In my laundry room hangs
SKWBEHJ
a gold star for anyone that can guess what it means!
As I slide into another weekend, I sit in my bed and think back over my summer.
It has been full of memories, growth, fun, work, and kids. It leaves me almost breathless as I think of how fast time flies. I had so much more to do, but couldn’t have fit more in without killing over dead. I have months worth of pictures unshared and stories untold.
My kids are progressing so quickly…
Syd is happily married and just called today to tell me she made it into the University of Utah! I am so proud of her. She is adjusting to being without lots of girls around and is very sweet to call or visit when she has a chance. She is working hard to support herself, as is Scotty. They are a great team that will go far in whatever direction they choose.
(even working on a paper due while at my parents house in the trees!)
Kinley is ready to enter public high school for the first time and is more than ready to pick her own outfits and have more than 15 boys to choose from to have a crush on.
Jon has always pushed the private school thing because he had very bad experiences in public school. He was dyslexic and treated as if something was wrong with him. I don’t blame the teachers per se *other than the one that called him dumb* because they didn’t have the same methods to use back in those days for kids with learning disabilities. As we have had our kids, he wants to make sure they have all the attention they need so they don’t feel left behind or dumb. I don’t really care if they are in a private school or not, but if they are happy, I am too.
Anyway,
Kinley is full of life and has such a positive attitude. She is ready to conquer the world, and I have no doubt she will have a positive effect on many for good. She arranged her whole schedule in school so that she could work with special needs kids. That is her passion and love. She is patient, loving and fun. She has a great sense of humor and wants to do well in school. She would love to attend BYU Hawaii
*we will see*
I don’t know that kids really get their homework done there or not! We are great friends and love spending time together. We watched a movie the other night that was SCARY! What movie you ask? Insidious!!! Anyway, I had already seen the movie but when I watched it with her she screamed so loud that I screamed and swore…. {loudly} Yes, the same unstoppable word that only arises in those very choice situations, flying out when I have no choice in the matter. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I have never slipped, but I watch myself pretty good – especially in front of the kids.
The same word I said in front of the kids when I hit a pole in my dads driveway, when a mouse ran under my leg, when I’m flying behind the boat at top speeds..the same word. You can guess which one, but we laughed and laughed….love that girl. I used to think she would drive me crazy as a teen, but she has been so fun to raise.
Whitney has really done well this summer.
She has been more at peace after needing break from dancing. She is contemplating joining a competitive cheer leading team and even went to tryouts last week. They told me that the team had already been chosen, but she could come and just see the facility to see if she wanted to take tumbling lessons. I knew right from the start that they would be blown away by her talents, so I bit my cheeks and tried not to snicker when they asked if she knew how to execute toe touches and “can you please show us?” When she catapulted into the air with her legs in a v {higher than the middles splits} with her legs perfectly pointed and straight, I knew they were hooked.
“wow…oooo…oh wow! Now can you show us a back handspring?”
Her body sprung across the floor like a deer in the forest. “sure” she said….
“WOW, ok how about a round off, back hand spring, back tuck?”
boing boing boing…they gym silenced as all the girls stopped what they were doing to watch “the new girl”. There was a coach sitting in front of me on the bleachers that was ooooing and ahhhhing and he finally turned to say
“has she had dance?”
“yes, at Center Stage on the competing team.”
“Yes, I can tell, and has she had tumbling?”
“Yep, at All American since she was 4”
“yes, she is so naturally talented! She makes it look effortless!”
and he was right.
It barley looked like she had to tighten her muscles to perform for them. The girl sitting next to the coach was obviously the best in the gym and was growing increasingly uncomfortable with her newly found competition.
“Hey coach” she said “can we go work on my full?”
the coach didn’t her as he was watching Whitney. “Hey COACH, can we go work on my full now?”
“Oh oh, yea…” so she led him over and started to practice.
The other coach said to Whitney, “so we already picked teams, but you are more than welcome to join…”
Brighton has jumped into her competition soccer team, which has made up the past several days around here. She is “keeper” which in my terms is called “goalie”. She has always liked soccer, but never really played until last year. She tried out for a competitive team first which is pretty backwards and actually made it! She is not afraid of the ball or to dive and be physical. She was perfect for the job. She played yesterday and it was pretty intense with girls charging towards her passing the ball back and forth. There is a certain pressure for a keeper because although it is the whole teams job to keep the ball moving in the right direction, if they keeper lets it through the polls she gets the bad rap. I am somewhat defensive when all the parents are yelling
“KEEPER get the ball!!”
luckily she does a great job. She let one ball pass her yesterday and blocked many. One went over her head and she jumped to get it but she isn’t tall enough yet. They tied three to three, and today won five to one. Tomorrow morning is the last match up and then the highest scoring teams play off tomorrow night. I am assuming this means us, especially if we win tomorrow morning. It will be interesting to see if the coach lets Sprite start because is trying to teach her a lesson.
