An Ideal Day

Saturday was an ideal day for me. I got to run with my friends in the morning, send my girls off to a service project at Belle Isle with their friends, and send my boys off to a free three hour sporting event put on by the high school. 400 kids were divided into different groups within age groups and tried football, basketball, soccer, tumbling, lacrosse, and track (maybe even more), coached by high schoolers. After getting the boys checked in at the activity and the kitchen cleaned up at home, I went to Belle Isle to help with the service project of raking up leaves and chatting with friends. We then ate lunch by the Detroit River and I took my girls home.

When we arrived, Jason had the boys home with 2 yards of mulch ready for us to mulch our playground with. We had planned on doing it the weekend before, but since it rained the entire weekend, except Easter, we had to wait. It worked even better this weekend, though, because we were able to borrow a truck from a friend and the girls and I were already dressed for yard work. They put in their required hour, and that's all the project took for all of us, and then went off to complete their indoor chores and homework. Yes, you read it right, they went and did more chores (though their Saturday chores don't take them very long) and did their homework without much prodding. The deal was, one hour of mulching, with their usual tasks completed, and we would go see Captain Marvel in the theater with treats and popcorn included. It was a fair deal, since the last time Jason and I mulched, many years ago, it took us like 3 or 4 hours because we had no help. Four extra people working made a big difference! And no, we didn't see End Game yet because we had to see the other one first. We will see it soon!

So, while they were doing their homework, I had time to clean myself up, make dinner, and cut the boys' hair so they could shower before going to the movie. We then ate dinner and made it in the nick of time to see the 6:35 show and relax in the theater.

That's why it was an ideal day. We got our work done together, an unusual occurrence, we got it done early, another oddity, and we got to relax together. Yes, there was still some fighting and nagging, but not as much as usual. It was a very productive and enjoyable day and I'm so glad we could experience it together!

Ward friends and two ladies who work with me at Red Bell.

Hard at work and loving it!

More tired after many hours of yard work!

All cleaned up!

On Sunday, our Stake hosted a Celebrate Faith potluck, service project, and musical evening with a few of the other faiths in the local area. It was similar to that other Interfaith event, but not as long and we had more interaction with everyone. Many of us agreed that it was one of the best potlucks the church has ever had! Bringing in Muslims and Hindus, we had some delicious food from Indian and Middle Eastern cultures! In the cultural hall we had these tables set up for the different religions to display what they celebrate this time of year.

Ramadan, celebrated by Muslims.

Easter, celebrated by Christians (there was us and members of the local Presbyterian Church).

Holi, celebrated by Hindus.

Vaisakhi, celebrated by Sikhs. 

We also had a table for Passover and had a small group of Jews come, but they didn't decorate a table. Their songs, though, were so fun! After eating and putting together the humanitarian bags for those who are in need, we met in the chapel for the music portion. Each religion shared a little message about the holiday they celebrate and then performed some music with it. The Jewish family sang these two fun children's songs about the 10 plagues. It was hilarious, interactive, and fun! The other groups were more spiritual. It was so great to experience this camaraderie with these other religions again, this time in our own building!

The service project. 

Easter Weekend

Jason and I started Easter weekend off with going to the temple on Good Friday. It was lovely and peaceful! On the way, we saw 4 deer right in the road! I was slow to get my camera, as I was enjoying the live view of them.

Here is one as we passed, and Jason's nose, which I never saw in this pic until now!

Here's another.

Lovely spring flowers!

On Saturday, our ward had an Easter brunch, or sugar rush, whichever you want to call it, with muffins, pastries, donuts, cinnamon rolls, juice, and milk. After brunch, the Primary kids went on an indoor Easter egg hunt, as the rains had been falling for hours by then and it was a wet, cold, mess outside. After the hunt, the sister missionaries gave a little message and then we watched a video that the Primary President put together with the testimony of Jesus Christ given by various people and children in the ward. It was very touching and full of the Spirit!

It's definitely more fun outside, but they were good sports.

Just my boys got to collect eggs, since my girls aren't in Primary anymore!

Later that day, while the rain kept on coming, I took my boys to a Birds of Prey presentation at the Summit. They were reluctant to go, but were glad they did when we were done. We observed and learned about these four beautiful birds!

Red-Tail Hawk named Odin because he has only one eye.

Peregrine Falcon (Austin's favorite animal)

Great Horned Owl (we learned that owls are very lazy-they don't make their own nests, they steal them!)

Turkey Vulture (these guys eat so much when they find a carcass that they can't even fly away if something comes after them, so vomit is their only defense!)

We colored eggs and the kids became so attached that they didn't want me to crack them to make deviled eggs!

Karissa wrapped rubber bands around this one to give it the striped look.

We have church at 9 and Victoria and I had to be there at 8 to practice with the ward choir. Jason's meeting wasn't as early, so we all got to go to church together! After wards, I let the kids find their Easter baskets and even later, the Easter Bunny finally came since the sun had been shining for all of Easter and started to dry out the 6+ inches of rain we received the previous 2 days. It was still very wet, but the sunshine was so nice. It was like the earth was mourning Christ's death on Good Friday and Saturday, but on Easter, the sun was out because He had risen!

Happy Easter!!

