playschool

On the first day of playschool, Ashlyn was nervous, very nervous.

She cried, hard.

She clung to me, tightly.

She didn't want to stay, at all.

Eight months later she cried because it was over.

She clung to her backpack and artwork and treasures with pride.

She didn't want it to be over, at all.

Once every month I had the privilege of having these cute kids in my home.

We colored and read and created and played.

They made me smile.

They made each other smile.

There is not a better group of playschoolers.

They were kind and polite and happy.

They listened and obeyed and shared.

I fell in love with each one of them.

And so did Ashlyn.

She couldn't wait to be with them each week.

They were her social group, her peeps.

They were her best friends.

Allison, Aleyah, Ashlyn, Bentley and Benjamin-thanks for a great year!

all-stars

At the end of June, Brandon was selected to be on the All-Star baseball team for American Fork. All I had to do was pay more money and he would be able to get a new uniform and play in a weekend All-Star tournament.

I was hesitant.

We had just finished a very long season of overlapping baseball and soccer (a difficult and stressful feat). I was done with long 3 hour games in the sun (he had 18 baseball games). And honestly, were they really asking for more money?

But he really wanted to do it.

Of course he did.

He wanted to end his baseball career as an All-Star.

And so an All-Star he became.

I drove to Salt Lake for his first 2 games. They were definitely the underdogs. They squeaked out one win and then lost miserably on the 2nd.

The next game was Saturday morning, first thing. One more loss meant elimination. Trevor was out of town and Alyssa had a big dance recital rehearsal that she couldn't miss and I had to take her, so we sent Brandon up with his coach. They would be playing the #1 team. I was confident they would lose and so was Brandon. I sent him off knowing I would see him in a few short hours when he returned home defeated.

3 hours later I got a phone call.

They had won.

They totally beat the #1 team in one of the most exciting baseball games ever.

(or so I was told)

It was a miracle.

A true glory moment.

This win enabled them to play again at noon. Another miracle occurred. Again, they pulled off a thrilling win.

And then my little All-Star and his little team found themselves in the All-Star Championship game.

The championship game.

C.H.A.M.P.I.O.N.S.H.I.P.

And where was I?

I was listening to bits and pieces between games from a very excited little voice on my cell phone, as I sat waiting for a dance recital to start.

He was an All-Star who was All-Alone.

Not a soul from his family to cheer him on.

Not a parent or a grandparent or a sibling to watch him hit, run, and slide his way through the biggest baseball game of his life.

I had sent him off at 7 in the morning expecting to see him by 11 a.m..

He got home that night at 10:00 p.m., tired, sore, and dirty with a huge 2nd place trophy and medal in his hand and a big smile on his face.

Before he even had a chance to speak, I threw him in the car and headed out to JCW's. We sat in the booth for an hour eating a giant shake as he told me every detail, every play, every hit, every catch, every feeling of those last three games.

The games I missed.

The games he will never forget.

He had no hard feelings for me. He understood.

That's just the kind of kid he is.

He is my All-Star!

thoughts on a Sunday

*What happened to the lazy days of summer? My summer has been anything but lazy. Crazy? Yes! Hazy? OK, that too, but not lazy. Vacations, camps, swimming lessons, sports, oh, and a little surgery, have made my head spin. I hear about all these people with their summer bucket lists and I wish we had one. But basically I am just trying to survive the summer. I don't know if I am going to make it. Blogging has definitely suffered, but we just had a Relief Society meeting on journaling, so I am determined to catch up.....again. We'll see how it goes.

*We went and delivered lemonades to some of our new neighbors tonight. Bryson had changed into shorts but kept his black church socks on. He then chose his black church shoes to wear for the walk. It was an interesting look. Kara or Tyler told him he looked like an Irish dancer. That was all Bryson needed to hear. He Irish danced his way along the sidewalk to each house. We were cracking up. Those little skinny legs twitching all around with his upper body steady as a statue was a sight to see. I have no idea where he has ever seen Irish dancing, but I'm telling you, he wasn't half bad.