“Brighton, if you don’t make it to all the practices you can’t start first at the games.”
“ok”
*I have had issue getting her there on Thursdays because they moved practice to Highland 30 minutes away because most of the team was from there *then WHY try out for an Orem team?*
“Brighton, I make it here every Thursday, and on time!”
“Yes, but my mom has 7 kids and you don’t.”
So there you have it. They coach doesn’t like me and I don’t care, so when I saw him at the game I flashed him a big smile and said, “Hey coach, great job!”…kill em with kindness…
I’ll let you know if she wins!
Ella just had a birthday yesterday and turned eight! I can’t believe it…really. She is the cutest combination of Cinderella and a WWF chick. She is solid, and tough. She sounds and looks like a fairy tale, but on the soccer field she plows girls over without even meaning to. She just started goalie training with Brighton by an ex BYU Hawaii girls soccer keeper trainer. They are having lots of fun and it keeps her busy. She does face painting daily on anyone that will sit longer than a minute. I’ll see if I can dig up a picture. She dresses up and is such a great care taker for the littles. Kids love Ella because she has fun ideas and is so patient with them. She wants to learn the piano (heaven help me find all the time I need). The latest words out of her mouth are:
“Mom, can I massage your feet? Can I do your makeup?”
“Hey we are going to have an art stand and if you want to buy my art you can come to my stand and pay a dollar a picture!”
“Mom, can I make dinner for you?”
“Mom, what do you want me to clean for a job?”
Ever helpful, my Ella.
Halle’s new sayings are *when she has to potty* “I am going to visit the oval office” she states in a dignitary voice, and when she watches movies she cackles out loud at the funny parts seemingly understanding way beyond her years. I think it’s due to the constant older sister influence, also taunting,
“You love Just a Beaver!”
For Justin Beiber, or jamming to the radio with a cool girl look on her face. Man, I have my hands full with this one..funny funny kid. She loves her little brother and people ask me if they are twins all the time. H.A.M. her initials fit to a T!
Jordan aka Handsome is grown a million percent! He says whatever he wants, communicating brilliantly. Sleeps through the night. Plays with kids well. Growl laughs when he wrestles. Hugs and kisses for all. Follows daddy around saying
“What you doing Daddy?”
“I’m going to work.”
“Oh, can I go to work too?”
He loves airplanes, helicopters, tractors, and cars. He has pottied on the potty a few times which makes me so happy that I could potty also! I have been bribing and will continue until he is consistent with all potty goals! He loves to throw grass on me on the soccer field.
“Mommy, I get you!!”
“Nooooo”
“Hahahahahah *insert a growl* Mommy, I got it on your shirt!! ahahaha! Mommy, I put the grass in your drink!! ahahaha! Mommy get me! Mommy you can’t get me!”
as he runs and runs, tripping half the time and when I really try to chase him back, he throws his head clear back and runs so fast he falls down in laughter.
I love to say, “I’m going to eat you like corn on the cob *because he loves corn on the cob* and he laughs so hard he wheezes as I bite his pot belly and arms.
We are happy. Happy and busy. I have been going into our office for the past few weeks on Mondays to sit in on all of the meetings. Sales meeting, managers meeting, and planning meetings with our VP and CEO. It is SO Nice to know what is going on first hand without picking Jon’s brain later in the day. We actually talk about business less after hours because he doesn’t have to recap it all, AND I can give better input after seeing all sides of issues. Thursdays I have gone on a few sales calls and lunches to present our building maintenance services to new property management clients. It has gone really well, and I have thoroughly enjoyed adult conversations.
I was asked TO GOLF next Friday…BWAHAHAHAHA can you hear that because it was pretty loud! I golfed once when I was about 12 and lost my ball in a lake. When my friend came out from retrieving it, she had leaches on her legs. That is the total of my expertise, so can you pray for me? It will be funny my friends…the etiquette and what to wear? I will have to borrow one of Jon’s polo’s because I don’t have one.
and Jonny boy?
He is trying to stay alive as usual. Building business and doing the entrepreneur thing. Did I ever show you a picture that proves he has at least 9 lives? Well, I will now. He was snowmobiling and slipped on the foot railing of the bile…it slit across his wrist and actually jumped the main artery. This picture was taken a year later and the scar on the other side of the vein has pretty much healed…
Good thing because we were in the middle of nowhere…
So there you have it, the latest and greatest!