Sixth Grade Continuation

June 17, 2016 By

I’ve been crazy proud of Hadley’s progress this year and it couldn’t have been done without the love, patience, inspiration and tutelage of her teacher, Deb McLean, who ignited within her a passion to learn. And not just the desire to acquire knowledge but with the confidence to know that she can learn, that she is smart enough and capable. There were three levels of scholars that were awarded and Hadley walked away with the second-tier honors and mostly a report card with As and Bs (except for math but we’re finally at grade level so no complaints), which is pretty miraculous considering she was so far behind at the beginning of the year.

Hadley’s Sixth Grade Continuation was the perfect amount of celebration and recognition without behind over-the-top (yes, kindergarten graduations with the cap and gown, I’m talking about you). I posted about it on Facebook and Peter, one of my childhood friends, mentioned he remembered me at our Continuation, which I’d kinda forgotten about but how could I forget the one year I swept the awards and came away with the best all-around athlete and scholar in the school?

Yes, sixth grade was the highlight of my academic, sports and social life. Good thing I had coke-bottle glasses and frizz-bomb hair, otherwise it might have gone to my head.

Their Sixth Grade Continuation at Arvada West High School was a surprisingly lovely and fun evening.

The ceremony was going swell until Hadley’s teacher ended her speech with “We wish you all the best as you take on the adventures of middle school.”

This sounded suspiciously like a warning. Let the games begin.

Filed Under: Hadley

Hadley’s 12th Birthday “Close to You” Painting Party!

June 13, 2016 By

Hadley is so obsessed with all-things painting that I knew we had to do something creative for her 12th birthday party. There are several fabulous painting/drinking studios but I didn’t want to deal the hassle of driving somewhere so it was a no-brainer when I heard about Gallery on the Go, a mobile canvas painting party service that was started right here in Colorado.

I don’t have an artistic bone in my body so the thought of getting out the craft supplies and cleaning them up makes me cringe. At the time of Hadley’s party, I was juggling sixth grade continuation, putting our house on the market, helping at a wedding reception and four graduation parties, which is a nice way of saying I had no time. 

Do you want to know what I had to do to plan our Gallery on the Go party? I simply told them when to come to my house and Hadley pre-selected what she wanted to paint from the variety of artwork for boys and girls from their gallery. I provided the food and drinks while they supplied everything else–from the table and floor coverings to chairs, aprons, paint, canvases, a fun photo booth, a game and even a gift for the birthday girl!

gallerygood

galleryonthegofun

Carrie, our “Independent Gallery Guide,” was fabulous as she assisted the girls through every brush stroke made even easier with their color-coded brushes while still giving them their own creative outlet. The girls were widely varied in their artistic abilities and all were thrilled with the finished product, thanks to Carrie’s patience and expertise while I stayed hidden on the sidelines.

It was a win-win for everyone.

But the party was just getting started. If you’ll recall, last year I pulled the ultimate prank when a huge birthday package arrived for her from J.B. When she opened the big box, several smaller ones were inside. When she got down to the final box, the girls were squealing “I’ll bet it’s a cell phone.” It was much better: it was a Justin Bieber T-shirt. Hadley was so hilariously mortified she stuffed it in the toilet.

I wondered how I could top J.B.’s celebrity appearance and the inspiration came to me when I heard The Carpenter’s song, “Close to You.” I asked each of her friends to secretly learn the words and they performed it for her, complete with costumes and props.

Rehearsing

I asked my friends at Talk to the Camera to pull together a video for it and I had one requirement: make it cheesy and they delivered. I get teary-eyed watching these great friends (Alex, Addison, Maeve, Morgan, Alicia, Kasey, Ellie and Haley) and I know she’ll treasure this for many years to come…when she gets over her shock.   https://vimeo.com/169764033 Password: Stars

Close To You Hadley from Audrey Walters on Vimeo.

And yes, the Biebs did make a surprise celebrity experience at the end. Unfortunately she didn’t really notice Alex was wearing the shirt until the camera stopped rolling but it would have been footage for the ages.

Happy 12th, my dear!

