Walking, walking

The weather here in Iowa has been GREAT.  It is perfect for walking home from school, which is what I have tried to do with the kids as often as possible before winter hits and we are all cooped up together.  I love walking home from school with Everett and his friends from our street.  I get to hear tidbits about their day, see them race each other, and we all get to enjoy the warm sunlight on our faces.

We cross a nice little field as we near our houses.  It is my favorite part of the walk.

Ashley and her friend love to pick some of the little flowers.

Ashley really hates walking, so one day I told her she could ride the balance bike.  She loved it, and has ridden it with us ever since.  Fortunately she is very good about staying close to me, because she can really work up to a good speed on that thing!

Sometimes the kids hug each other goodbye when we drop our friends off at their house.  

Even the boys.  And, although I didn't get this in a picture, Everett and his friend are not too old to be embarrassed about occasionally holding hands as they walk home.

William and James are troopers, and I don't usually hear a peep out of either of them, except when William excitedly points out an animal, car, bus, or motorcycle along the way.  James is content to suck his thumb and watch our surroundings.

Someday soon Everett will be old enough to make the ten-minute walk on his own, and I will be a little sad.  I never expected to enjoy our daily walk as much as I do, so maybe I will keep meeting the kids at school until they are too embarrassed to be seen with me!

Ashley and Soccer

I've been eager to get my kids into fall soccer.  So when Everett came home from his first days of school with a flyer for a local soccer club, I jumped on it.

I signed Everett and Ashley both up.  I knew Everett would love soccer, but I wasn't so sure about Ashley.

Ashley loved wearing her new shin guards, soccer socks, and a soccer ball.  She used Everett's old silver nikes, found silver shorts to match, and announced that her soccer nickname is Silver Lightning.

With all of those cool duds, Ashley was all set.  She happily participated in the warm-up run.

And played a couple of the fun warm-up games.  (The team also did a "fishy dance" to warm up, which Ashley scowled about later.  "It was just so silly!" She insisted.)

But after a few minutes, she began to lag behind.

Pretty soon all the glory shots I envisioned capturing looked more like this.  Do you see that little pink lump waaaaaay off to the right?  That is our Ashley.  I have a million more photos that look just like this.

Toward the end of the practice, Ashley was joined by another little girl who must have agreed with Ashley's philosophy.

I reminded Ashley every drink break that she should play close attention to her coach.  Interestingly enough, he is British and his accent makes his soccer expertise sound quite important.  However, Ashley couldn't find it in herself to participate.  I don't know if she was bored, intimidated, or apathetic (most likely a mixture of the three), but soccer definitely seemed to have lost its luster in her mind.  Gone was Silver Lightning; regular Ashley had taken her place.

We will see if Silver Lightning makes a comeback when they play an actual game.

Ashley did like one part of practice, and that was organizing the cones and the balls.

Everett enjoyed his practice very much.  Unfortunately I do not have any pictures of him playing because Joel was there and didn't think he could get any good photos through the fence.

Everett had been very encouraging to Ashley early that morning.  "You'll do great!" he enthused, "You're pretty good for a four-year-old."  She seemed to believe him (until it came time to actually play, that is).  And when it was time for the four-year-olds to play, Everett leaned against the fence and sighed.  "There go the little kids," he said fondly.  

"Aren't you a little kid?"  I asked.

"No, I'm a big kid!" Everett replied, as though I had lost my brain.

Well, we sure do love our Ashley.  She is wonderful at so many things.

Right now, liking soccer is just not one of them.  This is too bad, because there are five more weeks to go, but maybe that will give her enough time to warm up to it.

Biking Around

We are very lucky.  There are a few really scenic, peaceful places to ride bikes (or run, if you are more ambitious than I) near us in our small city.

Since Ashley has really taken to Everett's old balance bike and is surprisingly fast, I told her we could go on a bike ride together. 

Ashley was very excited.

Can you tell?

The gently curving roads are quiet and secluded.  I was amazed at how well Ashley maintained her pace on this little bike, even up hills.  I am totally sold on the concept of these pedal-less balance bikes--Everett rode this one for almost two years before we started him on a real bike with no training wheels, and because he already had the balance part down, he rode successfully during our very first try this summer.  When the kids get good enough on this bike, they work up their speed and then raise their feet and just. . .glide for ages.  It looks really fun.

Ashley took a few pictures, including this one of me.  I am usually the one behind the camera.  I don't know what I'm going to do now that my kids are old enough to catch me with the lens.

Ashley especially enjoyed riding across the bridges.  I don't blame her--they are pretty fun!

And they are pretty scenic.

