Bolder Boulder and Last Week of School

I’m that far behind. It’s tempting to ignore these old picture posts and just begin again afresh but every time I think that, I think of the many missing picture posts from last year when I was pregnant and I don’t want to miss two summers! So...fewer words and more pictures to catch up.

For the past four years since we’ve lived here, school has ended the week before Memorial Day.  As the Bolder Boulder always takes place on Memorial Day Monday, we have been able to drive up and make it our first summer family event with possible trips to Six Flags Elitch Gardens or a Rockies baseball game in Coors field.  This year, it was a quick weekend trip with one fun day at Waterworld and celebrating our nephews, Michael and Jacob, graduation from high school.   For some reason, I didn’t take any pictures of them or their party or their new house.  I was really off my game.

Road trip!

Henry is not into having his picture taken.

It was warmish but definitely on the cooler side when you were wet because it was so windy.

Jay had zero desire to get a sunburn or suntan, for that matter, and made sure he was covered up.

Sarah came to do the race with us and it is always nice to spend time with her.

Henry’s bed at the hotel.  He thought it was pretty cool to have a couch bed.

This was Henry’s first year to do the race.  Seth and Sam both got their inaugural run when they were six and so it was only fair to extend the same invitation to Henry, although both Jay and I wondered if he could or would actually do it.  Thanks to Jay’s amazing patience, he came back after running his blazing fast 35 minute 10K to do it with Henry.  They finished in 2 1/2 hours.  Jay said it was like holding hands and walking with an anchor.  But, Henry thought it was great.  Seth and Sam ran it on their own even though Seth started throwing up after mile 1.  Like a concerned brother, Sam took off without him but they still finished within minutes of each other.

Sarah and I walked it with me packing Daniel.  He was on my back for the first two miles and then wanted his comfy front position, which was harder for me.  We didn’t break any speed records but we were both proud of ourselves for doing it and it was a lot of fun.

Going up that last killer hill into folsom field.

Running into the stadium of adoring masses.

After their big finish.  Henry is still happy!

Then...just like that, we were back for the big last week of school.  I know they need a certain amount of days to get accreditation but every day was either a field trip, field day or performance.

The 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade music concert.  It was so well done.  Probably the best elementary music concert I’ve ever been to.  Sam is on stage dancing with a scarf.

I had signed up to go with Sam’s class on a field trip.  Here they are playing with a parachute.

Didn’t know where to throw these pictures in so I’ll just stick them in here.  Jay taught Seth how to mow with the riding mower.  They cut the weeds to a manageable height.

Seth really struggled during the last trimester to get his work turned in.  He knew the consequence of not getting his grades up was forfeiting participating in any extra curricular activities next fall.  He got everything turned in and got his grades up but it frustrates me that A) he could get all that work done in 2 nights.  I mean...it isn’t that the work is overwhelming him. and B) that the teachers were so o.k. with him, and lots of other kids it turns out after talking to them, turning stuff in late.  I wish they had a better system to help these kids learn the skills to either get the work done during class time or turn it in within a certain period of time.  Seth was complete assignments from over a month ago.  Grrr...

Up late finishing assignments.

I went into Henry’s last day of Kindergarten for a program.  He loves it whenever I am in his classroom and I feel bad that I was in there so rarely.

His teacher had an award for every student.  Henry was award the super reader and super speller award.

Outside at the end of the day.  Sam bringing home some of his art.  Yay for summer break!

Say Anything

There isn’t one dominant reason as to why I have been so silent this summer break.  Of course, every day, there is usually one dominant reason:  I’m traveling, I have company staying with me, Daniel is sick or fussy, it is too hot in the house (my psyche is very sensitive to heat), I’m trying to do something...anything to make my house and life less cluttered and so on.  Occasionally, these forces combine and I am completely overwhelmed.

But those to-dos and day fillers aren’t really the reason I haven’t written.  My motivation to write usually stems from wanting a record of my memories, a desire to interact socially with family and friends and to be creative with my thoughts and opinions (i.e. book reviews).   Occasionally, I have used it to confess weaknesses or purge toxic ideas, although I know this is much less acceptable in the blogiverse.  Especially my blogiverse.  I am trying very hard not to do that anymore.  However, that plug in my pie-hole affects all my other motivation.  