Filed Under: birthday, Hadley

Lovin’ it as a “Ritz-Kid”

June 7, 2016 By

I wanted to do something special for Hadley’s 12th birthday. Not only will she be moving and starting at a new middle school, but she is leaving our children’s organization at church and entering “Young Women.” She’s at such a tender, transitional age that I wanted to celebrate the beautiful young lady she is becoming.  There was no better way to do it than by  surprising her with her first real spa experience at the Ritz-Carlton Denver, which recently introduced an array of services crafted just for kids and teens.

Upon arrival, Hadley was instructed to change into a robe and slippers. The locker room facilities are only available to ages 18 and older so she got ready in the bathroom and waited for her appointment in the cozy lounge. As she leaned back on the luxurious beige couch sampling chocolate chips, infused water and dried bananas, she mused:

spaday1sm

“Can we do this every day?”
“You haven’t done anything yet.”
“All I need is to sit in this waiting area and I’ll be happy.”

Attention to all parents with hormonal teens: this is all they need!

Her first treatment was the Teen Facial. Specially crafted for teenagers, this cleansing facial helps analyze any concerns with your developing teen’s skin with organic products used to add extra sensitivity protection. I hunkered down in the corner of the dimly-lit room for the duration of the 45-minute treatment trying to stifle my laughter. My girl was in her element as she was swept and blown away in her ultimate experience of relaxation, renewal, and refreshment (if you’ve ever had a facial, you know).

While she was still relaxing on her massage table, I asked what she thought of her first facial.

“I feel heavy,” she groggily announced.
“Heavy? Do you mean from all the blankets?”
“No, heavy like gravity is pulling me down telling me not to move ever again.”

From there, she entered the world of light, The Spa at The Ritz-Carlton’s bright salon, where had the Berries and Bliss Manicure Pedicure. Starting with a warm Butter Brulee Milk soak, she then had her toes and nails rejuvenated with a fresh coat of polish, concluding with a Strawberry Smash Creme application.

As Hadley nibbled on her brownie pops with ganache and fresh berries from ELWAY’S Downtown, the hotel’s signature steak house, she declared it a memorable birthday surprise.

The Spa at The Ritz-Carlton sure does a warm welcome to womanhood.

Filed Under: birthday, Hadley, Humor

The Killing Fields: Sibling Version

June 1, 2016 By

This post is in honor of my lovely children who get along pretty well the majority of the time.

And when they do have altercations, they’re rarely physical and mostly verbal with the occasional threat.

Except for when they’re at our ward’s Summer Olympic Games when a mom friend told me they were full-on beating up each other on the grass, complete with hair-pulling and pushing.

Next time, the story will be they are in training for Greek Wrestling.

Filed Under: Hadley

Happy 12th Birthday, Hadley!

May 25, 2016 By

Dear Hadley,

Turning 12 is a big year! You will be leaving Primary (the children’s organization at church) and joining the ranks of Young Women as you start start middle school in a completely new state. This isn’t for the faint of heart but if you’ve shown me anything during sixth grade, it’s that you will prevail. Following your hellacious year of minimal learning at your previous school, you have risen to the challenge with your awesomely supportive teacher, Mrs. McLean. You started in the lowest reading group and rose to the highest, something your teacher says has never seen happen.

During our latest parent-teacher, I wish I could have recorded her glowing report of your fun personality, your growth in learning the computer, becoming a beautiful writer, improving your spelling and how you’ve become a sponge for learning. She pulled you aside to tell you that you are the most improved in writing and reading in the class and maybe even your whole grade.  Sure, you’ll always struggle in certain areas (MATH) but my gosh, you’ve proven when you set your mind to something, you can do it! You’re fun, well-liked but not caught up in the girl drama at school so here’s for hoping you stay far, far away from that.

Sixth grade was the year of climbing and conquering mountains–and I’m not just talking about  Mount Sherman, your first 14er last summer. You have the most wonderful friends while making new ones along the way. Last summer, you thrived at Camp Chief Ouray, learned to surf at the lakehouse in B.C., skied your first double-black diamond run at Sunlight Mountain Resort and had the time of your life at Outdoor Lab Windy Peak for a week with your class. You were nominated by your teachers to attend High Achieving Week for the arts at Mount Evans Outdoor Lab in June and you are thrilled to share that incredible experience with two of your besties, Alex and Ellie.

