Harworking Days of Summer

Leah and Adam committed to a few weeks of hard work in the corn fields this summer- the perfect job to accomodate their busy marching band, show choir, and High Adventure schedules.  These cuties learned a lot about showing up for the job, the value of good teammates, and, judging by the number of insect pictures Leah took, just how fun bugs can be. 

They had early mornings but only a day or two of scorching hot weather.  For the most part the weather was perfect for being outside!  And there were lots of treats and paychecks too. 

Emma and Noah worked hard on a summer play- Emma on stage and Noah behind it as a backstage ninja. 

Noah also participated in a robotics summer camp, which he didn't enjoy nearly as much as his new LEGO robotics club. 

There were babysitting jobs, miles of lawn to be mowed, band sectionals, and show choir camp- 

This summer kept us all busy! 

Missing Grad School?!

Okay, not really missing it so much as having a full heart with the memories of simpler days and especially of lessons learned while we were in grad school.  Apparently I've reflected on these feelings before (thanks blog-memory) but the last post was 4 years ago and while everything I wrote then still holds true today, I think I'll add a few more grad school reflections. 

Grad school taught us really hard things that we maybe somehow could have learned in another way but, for us, we developed skills in grad school that have served us over and over again in 'real life', including- 

-The ability to set a goal, stay laser focused on it and watch it with satisfaction as it comes to fruition.  

-The ability to sacrifice now for something that we want even more in the future.  This one gets a bit harder as we get older, because there are always experiences and adventures and clubs and lessons that we want to participate in. Some of these things we can only do now, and some of these things we will enjoy more as a family now than we will in the future (think trying to take a bunch of teenagers to meet Mickey and Donald for the first time or trying to hike or zipline or snorkel in the ocean as 70 year olds.  That could be tricky). 

-The ability to buckle down and make do with what you have rather than always trying to attain everything.  I'm thinking about the bright orange bathroom in our grad school rental house.  We hated it, but we couldn't do anything about it so we just didn't worry about it.  Here, in our 'forever house' we have a mudroom/laundry room that could use a pretty serious glow-up.  Our basement is half finished.  The front office/music room causes my blood pressure to rise. We could do something about all of it, or we could not, but the choice is ours.  There is peace that comes with the kinds of limited options that we had in grad school. 

-The habits that we made when we were 'poor starving college students'.  Occasionally I still lean on the discipline I had to develop we were extra limited by what we could afford at the grocery store, and recently I found myself wondering what life would be like if I had never in my life had to put items back because they didn't fit in the budget, or if I just had to have the nicest, newest (fill in the blank here), no matter the financial cost. How stressful would life be if we had a massive pile of debt because we never learned how to tell ourselves 'no'. I'm grateful that grad school taught us how to tell ourselves no. 

-Better is an option.  Grad school taught us that we don't have to be resigned to our lot in life and call it good.  We can strive, learn, grown, stretch, expand and make more out of our lives if we are willing to do the work. That is the essence of the American dream, but it has become a reality for us.  With the help of grad school, we have learned what Heavenly Father's plan is for our potential and we have made a really great life with it.  There is a lot to be grateful for there. 

Life Advice

Leah earned her first academic letter in 9th grade, and was recognized at a very nice, very short (32 minutes!) award ceremony this month. 

The keynote speaker was a Valley alumnus and the executive director of Meals from the Heartland, one of our favorite local non-profit organizations.  He shared some great words of wisdom for high schoolers- and everyone!

When life feels out of control, focus on the things you can control- 

1. Your work ethic- work hard every day. 

2. Your contributions to your team- communicate effectively and play your part well. 

3. Your reputation- be trustworthy and dependable. 

4. Your courage- be fearless and don’t be afraid to fail. 

5 Your why- know the reason you are showing up today. 

The only person you’re really competing with is you!

The Rest of September

We had lots of life happenings once we got home from our final trip of 2022, starting just a few hours after we got home.  With mountains of travel laundry piled up in the mudroom, we all fell into bed, exhausted from our early morning and long day of travel.  But we didn't stay in bed for long. Noah heard a noise downstairs, insisted that Adam come check it out with him, and they were the first to discover that the water pipe behind the washing machine had burst and was quickly forming a lake that was pouring down into the unfinished part of our basement!  The blessings- that they heard it so quickly, the damage was minimal, and the water that flowed into the basement only hit concrete and a carpet remnant that we pulled out and tossed.  No drywall, hardwood, or carpet damage.  Just imagine if that pipe had decided to burst five minutes after we left on any one of our trips this year.  We would have had a major home renovation to deal with!

It's also a blessing that Jason was able to fix the pipe the next day.  I love being married to a man who is willing to 'give it a try' when it comes to fixing things. And usually he gets it right and saves us time and money!

But I didn't wait that long to get the laundry, which now included a week of suitcase contents for everyone, just about every beach towel and several rugs and blankets, and every other item of fabric that had been in the mudroom, washed.  And because of a power outage at his middle school, Adam joined me!  We powered up with some Chick-fil-a. 

Life lessons learned in a laundromat.

And what a sweet reward- the very last quarter he needed to complete his states and territories collection appeared in our hands this day!

Some mornings we're climbing the walls before school. 

Some mornings we all feel like this rumpled finch. 

Some days are really long. 

One sunny day we went back to the skate park! (Emma was at two parties this day!)

Later that same day it poured. 

Leah was the only one who wanted to dance in the rain. 

Eventually everyone joined her. 

Laney is always keeping a close watch on all the things. 

Homecoming week meant school fun!  Anything but a bag day meant a blanket knapsack for Adam. 

Emma looked just like a California girl on beach day. 

She has decided on quite the instrument for 5th grade band- the euphonium! 

I quite like it's mellow sound compared to the trumpet (no offense trumpet players of the family!) but some of us think it's just too loud. 

This month has been filled with beautiful sunrises- the reward for early morning walks. 

Hey!  We live in that house. 

Daddy and I spent a night in Nauvoo while the kids stayed home with Sister Franco. We got to eat dinner with and learn from the general Young Women and Young Men's presidents Connie H. Cordon and Steven J. Lund, and the best lesson we all heard from the Saturday night fireside when we were home again was that you should NOT mess with rocket fuel!  The dangerous stuff of the world- don't see if it will actually burn you, just stay away from it!

When we got back we had an impromptu fire night.  Adam decorated Laney with glow sticks to keep the hawks away.

And Halloween is just around the corner, so costume ideas are abounding!

These two goofballs spent one night torturing Laney by showing up on the doorstep dressed like crazies.

And somewhere in September I decided that I could spend a few hours a week in the schools, where they are in desperate need of subs. 

It's exhausting, but I love the chances I get to be in the kids school and remember what a long, loud day is facing them every time they head out the door. They are amazing!  And I'm quite glad I don't have to go every day. And Laney really likes it when I'm home again.