The Same, But Different

I was searching through old pictures tonight, looking for something specific. During my search I found a selfie of me with three-year-old Phoebe from when we lived in Washington. It reminded of a picture that Phoebe and I took after YW tonight. I think we both look a bit older.

Boxed In

Begin Again

We took our first day of school pictures at 11:30 instead of 7:30. Otherwise, it's going well.

Summer's End

How did we celebrate the last weekday of summer break?

Peter and Cooper got haircuts.

They assisted Bryan with a woodworking project.

Peter played a little Legend of Zelda while Topher watched.

Bryan gave Peter a driving lesson.

Phoebe and Sophie worked on writing and coding projects.

We had our weekly call with some of the grandparents.

Then we had a backyard picnic and Bryan taught us all how to throw a football.

I'm always sad to see summer break end, but at least this year it ended on a high note.

Pet Plans

One morning earlier this week, while Topher was getting ready for the day, the following conversation took place.

Topher: Can I have a pet? Not a dog or a cat pet?

Me: (thinking he means a bird, a fish, or a reptile) I don't know buddy, what kind of pet do you have in mind?

Topher: A polar bear.

Me: Oh. I don't think we have room for a polar bear. Where would it live?

Topher: We could make a cozy spot in my room and a water place in the backyard!

Take a Hike

Peter had to do a nature scavenger hunt for his AP Biology summer homework. He found more than half the items in our yard, but he needed pictures of a few other things we didn't have nearby. The kids and I went hiking at our local state park yesterday morning so he could check off the rest. He had to take a selfie with each item to prove he was there and didn't just pull pictures from the internet, so his camera was busy. Mine was too. Cooper, Phoebe, and Sophie traded off taking pictures with my phone as we walked, after I snapped a group shot right at the beginning.

It was cool and not at all crowded, a lovely day for a hike.

Buddies

These two are either best friends or she treats him like he's a doll to be lugged around. On Sunday morning Topher brought Sophie a book he had made during our at-home Primary class. He asked her to read it to him. She happily complied.

Signature Move

Yesterday morning, while we waited for our church broadcast to start, I asked Topher if he could write his name. He appears to be right-handed and holds the pencil beautifully. I don't think I specifically taught him that, perhaps he picked it up through observation?

This signature makes me happy.

What She Wanted More Than Anything In the World*

I forgot to mention in yesterday's post, the kids gave me a wonderful gift for our anniversary. They played together happily for most of the morning, without my intervention. It gave me the chance to have a good vocal workout, something I haven't been able to do for a looooong time. For each birthday and Christmas the kids ask me what I want and I say, in part, "Kind kids." I'm so happy that they gave me that gift.

For those that are curious, the other thing I ask for is a clean house. We're still working on that one.

*Can anyone place the musical theatre quote?

Our Family Is Growing Up

Our family turned 21 today! We celebrated in our usual fashion with each person choosing a food for our dinner, this year we did finger foods and had a bonus movie night while we ate. Actually, two people chose the same thing and one person asked for two items, but it all evened out.

We ate taquitos (Phoebe), strawberries (Sophie), pizza rolls (Bryan), sushi (Peter and Cooper), grapes (me), pizza (Topher), and cupcakes (also Topher). Don't mind the bag of clothes to give away in the background, I clearly didn't mind it while I was taking the picture.

Bryan surprised me by bringing home this gorgeous bouquet of roses. It's hard to tell from the picture, but in the background are three of our wedding gifts that still hang in our home: a beautiful sketch of the Savior drawn by a fellow that was in my ward when I was a youth, a needlepoint of the San Diego Temple from one of my roommates/bridesmaids, and the Family Proclamation with the San Diego Temple behind it from Bryan's best man. I smiled when I saw them as I took the picture. After so many years we still have these lovely reminders of that day, and of the importance of the covenants we made when we got married, visible in the center of our home.

I think all anniversaries are significant, but this one feels especially so for me. I was 21 when I got married and have now been married for 21 years. I've been married for nearly half my life. That boggles my brain. I'm thrilled that we've been married this long, I just can't quite figure out how that many years have passed.

It was a great family birthday.

Vroom Vroom

Peter decided he was ready to take his learner's permit test this morning. He only missed two questions and passed. Afterward, permit in his possession, I drove to the empty church parking lot and let him get behind the wheel. I was super calm. Seriously. He was less so. He did well for the few minutes he drove, even if it just consisted of taking his foot off the brake and turning the steering wheel.

Also, he has really long legs.

When I Grow Up

This morning, on the way to the park:

Topher: Mom, when I grow up can I be an astronaut?

Me: Sure. What does an astronaut do?

Topher: They go into space.

Me: That's right!

Later, before lunch:

Topher: Mom, when I grow up can I be an octopus?

Me: Uhhhhh, that might be a little more difficult than being an astronaut.

He spent the end of lunch lying on the bench, waving his "tentacles" around, showing that it is possible for him to become an octopus.

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes

My thoughts keep jumping back to this time last year. We were days away from closing on the house and full of stress and anxious anticipation. I had created a schedule for packing so we would be almost completely boxed up by closing day. That plan didn't happen as intended. Bryan and I were ready to complete several home repairs before we moved our stuff in. That mostly didn't happen either. In fact, our list of repairs and upgrades seems to grow with each month we're in this house rather than shrink.

That said, I'm so thankful for this house. And I'm especially thankful that we're a year into this adventure and not where we were last August.

Let's Go to the Show

After many weeks of watching both the weather report and the announcements page from our local drive-in, they finally lined up last night. We made sandwiches, bought candy, popped crazy amounts of popcorn, and took the kids to the drive-in.