Falconry

Our obsession with The Broadmoor continues and you fell in love with Falconry as well as conquered their zipline course at Seven Falls while channeling your inner Merida in archery.  We are thrilled to be able to spend Memorial Day there and I’m sure you will out-eat us all at their famous brunch. You are a girl of many talents and carb-stuffing without gaining weight is one of yours (embrace that gift while you have it).

I’m so proud you finished your Faith in God award in Primary and will attend not one but two Young Women Girl’s Camps this summer: One in Colorado and the other in our new ward.  Though you were sad when we told you about our move to Midway, you have fully embraced this new adventure and are designing your new room. During our visit to Midway over Spring Break, you were fortunate to be able to meet the girls during a YW sleepover and fit right in. You were hopeful our move meant you could finally quit piano (nice job on your first duet with your brother) so I had a good laugh when, upon meeting our new neighbor, we learned she would be delighted to teach piano. You call that being cursed. I call that serendipity!

You continue to grow in the arts and you can make anything beautiful. You love painting with acrylic paints on canvas and your new hobby is an expensive one. Fortunately now that you’re 12 you can start babysitting, an occupation not exactly endearing to you because, like me, you’re “not exactly a baby person.” But don’t worry–there are plenty of babysitting opps without babies and I have no doubt once you get paid for the first time, you’ll never look back. And neither will your painting obsession.

Today is the last day of school and you are delighted to spend the morning in the park with your sixth grade friends playing games and signing yearbooks. This afternoon, we will have a Gallery on the Go painting party and your main gift that you requested is a pair of UGGS. And by main, I mean only. Have you seen the cost of those things?

I’m more of an “experience” giver vs. material possessions so as a special birthday experience, I pulled you out of school early last week to go to the Ritz-Carlton Denver where you were delighted to indulge in your first ever spa day, complete with a facial, mani and pedi. I had to stifle my laughter during your facial because you take after your dad who relishes every blissful moment when he gets a massage. When I asked what you thought of your first facial as you still relaxed on the massage table, you groggily announced, ”I feel heavy.” I replied, ”Heavy? Do you mean from all the blankets?” ”No, Mom. Heavy like gravity is pulling me down telling me not to move ever again.” My apologies to your future husband that your spa obsession started at such an early age.

First 14er!

We’ve had plenty of amazing adventures this year: Previewing “Season of the Force” at Disneyland, doing the Kids Adventure Games where you were a mountain biking, rappelling, ziplining, slip ‘n sliding fool, countless hikes and awesome local roadtrips. Though you resist going on our regular hikes and walks (it’s a tween thing?) you are the one who gets lost in the wonder of it all the moment you set foot on the trail.  I hope you’ll always love the outdoors and know that your Heavenly Father loves you and that with His help, you can accomplish anything.

In sixth grade, every child is spotlighted during a week of the year. As a part of that, parents are given the option to write a letter to be read aloud in class, the prospect of which mortified you but further solidified my resolve to do it.

March 17, 2016

Dear Hadley,

Despite the fact that you threatened me if I dared submit a letter in honor of your shining star, here I am because I am a risk taker.

Sixth grade has been wonderful as you transferred back to Vanderhoof, had the best teacher ever (wink, wink) and made some awesome friends. I’ve admired your hard work in so many areas–from getting caught up on your schoolwork to climbing your first 14,000-foot peak to skiing your first double-black diamond run to finally landing a front flip on the trampoline (this is such a relief after we’ve all endured many years of your sorry-excuse-for-a-somersault).

As you know, I have been writing you a letter on every birthday since you were born. Now that you’re in sixth grade, I thought I’d highlight a few of my favorite moments from your earlier years that I documented in those letters.

Pre-birth. You have been controlling us from the womb. It was 10 days before my due date and Dad was stressed about work. He told you “Hadley, if you’re born tomorrow, I will buy you a car on your 16th birthday.” The next morning, I went into early labor, you made my water break in very public Booth No. 3 at Einstein Bros. Bagels at noon (thanks for that) and you were born that night by 11 p.m.

Age 2. You were a child prodigy when it came to dancing and singing at story-time at the library. Your favorites included “Shake Your Sillies Out” and “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” the latter of which you knew by heart. The younger children watched you in awe and just to be nice, you often went over and forcibly “helped” them do the actions. Because they were obviously too dumb to figure it out for themselves.

