The Seven of Us

I'm a recycler.  In high school, I had a "Love Your Mother" bumper sticker stuck to my planner.  I liked Birkenstocks, corn rows, andd activism.  (Not that I've ever owned Birks or had corn rows, but if I visited Jamaica I might.  And I've never marched or demonstrated, but I think the fact that we can--and that some are passionate enough to do so--is great.)   But I digress. In NY we had to recycle.  We lived in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains.  When I was young I went with my dad to the landfill, where we tossed lots of trash, as did others. Fridges, couches, paper--it all went to the same spot. We also had a burn barrell, as did most people in the country.  When I got older, laws were changed. Recycling trailers were placed in landfills. Burning trash was outlawed, and we paid a fee to throw away non-recyclable trash.  I didn't mind; I liked recycling--and my pa...

One day during the summer I started snapping pictures with the idea that I'd do a post about an average day.  Well, I got about halfway through the day and had too many pictures to post, and I'd missed a few things, such as Caleb mowing some of the lawns he cuts (along with loading and unloading the mower, which seems to be something I do a lot in the summer),  Corbin going to the neighbor's house, the disastrous kitchen at lunchtime, and Kenna sprawled out on the couch watching PBS cooking shows all afternoon (when she can get away with it).  So, while these pictures aren't reflective of an entire day, they do show some of what we do.   Seeing Corbin in a tree was a pretty normal occurrance this summer. This was the first time Caleb had really paid much attention to it, and he was worried about Corbin and helped him down.  I'll have to post the third photo showing where Corbin was when Caleb found him. "Bros" Corbin and Isaac call one another ...

Well, I've been to Utah twice this year. I love it. I find myself wishing I lived there. (And when Jimmer was playing, I really wanted to be there.) If I lived in Utah, I'd be able to have Sunday dinner at Den and Sue's. I could attend Conference, do genealogy at the Family History Library, go on challenging, beautiful walks on canyon paths every day, check out uplifting books at public libraries, find friends with whom I could discuss the gospel, and see mountains constantly. It'd be glorious! Wouldn't it? I know there are things about Utah that I love: temples, mountains, beauty, stores, family...and memories. I remember--and sometimes crave- that season of life: young(er), extremely active, healthy, totally self-focused. (Okay, selfish.) Every day was a new adventure; every semester brought new classes and new aquaintances, every 9 to 12 months a new calling. I worked three or four different jobs. I learned a language. I got married, had a baby, and finished sch...

Taylor turned fifteen at the end of June.  It was a milestone in her mind because in Colorado kids can get their learner's permit at the age of fifteen.  Being the go-get-'em kid that she is, Taylor had told us months before her birthday that she wanted to get her permit on her birthday. So we did.  McKenna was playing in a softball tournament in Wray, so Taylor drove from Holyoke to Wray (30 + miles).  She did pretty well, despite my hand-clenching and instruction-giving.  (I'd forgotten that the road to Wray is narrower and hillier than Hwy 6. I've never liked sharing space with the shoulder, but I got through it.  And Taylor and I were still speaking afterward.) Besides getting her permit, other things that made Taylor's birthday special were having Gramma and Grampa Droddy here and getting a pair of "blingy" (sparkly) sandals.  Taylor is a great daughter.  She has some incredible habits (like reading her...

Is this the expression Jared made when he came home to find another window broken? y

Here is a short essay McKenna wrote at the end of last year (fourth grade). "My Disliked Chore" My chore that I dislike the most is babysitting Corbin. I don't like babysitting Corbin because he screams if he doesn't get what he wants, and that is super annoying, and very loud.  He also hits. When he hits me it stings, and sometimes leaves a big brownish purplish bruise.  Corbin tries to cook, but he just makes a big, sticky, gross mess. He also has to watch studpid non-funny Droagon Tales, and I have to watch with him.  (By the way I hate that show.) Corbin likes to run to our ditch with Charlie (his bear) so I have to go get him. That is why I hate watching my brother. Note:  Once I was frustrated with my kids and for some reason the thought "Will this problem be solved by maturity?" came to my mind.  Reading this essay confirms that maturity does change kids.  Corbin has stopped biting and running away when he's mad. Yay!   And Kenna r...

Gosh, summer has really flown by this year. We started our summer ball season in Mid-May and the first game was on May 21st.  Because of rain things began a little slowly but we made up for that later.  Our Little League Team (11 and 12 year-olds) had an interesting season. They started off terrible.  The team was inexperienced, and it showed. But they improved and won the Border League Championship!   Caleb played pitcher, catcher, and shortstop.  His favorite position is pitching (lots of contact and glory).  He also catches, which I enjoy because it's easy on his arm and because he's a great catcher. He knows how to think, he knows where the play is, he knows when to hold the ball and when to throw it, and he's willing to use his body to stop the ball.   The two games I most enjoyed watching Caleb play were a Babe Ruth game in Ovid, during which he caught for ...