Dad was right.

My dad used to call me a "prima donna."
Who, me?

Sometimes I roll my eyes and get all put out about the wimpiest things. Like for breakfast, inevitably the gallon of milk has run dry just before my cereal bowl gets filled, so I have to go all the way out to the fridge in the garage (15 steps?) and grab a new gallon of the four or five stored there weekly. Hmmph! Or, I can't find any of the remote phones. Not a one on its cradle. Arrrrgghh.

Then I read "The Poisonwood Bible" about life in the Belgian Congo. No fridge. (No second fridge.) No vitamin-packed cereal. No homogenized, pasteurized Vitamin D milk. And, no garage. Because ... no car. No phones lying under a couch pillow. (No couch. No phones.) But if you walk for a day or two through the jungle, you might find someone who has an old transistor radio.

My dad was right. I was a prima donna. Still have prima donna tendencies. He was right about something else. He asked that his headstone be carved with the word "Perspective."

So here's my little story. Our power went out one night last week after dinner. Now what? So, we all went outside when it got dark and played with Dad’s glow sticks and glow Frisbees til way too late. It was the best time ever.

Then ... we went to bed in our 85-degree hothouse and proceeded to put Elle back to bed five or TWENTY times (I lost count) during the course of the entire night, because the "vitamin water" I gave her earlier had a good dose of CAFFEINE in it (what the…?). Then we got up super late and rushed to an away rugby game in the morning. By that time, Cam was moaning and holding his stomach (...for the next three days). That's all it took. Ever hear Chewbaka groan? Just call me Chewy.

Then I got a grip. The entirely sanitary and chilled, bottled (and caffeinated) vitamin water just spunked (and hydrated) our boys for their scrums and rucks and such, and when we got home to our then air-conditioned house, Cam settled in on a comfy couch and watched his favorite toons "On Demand." And Elle snuggled down for an extra long nap. Bonus. Naps all around.

If you ever hear me complain, just smack me upside the head. Good and hard.

Summer Rugby

Cy's got grit. Eat Wheaties. That's what I always say...

Getty kicks this downfield near the end zone, then bolts through the forest of both teams to pick it back up and score a try.
He's my hero, and I told him so, loudly and in front of all the players :)


Jen, check out how much taller Ethan is than Cy :)

Ethan plows through the tackles like they're merely an annoyance and scores a try!

Cy looks like he's having a smoke.


Lovin' every minute of it.

My New Obsession

Just finished what is now my favorite book on the planet, "Jane Eyre." You probably read it in college. I, on the other hand, was an English major who didn't read it, along with many other assigned classics. But I read tons of Cliff's Notes, so it's all good, right?
So, Jane Eyre. I know, it's a departure from my norm: Life Strategies, Clean in a Minute, How to Handle 1000 Things at Once, How to Make Your Child a Winner, How to Teach Your Child about SEX, etc. Regardless, I'm telling you I cannot give any higher recommendation than to this brilliant, suspenseful, and moral book.

And, to top it off, you can watch Timothy Dalton in the BBC version of Jane Eyre (stick with it through the painfully dull portrayal of her youth—it gets much better), and the Masterpiece Theatre 2006 version, both of which are well worth watching. The 1996 William Hurt version looks good, too. If you love Jane Eyre. And I do. Watch one. Watch them all. AFTER you read the best book on the PLANET. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

MK's First Date

The guy actually called her up on the phone (what? no txt?) and asked her if she would like to go out on a “date.” She said they watched “the scariest movie ever that made me so glad I have the gospel.”

MK apparently deleted the photo I snuck of them while crouching beneath the dining room window, incognito. DANG! He was cute, too. Instead, enjoy this photo of MK and hottie, Kyle Korver. Kenzie and Kyle sitting in a tree...

Lunch with Sissy

Could Cy be more attentive to his lil cuppy cake? She's destined to become a narcissist. haha

Mornings

Later, Cub Scouts...

I didn't grow up in a scouting family. More like an anti-scouting family. We didn't camp out. Ever. Not in a tent, a trailer, or even an RV. Never a hike or a fishing trip. I did, however, attend girls' camp. And I recall that my mom and two sisters hiked Timpanogos with the Young Women one year. All in all, pretty weak.
Rob and I have kept up the tradition. I like toilets. And hot showers. Rob likes his bed. For Fathers & Sons, Rob insists on sleeping in the Burb.
Yet, here comes the next generation schooling us in what it takes to earn a Webelos badge and Arrow of Light. We've got a lot to learn. And this boy's the one to teach us.


Crossing the bridge to Boy Scouts.

Rock on, my toddler friends!

This is how my lil Grizzabelle walked into the kitchen this morning.

Fun with Wind

Summer Olympics in Cedar

Gold!

Personality Plus

May the Force be with me.

Le Weekend

Hot-tubbing with the girls and Memorial Day barbeque with family.

Missing Vietti's.

A Day in the Life

Cam wore these pink heels as he dutifully followed his princess and her purple pony around the yard singing made-up folk songs.

Typical Saturday smorgasbord. Dad's the short-order cook. Notice Cam's nail polish. Elle polished her hair, her dress, her arms, legs, and then her nails.

Happy Birthd—

We saw her for all of 30 minutes on her birthday. Soccer camp in the a.m. Coach a training camp for kids in the afternoon. Stop off at the house to check out the car she now commandeers until graduation. Off to competition try-outs...which, when the coaches stood at the finish line of several 50-yard dashes at the end of the evening, MK crossed the line and one looked at the other, jaw dropped open. Serious bragging rights we get on this girl. She was the only one (of 36 girls) added to the existing Premier 1 team, ranked 3rd in the state.
She finished the current season as Division 1's top scorer U-16 (by 8 goals). Done bragging.