Treasure, goals, and jars

Grandpa Mildenhall was in town for an AICHE conference @ BYU, so we enjoyed having him around a bit last weekend (despite the stomach flu wiping every last one of us out for a quick 24 hours!).  Besides trying to take us to dinner (children dropping like flies on the way) and fixing up Brent's bike bearings, he took Spencer geocaching Saturday morning, and Spencer was HOOKED!! Maddie was sad she slept through it, and I tagged along w/ Anne and Lucy for the fun--two caches less than a block away!! Well conveniently, it was also Spencer's week do his 2nd grade project on ANYthing that interested him.  He went from volcanoes to stink bombs to math and many, many more, but happily settled on geocaching! We registered ourselves on geocaching.com, explained coordinates a little, and got some pictures together.  He made a great poster, and did a stellar presentation after practicing w/ us at home (and putting up w/ his older sisters' renditions and coaching).

We also just finished soccer season this week, and Brent and Emily both had a lot of fun.  Brent's become a lot more assertive this season, scoring 5 goals, and playing well enough that it's enjoyable to watch.  It's so good to see his gain in confidence.  Emily had fun w/ her first sport ever--her coach was awesome--so positive, and knew all their names after the first practice.  It was good for her to try something new and unfamiliar, and throw herself into it so well.  She did say she probably won't miss it too much though, since it will be nice not to have a game EVERY Tues, Wed, Thurs, & Friday! I agree! (they were both on blue teams in pictures below)

this was one goal!

Though our garden didn't require any canning from me this year, we got a group order of pears in our ward, and I found some local apples for cheap (we were down to our last dozen of applesauce!), so this was a crazy canning week.  I put up (such a fun phrase--where DID it originate?) 40 qts of pears on Monday--splitting time on the last batch w/ my neighbor across the street.  We'd cut, peel, and fill jars in one kitchen, let them get processing, then run over to the other kitchen to repeat.  It was pretty slick! They were GREAT pears! Our van had 3 coolant leaks (worth $800!!), so I took advantage of being homebound to do applesauce Thursday.  We did have soccer, and a fun wedding reception in our ward that night, but I hated to put everything away and get it out again, when I was so close to finishing, so I kept at it, and by 1 AM, filled every last jar we had to total 52 qts.  Now that the jars and shelves are full, I think I can breathe again.  (and yes, of course, I've caught a cold after that irresponsible sleeping!) I about died when Brian's dad brought a few dozen ears of corn down for us, but it was pretty slick freezing 2 gallon bags of that yesterday just between sessions.  It is awfully satisfying, though I sometimes wonder how wise a sacrifice of time, money, and energy it is (Pres. Uchtdorf's talk in RS).  It is great to have access to so much good produce here though (as well as canning supplies in all the stores!).

no, nothing to do with canning--Lucy's just cute & loves her hooded towels

Brent's Birthday

After months and months of Brent warning me, "Mom, can you believe in ___many months, I'll be in Young Men?" or "Mom, you know I'll be passing the sacrament in just ____,", "Mom, did you realize I won't have to be in the Primary Program?"--he TURNED 12!! I did appreciate his preparation, as I am quite resistant to change---this way, I felt like he'd been "practically 12" all year.  We gave him a suit and tickets to a BYU football game, and he got cash from grandparents (still deciding between saving for an ipod or getting an airhog).  Poor guy-the stomach flu was going through our family, and though he'd had it once, he woke up sick on his birthday and missed school.  We had "Family Togetherness Week" w/ no church mtgs, so he hasn't met w/ scouts yet, and w/ General Conference he won't be ordained a Deacon until next Sunday, but he was excited to get dressed up (???) and go to the Priesthood Session last night w/ his Dad, Grandpa Duncan, Uncle Nate, and cousin Tyler.  He said he especially felt the Spirit in Elder Holland's talk on preparing for missions.  Brent is a GREAT young man, and so tender and good to his baby sisters.  He is so efficient w/ his time and energy, that he always seems to be finished w/ his responsibilities before all the rest of us.  He's come a long way since those colicky nights of his first year, where I'd stay up all night reading Harry Potter while he screamed, hoping our Wymount neighbors were getting any sleep.  He's still got a pretty strong will about him, but it's becoming a lot more useful with age! He's got a great sense of humor (sometimes too good), and is a good friend to everyone.  It is exciting (and thankfully, not so scary!) seeing him grow.

undeserving Mom

I got home from church today, put Lucy down fro a nap, and started reading through my new Relief Society History book.  Brian got home, and while I was just coming to (after dozing off), we heard the children quiet down from their previous sqaubbling, and start consorting with each other in the kitchen.  Before I knew it, Brent was asking how long breadsticks needed to cook, and Spencer was "fake" whining about how hungry he was (quite realistically).  I wasn't too worried about dinner--I had a batch of spaghetti sauce thawing out from the freezer, a loaf of bread dough thawing/rising for breadsticks, and only really needed to put together a salad and boil noodles.  AND THEN MY CHILDREN MADE IT ALL---WITHOUT ASKING---INCLUDING MANY FINE DETAILS!!:  Brent not only made breadsticks (I've never had a child roll out any dough w/o asking desperately for help), he baked a cake for dessert; the salad Sp & Emily made was not just lettuce in a bowl--they found and chopped up tomatoes, cucumbers, and carrots,--and Maddie threw in sunflower seeds; the table was set beautifully--with even dessert forks, all rolled up in napkins;  they had found a series of "Thank You e-cards" they presented as I walked into the kitchen thanking me for all the work I did as their Mom, and Maddie had made a tangible Thank You card they all signed, as well as a "#1 Mom & Clean Plate Club Member" Badge for me w/ a real pin! (This requires a brief story--I would always tell my children about how I was urged as a child to finish my meals so that I could be a member of the "Clean Plate Club," which I obediently did most of the time--but I confessed to my children, that I really thought I'd be getting a badge or an award I for real somewhere along the way--we had some real "Micky Mouse Club" badges in a kitchen drawer in VA that I quite loved (I even showcased a few of my favorite "pins" on school picture days, believe it or not), and so I guess Maddie remembered my unfulfilled wishes, and gave me a real pin!).
It is not Mother's Day, not my birthday or anniversary--I had just been reading in that RS book about Pres. Kimball's answer to "Where is Heaven?" and some of the places and families he had glimpsed it in--then there it was down my own hallway.  How blessed do I feel?? I even got angry (again) as we were leaving for church that all of my preparations STILL had us cutting it close getting to church.  I have tons of chances to keep trying to improve my patience and understanding (in fact, they probably felt the need to do work for me because of all the speeches they hear from me about all the work I do!).
I bore my testimony today (I called it my 7 year old testimony, since it's such a repeating and early-learned principle) about knowing our prayers are heard.  I've been working a little on Personal Progress w/ Maddie, and have tried to be more diligent in my prayers---esp. kneeling down more consistently, and as I went back to evaluate after a few weeks, I realized how QUICKLY my prayers have been answered lately, from making that little simple effort to be more diligent.  Sis. Nelson (wife of Russell M. Nelson) spoke so well at our Stake Standards Night last week, and brought up what one missionary told his mission president of his success, "I've learned that when I obey, I'm blessed; and when I obey exactly, miracles occur."  Not that I get everything I want, but from little things like praying to find my purse (or my earring, or my keys), to praying to feel the Spirit after worrying a bit too much over polygamy, or over things in our finances and in my marriage--LOTS of little things have happened--just an idea here, or a next step there, or a found purse or found key, or perspective over the still lost earring, or a VERY spiritual baptism, or perfectly timed Ensign article, and I just know the Lord cares about me and all of the minutia in my life.    A family sang "I Am a Child of God" at this baptism yesterday, and I loved the picture of it:  Mom holding the 3 year old (smiling and barely singing), Dad holding the 5 year old (too shy to even look up), and the 8 year old boy standing, smiling and singing between them.  I couldn't help but think that's JUST why the family is the perfect model for all of us.  Doesn't Heavenly Father always want us to be held up, surrounded, and supported--whatever stage of courage or accomplishment we're at,-- and to be always reminded of who we really are.  It was a good--hard to believe it's even real--kind of day.  I had to write it down to remember--esp. since my camera now seems to be broken again---yes, really--my 4th camera in 2 years---after having it at the beach yesterday.  I knew I could not end today being discouraged, so it helps to write down the good stuff. :)

Antelope Island Stampede

Antelope Island (which we live right next to) keeps trying to garner support and become a more recognized state park, and one festival they started was the "Labor Day Stampede."  The kids even had an assembly at school about the special kites that would be there, and since there was only the $15/car admission (which, for our car is a deal!) AND there promised to be a lot of free entertainment, we decided to try it out this weekend.  We got there just in time for the hot air balloons to be launched (briefly, before coming back down--the winds must've been off a bit), watched a free BMX bike stunt show (scared Anne just watching it!), saw a few really cool kites flying, and then realized a lot of the stuff we THOUGHT would be free fun for the kids (climbing walls and inflatable slides, etc.) were all additional costs.  We drove down to the ranch instead (Brian had never been there).  Remember this picture from 4 short years ago?

Looks like the horse has had his fur dyed while we were adding to our brood:

They MUST have herded all the buffalo to one side of the island for all the spectators, because we've NEVER seen that many in one day!! It was like Yellowstone, except we could see our house across the lake (not really, but we could at least see where it should be!).  With all of our trips, we still don't know why they don't call it "Buffalo Island" or "Mosquito Island."

(a distant view of a buffalo herd, the Great Salt Lake, and where our house falls--generally--on the other side)
Then we braved the beach again--at least I had Brian this time, and didn't have to carry a nursing baby in her carseat! AND---the water levels were TOTALLY different, so that the beach was much closer! After wading through the water a ways, we came to some big, round rocks we remembered clamboring over on dry ground last year.  The salt was a little brutal to Emily's chapped hands, and a small sore on Anne's feet, but it was still a lot more pleasant than our last trip.  The bugs were also a lot better!--Though in swarms, they were all only at calf level, and parted as we walked through them??-so bizarre, and so antelope-island-ish.  Lucy loved the sand, Spencer got his kite to fly for a while, and everyone's stones seemed to skip a trillion times!

 the pictures always make the place seem so picture-esque, and we do like supporting the local community, but it is ALWAYS an adventure when we go there! (maybe the children being especially tired this trip added to it).  Here is Lucy in frame by frame joy disovering no one will stop her from throwing sand:

  

 The hot air balloons WERE really neat to be close too, and the weather was so pleasant all day, I was just happy to be outside! We came home, took Spencer to his friend's baptism, and had a BLT feast w/ the first tomatoes from our little garden before Fast Sunday.  Fun to be together, since last Sunday, we abandoned the children, with a bookclub movie trip to The Help (such a good read!), a surprise 40th birthday party for our neighbor Scott Merritt, and then a stake bbq for all of the bishoprics in the stake, followed by the men playing softball as long as they could stand :).  So many ways to have fun!

Willow Flats Camping Trip

For our last summer hurrah, Brian took us all up to Willow Flats, Idaho (just past Logan, UT) to camp where he grew up going for Duncan Family Reunions.  It was beautiful!--we stayed Thursday and Friday night, had a sweet visit from his parents Friday morning, later hiked to the Willow Springs, enjoyed lots of good food, lots of dirt and exploring, a mild rain Saturday morning, and just relaxing together.  We took the first half of the week just getting all of the food prepared and frozen (jambalaya and cornbread, tinfoil stew dinners, pancakes, trail mix, apple cobbler, s'mores, eggs, snacks, juice, etc.)--then cleaning and packing, and probably not really enjoying the last week of summer like we would've liked to.  Around that, I helped put together our Activity Days "Daddy Daughter Carnival" w/  3-legged races, a frozen T-shirt race, and hot dogs and cotton candy.  Emily and Brian got to come to that one too, even though she's not quite in our group yet.  We had 9/10 girls there, and a really fun time!

Brian took off early Thursday, and the drive through Logan was beautiful.  We felt lucky to find a campsite at all, since the manager there said they'd been totally full every weekend of the summer by Wednesdays! After exploring the campground for future ideas, we still thought our site was the best!

Lucy had fun talking to Grandma while Grandpa led the other children on a treasure hike to some homemade cookies he had brought!!

Since Dad was recovering from his back going out, we waited until they had to get going before we hiked up to the springs

We forgot the dutch oven (and still survived--making cobbler in a makeshift tinfoil container, and making a sort of corn pone instead of corn bread), and twice had coolers fall out of the back of the van spilling the contents, but aside from a few dirty strawberries and watermelon, our meals weren't ruined, and it was just nice to relax together WITHOUT distraction--not even a clock to make it feel like we were behind any schedule.  Even waking up to rain, the sun dried things out fast enough Saturday morning, that it didn't do more than attract a few mosquitoes.  The children loved "skiing down the dirt hill of our campsite, Lucy LOVED just sitting and playing in the dirt, we visited w/ some of our "camping" neighbors, watched sunsets and stars, and wore ourselves out doing very little.  We got back in time for Brian and Maddie to make it to their "Miraculous Super Activity"/Youth Conference, where they went to see the movie Seventeen Miracles, and hear a few devotionals on miracles, while we unpacked and cleaned up before CRASHING in bed at home.  After a tired Sunday, ending w/ blessings from Dad for all of the children, everyone got off to great starts at school (we're even this year:  2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th)
--and Lucy and Anne even survived my aerobics class, which means I get to keep going after all!