Age 4. You have a bright, spirited personality and keep us laughing every single day. You are beloved by your preschool teachers and would have had an incident-free year if you had not tackled your classmate Cooper a few weeks ago, who in your defense, hit you over the head with a large loaf of plastic bread. This was your first look at how carbs can be dangerous.

9News Segment

Age 6. One of my very favorite memories of you ever was on our mother-daughter trip to Puerto Rico. In the evenings at our hotel, you loved to hit the dance floor. You’ve inherited my lack of rhythm but that did not hold you back. Hair and arms flailing, you rocked out to the music, causing everyone around you to stop and marvel.

Another mom on the trip tried to urge her reluctant daughter to join you. “But I can never look as good as Hadley out there!” she protested. I looked at her incredulously. She obviously wasn’t really seeing you.

Or was she?

Through her eyes, you were a self-confident, hilarious and fearless girl who didn’t care what you looked like or what anyone thought of you. You were simply lost in the moment and living it to the very fullest you knew how. This quality is what makes you special…and unstoppable. Whether you someday conquer Everest or if you’re dancing by yourself, one thing is certain: you will always fly.

Love,
Muzz Buzz Buzzy Buzz Buzzy Buzz Boo

P.S. For a stroll down memory lane, read letters for your 11th birthday, 10th, 9th,  8th, 7th, 6th, 5th, 4th, 3rd, 2nd and your birth story.

Summiting strenuous Ha Ling

Kids Adventure Games

Camping at Brainard Lake

Halloween Party

Maxwell Falls hike

Lake Louise, Canada

Waterton Lakes National Park

Disneyland

First place!

12th Birthday Spa Day at the Ritz

Filed Under: birthday, Hadley

The final countdown

May 23, 2016 By

May has been a blur. Between house showings, endless cleaning, rain, rain and more rain, we’re so ready to be done with selling this house and school. I’ll get into the drama of selling our house later but here are a few of our happenings:

Mother’s Day

I had a memorable Mother’s Day with breakfast in bed, our traditional pie at church, Jamie’s delicious pulled pork burger and a walk at Prospect Park where children were forbidden to complain. And by “children,” I mean Hadley who, without fail, is always resistant to our walks but then is the one who loves it the very most. This time around, she went crazy documenting everything with my iPhone and vowed to paint the gorgeous scenery.

Final Piano Recital

The kids’ final piano recital with their longtime teacher Sister Mauger was bittersweet. For me, that is. For Jamie, it is a torturous experience to sit listening to other people’s kids for 1.5 hours.

They both did a great job, most impressively during their first duet ever. I didn’t record their actual performance (they did awesome) but here is a sampling of them practicing the week prior, complete with my finger and a fat cat. Can’t beat that!

Summer Olympic Games

I was on the committee to throw an awesome Summer Olympic-themed party…in overcast 50-degree weather. We still had a blast playing volleyball, tug-of-war, discus, rhythmic gymnastics, 50-meter dash, the limbo, croquet, bocce ball and the list goes on. It was a success–thanks to all the tremendous people in our ward!

School Talent Show

A few weeks ago, Bode announced he was trying out for the school talent show, something that surprised yet delighted me. He played his piano recital song, In the Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Grieg and nailed it. I wish I could say the same about the rest of the kids, many of whom proved it to be an “Untalent Show” (yes, comedy acts, I’m talking about you) but it was a fun night of silliness. Really, my only stressful moment was when the kids went on stage for a final bow. Bode started behind everyone, and then moved his way to the front. And then to center stage. I held my breath because, for one dreadful moment, I feared he was going to do a few break dancing moves. And let us be clear: his moves are not ready to go public.  

I’ve never been so relieved to see a kid jump off the stage.

Bode’s friend Nicky and his family came to support him. We grabbed  Hadley’s friend Alex and went to Bliss frozen yogurt after to celebrate and play games. 

I entitle this picture: Hyped up on sugar and fame.

Field Day

I looooooove Field Day, primarily because it used to be one of my favorite days of the year as a kid. Though neither of mine are athletic superstars, it is so fun to see them compete and triumph in their own circles.

The good: All the fun events, the kids’ awesome long jump performances and lunching after at Beau Jo’s with Hadley’s friends.

