It Is Official

A man loves the meat in his youth that he cannot endure in his age.

William Shakespeare

 I spent the evening with a very dear friend I have been close with since our oldest boys were babies.  We celebrate our birthdays by treating one another to dinner and spending an evening window shopping at the Gateway.  For those who aren't from these parts, The Gateway is an upscale outdoor mall.  We have carried on this tradition for years.  It has always been a joy to be with my friend and discuss the joys and trials of family life and raising children.  It has been great fun to walk around the mall, admiring the darling kid's clothes and occasionally getting something for ourselves. 

Now, I have known for quite some time that I wasn't young and hip anymore (really, was I ever?) but as of tonight--I am officially an old-fogey. 

I could have been in a foreign country... or another planet...for as comfortable as I was with the clothing styles, and hairstyles, earrings, etc.  When did the styles change so much?  Have I been living in a hole in the ground?  Where have I been for the last ten years?

Oh, yes.  That's right.  I've been birthing and nursing and homeschooling 6 children. 

Anyway.  I hope to continue our birthday celebrations for many years to come, but I think we may have to pick a new location for our birthday outings.  I just really was not comfortable in my surroundings and I didn't see much that was of redeeming value by way of beauty, virtue, goodness or modesty.  If that makes me an old-fogey--so be it.   I don't see much reason I'll need to go back to The Gateway. 

Besides, I've got plenty of little sweethearts to keep me busy a little closer to home.

And thankfully, I don't actually have to leave the house to get something darling for my little ladies.  A friend tipped me off that these swimsuits were on sale.  I don't mean to brag or anything... but $8.99 swimsuits from Lands End are a steal.  I am so excited!

And this little sweetie got a free ad magazine from a local grocery store.  He calls it his "Super Hero Magazine", and it is worth it's weight in gold at our house.
On Sunday Cannon went to nursery where he was distraught to find his favorite nursery toy, an Iron Man action figure toy, was missing.  Has someone taken it home with them?  It was no where to be found and Cannon wasn't taking "missing" for an answer.  I stopped in the nursery for a moment and he enlisted me to search for Iron Man. 
I hoped to distract him by suggesting an Iron Man toy for Christmas.  He yelled back, "CHRISTMAS!  Yes!  I love Christmas!"
And that was that.  Except that I've planted the seed--the hope-- of Christmas gifts.  All the week I hear him chanting to everyone who will listen, "I just want everything I want for Christmas."

Oh, great.

 Well, it has finally come to this.  We have begun beating Clark.

JUST KIDDING!!  My man-child is playing tackle football, and he is eating it up!  This is after only three practices.  Can you imagine what his arms will look like after two months??? 

I said, "Clark, honey, would you like me to get you some arm  pads?"
He said, "No way!"

He is quite proud of his war wounds.  He is a member of the "meat squad", better known as a  lineman.  He is coming home from practice glowing with delight at being given the opportunity to, and encouraged to munch and crunch and tackle people.  It goes without saying that he is also glowing with lots of perspiration.  He will be practicing 2 hours every week night until the end of August and three nights a week after that.  I'm glad he likes it, because he's going to get a lot of it this Fall.  And hopefully munching and crunching other guys will prevent his feeling the need to munch and crunch his sisters.

The 50-Miler According to Clark

The boys are back in town!!!!  They returned Saturday afternoon from their 50 mile adventure through the Uinta Mountains.  I am happy to report that they came home in pretty good shape and very good spirits.

Clark kept a journal of each day on the trail, so this post will be in his words.  Can I tell you the joy it brought to my heart that not only did he keep a journal, but he titled each entry!!!!!  Just like he was planning for my blog!  Glorious!  And don't worry, he has given permission for me to post the journal.  May I just say that I think my man-child came home about 2 years older and more mature than he left.  I am one proud mama.  And so, without further ado....The 50 Miler From the View of Clark.

3-2-1-Go August 1
Today was the first day of the 50-miler.

I was expecting it to be a ton harder.  It was a challenge though.  I feel ready for tomorrow.  The fishing at Rainbow Lake was terrible.

 I caught a small frog at the lake.  We passed by five lakes getting here.

It was an 11 or 12 mile day.  We did great.  We were in the middle-front,  we even skipped three breaks.  I didn't cry once.  This was hard, but very fun.

We roasted marshmallows and set up camp.  So far, I want to go next year.

Blister Day August 2
Today a large tree fell.  It sounded like a gunshot and it was cool to watch.  It knocked down 2 other trees, 25 feet from us.

We went 7 miles today.  I led the entire group for 30 minutes.

It was easy except for the really steep down hill at the end which gave me a really big blister on my left pinkie toe.

Ouch! August 3
Today (sorry my pen just died and Dad gave me a new one) was so hard!!
10 miles, 2,300 ft. up, so the trail was really steep.  Me and Dad went the long way and we added on a quarter mile.
 I caught the first fish.
We ate mac and cheese for dinner.  Lunch was a gross soup.

