I took this picture today of my dad and a sleepy Cameron watching the Niners win. Wahoo! Immediately after seeing the photo I realized who my dad looked like, Aitatchi. So I showed Jared and my dad and they had the same reaction. My grandpa was a loving and gentle person just like my dad. It made me feel inspired to develop and pray for that kind of meekness, so I can pass it on too. I love that gift of the Spirit.
Noah found a huge frog this morning. He happily sat on his arm while he walked around the yard. It was Mary's first soccer game of the season. She is in U10, which is a league for girls age 8 to 10. She is a little young, but I think she handled herself pretty well.
Noah: I can't wait until I am a Grandpa.
Me: Why?
Noah: Because then I can watch TV all day and eat whatever I want.
Me: (perplexed) Why would you say that? Both your grandpas don't do that.
Noah: Ya...but I think it would be so cool to be old and lazy.
Me: It does sound like a good deal.
Our kids have been regressing in the sleeping department. They seem to all make their way downstairs for one reason or another lately...bad dream, cough, sore legs, you name it. Thanks to my in-laws' brilliant idea we make little birdies nests on the floor for them to sleep. It looks pretty comfortable if you ask me and the name is so sweet and inviting that the kids think they're getting something special besides a night on the hard floor. And they'll sleep there, instead of our bed, as long as you aren't too old and lazy to set it up for them. Tonight we built the nest before putting them to sleep to save ourselves some delirious bed rearranging. Aaahh! The joys of sleep deprivation, I mean, parenting.
I think Grandpa looks pretty happy.
HAIL?
Really!? It was a very strange summerish day. Hail in September? It began to rain and the kids got excited and started running and jumping on the trampoline. There isn't anything better than a summer storm. Then the thunder rolled in with shots of lightening and pretty soon it was a torrential downpour. The kids were so excited to collect the hail balls after it had subsided. Crazy day.
I took the kids over to Christine's this morning so we could swap for the kindergarten interviews with Mrs. Bjorge. I enjoyed Christine's awesome back yard with Estelle and my kids while she and Elise went to the school. The crew rode bikes, swung on their amazing hammock swing, and hunted for rollie pollies. Cameron says rollie pollie in such a darling little two-year-old way. I caught it on video so my memory won't fail me. We scheduled the Kindergarten interviews back to back and so when they returned I took Noah and left Nicole and Cameron behind.
Noah is ready for school to begin. He is eager to learn and will no doubt enjoy making new friends. The interview with Mrs. Bjorge was short since we already know each other and I have no real concerns for Noah. It made for a very friendly chat.
When we returned home I decided to clean out Noah's ears, a decision prompted by the big "What?" he shouted at Mrs. Bjorge when she asked him a question. He's been having a hard time hearing lately. It could be from a little cold he had and perhaps exascerbated by swimming? The peroxide drops fizzed for a while and it seemed to help immensley. Now I don't have to worry if his hearing is selective or not.
I woke up a sleepy Mary at 6:45 to get some breakfast in her tummy. She took a bath and we straightened her hair. She got dressed and brushed her teeth. With her packed bag and lunch box we took a few pictures, read scriptures, and did two jobs from the job jar. She was ready by 7:35 so we had her practice half of her piano songs before Aaron drove her off for her first day. I am sad to see Mary go, but happy for what's in store for her. Hope second grade goes splendidly well.
Today we celebrated back to school with our special outdoor dinner, followed by a family home evening lesson centered on our new family theme and this year's father's blessings.
Last year's theme was to be kind. We reviewed our theme that we have been practicing all year..to be kind to our friends at school, our teachers, and our family members.
This year's family theme is to be obedient. We talked about Nephi and his obedience to his parents and the Lord. We talked about how we can be obedient to our teachers and parents and not murmur like Nephi's brothers Laman and Lemuel. We talked about how Nephi's example of obedience can benefit our families and friends at school. We did a lot of talking, of Christ and his perfect obedience. Hopefully these scriptures will impact their hearts as we continue to discuss them:
