The Wasatch Back

This is really what we planned the timing of our trip to the states around! I thought the whole Ragnar thing sounded completely nutty before I tried it, but my family talked me into running it with them two years ago when we visited and I couldn't wait to run it again! Tyler ran this time as well and since Hayes is still nursing, he got to come along too.

Our team of 12 was almost completely made of up my family - 3 members were from my brother-in-law's family - and we were team 'Jack Bauer for President'. My family has run it for the past 6 or 7 years and have used the same name for nearly all of them.

It took us just over 31 hours to go from Logan to Park City and Hayes was such a good baby! We all had a blast, although Tyler could only hobble around the second day since his toes were black and blue and full of fluid. We also stuck him with a nasty leg that was all uphill and so dusty that his teeth looked brown. He was somewhat miserable, but was a good sport about it! I loved my legs though and of course loved being squashed in a van with my family! They're the best!

Bretton. He is an awesome kid and totally reminded me of the Last of the Mohicans when he ran!

Casey - He didn't tell anyone they "sucked" this year. We're so proud. He also didn't train since he was a last minute substitute, so he gets total props for jumping in!

Tyler during his 7.4 uphill. He was a good sport to hang in there! Too bad I didn't get a picture that captured the agony!

Nicole. Always excited about things. I think I have more pictures of her with her mouth opened than I do with it closed! We love her!

Katie - It was fun to spend more time with my sister-in-law. She's pretty laid back and always happy.

That's my mom with the guns! She's awesome! I can't keep up with her running! She ran 26 miles total since she had to run for someone who was injured. We won't say who that person was since he might be embarrassed to admit that his mother-in-law had to finish his last 4 miles for him! =) But you should have seen the toes! Yikes!

That's me in the green and as far you you know, I'm about to pass (aka 'kill') that girl running in front of me!
Here's me again! I figured out that if you move your arms dramatically, it makes you look like your running faster!

Luke. Crazy. Crazy. Crazy. He actually enjoys the pain! It pays off though since he wins or almost wins lots of other races.

My Dad. I was sad I didn't get to be in the same van as him since he's king of the one-liners. Funny guy!




Gearing up for the night legs! That was my favorite one! I had an 8 mile uphill that took me from about 12:30 to 2:00am, but it was near a river and then around one side of a reservoir and was so pretty and so peaceful that I hardly noticed the uphill!

Hayes. He was so good! In and out of the van, hot and cold weather, he was great!

Next time we'll get Tara, Pig, Dustin, and Heather, and Christian in there too! We missed them!

Dance Recital

It's kind of scary quite frankly. She just shouldn't look so old! I told her that the make-up is a one time deal and not to expect to be wearing any again any time soon! And fortunately she's ok with that. It kills me to look at these pictures though! She stands next to me and sizes us up daily! She's probably within an inch of my height and expects to pass me any day now.

She was so cute dancing and did such a great job! I told her she was the best one up there, and though she thinks that I have to say that because I'm her mom, it's true! And it cracked me up that she couldn't dance without singing along at the same time!

She was also really funny about the costume. She is our modesty guru and was not at all happy about them. I almost thought I was going to have to let her wear a black t-shirt underneath. In the end, she decided it wasn't so bad, but between her performances she draped her sweatshirt over her shoulders and told me that she hoped she wouldn't see anyone she knew. So it was really funny when she looked up and saw the Bishop coming up the aisle! She very nearly died right there. I've never seen her put on a piece of clothing so quickly!

Wow. I'm tired!

If I could get Hayes to sleep through the night, it might not be so bad! But in the last two days I've done two science projects with experiments and tri-fold poster displays, a Raingutter Rigata boat, and created a "Viper" costume; all in addition to the usual stuff. And I've realized a couple of things about myself...I'm very resourceful. Which is fortunate becaue the other thing is that I'm a terrible procrastinator!!! Here is a statement by Briggs that summed up this enlightenment after I made him a "Viper" costume at midnight the night before his school type-off (he was the VIPER TYPER and got 3rd place in his grade). Anywho, I had asked him what other kinds of costumes there were and he said, "One of the girls was the Tiger Typer and just had an orange shirt with drawn on whiskers and nose. Her mom probably waited until the last night too, but she wasn't as creative as you." Well...at least he liked what he ended up with!

