We have been missionary minded for three years now. Garrett started us off on this new adventure with his call to serve in Hamilton, New Zealand. We waved goodbye to him from the airport and watched him walk himself through security and up the escalator by himself on October 8, 2015. My heart was in my throat. How could I be his mom when he wasn't around for me to take care of him. It took incredible faith and trust to place him entirely in Heavenly Father's hands. Garrett went to the MTC in Auckland, and then moved over to his mission. He was able to go to the temple in Hamilton several times during his mission. He made it to Hobbiton on one of his P-Days about halfway through his mission. He served as a district leader in several different areas. And, even though he never sent many details in his letters, he served with honor and returned with honor. He loved the culture there. He tried to learn as much Maouri as he could and he threw himself into the mission-wide Haka they learned and performed as missionaries. To finish his mission with a bang, he and another missionary performed a very loud Haka at the airport at 10 at night! One for the memory books!!! But oh, what good that hug he gave me did my momma's heart!!! He is so grown up now!!!! And, we made it a whole two years with him gone! And, he really did come back!!! Sometimes, it's hard to convince my momma heart of some of those things while trudging day to day during his absence. He got back September 6th, 2017! He is doing grown up things now! He has a job and has been attending UVU this semester. He followed his sister, Cecilia there. She set the bar and started the whole college experience for our family. And, luckily, she was able to show Garrett the ropes as he struggled to adjust after his mission. He didn't seem to have any trouble moving into his "next steps" nor with pulling movies and music into his life again. He just missed the people and culture of New Zealand. That is right and good.
Cali followed Garrett into the missionfield on November 6, 2016. Her field of labor was Des Moines, Iowa. Nauvoo was in her mission and she got to experience the temple there in Nauvoo a couple of times during her mission as well as see the pageant "The City Beautiful" during her one summer there and experience a few minutes of Nauvoo at the same time. Her letters were definitely more detailed than Garrett's!!!! Cali is a missionary at heart and always has been. So, she simply excelled and thoroughly enjoyed her time spent as a missionary. She was in four trios throughout her mission which was fun but difficult. She trained and her greenie turned around and trained straight out of being trained. I can't help but think Cali had something to do with that!!!! And, Cali spent the last bit as a Sister Training Leader. Cali just got back on April 13, 2018! We both sobbed in each other's arms at the airport. I missed her so much! And, now, she's taking life by storm as per Cali. She's already working full-time at a job. She has settled all the details for her college life at Snow College in the fall and is already on their dance company for Fall 2018 semester!!!
Cecilia told me several times that she wasn't planning on serving a mission during her high school years, so when she informed me that she would be going to UVU for a semester and then on to her mission come January, I was pleasantly surprised. And that's what she did. She, as my third child, broke us, her parents, into the college stage. She figured out how and when to apply, register, and pay for college. I went with her on her first forage onto campus and helped her meet with a counselor. She took it from there. She bravely stepped outside her comfort zone -- constantly. I watched her become a confident and street smart and brilliant college student! When I took her in for her wisdom teeth removal complete with sedation, she bravely offered up her arm for her IV. It took them (miraculously) only 6 minutes of her being under for them to finish pulling all two of her wisdom teeth out. As she was coming out of her sedation, the nurse started engaging her in conversation. One of the questions she asked Cecilia was: "What classes are you taking at UVU?" Cecilia's answer was very telling. "All the fun ones!" She took Humanities, Astronomy, Shakespeare, History something or other, nutrition and an institute class. Not easy classes and yet she aced them all. She had comments from her teachers about how well thought out her papers were and what a good student she was -- in college! Way to go Cecilia! Not to be out done on the college front, she conquered the whole YSA scene as well. Being a bit timid about attending there, she and a girl in our home ward decided to give each other support and go together. They had been mere acquaintances growing up, but found fellowship together in the YSA ward. She served as the compassionate leader in her Relief Society and figured out visiting teaching. Her first time going out visiting despite the absence of her companion's support, she left with one question for me before walking out the door, "So, mom. How do I do this?" But she did it. And then, when she had the green light to fill out her papers for her mission, she sat down and finished them in one night. I could get used to more children like Cecilia! It makes my job as a mom easy peasy!!!! She got her call to the Paris, France mission as a temple visitor center missionary! She left the last day of January 2018. She loved the MTC in Provo, Utah and is currently flourishing over in Paris. She says she can't believe she gets to have the life where she walks past the Eiffel Tower everyday while serving her Savior! She spends a shift in the temple visitor center everyday and currently travels two hours round trip to and from her area everyday to do missionary work. Best of both worlds!!! Her letters are detailed and insightful. We miss her.
So, Jarom is on the cusp of graduating into the real world. He tells me he is anticipating attending UVU in the fall and then going on a mission. It should be a real experience for Jarom and for me as his momma. Jarom is smart and talented and has great heart. His testimony is something that radiates from him and he will be an awesome missionary -- whenever he gets there and throughout his life. We may not know currently how his college and mission will play out, but it will be an adventure of olympian proportions, for sure! Then, only 7 more to go?!
Tuesday, May 1, 2018
Three Senior Years vanish! Poof! They're now memories!
Wow! Life has gotten away from me. My fourth child is finishing up his Senior year. I blinked and we're there already!!
I mentioned the highlights from Garrett's senior year. I almost need to summarize Cali, Cecilia, and Jarom's whole high school career! So here goes!
Cali found herself immersed in marching band. She played the clarinet one year, stepped into the drum major position for a couple of years while dancing during their performances as part of her experience, and finished up as a clarinet player with the added responsibilities of section leader and field commander as well. She tried out for the dance team every year and made it each year. However, neither the band or the dance teachers were able to reconcile their requirements enough for Cali to excell in both at the same time until her Senior year. Cali finally participated in dance company her senior year and was considered "dormant" during the first semester while she finished up her marching band career. Then, she jumped wholeheartedly into dance company and finished strong with a trip to New York to dance in the St. Patrick's parade with her dance company comrades. As if marching band and dance company weren't enough, she served on Hope Squad's leadership council and helped many people adjust to high school and feel more accepted there. Cali kept her grades high and finished her senior year successfully! To add the cherry to the top, she spoke at her seminary graduation and did a magnificent job!!!
Cecilia spent her high school years in challenging classes and in colorguard. Cecilia started her AP classes as a Sophmore and took as many as she could throughout those next three years. She passed with flying colors and received many accolades and personal recommendations from teachers who were impressed with her intelligence and ability to excell in their class. Colorguard, though, was her life during high school. She was made a captain for the colorguard her Junior year and she led out not only as a performer but as a mentor for all the other colorguard members. I remember going to watch one of her practices. And, as much as it awed me to watch her toss her sabers or riffles or flags high in the air without fear and catch them with finesse all the while dancing difficult techniques (she was truly beautiful to watch), I can't forget noticing the younger girls watch her from the sidelines and whisper about how awesome Cecilia was. The admiration on their faces were obvious. I will never forget that moment and how proud I was of who Cecilia was and that I was related to her.
Jarom is our resident senior this year. And, he continues to surprise me. He has struggled with keeping his grades up all four years. He's rather smart and understands all the difficult concepts he's studying. He simply can't seem to get all his homework in on time -- or even late! Before he came along, I had a firm A or B policy. Now, I'm grateful if he has a solid D-. And, to top it off, he wants to be social. He spent three pretty rocky years in marching band in the drumline. He never seemed to have his music memorized or his homework finished. I expected him to continue on into his senior year, but despite the fact that the marching band would be marching in the Rose Parade, Jarom turned away from marching band. Personally, I was relieved he wouldn't be doing marching band and I was very ready for a break from that demanding and expensive extracurricular activity. However, I was a bit aprehensive. What would Jarom decide to be a part of this year?! He stepped up to Thor's Squad -- the new and improved Hope Squad Cali had been involved in. And then, he decided to compete in the male beauty pageant that his high school puts on called Son of Thor. I was worried. Every mother wants their child to succeed and it seemed like Jarom had done his share of failing. I was worried that this would be added to his list. He attended all his practices and prepared his talent and gathered all his costumes. All of our family showed up -- that could. We wanted to show him we were supporting him. He surprised everyone in that gym that night! His physical challenge was competing in a single double elimination tournament with big hamster wheel-type balls. He had to climb inside and push it while racing someone else doing the same thing, and he had to cross his pod halfway through the racing track and beat his competitor to the end. He started the whole competition and handily beat his competitor. Everytime he was up to race, he made it to the middle before the person he was racing and thus to the end. Thus, he won the whole single double elimination tournament! His talent was rapping one of the Hamilton songs with a teacher and he wowed the whole audience with how fast he did it, and how well he did it. His question he answered didn't wow, but neither did it tank like some others. And, his performance in the pageant dance was spot on! He ended up winning 1st attendant!!!! So proud of him and so happy he had that experience to show himself that he can come out on top!!! He has made a name for himself in the art department this year as well. His teacher told him that he was good enough to be in AP art, but he just takes so long to get his artwork completed that it wouldn't be a good fit for him, but his art is at the college level. He just won a runner up in the latest art show for one of his watercolors he did. He continues to rise above expectations. It will be fun to see where he goes from here! He is strong and will do great things!
So. My first four (within a month) will be high school graduates! Only seven to go! James is in the chute, but he will be a junior this next year. He has a whole year to go before he begins his senior year. Right now, he's scrambling to get his drivers license before his permit expires. :) That's our current hurdle! It's always something at our house!
I mentioned the highlights from Garrett's senior year. I almost need to summarize Cali, Cecilia, and Jarom's whole high school career! So here goes!
Cali found herself immersed in marching band. She played the clarinet one year, stepped into the drum major position for a couple of years while dancing during their performances as part of her experience, and finished up as a clarinet player with the added responsibilities of section leader and field commander as well. She tried out for the dance team every year and made it each year. However, neither the band or the dance teachers were able to reconcile their requirements enough for Cali to excell in both at the same time until her Senior year. Cali finally participated in dance company her senior year and was considered "dormant" during the first semester while she finished up her marching band career. Then, she jumped wholeheartedly into dance company and finished strong with a trip to New York to dance in the St. Patrick's parade with her dance company comrades. As if marching band and dance company weren't enough, she served on Hope Squad's leadership council and helped many people adjust to high school and feel more accepted there. Cali kept her grades high and finished her senior year successfully! To add the cherry to the top, she spoke at her seminary graduation and did a magnificent job!!!
Cecilia spent her high school years in challenging classes and in colorguard. Cecilia started her AP classes as a Sophmore and took as many as she could throughout those next three years. She passed with flying colors and received many accolades and personal recommendations from teachers who were impressed with her intelligence and ability to excell in their class. Colorguard, though, was her life during high school. She was made a captain for the colorguard her Junior year and she led out not only as a performer but as a mentor for all the other colorguard members. I remember going to watch one of her practices. And, as much as it awed me to watch her toss her sabers or riffles or flags high in the air without fear and catch them with finesse all the while dancing difficult techniques (she was truly beautiful to watch), I can't forget noticing the younger girls watch her from the sidelines and whisper about how awesome Cecilia was. The admiration on their faces were obvious. I will never forget that moment and how proud I was of who Cecilia was and that I was related to her.
Jarom is our resident senior this year. And, he continues to surprise me. He has struggled with keeping his grades up all four years. He's rather smart and understands all the difficult concepts he's studying. He simply can't seem to get all his homework in on time -- or even late! Before he came along, I had a firm A or B policy. Now, I'm grateful if he has a solid D-. And, to top it off, he wants to be social. He spent three pretty rocky years in marching band in the drumline. He never seemed to have his music memorized or his homework finished. I expected him to continue on into his senior year, but despite the fact that the marching band would be marching in the Rose Parade, Jarom turned away from marching band. Personally, I was relieved he wouldn't be doing marching band and I was very ready for a break from that demanding and expensive extracurricular activity. However, I was a bit aprehensive. What would Jarom decide to be a part of this year?! He stepped up to Thor's Squad -- the new and improved Hope Squad Cali had been involved in. And then, he decided to compete in the male beauty pageant that his high school puts on called Son of Thor. I was worried. Every mother wants their child to succeed and it seemed like Jarom had done his share of failing. I was worried that this would be added to his list. He attended all his practices and prepared his talent and gathered all his costumes. All of our family showed up -- that could. We wanted to show him we were supporting him. He surprised everyone in that gym that night! His physical challenge was competing in a single double elimination tournament with big hamster wheel-type balls. He had to climb inside and push it while racing someone else doing the same thing, and he had to cross his pod halfway through the racing track and beat his competitor to the end. He started the whole competition and handily beat his competitor. Everytime he was up to race, he made it to the middle before the person he was racing and thus to the end. Thus, he won the whole single double elimination tournament! His talent was rapping one of the Hamilton songs with a teacher and he wowed the whole audience with how fast he did it, and how well he did it. His question he answered didn't wow, but neither did it tank like some others. And, his performance in the pageant dance was spot on! He ended up winning 1st attendant!!!! So proud of him and so happy he had that experience to show himself that he can come out on top!!! He has made a name for himself in the art department this year as well. His teacher told him that he was good enough to be in AP art, but he just takes so long to get his artwork completed that it wouldn't be a good fit for him, but his art is at the college level. He just won a runner up in the latest art show for one of his watercolors he did. He continues to rise above expectations. It will be fun to see where he goes from here! He is strong and will do great things!
So. My first four (within a month) will be high school graduates! Only seven to go! James is in the chute, but he will be a junior this next year. He has a whole year to go before he begins his senior year. Right now, he's scrambling to get his drivers license before his permit expires. :) That's our current hurdle! It's always something at our house!
Sunday, May 8, 2016
Wow. I blinked and two school years are gone!
I'm embarrassed. I've let this blog sit idle for almost two years! In my defense, they have been two action packed years! There's no way I can summarize two years and do them justice. Maybe highlights? Just what I actually bring forth from the depths of my memory? I'll try!
I'll start with just the 2014-2015 school year. Garrett was a senior. Cali was a junior. Cecilia was a sophmore. Jarom was a Freshman. James was in 7th grade. Mckenzie was in 5th grade with Ms. LeFevre. Ruby was in 3rd grade with Ms Bryson. and Lena was in afternoon Kindergarten with Mrs. Bryson. We had four children in High School (Jarom technically not since 9th grade resides in the middle school). We had four children in Seminary. James was extremely nervous for middle school since he had struggled so much academically so much. However, he did better than all of his older brothers and sisters with their grades! I had also been nervous about sending Lena to school because of her violent tendencies and short fuse. I quizzed her teacher about it and found her mildly confused about my questions. She assured me that Lena had always acted appropriately except for one time when she growled LOUDLY at another student. I was impressed!!! Lena walked to school by herself with a neighbor friend, Trey, the whole year. It was amusing to watch them walk across the park to school. They seemed to walk the same path everyday despite it being a big park with lots of routes to choose from. Lena loved running. Trey didn't. Lena often would run and talk to Trey at the same time, and he stoically took it all in quietly while continuing to walk towards school. Lena would inevitable leave Trey behind, then run back to resume running and talking next to him. About halfway through the year, Trey started bringing his bike. The first day or two, Trey had some trouble figuring out how to ride smoothly across the grass. Lena beat him to the cross guard both days. But, it wasn't long before Lena wanted to bring her scooter, too.
2014-2015 was Garrett's senior year. He chose not to do marching band for his senior year. Ladd and I tried to urge him to do it even though funds were tight. They were even going to Hawaii to march in the Pearl Harbor Parade that year. Garrett's answer stopped us dead, "Mom. Dad. I prayed about it. I don't feel like it's what I should do this year." Not much we could say to that! Thus, when the band director came begging us to convince him to be a section leader, we had a ready answer for him. Even he couldn't do much about it!
Garrett finished his Eagle Project on time! Just barely, though. And, it was officially signed off one day after his 18th birthday, but for some reason, it still went through! He helped make blankets and collect toys for Primary children's Hospital. By November, he was awarded his Eagle Rank!
Garrett finished his Duty to God as well! I was impressed at how important this goal was to him. I had to fight him every step of the way to get him to finish his eagle, but his Duty to God he finished without any troubles!!
Marching Band was a huge part of the first part of the year. Cali was drum major. Cecilia was shining in colorguard. And, Jarom was on Drumline -- right where he wanted to be. It was extremely difficult for all three of them to keep their grades up. In fact, it took Jarom most of the year to fix everything! Their competition was called "The Witch and the Saint." Cecilia was one of the witches. Cali was the Saint. The rest of the band wore their marching band outfits and colorguard dressed in black dresses with crazy hair and scary make-up and Cali wove around all of them dancing in a brilliant white dress. She was like a beacon to follow. She did an amazing job and choreographed it all herself! In the show, they burn a witch at the stake and then resurrect her at the end. Quite the production. They swept everything and won some incredible honors and awards as a result!
Cecilia opted out of going to Hawaii. I think she knew finances were an issue, and so she took herself out of the picture. It was quite the feat financially to get Cali and Jarom to Hawaii. But, they had an amazing experience and helped earn the only award the Pearl Harbor Parade gave out!
By December, I was pregnant with our 11th child! Somehow, I thought that if I got pregnant, Heavenly Father would send me one of the two boys I felt were waiting in the wings for me. When I found out it was a girl, it took me awhile to accept that direction Heavenly Father was sending us in. Somewhere in here, I asked Heavenly Father to let me know what her name should be. The next day, Ladd came home from working up at Deer Valley and said that while he was on the slopes, he thought of a name he really liked -- either Sophia or Sophie. I mentally snarked to Heavenly Father, "Oh. So you gave Ladd my answer!" But, I loved the name Sophie from the moment Ladd said it. He told me I needed to figure out the middle name. We had two grandmas who hadn't been represented with any of our kid's names. I realized that my sister had just named her daughter Sarah after my grandma Sara Leora Hinton. So, I thought about Ladd's grandma. Neither of us have liked the name Phyllis, but suddenly it clicked. Sophie Phyllis. It just had a ring to it!!! I told Ladd and he LOVED IT! Alyssa even started going about the house chanting, "Sophie Phyllis! Sophie Phyllis!" Ladd's grandmother has numerous decendents, and not one of them is named after her. So, we decided to have Sophie take her name. And, since she was 101, we told her as soon as possible!!!!
Christmas and New Years passed quickly. It seemed like we wouldn't have anything much for Christmas, but we had an anonymous benefactor who left us two HUGE presents. Right at the last moment, we were able to get a little bit for everyone. On Christmas day, we opened most everything and saved the two big boxes for last. We had the most amazing experience as we opened them up and pulled out gift after gift that was meant for someone in the family! There even was a Blue Ray DVD player at the bottom of one of the boxes!!!! We were humbled and so grateful for our bounteous blessings we had poured upon us that day!!!
I'm pretty sure I had pneumonia several times over during the next couple of months, but the doctor's didn't believe me. One doctor had the audacity to suggest I was feeling the way I was because I was pregnant. He even pulled out a physiology book and tried to show me a picture to support his findings. And that was after I told him it was my 11th child I was pregnant with!!!!
In April, for Spring Break, we headed down the state for St. George and our Hinton Family Reunion. It was the Sunday of General Conference -- Easter Sunday. Cecilia was driving -- part of her 40 hours of driving she was trying to accumulate, and as we were climbing the mountain just past Scipio, our van simply stopped working. She managed to tug and pull until we were off the road just at the start of an off-ramp. We texted mom and dad Hinton, and they rallied quickly to come rescue us. Dad Hinton and Adam each drove a vehicle and headed up the state to pick us up, but on the way, Dad Hinton's truck broke down. They miraculously found someone open in a small town on Sunday and they actually had the part and was able to fix it right then. Tender mercies for sure!!! After a couple of hours waiting for that to get fixed, they were able to continue on the way to pick us up. When they got there, we were able to unload everything from our van into Dad's truck and find a seat belt for everyone except Ladd for the trip back to St. George. Ladd laid down on the floor of Adam's van and slept for most of the way back! We towed our van and left it at a car place in Fillmore, then hauled down the state in hopes to make it to Hyrum's baptism. We got there late, and were not prepared for the baptism. Jarom was in pajama bottoms. Shalyn didn't have shoes. Some of the girl's hair looked like it had been saved from the light socket. I was in flip flops. And, we got there just as the children were supposed to go up and sing a musical number. To my horror, I found them grinning and singing gamely with the rest of their cousins! Horror of horrors! What a nightmare! Despite it all, the spirit felt there at the baptism was sweet and everyone seemed to be incredibly understanding!
That week, for some reason, there were enough seat belts for all of our family in everyone else's cars. It was like some farce being played on Musical Chairs. But, we all got where we were going and enjoyed being with each other that week. As we neared the end of the week, Ladd and I made some hard decisions and decided to have our van towed to St. George and put a used motor and transmission in it. Then, we were stuck with trying to get the rest of our family up the state. As I recall, it took three trips and one of them was a ward member who drove his van down the state with Ladd despite not being able to turn his van off for fear of it not starting again. We even held our breaths as he gassed up his van while it was still running!!! So, once we were all back home, we took our turn having Kristen sleep over while the Olsen's were on one of the "family vacations." It took us three trips to go to church. Dad and Mom Hinton had generously sent us with their truck for as long as it took, so we had our five passenger sedan and the truck that could seat six. What an adventure we had that month it took to get the van fixed trying to get all of us where we needed to go. What a humbling experience to be at the mercy of the goodness of the people in our lives! A couple of weeks after getting home, my sister, Melanie, drove her car up and gave it to me. Wow. Talk about a gift and a half! She made some excuse about always wanting to buy a mini. :) We finally got our van back!! I drove some of the girls down with me in dad and mom's truck and exchanged it for our van. While I was down there, Melanie helped me track down the title to her car and deed it over to us officially! So blessed!!!
By this time, Garrett had completely finished turning in his mission papers, and he got his mission call! He was going to the Hamilton, New Zealand mission and would start in the New Zealand MTC. That meant that he would leave from the airport on October 6th, 2015! I found the process of getting his visa taken care of a pain in the neck! He actually had to get a background report from the FBI done as well as a visit to the only immigration doctor in Utah! I didn't know there was such a thing as an immigration doctor! When Garrett was filling out his papers, we couldn't find his passport. Shortly after getting his call, he found it!!!! We think he had to wait until October because of the passport mix-up, but I'm pretty sure it was all on God's timing!
Cali and Cecilia got a job! They started working at JCW's near Thanksgiving point. Thanks to their job, they single handedly paid for their marching band fees for the 2015-2016 season!!!
Garrett and Cecilia took their AP tests and then Garrett started gearing up for his graduations. He went to all the fun activities that come with the end of a senior year. He was asked to speak at Seminary Graduation!!! He did a marvelous job! I'm so grateful that was important to him! And, we went to his high school graduation too close to the start of the graduation. Finding a place for all of us to sit was quite the chore!!! Cali's "boyfriend's" dad was a great help. He was the one to find us a place to sit! Thank you Mr. Wiltbank!! Dad Hinton had brought all of his high tech camera stuff. It sure came in handy!!! We got close up pictures of Garrett as a result. Our first graduate! Wow!! Dad and Mom Hinton and Dad and Mom Olsen and Kristen all joined us there. Cali actually played in the band that played at the graduation. That made finding her tricky!. Ladd and I took Garrett out to eat to celebrate. Garrett chose a fast food Hawaiian place in hopes he could taste some food he might possible get in New Zealand. Another year was over and done!!!!!!
