The Beat Goes On

Life is busy. 

For a lot of people. 

But, I must remind myself that while it feels busy and even hectic at times, 

it is still full of goodness. 

 Grace continues to charm me with her piano skills. 

She insists I give her my undivided attention and then quite nimbly moves her fingers up, up, up the keyboard. Pants are not necessary. 

"The Heff" enjoys a leisurely breakfast of cinnamon swirled french toast and cocoa with marshmallows, in his robe.  He enjoys being the only one to go to school at 9:00, and I enjoy making a warm breakfast that wakes sleeping children with a smile.  

Aidan ran home from school in the rain, found this broken up umbrella, and headed back out for more. 

These two danced and sang in the showers. 

With a fine rewards system in place my kids are reading through books better than ever. 

They must stick with the same book until it is finished before they can move on. 

I had Aidan read to grumpy Grace and she was out. 

I do enjoy the rollerblades on while reading. 

He definitely has a plan when this chore is complete. 

He's my heavy. When my back is weak he'll carry the 50lb. bags of flour downstairs for me. 

Guess one of them had a little leak. 

 She discovered worms a couple of weeks ago, and it was true love. 

She talked sweetly and got her nose right close to their pink bodies. 

We all cleaned out the garage last Saturday and she brought me this beauty. 

It's quite stiff. Pretty sure it was dead, but she loved it just the same. 

 These are home grown gummy bears. 

Chloe set each child out a jar, placed their name on masking tape in front on their jar, and loaded the jars up with miniature gummy bears and water. 24 hours later- WALA! Giant gummy bears. 

This is the face of a soon to be 13 year old.  My she's growing up, and such a wonderful girl. 

Please take note: the lip gloss has spread to eyeshadow and mascara now. 

Crazy sock day-check!

Asher didn't let his masculinity get in the way of winning. 

He tucked his shorts into Chloe's pink soccer socks and layered a polka-dotted pair on top of that.

Cole won by simply raiding his father's sock drawer. One church sock, one athletic sock- BINGO we have another winner. 

Real Game

Terri came up with the great idea and I jumped aboard.
On a Saturday night Taylor, Terri, Scott, and I headed to our first professional soccer game.

I was in awe of the beautiful Rio Tinto Stadium.  It was huge and magnificent.  We were on the east side and the sun set and left beautiful colors across the sky while we enjoyed the amazing feats of athleticism.  We had pretty decent seats. The handicap section allowed us to stretch our legs. Ironic, eh?  Shortly into the game there was some musical chairs taking place and the girl sitting next to us held her beer cup in her teeth while she moved.  Now, I've heard of rowdy concerts or sporting events where you may have a beer spilled on you, but this caught me off guard.  Sure enough it slipped from it's teethy grasp and landed....in Taylor's lap.  Oh my. The girl was very embarassed,but Taylor barely flinched.

 We went on with our night; the smell of yeast wafting in our noses. Taylor, being a lacrosse man all the way, had some stiff criticism of the soccer players.  On a few awesome goalie blocks he did crack a smile.  Really, these players were quite impressive.  I really love to soak up a new experience and I did just that.  I think Scotty had a good time too. However, only after we got home and I read the papers did I realize this was called one of the "Most Boring" games Real has had.

 Lots of fouls made for a choppy game. So in Taylor's defense, the game could've been a lot more exciting. I did not realize the real fans that soccer produces.  These people were totally committed. There's even a section in the stadium for such fans.  Their drum never stopped beating and plumes of smoke continually erupted from their section.


 Real won the game 1-0, and then we were treated to a One Republic Concert. They've put out many a song that makes it to the top of the charts. I haven't been to too many concerts. Okay, 3, and they weren't really stellar.  There was New Kids on the Block in the 80's.  Should've brought my binoculars to see my Joey Joe up there on stage making me swoon.  There was Weird Al (front row I might add) in the mid-90's with my cute boyfriend. My cute boyfriend was the best part of the show.  And then after I  married that cute boyfriend we made a weekend getaway to Boise and went to a John Mayer show. I love his music, but not so much his facial expressions or personality.

What really took me in was the front man, Ryan Tedder's, voice. It was just beautiful; clear and great control.  The band also played many instruments including the cello and violin.  It was a short performance, but they hit all the big songs and even one that will be on their new album.  What a fantastic night full of new experiences with some of the best company I can think of.

Swimming good time!

Just as summer break was closing the door I shoved my foot in and signed the boys up for swim lessons.
It's been quite awhile since I've signed kids up for swim and decided all the boys could use some tutoring.
They all love the water, but lack some skills.
I knew Asher wouldn't be happy, but being unsure of actual technique I decided to sign Aidan and Asher up for Level 3 and Cole for Level 2 at the Legacy Center.

Their lessons were an hour Monday -Friday for one week.
The class sizes were small as most families were headed into back-to-school mode.
It was fantastic.

Day 1 Aidan and Asher's instructor took Asher aside and suggested he move up a level.
So happy as a clam, Asher moved to the deep pool and Level 4, where he excelled.
It was really fun to sit on the poolside and watch each of their personalities.

Asher is a competitive boy.  When he swims he watches to the sides to see if anyone is beating him.
I would remind him to focus on his technique and himself, but it's more than he can bear to not make sure he's in first place.  And, if he's not in first he's going to fight to get there.  He learned several different strokes including the backstroke, breast stroke, butterfly stoke, and practiced some rescue skills.
He passed and is ready for Level 5!

Aidan wore a t-shirt and a giant smile to every swim lesson. Some of the things he learned were to tread water for 30 seconds, do the front crawl, and backstroke.  Aidan likes to make friends and make people laugh. He doesn't take himself too seriously.  He did  his best and evidently that was great! He passed to Level 4!