I really tried to be on the ball though. Sophie and I tried to grow sugar crystals twice earlier in May and neither set worked out. So on Tuesday - two days before her project was due we were up late baking several loaves of bread with various amounts of yeast. I sent her to bed once it was raising, but had to stay up until almost 2:00 to finish it. This was the same night that I was trying to come up with a Viper costume. And did I mention that earlier in the evening I had painted and put together a boat for the Raingutter Regata that was to be held later that evening? No, I'm not one of those parents who does the pinewood derby cars FOR the cub scout, but Briggs was at soccer when my friend called and happened to mention that her son was sick and felt bad he had to miss it that evening...Oooops! We'd completely forgotten about it!

So on that note, I need to say a quick "thank you" to Krylon spray paint. Every mother should keep a stock of that and some double-stick tape tucked away! Just in case. I pulled out my black and gold spray paint and it took me 5 min. to paint the boat. I also painted the front of a visor for the costume so that it was solid black, and the name "Viper" in gold on a shirt, and since I never went and got a tri-fold board for Briggs and had to make one from an old box, I dressed it up with a little black paint too. So ha! All you mothers who were so on the ball and remembered to buy your tri-fold - your kids are going to have plain white and will wish they had a cool black one with their name graffiti painted on the back! Plus it's just fun to spray paint things. Especially gold! Even gold rocks are really cool! But back to my weariness....

So I had made it through Tuesday, but Wednesday we had to put all of the project data together and make it look cute. Plus, I was sad that we had to send most of the good bread we had baked to school with the display, so I decided to make some more. Maybe not a priority, but I couldn't help myself. Fresh baked bread was calling me!

We were once again up late, but we got it done and it was fun! We titled Sophie's bread project "House of the Rising Bun" (Tyler's contribution to the whole fiasco) and we actually downloaded an instrumental version of the song, House of the Rising Sun for her to play on her iDog. She didn't really see the humor, but we ensured her that the teachers would appreciate it and made her take it.

And when I say, "I did two projects" I have to clarify that I did have the kids do them. I just took care of details, made suggestions, provided materials, helped with design, layout, and some typing and acted as sort of an overseer. Which really makes it harder. It really is much easier to do it all yourself!

But they turned out really cute. We put a bit more time into Sophie's since it was optional for Briggs. And why did we even do one for Briggs if it was optional? Because I read Amy Chua's Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. And if you've read it, you understand. (Great book! I was inspired to push and police those piano lessons again! However, I am decidedly NOT a 'tiger' mother...more of a chicken-without-a-head mother type I think.)

And yes, his hair is green. We spray painted it for the Viper thing the day before and he did his best NOT to wash it out when he showered.

Bitty Bednar

HeeHee! =)

Finally!

We finally did it! I think that Sawyer may have been ready a long time ago (he's 31/2), but I wasn't! I had one excuse after another...Girl's Camp, thought we were moving, new baby, the actual moving, Christmas...oh! And one big repellent. His MAJOR constipation issue. And, to be honest, I may have been rebelling just a little against all the pressure Tyler was trying to put on me to do it!

But it was actually very, very easy! I did however, make quite an investment in rather large and extravagant prizes due to said constipation issue. We're talking $8-$15 gifts for a duke! I had to really make it worth it for him! But hey...it worked! And in fact has done more to help him out with that affliction than all the Miralax in the world. And in a mere five years or so, I'll have reclaimed the money I spent on prizes by NOT having to buy him diapers. Yay!

It's all been very exciting for all of us here! And thankfully, Porter's kindergarten teacher wasn't flustered in the least last week when she asked Sawyer how he was doing and he responded with, "I did a big, huge poo!" She just congratulated him and told him that was wonderful. And it really is! One less thing for me to worry about! Whew!