I'll start with just the 2014-2015 school year. Garrett was a senior. Cali was a junior. Cecilia was a sophmore. Jarom was a Freshman. James was in 7th grade. Mckenzie was in 5th grade with Ms. LeFevre. Ruby was in 3rd grade with Ms Bryson. and Lena was in afternoon Kindergarten with Mrs. Bryson. We had four children in High School (Jarom technically not since 9th grade resides in the middle school). We had four children in Seminary. James was extremely nervous for middle school since he had struggled so much academically so much. However, he did better than all of his older brothers and sisters with their grades! I had also been nervous about sending Lena to school because of her violent tendencies and short fuse. I quizzed her teacher about it and found her mildly confused about my questions. She assured me that Lena had always acted appropriately except for one time when she growled LOUDLY at another student. I was impressed!!! Lena walked to school by herself with a neighbor friend, Trey, the whole year. It was amusing to watch them walk across the park to school. They seemed to walk the same path everyday despite it being a big park with lots of routes to choose from. Lena loved running. Trey didn't. Lena often would run and talk to Trey at the same time, and he stoically took it all in quietly while continuing to walk towards school. Lena would inevitable leave Trey behind, then run back to resume running and talking next to him. About halfway through the year, Trey started bringing his bike. The first day or two, Trey had some trouble figuring out how to ride smoothly across the grass. Lena beat him to the cross guard both days. But, it wasn't long before Lena wanted to bring her scooter, too.
2014-2015 was Garrett's senior year. He chose not to do marching band for his senior year. Ladd and I tried to urge him to do it even though funds were tight. They were even going to Hawaii to march in the Pearl Harbor Parade that year. Garrett's answer stopped us dead, "Mom. Dad. I prayed about it. I don't feel like it's what I should do this year." Not much we could say to that! Thus, when the band director came begging us to convince him to be a section leader, we had a ready answer for him. Even he couldn't do much about it!
Garrett finished his Eagle Project on time! Just barely, though. And, it was officially signed off one day after his 18th birthday, but for some reason, it still went through! He helped make blankets and collect toys for Primary children's Hospital. By November, he was awarded his Eagle Rank!
Garrett finished his Duty to God as well! I was impressed at how important this goal was to him. I had to fight him every step of the way to get him to finish his eagle, but his Duty to God he finished without any troubles!!
Marching Band was a huge part of the first part of the year. Cali was drum major. Cecilia was shining in colorguard. And, Jarom was on Drumline -- right where he wanted to be. It was extremely difficult for all three of them to keep their grades up. In fact, it took Jarom most of the year to fix everything! Their competition was called "The Witch and the Saint." Cecilia was one of the witches. Cali was the Saint. The rest of the band wore their marching band outfits and colorguard dressed in black dresses with crazy hair and scary make-up and Cali wove around all of them dancing in a brilliant white dress. She was like a beacon to follow. She did an amazing job and choreographed it all herself! In the show, they burn a witch at the stake and then resurrect her at the end. Quite the production. They swept everything and won some incredible honors and awards as a result!
Cecilia opted out of going to Hawaii. I think she knew finances were an issue, and so she took herself out of the picture. It was quite the feat financially to get Cali and Jarom to Hawaii. But, they had an amazing experience and helped earn the only award the Pearl Harbor Parade gave out!
By December, I was pregnant with our 11th child! Somehow, I thought that if I got pregnant, Heavenly Father would send me one of the two boys I felt were waiting in the wings for me. When I found out it was a girl, it took me awhile to accept that direction Heavenly Father was sending us in. Somewhere in here, I asked Heavenly Father to let me know what her name should be. The next day, Ladd came home from working up at Deer Valley and said that while he was on the slopes, he thought of a name he really liked -- either Sophia or Sophie. I mentally snarked to Heavenly Father, "Oh. So you gave Ladd my answer!" But, I loved the name Sophie from the moment Ladd said it. He told me I needed to figure out the middle name. We had two grandmas who hadn't been represented with any of our kid's names. I realized that my sister had just named her daughter Sarah after my grandma Sara Leora Hinton. So, I thought about Ladd's grandma. Neither of us have liked the name Phyllis, but suddenly it clicked. Sophie Phyllis. It just had a ring to it!!! I told Ladd and he LOVED IT! Alyssa even started going about the house chanting, "Sophie Phyllis! Sophie Phyllis!" Ladd's grandmother has numerous decendents, and not one of them is named after her. So, we decided to have Sophie take her name. And, since she was 101, we told her as soon as possible!!!!
Christmas and New Years passed quickly. It seemed like we wouldn't have anything much for Christmas, but we had an anonymous benefactor who left us two HUGE presents. Right at the last moment, we were able to get a little bit for everyone. On Christmas day, we opened most everything and saved the two big boxes for last. We had the most amazing experience as we opened them up and pulled out gift after gift that was meant for someone in the family! There even was a Blue Ray DVD player at the bottom of one of the boxes!!!! We were humbled and so grateful for our bounteous blessings we had poured upon us that day!!!
I'm pretty sure I had pneumonia several times over during the next couple of months, but the doctor's didn't believe me. One doctor had the audacity to suggest I was feeling the way I was because I was pregnant. He even pulled out a physiology book and tried to show me a picture to support his findings. And that was after I told him it was my 11th child I was pregnant with!!!!
In April, for Spring Break, we headed down the state for St. George and our Hinton Family Reunion. It was the Sunday of General Conference -- Easter Sunday. Cecilia was driving -- part of her 40 hours of driving she was trying to accumulate, and as we were climbing the mountain just past Scipio, our van simply stopped working. She managed to tug and pull until we were off the road just at the start of an off-ramp. We texted mom and dad Hinton, and they rallied quickly to come rescue us. Dad Hinton and Adam each drove a vehicle and headed up the state to pick us up, but on the way, Dad Hinton's truck broke down. They miraculously found someone open in a small town on Sunday and they actually had the part and was able to fix it right then. Tender mercies for sure!!! After a couple of hours waiting for that to get fixed, they were able to continue on the way to pick us up. When they got there, we were able to unload everything from our van into Dad's truck and find a seat belt for everyone except Ladd for the trip back to St. George. Ladd laid down on the floor of Adam's van and slept for most of the way back! We towed our van and left it at a car place in Fillmore, then hauled down the state in hopes to make it to Hyrum's baptism. We got there late, and were not prepared for the baptism. Jarom was in pajama bottoms. Shalyn didn't have shoes. Some of the girl's hair looked like it had been saved from the light socket. I was in flip flops. And, we got there just as the children were supposed to go up and sing a musical number. To my horror, I found them grinning and singing gamely with the rest of their cousins! Horror of horrors! What a nightmare! Despite it all, the spirit felt there at the baptism was sweet and everyone seemed to be incredibly understanding!
That week, for some reason, there were enough seat belts for all of our family in everyone else's cars. It was like some farce being played on Musical Chairs. But, we all got where we were going and enjoyed being with each other that week. As we neared the end of the week, Ladd and I made some hard decisions and decided to have our van towed to St. George and put a used motor and transmission in it. Then, we were stuck with trying to get the rest of our family up the state. As I recall, it took three trips and one of them was a ward member who drove his van down the state with Ladd despite not being able to turn his van off for fear of it not starting again. We even held our breaths as he gassed up his van while it was still running!!! So, once we were all back home, we took our turn having Kristen sleep over while the Olsen's were on one of the "family vacations." It took us three trips to go to church. Dad and Mom Hinton had generously sent us with their truck for as long as it took, so we had our five passenger sedan and the truck that could seat six. What an adventure we had that month it took to get the van fixed trying to get all of us where we needed to go. What a humbling experience to be at the mercy of the goodness of the people in our lives! A couple of weeks after getting home, my sister, Melanie, drove her car up and gave it to me. Wow. Talk about a gift and a half! She made some excuse about always wanting to buy a mini. :) We finally got our van back!! I drove some of the girls down with me in dad and mom's truck and exchanged it for our van. While I was down there, Melanie helped me track down the title to her car and deed it over to us officially! So blessed!!!
By this time, Garrett had completely finished turning in his mission papers, and he got his mission call! He was going to the Hamilton, New Zealand mission and would start in the New Zealand MTC. That meant that he would leave from the airport on October 6th, 2015! I found the process of getting his visa taken care of a pain in the neck! He actually had to get a background report from the FBI done as well as a visit to the only immigration doctor in Utah! I didn't know there was such a thing as an immigration doctor! When Garrett was filling out his papers, we couldn't find his passport. Shortly after getting his call, he found it!!!! We think he had to wait until October because of the passport mix-up, but I'm pretty sure it was all on God's timing!
Cali and Cecilia got a job! They started working at JCW's near Thanksgiving point. Thanks to their job, they single handedly paid for their marching band fees for the 2015-2016 season!!!
