Goodbye

June 5th, 2012

This was a very difficult day for our family.  I knew that it was going to be tough taking Vivien to the airport to fly home to Slovakia but I didn't plan on it being heart breaking.  I wanted us all to have a final together memory that would make us smile and laugh so without the kids knowing I took along Wackee Six.  It's our game.  The one that we played the first day that Vivien was with us, the one that we were playing when Derek starting laughing so hard that we had to take him to the hospital, the one that we would play when there was absolutely nothing else to do in frozen Rexburg, the one that Nathan and Hyrum could play with us.

After checking in (which took quite a while because they couldn't find her information - we were hoping that meant she was staying longer), we gathered around in a circle and started playing.  The kids thought I was kidding but quickly joined in and soon we were hollering out "Wackee Six", bantering at each other when someone played the card we were going to and we had an audience of waiting travelers watching us.

Then it was time to say goodbye.  Nathan and Hyrum didn't quite understand that Vivien would not be coming back in a few days so they were anxious to get something to eat.  Derek and Justin didn't quite know how to say goodbye and I kept holding my breath so that I wouldn't cry.  That didn't work for very long and soon Vivien and I were both in tears.

She waited until the very last minute to go through security, waved one last time, and our last view of her was going up the escalator.  I just stood there for a few minutes, resisting the urge to run after her.  

Once we were in the car we didn't really know what to say.  When we got back to the house we were still quiet and didn't quite know what to do with ourselves without Vivien part of our lives anymore.  Then I got an update text from her as soon as she had available wifi for her iPod and felt a little better.  I didn't sleep that night because I was worried about her traveling alone.  I waited all morning for an email telling me that she had arrived safely.  Her dad finally gave me an update and by the next day I had email contact with her again. It certainly isn't the same as having her here but it's better than slow mail or nothing at all.  We did try Skype once but her video wasn't working and our internet is too slow for a good connection so we have just been in contact through email.  I think of her every day.  I miss her laugh and smile and hearing her down in her room.  I miss her company while I cook dinner or while the boys are off doing boy things.  I miss her sarcasm and sense of humor and taking trips into town or to Idaho Falls with her.

The boys also miss her.  They would often disappear and I would find them sitting in her empty room.  I even found myself hanging out down there once in a while.  The room still has her flag and a few pictures on the walls. She is very much still a part of the family and is still included in our family prayers and talked about on a daily basis.  What a blessing it has been to have her as part of our family.  We love you, Vivien!!!

Disneyland with the Madison Orchestra

May 27th - June 2nd

Derek, Vivien and I had the opportunity to go with the school orchestra on a week long trip to Disneyland. Three chartered buses, loads of kids, an equal load of instruments, and enough travel treats and caffeine to stock a grocery store pulled out of the school parking lot on Sunday evening ready to travel all night long.

I'm not sure who chose the movie to be watched on the bus but it was quite entertaining to see a whole group of 15-18 year olds singing along to the musical score of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and to see the head bobbing of those trying to drown out the theatrical music for a more modern playlist provided by their iPods.  The night hours dragged on as we all tried to curl up cat style in our bus seats with some finally giving up and stretching out on the floor.

Our first stop, that wasn't meant only as a potty break, was at the beach.  Because it was Memorial Day the beach was very overcrowded and we had a hard time keeping track of each other.  I was glad that Derek and his friends were happy to have the mommy chaperones around (we were the designated sunscreen appliers and bag holders) and we had a a good time taking pictures of our farmer tanned teens. 

Derek's idea of getting warm was to let everyone else bury him in the sand.  He said it would have worked if it hadn't been so itchy.

The beach was also where I got to know my roommates for the week.  We had all been assigned to ride separate buses so the beach gave us a chance to meet and chat, realizing that we already knew a bit about each other through our sons.

After the beach we were scheduled to eat and be entertained at Medieval Times.  Everything was going as planned until we attempted to board the buses and one of them wouldn't start.  While holding up California traffic we tried to cram everyone onto 2 buses and just as we were all finding floor space or tripling up in the seats we got a call that the other bus had finally started and was on its way.   So, still holding up traffic, the extras scrambled off buses and quickly boarded the {hopefully} repaired one.  We had such great bus drivers that we still made it to Medieval Times with plenty of time to get a couple of pictures before the show began.

The boys loved the show!  There's not much more manly than eating a meal with just your hands while sitting in a dusty arena with a hint of horse poop wafting through the air and watching men dressed in fighting armor gallop around on horses trying to knock each other off with really long, sharp, pointed sticks.  It was fun, the food was okay, the horses were beautiful and the guys not so bad looking, the giddy looks on the boys faces as they met the winning knight was the best!  

