The Black Plague

Beware of the black plague.
The malady attacks several times a day. In fact, no matter how much scrubbing and medicating is applied, it always creeps back, leaving what is known as the 5 o'clock shadow.

It is highly contagious.

Especially to walls.

Thankful journaling

2 weeks into the school year, or is it 3 now? 4?

We are all adjusting to Elijah's new homework schedule. By 8 or so he becomes exhausted and finds it difficult to swallow homework. Last night it was right around 9 that we finished. But we keep on trucking. Truthfully, the game is more about time management than homework load, although homework load is quite large too. Is pre-algebra normal for fifth grade? I can't remember that far back. Last week he caught a nasty parasite or something and was having severe stomach cramping. I was scared to death my nagging had finally given the poor boy an ulcer.

Another reason I haven't been blogging as I should is because I have this new app: the five minute journal. It sates my journaling thirst and forces me to write positive things, so even if I've been in a bad mood, I have to twist the nasty into beauty.
Backhanded gratitude.

A note from a few days ago, "I'm grateful God made babies so cute, because it sure is hard living with them." The Sybil is a little tyrant.
This morning she chased Iris around the house trying to draw on her. Iris wasn't amused. The world is Sybil's canvas. So are our walls, shelves, floors, books, and most recently, my missionary scriptures. At church, I noticed a large orange line going up my leg. No, it wasn't my fake tan cream. It was the Marker Tyrant. I find markers in about every corner of the house. She put some through the dishwasher cycle last week.

She looks innocent. It's a ruse.

Also on the app, you take a picture every day like this one from last week which was the most pleasant surprise I've ever gotten while doing laundry, besides the one time I found a flashlight that had been washed in Elijah's pants and still worked.

In case you didn't get that: "Claire pees in deb...from Iris."

This picture commemorates Claire's first pair of Madonna gloves that she bought with a gift card from her birthday. She also bought her first watch which died a few days later when it jumped into the pool while on her wrist.

Other thankful notes:

• "This is our first pet, Ticky the house cricket," the kids said. They created a complete habitat for him (Claire is convinced it's a boy). 
• Hearing Elijah's beautiful voice very clearly in the ward choir. 
• My dad telling my girls stories as we lay on my bed. 
• Secretly tickling Elle's feet with a pipe cleaner and laughing harder than she did. 
• Running next to my bike-riding girls. I used to have to wait for Iris, but now she waits for me. 
• After picking E up from school, instead of sitting in the front seat like usual, he crawled to the back seat and made Sybil giggle the whole way home. 
• I love the cold feeling on my legs and feet when I move them to another place between the sheets. 
• So grateful we changed soccer teams and practice is a few blocks away instead of in North Scottsdale. 
• Went for a run when it was way too hot, so I sat on a bench and enjoyed a few minutes with my baby. I'm grateful the sprinklers were on and that they were aimed at the sidewalks. 
• Swimming with my kids in our pool after school. 
• Peeking at David attempting to read to Sybil. She closed the book repetitively. 
• Using visualization in my prayer. I prayed for service opportunities and visualized what I should do. 
• David picked Elijah up from school so I could go to the gym with the girls. 
• Temple date with David tonight: doing family names. David taking the kids to get ice cream so I can take a nap. 
• A friend commented on the nice weather. It was 102. Arizonans. 
• And from this morning: Sybil's first puddle splashing experience

2 notes

I got an email today from a friend whose son is in Elijah's class:

Ok funny story that warmed my heart:
Elijah turned his eyelids inside out and with such gusto walked up to 8th grade girls and said "will you be my friend".
He is the gutsiest ever and so funny.
~~~~~~

Elijah claims this is what his friend dared him to do, but words were not, in fact exchanged, except by the girls commenting on how gross he was. He said he's been pulling the eyelid-wooing on other girls too, who now avoid him.

I also got a note from his music teacher, "Elijah is more interested in making others laugh than doing his best."
Third day of school!!!
At least the child is consistent.

Beauty is bad

Claire: "Do you know the bad thing about being beautiful?"
Me: "I have no idea."
Claire: "Boys get addicted to you when you are little and boys are bad."

First Day

5th

This is the first year that E is in a different school. He could have stayed with his sisters for one more glorious year, but was accepted to a charter school that is quite good. He jumped at the chance. He adapts easily; poor kid is used to moving around. He was most excited about changing to 7 or 8 classes (including Latin!) and having a locker. Coordinating the commute is a bit of a bummer (mostly for me bc we all know my abhorrence of commutes). But I hope he learns that most times, the best choice is not the easiest choice.

1st, 3rd, and The Institute for the Chronically Under-dressed

Iris = 6

Iris has been promising me for over a year that she would stay 5 for the rest of her life. Today she said she couldn't bc she didn't want to be the smallest in her class.

But don't worry, she'll be 6 for the rest of her life.

Iris loves to laugh, both real, hearty, deep chuckling and the not-so-real. We have gotten so many comments on how people love her laugh. Fortunately or not, she has picked up on those and now fake-laughs quite often too. Iris is always eager to please and up for anything that doesn't involve bugs, dental appointments, and gross medicine.

Best thing about being 6: not being the littlest in my class
Favorite thing you did when you were 5: going to Golfland and going out to eat with you guys [We celebrated her bday by giong to Golfland Sunsplash with our family, Max, Esie, Elle, Tyler. That night, David and I took Iris out on a date.]
Future profession: dentist [Can I just say..whaaaa????]
Best friend: Elle (cousin)
Favorite food: jelly beans, Popsicles, ice cream
Favorite color: blue
Favorite subject in school: art
Favorite toy: Sydney the stuffed cheetah
Favorite thing to do: swim
What do you want to do as a 6 year old: help people in kindergarten
Excited that bday is first day of school? Yes

Ice cream cake at home

At grandparents' house bfore going to Sunsplash. The candle is a "7" mainly because she's so mature and I forgot to bring the 6.

San Diego: 3 and then some

Adult night out. We had curry from around the world and then walked to Baked Bear to get cookie sandwiches and ate them as we looked over the beach.

Saying goodbye to Ethan before he flew home

Beach day, first to Mission Bay

baby gourmet = sucking the sand off rocks

David and Hunt took kids out on jet skis that we rented. The rest of us paddle-boarded and hung out

Then a pick-up game of soccer. Lexi told Hunt to remember that he wasn't in high school anymore. He forgot quickly. 

And on the the ocean part of mission beach

The Schmitts were house-sitting for a family with a mini farm. The kids fed the chickens, turkeys, ducks, pigeons, rabbits, and watered plants. Also, played in the treehouse, jumped on the tramp, played basketball, rode a bike, and explored: any kid's dream.

Look at the colors on this head! I want a head like that.

Tyler and Elle came back to AZ and took turns staying with us, my parents and Hunt & Sarah's family. Iris cried for a good while when she had to say goodbye to Elle and even woke up crying again this morning.

They had at least a few beautiful make-overs

School starts tomorrow and although I already miss my kids just thinking about it, I've got a million things I'm excited to be able to buckle down and do: fix the toilet, change the garage light socket, fix the pool kreepy crawly and the pool pump, edit my dad's book...The list goes on, but includes a lot of planning, deep cleaning, and organizing.
Only 3 things can slow me down...

1

 2

 3

San Diego: 2

Something I forgot to include in the last post about San Diego:

At the hotel, David (my nephew) took a picture of his brother Tyler on the pot and sent it out on social media. There was a bit of fuming and fighting over that one (although, me being a bad person, chuckled behind my hand). To help Tyler feel better, Alexis told him a few stories about our dad... When my grandpa was mayor of Phoenix, his sons made an effigy of his vice-mayor, Barry Goldwater (my grandpa was Democrat and Goldwater was Republican), hung it with a noose from the second story of their house, and called the press to come take pictures. And then there was the greased pig let free in a girls' dorm, and breaking their mom's (Sybil's) ribs while practicing wrestle holds.
I'm not sure how much the stories helped.

I was able to go on a few walk/runs while I was there. We went to the top of Mt Helix. I have been entranced by textures and colors lately. They make me think about God. What an incredible artist.

Most mornings it was hard to get out of the house. These boys wanted to play Legos the whole time. They played for hours which was good since the Schmitts hosted several meals with RMs and their families.

These girls found fairy homes who use bougainvillea leaves as kites, rose petals as para-sails, and butterflies as locomotion. We also sucked the ends of honeysuckle flowers.

Did you know that wild marshmallows grow at the base of eucalyptus trees?

Walking the runway and striking a pose

Elle wrestling the mission president's wife.

This was a scavenger hunt we did in the mall.

Never have a few quarters provided entertainment to so many

Mormon Battalion

My mom calls Elijah's hair his Peter Pan hair.
My kid's hair has gone from blonde to brilliant with the addition of summer sun and pool chemicals.
On my run this morning I was thinking about their hair as a metaphor for my life. Sometimes it's not good enough to be white, or good. I need to use Christ's enabling, bleaching power to rise above my own capabilities: be brilliant.

This is Clayton using the cannon to shoot his cousins. 

Love the facial expressions.

Fresh-cooked corn and flour street tortillas.

Sidenote: David took his shirt off to intimidate me while we played a game of pingpong. But the campeona reigns.

USS Midway

This boat housed hundreds of thousands of people, but usually 4.500 at a time. Some of these men worked in temperatures well-over 100 and didn't see the light of day for weeks. Since the boat was built during WW2, it was built mainly by women.

We learned about the Midway battle which was a miraculous victory against the Japanese during WW2.

jailbirds

A jailbird escaped

Sitting in the helicopter that pulled the Apollo out of the ocean:

Elijah was determined to earn this reward and listened on his headset as we waited in line for to go up to the bridge and throughout our time there.

E told me that he became a "Junior Piloto." He still defers to Spanish every once in a while. Lex told me that he was very insistent when ordering at In 'n Out: "a cheese sandwich without May-o-nase." Another direct translation they all do is "a lot much more" instead of "more."