Melancholy

 This morning I woke up feeling quite melancholy.  "What is going on?" I asked myself.  After contemplating on why I was feeling so down, I realized that for the first time in forever. . .

(hold on to your hats)

I'm sad summer vacation is over and my children will be back in school.

I know, I know! I'm usually excited for the structure and schedule (and let's not forget the alone time) the school year provides, but not this year. This year, I feel sad, and anxious, and lonely.  

It's similar to when you have company come to visit.  They're so much fun.  You've had a blast, and you're just starting to get into a "groove" with them.  Then suddenly their visit is over.  It's time for them to leave.  You're so sad.  You will miss spending time with them, and doing fun things with them.  You'll miss their company and conversation, and having them around. 

That is how I feel about school starting.  I will miss the company of my children.  

I will miss having to bake something everyday with #6.

I will miss the endless "I'm bored's".

and the late night movies with my teenagers.

I will miss looking out the window in the middle of the day and seeing my littles out jumping on the trampoline.  

and I might even miss having to do 100 loads of dishes a day. (okay, probably not)

Small Town, Big Heart (part 2)

You can read Part 1 HERE

The Final Day

Saturday. There was no sleeping in for us.  We were up early to compete in the 5k race.

(When I say we, I mean these four.  I sat this one out. Although I did wake up and 'run' #1 to work at 6:15 am- so totally counts.)

 After the race, our family enjoyed a big hearty breakfast courtesy of the city.

Pancakes, eggs, ham, and chocolate milk!

 Breakfast of Champions right there!

 After breakfast it was time Parade-Time.
(Look how long and big #3's legs are!  That's what a Breakfast of Champions can do for you!  Okay, just kidding.  It's the camera.  It has distortion issues.)

 I love this small town parade.  It consists pretty much of the local high school's marching band, the city's Royalty, and the student body council riding along the parade route in the back of a pickup truck. 

And of course the local businesses parade by in decorated trailers throwing out candy, t-shirts, popsicles, and frisbees to the excited children along the way.

It's like Halloween- only nice and warm AND the candy comes to you instead of you to the candy. SCORE!!!!

(Wait!  Did that even make any sense?)

Small Town, Big Heart (Part 1)

Man have these last few weeks been busy.  Actually, this whole summer has been one activity after another.  I'm not complaining.  It has been really fun.  Last week, as I briefly mentioned here, was our town's week to celebrate.  

Our town host tons of family-friendly activities. I mentioned mud volleyball.

We also watched the Cardboard Duct-tape Regatta.

More about that HERE

 

 And for all you farmers out there, here we are watching the Tractor Pull-

Each tractor hooks up to the yellow trailer loaded with heavy cement barricades.  The barricades slowly move up from the back of the trailer to the front.  The judge measures how far each tractor can pull the weight before it just can't go any further.  The farthest tractor wins.

 This was my first time to ever experience an event like this.  As you can tell, I was pretty enthralled. 

Actually, it just took this city girl a long time to figure out how the whole thing worked. 

 Wednesday night was the movie in the park.  This year the movie was what we refer to as "Baymax" or Big Hero 6.  

 Popcorn, a drink, and glow-sticks are included in this free event.

It's a great time for all!

The adults visit with each other, the kids run around playing made up games, and for the teenagers, it's like a back-to-school social.  This is probably my favorite activity.

Friday, was the Children's Parade.

This is a simple, and short parade where the children ride their bikes or scooters about half a mile from the elementary school to the park.  Once they reach the park, they get a popsicle and we go home.

The kids are happy, the parents are happy.  It's a win-win.

              

Guardian Angel

Late last Wednesday night, as we approached the crest of the hill by our house, the one that looks down on the entire valley below, we could see emergency lights - police cars, ambulances, firetrucks, etc- a lot of them, just down the street.  

My heart sunk, and began beating irregularly as I thought of #1 who would have been on his way home from work.

At that very moment as the what I call "mom-panic" was setting in, I receive a text, from #1.

"I've been in a wreck"-

My mind screams at once, What? No! This isn't happening.  Where are you?  Are you hurt?  Is anyone else hurt?  Was it your fault?

