The Foxes Go to Boise... Again... But Without Clark

We're on a bit of a spring break trip to Boise to watch our favorite robotics team compete.  Of course Clark, who was on the team, is not with us as he is serving in the Texas Dallas Mission.  No matter.  That's no reason to not travel with the team and cheer them on and play with our besties for a couple days.

Team middle kids along with Bella and Peter.

Half the people in this picture don't even have a family member on the team anymore.  We aren't the only groupies here in Boise.

Kate, Greta, George, and Peter. 
Funny story.  The other day I asked Peter what he thought of kissing.  Did he think it was gross, he said, "NO!  Me want to kiss Kate!"
But the drama is, that Kate likes George.  It's a love triangle.  Brother versus brother.

On our lunch break, walking to Qdoba.  It was beautiful, perfect spring weather.

I like this one even better with George doing his janky leg walk.

Corrine is the head scout on the team this year.  We're so proud of her.

We may not have a child on the team, but we claim so many of them as our own.

Little brothers.

Keith, the coach, is a great friend of ours and I think Clark will like to see this picture.

Cannon and Bella have gotten to be good friends on this trip.

She does love to be photographed. 

Zach fills Clark's shoes very well while Clark is away.

The PrototypeX 2018 drive team.

 Dinner at our favorite Boise Pizza place.

Sariah, Faith, and Elinor.

My favorite picture of the day.  Peter took a liking to Andrea and kept telling inane jokes that made no sense and were hardly understandable.  

I loved watching Bethany and Raven get to be together so much today.  They've been friends since they were about 4 and 5 years old.  Now they talk college, boys, and life plans.  Sigh.

And just for fun, we squeezed in a little trip to the Boise D.I. for treasure hunting.  We didn't find much of interest, save this junky green dragon for $.50. Probably not even worth that, but we are amassing a growing collection of second-hand toy dragons at home.  I think this little beauty brings our used toy dragon count up to 6.  So that's something.

But Raven, who will be playing the part of Lily in an upcoming production of The Secret Garden may have found her costume.  Treasure hunting, indeed.

Pig Rib Night

When asked how she wanted to celebrate her twelfth birthday, Faith said she wanted to have ribs with the Lee family.  We have had ribs with the Lees before, but it was when they invited us over.  We thought it would be in poor taste to invite ourselves over for rib night.  But then we remembered what delicious ribs Evan prepared and we decided to swallow our pride and good manners and extend the invitation to ourselves. 

Candice and Evan were so kind to agree to host us.  The Lees are like a second family to Faith and their oldest daughter, Tristin, is Faith's very best friend.  Candice has proven to be a trusted friend and confident of my teenage daughters.  She has mentored my girls in sewing and cooking.  She does their nails (and mine)  and teaches them (and me) about bargain shopping.  I could not ask for a better example of a wife and mother for them to look up to.  Over the last few years she has become one of my dearest friends as well.  So I wasn't surprised that they agreed to celebrate Faith's birthday with us, but I was very grateful nonetheless.  

And Oh! THE RIBS.  Good gracious day!  They are divine.  He smokes them, and bakes them, and puts them on the grill, and I know not what else he does to them.  But they fall off the bone and are about the most heavenly thing I've ever tasted.  It's sort of hard not to make a scene while eating them.

I like Faith's eyes staring down the ribs.  That's just how I felt.

Peter kept referring to the evening as "pig rib night".

It may seem normal to many people to think about raising their family in the same neighborhood for years and years and seeing the children grow up together.  Having grown up in the military, that is not something I take for granted.  

That I get to teach the Lee kids piano lessons and see them progress.  That Clark got to do a reptile show for Little Evan's birthday party six years ago and now Little Evan loves and plays with Greta.  That Bethany used to babysit Tristin and now Tristin babysits my little ones.  That Candice was Primary president after me and taught my children as I had tried to teach hers.  That Bethany's first real dating experience is with Candice's nephew.  The ways families connect and support one another and help one another raise their families is so beautiful to me.  I am so grateful for Abe and our children.  I love them and love to be with them, but to me, our lives would be so much less meaningful if we didn't have the love and support and friendship of other good families just trying to do their best to raise their families as well.  

Bethany made and decorated the cakes.  Faith and Tristin call each other "Old Chum" and they have all sorts of funny nicknames and secret signs and games they play.  They are as delightful of twelve year olds as I have ever seen.  Faith is not much interested in makeup, earrings or boys.  

The same cannot be said for Bethany.  Although she is 17, rather than 12.  That makes it better.  She and Connor (Candice's nephew) are still hanging out quite a bit.  They are both really good sports to endure all the teasing that Big Evan and all the kids heap upon them.  I wanted to take a picture of them and the instant I pointed the camera, the peanut gallery came alive with their best photo bombing bits.

They are both very playful with and quite beloved by the younger siblings and cousins.

To say nothing of how Greta feels about Connor.  

It would seem that in Clark's absence, Connor is the new Clark.

Team Little Kids for the Win

What a happy surprise!  We are in Boise, Idaho this evening and who should Abe cross paths with in the lobby of our hotel?  My very own cousin Andy!!! What are the chances.  He lives in Salt Lake Valley as well and I don't see him and his family nearly as often as I would like.  What are the chances we'd be staying at the same hotel in Boise for a night and run into one another!  I was so happy to see him and talk for a few minutes.  He has always had the best sense of humor!

