Cross Country Running...

Ahh, cross country season.

Lorien and Wyatt ran cross country last year and both liked the sport.  Lorien did not want to admit she liked running--but she did.  This year, Clare was old enough to be on the team so we signed all three big kids up.  Lorien was not happy.  She claimed to hate cross country...we made her do it anyway...character!

All three kids did a great job.  It is a pretty easy sport and the meets are fast.  The season is also shorter than some of the other fall sports (win, win, win).

The first meet is always crazy!  More runners attend than at other meets, you have to park on a four-lane street (that would be considered a freeway in Maine) and hike up a big hill to the park.  It is nerve-wracking to say the least. Cars zoom by at 50 miles an hour--did I mention the lack of side walks?  Urban living...I love it.



The first meet and last meet of the season are the only ones with a K-2 age group.  At the other meets there are two age groups K-5 and 6-8.  Because of this added younger age group Clare ended up placing in the top 10.  She was very surprised and we were so proud.

Woot-woot!  Go cross country runners!  Wait, where is the baby?

Two of this year's meets were at our home course--which was so awesome!  We didn't have to drive far, parking is a dream (in the high school parking lot) and there are plenty of places to sit and watch the race.  We didn't end up going to the second race at our home course.  The flu hit our house the week before and I decided we needed a week to recover.

The second to last race was another crazy one.  But not because of location or parking--the course is tricky.  The ground at the start of the race is covered with fine dirt and gravel.  Kids end up slipping and falling at the start of every race--especially the boys--they are so darn competitive.

Colter and Adell love to cheer the big kids on.  Colter puts his hand up to his mouth (more covering his mouth than amplifying his shouts) and yells out random noises.  Adell jumps and cheers her heart out as each of her older siblings run by.  

I found the baby--four weeks later...

At the end of the season, Clare was in love with running.  She did hurt her knee at the start of the season--actually riding her bike to school--and so she ended up having to sit out some of the season.  But she loved running and had fun running with friends.  Wyatt liked cross country too--however, he was/is also doing soccer so he had an activity every day of the week.  It was exhausting.  I think we might have to make him pick--cross country or soccer next year.  Lorien?  Oh Lorien.  She hated every second of the season.  She tried to negotiate her participation at every practice and meet.  She walked...a lot.  Both Will and I wish she would have let herself like it.  She had a good time last season and admitted that she liked cross country.  This year she seemed determined to hate it.  I think it was because she didn't have any friends participating (Wyatt and Clare had several friends from church and school participating) and she was in the next age group for the races.  Last year, as a 5th grader she was one of the oldest racers in her group.  This year, as a 6th grader she is one of the youngest...and some of the 8th graders are super-model tall.  Anyway, I don't think she will participate next year.  At least, we wont make her...

Zip, zip, zip...

Yeesh, I cannot keep up with my blog.  I dream up blog posts all the time...but actually sitting down at the computer to compose said post and add pictures is proving to be IMPOSSIBLE!

Oh well, my children are fed and clothed (most of the time).

We went back over to the peninsula today to welcome home a missionary.  This young man was our family's home teacher when we lived in Redwood City and we know his parents and family well.  Seeing all of our old peninsula friends was like coming home.  I felt like I was hugging my parents each time I was greeted with warm smiles from these old friends.  It was awesome.

I am up to my armpits in Halloween costume stuff.  If you follow me on Pinterest I have a new board with all of the kids costume ideas.  The child giving me the most grief--Wyatt.  He wants to be Gandalf.

Gandalf the White.

Heaven help me--literally, heaven has to help because all of my work-ups are looking very Godly.  I don't want my son confused for deity at the school parade--I don't think it will be received well.  For a week Wyatt thought about being another character from Lord of the Rings but went back to Gandalf last Tuesday.  I bought 3 yards of white fabric on Saturday so we are sticking with Gandalf.  Heaven help me.

Alright, now I am going to dump a bunch of back dated posts with super-clever writing to wrap up summer, start school and get caught up.  (Only to let the blog go to pasture for another two months.  See you after Christmas.)

A random picture of Colter.  He is blowing on a spider web on the leaf.  I don't know where he got the idea to blow on spider webs but there you have it.  He is a genius--clearly.

Momma in Maine

Ok, first the hard part...then the fun part...

I have been very hesitant to put this part of the story up here on my blog.  Mostly because it is not my story...it is my sister's story.  And as far as I can tell only people who would be complete strangers to my sister read my blog.  I don't know if I was in her shoes I would want strangers reading about me.  However, she is the reason for the fun part of this story--and the hard part so I think I have to include it all.

This:

is my sister, Camie.  She is sixteen months older than I am.  She is funny, beautiful, strong and one amazing Momma.  In February she noticed a lump on her neck and after some prompting she went to the doctor.  The biopsy came back positive for thyroid cancer.  Thyroid cancer is typically one of the better cancers to get...that doesn't even make any sense.  