*I was doing Ashlyn's hair one day and noticed some white flakes on her scalp. I commented "Oh, it looks like your peeling." (She had gotten a little sunburned earlier in the week) She looked a little concerned and asked me what peeling was. I said, "oh, it's just when your skin kind of comes off." Her look of concern turned quickly to a look of terror. "My skin is coming off?" It took me a while and a little more explaining to calm her down. It's funny how when you really think about what you are saying to your kids it can sound down right terrifying. I would probably become a little worried if someone casually told me my skin was comin off too.

* I was informed this week that Alyssa was playing a game on the computer (games for girls) that involved some making out in the back seat of a car. I asked her if this was true and she could not deny it. Is there really any good that comes from computer games? In my opinion , no. I mean really, making out? I must investigate this accusation further.

*Ask me how I felt when 2 scouts were killed on the same day at 2 different organized scout camps in Utah the same week my husband and 12 year old scout were at an organized scout camp in Utah. I didn't like it. Not one little bit. I was very glad to have them both safely back home. Ask me also how I feel with the news of several bear sightings at the very camp where me and Kara will be camping next week for Girls camp. Go ahead, just ask.

*Ashlyn has turned into the stoplight Nazi. Trevor taught her a little song with the help of a big purple dinosaur named Barney, about how green means go, yellow means slow and red means stop stop stop. Well, at every light we come to she yells out very specific instructions. "Red means stop mom, STOP!" The worst is yellow. "Slow down mom, you have to drive SLOW because it is yellow and that's what the song says!" Now really, who goes slow for a yellow light? To me, yellow means go a little faster so I can get to where I'm going without hitting every red light. That just doesn't fly with our little light Nazi. Thank you Trevor and Barney. Thank you very much.

*Ethan was so proud today in church. We were sitting in sacrament and he excitedly showed me his scriptures. "Mom, look, I marked my scriptures!" Now this was a big moment for him. The first scripture he ever highlighted. I took his scriptures and looked at the little crooked yellow highlighter marks. Now you would think that the word Jesus might have been in there somewhere, but no, what I read was 'I was constrained to kill Laban.' Oh brother. Boys will always be boys even when it comes to highlighting scriptures. I have yet to ask him why he felt touched or prompted to highlight this particular passage. I am hoping he isn't feeling constrained to do anything similar.

*Ashlyn's quote of the week. "Mom, I love corn and the cob. I just love it!"

*Kara's quote of the week (following EFY) "There are just so so many amazing LDS people in this world, and I'm never going to meet most of them."

*Here's a good boredom buster. Boys + a video camera + a few toy weapons + a bottle of ketchup. Yep, hours of fun. The result, the short film aptly titled "A Bloody Movie." I had no idea what they were up to and I'm kind of glad I didn't, but I did see the end result and I kind of wish I hadn't. It was very gory, lots of blood/ketchup, lots of spitting and stabbing and spurting. But I have to admit it was clever and messy and all boy. At least they rated their movie PG-13 for scenes of intense violence. Ethan was proud as can be for his cameo. He is the one who gets his head chopped off. Nice.

*And now for a more spiritual entry. Whenever Trevor and I go to the temple I like to come back and thank my kids for helping to make it possible for us to go each month by babysitting and helping out at home and I also like to share some of my thoughts and experiences with them (like the time I did the work for a woman named Cinderella, I really did). This month we did sealings, which I love to do. I came home and told them that dad and I did some sealings for a couple with the last name of Fuerer. I was so surprised when the sealer said this name, that after, I told him that it was my maiden name and asked how it was spelled. He said that they had seen that name a lot lately which I thought was really neat since I don't hear that name very often at all. Also, I did the work for a girl who was being sealed to her parents. The sealer looked down at the card and then said that she was born in 1519. This didn't really mean much to me until he paused and then said, "This child has been waiting almost 500 years for her work to be done." Then it hit me. 500 years! That is amazing. There is so much work to be done and I am so grateful to be a part of it! I love the temple and I want my kids to know that.

