Soccer shots

Soccer season has come and gone again.  It's a good thing I like my girls.  It's a lot to juggle two nights of practice each and Saturday games with homework, piano, and church activities, but we did it...and they can't wait to start again in the Spring.

I just have a few pictures from this season. This is Benson, in September.  He conquered the rock climbing structure that is meant for kids five and older, which is at the park where Gracie practices.  He's so proud of himself.  I could only let him do it when the other moms weren't looking. :)

This is Gracie, at her last game of the season.  We had a cold front come through, and it was the tournament, so each girl had three games that day.  We went through lots of hot chocolate!

Both of their teams came in second place.  They both have great coaches, and fun teammates, so I guess we will be doing it again soon.  Good news:  Caytie wants to play!

Big boy

What has the biggest kid been up to lately?

He's making his mom proud:  he is loving percussion in his band.  He's the drummer in his school's first jazz band.  He seems to really like it.  He's excited to be in the high school band next year.

He's making his dad so proud: he learned how to fly an RC airplane!  He flies well enough that Ben lets him fly all of his, and he requested one of his own for Christmas.   You can believe that Santa was quick to fill that request.

Baby boy

It's hard being the littlest in a house of lots of kids.  Sometimes, nap time comes whenever you can get it.

Thanksgiving 2014

Thanksgiving morning: Turkey Trot 5K.  We did it!  We did it! 

I had been running pretty regularly, though hadn't done a full 3 miles yet.  Ben had been running twice.  Ha!  He was a little sore, but ready to go, so bright and early on Thanksgiving morning, we showed up, got our numbers, and ran and ran.  My calf was tight, but only a bit sore, so we ran and ran.  We hit the thirty minute mark, but the end was in sight, so we ran and ran, and finished in under 35 minutes.  Hooray!  It was really fun to run the whole thing next to Ben.  We each ended up 5th in our age group for men and women (and no, I don't know out of how many!).

 

PS--I haven't gone running since.

Meanwhile, at home, the kids watched the Thanksgiving Day Parade and made some apple turkeys.  I think they were fine. :)

 

 Then...no rest for the runners.  We cooked and cooked lots of sides (mashed potatoes, candied sweet potatoes, cranberry jello and cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, carrots, stuffing, gravy, and maybe more...).  Our friends the Davises came over with an amazing turkey and rolls about 1 pm, and the feast began!

Please excuse the lack of pictures of the whole day.

EXCEPT: PIE!  (My contributions were the pumpkin, pumpkin cheesecake, and cranberry tart, all made the previous night.)

This is where I admit that we went to Walmart after we ate pie, because they had something at their Black "Friday" sale that we actually had been wanting to get at an amazing price.  Yes, we were those people.  We got there after the craziness, but in time to get the thing we wanted, and the checkout line was only 20 minutes long or so.  Thanks, Walmart employees, for that.

On the day after Thanksgiving, we took our family ice skating!  It may have been a little hard on my weary legs, but the kids LOVED it.  (OK, not Benson.  He refused to try, and only wanted to be held by Ben, and actually fell asleep on him for a while.)  These pictures were from when we first got there, and the girls needed the supports:

 After a short time, though, they all got the hang of it, and were skating around and around without help.  I got to show off a couple of my moves from my ice skating class long ago, though I was too scared to spin or go backwards.  It was fun, and they're already asking to go again.

Bob, I need you to...intervene!

So...we did a service project near the end of October.  A couple of our wards cleared brush at a local cemetery.  They warned us about poison ivy, so we washed well after we got home.  I had a small mark on my arm that looked like a puncture from a stick that scabbed over the next day, but it was nothing to worry about--except that that little scab never got better.

Two weeks later, the weather got cold and I started wearing long-sleeved shirts.  The mark on my arm became irritated, and it started to grow.  Since Ben's arms had broken out with poison ivy the week before, I guessed that was what it was, though it seemed odd that it took two weeks for mine to show up.

I learned (QUICKLY) that poison ivy is terrible.  Terrible.  It burns as it itches, and then it calms down, and then you think about it again or something touches it again or a butterfly flies too close to it, and it flares up again.  And it spreads.  It's not contagious to others, but it is to yourself.  That little spot on my arm grew all along my forearm and halfway to my shoulder.  Then it jumped over to my other arm.  It was so, so itchy.  

I kept my arms slathered in Calamine lotion, which took the burn away, but it didn't seem to be healing it.  I stopped wearing long sleeves, which made people stare, but it helped it itch less.  I would wake up at night after having the sheets rubbing against it, and hold my arm out of the covers so the cold air could help calm the burning itch.