Cancer is crappy, always.  

But thyroid cancer has a very high cure rate and treatment is more manageable than some of the other cancers.  You just have to live without a real thyroid for the rest of your life and take medication--always.

After her surgery to remove the cancer in her thyroid they discovered the cancer had been naughty and spread.  She had another spot in her lungs.  This all happened over the summer.  While I was in Utah visiting my older brothers we all agreed, Camie deserved a special visit from all of us.  We haven't all been together since the reunion in 2008.  We started planning.  We thought a total surprise would be the most fun.

Last weekend, I got on an airplane all by myself for the long trip across the country from California to Maine.

Adell gave me her princess ring and reminded me to sit by the window so I wouldn't get sick.

It took all day but I finally made it and two of my sisters were there to pick me up at the airport.  Camie didn't know that all of the siblings had been planning a big, fat reunion in her honor.  She thought I was the only one coming out.  She wanted to get me up to northern Maine to see our Mother.  

Camie is on the left, me in the middle and Jennifer on the right.  I think we have some actual ghosts in our ancestry--it is the only explanation for our crazy-pasty-complexions...or airport lighting?  

The next day, we convinced Camie to hold off on plans to see Mom in favor of seeing Dad.  We were going to the beach and going to eat Italian sandwiches.

Camie and I drove over to meet my Dad with my other sister, Lesely.  Lesley also did not know all of the siblings were coming.  We kept it a secret from all of the Maine siblings in order to keep it from Camie.  The whole drive over I kept giggling.  I had to blame my giggles on the beautiful fall foliage.

From left to right: Me, Dad, Camie and Lesley

Once we met Dad at Amato's (if you are ever in Southern Maine, get an Italian from Amato's--you wont be sorry).  Dad asked Camie to go pick up some chips to have with lunch.  When she walked over to the chip section all of our brothers were there waiting.

So she started crying.

Then was lots of crying and lots of hugging.  It is a shame we don't get together more often.  We wouldn't have to cry so much when we do get together...

I guess I will go ahead and add a little more to the hard part of the story.  A couple of weeks before we were going to be in Maine Camie started having symptoms that possibly meant the cancer had spread to her brain.  It was a horrifying week where we all cried and worried and waited for brain scans and doctor meetings to happen.  The results came back clear.  Still, it added a heaping pile of stress on a woman already dealing with enough in her life.  Yuck.

Oy, I am crying typing this.  Once we had recovered sufficiently we bought a boat-load of Italian sandwiches and headed to the beach.  We ate and talked and laughed.  And, I think, we all felt better.

Me and one of my younger brothers, Charlie.

Me and another younger brother, Ebin.

Lets see...from left to right: Dad, Charlie, Me, Caleb, Camie, Jennifer, Lesley, Ebin, Mike, Annette and Chris.  We are only missing Oliver for the siblings and every one's significant other--other than Annette who is Chris's wife--just so you don't think I have an adorable, blond sister I never talk about.

After the beach we all drove back to Jennifer's house for dinner and games.

Hey Mike!  Mike is the wood working brother who walked me through destroying painting the wood dresser over here.  Then my Dad and Camie.

There was more laughter and catching up around the dinner table.  By 7 pm I think we had laughed more than we cried so it all worked out.

The next day was Mom's turn.  We piled into cars and made the long drive up to northern Maine to see Mom.

It was a seriously long drive.  I did not barf...many thanks to sitting in the front seat a luxury usually denied to younger siblings growing up--it helped that we had five cars driving north.

Ebin, Mom, Caleb and me

Mike, Mom and Chris.  Chris is the oldest sibling in our family--he kind of runs the show.

My Mom moved from southern Maine up to northern Maine earlier this year.  She lives there with my youngest brother, Oliver.  Have I mentioned that Oliver has down syndrome?  Mom showed us all around her "new" place.  Her "new" place is one of the homes my Grandparents lived in when I was growing up.  When my Grandma Clara passed away my Mother bought the house.  It has been her dream to retire up where moose, deer and bears out number people for a long time.

Oliver bossed Ebin around the whole time.  Oliver made Ebin haul the wagon around outside for a while, then he made Ebin carry the wagon inside, down to the basement.  There he made Ebin give him wagon rides--after Ebin cleared a track.  Oliver is 25 years old and has us all wrapped around his little finger.

After Ebin left (Ebin, Charlie, Mike and Charlie's girlfriend, Shannen couldn't stay the night at Mom's house--work commitments and a flight out for Mike sent them away early) Oliver stayed in his room going through his important paperwork.  Oliver loves cowboys and every villain from the Disney movies.  That gigantic pile of papers?  It is all pictures of cowboys and villains.  He carefully looks over each picture, laughing or scowling.