It is said if you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say anything at all.  I thought I was following this advice.  But, I DO have nice things to say and I should say them.  We have been having a lot of fun this summer and I’ve seen some beautiful friends and shared wonderful experiences with family in amazing places and the fact that I’m going through some kind of pathetic mid-life crisis (should I die at age 72 which is on the young side of old age but not out of the question) that makes me question and doubt everything I do doesn’t negate those events.  But, I think for my own authenticity, I had to post this first.  As a kind of disclaimer, I suppose.  I already feel better.  It is such a disadvantage to be a sharer when things aren’t perfectly peachy.  I envy you private people.

Here’s to saying something...which I hope is better than saying nothing at all.

Daniel - 28 Weeks

I didn’t take any pictures on Monday so this is two days late. It shouldn’t matter but you are changing daily! You now get up on all fours to crawl. You haven’t figured out the moving of your knees but you get up, move one knee and collapse forward. Then, you get up and do it again, getting wherever you need to go. You even have managed to push yourself into a sitting position a few times. You roll ubiquitously. You throw major temper tantrums if you feel ignored or put in your bed too soon. You have two teeth! You still like to nurse but I’m not enjoying it as much with your teeth. You love books. Unfortunately, you don’t enjoy board books nearly as much as paper books. Hymnals are particularly entertaining to you. You have decided to sleep through the night. It works for me!

BYU Football Camp

Tackling drill

 Receiving drill

Scrimmaging

Sam just about to cross the line on the very last play on the very last day.

Sam won a BYU Football Camp honor award for telling the truth about not getting a touchdown when the coach thought he had.

Jen, always so fun to be with and a great help with Daniel.

Running for popsicles!

Popsicles at the end of practice!

Henry and Sadie stamp in the books Jen bought them.

Daniel taking a rare nap

Getting some shade

My, Amy's and Becky's kids at the park!

I love these girls.  It is always nice to meet up with them while in Utah.

Catching some SYTYCD with Sarah in hotel room.

Will Daniel need specs?

Didn't see much of Seth as he and Ansel stayed in the dorms all week but caught a bit of his camp one day.  

Daniel - 27 Weeks

You are spending your 27th week in Provo while your brothers attend BYU football camp. That means, you are pretty much either being held or in your stroller all the time. You catch some sleep while you can and Aunt Jen holds you a lot to give me a break.



In your “new-to-us” joovy stroller that I really like!



You hate baby food but you love handling all these french fries!

P.S.  I love you in little tank outfits.  Your dad calls it Whisky Tango but I think baby arms and their delicious rolls should be on display:)

Daniel - SIX MONTHS! - or 26 Weeks

Someday, maybe not tomorrow, I would like to feel like my head is on straight enough to post something other than a weekly picture of Daniel but, today, that is all I am capable of doing.

At six months you:

can sit up without assistance
have a favorite toy - your exersaucer
nurse and drink formula from a bottle
laugh
suck your thumbs (don’t seem to have a preference which one)
have the beginnings of a bottom tooth (it poked through yesterday!)
do NOT sleep through the night.
can roll over both ways and move quite a distance if you’ve got the mind to do it.
focus intensely on other people’s food but gag on your baby food.
love your brothers and your mom and dad
flirt unabashedly with anyone.

Weight 19 lb 1 oz (78%)
Height 27 in (72%)
Head Circumference 44.8 cm (78%)

Daniel - 25 Weeks

At 25 weeks, you are in transition.  Sick for the second time in your almost six month life, you are confused about wanting me or the bottle.  The last week had me convinced you preferred the bottle but these past few days, not to mention your many, many middle of the night feedings, has me thinking otherwise.  My body is as confused as you must be and doesn’t know whether to stop making milk or to make more.

It makes me sad to see you so sick.  You are feverish and stuffy.  But, as the above picture shows, you still smile when smiled at.  It is just part of your nature to flirt with someone looking at you.

You probably need a regular schedule to figure out how to sleep better but I can already tell with the start of summer that it is going to be hard to provide that for you.  With three older brothers, we are on the go to do fun things a lot.

This also happens to be your dad’s 38th birthday so you were sweet to make time for snuggles with him.  And even though you were sick and hadn’t seen your dad for a week, with your new bottle drinking skills, you were watched by Grandma and Derek for three hours while mom and dad went on a date.  It was so nice going somewhere without you (not that I don’t like being with you but...well...you know) and not worrying about whether or not you were starving.

Next week you will be six months old!

Daniel - 24 Weeks

You spent your 24th week birthday (that’s five and a half months for my sister, Maureen, who thinks week counting is getting confusing:P) in the car for eight hours.  You slept, cooed and entertained us all with your new high pitched screech.  Yay!




Thankfully, you decided a bottle could be placed in proximity to your mouth without a major tantrum a couple of days before the trip and come road trip time...you were a bottle drinking star.