Month: May 2008

Aubrey wanted donuts and chocolate milk for FHE treat last night, and so we decided to ride our bikes to the store to get them. It’s about a 5 mile ride to the store on a rough trail that goes along side the highway. The kids were loving the big dirt hills and the bumps, but their chains kept coming off their bikes. It was very frustrating, probably more so for Danny who had to keep putting their chains back on. For the trip home we decided to take a longer route but a smoother route. River Road meanders here and there, and there is little traffic so we were able to make good time on the way back. Donuts taste so much better after a 10 mile bike ride. I was proud of the kids though, they were tough, and Tanner kicked all of our butts, and rode ahead of all of us most of the time.

Emma’s teacher is determined to challenge her. She has thrown every spelling word that she can at her, and Emma has known them all. She told Emma that her goal is to have Emma miss all 20 words on the pre test which is given on Monday without having a chance to look at the words first. Emma has been enduring this torture for months now without missing more then 5 or 6 but this last test the teacher came close, Emma missed 11 of the words so I thought I’d share some of the words that her teacher has dug up for Emma. Just so you know it’s all in good spirit, Emma’s teacher loves to harass Emma, she says that is the only way she can challenge her.
1. atmospheric
2. bankruptcy
3. asparagus
4. buccaneer
5. chandelier
6. conscientious
7. daffodil
8. domineering
9.efficiency
10. exhilarate
11. flimflam mer
12. facilitator
13. gourmet
14. gymnasium
15. hacienda
16. hygienist
17. inauguration
18. intricacy
19. jeopardy
20. judiciary
Bonus Words
1. narcolepsy
2. incisor

Now she has to write sentences for all of these words… YIKES.

As for my Tanner boy, he scored the highest in his class on the state reading test this week, actually he scored higher then a lot of 4th graders on the test. I couldn’t be prouder of him!

I want to be a family that does, not one that sleeps in and watches from a far. I posed this to my little family on Friday night, and proposed that we get up early on Saturday morning, and get all of our chores done, so that after Tanner’s soccer game we could go to Lake Tahoe and play and not be stressed over our undone chores. Not that the kids will be stressed, but if I’m stressed over undone things, I’m not relaxed and able to enjoy myself. So Saturday morning we rose, and Danny mowed the lawn while Emma and Tanner jumped into the van and started to clean. I then took the kids on a bike ride, all 4 of them while Danny swept the front porch, those wind storms caused all kinds of debris to blow into the entry way. So with lawns mowed, van cleaned, and the house mostly in good shape because I was able to get everything cleaned during the week we set out to Tanner’s soccer game. Their team won and they are undefeated. Yeah, yeah, I know that isn’t whats important, it’s team work, and excercise etc… but who really wants to lose? Tanner played goalie the entire game and the game was close. I felt bad for Tanner because he missed a couple of shots, and I could tell he was disappointed with himself, but he really did stop a lot of shots, and did a great job. I was proud of him.
Anyway, we were up to Lake Tahoe by 1:30ish, and I felt like we’d accomplished so much, and I was able to just sit on the beach relax and watch the kids play. Even Alyssa was getting into the water, which is very cold this time of year, around 45 degrees, but she was so intrigued by the whole experience. There of course was the token naked sun bather, luckily she was laying face down. She seemed uncomfortable with us there, because I posed the kids on a rock right above her for some pictures, but I figured if she was uncomfortable then maybe she should put some clothes on. There are nude beaches at Tahoe, find one of those.
Anyway, things got interesting up there with Tanner, I’ll put it like this.

This is Tanner

These are Rocks!

This is Tanner on the Rocks!

This is Tanner after falling ten feet off of the rocks and into the freezing cold lake, and being fished out by his father. Only minor injuries, a few scrapes, bruises, and a little terror, I think he learned his limits on how far he can jump from one rock to the next. Good thing Emma was with him, he was deep in the rocks and we might not have known where he was if she wasn’t there to direct us to him.

Here are a few pictures of everyone having a good time on the beach and on the rocks.

The half naked lady is just below Tanner’s right foot.

OK, these are some of my favorites.

We had a good day at the beach. Not the best time to take pictures with the glaring sun and all, but I think they still turned out cute. I reminded the kids that the only reason we were able to do this is because we were up and ready and had all of our chores done before 9 am, it just makes for a better day.

So I got a new calling I’m the new primary chorister. This is a very scary calling for me because I have no knowledge of music. I did my calling for the first time today and I felt like a one man circus act, but the kids all seemed to have a good time and they were all attentive. I have to lead them for Mother’s Day next Sunday and then the whole ward will know that I just wave my hand with no intent to lead anything… sigh, hopefully they will all be looking at their little ones, and pay me no mind (pay no attention to the man behind the curtain).
If anyone has any thing they have done or seen work in their ward that was fabulous, I need ideas, lots of ideas. Our ward primary is HUGE, and I’m SCARED. OK, my cry for help is out there, someone somewhere send me something please don’t let me think that no one is actually reading this…

I’m watching a little boy today. He’s Aubrey’s age, and they are having a good day. I decided to take them to the park for a picnic, and this is what I heard.
Nicholas: Can you bite your tongue?
Nicholas: Does it hurt when you bite your tongue
Aubrey: Yes I can bite my tongue, OUCH!
Aubrey: Yes it hurts when I bite my tongue
Nicholas: OUCH! It does hurt (giggle, giggle)
Aubrey: OUCH!
Nicholas: OUCH
Aubrey: OUCH!
Nicholas: OUCH!
Aubrey: OUCH!
Please tell me that there is hope for these children.
It went like this for the whole drive to the park. I’m thinking I’m really in need of some adult conversation!
Aubrey asked me if it hurt when I bite my tongue, and believe it or not I bit my tongue, and it does hurt.
Luckily tonight is my night to go out with Danny, we swap with another family once a month, they take our kids, we take theirs. It couldn’t have come at a better time.
Have a good weekend everyone, and don’t bite your tongue it hurts.