Now can someone please give me some advice that will help get Porter out of pull-ups at night? Please?

Blue Squares

I guess that you really can't expect to have five kids and NOT have one of them stick something up their nose at some point, can you?

Sunday morning, just after Tyler had left for his meetings (of course) Sawyer comes in to my room with his finger in his nose and announces, "Mom, I put the blue square in my nose." Blue square?

It's been my experience that he is quite literal and knows what he's talking about, so I had no doubt that there was indeed some kind of blue square in his nose. As I looked at him closer, I could see a slight bulge up high on his nose. Way up high... Sophie brought me a light and I had him put his head back so that I could get the inside scoop. It was way up there, but there it was. A blue bead. It was lodged deeply enough that I couldn't tell it was a square, but given Sawyer's fascination with shapes, I was sure that it was.

I'm sure that many a mother has removed a foreign object from the nose of a child with tweasers. However, despite my skill removing ticks and stray eyebrows, I just didn't want to attempt it. It just didn't seem like a good idea to stick a sharp set of tweasers in to the nose of a three year old to try and grasp a hard plastic object with corners.

So I called Tyler and told him to turn around. We had an emergency. Then I got Sawyer and myself dressed - I had been parading around in my towel - and packed him some things to do and eat while he waited at the ER. Then I did what any mother would do with the spare time I had while we waited for Tyler. I went for my camera to get a picture.

However, while I was gone Sophie decided to try and help him blow it out. This option had occurred to me earlier but I decided against it since Sawyer confuses blowing with sniffing more often than not, and I was afraid he might sniff that thing right up into his sinuses if we tried it. But lucky for us, and for her, it worked! When it didn't come out the first time, she had him blow harder and out it popped!

So now we have pictures with the bead in Sawyer's hand instead of his nose! Tragedy averted, yay! And the bonus? By this time Tyler was at the door and since it wasn't worth him trying to get back for the meetings - our church house is 20 minutes away - he stayed home to help me get everyone to church!

Their Hero (And Mine!)

Without a doubt, there is no man larger in the eyes of my children than Tyler. He is the unchallenged hero of their world. And on Monday, he took his heroism to even a higher level!

We had just finished a long, but really fun day at Playmobil Land and were heading out for home. Of course, you have to pass through the gift shop to get out of the park, so we let each of the kids pick a playmobil guy to take home. I told them they were not to open the guys until we got to the car. They were able to wait until we got TO the car, but then they were pulling the pieces out of the packages before their little rear ends even had time to drop onto the seat.

Suddenly there is panic in the back seat as Briggs realizes that the Dragon Warrior guy - that is supposed to be Sawyer's - has two left wings that attach to his back in stead of a left and right. "Run!" I say to Tyler. "Go switch it before they close and lock the doors!" Tyler hardly has time to protest since the kids immediately take up the cheer, "Run Dad! Run!" So Tyler - such a good sport - grabs the little plastic bag with guy and accessories and sprints from the parking garage back to the park entrance.

Since we had waited until the last possible minute to leave the park, and then stopped for potty breaks before the car trip home, the park is closed. However, much of the gift shop/exit building is glass, so Tyler goes to the window and starts tapping on the glass. There is a worker still inside. She comes close enough to the window to tell him they're closed and everything is locked. Tyler holds up the figure and tries to explain that there is a problem and he needs a new one. "I'm sorry. We are closed, " the worker tells him. "Come back tomorrow."

"I live three hours away," Tyler informs her through the glass. "I can't come back, I need you to trade it for a new one today!"

She is unmoved. "The money is all locked up."

"You don't need the register. Just switch the guy for me."

She tries another route, "The doors are all locked."

"Then how are you getting out?" He is undeterred.

She then points to the glass sliding doors that open inside of the park behind the locked five foot fence, surely thinking she has him there and is safe. And, most people I think would have accepted defeat here, but not Tyler! "Great!" he says. "I'll meet you there!"

"No, no! Sir?..."

