Patriotism

Today I'm thankful for. . .

Patriotism.

One of the great blessings

of belonging to an Air Force school district

is that people around here know how to be patriotic.

Today during Matthew's high school soccer game

the fine men and women of Travis Air Force Base

called us to attention (via enormous loudspeakers)

as they prepared to play their daily rendition

of the National Anthem.

As soon as people knew what was going on

the game stopped,

the players froze,

everyone stood,

and we all placed our hands over our hearts

and observed a few moments of silence

as the Star Spangled Banner rang across the rolling hills.

I got all choked up.

I do every time.

I love this country

and the brave soldiers who protect our freedom.

What do you love best about this great country of ours?

Fall Ball

Adam just finished another year of "Fall Ball"

and had a great time.

It's a program run by the parks & rec department --

all for fun, no keeping score, play whatever position interests you.

In other words . . .

NO PRESSURE!

Adam thrives in this kind of environment,

and I love watching him.

This year he played catcher,

and he was

AMAZING!

(not that I'm biased or anything!)

Of course the ball is easy to catch when it's a strike,

but nothing gets by Adam!!! He can catch it high,

he can catch it low,

not even those balls to the side get by him. . . AND,

he can even do it with his eyes shut!

(how's that for talent??!!)

It's a dirty, sweaty job,

but when you're this good . . .

you just GOTTA DO IT!!

You're awesome, Adam!

Reality Check

I'm one of those really nice Moms who doesn't make their kids clean their rooms and make their beds if they leave the house before 6 a.m., so I KNEW when I saw Matthew's beautifully made bed yesterday that it was a moment to treasure. Today we're back to normal. . .

5 Things

I don't know if it's because of 9/11, but from the moment I woke up today I've been keenly aware of how many little things in my life I have to be thankful for. It was a slow, relaxing morning (good thing because from 3:00 on was a whirlwind of activity!), and I remember thinking that I should document these little joys (you inspired me, Cheri) so that I will always remember them - especially on those days that are so slow and relaxing! So here are 5 simple things I was thankful for today. . .

Matthew made his bed BEFORE Seminary WITHOUT being asked - WOW!! A morning snooze on my comfy red couch (had to get up TOO EARLY to do the Seminary thing!)
An afternoon slice of key lime pie (Happy 40th Birthday, Amy Mik!) - and the willpower to save half of it for Brad because he loves it so! Leaving a plate of warm cookies on the counter for Adam and his friend because I wouldn't be there when they got home. I always thought I would be the kind of parent who served warm cookies when the kids got home from school, and today (for the first time?) I WAS!
Finishing up the fall decorations. No pumpkins yet - I can't go there until at least October!

Wow. . . that felt good! Maybe I'll do this every week - I'll call it "Thankful Thursday!" How dorky is that?

Valero Family Day

On Saturday we took the ferry out to Angel Island in the San Francisco Bay for Valero Family Day. We had lunch, played volleyball, watched Matthew disco, got our bodies painted and watched as artists made some amazing balloon creations. But by far the best part of the day was participating in our first ever sand castle contest. I was a bit leary when Brad signed us up, and we got off to a bit of a slow start (we couldn't agree on what to create), but once we got started it was a lot of fun. Our friends the Quains helped us out and in the one hour time limit we created "Crush" (the turtle from Finding Nemo) out of sand. I have to say that it is lots harder than it looks - it was a hot day and the sand kept drying out and falling apart - but here's a picture of our creation...

You can't see the three baby turtles that were crawling behind him, but the whole thing was quite impressive looking! We won the award for "Best of Show" and received $50 in movie gift certificates and $25 worth of Jamba Juice gift cards! The kids were really proud of their hard work.

Thunderbirds

On Labor Day weekend, Brad took the boys out to the Air Force base to see the Thunderbirds. They had a great time! Here are some of the highlights:


Watching the Jelly Belly plane land on the back of a pick-up truck - amazing...




Eating frozen lemonade on a very hot tarmac...

Brad finally having a chance to get some fun shots with his new camera...

The End of an Era

I was called to serve in the Primary in 1996 (when Matthew was still in the Nursery), and I have been there ever since. It has been such a fun ride, but today the ride came to a screeching halt. Today was my first day in Young Womens. We talked about homosexuals. It is a brave, new world that I feel totally unprepared for. Wish me luck!!

First Day of School

Today was Adam & Camille's first day of school. There's been a bit of excitement in the air around here because for the first time in their lives they didn't know who their teacher was going to be or who would be in their class. Turns out they both got great teachers - Mrs. Yaple for Camille and Mrs. Festa for Adam - and I think it will be a good year.



While the kids were in school today, I went out and got these apples for their teachers from the See's candy store. I speak from personal experience when I say that every teacher deserves a good dose of chocolate for surviving the first day !

For FHE tonight, Brad gave the kids their back to school blessings. I'm so grateful to have a wonderful husband who honors the Priesthood and uses it to bless the lives of his children (and his wife!). He acknowledged Matthew's dedication to God and his loyalty to his friends, and he blessed him with a desire to learn about the great many things Jesus Christ has done for mankind as he studies the New Testament in Seminary this year. He talked about Adam's great capacity to love others and blessed him that as he enters this time of great physical, spiritual and metal growth that he will find the answers to the questions he has from his parents, the Lord, and the scriptures. He spoke of Camille's goodness and her desire to continually learn more about her Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. He blessed her that as her testimony grows she will use it to be an example to and teach her many friends.

After Family Home Evening, the kids all had ice cream sundaes to celebrate the big day!

Sounds like a great day, doesn't it? Unfortunately, it wasn't really. Everything was going along swimmingly until Adam and Camille explained to me on the way home from school that their music teacher has a new name. She used to be called Miss Clark, but now they have to call her/him Mr. Clark. Didn't think I was going to be having this conversation with my 8 year old. Heaven help us...

Utah Top Ten

We spent the last full week of summer vacation hanging out in Utah with our cousins and loving life! Katie and Dave, thanks for being such great hosts, and thanks to the Stokes family for keeping us constantly entertained! It was so fun to see everyone and just chill out for a while. I'm posting a bunch of pictures from our trip, but for those of you short on time (or interest), here's the top ten things we learned in Utah...



#1 - kids can go from being virtual strangers to best friends in less than an hour!



#2 - our dad is a waterpark daredevil!



#3 - rock climbing is awesome!



#4 - repelling is even "awesomer!"



#5 - a trip to the fire station is way more fun when you know the fireman!




#6 - there are some big shoes to fill in this world!



#7 - if you try hard enough, you can sneak into Cougar Stadium when no one is there!





#8 - the "Y" on the mountain is HUGE!!!! (and bumpy!)

#9 - kids can have as much fun playing at a simple jump house as they can at a well-structured, well-planned activity!

#10 - We are HUGE Michael Phelps fans! We think it's so amazing that he can accomplish so much and do it with his suit BARELY hanging on!!

Most importantly, we remembered how much we love our family and that life is too short to skip vacations!

"Uncle Dave" Rocks!!!

"Uncle Dave" isn't really the kids' uncle, he's actaully their cousin's husband, but we call him Uncle anyways because he acts just like one of your favorite uncles! Matthew came home from Scout camp this year raving about rock climbing and wishing he knew someone - anyone! - who would take him rock climbing. When Katie said one morning that Dave was wondering if anyone wanted to go rock climbing, Matthew couldn't believe his ears! The kids had such a great time! Thanks, Dave, for being so cool and spending your day off with us!







Lincoln, you are adorable!

Our cousin, Meili

Lincoln & Katie

Our other cousin, Eliah