This is how Topher felt when we told him we would be going.

Dinner went well while we waited for the movie to start. Thursday was a good night to go since there were so few people in attendance.

Yes, that is too much popcorn, I agree.

Sophie was also excited to be there. Actually, all the kids were.

I took very few pictures,  but I'm happy to report that we had a great time. It was a double feature, first was DC League of Super-Pets, then Minions: The Rise of Gru. While both were fun, we all agreed that the first was the better of the two.

Bryan, Cooper, Peter, and Sophie all sat in chairs in front of (technically behind, but in front of where we were sitting to watch the movie) the van while Phoebe, Topher, and I sat in the van. Topher started to get really anxious partway through the first movie. He asked to sit with Bryan and then he asked to go home. I finally realized that he's not usually outside when it's dark, so he was feeling uncomfortable in this new situation. Plus, it was way after his bedtime, and he usually snuggles with Bryan right before he goes to sleep. He settled down after a bit, but he was very ready to go home when the second movie ended. In fact, he was asleep minutes after we started our drive home.

Happy memories were made, which has made today's high level of exhaustion worth it.

Sounds Fishy

"I like this fish, I like spicy fish, I like normal fish, and I like Swedish Fish." - Topher, after taking a bite of some breaded tilapia. He did not finish his serving of fish, despite his declaration.

Accidental Twinning

Dreamland

The kids have been pulling out our old blog books and have enjoyed reading about their past adventures. Sophie noticed that over the years I've posted lots of pictures of the kids sleeping. It's true, they look peaceful while they sleep and I like to be reminded that it's not always chaos over here. She also observed that I haven't posted many sleeping pictures lately. That's also true. I don't think the big boys would appreciate it, Phoebe is on a top bunk and hard to photograph, and Topher is such a light sleeper I wouldn't dare sneak in to take a picture for fear of waking him up. However, Sophie is someone I can still photograph in all her slumbering serenity. At her request I took this on Sunday night.

She does look peaceful.

The Reading List

I mentioned last week that Phoebe will be doing an accelerated program for sixth grade. A shipment of her schoolbooks recently arrived. Even I was a little surprised by these titles. I'm not opposed to them, in fact I'm excited for her to be challenged by them, I just wasn't expecting the Scottish play or Animal Farm in sixth grade. Not pictured: Fahrenheit 451 and The Cay.

She's already started reading them.

School Daze

Tonight as I was tucking her in, Sophie sighed and said, "I can't wait for school to start. Most kids want summer to keep going, but I'm like yay learning!"

School starts in three weeks. Sophie may be ready, but I'm not. I don't think I'm ever really ready to start a new school year, even though I do love new school supplies and the excitement of new classes. I just love the freedom of summer. And I love the extra time we have to spend as a family. The last two years have been easier in that regard for me since the kids were doing school from home. They had so much more flexibility in how they spent their time and we definitely had more opportunities to do things all together. There were aspects of it that were significantly harder on me as the school facilitator having them all home, but the time together has been worth the exhaustion. (If you had asked me about this in the middle of the schoolyear I probably would have felt differently, but I'm viewing it through the rose colored glasses of summer break.)

Even though we have three weeks until the first day of school, we still don't have a proper plan. Topher's vaccine will be fully effective about three weeks into the school year. A major topic of discussion at our house this summer has been about what we'll do for school. Do we stay virtual? Do we send the kids back at the beginning of the year with masks firmly in place? They don't want to take those masks off for lunch, so do they just skip that meal for those first three weeks? Or do we start virtual and then switch to in-person a few weeks into the year?

Yes, I realize that at three weeks out we should have a plan, I really wish we did. But we're still figuring it out. Well, Phoebe's not, she has a plan. She applied to and was accepted into the advanced program at the virtual school, so she'll be hanging out with me and Topher for another year. The other three want to be in-person at some point this school year, we just don't know when.

I asked Sophie about it during bedtime. She wants to start virtually, then move to in-person because she's always thought it would be cool to be the new kid who comes into school part way through the year. 

Well, I think we can arrange that.

The Strings

Many years ago Bryan's parents passed a tiny violin on to us. Bryan's youngest sister had used it and outgrown it (I think, my memory is fuzzy on the details) and we had small kids interested in making music. That violin has traveled with us for many years. The kids would pull it out and hold it and examine it. They couldn't do much beyond that because it needed to be restrung. I wasn't sure how to make that happen, so it kept getting put off.

Well, I finally found a local music shop and dropped it off in June. Yesterday I picked it up, all four strings working and tuned beautifully. Both yesterday and today Topher has gently pulled the violin out, held it delicately, and pulled the bow across the strings. When asked what he's doing he says, "I need to play my violin."

Thank you for the violin, Ron and Shari. I'm sorry it took so long for us to properly appreciate it, but we're certainly enjoying it now.

We All Scream

Nothing says summer break fun quite like eating ice cream for lunch.

Primary Colors

Courage

Sophie and Topher were asked to contribute a talk and a scripture for Primary yesterday. Our scripture study for the week was about Esther, so that was Sophie's topic. This talk was collaborative. She talked, I typed and asked questions. I suggested we use verse 14, Sophie was the one that added verse 16. In retrospect we probably should have included fasting and prayer in the summation, but it was late enough in the game at that point that I didn't want to rerecord for that one correction.

I think Sophie did a wonderful job presenting the talk and helping Topher with his scripture. Topher was much more cooperative this time about getting into church clothes on a Saturday evening so we could record his part. They were both happy to see their faces on the TV screen that was in the Primary room. We couldn't really hear it through our Zoom call, but that's okay, we already knew what was said.

Hopefully the next talk and scripture will be in person.