Vivien was with a good group of girls for the whole trip as well.  She didn't really care for the Medieval Times show.  Not so much fun for a germaphobe used to a knife and fork for each meal who could end up in an allergy coughing fit due to the dust flying around.  Still, I think she had fun at the beach and being with the group she was with.  

After a stop at Walmart to load up on food for the week so that we wouldn't have to pay Disneyland prices for our meals, we found our hotel and crashed for the night.  We (the mothers) had to do room checks at midnight and most of the kids were already asleep.

Tuesday was a full free day at Disneyland.   Stephanie, Tricia and I were planning on leaving the boys to run around by themselves and we would wander around as mothers lost without children to watch after but the boys came to our room bright and early in the morning and informed us that we were to hang out with them.  We were thrilled and honored.  Throughout the day I gained a love and respect for that group of boys.  They are respectful, kind, extremely humorous, silly and they gave their moms a great day.

The Tower of Terror and the Screamer were their favorite rides.  With the help of fast passes they rode them each so many times we lost count.  I did the Tower of Terror once and felt like my head was sitting on my neck wrong so I was glad to be the bag lady holding all the backpacks and sitting out those two rides.  Their faces and enthusiastic reliving of each ride was priceless.  

Throughout the week we would occasionally run into Vivien and the group of girls she was with.  They seemed to be having a great time and while the boys hung out at California Adventure where the more daring rides were, the girls caught all the fun traditional Disney rides.  I learned that the next day the girls also went to California Adventure to get their adrenaline fix as well.  I think the girls saw more that the two parks had to offer but the boys certainly found what they loved and stuck with it.

On Wednesday the group went behind the scenes of Disneyland to record music.  They were taken to a recording studio where they were handed music to practice through once and then have recorded the second time.  The kids looked like zombies as they went into the recording.  Many were sunburned, they had had a full 2 days going at top speed to get in as many rides as they could, some had stayed up most of the night, and all had glazed eyes from eating junk, not drinking enough water and very hot temperatures.  According to Derek, the recording was awful.  Knowing how good they are, I believe that it probably went better than they give credit for.  

Thursday was performance day.  The group dressed in their formal clothing to take the stage and show off their musical stuff in 100 degree weather with the sun shining so bright they could hardly see their music.  

That's my Derek!!  Man, he is talented and handsome! 

The trip home was LONG!!!  It started with another bus problem that took them about an hour and a half to fix.  We really wanted to leave on time because we were driving as far as Las Vegas and needed to be in our seats by showtime to see one of the last performances of Phantom of the Opera.  By September the show would be over, the stage torn down and something else put in it's place.  Our stops to Vegas were limited because of the late start but we made it there just in time to park, quickly make our way through the stinky casinos and take a quick breath of fresh air conditioned air before it started.  

I loved the show.  I have wanted to see Phantom since my junior year in high school (and that seems FOREVER ago).  I loved the music, the stage, the costumes, the people I was with, all of it.  Derek loved the music and stage but was a little lost because it was a little difficult to understand a couple of the performers.  

After the show was over we again boarded the buses for another long drive through the night.  We got back to the high school in Rexburg about 9:30 the next morning.  Most of us were ready to get to our homes and lay down on a real bed to sleep but Vivien had a hard time leaving.  It would be the last time she would see her American friends. There was plenty of hugging, a few tears, letters shared, and many sad goodbyes. The school year was now officially over and she would be heading back to Slovakia in 3 days.  

The mood in our home quickly changed once this trip was over.  Everything prior to the trip included the excitement of the final month of school with concerts and graduation, getting ready for Disneyland, Erika getting engaged, and summer coming.  Now, it seemed that all the fun was coming to an end.  We didn't want it to come and Vivien wasn't looking forward to it but we were forced to face the inevitable. 

Chillin' in Yellowstone

May 6th, 2012

LeRoy was convinced that riding in his BMW and visiting Yellowstone were both on Vivien's USA Bucket List but there never seemed to be a time that he could help her cross those two things off.  Finally, the day came.  LeRoy, Derek, Justin and Vivien took a picnic, packed into the BMW (that thing is barely big enough for Derek's long legs) and headed to the hills.

Apparently, the only thing there is for the wildlife to do is eat and wander the streets.

As they were leaving that morning I told Vivien that I hoped she would see a bear.  I was SO JEALOUS to get a text from her saying that they had seen one.  I have never seen a bear that wasn't in a zoo.  That's still on my bucket list.

It's a good thing I wasn't on this trip because I probably would have had a heart attack from watching my boys put themselves in danger.  Actually, had I been there they probably wouldn't have crossed all the fences and boundaries that they did.  I'm the rule-enforcing-panicky parent and LeRoy is the encourager-of-all-things-dangerous parent.