Garrett and Cecilia took their AP tests and then Garrett started gearing up for his graduations. He went to all the fun activities that come with the end of a senior year. He was asked to speak at Seminary Graduation!!! He did a marvelous job! I'm so grateful that was important to him! And, we went to his high school graduation too close to the start of the graduation. Finding a place for all of us to sit was quite the chore!!! Cali's "boyfriend's" dad was a great help. He was the one to find us a place to sit! Thank you Mr. Wiltbank!! Dad Hinton had brought all of his high tech camera stuff. It sure came in handy!!! We got close up pictures of Garrett as a result. Our first graduate! Wow!! Dad and Mom Hinton and Dad and Mom Olsen and Kristen all joined us there. Cali actually played in the band that played at the graduation. That made finding her tricky!. Ladd and I took Garrett out to eat to celebrate. Garrett chose a fast food Hawaiian place in hopes he could taste some food he might possible get in New Zealand. Another year was over and done!!!!!!
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Summer 2014 -- a doozy if I've ever seen one!
So, if I wrote Sentences for each and every event we went through for the summer, this post would be massive. As it is, we will have trouble containing the length of this missive. So, I will try bullet points for the most part. Here goes:
-Movie in the Park. Adam came with some of the kids and me to watch some of the Apple Dumpling Gang. He was finishing up work and had just moved out of their house they had lived in for a couple of years; crossing his fingers they would be able to buy another home in Pleasant Grove.
-James and I found we had Pneumonia -- different weeks apart, but close enough to make us weak at the thought!! I found out I had pneumonia only days before our flight to Cancun. So, I wore a mask on the plane!
-Ladd, Garrett, and I went to Cancun, Mexico (actually stayed about an hour South? in Akumal, Mexico). It was a surreal vacation for me. We were with quite a number of Ladd's family living right on the beach. We went to numerous archaeology ruins as a group, and Ladd and I went to one by ourselves. Ladd and I had most of the time to ourselves, it seemed. I loved every moment of it! On Sunday, we went to church, and in Relief Society, I was asked to lead the music. It was one of the more sacred moments of my life. To be able to serve other sisters in a different language without being able to understand them with only the spirit to aid me was truly a humbling and grateful experience!!!
-While we were in Cancun, Adam and Kelsy watched the kids. When we got back, they had done considerable cleaning, yard work, and Adam had even painted some of our walls upstairs!!! Talk about going the second mile!!! They also stayed a week or so after we got back.
-Cali had Leadership Camp in June early on for a week for Marching Band. Marching Band practices began in earnest. During the summer, Cali, Cecilia, and Jarom had eight parades. I think I only saw them in maybe two or three. Adam went for one of them. :)
-Garrett started work for Grandpa Olsen a couple of days a week.
-Summer Seminary was on Thursdays, and the oldest four all tried to go to as many as they could.
-Fundraisers galore! Cali, Cecilia, and Jarom participated in so many for Marching Band. One of which was the march-a-thon.
-Mckenzie, Ruby, and Lena all had soccer camp for a couple of days.
-Jarom and James had scout camp. They finished many merit badges and seemed to enjoy their week with the scouts.
-Cecilia had a "Mayfair" performance with colorguard, and bought a beautiful white dress for that night.
-I took the younger kids to a park in American Fork, and saw there was a museum that bordered the park. We went to visit the museum, and the girls all seemed to love it. So, I brought all the kids back the next Monday.
-Cali started clarinet lessons!
-I took James on down to the A. Lavar Hinton Reunion by myself. Our tent door zipper didn't work. But, even with all the work, it was fun to see everyone that was able to come.
-At the same time as the reunion, Garrett had his Priest Encampment -- Army of Helamen. He had helped on the Stake level to help plan it, and was very vested in the whole experience!
-We seemed to be bombarded with doctors, dentist, and eye appointments during summer. Here's the breakdown per month:
June -- 5
July -- 34
Aug. -- 8 or 9
-Alyssa's 4th birthday on July 1st!
-Ladd had his 11 year old camp the first part of July.
-Garrett, Cali, and Cecilia had a day at Fidelity that was all about finances.
-They had a stake dance only two days before Jarom turned 14. I was horrified to find out that Jarom had asked the Bishop if he would let him go two days before his birthday!!! I thought we had taught him!!!!
-On July 13th was Kaleb's farewell. He left that week. It was a huge event and had even more impact for our older kids.
-Jarom had his 14th birthday on the 14th day of July in 2014!!!
-That same week, we had the River Run. Garrett, James, Mckenzie, and Ruby went down lots. I even got to go down the main canyon a couple of times for the first time in quite a few years! Cali, Cecilia, and Jarom didn't get to go.
-Mckenzie had her Activity Day Camp at This Is the State Park the day we were going to leave for our Don Hinton Family Reunion.
-Our busiest week of the Summer was July 21st thru the 27th. During that week:
Cecilia (and Cali) had ColorGuard Camp
Jarom Had Drumline Camp
Cali and Cecilia missed Girls Camp -- we just couldn't make it work!
Garrett had surgery (Veraseal sp?)
We went down for the Don Hinton Reunion to St. George and the Pine Valley Cabin. Cali, Cecilia, and Jarom weren't able to go to the reunion.
We "celebrated" the 24th July in St. George by Ladd walking some of the younger girls down to a parade at 9 in the morning and it was too hot to stay for long!
Mckenzie had her 10th birthday which we celebrated when we got back from St. George on Sunday with Cali, Cecilia, and Jarom.
-Cali, Jarom, and Cecilia had Pre-game Camp which went from 8 to 5 every day.
-Mckenzie had another Activity Day camp, but this one was at the stake center.
-Aug. 4th-9th was a busy week as well.
Garrett had EFY the same time as Parker and Connor.
Cali, Cecilia, and Jarom also had Band Camp.
We had Mckenzie's party/sleepover. I didn't get much sleep. . . .
I went to Chelsea's baby shower at Jill's house.
-Garrett started working on his Eagle Project! Thus began a frantic run to finish it within a month!
-Garrett, Jarom, James, and Ladd had a court of honor. James was awarded the 2nd Class for the second time! Sometimes I wish mothers were allowed to speak at their Board of Review!!
-Only a week after Mckenzie's party, we celebrated Ruby's birthday first with a party/sleepover, and then had our family celebration on her birthday. I've decided those two girls have had the only sleepover I will allow in their entire lives!!!
-Somewhere in here, Lena and Alyssa and a friend of theirs entered a neighbor's house when they weren't home through the doggy door, cut each other's hair, found some paint, and ruined some household items painting a wall in their upstairs. As a result, I spent a frantic hour or so trying to get the paint out of their carpet. I grounded both of them for over a month!!!
-Garrett had a campout.
-We went to the Fidelity Fun Run Day (but none of us ran!).
-James started school (much to his chagrin) on the 18th of August for a quick run through.
-Everyone started school on the 19th. However, the High School had a bomb threat, so Garrett, Cali, and Cecilia didn't get to go on their first day of school!!
-Shalyn crippled our laptop by pulling out all the keys on the laptop plus the little connections underneath so we can't just put them back.
-I took Lena and Alyssa over to help sand the wall they painted. I don't think they enjoyed the experience, but I hope it got through to them somehow.
-Only a day or two after school started, the High School had their picture days. I missed paying for Cecilia's, so we had to have her go to the make-up day!
-On Aug. 23rd, Jarom went to his first dance!!!
-Lena started school on the 26th of Aug.
-BYU football started once again!
And now, we find ourselves once again into another school year!!!!
-Movie in the Park. Adam came with some of the kids and me to watch some of the Apple Dumpling Gang. He was finishing up work and had just moved out of their house they had lived in for a couple of years; crossing his fingers they would be able to buy another home in Pleasant Grove.
-James and I found we had Pneumonia -- different weeks apart, but close enough to make us weak at the thought!! I found out I had pneumonia only days before our flight to Cancun. So, I wore a mask on the plane!