But Tyler has already taken off. He climbs and jumps over the fence and dashes to the doors before she can escape. He makes it just ahead of her and the doors open. She tries to block him from entering with both arms up. She is not a small woman.

"I just need you to switch this guy for me. You can fix it in the register tomorrow. It's your mistake and I need you to make it right."

She protests some more, but can see he is not going to leave and is finally resigned to making the switch. Tyler thanks her, smiles, and jumps back over the fence, returning triumphantly to the car, winged Dragon Warrior in hand. I could have sworn he was moving in slow motion with some distant theme music playing.

It made it even more dramatic as we are still sitting in the parking garage and as the story is unfolding and the kids become certain that the worker had called the Poliezi and they are undoubtably racing down the street towards us, sirens blazing. "Let's get out of here," they're yelling. Adrenalin is rushing as they can't decide whether they are excited or scared to death that Tyler is going to be cuffed and dragged off to jail any moment.

Unfortunately, the parking ticket machine is not working and we are not sure that we aren't locked in. Tyler heads for the parking gate anyway. We'll see what happens when we get there. And maybe it was just because the park had closed, but the gate is up and we are able to make our escape - not only without having to pay for parking, but before the poliezi have time to get there and surround us. "And that," Tyler says. "Is why we pay our tithing!"

So it's a full day. We played hard, there were unparalleled feats of heroics, narrow escapes, and a Gospel lesson to boot. What lucky kids to have such a great dad! He even let us get McDonalds on the way home!

POW

Those who know me well will tell you that when I have a new baby, I disappear. I go into hibernation for at least a couple of months. Why? Because I basically become germophobic! I arm myself with lysol wipes and stash bottles of purell in every room, bag, purse, and drink holder and begin waging my own personal war on bacteria and the onslaught of viruses everywhere.

When Sawyer was 4 weeks old he got RSV despite my dedication to sanitizing and hiding out at home. So with Hayes having been in the hospital with immature lungs for 10 days, I took it up a notch. I washed everything in sight, I met the kids at the door and policed the dropping of shoes and backpacks at the door, the washing of hands with a hospital grade scrubby and then sent them off to change their clothes before coming near the baby. In three months I think I hit church maybe 3 times and still have not touched the commissary; having assigned all errands to Tyler. I have only actually visited my VT sisters once; preferring the drive by treat drop option instead the other two months. I did get out to the boys' basketball games, but sat away from other spectators and kept Hayes enshrouded in his car seat; sleeping soundly and safely.

And a week ago Sunday I took Hayes to the ER. And he had RSV. And we were there until Thursday. Prisoners of war.

The way I see it, my only options now are to either keep my school-age kids home with me (Porter had brought home a cough), somehow completely quarantine myself and Hayes, or just suck it up and deal with it. Germs are everywhere. At least I got to sit and read and watch movies for 5 days instead of facing housework and bills. And since I was basically tethered to the room and they wouldn't bring me meals since I wasn't the patient, I lost 3 pounds while there. There just might have been a silver lining. And Hayes is much better now. Still a little stuffy, but better. It's just unfortunate May is still so far away...

I'm a WHAT?

..A Spelling Bee Mom! Yes, it's true. I have reached official Spelling Bee Mom status! Crazy. I always dreamed of being a Soccer Mom, a Basketball Mom, taking my daughter to dance performances, etc...Never thought I would be cheering my kids on in their school spelling bee. It's amazing how intense those things can be by the way!

So Briggs was the first runner up in the Ramstein Intermediate School Spelling Bee. Very serious business! The base General was one of the judges and the winner goes on to district and then to Europeans. They started with 70 3rd through 5th graders and TWO and a HALF HOURS later, it was a fifth grade girl and Briggs! He probably could have won had we spent more than one or two dinners practicing!

Sadly, I didn't even bring my still camera. I took some video, but I really didn't expect him to win! So no triumphant photo, but he is loving his new-found popularity and I think was more excited about the $50 savings bond than the actual win!

Halloween

Yes that's right...Halloween! I'm just a bit behind!