 We crossed three big rivers today by building bridges and using ropes.  We got to camp at 4 p.m. I led for a mile.  The mosquitoes are awful.  The "Pop on the Wall " song starts with 99 bottles of pop on the wall, 99 bottles of pop.  Jeremy went from 999 bottles of pop to zero!

Oi!! August 4
We got to Squaw Lake at 1 pm today.  I have 20 bug bites on my ankles, lots on my face, and some up my pants.

I waded through the lake and swam in it.  It was great.  I caught another frog on the trail.  Some people are speaking in an English accent.  Chili tonight-gross.

 

Bad fishing here.  There is a large tree cracking close to us.  Cereal in the morning.  Lots of lightning.  9 miles tomorrow.  Not eating much at all.  Top ramen, soup, and chili are gross.  !Hungry!

 Dad misses mom:(

Super Clark August 5
Today I was at the very very back.  After lunch and after 2 Ho-Ho's, I was able to run down the trail without getting tired-(serious).  Breaks are now torture.  I lead all the time.  And Dad can't keep up.  He keeps telling me to slow down.

 Later that day Brother Thornton broke his ankle and by a miracle it was fixed so that it was painful, but he could walk on it.

 We went swimming in Island Lake
I washed my hair. It was very cold.  We had a very special testimony meeting.  Everyone bore their testimony including me.

Home Sweet Home August 6
We went 9 miles today.  I was near the back.  It was amazing how Brother Thornton could walk the whole 9 miles without taking a break.

 When me and my dad were going we didn't want to be beat to the finish line, so when we saw 3 people behind us we thought it was Brother Thornton and the 2 people helping him.  So we started running down the trail for the last mile.  But it wasn't him.  When we finally saw the cars I was so happy and relieved!  I had the best sloppy-joe of my life in the parking lot.

 The shower I had when I got home was awesome.  And now I know I want to go next year. 

How To Throw a Proper Girl Party

Step 1
Call a few of your best gal pals and invite them over for a late night party.
Little brothers can be included if their father and older brother are away on scout camp, but only if they are cute and charming.

Step 2
Set up a nail salon in your bedroom.

The more sparkly the nail polish--the better!  Glow in the dark adds a nice touch as well.

Be sure to crack a window because the fumes from that much nail polish can be intense.

Step 3

Serve pizza and soda to the lovely ladies, who will be sure to all use their best manners.  There will be no raucous burping.  This is perhaps the main difference from an all boys gathering.

 

Step 4

Let the girls enjoy the cool evenings and play outdoor games.  The piggy back race is fun for the older and younger girls.

For real ease of party planning, invite girls of many different ages so the younger girls will thrill at the attention from older girls and the older girls cherish having little girls to play with and mother.  You won't really have to do anything.

Step 5

Freeze dance.  It never gets old.  Need I say more?

 

Once again, I must reiterate, little brothers are very welcome to a proper girl party so long as they are cutie little charmers.

Step 6

I don't have a picture, but it goes without saying that treats and a movie are in order when it gets dark outside and they've exhausted their energy. 

Step 7

Don't forget moms need a bit of late night socializing as well.  Naomi was with us.  Then when the parents came to pick up their girls it was great fun to chat for a while.  The girls were more than happy to keep playing while we visited.

There are many variation on a theme of "Girl Party", but this one was highly successful and can be easily replicated.  Girls are such fun!

While the Boys Have Been Gone

I sat down to blog the other night and Cannon grabbed his computer and camera for a bit of blogging of his own.  Clever little lad.

Because Naomi has been here with us so much this week we have had the joy of listening to her speak.  She has a beautiful accent.  I love an English accent.  I love watching English period dramas.  So having her talk to me all day is so soothing.  It's like I'm living in one of those movies.

It's so lovely, that when I am thinking to myself I've started voicing in my head in an English accent.  I sound so good in my mind, that I quietly whisper the words aloud.  Then I realize, of course, that I sound utterly ridiculous!  And so I go back to just thinking in an English accent and miraculously I sound so lovely again.  

Subject change:

Do you know what this is?  This is the fruits of a week of work.
I have been purging my home of 11 bags worth of things that we don't love, want, or need anymore.
This is a beautiful thing.
Less stuff makes my house seem much bigger! 

Before he left, I told Abe what my plans were for uncluttering the house this week.  He got a worried look and then wisely said, "Make sure you get everything all the way to DI before I get home."

That way, he won't be tempted to look through them to see if there is anything we still "need".  You see, I know for certain that there is nothing in those bags that we still need.  I doubt anyone in my house would even be able to name a single item in any of those 11 bags.  Nothing in the bags that will ever be missed. 

So while we were making our delivery to DI, we stopped in to look for football cleats for Clark.  We weren't successful, but we did find soccer cleats for Elinor, Faith and Cannon.

I think it was a grand total of $12 for 3 pair of cleats.  SWEET!

I got a good chuckle when Elinor proudly told the cashier, "This is my third year playing soccer and I only get my soccer cleats at DI."

As if anyone would possibly even consider buying soccer cleats anywhere besides DI!