-Ladd, Garrett, and I went to Cancun, Mexico (actually stayed about an hour South? in Akumal, Mexico). It was a surreal vacation for me. We were with quite a number of Ladd's family living right on the beach. We went to numerous archaeology ruins as a group, and Ladd and I went to one by ourselves. Ladd and I had most of the time to ourselves, it seemed. I loved every moment of it! On Sunday, we went to church, and in Relief Society, I was asked to lead the music. It was one of the more sacred moments of my life. To be able to serve other sisters in a different language without being able to understand them with only the spirit to aid me was truly a humbling and grateful experience!!!
-While we were in Cancun, Adam and Kelsy watched the kids. When we got back, they had done considerable cleaning, yard work, and Adam had even painted some of our walls upstairs!!! Talk about going the second mile!!! They also stayed a week or so after we got back.
-Cali had Leadership Camp in June early on for a week for Marching Band. Marching Band practices began in earnest. During the summer, Cali, Cecilia, and Jarom had eight parades. I think I only saw them in maybe two or three. Adam went for one of them. :)
-Garrett started work for Grandpa Olsen a couple of days a week.
-Summer Seminary was on Thursdays, and the oldest four all tried to go to as many as they could.
-Fundraisers galore! Cali, Cecilia, and Jarom participated in so many for Marching Band. One of which was the march-a-thon.
-Mckenzie, Ruby, and Lena all had soccer camp for a couple of days.
-Jarom and James had scout camp. They finished many merit badges and seemed to enjoy their week with the scouts.
-Cecilia had a "Mayfair" performance with colorguard, and bought a beautiful white dress for that night.
-I took the younger kids to a park in American Fork, and saw there was a museum that bordered the park. We went to visit the museum, and the girls all seemed to love it. So, I brought all the kids back the next Monday.
-Cali started clarinet lessons!
-I took James on down to the A. Lavar Hinton Reunion by myself. Our tent door zipper didn't work. But, even with all the work, it was fun to see everyone that was able to come.
-At the same time as the reunion, Garrett had his Priest Encampment -- Army of Helamen. He had helped on the Stake level to help plan it, and was very vested in the whole experience!
-We seemed to be bombarded with doctors, dentist, and eye appointments during summer. Here's the breakdown per month:
June -- 5
July -- 34
Aug. -- 8 or 9
-Alyssa's 4th birthday on July 1st!
-Ladd had his 11 year old camp the first part of July.
-Garrett, Cali, and Cecilia had a day at Fidelity that was all about finances.
-They had a stake dance only two days before Jarom turned 14. I was horrified to find out that Jarom had asked the Bishop if he would let him go two days before his birthday!!! I thought we had taught him!!!!
-On July 13th was Kaleb's farewell. He left that week. It was a huge event and had even more impact for our older kids.
-Jarom had his 14th birthday on the 14th day of July in 2014!!!
-That same week, we had the River Run. Garrett, James, Mckenzie, and Ruby went down lots. I even got to go down the main canyon a couple of times for the first time in quite a few years! Cali, Cecilia, and Jarom didn't get to go.
-Mckenzie had her Activity Day Camp at This Is the State Park the day we were going to leave for our Don Hinton Family Reunion.
-Our busiest week of the Summer was July 21st thru the 27th. During that week:
Cecilia (and Cali) had ColorGuard Camp
Jarom Had Drumline Camp
Cali and Cecilia missed Girls Camp -- we just couldn't make it work!
Garrett had surgery (Veraseal sp?)
We went down for the Don Hinton Reunion to St. George and the Pine Valley Cabin. Cali, Cecilia, and Jarom weren't able to go to the reunion.
We "celebrated" the 24th July in St. George by Ladd walking some of the younger girls down to a parade at 9 in the morning and it was too hot to stay for long!
Mckenzie had her 10th birthday which we celebrated when we got back from St. George on Sunday with Cali, Cecilia, and Jarom.
-Cali, Jarom, and Cecilia had Pre-game Camp which went from 8 to 5 every day.
-Mckenzie had another Activity Day camp, but this one was at the stake center.
-Aug. 4th-9th was a busy week as well.
Garrett had EFY the same time as Parker and Connor.
Cali, Cecilia, and Jarom also had Band Camp.
We had Mckenzie's party/sleepover. I didn't get much sleep. . . .
I went to Chelsea's baby shower at Jill's house.
-Garrett started working on his Eagle Project! Thus began a frantic run to finish it within a month!
-Garrett, Jarom, James, and Ladd had a court of honor. James was awarded the 2nd Class for the second time! Sometimes I wish mothers were allowed to speak at their Board of Review!!
-Only a week after Mckenzie's party, we celebrated Ruby's birthday first with a party/sleepover, and then had our family celebration on her birthday. I've decided those two girls have had the only sleepover I will allow in their entire lives!!!
-Somewhere in here, Lena and Alyssa and a friend of theirs entered a neighbor's house when they weren't home through the doggy door, cut each other's hair, found some paint, and ruined some household items painting a wall in their upstairs. As a result, I spent a frantic hour or so trying to get the paint out of their carpet. I grounded both of them for over a month!!!
-Garrett had a campout.
-We went to the Fidelity Fun Run Day (but none of us ran!).
-James started school (much to his chagrin) on the 18th of August for a quick run through.
-Everyone started school on the 19th. However, the High School had a bomb threat, so Garrett, Cali, and Cecilia didn't get to go on their first day of school!!
-Shalyn crippled our laptop by pulling out all the keys on the laptop plus the little connections underneath so we can't just put them back.
-I took Lena and Alyssa over to help sand the wall they painted. I don't think they enjoyed the experience, but I hope it got through to them somehow.
-Only a day or two after school started, the High School had their picture days. I missed paying for Cecilia's, so we had to have her go to the make-up day!
-On Aug. 23rd, Jarom went to his first dance!!!
-Lena started school on the 26th of Aug.
-BYU football started once again!
And now, we find ourselves once again into another school year!!!!
Finishing off the school year. . . .
From April to May we started subtracting out all of our previous weekly activities one by one. There were a few things of note that stood out as I stared at my calendar for those two months. Cecilia had two separate awards assemblies she was a part of. She won an award for excelling in CTE. And, for Winterguard, she got several awards from her participation in Winterguard (she says it was Fan Favorite). Garrett and Cali went to MORP and their group met for part of their date at our house. Cali asked Yoshi Wiltbank and they became an "item" quickly. Garrett was asked by Lizzie Davis. And, they were in the same group. Garrett also went on several dates with Kaleb guiding his efforts there. We had concerts galore for every reason possible -- band, choir, dance, and gymnastics. Marching Band started up practices in middle of May for Cali (drum major again), Cecilia (riffle this year), and Jarom (Tom on Drumline!!). The boys and Ladd went for some of Father's and Sons. Melanie came for a little trip over a weekend. I took her shopping, and she bought a skirt for me. The day after she left, my dad came for a surprise visit for only a half an hour, but it raised my spirits considerably to see him!!! The elementary school kids had Field day, and James had his sixth grade dance. I think we just came to Mapleton on Memorial Day itself. I don't remember what we did for the rest of the weekend. . . . Garrett and Cali both played in the band for graduation, and so our family traditions on the last day of school were a bit messed up. And, for the first time in years, we didn't sort papers of any way, shape, or form. They are still calling to me. . . . And thus ended our 2013-2014 school year.
Friday, September 12, 2014
2 + 5 = #
I despised math as I tripped through school. And, I know numbers don't matter. People matter. But I've got numbers on my brain this morning. And their implications and impact on my living.