I miss the Rocky Mountains, but you sure can't beat that view for tranquility.

Of course we had to stop to pick some wildflowers.  The pathway we decided to ride on was surprisingly flower-full for this time of year.  Some of the trees have already begun to drop their leaves, and, like many areas of the U.S., we've had a very hot, very dry summer.  Many of the plants and flowers dried up long ago.

And yet, there were still some to be found here.  Just imagine what this area looks like during the springtime abundance.

I am always glad to spend time with my kids one-on-one.  It seems that when I do, parts of their personality sparkle in ways I don't usually notice.  Ashley is so vibrant and fun, and strong and determined.  Next time she gets whiny and dramatic I will make sure to remember this day.

Ladies' Day

Everett's first day of school was a big day in our house.  It was the first day I had a child attend an actual school.  And it was the first day Ashley was the oldest child at home. 

As much as I missed Everett, I was really looking forward to the special times Ashley and I could have together while her brothers were napping.  And we have had a lot of good times already, the best of which was probably the first day Everett was gone from us.

I knew I would be watching the clock all day long, so I made sure Ashley and I had a lot of fun things to do.  We made a cake for an evening baby shower, and then we made a rice krispie cake.  I taught her how to make frosting flowers and she went to town on her very own little rice krispie rectangle.  I put her little brothers down for an early nap and announced that it was time for our ladies' tea party.  In a family with only brothers, Ashley does not have many opportunities to do frilly activities. (Truthfully, she doesn't mind.  Most of the time she chooses the same activities her brothers enjoy.)  Ashley giggled at my announcement, her excitement blossoming when I asked her to follow me upstairs so we could get all dressed up.

We put on our fanciest skirts.  I got out all of my best necklaces (which actually was not a lot) and we piled them on like wealthy old dowagers.  Then we put on make-up.  Ashley was thrilled to be able to wear purple eye shadow, pink lipstick, and even a little mascara.

 

We used some of Everett's fancy little lunch fruit cups, and then cut out honey sandwich flowers and hearts.  These are the ultimate tea party sandwich.

Ashley gathered a few guests:  Mr. Daisy, Mr. Daisy, Mrs. Bolt, and Mrs. Bolt.

We made some lemonade and Ashley practiced her arched pinkie.

She did her best to act very demure as we referred to each other as "Lady Ashley" and "Lady Mommy".

Ultimately, though, her hoity-toity voice would soften into a cloud of giggles.

She declared, "This is the bestest, bestest, bestest, bestest day, EVER!"  and announced that we should do this every day for "ages and ages."

And then we ate, 

And played, and laughed, 

And had a wonderful time, just the two of us girls.

(And I didn't look at the clock at all. . .I mean, too often, anyway.)

First Day of School

Everyone only ever has one very first day of school in their whole lives.  I tried to make Everett's into something extra-special.

So I declared the last day of summer vacation a "chore free day."  Everett was ecstatic!  He couldn't stop talking about what luck he had.  I did have him make his bed and tidy his room, but I let him off the hook for everything else.  And let me tell you, that was the fastest and most complaint-free bed making I have ever seen.  I wish I could have bottled that attitude to reserve for later.

That evening, I looked over Everett's paperwork one last time.  "Wait a second!" I thought.  Everett's teacher had visited us the previous week and reminded us that Wednesday was Everett's first day.  However, his first day was actually Thursday.  I had a good laugh about it and told Everett he had to wait another day.  He took it quite well for someone who doesn't yet understand the childhood school time craving for a nice, long summer vacation.

The morning of his actual last day before school, Everett made me a deal.  "Mom, you know something?" he said slyly, "since today is my real last day before kindergarten, how about if we have another no-chore day?""

Now, how could I resist that logic?  So we had another fun day.  I asked Everett what he wanted to do.  Go to the zoo?  Go to the park?  No, Everett wanted to have preschool with me one last time (cue motherly tears).  What a sweetheart.

 He began on his actual first day of school by waking up early and crawling into bed with Joel and me.  Since he was up so early, we had him jump in the shower.  This began his love of showering.  Nowadays, Everett begs for a couple more minutes in the warm water before we make him get out.

I made him a pancake breakfast and then he got dressed in all his new school duds.

Everett was excited for his first day of kindergarten.  We had visited his school two times for various open houses.  He had a home visit from his teacher.  This first day for him was the second of two days where only half the class comes.  And he had a batman backpack with a cape trailing from a secret zipper pocket at the top.

I was excited for Everett to go to kindergarten, but I was also pretty sad.  I really enjoyed having Everett home with me this past year.  He was my little buddy.  Since kindergarten is a full day at our schools, I knew I would miss having him around.

