Truly a lab rat.

Sariah participated in a two part language study that was looking at how children aquire linguistics. As part of the study she got to wear this lovely contraption that measured her brain waves and activity in response to her watching cartoons where some sentences were grammatically correct while others were not.
It was an interesting experience as you can tell by her lovely expression.

Ward campout= Mud ball!!!!!!

Our ward campout was at the end of August and it was fantastic!!!!  I was pretty nervous as Matt and I were in charge of it and there were a lot of expectations and a lot of people that didn’t think it would go well.

Of course the highlight every time we go to Nisqually is Mud Ball.  the missionaries soak the baseball field and then you go and play kickball on it. Totally fantastic!!!!

This is by far my favorite!  So adorable!!!!

Of course after getting muddy you have to get washed off right?

It was funny that people who were a tad hesitant to play in the mud were soon enjoying it.  Besides how many times as adults, or even as children for that matter, are we encouraged to play in the mud?  Not often enough in my opinion.

 

Behind the splash in this picture are Michael and Sam.  This fall/skid resulted in a really nasty scrap on the inside of Mikes elbow that took forever to heal. Pretty sure it will leave a nice scar.

My poor boy, the casualties of mud ball.

Later that evening we had a bonfire/skit night.  We sought shelter in the pavilion for fear of the impending rain.

Not sure why Riah is laying on this table while the other kids are playing, but it makes for a cute pic.

Sariah and her friend Daniel.  You have probably seen him in other pics.  He was her first kiss.

The camp out was a good experience for me in other ways too.  All the other years we had mud-ball I never felt comfortable participating because I was so heavy and so unfit.  I relegated myself to sitting in a lawn chair on the sidelines.  Not so this year.  Forty pounds less than last year found me on the field having a blast with everyone else.  The morning found me on a run with two other friends.  It felt good to be able to be on the side that was “actively engaged”.  Yeah for me!

and here is a group pic of our awesome ward.  Love ya guys!  Thanks for a terrific camp out.  Let’s do it again next year.

Berry picking

On the trail where I run I was noticing the black berries starting to ripen.  Over the next week I kept an eye on them and when they were ripe and yummy I took the kids out picking.

They really enjoyed it, although just like with the strawberries I have pickers and I have eaters.

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The good ones always seem to be in the middle.  Michael stabilizing Seri so that she can lean in and get some good ones.

the little ones do pick them…..

only to eat them.

And when they get tired of picking them and eating them they  find a comfy spot to just eat.

And eat…….

And eat some more.

I had grand plans of making pie and jams with these, but alas they were all eaten by the time I got to them and no one wanted to go picking again. 

After they had all been eaten a good friend of mine asked if I had checked for little bugs in them. I guess they had eaten some and run across things that had already claimed the food.  It was a good thing the berries got eaten or I would have thrown them out upon hearing this.

Nuggets of Wisdom

Not sure why it took me so long to find this one out.  I went over to my mothers house one evening and in her kitchen she had a glass with green onion bulbs in it.

Turns out that after you use the green part you can place the bulb in water and it will re-grow.  Pretty darn cool if you ask me.  But it’s one of those things that I went “yeah, that makes sense.  Wonder why I didn’t think of it before now”.

The really cool thing is that it grows really fast and starts from the inside out.  In the direct middle of the cut a shoot will grow and then as it grows longer it gets thicker.  It grows so fast that you literally feel like you are watching it grow.

So, there’s my tip (and science project) of the day.

9-11

I had been thinking about where I was when Sept. 11 2001 rolled around on the calendar and then today I came across a friends blog where she had posted her experience and asked others to share theirs. So here is my memory of what happened in my life that day.
We had arrived in Germany in late August and were shipped to Bad Abling, down south by the border. After two weeks of being in limbo they shipped us up to Darmstadt. The post was such that the main part of the post (hotel. PX, food places, theatre) was up on a hill. Down the hill and across the street was the section where the schools and housing were located.
We were staying in the hotel. I was tired after the travel and frustrated with having been shuffled around so much, not really knowing for sure where we were going to be. Were we really going to stay here or would they decide to send us back to Bad Abling or some other location? Matt had started in-processing and it was Seri's first day of kindergarten.
Michael and I had enjoyed a day of hanging around in the hotel room and had gone to pick Seri up from school. On the way back to the hotel right as we got to the street a line of military vehicles pulled up in front of us and military men jumped out in full military gear and formed a line around the perimeter of the post. Here I was with my children, who were understandably afraid of the soldiers in full gear and their guns, holding both of their hands and not having a clue as to what was going on. They informed me that I needed to go back into the post and return to my housing. I explained that we were staying up in billeting and that I needed to cross the street. It appeared that this was not an option. I then found a park and not knowing what else to do sat on a bench trying to figure out what was going on while my children innocently played on the playground
Awhile later another mom and her children came to join us and when I explained what was going on she invited us back to her home. We had not been there long when she received a call telling her what had happened and to turn on the TV. We did and we both sat there, stunned.. At first I wasn't sure exactly what was going on or how this was happening, then as the coverage continued it became clear. Life for us was going to change.
I had no idea where Matt was and no way to locate him. I had none of my belongings and wasn't sure when I would be able to return to our hotel and there were Army men patrolling the perimeter of the post in full battle gear. I was scared. This on top of all the emotions I was already feeling put me into a robotic mode I think. You know where you stop feeling anything and just concentrate on the basics of surviving and caring for your children.
I knew Matt's unit though and it turns out that their neighbor was in the same unit so they contacted her and asked her to try to find Matt. He later showed up and my family ended up staying with her family in their home that night. We fell asleep on their living room couches with the TV on afraid to shut it off for fear that we would miss coverage of another attack or the Presidents address stating what he was going to do as the leader of our country.
The next day we returned to the hotel but sure enough life had changed. All the perimeters of the post were now gated and had check points at every entrance. No one gained admittance without proper ID. All vehicles were thoroughly searched, at first by armed soldiers then later by German security. Shrines showed up at the entrance gates by Germans bringing signs, candles and stuffed animals. You would see classes of German school children walking to the gate carrying the pictures and letters they had made for the Americans. It was truly a sight. At the same time it was obvious that some Germans thought we had gotten what we deserved and they took the opportunity to show their disdain at us being in their country. There were protests blocking the Autobahn, American cars received new license plates which would help us not be so obvious, and some Germans on the street were just plain rude.
We were not all that far from Landsthul, the Military hospital where the casualties were brought, so that brought it closer to home. Soon it seemed that all the men on post were being deployed. There was one point when there were only two Priesthood men present in church and nearby priesthood came to help. Everyone we knew practically was fighting. Life took on a new normal where everyday was steeped in the war. Literally, not a day went by that we were not aware of what was happening, that there weren't more signs of what was going on.
I think our experience was a tad different as we were on a military post that was heavily involved in engagement and because we were overseas at the time.
At the same time I think this was the beginning of the end of Matt's military career. He had joined with the expectation of being a soldier as his father and grandfather were before him. Now that there was a war going on he was not able to go fight it. I can't remember how many times that boy tried to get sent over there. He had ideas to switch units, to attach to other units, to do anything that would allow him a piece of the action. He wanted to fight and protect like all military members do and instead he had to stay in the back and support. After a few years of this he became dis-enchanted with the military and no longer cared.
So, that's our story. Now what is yours? Where were you and how did the events of that day affect your life?

