Getting ready

Every year I do a back to school story on the radio, and we often give tips to get your kids ready.  Stuff like, find your backpacks and pencils and such, clear your schedule for that first week of school, and start moving your kids' bedtimes back to where they should be, a little at a time.

Yeah, we don't have a problem with that last one. 

My early schedule means since I go to bed early, our kids go to bed at 7:30 PM year-round.  I hear about other kids playing until 9 or 10 at night in the summer, and sleeping in until the mid-morning.  I can remember one time -- ONE TIME! -- in Max's life when he slept in until 8:30 AM.  That was nice, because I did, too.

We have to beg Max and Benny on the weekends to please try to stay in bed at least until they see a 7 on their clock. We plead with them to please not come upstairs at 6:30 AM because they are ready for shows and breakfast, or because they heard Andrew making noise (that's another story. That toddler and his sleep patterns sometimes become a burr in my saddle).  But, I guess 6:30 or 7 is sleeping in for me compared to Monday through Friday.

On Sunday Max came up to me and said, scowling, "Noah's mom says they are going to try to go to bed at 8:30 tonight.  Why can't I stay up until 8:30?!"

I know when our boys are teens we will be begging them to go to bed on time, and to wake up and get going and get ready for school, so I guess I should be happy for this time in their lives!

Benny the biker

I have successfully taught another child to ride a bike! We attempted it a couple times in the spring, but Benny fell a few times and didn't want to do it anymore, so I didn't push it. But out of the blue on Wednesday afternoon, he said he wanted to try again. It took about two hours with the Kelly Ripa method (Google Kelly Ripa rides a bike -- it works!)

He told me before we started that if he fell, he would try to brush the tears away with his hands. My sweet boy DID fall, scraped his knee, and tried to be brave but needed some Momma hugs. That's when we pulled out the elbow and knee pads, and he jumped back on and tried again.  It just clicked, and here he goes!

Now Max and Benny can go fast together.

What would a blog post be without a picture of this scrunchy smile?

Kansas City trip - updated

Late last night JB and I got home from a 3 day, 2 night trip to the Kansas City area. Right off the plane we had my sister Bekah drive us to our favorite BBQ place, Oklahoma Joe's.

We met my brother Joe and his wife Susan there, along with their two friends. Susan and friends were part of the pipe band that played at the Nauvoo Temple pageant this summer. But apparently we did not get pictures of them, only the food. The glorious food.

We were there to go with my family to the new Kansas City temple, in the Liberty area, and do the work for my little brother Enoch who died a few years ago. I was glad to be there.

Here's me with my mom and dad. Good smile from my dad!

Some of the siblings:  Seth, Peter, Sarah and Emily.

The next day/Wednesday/yesterday, we went to have more BBQ, at Johnnie's. They have also been featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. And they have a big pig collection.

Me and my sister Bekah with some Kansas sky in the background.

I loved playing games with her (she's very good, but I bested her once!), and playing games and watching a movie with Joe and Susan and their friends. I read a book and slept in -- it was great. And dilligence with allergy medication kept me from a repeat of the hospital visit 3 years ago at her house.

Here's the last place we went to eat, before getting on the plane. Spin Neopolitan Pizza. Fantastic. They are starting to franchise. Please come to Salt Lake City! This is the salad Bekah and my brother James love. Oh it's good.

While we were gone, JB's sister Suzanne and her husband Seth stayed at our house with the boys. They fed them their favorite foods, read to them, took them on adventures and outings every day -- we heard all about how cool Seth and Suzanne are. When we got back to our house, we saw these creations that Seth built from our Lego bin. He's an architect. The boys went nuts, because these have moving parts!

 

But thankfully this morning when the boys woke up and found us home they smothered us with hugs and kisses. I guess they missed us :)

Update:  For pictures and details of all the fun the boys had while we were gone, check Suzanne's blog.  She and Seth are amazing! I think they need a vacation now.

OK, just take my wallet

These faces. They slaughter me.

Stop it. I can't take it.

What do you want? I will give you anything!

I don't think I hug or kiss these boys enough. Isn't it funny how some nights you are exhausted, and you can't wait for bedtime to MAKE THE NOISE STOP. Then when those children are tucked in bed you go back to the living room, sit on the couch with a heavy sigh, and you miss them already.

JB is a Spudman

On Saturday JB competed in the Spudman Triathlon in Burley, Idaho. He did so great! Though I don't know why anyone in their right mind would want to swim, then bike, THEN RUN. There were thousands of people there and it's a famous race and JB said it was a lot of fun, so I guess there's my answer.

We owe a big thank you to my in-laws for having our boys over for a sleepover, so that JB and I could drive up Friday night. At the check-in, they gave JB his t-shirt and a spud. It's going to taste so good.

We spent the night in Pocatello with JB's little sister Sarah and her husband Joe at their nice new place.  Then we drove back to Burley in time for JB to check on his stuff one last time, then slip into this little black number:

I took a picture of the swimmers in his heat.  He's somewhere among the orange caps.

Joe is from Burley, so he drove me and Sarah around on the back roads to several spots along the route, and we were able to cheer JB on during the bike portion.  I LOVED this, and JB said it was so great to hear us and see us along the way.  I wonder if some of the cyclists around him were like, "Hey, them again!"

After the 25 mile bike ride came the 10k run, and we saw him cross the finish line and get this medal. 

He hefted his bike with pride.

JB is thinking he may do it again next year. We may even camp out the night before. We may even take our children! Of course, talk to us next July about what really happens. But we had so much fun that it definitley is on the to-do list again.

Adventures with Jeff

JB's brother Jeff was visiting over last weekend and through Pioneer Day.  JB took him on one of his favorite and most punishing bike rides, up Emmigration Canyon.  They left at 6 AM.

At 6:30 a phone call woke me up.  Jeff's bike had a flat tire.  What else to do but load up the boys, a bike pump, repair kit, and extra bike from a neighbor, and drive up the canyon to the rescue!

I'm so glad we did. It is beautiful at the top.





The older boys and I got dressed but I plucked Andrew from his crib still in his jammies.  He kept saying "Dadda, Dadda."

The brothers on bikes.

My boys loved having Jeff over. They hovered in the guest bedroom jabbering his ear off.  He took this picture.

Then on Monday, Jeff, JB, aunt Suzanne and uncle Seth went kayaking on the Provo River.

Suzanne and I were talking about how when we were in Provo during our BYU years, we never did anything like that.  Pretty cool!

Splashing and roommates

We found a great new splash pad and park.

And we met my BYU roommates there! Such sweet girls.  I still think of us as girls, though we are no firmly entrenched in our 30s.

These boys fill my heart.