Winding Down

With only three weeks of school left, we can almost see the end in sight.

FHE was "Candyland, LIVE!"  We ate the candy that we landed on.  Andy won the game.

 They had to recite or answer gospel questions to earn their treats.  They were all very happy.

 We open the pool everyday and swim a bit in the hot afternoons.  Although the water is not warm, the kids swim anyway.

 Nick came home Tuesday from the track gathering with more ribbons and an award.  He really did well this year.  He's an awesome kid.

 Wednesday Grandma B. showed up at the park and took us to McDonald's for lunch in her rental ride.  She then came by other afternoons and took the children in small groups for a ride and a treat.  She's a treat.

 That night was Meg's track banquet.  She earned the "Hardest Worker"award and her coach was very complimentary of her achievements.  I cried.

 I tried to look cute.

 Ryan picked all these peas from our garden.

This is big! Meg competed in her very last race of the season -- The Champion's Meet (where all the winners from state compete against athletes in all divisions).  She ran the 800m in 2:16.22!  This is a personal record, it beat the school record, and she came in first!  What?  So great. (Look closely at the lit sign.)

 Ryan always hitches a ride on the mower.

 Molly was too scared to go, so we watched.

State Track

Meg's track season qualified her to compete in the state meet in Mesa.  Grandma Kim flew in just to watch her run.

Here we are all loaded up and on our way to watch her race.

 First we stopped at Marriott reserve our rooms,  this elevator shot was worth it.

 We marched across the parking lot in 104 degrees, and took an entire section.  Wherein we opened our cooler and ate dinner and snacks the entire time.

 Meg raced in the 800m and took third.  She was pretty disappointed (little did she know about the race the following week.)

 Friday night she also ran in two prelims, so we were there about five hours.  We were all pretty content because there was extra room to run around.

 Saturday Austin took the kids to a movie, so we three went and visited Uncle Clay and Aunt Elaine.  We chatted for a couple hours and enjoyed ourselves very much.

Grandpa B. was in the hospital for his eighth and final chemo treatment.  We visited him as well.  He seemed hopeful and excited to see the end of his long road.  We loved being with him. 

Saturday night the temps were hot, the stands overly crowded, and our little kids were through.  BUT, Meg had a few great races.  She took first in the 400m.

 Molly self-destructed.

 Ryan found a cozy spot to view the races.

 Then the very last race was the 4x400m relay.  Meg was the anchor and began her leg in sixth place.  She passed three girls to land her team third on the podium.  It was certainly a race to remember!

Meg worked really hard everyday this entire season (she started running consistently on her own in November).  She certainly was rewarded for her efforts.  Sunday she bore her testimony that she's more than a runner, she's a daughter of God with a divine purpose and destiny.  Meg is a winner, alright!

Extreme Business

This week we had something big every night and most days.  But, we three had 20 minutes to plant some free Home Depot flowers indoors.

 Ryan and Molly were very helpful.

 Maddie had her choir concert. She sang very well and smiled very big.

 She was delightful to watch.

 We do nap every afternoon.  First we read books and sing songs, but then Molly cries a bit before she climbs out of her crib and falls asleep.

 I found her on the floor by her bed.

 Thursday and Friday our teachers were on strike, so the kids were home!  We cleaned out four bedrooms.  We did find a few relics -- like these pants I wore on the first day of 12th grade. 

 Maisie loved wearing all my platform shoes.

 Friday morning Austin paused from his heavy workload and made q-ba maze with the littles.  They were content.

 Friday night we had the scout fundraiser at the church.  Andy performed interpretive sketches.  The crowd went wild although it was just plain dumb.  Austin laughed so hard he had tears.

 Saturday Nick had football.  Grandma and Grandpa came to watch.  We sure love them.

 Sunday we took after church photos.  Eddie was not having it.

 I matched my three little ones.

 Sunday we landed the afternoon at the grandparents' home.  Grandma nurtured us very sweetly, included birthday ice cream and gifts for last week's birthday boys (they were in Phoenix with chemo round number seven.)

 PT demo.

 Lift lessons learned from books.

 Hop scotch tutorial.

 Meg came in the evening and brought all her medals.  She has soooooo many.  Way to run, Meg!

Sunday Birthdays -- Austin and Nick

Early this morning our birthday festivities began because Austin needed to be to church by seven.  We ate juevos rancheros and the birthday boys opened their gifts.

 After church we ate lunch and celebrated with an ice-cream roll cake. 

 Maisie and I found three candle packs with 14 candles each = 42.  But, we couldn't put them into the frozen cake. So, we found a #4 and used Nicks two #1 candles.  4 and 1+1= 42.

 

 After shorts naps for some and a game of "Life" for others, we gathered to play "Catan" and "Clue."  Molly helped the big birthday boy win, but not the little one.

 Then, lots of visitors came.  After a couple hours of chatting in the driveway, we found ourselves huddled under one blanket and graciously Meg took a selfie.

 Family scripture study ended the lovely birthday Sabbath. 

We went around the room and said things we liked about Nick:
Molly: gave him kisses
Ryan: "I like when we jump on the tramp."
Eddie: asleep
Maddie: "He plays lots of fun games."
Maisie: "He's a good sport.  He likes to play the games I make up."
Andy: "He's tough."
Meg: "He's the best sharer in the family."
Mom: "He knows how to check off a list and get things done."
Dad: "He works hard to do the right, but he can find himself in a pickle."

We then went around the room and said things we liked about Dad:
Molly: growled in her deepest voice
Ryan: "I like it when he wrestles me."
Eddie: still asleep
Maddie: "
Nick: "He makes mistakes, but he fixes them right away."
Maisie: "I think Dad is very handy and can fix anything."
Andy:
Meg: "Dad taught me how to work hard to accomplish both big and small things."
Mom: "I like how he sees both sides of a problem and using logic to solve it."

Our boys mean the world to us.  Nick knows just when to make Molly happy.  He knows how to get his jobs done.  Austin knows just how to make everyone happy with his quick wit and pinches.  He helps us get all our jobs done.  We are blessed they are forever ours.