*Kara and Tyler just got back from a week at EFY. They both loved it. We had them each take some time and tell us all about it and share some experiences when they felt the spirit and what they learned. Brandon had also just gotten back from Scout camp and he also shared some experiences and when he felt the spirit (yes, he felt it at Scout camp!) I sat back at looked at these 3 older kids of mine and felt so grateful for them as I watched them teach my younger ones. They taught through their words and their excitement and they continue to teach each day by their example. It's a great feeling to have them working with us as examples and teachers. My little ones, and Trevor and I, sure are lucky!

I have more, but I'm out of time, so until next week! Happy Pioneer Day!

A father and his sons

hiking


breathing the fresh mountain air

sleeping in a tent (or not)

enjoying the great outdoors

waking up to this

eating breakfast with this view

I love this father

and I love his sons

And I especially love that I got to sleep in my nice warm bed while they were out being men.

They always look so forward to this day.

And so do I.

Put it in your box

I have often been asked how I organize my kid's school work. With at least 6 kids in school, all of them coming home daily with overflowing backpacks and folders this has been no easy feat. The system I started way back when Kara was in kindergarten has stood the test of time for us and has helped to keep my sanity and a little less clutter in our busy bustling household.



In my pantry (or behind my couch in our old house) each child has a box. This box is where they put everything that comes home. I look through the backpacks each day, jot down in my planner due dates etc, and then they put it all in their box. By the end of the year the boxes are overflowing.

The first week of summer is when I sort (Or I pay my daughter who is desperately trying to earn money for EFY to sort for me). One by one each box is emptied and sorted into piles. One pile for spelling tests, one for math papers, art projects, writing assignments, etc. When it is all sorted I then go through each pile and pick one or two papers from each pile to represent that subject. The rest goes in a big trash sack. Generally, I don't let the younger kids see what I am throwing out because they want to keep everything. I keep all of the awards, notes from teachers, and anything that is journal like. My older kids now can sort their own. They know to take a sample from each class they took and they know that most of it can be thrown out. When I am done I have a nice, neat, and relatively small stack of papers, awards and art projects that is a pretty good overview of the year. I then put that pile in a file folder with my child's name, teacher, school and year on it. (This process is a little time consuming, but my kids help me and it is so satisfying to finish and haul the huge bag of trash out to the recycle bin.)

And then I happily file it away. Kara's box is almost full. One more folder to add and then her box is complete. I like that when she gets married or moves out I will hand her this box, one simple box filled with her work from pre-school to senior year, all organized and neat. Just the way I like things!

family fun night

One random summer night we unexpectedly found ourselves ALL at home at the same time. This rarely happens and so we took advantage of it. We declared it a Family Fun night. And that's just what it became.

Complete with a rip roaring tic-tac-toe tournament.

If I remember right that squatting hobbit like man took home the trophy.

A little limbo.

Look at that boy bend.

We took a leisurely stroll around the neighborhood, ate some treats and then the kids braved the elements and slept on the trampoline. I totally expected them to trickle in as the night progressed, but they all stayed out there all night. The next morning Brandon had 38 mosquito bites on his arms alone, but it was worth it they said.

A night with family filled with fun (and a few mosquitoes).

Family=Fun

(for at least one night around here!)

My son

My son got his learners permit way back in February and we have been driving buddies ever since.



My son is now taller than me.

My son's voice is getting so deep, I hardly recognize it.

My son just outgrew the church pants I bought him three weeks ago.

My son came home from EFY a new man. A very social man.

My son just opened a facebook account.

My son buys his clothes in the Men's section now.
(OK, I buy his clothes in the men's section)

My son has a great sense of humor (or so I've been told)

Did I mention my son is driving all around the town?




My son is growing up and there's not a darn thing I can do about it!