I think because he knew my mama-heart couldn't handle it, and because we had two little sleepy girls in the back, Clint dropped us off at home, and he and #2 and #3 went down to investigate the flashing lights below - and yes they belonged to #1.

 While they were gone, I was a nervous wreck.  Luckily I had two kids there with their own cell phone.  I was texting them both- Is #1 okay?  Is anyone hurt?  What happened?  What can you see?  How bad is it? etc etc

Unfortunately, Clint had told them to stay in the car, and they couldn't see or hear much.

 Finally close to 1 am, 1.5 hours later, my baby boy walked through the door.  It was the best feeling ever! 

 Here's what happened:  The car you see in this photo was stopped at a stop sign facing west.  The red truck was stopped at the stop sign facing east. #1 was headed south about 40 miles per hour, up the hill to our house with no stop sign.  The car pulled out right in front of  #1.  He hit his brakes, and in the split seconds before impact, knew he needed to swerve hard or he would t-bone right into the girl sitting in the passenger seat. He swerved fast enough, and hit her on the back right. (You can see this in the photo above)

His car ricocheted off the car and crashed into a brick fence.  The girls flew into the truck.

The amazing part - no one was seriously hurt.

5 days later, #1 is extremely sore (all his airbags went off).  He tore the soft tissues in his neck and spine, which he is and will for quite some time be seeing a doctor for. But there was no blood, no broken bones, no concussions. . . It was a miracle.

After sending a photo to my mom, her response was, "#1 had a guardian angel with him for sure!"

After the panic and stress has settled, and I've spent time reflecting on this traumatic event, I know that she is right. He did have a Guardian Angel there protecting him, and helping him maneuver his car so he so no one was hurt. This accident was in Divine hands, God's hands. 

Learning to Swim

 My three youngest have spent the last two weeks at the pool learning to swim.

 None of my children have ever loved the water like some do. Swimming lessons for us aren't fun.  They are traumatic and dramatic with a lot of crying.

 This year I bit the bullet, so to speak, and signed up #4, #5, and #6 for swimming lessons.

It's important for everyone to know how to swim, right?

 There were tears and plenty of "please don't make me go"'s.  They hated it, but they went,

and they learned that they can do hard things.

Now I just have to figure out how I'm going to get them to go again next year.

UGH -hashtag Mom Problems

Zip-Line = Flat-line

We spent last Saturday and Sunday up at Heber Valley Camp (HVC).  It is heavenly up there.  I just bask in the quiet, peaceful, serene, beautiful atmosphere of it all.  

 I get to be with my family.  I get to see my mom and dad.

What could be better?

 We are allowed two "visits" per year.  Since my parents served there last year, this was our 4th stay.

Each visit includes a challenge course (there are 5 different ones to choose from), boating on the lake, and an over-night stay in one of their awesome cabins. 

 Mom and Dad choose the challenge course for us, and this time they chose the zip-line, or Challenge Course #2. 

I have a love-hate relationship with the Zip-line.  I don't mind climbing the 20 foot pole up to the top, but the moment I have to step on the horizontal pole and make the walk across to the actual zip-line, my fear of heights sets in and really scares the bejeebers out of me.

 

Finally after I get my knees to stop shaking and I make it to the zip-line platform, my heart finally starts to slow-down, and I can breathe again.  The worker hooks you up, gives you a pep-talk, and then it's time to jump to your death.  (Okay not really, but it feels that way.)  It takes a serious amount of trust to leap off that super high platform.  Once you do and the initial rush is over.  It becomes so fun, you almost -almost- want to do it again.

 (I chose this picture because I look really tan in it. - That is all.)

 Every time we go, Clint and I mention how fun it would be to have a family reunion up here with his family.  Who knows. . . one day, we might actually do it!

 At each challenge course and also the lake they have a sandbox for the children to play in. (Whoever thought of this idea must have been a mom with little kids.  Bravo Lady!) 

After the challenge course, we canoed on the lake where I had the cutest view.

There's just something awesome about having fun with your family outdoors.

I can't wait to go back!  (Next time, I'm forcing #1 to call in sick to work . . .Insert Evil Laugh. . .)

My Favorite Summer Selfies

Wordless Wednesday