It started with just two of us. Five years later, it was six of us living in a one bedroom apartment up on the third floor without a washer and dryer in it. I potty trained my first two at the same time. Not fun. Especially since just one of them tinkled in the toilet (thankfully!!!) twenty-three times in that first day. Once my first child started school, I sent another child to Kindergarten for the next three years in a row. Pretty soon, I had five children in Elementary school. When I went to the school for the Christmas singing concert, only two grades didn't have one of my children in it -- for four years in a row. And, I've had at least two at home as well, sometimes three since then. I had seven children in Primary all at the same time (if you count Nursery as part of Primary -- is that cheating?). The next year, we had two people in the house who held the Priesthood. For three years, we had seven children in school. For two years, we had eight lunches we had to make everyday. I counted once how many slices of bread we went through with just the seven that were making lunches for school. Twenty-four slices. That's twelve sandwiches for seven people. Yes, I had a teenager in my home. Then the oldest one got braces. Now, fewer sandwiches, but still roughly a loaf of bread a day for lunches. I taught my oldest two to drive at the same time. If you thought potty training two at the same time was bad. . . . Eighty hours of driving in six months or so. Whew! Four licensed drivers. Two needy cars. Now, we have ten children. Seven girls. Three boys. Five teenagers with raging hormones (if you count the twelve year old a teenager -- he sure acts and smells and eats like one) that communicate with lots of unexpected emotion and hilariously faulty logic. Innumerable crazy discussions about silly things. Five people with long hair. Four people needing haircuts each month. Twelve people in eight bedrooms (one isn't technically a bedroom). Four children with their own room. Twelve beds to change. Three sets of bedding to wash almost everyday. One child in diapers. Three bathrooms. Eight children in school. One in 12th grade, one in 11th grade, one in 10th grade, and one in 9th grade. Three children in High School. Two children in Middle School. Three children in Elementary School. Fourty-two teachers (My oldest has one period of release time or it would be forty-three.) to communicate with at Back to School Night or Parent Teacher Conferences and when trouble arises. That also meant forty-two school disclosures to read and sign this past month. Five CC&R's to attend. Four children in Seminary. Seven children baptized. Four priesthood holders in our house. Three children with Presidency meetings to attend. Five children that can go do baptisms for the dead. (Try keeping track of that many recommends!) Almost (two weeks shy) ten children in their own classes at church. Hurray! Six babysitters (I'm counting my 10 year old who is better than two of her older brothers' combined efforts!). Two children in Activity Days. Five children going to Young Men's and Young Women's each week. Three boy scouts. Two children completing personal progress goals. Two children working on Faith in God. Three children working on Duty to God. Three children in marching band with practices or performances on up to six days a week for sixteen weeks straight (if you don't count the summer). Eight children with claims on two limping computers each night for homework. Eight children keeping track of reading hours (That's right, folks. Even my senior has to keep track! Something is wrong with this world, I tell you!). Luckily, only one of those who can't read on her own yet. Possibly six science fair projects to dread this year. Just loads of fun. Ten backpacks for eight children (Remember there are A and B days. It could be worse!). I'm positive I can't count how many shoes we rotate through on a weekly basis. Nine children forgetting to put things away or close doors. (Twenty-two doors.) One climbing baby that treads through the house like King Kong leaving destruction in her wake. Three meals to make every day. Twenty-one meals a week to plan and prepare. Twenty-one meals to clean up each week. Thirty-six plates. Thirty(?) bowls. We can eat two meals before we start running out of dishes to use and have to get creative. Ten gallons of milk a week. Three pounds of noodles or four cups of uncooked rice for our dinner meal. We can eat seventy-five tortillas a week without even blinking. We have three working TV's we use on a regular basis. Six remotes. Twelve opinions. I'm guessing here, but I think we own close to a couple hundred movies, and maybe over a thousand books we must store somewhere. Don't get me started on the games, bikes, ski gear, river rafting paraphernalia, and piano books. And Papers. They're out of control. Six and a half filing cabinets don't take care of that problem, silly enough. One calendar. Not enough white spaces. Three outer windows are broken and taped up. The oven door and fireplace glass have been shattered for over a year at least. One working dishwasher, two refrigerators, three freezers, one oven, one washer, one dryer, four couches, one table we squish around at our meals, and at least thirteen laundry baskets. I do a minimum of ten laundry loads a week. I'm guessing it is closer to fifteen or more. Two vacuums -- neither one of them capable of suctioning dirt. Nine dressers, five of them work properly. Eight desks and only one of them used to do homework. One piano, nine people who know something of how to play it. One clarinet. Two children with multiple drumsticks. One broken snare drum. One beginning xylophone. Five or more flags and one rifle for two children. One drum major baton. Four children that want to be in dance or gymnastics so badly, but can't. Six of us go to church choir each week. Six children wish they could play soccer. Seven budding artists (at the minimum). One Eagle Project. Eight alarm clocks. Only three that seem to work on a regular basis. Two cell phones, one itouch, and one ipod. Twelve birthdays each year. Between July 1st and October 1st, we have six of those birthdays. Twenty-four feet, hands, ears, and eyes. We constantly have someone who is sick or with a health complaint that requires a doctor's care. And, as the doctor told me himself, when someone gets the flu at our house, it quickly becomes an epidemic. Twelve voices speaking, usually all at once. Eleven people to hug me and tell me they love me each night (That's the best one.) And it goes on and on. . . .
It started with just two of us. Five years later, it was six of us living in a one bedroom apartment up on the third floor without a washer and dryer in it. I potty trained my first two at the same time. Not fun. Especially since just one of them tinkled in the toilet (thankfully!!!) twenty-three times in that first day. Once my first child started school, I sent another child to Kindergarten for the next three years in a row. Pretty soon, I had five children in Elementary school. When I went to the school for the Christmas singing concert, only two grades didn't have one of my children in it -- for four years in a row. And, I've had at least two at home as well, sometimes three since then. I had seven children in Primary all at the same time (if you count Nursery as part of Primary -- is that cheating?). The next year, we had two people in the house who held the Priesthood. For three years, we had seven children in school. For two years, we had eight lunches we had to make everyday. I counted once how many slices of bread we went through with just the seven that were making lunches for school. Twenty-four slices. That's twelve sandwiches for seven people. Yes, I had a teenager in my home. Then the oldest one got braces. Now, fewer sandwiches, but still roughly a loaf of bread a day for lunches. I taught my oldest two to drive at the same time. If you thought potty training two at the same time was bad. . . . Eighty hours of driving in six months or so. Whew! Four licensed drivers. Two needy cars. Now, we have ten children. Seven girls. Three boys. Five teenagers with raging hormones (if you count the twelve year old a teenager -- he sure acts and smells and eats like one) that communicate with lots of unexpected emotion and hilariously faulty logic. Innumerable crazy discussions about silly things. Five people with long hair. Four people needing haircuts each month. Twelve people in eight bedrooms (one isn't technically a bedroom). Four children with their own room. Twelve beds to change. Three sets of bedding to wash almost everyday. One child in diapers. Three bathrooms. Eight children in school. One in 12th grade, one in 11th grade, one in 10th grade, and one in 9th grade. Three children in High School. Two children in Middle School. Three children in Elementary School. Fourty-two teachers (My oldest has one period of release time or it would be forty-three.) to communicate with at Back to School Night or Parent Teacher Conferences and when trouble arises. That also meant forty-two school disclosures to read and sign this past month. Five CC&R's to attend. Four children in Seminary. Seven children baptized. Four priesthood holders in our house. Three children with Presidency meetings to attend. Five children that can go do baptisms for the dead. (Try keeping track of that many recommends!) Almost (two weeks shy) ten children in their own classes at church. Hurray! Six babysitters (I'm counting my 10 year old who is better than two of her older brothers' combined efforts!). Two children in Activity Days. Five children going to Young Men's and Young Women's each week. Three boy scouts. Two children completing personal progress goals. Two children working on Faith in God. Three children working on Duty to God. Three children in marching band with practices or performances on up to six days a week for sixteen weeks straight (if you don't count the summer). Eight children with claims on two limping computers each night for homework. Eight children keeping track of reading hours (That's right, folks. Even my senior has to keep track! Something is wrong with this world, I tell you!). Luckily, only one of those who can't read on her own yet. Possibly six science fair projects to dread this year. Just loads of fun. Ten backpacks for eight children (Remember there are A and B days. It could be worse!). I'm positive I can't count how many shoes we rotate through on a weekly basis. Nine children forgetting to put things away or close doors. (Twenty-two doors.) One climbing baby that treads through the house like King Kong leaving destruction in her wake. Three meals to make every day. Twenty-one meals a week to plan and prepare. Twenty-one meals to clean up each week. Thirty-six plates. Thirty(?) bowls. We can eat two meals before we start running out of dishes to use and have to get creative. Ten gallons of milk a week. Three pounds of noodles or four cups of uncooked rice for our dinner meal. We can eat seventy-five tortillas a week without even blinking. We have three working TV's we use on a regular basis. Six remotes. Twelve opinions. I'm guessing here, but I think we own close to a couple hundred movies, and maybe over a thousand books we must store somewhere. Don't get me started on the games, bikes, ski gear, river rafting paraphernalia, and piano books. And Papers. They're out of control. Six and a half filing cabinets don't take care of that problem, silly enough. One calendar. Not enough white spaces. Three outer windows are broken and taped up. The oven door and fireplace glass have been shattered for over a year at least. One working dishwasher, two refrigerators, three freezers, one oven, one washer, one dryer, four couches, one table we squish around at our meals, and at least thirteen laundry baskets. I do a minimum of ten laundry loads a week. I'm guessing it is closer to fifteen or more. Two vacuums -- neither one of them capable of suctioning dirt. Nine dressers, five of them work properly. Eight desks and only one of them used to do homework. One piano, nine people who know something of how to play it. One clarinet. Two children with multiple drumsticks. One broken snare drum. One beginning xylophone. Five or more flags and one rifle for two children. One drum major baton. Four children that want to be in dance or gymnastics so badly, but can't. Six of us go to church choir each week. Six children wish they could play soccer. Seven budding artists (at the minimum). One Eagle Project. Eight alarm clocks. Only three that seem to work on a regular basis. Two cell phones, one itouch, and one ipod. Twelve birthdays each year. Between July 1st and October 1st, we have six of those birthdays. Twenty-four feet, hands, ears, and eyes. We constantly have someone who is sick or with a health complaint that requires a doctor's care. And, as the doctor told me himself, when someone gets the flu at our house, it quickly becomes an epidemic. Twelve voices speaking, usually all at once. Eleven people to hug me and tell me they love me each night (That's the best one.) And it goes on and on. . . .