And I needed his good sense of humor tonight because I was very much out of humors when we finally arrived in Boise.  Greta was, shall we say, not happy on this trip.  Not happy at all.  I estimate, and I do not exaggerate, she cried for at least 3 1/2 hours of the drive.  I admit, in the past, we have prided ourselves on our children being "good travelers".  Whatever that means.  Alas, I must now admit that Peter and Greta are NOT good travelers.    It's probably because we rarely travel with them.  It's probably because we've lived in fear of Peter for almost four years now.  Anyway, Greta cries the whole time and Peter talks so loudly and we can't understand anything he's saying.  So he compensates by saying whatever indistinguishable thing he's saying even louder.

Abe was a little more patient with her than I was.  He held her hand and talked sweet to her and sang to her.  

Sadly, I was sort of done before the trip began.  When we travel we usually stay up late packing and get a super early start.  Today we didn't leave until 4.  So we'd spent the whole day getting ready and anticipation building and keyed up children.  

And although I know nobody notices or cares, I would like it to be known that I do do Greta's hair.  And no matter what hairstyle I try, she rips it out of her head... along with her hair.  So she has bald spots and it's upsetting to me.  And I don't know how to get her to stop pulling out her hair.  And my nerves are seriously frazzled this evening.  And I'm going to stop now because grammatically and emotionally I'm shot to pieces.

No, I'm not done yet.  Oh, and at home, she will not keep her clothes on when we put her in her bed.  She just strips right down.  Often times, she removes her diaper as well.  Yesterday, this was the condition we found her in.  Pants on her head, shirt around her rear-end.  I don't remember the other kids being quite as resourceful as our little Gret.  

Finding pens and markers is sort of favorite past time of hers.  

Not even an ounce of remorse.

You know, I have a lot of helpers at home.  I have the luxury of built-in babysitters.  Lots of them.  These days it's not very often that I feel the little kids have gotten the better of me, but I'm calling "uncle" tonight.  Little Kids-1, Mom-0.  Team Little Kids for the Win

Favorite Things of the Week

The happiest moment of my week?  

Hands down it was when one of my piano students (and neighborhood friend) brought me a gift he had made for me.  

IT WAS A 3D FOX PUZZLE!!!!!  It's made of aromatic cedar wood (it smells really good!).  He used a saw to cut the pieces and then he put all the pieces in box.  When I first opened it, I didn't know what it was.  I had to put it together to figure out what it was.  

The fox will sit in a place of honor on the piano.  It is the piano mascot and we will now hold a naming contest among my students to find a suitable name for such a distinguished fox.  

Seriously, is that not the coolest gift?? 

The second happiest moment of my week?  

Getting my nails done this week.  

Wait a minute, Betsy!  Aren't you the world's most horrific nail biter?  How could you get you nails done? You don't even have any nails?

Well, I used to be the worst nail biter in the world.  I have mended my wicked ways and I rewarded my efforts by begging my dear friend to do gel nails for me.  Along with the joy of having pretty nails, I got to spend a hour or more talking with my friend! Bonus!

It's the little things.  Except that this is a pretty big thing for me.  

The third happiest moment of my week?

Watching this gang of neighborhood boys hang out, play games, jump on the trampoline, ride bikes and scooters.  These Boyz in the 'Hood are pretty great and their hours of playing together sure makes my life easier.

This picture was actually snapped last week, but the scene has been repeated this week.  The biker/scooter gang.

My fourth happiest thing this week?

Hearing the sounds of laughter and conversation down in the basement on St. Patrick's Day night as the D&D club enjoyed a Irish feast.  Of course, Clark wasn't there, but it brought so much joy to my heart to chat with them and enjoy their wonderful spirit.  I adore them all!  I hope they return as often as they want.

My fifth favorite thing this week?

That at least we attempted to carry on Clark's tradition of the leprechaun hunt.  It was pathetic compared to Clark's creativity and efforts, but it was something.

Whatever.  Greedy children got their foil wrapped chocolate and the leprechaun avoided entrapment.  Everyone is a winner.  We're all good.

Not my happiest moment of the week?

Cutting Cannon's hair. 

Oh, it's not that bad, but it's no easy job and frankly, I'm not very good at cutting his hair.  Fortunately, curly hair is forgiving.  And nine year old boys are even more forgiving. 

Full of Faith

Happy 12th birthday to our Faith!!!

Just like we did two year ago, we went to IKEA for her birthday lunch.  Sometimes a tradition gets started for no real good reason, but it is a happy memory, so we keep doing it.  I sort of think those are the best traditions of all.

What can I say about Faith? She is sweet, tough, strong, kind, childlike, ambitious, determined, playful, fun, artistic, talented, and beautiful inside and out.  She healed my broken heart after we lost Tessa.  She has her daddy completely wrapped around her finger.  She leads Team Middle Kids and is beloved by everyone who knows her. 
She is so excited to be in Young Womens with her two older sisters.  I think she will be well looked after.

Everything is Coming Up Elinor

After two years and mouth full of metal, Elinor got her braces off on Thursday.
Holy beautiful smile, Batman!

This was two years ago (almost to the day).  She had just turned 13.

And now at 15.   Wowsa!

Before...

After...
We had a VERY good experience with Talbot Orthodontist (if anyone is looking for a good orthodontist).

When you're working out as much as she is for water polo-- you can eat whipped cream anytime you want.

Elinor had her piano Federation performances today.  She played beautifully.  Sometimes I just can't believe she is real.  I think she might finally be getting a glimpse of who she really is.

She took a well-deserved day off from practicing piano today.

I guess I pretty much want to be like her.  I'm trying on her new water polo cap.  Attractive, no?