Everyday Heroes, Super Heroes and Super Human Halloween

Vidiots, Clans and Family

I am pretty sure Madalyn and I came up with the word "vidiot." 

If words made money, this would definitely be a million dollar word.

 

By our definition, a vidiot is someone who plays so many video games they are an idiot for spending so much time online. 

 I really ought to submit it to the urban dictionary because I think it has resonance for a lot of people, especially moms. 

 

Lately, the boys have been playing a game where they link up into a clan.

A clan acts like a family by helping the other person out.

 

However, last night Cayleb got so mad at Cayden he blurted with vehement resolve,

 "Cayden you are such a brat I am not going to be a part of your clan anymore." 

Uh, apparently that is some huge threat.

Vidiots!

 

First Day of School 2013

It  was a little like the movie Groundhog Day.

The first day of school, over, and over, and over, and over.

 

First, Cayleb on July 25.

Naturally it would make sense to start school on the day after a statewide holiday, the 24th of July, that celebrates with parades, all day activities, and late night fireworks.

Of course.

 

So we got up early for Makenzy's first 5k on the parade route of the Days of '47 parade, watched the parade, came home and bbq'd, then drove up to Midway for shakes and fireworks over Deer Creek.

The drive is worth the bursting color above and on the placid reservoir.

 Kid went to bed at 11:30.

But he was ready come morning!

Excited for a new start.

 

 

 
 

Then my baby started a week later, on an early out day.

Kindergartners get tested the first week of school.  It is basically to make sure all 3 years of preschool tuition have paid off or at least that the mommy co-op group was worth all the coordinating.

It was!

She was sooooooooo excited.

 But nervous too.

#5 was most worried about making new friends.

She thought everyone else would know each other and she wouldn't know who could be her friend.

She did great!

And there were no tears from any of us.

Dad adjusted his schedule to take her on her first day with mom too.

 

This is almost the start of a new stage.

P.M. kindgarten and the earlier schedule of jr. high and high school gives me a whopping,

75 minutes all to myself!

Twice a week.

I am usually at the school when she is volunteering.

I know, I am spoiled!

Of course unless I need to run to Costco, cross my fingers there are no lines

No time to truly take a real nap for fear I won't wake up in time.

And just enough time to get out paint and start on a project before I have to stop again.

Next year is the true mesa of mommyhood freedom.

 

Then just as we were getting the swing of schedules, backpacks, and going to bed early.

The younger two tracked off.

 

One more week of summer with everyone before the next set of FIRST days started.

 

 

Day 3 of the "first day."

7th grade orientation.

A half day just for 7th graders.

A mini introduction in the enigma of junior high, with the 8th or 9th graders.

A little introduction to all their classes.

A way to make sure everyone really does know how to read a school map or at least came a few days before to scout out how to get from the locker, to 2nd period which is upstairs with masses of kids moving the opposite direction in less than 5 minutes.

For sure a feat that needs practice.

So she did it.

Loves junior high!

 

Makayla was a bit more excited than Cayden.

He was ready to go just so I wouldn't give him any more summer projects.

But there was a little salt added to the end of summer blah's when he found out PE was his first period class.

Ugh, even boys don't want to get sweaty first thing in the morning.

Big Brother took Madalyn and her friend on a tour of the school and showed them all their classes.

That was pretty cool of him.

 

And Makayla.

Well, we thought we could pull up a map and she would quick find her classes.

Crazy thing is, there is no map online.

Probably for good reason, but come on let us get it through our Skyward accounts.

So she was a bit nervous day 1 trying to find her classes.

Lesson learned for future years.

 

Our dilemma this year is getting 3 kids to two places (jr. high and high school) within a 5 minute time frame without being late.

We get reprieve every "B" day that Makayla has to be there at 6:15.

 

Finally on September 11th I celebrated my first day with EVERYONE in school.

Yahoo!

 

We miss the leisure days.

Sticky scissors pointing the trail of OtterPop wrappers through the house.

Netflix marathons.

White Collar, Merlin, and Psych sucked us in for hours!

Vacations, camps, work projects, sports practice, swimming, laying out.

Shaved ice stops.

 

It was only 3 weeks.

Summer that is.

Then we started school all over again.

Four times all over!

 

 

 

 

 

 





Our escape during the incessant inversion. 
Park City and the Sundance Film Festival.
Even Randy couldn't resist getting outdoors finally and playing around in the sun and true blue skies.

We had Stake Conference this day.

Stake Conference use to mean I would grumble about the efficacy of me attending at all.
 I usually ended up out in the hall.
Reading the announcements boards.
Pointing to the pictures on them and reading the notices with such enthusiasm hoping to convince my little ones there really was something pinned up to that board that should hold their attention.
What 2 year old doesn't want to go on a Klondike? Plan for the an upcoming stake dance?
Or finish up their degree at BYU online?

I remember wanting to boycott church meetings all together will my little ones in tow and Randy up on the stand.
Yes,  I had been admonished that the sleep deprived baby days would go by fast.
 Fast? 
At the time it seemed one of the most ridiculous things imagined. 
Actually, many days it wasn't fast enough. 
But as I now have the privilege of an afternoon nap here or there without worrying about someone finding a forgotten marker or waking in a panic that the baby gate to the stares came loose, it is true.
 I can't believe it, but it all goes by so FAST.

This Sunday, I didn't pack snacks.
Or tote along board books.
Diaper bags are long gone.
And I don't worry about inadvertently hoisting up my dress when swinging a toddler onto my hip.

Now I want to slow it down.
Maybe since my prayer to speed up time back then wasn't answered I'd have a better chance the 2nd go around.
A prayer to stop the rapidly passing days.
 

Baby it is Cold Outside

After living in Maple Valley for a couple years, I still have a piece of WA in me.  I love my home here and being closer to family. 

However, part of me wakes up wanting a misty day, cooler temps, towering trees and being close to some of my good friends in MV. 

So when I check the weather and news online I make a quick click over to Seattle too just to see what is going on there too.  I know.  It is weird.  To check news and weather in a place I don't even live.  But part of my heart and who I am is still there.  Bizarre and quirky but me.

If weather casts were like rock, paper, scissors, then Utah would win almost always.  But lately, Seattle's milder temps definitely cut through the inversion and freezing weather we've been having. 

KSL WEATHER (SLC) today:

Brrr! VERY cold air this morning along the Wasatch Front and across the state. Well below zero in many high elevation valleys this morning, and near zero in the lower valleys. A cold stretch like this in SLC has not been felt in several years. (SEVERAL YEARS!!!) Near 15 for the high today.

Thermometer in truck this morning read 1.  Last week -4. 

In Seattle kids have late starts or missed days because of a bit of snow.  Here school is rarely missed.  Almost never.  But here, the kids have had indoor recess all but one day since going back after the holidays.  On the one day out, Cayleb slipped on ice and banged up his wrist.

KOMO WEATHER (Seattle) today:

It's another cold, frosty start to our day -- mainly in the South Sound with temperatures in the upper teens and low 20s. Across Seattle and north into Everett and throughout the North Sound, it's in the low 30s -- nonetheless, chilly temperatures to start the day.

Seriously low 30s are sounding like beach weather!