I watched Cole talk his teacher's ear off from the first day.  He'd respond to her commentary and show her tricks.  He was often underwater while she was still talking.  He'd wave to me whenever he caught my attention. He learned to tread for 15 seconds, combine arm and leg actions on his back and for the front crawl. He is super comfortable in the water and hugged me every time we headed to swim lessons. 

The picture directly below is classic Cole. Too cool for the pool. 

On the last day of lessons I promised they could stay and swim. Grace was so patient to wait on the side of the pool as the boys had lessons. She too loves the water, so the last day I was finally able to say, you get to swim today and she was thrilled. It was a successful last minute venture.

Love and Anger

I just finished reading The Five Love Languages of Children.  I enjoy a good book, and decided to take the time to read books that will inspire me to do better in important areas of my life.  Being a parent is truly one of my greatest gifts and challenges.  My children have so much potential, and I only want to encourage that not hold them back.  Surely, I've made mistakes and will still make mistakes, but knowledge is power. I would highly recommend this book to any parent.  So much great information to make me a better parent. This book is full of yellow highlighter.  I'm now busy playing detective to figure out what each of my children's primary love languages are.

Some seem easier to figure out than others.
Here are the options:
(children need all 5 of the languages, but there will be one that works best for them)

#1: Physical Touch
#2: Words of Affirmation
#3: Quality Time
#4: Gifts
#5: Acts of Service


I thought I had received the real meat and potatoes of this book as I was wrapping it up, but I was wrong.  The thing that really hit me in the gut, that I haven't been able to stop thinking about was not about love, but anger.

"It may surprise you that the primary lifetime threat to your child is his or her own anger. The mishandling of anger is related to every present and future problem your chid may have..." (p152).

The author emphasizes that the anger is not the problem, but rather the way the anger is managed.   Many parents make the mistake of disciplining the anger out of a child. Rather a parent should allow the child to express the angry feelings and then you are in the position to train your child.  This is where you have the opportunity to help them express anger in a more positive way; something that will benefit them their entire life.

Nose to the Grindstone 2011-2012

It back to school time.
What a glorious summer it's been.
We had so much fun and accomplished much on our 50 Thing to do this Summer list.
I took notes from other Mothers and decided to host our very own "Back to School Dinner".
I gave invitations to all those who would be going back to school (everyone but Grace & I).

I cooked up a chicken pot pie, a much beloved dinner at our house. It feels like home.
I served dinner on my beautiful plates Scotty got me for my birthday.

They haven't been used yet, so that moved the specialness up a notch.
We started with a salad first and then moved on to the main course.
When they were finished with the  main course I took their order for dessert and whipped up milkshakes and ice cream sundaes.  The manners were impeccable, and everyone ate all their dinner.
Surprising what a little formal event with your Mother acting as a very proper waitress will do to kids.

Afterward the kids received a father's blessing for the new school year. The best way to ensure they know they are loved and looked after.

The kids started school at different times. Chloe started Monday, Asher and Aidan Tuesday, and Cole the next Tuesday.

Let's start with the oldest first:

We're proud to present our 7th Grader:
Miss Chloe Browning
Attending: Vista Heights Middle School

She has a locker, 8 classes, and a contagious personality.  She's so excited for this new school year. I can't wait to see what great things she does.  She's already tried out for a part in a  Shakespeare play and filled out paperwork for Student Council.  I love that she's not afraid to put herself out there. To try. To not be afraid of failure. That is an invaluable trait.  Her electives are Drama, Art, and ASL (American Sign Language). This is her first time to ride a bus to school. Oh the joy.

They rule the school now, I present our 6th grader:
Asher Browning
Teacher: Mrs. Cook

Asher was lucky enough to get Chloe's teacher from last year, Mrs.Cook. She's an older woman who travels, runs races, and celebrates kids by letting them stand on their desks and be sung to. She's fantastic and he is excited. There's always a bit of pressure when you follow a sibling, but Asher is a funny, enthusiastic, smart boy who thrives on praise.  I'm pretty sure he's enjoying "ruling the school", but I also love that he walks to school with Aidan. He's pictured below with his great friend  Con-Man. 

Connor and Asher the big 6th graders.

Next in line, our handsome 3rd Grader:

Aidan Browning

Aidan's third grade teacher, Mrs.Durfee looks like a gem.  Aidan has a quirky sense of  humor and he loves to be with his friends. Every day after school he runs in and starts a timer to begin his 30 minutes of reading.  He wastes no time so he can quickly get to a friend's house and enjoy the daylight hours.  He's sure that 6 hours of school is an over-commitment, and I remind him how many years of this he has left and to make the best of it.  Aidan is a sweet, tender-hearted boy with a love for life. I think 3rd grade is going to be good to him.

Aidan and Miles finally in the same class!

And lastly, the boy who has waited long enough,

Mr. Cole Browning our Kindergartener. 

Possibly the most social of all our children. He's waited a long time to get to Kindergarten. He is confident, and happy, and comes home and presents his artwork.  He's only gone for 3 hours, which is good, because the house is quiet and nobody's kissing me!  Cole is tenacious, outgoing, talkative, and a pretty good reader. He'll eat up Kindergarten.

Cole with Grandma Bonnie headed to school.
After school she took him to Zupa's to celebrate.

Waiting in line.

So there we have it. It's definitely a different year for us with Chloe going to a different school and riding a bus.  It's exciting to see the kids grow and learn and develop fantastic qualities, but it's a bit painful too.  

Here's to a fantastic school year!