The next day Mom showed us the "swimming hole".  I was just a-gog over the fall colors.

Caleb and Mom.  Caleb is one of the brothers who lives out west.  

After checking out the swimming hole we had to head back down to southern Maine.  Those of us flying home had flights the next day out of Boston and we needed to be back in time.

Over all, it was a crazy/wonderful trip.  I still cannot believe we pulled it off--the surprise, all of us being together, managing divorced parents...we did it all.  Thanks a million to all my brothers and sisters who made the effort.  Go us!

A last picture of the ten of us.  Wow!  

It was a fun trip, even if it took a cancer diagnosis to get us all together.  Lets do it again--but leave cancer out of it next time.

Smorgasbord...

This is it.  

The last of my catch up.

Until I get way behind again.

My life is too awesome, I have too many cool things to put up here.  Be jealous.

First: Stanford Football started up again.  We get a family pass every year and go to almost every single home game.  It is has been a fun family activity for many years now.

  

Second: Adell is in preschool.  I signed her up--and told her I was sending her to preschool--in June.  All summer long she cried, "I don't want to go to preschool.  If you take me to preschool will you stay with me the whole time?"  Some time in the spring Adell started having some heavy separation anxiety issues.  Where previously she would skip up to her friends front door, happy for a play date--she would start crying as we pulled into their driveways and beg me to stay.  Even with family, if I left for an evening out or dropped her off at her cousin's house she would cry.  It was heart breaking.  So, I expected the worst once preschool rolled around.  However, whatever separation anxiety she had in the spring and summer was gone by September.  She loves, loves, LOVES preschool.  She loves her teacher, Miss Carrie.  She loves Miss Carrie's house, she loves Miss Carrie's classroom, she loves her classmates.  I am so happy!  One day Miss Carrie took the kids out into her garden and they picked vegetables.  Adell helped me cut all the veggies for a super yummy lunch.  

Third:  I got one year older.  The kids gave me a special date with Will.  My friends threw me a little lunch party in the park...where Colter spread cupcake frosting all over me.  It was a wonderful birthday.

  

Fourth: We moved rooms and children around.  When we moved into this house we only had four children.  Clare and Adell shared a room, Lorien and Wyatt each had their own rooms.  Then we had another baby...but instead of moving the baby in with Wyatt right away we put the baby in a half bath.  (Who needs two and a 1/2 bathrooms--not us?)  The crib fit perfectly.  However, one day instead of taking his nap, Colter climbed out of his crib and onto the bathroom counter behind the crib.  I was horrified thinking about all the harm that could have come to him.  That very day we started moving kids and rooms.

See, the crib fits really well in this 1/2 bath.  See the baby up on the counter?  He had the water on...see the electrical outlet right next to the baby?  Shudder...

Now we have Colter and Wyatt in Lorien's old room.  Clare gets to have a turn having her own room in Wyatt's old room.  Lorien and Adell are in Clare and Adell's old room.  It has worked out just fine.  Sometimes the older kids are frustrated with having to share with the youngest kids but what are they going to do?  Most of the time all is well.  Adell likes to have sleepovers in Lorien's bunk and Wyatt is generous with his room space.

  

Fifth: the flue made it's way through out family in the third week of school.  Colter got it first, then Adell, then Clare and Wyatt, Lorien and I were the last ones to have it...Will escaped.

Sixth: the middle school had it's first dance.  I didn't want Lorien to go.  I convinced her to have her friends over for a movie night instead.  This is what it looks like when four 11 year olds hang out together.

Lots of interpersonal connections being made...lots.

They did put the screens down once Will got the ice cream bar set up...

Seventh: every other week I make Lorien sit still so I can blow dry and flat iron her hair.  The first time it took me a little over an hour.  The second time about 50 minutes.  I am down to 45 minutes now--I don't think I can shave any more time off with out shaving some of Lorien's hair off first.

I deserve a medal for patience.

     

Eighth: Grandma Claudia sent Adell a few packages of seeds this summer.  She planted them and patiently watched for plants to grow.  Here she is, proudly showing off the bean plants.

Ninth: Colter is so much stinkin' trouble.  I think I could put a post up a day with the troublesome things he does.  I cannot keep up.  He is getting bigger, smarter and better control of his physical self.  He knows how to pull a kitchen stool up to the table or kitchen drawers to wreak havoc.  

He is always exceedingly pleased with his accomplishments.  Rascal.  

Tenth: we have 100 thousand miles on our van.  We bought our van used and it only had 16 thousand miles on it.  Keep driving van!  The van ticked over to 100,000 while I was driving home from Wyatt's first soccer game of the season.

I was at a traffic light when I took this picture.  

That is it...ten things that have happened in the late summer early fall over here.  Congratulations on making it to the end of this post.  Now pay the toll and leave a comment.