Winning his heat

The bad:

Evil sixth graders. In an effort to relive the glory days, I participated in the Kids vs. Parents tug-of-war. I was one step away from victory when those little buggers let go of the rope, sending the grown-ups spiraling backward. I slammed my head–hard–on the ground and ended up with a lovely head injury.

The Evil Ones

And yes, getting hurt at your child’s field day is as pathetic as it sounds.

Farewell, Glory Years.

 

Filed Under: Bode, Hadley

The Not-so Fun Run

May 17, 2016 By

(Bode at the Fun Run)

We’re on the homestretch for school, which wraps next week. Which means we’ve been cramming in parties, recitals and so many events.

The kids participated in our school’s fun run where they run as many laps as they can, raising money. The sixth graders were paired with the kindergartners. Hadley saw our cute neighbor boy Dylan and decided to help him out.

“He started out really really fast…and then he kept going. In the end, he beat me by two laps.”

“Wait. Are you telling me, you got BEATEN BY A KINDERGARTNER?”

“He says he’s the fastest kid in the class.”

You know you’re out of shape when…

Filed Under: Hadley, Humor

Girl’s Night Out (+ boy)

April 15, 2016 By

We’ve been working around-the-clock with all the (not so) fun things involved with selling our house. The kids have been real rock stars through all the drudgery; little do they know the worst is yet to come with packing and the actual move. I convinced Jamie to push our intended sell date back seven days to give us a bit more time. I’ll be in Florida for a conference next week and his intention was to put it on the market three days later. After my kids had the run of the house for four days without their whip-cracking mom. Like that was going to happen.

A few things going down around here besides house stress:

Butt kicking. My favorite trainer in the entire universe, Lori, started her own gym, Power Peak Fitness, with boot camp-style and spin classes. I quit my previous gym around this time last year due to injuries and burnout. Though I hike and bike regularly, I struggled with strength training and tried two cheap gyms (seriously, how do people do uninspired/boring treadmill and weight machine workouts day after day?) I really need to get my butt back into shape and that’s exactly what she’s doing. I was so sore I could barely walk last week but it’s amazing what a difference a few days can make! I’m still out of shape but at least I’m no-longer-sore-and-out-of-shape.

Outdoor Lab. I’m doing the happy dance! Hadley had the time of her life with her sixth grade class at Outdoor Lab a few months ago and will be going to week-long Outdoor Lab’s High Potential Week in the mountains this summer. Basically, top students in various subjects get nominated from schools all around Jefferson County (the largest in Colorado) and her teachers nominated her for art. I honestly wasn’t going to follow through on the nomination because money is tight but when Jamie’s mom heard about the opportunity, she offered to pay her tuition because she didn’t want to see Hadley pass it up.  Even better is two of Hadley’s besties, Maeve and Alex, will be there as well. What a tremendous send-off before our move!

General Conference. Two weekends ago was the LDS Church’s semi-annual General Conference where we listen to our leaders via satellite from the comfort of  our home. In our PJs. With a lot of food. We have a longstanding tradition to invite our friends the Carroll over for gingerbread pancakes with fresh apple marmalade, cinnamon rolls, fruit and sausage. There’s not a lot of reverence but it’s certainly fun and not without its funny moments like when we busted Isaac for smuggling light sabers and a sundry of weapons in his panda PJs to the basement. All fun aside, we always leave conference weekend inspired and my favorite talk this year that brought me to tears was Bonnie Oscarson’s “Do I Believe?” Power.

Outdoor Adventures. In between juggling work and getting the house ready, I’ve been spending every spare moment with friends in the great outdoors. We’ve hiked Aldfer/Three Sisters and dined at Blue Cow Eatery, had a girl’s night hiking Red Rocks and overeating at Olive Garden while the boys were at the Priesthood Session for General Conference, I attempted to mountain bike North Table Mountain in its entirety (not pretty) and this week, Jenn, Lisa and I hiked the Apex Trail. Our home is in an incredible location above an extensive soccer complex with playgrounds, Van Bibber Creek, a pond and parks where our city’s 4th of July fireworks are staged every year. Another favorite event is the annual Kite Festival, which we enjoyed with our friends the Phillips (despite our long-documented ineptitude at flying kites).