I am a little sad that these pictures are so over-exposed.  Everett wasn't too keen on the picture-taking, but he humored me anyway.

The fold-out cape is Everett's favorite feature of his backpack.  He wore it proudly unfurled for a few days until a few girls in his class commented on it.  "Mom, I just don't want those girls to say 'Oh Everett, that's so cool'!" Everett insisted to me in a high-pitched, girly voice.  He hasn't worn his cape out since.

Ashley was proud of Everett for going off to school, too.  And although you can't tell from this picture alone, Everett missed Ashley.  This is especially apparent by the way he whacks her when he passes her car seat on pick-up day.

Joel went into work a few minutes late so I could bring Everett into the school on his very first day.  We walked into his classroom together, dropped off his supplies, and walked to the gym for the daily powerstart.  I pointed Everett to his class's place, and he reached up to give me a quick hug.  Then he was off, without even a backward glance.  

I cried the whole way home.  I am a huge sap, I know.

That whole morning, I remembered Everett's nursery days at church when he was two years old.  I would bring him to the nursery room door and his whole body would freeze up in protest.  He would cling to me with every ounce of desperation he could muster, and then bellow at the top of his lungs in a wild-eyed manifestation of his frustration and fear.

On Everett's first day of school, we had not even a shadow of that.  I was so glad he felt confident and comfortable beginning this new stage--I had worked very hard to prepare him for it.  But a very small part of me couldn't help but feel that it would have been nice if he missed me just a little more than he did.

Ashley and I made him a special celebratory rice krispie treat cake for when he got home from school.  Everett was very excited, but the best thing about this picture is that it captures his complete exhaustion.

We had bacon-burger-dogs for our special back-to-school dinner.  They were tasty, but would have been better if I didn't have to skimp on the bacon.

For a special treat, we had raspberry pina coladas. 

Now, a week later, Everett has his system down.  He makes his bed and tidies his room before he leaves for school.  He makes his lunch.  He leaves with me or with our carpool.  He works hard at school and tries to earn a green smiley face for good behavior, which I can check for in his daily agenda.  In the afternoons he usually is very touchy and his frustration levels can skyrocket at even the mildest of offenses, but he is also very proud of his hard work during the day and is eager to tell me as many details as a five-year-old could possibly remember.

Friday morning as Everett left for school, I went down to the door as he gave me one last hug.  "No Mom," he told me as I held the door for him, "You need to go back up there (Everett pointed to the kitchen) so you can call out 'Bye, Everett!  And Ashley can say it, too."

Then Everett strode away proudly, his gait exuding purpose and importance, and warming his sap of a mother's heart.

We really miss Everett during the day.  He is extra enthusiastic about everything, and I miss the excitement.  No one gives me hugs the way he does.  Ashley and William are good friends and truly enjoy each other's easy going personalities, but sometimes I think we all need a little zip in our lives and Everett is always the guy for the job.  (You should see how he plays Uno.)

Four Kids in a Tub

Bathing the kids at my parents house was easier than normal because I had a few extra hands to help me.  I could throw them all in, spray 'em off, and hand them off in a warm towel to the highest bidder. 

 Joel took one look at these pictures and said, "Four kids in one tub is too many."

I think James was inclined to agree with him!  The little guy has not yet seemed to enjoy baths, even when he doesn't have to share the water with any other kids.

Family Photos 2012

Whew.  I don't think I have ever gone this long without posting.  The summer flew by, which is probably because (due to scheduling difficulties) the kids and I spent the majority of it in Utah.  Joel spent the majority of the summer at home alone, working, and sweating in a terrible, sweltering Iowa heatwave.  We all missed him a lot, but I missed him the most out of anyone.  The morning after he arrived in Utah for a quick visit, we stopped at the Mount Timpanogos Temple for some googley-eyed sentiment.

Joel and I were married in that temple.  We were officially engaged in the park across from it.  More specifically, we were engaged under the boughs of this tree.

It is majestic, and bigger than any other tree in the park.  

The ancient trunk is massive.  It is wide and stately, its great limbs reaching heavenward, a mighty sentinel.  Many weathered blemishes give it wizened character.

This tree is our real-life family tree.  When I see it each year, I want to embrace it for what it symbolizes to me.

Instead, Joel and I gather our little brood and clump together along its feet.

Some day I will compile a book of our annual family tree photos.

I imagine I will look at this photo and remember the days when I could never keep up with the fingerprints on my windows.

Everett took this photo of Joel and me.  I only wish that I had realized our bags and Ashley's stuffed cat were behind us.

Still got it!