These three have become good friends over the last few months.  They are sibling enough
to tease and annoy each other but also laugh themselves to tears at the silliest things.

Vivien takes amazing pictures!

On the Stage

May 2012

Justin's spring orchestra concert.

The kid standing next to Justin is Kyle.  The same Kyle that Justin got in trouble with during the first month of kindergarten.  They both started kindergarten already knowing how to read so when the teacher would be "stretching" the words to teach the kids how to sound them out, Kyle and Justin would start giggling.  Once they started giggling they couldn't stop.  It had become quit disruptive to the class over the month so both mothers were called in.  We agreed that they could send Kyle and Justin to the first grade reading group.  It helped some but the two of them would still have random giggle fits throughout the year and even though they have never had a class together since then (did the teachers plan this?) they have remained good friends.


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Vivien joined the beginning ballroom dance group during the last trimester of school.  At the first practice it was obvious that they were going to be short on boys so she convinced Derek and his friend to join the group as well.  Enough boys started coming but they all looked like they were 12 and only came up to Vivien's chest so she dropped ballroom and did tennis instead (which most days was just chasing balls around in the wind).  However, Derek stuck with it.  He liked his partner and he has some pretty good hip moves that translated well on the dance floor.

During the recital he wouldn't look up.  It wasn't because he was counting steps or didn't know the dance - we all saw his moves at home.  That darn stage fright got to him again! At least he had fun at the practices and even a smidgen of fun near the end of the song at the recital when he finally started to relax.  I wish the song had been just a little longer so that he would have really gotten into it and strutted his ballroom stuff.

Smile That Frown Away

Erika is perfectly on time for daily fifteen minute breaks at 10am, 12pm, and 2:30pm.  Because of their job schedules, these are the only times that she and Bret have to talk on the phone.  He works from 5am to 2:30pm and she works from 2:45pm to 11pm.  Once in a while they also have a brief evening conversation to say goodnight.

Though Bret has her full attention she also has to be playing with or doing something else while on the phone.  I can completely relate to this but I'm usually doing laundry, dishes or other no-brainer tasks around the house.  She, on the other hand, likes to show off her brainy skills and play strategy games or speed games on her iPod or even solve a Sudoko Rubik's cube.  Those kinds of activities make my brain hurt without being on the phone.  

She still doesn't like it when I pull the camera out and usually gives me a pouty or frowny face 

and once in a while I'm lucky enough to get a tongue face.  

In my best primary voice I sang to her to turn her frown upside down and this is what I got:

Dining Etiquette

One of the things we learned from Vivien was how to properly use our utensils at the table.  Sure, we always had a fork or spoon but seldom a knife at each place setting.  Now, we have knives out for almost every meal and we often use our newly acquired European table manners.  As we were sitting at the table together one late evening when dinner had been overlooked and we settled on a $5 Hot-N-Ready there was a sudden pause as we looked around at each other and busted out laughing because we were ALL using a fork and knife to eat our pizza - even the little boys.

Nathan wanted so much to eat "how Vivien does" that even when he was flicking waffle across the table and scraping the stripe off of his plate he did not give up.

Victory is celebrated with each bite
that has not hit the table or floor before it gets to the mouth.

Love Thy Neighbor

We couldn't have chosen better next door neighbors if we had done interviews.  We aren't chatty, hang out on each other's patio and party kind of neighbors but our kids are completely content to use our combined yards as one big playground.  Their six girls and one boys perfectly compliment our five boys and one girl.  Well, the ages don't quite work out but their four younger girls (ages 6 to 13) and their two year old boy have a great time hanging out with our three younger boys (ages 4 to 13).   The girls have complete crushes on the boys and the boys are clueless.

One of the first days of summer break the boys started hauling out every stuffed animal they could hunt down    in our house.  When I looked outside I could see a huge pile of stuffed animals on our trampoline and a huge pile of stuffed animals on the neighbors trampoline.  They ranged from the tiniest key chain creature to the overstuffed Tigger, which each family proudly had one of.  I stood back and watched for a minute before grabbing my camera.

Instead of playing the back-in-the-day game of My Dad is Bigger Than Your Dad, they were playing the updated We Have More Stuffed Animals Than You Do version.  What I found so funny was the method each team was using to do the counting.  The girls kept all the animals on the trampoline, taking great care to not let one fall to the dirty ground, while pushing all of them to one side and tossing them to the other side as they counted.  The boys gave up trying to keep them on the trampoline and scooped them all to the ground to then toss them into piles of ten, not even taking into account that the animals might get dirty.

Final Score:  97 to 68
They won

When the weather finally warmed up enough to warrant a little water play each family scrounged through cupboards and drawers to find balloons to fill for a water fight. After drenching themselves trying to fill the balloons with the hose and several pinched fingers attempting to tie the balloons, the imaginary boundary was set and the water bombs were let loose.  Somehow, little Brock next door could tell that we were the boy side of the battle and came to our side of the yard to throw balloons at his sisters.