Finally, after two weeks of the itch, after a couple new spots on my other arm flared up, and after talking with people who have had it, I went to a doctor.  I wanted it gone.  He (and the nurse) were actually surprised at how little it had spread, which made me grateful.  He prescribed a pack of steroid pills for a six day treatment.  I had Gracie take this picture a couple hours after I took the first pills:

 

Already the redness and swelling had gone down a bit, but the miracle to me was how the itching was already reduced.  After six days, the itch was mostly gone, the swelling was gone, and most of the redness was gone.  The scabs took a bit longer to heal.  Hooray for modern medicine!  I don't know how much longer I could have stood it!  How did people deal with this before Prednisone?

Good job, Ol' Red

And counting.

Photo Buffet

For your viewing pleasure:

Happy Sunday afternoon!  (Hours of Legos means a nap for Mom.)

 

Yes, this is how Benson fell asleep one night.

We made a fun science experiment called "Elephant Toothpaste" in preschool.  It made a fountain of foam come out of a bottle, and the foam lasted for hours.  Google the recipe--it was so fun!

Tessa (blue ruffle skirt) got the Shining Star award.  Now all three girls have received it so far this year, and last week, Caytie got it again!  (Maybe I need to do a version of this at home somehow.)

 Caytie got to "dig" a "fossil" out of a "rock" for her GT class.  Those things are always fun.

Gracie built a Lego temple, and she decided it looks like the one in Tahiti.  We must take a field trip to compare in person.  Right?

Spider-Girls

BEHOLD, Gracie's newest hobby: spider photography.  Willing models: Tessa and Caytie.

 

(I think the camera switched this one around automatically.  It's supposed to be upside-down.)

Caught

 Once upon a time, Benson got in trouble.  He ran to the little window by the front door for a good sulk.

 

It didn't last long, though, once the camera came out.

Cutie.

Tricks and Treats

Just kidding.  No tricks; only treats.

For our ward Trunk Or Treat, a couple days before Halloween, Ben and I decided to hand out homemade rootbeer instead of candy.  It probably has more sugar in it than candy, but it was fun to do something different.  We had on display a fairy, a tiger, a BYU fan, Maleficent, a witch, and a superhero who refused to wear anything costume-y except the old cape.  I walked around to the other cars with Tess and Benson, and the others disappeared until it was time to go.

Ben and I really went all out for our costumes this year. :)

I found this little witch eating her loot with her friends Claira, Brooke, and Mia.  It was a fun evening, especially because it was combined with the ward that we just split from, and we got to visit with all our friends.

The next day, I held a Halloween Party for my preschoolers.  Here again is the superhero in his cape only, thankyouverymuch.

We played some games, like pin the hat on the witch and knock the spider off the web, and ate Frankenstein pudding and donuts.  I think it was success.

We had purchased pumpkins, but didn't have time to carve them (soccer, I blame you) until Friday, which was Halloween!  Ben once again made the wishes of his girls come true as he helped them carve awesome things.  Scott did his own, and it was awesome, too.

I did help one child carve his pumpkin.  Benson had insisted on getting this tiny one, and I didn't think we would really carve it, but he kept asking, so I used a tiny knife, and I think it turned out pretty cute, after all.

We had a family over for dinner.  It was last-minute, so we didn't have spooky food, though we had Halloween shaped pasta with meatballs.  Then the hoard went out to trick-or-treat while I stayed home on candy duty.

(I must point out Caytie's skirt.  I made it!  [I realize now that I didn't get a great picture of it.]  I searched "easy skirts" online, and found a great tutorial, and it really did only take a hour to sew, like it promised.  Caytie loved it.)

The pumpkins: Caytie's spider, Tessa's classic face, Gracie's hard-to-see Elsa, Emma's Jack, and Scott's owl flying over a tombstone.  Oh, and Benson's bitty one on top of that.

It was a fun day.  I secretly collected three large Ziploc bags of candy from everyone's loot, which will be coming out in stages during the year for our treat jar.  And maybe for Ben and me to partake on occasion...

Oh, yes we did.

We promise each other each time that that will be the last, but somehow, some small children convince us that we need to go again...to the State Fair of Texas!!  They know how to sweet talk us.

 

 This time we went on the actual fair day they had as a school district.  The day started out rainy and cold, but by the time we got there, the sun was out, and it was great.  Not too cold or hot or wet.  And the crowds weren't bad until the afternoon.

  

Here are some pictures for your enjoyment:

What kid of crazy fair food do my kids choose?  Nachos, hot dogs, and fresh fruit.  We live on the edge.

 

Watermelon--yum!

The rebuilt Big Tex

Some crazy animals

For some reason, they don't have photo ops with six openings.