Tangled

Headbands- one dollar

Yellow Yarn- two dollars

Knot tying and braiding skills- free

Two happy Rapunzel's running all over my house- PRICELESS!

time for tea

Every Spring the upper class Allred women get together for an elegant tea party.


We enjoy being outside in the beautiful Spring weather.

We enjoy a table full of dainty and delicious finger foods.

(Kara's favorite memory, the rose flavored jello!)

We enjoy visiting and visiting and visiting with the ladies.

We enjoy a little croquet.

We enjoy posing as if we lived in England in the early 1900's.

And of course, we enjoy our "tea."

It was a delightful day!

Cheerio!

This boys got talent

My cross eyed whistler.

And a good one at that.

Oh, and he's reading big ole chapter books.

Love him and all his amazing talents.

A Knight's Tale

"Mom, I need a costume for some Medieval thing we are doing in school.

And it needs to be good, because they are filming us for TV.

Oh, and I need it by tomorrow."

Now, I have a few costumes laying around, and I can usually throw something together, but this particular request warranted a call to Trevor's fabulous Aunt Anya who is the queen of costumes.(I mean come on, we are talking about TV here!) Seriously, her hobby is researching and gathering or making authentic costumes. Her collection is AMAZING and so is she! And so at 10:30 PM the night before the big festival Trevor, Brandon and I found ourselves being outfitted and educated on how a true Knight would dress for battle. We left with a trunk full of... well, you'll see.

The underclothes.

Brandon was particularly intrigued with the leggings. He was a little hesitant. And what 12 year old boy wouldn't be slightly nervous to wear leggings to school in front all of his peers. But, he slipped them on and continued to dress. The best was yet to come.


The chain mail.


Which was hand made painstakingly piece by piece by Aunt Anya's son. It took him a whole summer to make it and it weighs a ton. It took 2 of us to get it on him.


It was AWESOME!



Almost done.



My knight in shining chain mail.

I walked to school with him that day. Heads were turning as he clinked his way through the halls towards his classroom. He was a little nervous, a little embarrassed and a little proud because his was by far the best costume there. The 6th graders were all abuzz with excitement for the "Knights of Mayhem" program to begin.

The show consisted of this knight

Verses this knight.

They did several demonstrations. They even put a melon on top of the principals head and then sliced it in half with a sword as they rode by on a horse.

Impressive.

And of course, there was jousting!

There was lots of jousting.

(It only took about 15 shots to actually get both horses in the picture)

My knight did not joust, but did get his picture taken by the National Geographic photographer (no doubt due to his costume), and his picture taken with the jousting World Champion. After the show he insisted on wearing his costume for the rest of the day at school. I don't know how he did it, that chain mail weighed as much as he did.

When he got home and 2 of us helped him get all of the gear off, he literally collapsed from carrying around that weight all day. He was exhausted, happy and an absolute filthy mess from all of the metal. Tis the life of a Knight, I guess.

It was definitely a day and a "knight" to remember.

Thanks Aunt Anya.

4th of july

Once again we really liked stretching the 4th of July holiday over a nice long, jam packed weekend.

Here are a few of the things we filled that weekend with:

The traditional barbecue in Grandpa's backyard. I'm telling you, it is the best place for a barbecue. Add Grandma's famous potato salad and you've got yourself a perfect afternoon.

The Freedom Festival parade.

One of the highlights this year was the Star Wars entry and a little visit from Darth Maul.

Relaxing at the Cracker Barrel.

Rockers, checkers, blueberry pancakes and browsing through the country store.

Classic 4th of July.

A patriotic Sunday afternoon treat to cool off with.
And some patriotic hymns in church. My favorite.

Over the top shakes, a spectacular view and sipping lemonade on my parents balcony.

Heaven.

And obviously we had to satisfy the pyros in our family with a firework or two.

Happy 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th of July!

And Happy Birthday America.

I'm so glad you were born.