Primary Problems

Last Sunday at church the kids were in charge. Once a year the primary children (ages 3 to 11) present a program in the main meeting where everyone takes the sacrament. They get to sit in the seats on the stand and speak a little part in the microphone. This year's theme was focused on the family.

This was Kiwi's first year participating. She is a bit shy and had a hard time. A few weeks ago she was assigned a prayer during one of the practices in the chapel, which meant saying the prayer into the big microphone. She got about two sentences in and ended up crying in my arms. G-man had to finish for her. When the time came for the presentation she said her part, although her fear overcame her at the end causing her to mumble the last few words and end up crying in her seat. Thank goodness for her fabulous teacher who came over and cuddled her while she overcame her nerves. It broke my heart to see her upset, but I was so proud that she did it! When assigned a talk in primary a few months ago she would say a word in the microphone. Baby steps.

This was G's 4th program and he's a pro. He was part of a small group of boys who sang a verse of one of the songs. They all wore suits (without even planning it), and it was the coolest thing to see. Personally I love when it gets cold so I can dress my boys in their suits. Burlington Coat factory is a fabulous place.

Lucky 7

October is a fun month for our family. The decoration come out and then we have birthdays. First mine and then G-man's. Mine is always trumped by G's birthday, which is fine by me. Kids get much more excited about birthdays than adults anyway. Now that I'm a year away from my 30th birthday I need to start planning. Maybe Disneyland with all the college dorm girls. Maybe New York with Chad. It might depend on whether or not we buy the dining room table we've had our eyes on. Although, who am I kidding. My birthday will be trumped again next year. Big time.

G-man turned 7 on Tuesday. I don't know what's more crazy, me turning 30 next year, or G turning 8. How is it possible that my oldest child is 7? It just blows my mind. He's a full blown kid now. I have to let him deal with the mean kids on his own. I see many of the insecurities I remember having at that age. It makes me think that to a large extent our social makeup is genetic. Sure, there's an influence that nurture plays, but it seems it's in my kid's nature to be shy and terrified of getting in trouble. He's a bit of a perfectionist too. At least when it comes to following the rules. I'm afraid all this rule following as a child will lead to massive rebellion in teenage-hood. Or I can turn off all my mommy fear and be grateful for an awesome kid who seems to be on his way to being quite successful in life.

Good Weather + Pile of Dirt = Fun!

Since the weather has been wonderful the last few weeks, we have been spending lots of time in the backyard doing all sorts of things. The kids found that the dirt we were moving around was nice and soft for running in, and the old dirt pile was nice and hard for digging tunnels in. With a little help from Dad, they got tunnels through the pile, and were having fun breaking up the dirt clumps. Fun for them, helps me move the dirt.

Adventures in Eating

Dinner time is always fun, as we try to have a variety of foods for the culinary experience of our children. So, this last Monday, we had a pan of roasted vegetables. Apparently, when cooked properly, they are a big hit, as even Kiwi, who dislikes zucchini, was eating everything and proclaiming that she loves zucchini. The highlight, of course was this:



In case it is not obvious from the picture, we had roasted garlic, and Mr S was trying to eat the whole head of garlic. He did manage to get some out, and loved it.

She has Skillz!

Picking up on the theme of the last posting, Ms Kiwi decided to take me up on my offer of riding without training wheels. Luann took them off this week, and away she went. This is not unexpected, since she loves climbing, running around, wrestling with Dad, Mom, and all of her brothers, and climbing the dirt mountains in the backyard. And, last month she starting a gymnastics class, and absolutely loves it. It is interesting to see how Kiwi is a more physically-enabled child.

Riding in Style

If I haven't said it before, let me say it again: Craigslist is awesome! We acquired this fabulous trailer about a month ago for $25. It was a steal and totally worth the drive across town to pick it up. I have been looking for one since Seth's birthday in April. There is something to be said for instant gratification of buying it from the store, but it's not like we would have used it in the heat anyway. A 4 month wait to save $45 dollars...I'd say it was worth it.










Once I get my own bike we have grand plans to go on awesome family bike rides. I just try not to think too hard about how little stands between my kids and the crazies on the road.