The trampoline is this years main attraction.  Even though we had it last year, the playhouse hosted most of last years games.  Our trampoline has somehow snuck across the lawn to stand next to their trampoline so that they can jump from one to the other, have the sprinkler under one but not the other, and to create a big enough shade area for everyone to enjoy a cool lunch area in the heat of the day.  On the individual trampolines we often find Justin hanging out with Brock while the others all play imagination games or Justin is teaching someone how to do gymnastic tricks.  On more group days they can be found playing Duck, Duck, Goose or Crack the Egg or just sitting there talking like best of friends do.

The neighbor's cousin, Bailey, joined the fun and by the end of the day also had a crush on Justin.    
How can boys be so oblivious to the obvious?

Yellow Belt

Nathan has worked hard during class and at home to master the requirements necessary for belt advancement in Tae Kwan Do.  He practiced kicks and formation as well as yells but he also had to have his parents signatures to declare that he lived the Tae Kwan Do rules of the home such as respect, keeping his room clean, being helpful with siblings and keeping his body clean and healthy.

At his belt test he was surprised to learn that he had to break a board with one fast hit.  With encouragement from his coach and his dad, he stood firm in formation and with an enthusiastic I-ya and in a flash of arm movement his single board become two.  Unfortunately, I tell this from second hand experience since I was out of town when he had his belt test and LeRoy didn't have the camera with him.  Luckily, he gave me a private demonstration when I got home.

Two weeks later we attended his award ceremony to receive his new yellow belt and his advancement certificate.

Graduations 2012

Before the last trimester at Madison High started, Erika only had one required class left to take.  Rather than spend a full trimester and five classes finishing the year she decided to transfer to Central High and do the block course in two weeks to finish and graduate.  In four days she finished all of the required work, took the two tests and the final and was done.  A week later, on March 8th, they called to let her know her diploma was ready.  She had no desire to cross stage, wear a gown, send out invitations, none of the hoopla that goes with a typical American graduation.

Without even a glance back at high school she is moving on to ISU with a major in Psychology.

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Vivien was taking a Child Development class and for 4 weeks of the class they did a preschool for local kids.  Hyrum got to go to preschool for 4 weeks and he loved it.  Actually, he would tell us every morning that he didn't want to go but every day when I picked him up he would tell me the songs he sang, the stories they told, the activities they did and the treats they had.  After the first day he told us that a girl had kissed him on the cheek and he was embarrassed that the teachers thought it was cute.  Every day I got an update on whether or not "that girl" was in class.  She never did kiss him again but I think he was watching out for her and stayed away from her.

Vivien had to do a portfolio for the class and chose to do it on Hyrum.  That meant we got to have some cute preschool pictures of him and a description of his class time and what he learned there.  He liked to brag to Nathan that Vivien was one of his teachers.


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Nathan's kindergarten class had a final program with a circus theme and a graduation after.  Nathan was one of the fierce lions who jumped and rolled through a big ring of fire (hula hoop with streamers).  I wondered why he wouldn't smile through any of the songs and looked like he was about to cry when they gave him his diploma.  After it was over he ran over to me in near tears, threw his papers to me and ran off to the bathroom.  He had to go through the whole program!  After he got back we were able to get a couple of pictures with him smiling instead of concentrating on not wetting his pants.  

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Vivien's graduation came all too fast!  Though we were so ready for school to be over, we were not ready for our time together to be over.  She did get to experience an American graduation, silly cap and all.

Her favorite teacher (total sarcasm), Mrs. Ashton. American History was a tough class!

Final pictures with some of the other exchange students and the host mom

There could be several reasons for these pictures:

1 - the water fountain was spiked

2 - the school is really scary between the hours of 10pm and 3am

3 - Mrs. Ashton was chasing them down for another essay or political cartoon

4 - Vivien and Solver were super hyper that night

Anything is possible at a senior all night party.

Smoothies

These have been a great to have as a quick breakfast when we're on the run, a light lunch during the summer heat,
or an evening snack as we wind down for bed.  

The kids like to help pack the greek yogurt (frozen into 1 TBSP dollops), juice ("muffins" frozen in mini muffin pan) and fruits for smoothies.  It is so much cheaper (and healthier) than buying them from Jamba or buying the prepackaged ones at the store.  Each time we bag them up we use different fruits depending on what is available and on sale.   One baggie makes enough for two small ones or one large one.

Even Hyrum knows how to grab a baggie from the freezer, dump it in the blender, add the water and make his own,
though he likes to have a "big person" in the kitchen with him because the blender is "loud".