Gracie, is there something you need to tell us?

Someday we'll brave the ferris wheel.  Benson seems to be a bit worn out.

Who knew Dumbo comes to Texas?

We can't go to the fair without attending the World on a String puppet show.  I can quote most of it for you.

 And, for fun:

World on a String, 2008

Happily Ever After

I changed the display of family pictures on our wall.  If you want to see it better (it is hard to take pictures of pictures when the opposite wall is lots of windows!), just come on over.  Any time.  The door is always open.  Just for you.  We'll keep the light on.

So... I got a new calling...

I really, truly do love Primary.  I guess that is a good thing, because I have been given the calling as Stake Primary President.  I'm still absorbing everything that this means, but so far, I'm excited!


I haven't been released from my ward Primary President calling yet, though I'm pretty sure it will happen next Sunday.  The Sunday after that is our Primary Program, as well as a baptism, and then all the preparation for the new year has to begin.  I hope whoever is called to replace me is up for some fun right away!


I am replacing a good friend, who also was the ward Primary President before me.  I am very interested to see what her next calling will be... :)


The Stake Presidency basically picked my presidency for me, and that's OK--they gave great recommendations.  I met two of the three after Stake Conference on Sunday, and I have great confidence in these ladies.


(Speaking of Stake Conference, I got to be one of the speakers.  The theme was "When Thou Art Converted," and they asked me to share how we can help children share the gospel.  I think it went well--I kind of covered a lot of things, but hopefully people will be able to pick out what their family needs.  I now need to apply my talk to my own life.)

A Pain in the Leg

(I've been trying to upload pictures, but our computer is giving me grief, so I have to do pictureless posts.  Lo siento mucho.)


A few weeks ago, a friend challenged all the "Mormon Moms" at our kids' elementary school to join her in the Turkey Trot 5K on Thanksgiving morning.  We aren't going anywhere for Thanksgiving, since Ben is on call, and I had recently given myself a challenge to be able to run 4 miles continuously before I turn 40.  (I gave myself plenty of time.  Why would I think I need to do this, though?  Couldn't I come up with less...athletic goals?)  She gave us the link to the "Couch to 5K" program, and promised it would be so fun to run together.


I agreed to do it.  I "ran" "long distance" track during my freshman year in high school.  (Yes, the quotes are necessary.)  I didn't run much after that, until my last semester in college, when I had a flexiblity class, and I would run up to two miles before spending a lovely 30 minutes stretching, with a 15 minute power nap afterward.  (This was seriously the best class.  Everyone needs to take it, every semester.)  And, since then, no running.  I've been terribly out of shape.


I'm now in week 5 in the training program.  It seems as if the speed of the training is working well for me.  The first week brought lots of muscle pain, but thanks to my flexibility class, I know all the stretches to make them feel better!  I'm up to running for 5 minutes and walking for 3, alternating for 25 minutes.


Today, about in the middle of my run, I got a slow (meaning not sudden--it took several seconds) cramp in my calf muscle.  Youch!  I kept running, though, and walking, and it never got worse, or better.  I stretched it out after my run.  I realized that this is the same spot that I injured my leg last summer while playing volleyball.  My pain hasn't gotten worse today, but not better, either.  I've had a hot compress on and off of it as I've been able to sit down.  Walking is fine, but slow, and stairs are tricky.


So, all my faithful readers, who are also runners--can I gracefully back out of the 5K now?  Or is it "No pain, no gain?"  And, by the way, when do I get to start to enjoy running?  I'm not quite there yet.

POW!

"Welcome, welcome, welcome to P.O.W.!  We're Preschool of W_____!  It's time to start now!"

Um, I really like teaching preschool.  I guess I knew what I was doing when I chose my major, because planning and preparing and teaching and everything is really, really fun for me.  I'm really blessed to be teaching with my friend Esther, who steps in and does a lot of behind the scenes things before I even realize they need doing.

We do a letter a week, and a theme for the month, and a culminating activity a the end.  In September, our theme was farm animals, so our activity was a rodeo.  (We also have a local rodeo every year in September, so some kids went to that and knew exactly what it was all about!)

I had all the kids dress up in their "cowboy finery."  This is Benson:

 Enjoy it now, because it's as long as he was willing to wear the clothes.

I'm not going to go over the whole thing, but some of our activities included barrel racing with the stick horses (or, if you were this boy, with your own personal horse costume),

the "There's a Snake in My Boot" game,

and making Smore's mix (Golden Graham cereal, mini marshmallows, and chocolate chips) and homemade butter to eat on biscuits.

I think it's safe to say they had a great time.

(And where is Benson?  Oh, yes--he ran away.)