Officially a teen

13. wow. That is old for one of my children. Other people have children that are 13. Not me. Mostly because having a 13 year old would make me old.

But, Seri has officially hit the milestone of being a teenager. It has been a year of adjustment as we both try to figure out where we are in our roles of mother/daughter. She is definetly making her own decisions now, which doesn't frighten me so much as it is just new. I am used to being a little more tied in to her life.
She is turning more to her father now as a buddy which does sadden me while at the same time I love to watch their relationship. All the books said that she would do this. I am just a little sad that here again I feel left out of the loop. I am allowed to have a selfish pitty party at this point.
She is truly an amazing daughter, sibling, and person. She is one of the hardest working people I have ever met and I am so proud of that. I have heard compliments from so many people on what a hard worker she is. She takes pride in working hard and satisfaction in knowing she can get the job done whatever the job may be. I look at other children her age and am so grateful for her work ethic and the fact that she never complains when asked to do something.
She is freakin strong!! Which is a benefit but also sometimes to her disadvantage as I don't think she realizes her strength. She also shows her affection in physical ways (thanks to teaching by her father) which means you may be getting a smart punch to the shoulder by way of greeting. I am trying to break her of this habit as many of us walk around with bruises. For her swimming her strength is a huge asset and what sets her apart from most of the other swimmers.
She is so comfortable with herself and has such a high self- esteem that I believe will carry her far in life. She does not feel the need to show off or try to fit in. If you like her great, if you don't, she really doesn't mind. I am comfortable in knowing that this trait will keep her out of harms way when peer pressure sets in.
I don't really think she has grown fast, nor do I long for her baby days or childhood (maybe it is because I have enough babies and children running around) I am really just excited to see what happens in her life. I can't wait to watch her learn and experience new things, learn to drive, date, go on a mission, college, all that good stuff. I really just can't wait to watch the amazing person that she will become. Besides now that i am old, I have to live vicariously through her right?
Happy Birthday Angel.

Cleaning gets old- Nuggets of Wisdom

Happened to come across this video on a friends blog spot today of all days. You see, it's the first of the month and for me that means abandoning my normal cleaning schedule and for one week living in the "first week of the month" mode.
During this time all the beds get stripped and the bedding washed. Yes, I know most people do it more often than once a month but I have tried and found it to not be worth the effort. We have a ton of bedding by the way...
the children have to clean their room each day however during the rest of the month I usually let a little bit slide, mainly because I know we deep clean during this week. Start at the door frame and work your way around the walls picking up everything that does not belong. closets and drawers are gone through for clothes that are no longer serving their purpose for one reason or another. all the shelves and hiding/storing places are examined for the miscellaneous stuff that often gets put there.
Next is the laundry room where I keep my bin of socks that never have matches. This week I will tackle the whole bin searching desperatly for matches and culling through for those who have reached the end of their service. When I have attempted to match the whole bin all the socks remaining get tossed, unless they are a pair of favorites that a family member would be devestated about losing and I absolutely know that the other one is to be found.
So, there it is. One week a month. I can do this.
It truly does help to have this routine though for all the things that need to be done but end up getting put off until later.

Growing....

Half the time I sit back and marvel at how my children seem to morph into their next phase without me noticing, how does that happen? One day you are looking at an infant, next their toddling and telling you no. Blink again and they are 6 and super emotional. But not to be outdone you wake up the next day and realize they now have that mature look to them, the one that says " don't look now, but I don't need you as much and I am doing a lot of thinking for myself these days".

Then the other half of me can not wait for them to grow, seriously!!! Not because I am anxious for them to leave but because I can not wait to see what life holds for them. A friend is sending her son on a mission for two years in Hunduras. I love hearing her talk about the preperations and anxiously wait for the time when it is my turn to experience the thrill of knowing that my child is about to have a life-changing experience.

But for now the time has come for Tristan to recieve his first hair cut. It is pretty unruly but oh, how I love those blond baby curls! sniff, sniff.