Thursday, August 21, 2014
A rare Vacation. . . .
Ladd and I take our children river rafting every year. We go camping and hiking when we can. We attend family reunions in various places. We also spend several days up at Deer Valley letting Ladd and the children up their skiing skills. But, we rarely take our family on a REAL vacation. It's not that we don't want to. It's finances and time conspiring against us. Oh, and our van is ancient. It even squeaks. It takes a deep breath to simply consider risking a vacation in our van. But, this last Spring Break, we finally did it! We had a REAL vacation. By a REAL vacation, we mean sleeping in a motel and going to exotic places that cost serious money for a family with ten children. So, what did we do? We went to California! We left on April 4th at 9 at night since James, Mckenzie and I were either helping with or performing in the Elementary musical. We drove up to the curb of my parent's home rather late (or early depending on your perspective!). We crashed on floors, beds, and couches. Said a brief hello to my folks, and then headed off for a day of driving to California. We listened to General Conference during the day. I was afraid our reception wouldn't be very good, but we caught most of the first two sessions. We found our motel to be a little wanting -- especially since our oldest five were in a hotel room down the walkway with numerous rooms in between ours. And, we soon found the continental breakfast to be lacking in choices. But, we got unloaded and I took James with me to walk across the street to Taco Bell to find us something to eat for dinner. We all ate and watched TV (Ladd and the boys watched the Priesthood session) before starting baths. Sunday, we watched the last two sessions of General Conference, then went on a very long drive! We finally found one of the temples in the Los Angelos area, ate a bit of dinner in the parking lot, walked around the temple taking pictures, and ended our visit in the visitor's center. Afterwards, we drove for quite awhile trying to find the Hollywood sign on the side of the mountain. We got back fairly late, and after prepping for Disneyland, we went to bed. We got off to Disneyland a little bit later than hoped, and joined the hoards of people all walking to Disneyland. Our hotel was supposed to be only two blocks away from Disneyland. I knew the blocks were going to be long blocks, but I'm convinced that whoever wrote that description didn't know how to count. It took forever to walk there. And, we were tired when we got there! We found out at the gate that we couldn't take our cooler on wheels into the park with us, so there was some trouble trying to find a locker for it, and meet up afterwards, but finally, we were able to walk into Disneyland. We spent some time doing some of the smaller children rides, but we eventually split up so the older kids could go on some older rides. Thankfully, we made use of the stroller rule and the fast track lines, so I was able to go on some of the older rides, too. Unfortunately, Alyssa and Shalyn didn't like that very much! We saw a mickey mouse show that showcased several different Disney shows which all of the kids liked. For lunch, we went out of the park to the locker and ate our lunch there. We did our very best to ride as many rides as we could, and keep going until our time was up, but we were all tired out quicker than the closing hour. We also couldn't bring ourselves to pay for dinner within the park, so we tried to wait until we left to eat. We limped back towards our hotel, stopping at the Carl's Jr. next door to assuage our growling tummies at 9 at night. There was some discussion as to where to go the next day, and we finally decided on Sea World. Tuesday, we finally got into the car, and drove down to San Diego to go to Sea World. We saw some of the shows, saw lots of animals in exhibits, and rode as many rides as we could. I believe I tried three different times to ride one particular ride. The ride was shut down the first two times I tried! We split up lots during the afternoon. Ladd and I even got to go on a ride by ourselves. The older kids and Ladd went places while I watched the younger kids, then I went on a couple of rides with Ruby while Ladd watched the youngest girls and the older kids did their own things. When the older kids went off by themselves, they got onto a ride that shut down while they were on it! They sat suspended for 20 minutes before the ride continued! What an experience! We finally tried meeting up right at closing time only to discover that Alyssa was missing. We split up and searched. I tried going to the lost and found (the place I was directed to by security). People kept telling them things like, "I've lost my armani sunglasses." Finally, I was able to have my turn, and right as I started giving them Alyssa's description, James came to find me and tell me she had been found. Both Garrett and James claim to be the ones who found her. Thankfully, Alyssa didn't feel lost. She was in a store trying on sunglasses. Sure gave us all a scare!! We finally got all of us bathroomed and into the car. We were all starving, so we stopped off at Costco for some pizza, and Ladd and I picked up quite a few other things for us to eat throughout the rest of the week. We decided to go to the beach on Wednesday. It included a trip down a magnificently long strip of stairs. Not fun carrying all our stuff down there! But, we all had fun! That night, I did some laundry, and we ate leftovers. On Thursday, we went to California Adventure Park. This time, we drove and parked in the parking lot and took the shuttle. We ate tortillas for lunch. We hit all the major rides much to Alyssa and Lena's chagrin. I did feed them quite a few skittles to placate them. We watched part of a parade, and thought we had lost Alyssa for a few minutes. She had just decided to move to a different table than the one we were at. The older kids discovered the cartoon drawing place, and wanted to do that hour after hour. Finally, Ladd and I took the young girls back to the hotel. The older kids saw some of the light show at night, and just walked home when they were done. Friday morning, I dropped Ladd and the oldest nine children off at Disneyland so I could do some cleaning and organizing and packing. I also heated up the chimichungas before I took Shalyn and headed off for Disneyland. I finally met up with everyone. Evidently, they had spent most of the morning getting signatures of Disney Characters. We ate chimichungas, and went to see It's a Small World (it had been closed before that). We saw the parade, saw another show (Beauty and the Beast?), and at a few snacks at the Golden Horseshoe before watching the show there. We crammed in the favorite rides at night. We also bought something for everyone before the park closed. Saturday, we packed everything up, and headed for Universal Studios. We really didn't feel like we did everything we could've done there, but we went on some of their big 3-D rides and took the tour. Finally, we decided it would have to do, and headed out of the park. We loaded in, and got on our way back to St. George just before it got dark. We stopped at a McDonald's and made them widen their eyes at our order. We traveled all night, and got into bed around 4 or 5 in the morning. We finally dragged ourselves to a Sacrament Meeting at a different church than my parents' ward. We spent some time visiting before we loaded in and drove back to our home here in Saratoga Springs. And thus ended our REAL vacation. Now, I don't know how other people do REAL vacations, but this is how we did ours. We played hard, skimped on sleeping and food, and found ourselves exhausted by the time we were done. But, we had fun while we were there!!!
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