The Seven of Us

Isaac's 8th birthday was on August 23.  This year Isaac reminded me that he'd never had a "friend" party, so we invited a few of his friends to come play and spend the night. I made several pizzas, but first the boys played awhile. Here's "fearless Corbin" giving the slip-n-slide a workout. Isaac with his friends Jacob and Owen, and his brother, Fearless Corbin. The birthday boy, Surfin' the Slip-n-Slide. (That's Isaac's dog, Jess, his birthday present from last year.) Isaac was baptized on Aug. 27th.  His baptism was quiet, and none of our family could come, but he didn't mind.  All of his brothers and sisters were able to participate in the program, which was fun.  Isaac is a special son and we're happy to have him in our family. Happy Birthday, Ike!

I should be working on the 3 posts I've begun.  But I'm not. Here's what I'm thinking about: *Kids and parents.  I had a phone call this morning:  a parent wanting to discuss and keep tabs on their daughter. Isn't that the best?  Know what I learned?  1) Parenting a teenage daughter is difficult. (I say "daughter" because my teenage son is easier to parent than my daughters.  Age? Maybe.  Personality? Undoubtedly.)  Anyway, I love hearing from parents about their kids.  Lets me know how much they care and how hard they're trying to do what's right.  I wonder if Heavenly Father feels that way;   He obviously works a lot harder at parenting than we can conceptualize, and, like our teenagers, sometimes we fail to even acknowledge His efforts, or thank Him. *Abuse.  Collyn Ray's song says,  "I think about you, eight years old, big blue eyes and a heart of gold, when I look at this world, I think about you, and ...

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