Week #33: The Barber Goes Home

This Week...

...Elder Barber went home. It's always so tough when the good ones go home or get transferred. We get so attached to them and have such a great time helping them in sharing the gospel. We took Elder Barber and Elder Johnson out to lunch at El Sazon, and then we did what any self respecting mission leader and wife would do. We stalked his girlfriend on Facebook! She's really cute!

...we had to hit the river while Grace was with us. Jordan and Kellen met us there. The kids got their swim in and then we made our way to We Ice. It was the perfect treat on a hot day! And it was so fun to hang out with friends by the water!

...Jason was a guest speaker for Paul's Webelos group. They were working on the First Responder adventure. The boys had questions for him and then he handcuffed Paul as part of his belt tour and showed them his car.

...we went to the High School track to run some laps. I also threw in some stair climbing. They had lots of energy to begin with, but were feeling it in the end. I tried to encourage them, but also push them to do more when they felt like they wanted to give in and give up. Sometimes in life, the lane painted on the track stretches long before us; it seems that we cannot go another step, that the end will never come. But each step that we keep taking draws us ever closer to the finish line until we realize that we went farther then we ever thought we could back in the moment of distress. I want my kids to push through their limits and continually make new ones for themselves. I want them to push past "I can't!" and always find a way to make their hopes and desires happen.

We stopped off for some Yoplicity after all our hard work at the track. I think the general consensus was in favor in My Froyo over Yoplicity.

...walk time with Marty! He's such a good boy to wait at the sidewalk corners (and I am speaking of Marty. Hehe!)

...we played several rounds of Rummikub, with our toes. No, not really. Benjamin was just messing around.

...I went on a ride along with Jason. It's fun to see a little bit into his work world. He just does what he does because it's become such a part of him. His car is his office, and the community his work place.

...we put a fire pit in the back yard. Naturally, we had to invite friends over to enjoy it. (I'm not a huge fan of smelling like smoke so I don't know that this was actually a good idea...) Ben and Connie Beus, Raliegh and the boys, and John and the kids came to BBQ with us.

...we camped out in the backyard for one of Paul's Webelos requirements. Jason lasted quite a while with us. Once the air mattress lost air, it wasn't all that fun for him. The car racing down Madison at 2:00 am didn't help much either. Emma slept under the stars with Marty and everyone else did great in the tent. It was also a little chilly!

...we did some rock painting as well. Painting projects aren't necessarily my favorite because of the potential and actual mess of it all. However, it does occupy little ones for quite a while on something other than video games. Yep, I can handle the mess!

Week #32: A River Reunion

This Week...

...we're back to school supply season. This is one of my favorite times of the year. The tissues are for the kids, the rest is for me. Haha!

...I'm reflecting again on Jason and his job. He is now the one with his name first by the office door. It's cool that he is in a position to oversee a squad; to work with them; to share his positive attitude; to motivate and support. I'm grateful for him and his squad. They are a great group of guys. I'm so glad they choose to walk behind the line that separates us from danger. 

...we went to the track to run laps. Jason came with us this time. I like running laps because it's flat and you can keep "track" of how far you go a little easier. We took basketballs to dribble as we run.

...we had a mini reunion with Jason's family at Howard Amon park. The kids went swimming and we rented a canoe. We got to see Todd and Erica and their kids. I got to hole Eva for quite a while.

...we hit the jackpot on Girl Scout cookies. Our neighbor gave us all these extra cases of Girl Scout Cookies to hand out at the Sheriff's office. They always try to share their surplus cases with different organizations. This year it was the Sheriff's Office. We gladly accepted them - ate some/shared some.

...we went to the Rollarena!! Grace was in town so we timed it right so she could go with us. The kids are getting better on their skates. They went from sticking close to the wall to venturing farther out on their own. They did so well!!

Week #31: A Dog Cow

This Week...

...Jason was out fighting a fire most of the night on night shift. He left his smoky clothes on a chair in the kitchen. When I noticed it, a feeling of gratitude for Jason came over me. I appreciate what he does for our family and for the community. I'm grateful for his strong sense of civil service and his great desire to make a difference in our local area.

...Marty is still the highlight of everyone's day. He is growing so fast and he's such a little furry bear right now.

...Elder Johnson dunked the ball for us. President White doesn't want the Elders dunking the ball all the time because that most often leads to injury. We got a special showing. Elder Barber was more concerned with hiding the chocolate chip cookies in his shirt so he wouldn't have to share with anyone else, including Elder Johnson.

...we took on a little job watering plants and mowing the lawn for Lainey's kindergarten teacher. Lainey helped with the watering and took her job seriously!

...we finished up our softball season. It was so sad to look down the first base line and make that run for the last time. I love playing with this great group of women.

...the kids and I took a trip to Ice Harbor Dam. I've wanted to go on day trips with the kids to explore and be together, but it can be hard to get time when Jason is off. So we just decided to load up and go. We saw the fish ladders and watched some movies inside. The scariest part was walking up the long sidewalk to the front doors. There were huge spider webs everywhere with equally as large spiders in them. (Shiver) It was not my favorite. We stayed together, in the center of the sidewalk, and walked fast.

...we invited ourselves over to our cousin's house for games and snacks. I visited with Julie Marie and the kids played together. It was super fun!

...we gave some one a heart attack. We all pitched in to make hearts so we could heart attack Cathleen McCarey's door. The kids really got into it and it was super fun to sneak up to their front door and leave the hearts without making noise. Claire even drew a picture of their cow that acts like a dog. He likes to follow Cathleen when she goes for her run.

...we went to an Olympics party at the King's. It was a lot of fun! We played some yard games, ate some fun snacks/treats, and watched part of the opening ceremonies. We had to leave way before the US walked out because Jason had to work in the morning. It sure got us excited about the summer games.

...we had Elder Barber and Elder Johnson over for dinner. It is never a dull moment when they are with us! We sure love these elders.