Apex Trail

Sports. Our busy spring sports season is underway…or is it? We’ve had an incredibly wet, snowy spring and 90 percent of Bode’s games and practices have been canceled, with a colossal snow storm happening this weekend. Hadley started volleyball with Maeve and Alex at the YMCA. With her transitioning back to our public school this year, I was fine with limiting her activities but wanted to have one last go-around with friends. Plus, she’s really really good at volleyball and loves it when she’s on the court…but claims otherwise when she’s off (looks like we have a tween). The kid is mastering her overhand serve and is leaps and bounds ahead of where I was at her age.

Bears R Us. I’m wrapping my two-year stint as the Cub Scout Bear leader in our ward. I’d like to say I’ve loved this calling but I’d be exaggerating. I enjoy most of our weekly den meetings with the boys and we had a fun adventure walking Ralston Creek Trail yesterday but I despise mounds of paperwork and committee meetings. The best thing is being able to teach Bode and I’m happy he’ll be receiving his rank advancement next month. And equally as happy I’ll be moving on from this calling!

Girl’s Night Out. I skipped out a bit early from Hadley’s volleyball game last night to go to Girl’s Night Out with some friends. Usually our get togethers revolve around our kids and it was a breath of fresh air to enjoy each other’s company. Jamie is the least controlling husband ever (a good thing, too because this shrew is rather untameable) but I started to tell him why I needed to go to Girl’s Night Out.

And then I remembered I’m leaving him for Florida tomorrow where he’ll be stuck for four days with kids. In a snow storm. Finishing taxes.

Me thinks Jamie needs a girl’s night out waaaaay more than I.

Filed Under: Hadley, Humor

The months leading up to our Midway move

April 7, 2016 By

From that unexpected moment in December when we first felt that strong impression that we were supposed to uproot our beloved Colorado life for the unknown in Midway, Utah, our past several months have been a blur.

January

  •  I spent most of January crying. Don’t ask about my ugly sobfest when I watched “Out of Africa” and Meryl Streep introduced her love affair of Kenya with “I had a farm in Africa.”  TIP: DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE IF YOU ARE MOVING FROM A LAND YOU LOVE.
  • I also spent January purging the house. I literally cleaned out every single room and we will have one heck of a garage sale next month. On April 15, we will celebrate our 12-year anniversary in this wonderful house. This was the home of my kids’ cherished childhood. It feels strange as they enter their tween/teen years they will have completely different memories in a new place.
  • Jamie and I flew in and out to Utah on the same day to meet with the builder to discuss initial plans. Funny story: when we first walked onto the property in December, it was foggy and we couldn’t see any views of Mount Timpanogos. On our return visit, we were literally blown away. It is the perfect view (minus annoying power lines). This picture is zoomed in of our yard.

February

  • We told the kids about the move. They cried, I cried. Jamie (The Man Who Never Cries) sympathetically consoled us while Fat Kitty looked at us like were lunatics. He has no idea of the trauma that awaits him this summer (Fat Dude hates any change and becomes unglued simply riding around the neighborhood in the car).
  • Told our closest friends. More crying.

March

  • Things are becoming real. Started fixing up the house for sale.
  • Spend a fortune on new carpet we’ll never enjoy.
  • Word of our move spreads like wildfire in our ward that has become our second family. Crying etc.
  • We visit Midway for Spring Break and introduce the kids to their new life.
About 95 percent of the homes are completed in our new neighborhood and only a few remain including our lot and our immediate neighbor’s but I was thrilled to see their cars and told Jamie, “we need to go meet them!” We hadn’t taken even two steps out of our car when Ellen FLEW out of her house, exclaiming, “are you our new neighbors?” And just like that, she and her husband Dave welcomed us with open arms to the hood.

The good: She is my twin in twenty years and her husband is just like Jamie. Plus, they fed us coconut cookies.
The bad (for Hadley): She offered to become our kids’ piano teacher.

During our visit to Utah, we had planned to go to our new ward hoping to meet a few new people but church was canceled due to the Provo City Center Dedication. But the timing of our Spring Break visit was otherwise perfect. Hadley was able to attend an overnight retreat with the young women from our new ward and made a few friends. She will go to YW Girl’s Camp in our Colorado ward and then a week later with her Utah one. It was a relief that she was able to bond with the new girls before showing up for camp!

