Edy Ridge Fun Run

Spencer's school does a fun run every year as their main fund raiser.  Each kid is supposed to get pledges and then they run as many laps around the track as they can in 25 minutes.  Spencer was really excited about it and the weather was great.

Mrs. Evonuk's pm kindergarten class with the Edy Ridge Wolf:

 

I went in my running clothes expecting to run with Spencer, but he decided he wanted to do it on his own at the last minute.  I was a little sad about that, but it was neat to see him run so hard by himself.  And, he did run hard.  He completed 9 laps in just over 25 minutes!  That's 2.25 miles.  I am really proud of my little buddy.

Volunteers kept track of each kid's laps by making a mark on a bracelet each time they came around the track.  I didn't get a picture of it, but Darwin came and set up a big Uberthons finish line arch and a time clock.  It was fun to have Grandpa there and his additions made it more like a real race.

All of the kids got popsicles to help them cool down after the run.  The kid with his arm around Spencer is Spencer's 5th grade buddy.  He was supposed to run with Spencer, but was already worn-out from his run earlier in the day and kept cutting across the field. :)

Spencer got pledges from both of his grandparents and from Alan and I.  He wound up raising $82 for the school.  Thanks for supporting him Grandmas and Grandpas!  The entire school of 643 kids raised about $48,000!  That seems crazy to me.  It was such a fun event and I'm all for anything that promotes exercise for kids.

Soccer

We missed the sign-up for the local outdoor soccer league (how was I supposed to know that you had to sign up in May for the fall season?!) this year, so we decided to do indoor soccer through the YMCA.  I was kind of sad about it at first, but now I'm glad it worked out how it did.  It was WAY cheaper, the smaller "field" is great for little guys who are just learning to play, and we stay warm and dry.  The only downfall is that I got coerced into being Spencer's team's assistant coach.  Any one who knows me will understand the irony of this.  I know nothing about soccer and am so unqualified to do this even if it's a team of 5-6 year-olds.  A friend of mine is the head coach and she doesn't know a whole lot more than I do, so we make a great team! ;)

Spencer's team is Manchester United.  The YMCA picked the names for us, which I think is lame.  Some of the kids can't even say that name let alone remember it.  They just have one practice during the week and then a game on Saturday.  Most of the kids have never played before and it's pretty funny to watch them.  Spencer is LOVING it!  He is a natural defender and almost always runs back toward his team's goal to defend.  He runs hard and is all sweaty and tired by the end.  I'm glad we're doing this even though I feel like a dork and Spencer is usually pretty grouchy and tired after practices and games.  It's good for both of us!

 

Lindsey's Homecoming

I was lucky enough to fly to AZ for my little sister Lindsey's mission homecoming two weeks ago.  I had known about it for months, but wasn't planning to go because plane tickets were too expensive and she was coming home the day before Spencer was starting kindergarten.  Luckily though, I found some cheap plane tickets just two weeks before she returned and Alan, Debbie and Alicia all pitched in to help with Spencer while I was gone.  Thank you again guys!  

Spencer got spoiled rotten with new toys and games, going out to eat twice, having a sleep over at Grandma's and going mini-golfing while I was gone.  He even got a hole-in-one on this super hard hole!  I don't think he missed me much at all, but I missed him.  Three nights is now the longest I've ever been apart from him.

I can't believe that I didn't get a picture of Lindsey by herself, but she is the gorgeous chica in the blue top in this pic.  Lindsey spent the last 18 months serving in the England Birmingham mission, which is not the easiest mission in the world.  She was awesome though and it was so inspiring to read her emails each week.  Hearing her experiences and seeing the strength of her testimony and character made me wish that I had served a mission.

It was was a super fast trip (I was only in St. Johns from Friday - Sunday evening), but it was SO worth it.  All of my siblings were there.  I never laugh as much as I do when I'm with them.  I guess we all just have the same sense of humor.  We didn't do much besides hang out and talk, but it was great.

 

My Dad's yard is always lovely, but it's especially nice in the late summer/early fall after the monsoons have greened things up.

My Mom thought I was weird for taking this picture, but I don't get to see rustic country like this very often and it has a definite beauty.



Michelle's 18th birthday was the week before Lindsey came home, so we had a family party for her on Saturday night.  She wanted to roast hot dogs, have a treasure hunt, open presents and eat cake.  It was pretty rainy Saturday afternoon, but it let up enough do everything she wanted.

I can't believe she's 18 and a senior this year!

One of Marc's many talents is stuffing an entire cupcake in his mouth at once.

We took a few family pictures before Church on Sunday.  These first two were while I was fixing settings on my camera.

Me, Michelle, Mom, Dad, Elise, Porter, Lindsey, Marc, Katelyn, Zac
We missed Eric, Alan and Spencer!
It almost looks like we coordinated our colors, but we didn't. Good job everyone!

Lindsey gave an awesome talk in Sacrament Meeting.  The love she has for missionary work and the people she worked with was obvious.  After Church, my parents put on a luncheon for Lindsey's friends and a lot of my Mom's extended family that traveled to come.











All six of my Mom's siblings were there - the first time they have all been together since my Grandpa passed away 5 years ago.  I have some fun, crazy relatives and it was really good to see all of them.





