School Pictures...

A couple of years ago I stopped buying the school pictures and decided we could do better--you seriously had to see these photos they were crooked, and had a all sorts of weird smiles, and of course, expensive.

So here is our latest attempt, that's how we spent our last family night. For some reason Timo's black and white version is not in the file.

Taran and Timo are swamped with school work, especially Taran with 2 APs (US History & AB Calculus), Physics and Spanish 4. His schedule puts me to shame! The other kids seem to like their teachers and I think this week they might actually start doing homework. I barely got to all the teachers at Back to School Night since I have 4 at the school this year but I did get lucky in that the kindergarten Back to School Night is Tuesday. I didn't bother with the High School or Jr High ones since I had things going on already those nights.

Gwen is bored and I am not sure how we are going to handle Zane being gone. She is in a playgroup and a dance class and I'll post pictures soon of those!

Soon I'll post soccer photos, I am just missing a few pictures--some kids are making it hard to get their photo taken! We have 5 games most Saturdays and a couple during the week and practices. It's all manageable since it's nearby and we have neighbors who can help out! Emily and Izak are refereeing this year and I coordinate referees for 3 fields. There have actually been some issues with a coach this year that will be resolved soon--I hope!!

Big news Taran asked a friend to Homecoming last week. Now he and his friends are trying to plan it. I am excited for him to go on his first date. It should be fun, we knew this girl when we lived in Orem, they were our neighbors but that was 13 years ago. Luckily we have kept in touch and they moved to Highland not too far from where we are so he was able to get reacquainted. They have Spanish 4 together.

I wish I had time to write about everything that has been going on but so much has happened that it's too much and some should not be shared. In a nutshell it has been a very stressful 2 weeks and starting school just added to the stress. I am optimistic that if I can get rid of my cold which I am sure was brought on by the stress not to mention a couple of pounds I may have gained while emotionally eating!) I will have a better disposition to handle the next wave of stress. Can I just say that I am grateful for prayer and it's power to bless and comfort my life!

First Day of Kindergarten!

So Zane FINALLY got to go to school today! Here they test the kindergartners over a week long process to assess their needs. This is fine for kids who don't have older siblings in school but for kid number 6 he was very anxious to get to go to school! He doesn't really have anyone in his class but a girl from preschool so he will make lots of friends. I like his teacher she taught Taran and Timo when they were in 1st grade. I think there are 6 kindergarten classes, so there is another 8 AM class and a few neighbors are in that one so we will carpool with them starting next week. I only got teary twice as I contemplate my littlest boy is now in school. He is such a unique individual, as they all are, but you always hope that their teacher will appreciate them for their cute individual self. So 6 down and one to go...wow. Some days I have thought this will never come I will always have all these little ones at home. But it is coming and part of me is sad and part of me is happy to move to new adventures. Taran will be old enough to serve a mission when Gwen starts school, that will be an adventure for sure!

A Disabled Veteran Speaks Out

You've probably already seen it but I thought it was worth passing along just in case you haven't.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUxjBpuwU-o

1st Day of School for 5 of the 6

So today we had our first day of school except kindergartners start next week--they do assessment testing over the next week with the students. I think Emily & Micah were the only two genuinely excited about going back. They also have more friends who live out of the neighborhood than the others. Everyone came back pretty upbeat despite looking less than thrilled. Timo has an AP class he is dreading but he can do it! Taran has 2 AP classes and Spanish 4 which will be his hardest classes. I was dreading school but have faced the music that summer can't last forever and there is a time to play and time to work. Soccer starts this Saturday so I'll have to post a photo of our 6 soccer players!

Day 3: The Curse of Parley Canyon

 

So the last day we actually spent in Park City shopping, no pictures of shopping--the boys would never allow it! But I did get a shot of this cool old barn in Park City as we drove by! We had planned to go to Salt Lake City and see some sights we haven't seen in awhile but we spent too much time in Park City. Tim took the little ones back to the kiddie rides since we had tickets for them still. I took the rest of the kids shopping, we actually split up the big boys wanted to go to the sports outlets. Tim bought lunch on his way to meet up with us. We it at the nice tables in the outlet. We went to Walmart afterward to get some bottled water and ended up with some other things as well. That's when we decided to head home. I fell asleep as soon as we got onto the freeway. Next thing I remember is Tim saying "I have to turn off the power steering went out!" WHAT? So we got off and found a Smith's grocery store parking lot to stop at. We checked it out, the radiator we knew was on it's last leg but our mechanic has been patching it for us but now we think we really need a new one. But I noticed the belt was lose and sure enough Tim got under and the steering pulley (?) was gone. Okay, this is non-mechanic me trying to remember exactly Tim thought but it made sense at the time why the power steering wasn't working and the car was over heating. So I called my family our rescuers--Tim's parents would have come but they were in the temple! My mom and my sister came. My mom called AAA and got it towed free. So our dear 'mickey' van is getting fixed. But this is NOT the first time, every time we have used that canyon to get to or from Park City we have had trouble--we shot a rod in our 'mini' van one year! We are glutens for punishment, we love Park City but our vehicles don't! My sister was sweet and took the kids in her car for milkshakes and Tim bought us snow cones while we waited for the tow guy. It was still a great mini-vacation despite the ending! But now you can see why we rented a vehicle the last time we went to California!