Super Nanny

There used to be a show on TV (maybe there still is?) called Super Nanny.  A British nanny (think- Mary Poppins) would go to some dysfunctional American family and over the course of a week she would teach the idiotic American parents how to handle their children. 

I confess I kind of liked to to watch this show.  It made me feel like I was doing a really good job with my children.  No British nanny had anything to teach me!

That was before Naomi came to visit us.  

Here's the story.

Quite a few years ago Naomi came from England and was a nanny for a family in Virginia.  My family also lived there and she and my sister became very good friends.  For years now, Naomi has come to Utah for extended visits and stayed with my sister.  Brig told me how great it was to have Naomi there and how helpful she was with the kids and how much they loved her.  

Now I see the goodness.  Apparently, I do have something to learn from the British Nanny.

 

Such as, how to have a really fun time!  Yesterday was swimming and today was the day of our "English Tea Party".  

She has endless patience with my children.  Especially with Abe being gone this week, the extra hands and extra patience has been much appreciated.

We had cupcakes and cucumber sandwiches and peanut butter and jelly for the less discerning pallets. 

We attempted to make a canopy for our tea party, but due to the wind and my complete lack of talent when it come to any kind of crafting, it didn't work out so well.   It was, however, flowing and lovely nonetheless.

Can you even imagine how excited the ladies were to have a real English tea party with a real English lady?

All right-- I was pretty excited too.

This was the moment of the day,  Just as our big event was getting underway, Naomi received a phone call from her "Mum" back home in London.  The kids all took a turn saying hello to Naomi's Mum.  

 Cannon was last and in a very comfortable, conversational tone says to her,

"Hello?... So...where are you?... So... how are you doing?...I'm Cannon and I'm three...So, how are you doing...I live in Spokane...(we all correct him)... I live in Utah...So, how are you doing?...It's nice to talk to you... Bye-bye."  And he flips the phone closed.  

We were in hysterics!

The funny little guy had a plastic cup to drink out of rather than a very fragile fancy tea cup.  He was just fine with that and said in his best English accent, "I love my English cup!"

We tried to use our good manners for the tea party, but Georgie just shoveled in the goodies as fast as he could.

Delicious!

 

I could get used to have a Super Nanny around a little more often.

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

Front Page News:

Abe and Clark left at O' dark thirty for their 50 mile backpacking trip in the Uinta Mountains this week.  They were both excited and nervous.  Clark was a little more excited and Abe a little more nervous.  As I write this I am imagining that they are both somewhat wet, hungry, tired, sick and incapacitated.  Supposedly the first day is the worst.  I hope they sleep well tonight.

The Food Section:

Elinor's fish that she caught with Grandpa Cannon were very large and provided plenty for the whole family for lunch on Sunday.
But in even bigger news...

Elinor and Abe prepared the fish in such a way and the stars aligned just so, that the fish actually looked a little bit appetizing to me.  And I-- I who DO NOT eat seafood in any form--EVER--decided to taste it.  And... it miraculously tasted pretty okay to me.  It may not seem like it, but that is pretty high praise from me. 

The International Section:

We have Naomi from London England visiting with us for a little while.  She is staying at Brig's house since the new renters haven't moved in yet, but spending the days with us.  She is so patient with the kids and they LOVE her!  And we all just like hearing her talk.

The Education Section:

She is very fluent in BSL (British Sign Language).  We had her translate while we finished reading A Wrinkle in Time the other night.  Then she taught the girls the alphabet and a few words in ASL (American Sign Language). 

The Health Section:

I have solved a mystery today that has greatly concerned me for several years.  Elinor came inside after playing on the cottonwood tree.  She smelled BAD.  Really bad.  Stinky bad.  "Where have your hands been" kind of bad?
But this wasn't the first time I have smelled this smell.  For a few years off and on, I have smelled this smell on Clark.  I was constantly asking him to go wash his hands or go shower because he smelled so bad.  Was this part of puberty?  I didn't know where the smell was from, but it was putrid.  I had moments of real concern about where his hands had been. 
I was so relieved today to identify the source of the smell-- some water running down the tree that Elinor had put her hands in.  Nasty smelling water.  I read about it online and I believe it is called "slime flux".  But no one's hands were where they shouldn't have been. 

The Sports Section:

We walked along the Jordan River this evening.  Not the most pleasant walking conditions.  It's a bit of a rough gig to go on a walk and keep any kind of speed with a 3 year old riding a tricycle alongside. Also, it was stinky-- which was an improvement over the thick gnats the last time we walked there.  Stagnant water along the trail is stinky.

I am overwhelmed by bad smells a lot these days.  A few weeks back I had some sinus trouble and I lost my sense of smell for a couple of weeks.  I kind of liked not being assaulted by stinky smells.  I constantly worried that my house was super stinky and I had no idea.  Now that I smell perfectly well again I realize it was fantastic not being able to smell!

I still fantasize about the air purifier/freshener from the hotel room in St. Louis.  It was glorious.