My Knight

So this year Jake was our "Knight in Shining Armor" for Halloween. But yesterday, a Sunday, I saw my Knight in Shining Armor walking up to me in a crowded hallway at Stake Conference.

James got called-in (pretty random) on a Saturday morning that we thought he would have off. Oh, well. I would see him the next day at noon. Sunday.

24 hours later. Sunday. I was tired by this point. But used to it...I guess.

I got the kids dressed for church and headed to Stake Conference. A 2 hour meeting. Just the kids and I...and a million other people.

I headed straight for the Relief Society room. I figured we would only disrupt a handful of people instead of the whole cultural hall.

And disrupt them we did.

Jake most of all. Well, Naomi did her share too.

Oh yeah, and William threw his 7 year old body longwise taking up four chairs because he "had a headache."

I didn't really care. Lie down.

At one point I had to take Jake out and find an empty room. I spanked his bottom.

Then William had to use the restroom. Really. I had just taken Naomi and than Jake.

Fine.

I grabbed the baby and left Jake behind to fend for himself. Or actually, for the rest of the innocent people to fend for themselves...with Jake.

I sat outside the Boys room holding my baby. And then from the corner of my eye, I saw him.

A man. He looked as if he just woke up. Really, he actually never really went to sleep.

He was wearing light blue scrubs. And this old, worn out red fleece. His hair looked greasy. His tennis shoes needed a bath.

But there he was. Completely out of place. Not dressed appropriately. But at this occasion, I saw him dressed perfectly.

I guess I was perfectly in love with him.

Right at that moment.

He didn't go home to sleep. He should have.

He came to rescue me.

A damsel in distress. My knight.

BiG wEeK

William had a BiG wEeK

William with his teacher, Ms. Soujourner. She nominated William for the Resnik Pride Award for being such a great student.

Then he got GLASSES! Jake failed his vision test at school. They made me go get a professional opinion. I decided to just take both the boys. Why not? Apparently Jake passed with flying colors. William, ummm, not so much. It was hilarious.

This morning at 7:00 A.M. I had to yank the kids from their warm beds into the cold car. It was William's FIRST swim meet.

Go, Bug, Go (he's diving in)

waiting for his heat

just checking the goggle fit.

So, kids swimming isn't as innocent as it looks. It's exhausting. James is on call. The kids were crazy. I had to volunteer for the first hour of the meet. The head lady got a little feisty with me.

It probably would have helped if someone told me what a "lane checker, somethin or other" was before I got there. I stood in my place like a stone. I made sure no one drowned. Whew.

Then I hustled Jake and Naomi in with me to watch the Bug. I found a tiny, little spot of bench by the staircase. I asked the mom sitting there if I could sit down. She just looked at me and didn't answer. Normal people would have taken that as a "no". I wasn't normal this morning. I sat down. The lady than made a rude comment about the cute Indian mom who was yelling Indian language up to her husband. The lady rudely said, "I can't stand that! This is America. Speak English." Oh, gees. What have I gotten myself into?

Then the lady's daughter was up. She lost her heat by less than a second. The mother was yelling her brains out. Finally when her daughter hit the wall last she let out a ,"oh, damnit!" Oh, gees. Then a guy told me that my daughter who was sitting in the staircase was going to get stepped on.

Get me out of here.

We cheered for the Bug. Then we got the heck out of there.

We're home.

We're exhausted.

It's been a BiG WeeK for a Big Bug!

Way to go Kid!

Already Missing...

An Ah-Ha moment. It was dark...not late, just dark. I was in the minivan by myself. Driving past Croghan Park. On Sand Run Parkway. In akron, OH. I had that feeling. "I was home." How interesting it is, that I have had those "Ah-Ha" moments in each of the places that I have lived. In Salt lake, it was 13th South, than onto Des Moines on Jordan Creek parkway, and now in Akron on Sand Run. I immediately thought about what the street name would be when I have my "ah-ha" moment in Denver, CO. Our next stop. Our next phase. Somewhere, out there, in Denver, there is a whole new world waiting for me. New friends, new neighbors. New parents to meet on the PTA and new teachers for my kids in primary. With this excitement ahead of me, I am already starting to miss this place that we have made our home.
I am already missing the cashier lady at Circle K with the dyed black hair. When she sees me come in, she holds out her hand for my $.63 cents. That's how much my Coke is. No more. No less. I always have the exact change and she knows it.
I am missing the gangster cashier at Walgreens who knows that when I walk in, he will be doing multiple transactions with coupons. He just smiles at me. As we talk about how much money I am going to save.
I am missing going into Target and running into someone I know. For this, to me, is a sign that I am officially a part of a place. It always has been. If I can go in a store and see someone I know, I have made it.
I am already missing walking up to the playground at the boys school and seeing my friends pushing their little ones on the swings and talking about how frustrated we are with whatever we are frustrated with.
Somewhere, out there, in Denver, CO is a whole new place to make home. Somewhere, our neighbors are waiting for us. Somewehre, there is a street that I will one day say, "Ah-Ha."

A VERY good, NO school Day

Election Day November 2010. The boys school happens to be a voting station. NO SCHOOL!

We started the day bundling up in our winter clothes to accomplish our goal. In our county they have a "Fall Hiking Spree." If you do 8 of the designated hikes before the end of November, you get a FREE walking stick. Last year we came close but didn't quite make 8 hikes. This year, I was bound and determined to accomplish our goal. And today, a no school day, a fairly cold no school day....introducing...the newest Fall Hiking Spree Finishers! You should have seen their faces. We have been working towards this for 2 months. Awesome!

Than we celebrated by going out to "lunch". I took the kids to a pizza restaurant and we got to sit down and eat pizza in a real restaurant. They LOVED it! (I'm not sure if I did)

If that weren't enough, when daddy got home from work, we all piled in the car and headed to the "DQ". The kids award for their scripture reading. We stole this tradition from my dad who always took us down to the DQ on 13th So in SLC if we read our scriptures. The kids LOVE it! And even crazier, Jake and Nomers get the Oreo Blizzard just like their mom used to.

Ahhh, memories. The circle of life at its BEST!