Day 2 at the Park City Resort

 

On Tuesday we went to the Park City Resort Area where they have an Alpine Slide, a mountain coaster, a zip line, bungee jumping on a tramp, kiddie rides and horseback riding in the summer. Last time we were here I was pregnant with Gwen so I couldn't go on anything. This time I was able to take Gwen down with me, she loved it! Zane was nervous about riding the ski lift but Tim got him to go and he loved the Alpine Slide. We tried out the coaster too, it was AMAZING. In the collage you can see photos I took as the chair carried me up--see my feet at the bottom. I took these with my phone camera. The scenery makes for a great back drop to serious fun. My sister Teresa met us up there and she joined in, she, Tim and Timo did the zip line. They had tried it last time we were there and enjoyed it. Maybe I'll try it next time--I'm not a big adrenalin addict as you see! Any way some of the kids tried the bungee jump and had fun doing flips. Later the kids went swimming. Nate and Amy and family went to the Olympic Park after they left the resort area and swam later. Teresa and I went to the outlets to do a little shopping. It was a fun time! After dinner, Emily, Maddie (my niece), Amy and I did a little more shopping. Sorry, no pictures of us shopping!

Day 1 of our Mini Vacation

 

We went to Deer Creek Resevoir in the Heber Valley on our way to Park City. Originally we were going to stay in a cabin in the Timberlakes area but we had some snags in that plan so Tim & I decided to just go to Park City instead of visiting one day of our trip. We invited Tim's sister Amy and family to join us which made it more fun all the way around. It was last minute this all came together so we are glad it all worked out. The Cranes have an inflatable raft and my dad has an inflatable canoe so we used those. Everyone had fun, it just got really windy so we left but it was time to go anyway. We stayed in condos in Park City, nothing spectacular but sufficient for our needs. We were able to use the pool at the nearby condo--these were all managed by All Seasons Resort. Amy did dinner that night, we had pizza which is always a hit! The kids did some swimming while the pizzas cooked. We actually went to bed early that night. I'll post day 2 tomorrow--I hope. Check out the collage, it's a really beautiful place!

Alzheimer's...a new word for our family.

It's not that we hadn't heard of it but it became much more personal yesterday when my dad was diagnosed with it. We had our suspicions but I know I hoped in vain that there was another reason for some of his symptoms. Tim's grandmother and great-grandmother had it so this something he and his family know all too well. So I thought I'd give you a little background that I found on one of the many websites out there about the disease. I am grateful we know what is wrong and that we can move forward helping him and my mom cope with the challenges that are coming as he worsens. On another note we are going to Park City tomorrow for a few days for a little mini-vacation before school starts so no more updates until later.

Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disorder named for German physician Alois Alzheimer, who first described it in 1906. Scientists have learned a great deal about Alzheimer’s disease in the century since Dr. Alzheimer first drew attention to it. Today we know that Alzheimer’s:

* Is a progressive and fatal brain disease. As many as 5.3 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer's destroys brain cells, causing problems with memory, thinking and behavior severe enough to affect work, lifelong hobbies or social life. Alzheimer’s gets worse over time, and it is fatal. Today it is the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States. For more information, see Warning Signs and Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease.


* Is the most common form of dementia, a general term for the loss of memory and other intellectual abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 50 to 70 percent of dementia cases. Other types of dementia include vascular dementia, mixed dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies and frontotemporal dementia. For more information about other causes of dementia, please see Related Dementias.

* Has no current cure. But treatments for symptoms, combined with the right services and support, can make life better for the millions of Americans living with Alzheimer’s. There is an accelerating worldwide effort under way to find better ways to treat the disease, delay its onset, or prevent it from developing

As for my soap box, I doubt the proposed health care plan would cover helping my father since he would be considered a detriment to society. They would probably reason that he is going to die anyway...but aren't we all? So what is ethical? Okay, hasta luego!

Summer...

Summer is flying by! I have tons of photos I haven't posted...we've had great fun with family and friends that I hope to get caught up somehow. Sometimes life is just more important than blogging, right? Please watch Arthur Brooks speech I posted before this, his research has some implications that could change our economy and social problems. I hope no one is hiding their head in the sand over the health care debate. You need to know what is proposed and let your representatives know how you feel about it. Ronald Reagan said that government programs are as close to eternal life as we have here on earth. Let's not jump into something that will take decades to get rid of once we figure out the government can't do it right! I know, as those who have read my previous post about what does the government well? I love this country and that is why I spend time each week trying to find out what the government is up to. Let's not be bullied or coerced into something that will not fix the health care problems we have. Sorry, I digress but hey it's part of my summer to be involved and try to help others know what is going on. We only have ourselves to blame if we do nothing. I know we are all busy so just remember that the next time you have to wait 2 months to get an MRI for an ill family member because of our new health care program. No promises that I will get off this soap box soon! But I do hope you are having a fabulous summer because I think we have, so far!


PS The photo is of kids playing on our basketball court late on a summer night, sweet! Nice sunset, eh?