She's keeps asking to hold babies, see babies, take care of babies, for us to have a baby.  Some of those we help to happen as often as possible and put off the rest :). She's such a good sister to Hannah and helper to me.

Cole makes me laugh a lot.  Here's a story that will not seem as funny in type as it was in person, but I want to remember it none the less.

Back story..my mom LOVES horse racing.  A year or so ago we gathered with a good part of the family and mom asked us to watch the movie Secretariat (movie about a race horse). 
This week was the last of the triple crown for horse racing and mom told us about the horse 'I'll have another' that had a chance to make history by winning this particular race (and of course was very excited about it). On Friday we found out that the horse had an injury that would prevent it from racing.  We were disappointed for the horse and for mom, then Cole says, "Well, the good thing is, in five years I won't be forced to watch a movie about a racehorse".   It was so funny to Cole and I we couldn't stop laughing long enough to tell why we were laughing so hard. Love that kid's thought process - most of the time.

I can't say that everyday/moment/week is joyfully bloggable, but it should be documented that life is a huge lump of happy right now. 

more ponderings from the porter's point of view to come, next guilt trip, maybe tomorrow, one of our summer daily things is to write in our journals, this is that for me right now...so bad!

Conversations

Tonight I was in my room while Laura and Hannah were in their room and I overheard the following:

H: Do you believe in God?
L: Yes
H: Do you believe in the easter bunny?
L: ummmm and indiscernable answer, but appropriate
H: Do you believe in Santa Claus
L: (Pause) Yes.
H: Do you believe in the Holy Ghost?
L: Yes.

L: Do you believe in mother Earth?
H: Who is mother Earth?
L: She's our Heavenly mother?
H: Sure.
L: Do you believe in fairies?
H: Yes.
L: Do you believe in the tooth fairy?
H: Wait. I don't believe in fairies, but I believe in the tooth fairy.

H: Do you believe that my friend Shiloh lost a tooth on the playground?
L: Yes.
H: Because that really happened. It came out and there was blood.

there was something else funny...

then yesterday Hannah was all frustrated and told Laura in her best outside voice."You're ruining my life".  Thinking I'll hear that one again before they live in separate residences.  But for now, that's a first :).

Opposites

come from the same genetic makeup...so weird

exhibit....322

we were working on Faith in God with Cole and Laura

Cole listens to the options and on one of the them, maybe the service, he decides he's not fond of the recommendations. He comes up with an option of his own, which we decide is not so much an option..after a couple more we come up with a viable option. He's planning on doing it some time in the near future..plenty of time.

Laura listens to her options and chooses two from the options given for each area. She immediately begins working on three of them, has since finished one and is still fervently working on the others.

And while Hannah wasn't in this example she carries her own tune just as well.

So fun to watch them grow, be there own person with different strengths and talents. I often look at them and am amazed by who they are and worry and anticipate who they are becoming.

Tonight we went to a middle school open house...MIDDLE. SCHOOL (for added emphasis) and they talked about that in a couple of years they would take my baby to Washington D.C. for a week, only teachers to chaperone. I would like to add some expletives here...

Yesterday, I was singing Somewhere over the rainbow to an eager to laugh four month old, looking in the clear blue eyes of a one year old that knew she could swim if I'd just let her go, and making odd gurgle noises with a five month old who wanted to sing before she could talk.

Today, Cole's constanly making me laugh, Laura's found her fins and swims every chance she gets and Hannah sings like she's on Broadway.

I have times when I'd give anything to have just a day back of those early times....just a day :) ) There are pieces of memories that continue to fade. I realize I can't hold onto an 11 year old and smother him with kisses (although sometimes I do), and the kids aren't quite as easily entertained.

We often command the kids to stop growing and of course they don't listen. And of course we don't really want them to...at least half of the time.

Read this recently
"Now I can see that children are as light as air. They float past you, nudging against you like balloons as they ascend." by Simcha Fisher

I'm excited to see my kids "ascend" brillliantly in their individual ways, I would just like to put a little weight on them so as to control how quickly.

And you can bet your butter, my baby is not going to Washington DC for a week without me.

p.s. this was supposed to be a paragraph note about their differences. ??

What's for dinner?

In honor of that thought I'd like to try to revive the
Delectably Delicious Dinners, blog. See link below for past goodies and let me know if you'd like to be a contributor (so official). Tonight we're having this, (in bread bowls that Publix had on sale)...soo excited, http://delectablydeliciousdinners.blogspot.com/2008/08/creamy-chicken-and-wild-rice-soup.html

which is what made me remember the long lost blog, it is in need of design perfecting. If you're interested in decorating the place let me know, other wise I'll add it to my list...:). Ooh look for the honey bun cake, I tried that and it was yummy!

http://delectablydeliciousdinners.blogspot.com/

The places we went - ATL

first up, since last blogged, we went to ATL in April. The temple was renovated and therefore had an openhouse and we thought the kids might enjoy. The temple was beautiful. I love the carpets feel and engravings and the woodwork was beautiful. Cole dreaded the trip and was generally not happy, this is notable because the day after we returned a prayer of Cole's included his thankfulness for temples :)!

Alright Already!

So everytime I click on my blog to see new posts of other people's the blog pics and date yell that it's been too long. As has my friend, Tricia (thanks Tricia) and Cole (constantly). So here we go.

Here's a list for myself of posts I would like to make:
Our travels
Christmas
Camping
New Year's Eve Eve date
Kid's updates

and there were some more....

and just to add more to this post...obviously the blog doesn't reflect real time life. We have good times, we have bad times. I don't know if my posterity or anyone else cares to hear about our mundane miseries. Besides the fact that I'm usually certifiable and Brandon often saves me, we don't have bloggable trials. We do have our not so glorious moments and days where it's all hanging by a string. The experiences noted here are the bits of glue that restrengthen the twine and help us climb back up. Just thought I get a disclaimer in case tomorrow the string breaks and you're wondering where everything went wrong :). And life right now is REALLY good.