Sisters!

Sisters + Marc (who had his eyes closed in all 5 shots!)

Every time I go home, I'm struck again with how very blessed I am.  I have SUCH an amazing, loving, supportive family.  We are all good friends and it's so sad that we only see each other once or twice a year.  At least Lindsey is in Rexburg now which is ONLY a day's drive for me!  Maybe we'll get to visit her sometime.

1st Day

The true first day of a school was a little anti-climatic because of all of the practices Spencer had already had.  When I asked him if he was nervous about anything and he said, "Nope, I'm good." Having him be so ready and confident made the day much easier for me.

The kindergarten bus was supposed to pick him up in front of our house at 11:15.  I saw a bus drive by at 11:05 and assumed we missed it.  So, we shot some hoops for a few minutes and then got in the car to drive to school at 11:30.  That's when the right bus finally came.  Spencer was really excited to ride it, but I just couldn't send him off all on his own the first day so he rode the bus and I drove and met him at the school.  There were only 3 other kiddos on the bus with him.   He gave me a quick hug in the hall and then ran into the classroom and never looked back.  Thankfully, I had gotten most of my tears out the night before and only teared up a little in the hallway.



His first homework assignment was this little poster that his teacher will use when Spencer is "Star of the Day."  

Alan took this picture of Spencer getting on the bus on the 2nd day of school since I didn't get one the first day.

I have been dreading this day all summer.  I don’t know how the last 5.5 years have gone so quickly.  It has always seemed like this day would never come.  But it did, too fast.  As I was lying in bed last night, I got so sad and couldn’t keep the tears from falling.  Did I love him enough?  Did I do enough to prepare him for all of the challenges he will face?  Did I teach him to choose the right even when everyone else is choosing the wrong?  As I silently cried and prayed, I suddenly felt peace.  I realized that maybe I was getting a tiny taste of what Heavenly Father must feel when He sends each of His children to Earth.  His heart breaks that we are leaving Him and He probably worries about us, but He still sends us because He knows it’s for our good.  Leaving is how we learn and grow to become like Him.  Even though my heart is breaking, I’m so excited for all of the things Spencer will learn.  I’m so happy that he gets to be around so many other kids and that his faith and testimony will grow as he is tested.

In addition to my worries about Spencer, I feel a profound sadness that this chapter of my life is ending.  I may never have another child stay home with me all day.  President Eyring’s words from last October Conference about the empty walls of his daughter-in-law’s home seeming to mock her focus on motherhood keep going through my mind.  Being a stay-at-home mom hasn’t always been fun or easy, but I will always remember these years as a sacred time of my life.  What an unbelievable blessing to be able to stay home and focus most of my energies on raising this amazing son of God!  I have been given glimpses of both Spencer’s and my own divine nature.  It has been an honor and a privilege to be his mother and I thank my Heavenly Father for that opportunity every day.

Kindergarten Orientation

Spencer planted a sunflower seed at Kindergarten Roundup in May.  The teacher told him to take care of his sunflower and that it would be time for kindergarten to start when it bloomed.  Well, this is Spencer's sunflower now.  It's at least 12-feet tall and it bloomed this week! 

I've been impressed with how well our school district prepares kindergarteners.  Besides the Roundup, Spencer also attended four days of Kindergarten Readiness and on Tuesday, we went to Kindergarten Orientation.  We got to go to his classroom to meet his teacher with half of the kids from his class.  Parents got to stay for the first 30 minutes and then the kids stayed for another hour.

I helped him find his seat and get started on a little project.  Spencer was so excited that he had a hard time sitting still and concentrating on his coloring though. :)

His teacher, Mrs. Evonuk, had every kid write their name on a big poster.  Here's how Spencer's name looks these days:

 

The start of a school year is always so promising and I have a feeling that it's going to be a very good year for my buddy.

Labor Day

I LOVE 3-day weekends!  It's so great to have a to work around the house and then another day to play without feeling guilty about all of the things you should be doing around the house.  Our deck has been in bad shape since we moved in 3.5 years ago and has only gotten worse.  I finally decided we better do something about it before the whole thing collapsed.  I had it power-washed then I stained all of the railings.  I couldn't stain the floor though because several of the boards were rotted.  So, that became Alan's Labor Day project.  It was a tough job until he finally borrowed his Dad's heavy-duty power drill.  Then, it was a piece of cake.  Spencer loved "helping" by handing Alan tools and separating the straight and bent nails.

I still haven't stained the floor, but we needed some play time so we headed to Sliver Falls on Monday.  It doesn't matter how many times I've been there, I just can't get enough.  The Oregon forest is gorgeous and we love it there!

North Falls:

They almost fell in the water.

Amazingly, we ran into Alan's cousin Lindsy and her family while we were walking to a picnic table!  Spencer made instant friends with their oldest 3 kiddos and had a great time playing frisbee and tag with them for a few minutes before they headed home.

South Falls:

Our longest hike was 2 miles round trip.  There were 173 stair steps (according to Spencer) down and then a long, steep uphill going back up.  Spencer started getting a little whiny, but it's amazing what trail mix with a few m&m's can do for that kid!  After his snack, he was a trouper and kept saying that he was tired, but it was ok because he's tough!

Ahhhh, Oregon!