So, that left Bode. I’m concerned about both of them with this move for different reasons. Hadley has a lot of friends but sometimes takes a while to warm up to people and then she’s the life of the party. However, if she doesn’t click or fit in, she’s fine with going it alone. Case in point: She’ll often hang out with friends on the bus but if they’re not around, she’d rather just sit by herself than be with someone she doesn’t like.  It’s good that she’s comfortable enough with herself to just be by herself but sometimes not so good when she would rather not put forth the effort. Starting at a new middle school without knowing anyone is no stroll in the park.

Bode is the complete opposite. His friends are his world and he collects them like trash on his bedroom floor (translation: he has a lot). Everywhere he goes, he makes a new BFF. This is a great quality but the worry is what happens if he doesn’t click with the kids there? He’s a thoughtful, sensitive kid and it would be waaaay more devastating to him than Hadley.

Hadley’s retreat was at the Young Women’s President’s house in our neighborhood who has a daughter Hadley’s age and a 9-year-0ld son like Bode. I mentioned I’d like them to meet so Bode would at least know one person before the move but her son Tommy was at his grandma’s a block away. Just as we started to leave, another  boy, Titus, showed up asking if Tommy was around to play.

And this is where my Mama Bear My Children Must Make Friends instinct kicked in. “Tommy isn’t here but would you like to go with Bode up the street to his grandma’s house?” Titus was game so he and Bode walked together while I followed them in the car.

Yes, it was as creepy as it sounds.

It got worse. We arrived at the house but Grandma wasn’t home. Tommy and his siblings (I think there are 8 of them?) were in the care of their teenage brother. I hesitated. Surely I shouldn’t leave Bode there with no grandparental supervision, right? I followed Bode and Titus to the basement where Tommy was hanging out with his brother.

I went for it. “Hey, we’re moving into the neighborhood and are wondering if Bode can hang out for a few minutes?”

Yes, it was as awkward as it sounds.

They hesitatingly agreed and for the first time, poor Bode looked uncomfortable. I cheerfully assured him, “I’ll be back soon” and drove back to our lot to meet Jamie. Because our home is one of the last in the neighborhood to be built, we were not able to see our actual model before committing. Scary, right? Our neighbor across the street, Jan, generously opened up her home for us to tour and for the first time, we were able to see the layout.

The good: Jan is awesomely friendly and talked a lot.
The bad: Jan is awesomely friendly and talked a lot.

Normally I’d be thrilled with such a warm reception but remember that I dumped poor Bode at a grandma’s house without a grandma with kids he didn’t know? That few minutes turned into an hour and I agonized as time ticked on. I finally had to politely excuse ourselves and raced back over to the house. As I walked up to the door, I noticed something in the distance–a child riding a scooter that looked suspiciously like Bode.  I walked down to the street. Yep, it was Bode. He raced around the corner with Tommy and Titus in hot pursuit.

“Bode, did you have fun?”
“Definitely!”
“Have you been exploring?”
“Yes! We went back over to Tommy’s house and he loaned me this scooter. Do you know what we just discovered?!!! A SINKHOLE in an open field behind our new neighborhood.”

Something tells me that boy is going to be just fine. Let’s just hope the rest of us will follow.

Filed Under: Bode, Hadley, Humor, Utah

Guide to How to Embarrass Your Children

March 28, 2016 By

In the kids’ younger years, they had no frame of reference regarding just how uproarious and embarrassing I really am. Now at ages 9 and 11, those days are over. I suppose I could be The Good Mom and dial it back a little but since I like to have fun, why not have a bit of enjoyment at my children’s expense?

When I purged my entire house in January, I stuffed everything in garbage bags but have recently been on an obsessive quest for boxes for my blow-out garage sale next month.  There are three options:

1) Buy new. The challenge: I’m too cheap and who wants to waste money on an inanimate object made of cardboard?

2) Stalk Craigslist. We buy quite a few things off Craigslist but I try to avoid it whenever possible. Sure, there are plenty of free boxes posted but they’re rarely in my area and who wants to risk being stuffed in your newly acquired box by a serial killer?

3) Pillage the neighborhood. Trust me, pirates never had this much fun.

Wednesday has become my favorite day of the week because it’s our garage day; recycling is every two weeks and equal unto Disneyland!

Now, lest you think I’m rummaging through my neighbors’ garbage, that’s only partially true.  CLICK TO KEEP READING

Filed Under: Bode, Hadley, Humor
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