Good Times at Miller Elementary

I volunteered to be the STRIDE running coach for the 3-5th grade boys at Miller this year. Austin is on the team and it's so fun doing this with him. STRIDE is the Girls on the Run version for boys through the YMCA (Karissa did GOTR a couple of years ago). Not all schools sponsor the group(s). This is actually Miller's first year doing STRIDE. I had to go to the nearest YMCA 40 minutes away to be trained, have a background check completed, and get the supplies. We meet twice a week after school for an hour and 15 minutes. I have a lesson written out for me from the Y for each practice because it's not just a running group, it also teaches about good character and good values. STRIDE stands for Success, Teamwork, Respect, Inspiration, Determination, and Excellence. We play games related to the lesson topic and games to make the run work-out more enjoyable, using the values listed above. I was provided with some money cards to buy snacks for the boys to eat before each practice. I even have a "coach" shirt- so fun! We're working up to a 5k, which Austin and I won't be able to attend, but it's a blast working with the boys in preparation for it. They really are good kids! I have some parents who are assistants to these 15 boys I work with. Also, one day Karissa is an assistant while Victoria walks home with Erik, and the other day Victoria assists. They're earning their keep! Sometimes Erik will stay if one of my girls can't assist and he can hold his own with those boys in the run!

STRIDE game

Last night was Erik's 1st grade music concert. Surprise of all surprises, all of his siblings could go! Victoria videotaped it and we all enjoyed the musical debut of these kids. I volunteer in Erik's class on Mondays for math and it was great to watch them up on stage. You'll notice Erik telling us that he's watching us in the first song and telling a friend that his sister is recording in the second. There were three more songs that I'm not including. Such a great evening!

Spring Break

Karissa and I started Spring Break off with a bang. About two weeks prior, we bought tickets to a David Archuleta concert. Jason had received some information about it and had this fantastic idea that I should take the girls, or some friends, to see one of my favorite singers of all time! It was in Cleveland, 2 1/2 hours away, so he was willing to put in some sacrifice to help with the boys. It turned out that Victoria wasn't interested in going, claiming she doesn't like concerts very much, so she got to babysit the boys the evening we left, before Jason returned from work, and the next morning, since we got a hotel so I wouldn't have to drive home that far late at night.

The nice thing was, even though we missed Victoria's company, was that Karissa, being the second child, doesn't get many opportunities to spend time like that with me. It was very special and so fun!

It turned out that the concert was at a club, so it was a very small and intimate crowd. Karissa was definitely the youngest one there, but people thought she was even younger than 12 by the way they spoke to her. Like, in the bathroom, one lady said to her while she was waiting for me, "Have you gone potty yet?" And many people said, "Oh, your cat ears are so cute!" She was a little annoyed, but I told her to get used to it. People will think she's a lot younger for the rest of her life!*

A lot of people there were drinking, but I learned that the other half who were not, were members of the Church who had gone to see David Archuleta and were just as big of fans as Karissa and I. Most of us were singing along with his songs and knew every word! Except for his new song, not yet released, and the song he sang in Spanish. There was an 18-year-old next to us that was positively swooning over him! Too bad for her, we were about 15 people back and she couldn't touch his hands during his song Touch My Hands. She also was a little envious that I got to meet him at Time Out For Women a year and a half ago.

He talked a lot about his mission to Chile, about the still small voice, and about living true to himself. Part of what is so endearing about him is that he's slightly awkward in his wording of things. You can tell he is shy in nature when he speaks, but not when he performs! Between each song he would drink some of his herb tea. At one point, because of a request that someone yelled out to him, he and his band started singing an impromptu Jump, by Van Halen, with his tea in his hand. When he jumped, a big splash of tea spilled out of his cup onto the stage. It was the funniest thing ever! I wish I were recording it! The keyboardist just started playing because of something this lady said and David just rolled with it. Someone else yelled out something about Chile, so he started singing a Chilean love song acappela. I tell you, having a small crowd was the best! I wish Karissa could have met him this time, but you only could if you paid extra for a VIP pass. We were pretty close to him, though, so that was good enough!

Road trip!

The club in Cleveland. His big 'ol bus was almost as long as the building!

When he first came out. 

That lady in front recorded the whole thing!

It looks like she can't see, but the crowds shifted and she could. 

Our kitchenette in our one night hotel that included breakfast! (We got a super good deal, btw)

We had a living room and even our own bedrooms!

When we returned, we painted her bedroom, as part of our plans. She wanted to paint clouds on her walls. The little circles on the walls are reflections from the sun from her disco balls. They remind me of stars.

Karissa didn't get all the attention this break. The boys and I went roller skating with some friends, met other friends at the park, and they both had some play dates.

We also enjoyed nice weather and could play outside!

Victoria spent time with friends as well, including going to the movies with a couple of friends. She consented to go to the pool with us, even though she didn't have a friend going and Karissa was at a party. Overall, Victoria enjoyed a laid back, less-busy week for herself. Pretty much the next two months for her will be full of school and dance, so it was a restful week in preparation for the craziness.

At the very end of our time at the pool, some kid's head bumped into Austin's face. I watched the whole thing and could tell he was hurting. He was holding his cheek and on the verge of tears. I brought him out of the water as a life guard approached us. She said we could get ice from the office, but that they would have to call the EMS to come because it was a head injury. I knew it wasn't that bad, all the lifeguards in the office knew it too, but they had to do it for liabilities. When the ambulance arrived, they brought a stretcher and everything! They took their job very seriously, which I was glad about, but it was a little comical. Here, now, is the reference to Karissa's getting used to getting comments about looking young the rest of her life. *After the paramedic talked to Austin a bit, he looked around and asked the head lifeguard, "Is Mom here?" I was standing three feet to the right of Austin. My hair was back and I was in my bathing suit with a jacket over it. I guess I look young in a bathing suit... I had to sign something, but he made sure to tell me there was no charge. They offered to bring him to the hospital, but I assured them there was no need.

Here's his little bruise. It actually looked worse before we iced it, but again, nothing compared to some of his other injuries!

We're closing the week off with General Conference, which is so nice! Saturday session was great and we're looking forward to hear what the Lord wants us to hear today.