Another Eagle in the Nest

Sam passed his Eagle Board of Review last Saturday night.

After overseeing a very challenging project that involved many hours of planning and design and then many more hours of site preparation and then construction and the pouring of a concrete pad. He led the project to build a Cross-tie and Horse Wash Rack for a very worthy cause:

 The Cornerstone Therapeutic Riding Center

This is what it looked like when he started

He got help from family...

Some more than others...

Fearless leaders...

and fellow Scouts.

And they went the extra mile (or 5 yards--of concrete) and 

helped the Executive Director of Cornerstone pour and 

smooth a patio/driveway for the riding center as well.

It was a great opportunity for all of us to make a difference for a place that

does good for the most vulnerable of our community.

So many good people gave of their time and talents.

Several local suppliers donated equipment and building materials.

Ransom Brothers Building Supply

PIVO Equipment Rental

Home Depot

Superior Ready Mix Concrete

Our heartfelt thanks to all who helped Sam get to this point in his Scouting.

Isaiah 40:31

31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Oh Boy

 In general boys are pretty easy-going, I've been a mom for a long time and over the years I have noticed that if I take the time to come up with a reasonable explanation --a good "WHY"--my boys will cooperate. This may sound like stereotyping but boys seem to have a logical side that can be tapped into and used to a mom's advantage. There is only one area where this has not worked for me. The only real struggles I seem to have with my boys are over clothes. What would appear to me to be a reasonable request--asking them to dress for the occasion whether it be church or school or a trip to the store--  turns into a battle. I have dealt with this enough that I try to anticipate their need for comfort and each boy's particular style quirks.

Scott refused to wear striped shirts--a huge obstacle considering the polo shirt is the main staple for dressing boys for the elusive: "not a sloppy t-shirt, but not a suit and tie middle of the road casual." and most polo shirts are striped! This carried down to the other boys and we have literally not had a striped shirt in the house for years. Scott also decided that he only liked jeans with elastic cuffs. This was a funny little passing fad his kindergarten year. I think the "sweat jeans" I bought for his school wardrobe were particularly comfortable so he decided that was the only way to go.  The problem came in when they went out of style--and out of the stores--but Scott continued to wear them. And he continued to grow.  I did my best to scour the sale racks and buy a few sizes ahead for him but eventually we had to battle it out and rather than go naked, he agreed to wearing regular jeans again.  Then Spencer came along and refused to wear anything but khaki cargo pants and polo shirts (but NOT striped ones--Scott had indoctrinated him on this point). This started because it was our dress standard for our home school group but it morphed into his personal signature fashion statement. As far as clothing obsessions go, it was fairly painless for me. Both items are easy to find and the look is classic. It only seemed odd when he went on Scout camp outs or fishing trips. He was the sharp-dressed outdoorsman. Now Seth's quirk was his attachment to favorite shirts. One standout was a shirt I got for him-- his "bug shirt" it had a bunch of cool looking bugs all across the front. It looked like a page from a science book. I had to peel it from his body and wash it while he slept. It became even more valuable to him when he split his head open at Grandma's house and bled all over this treasured shirt. He begged me not to wash it.  The blood only increased it's coolness. Sam came along and surprised us all with his affinity for cleanliness. This doesn't usually kick in for boys until they discover girls so I was thrown off at first. Anytime he spilled on his clothes, he would strip off the offending article and toss it aside.  This worked great unless we were out somewhere and he spilled on his clothes. After a few incidents of me trying to wrestle him back into a shirt with a drop of ketchup or a smattering of juice, I learned to dress him in layers--like a little onion-- so he he could peel  down to a clean shirt.

So this brings me to Shane and  last Saturday afternoon. Sam and Shane were getting ready for a youth Temple trip. I don't have to debate with them about getting into their suits--they know that's a given. But Shane had a recent growth spurt and I had to get him a new suit. It is exactly like his old suit in every way except the pants are longer. Yet, he informed me, as he stood before me in his old suit flood pants, "The new pants aren't comfortable." I didn't have time for the battle of the wills to persuade him through my mom-logic to wear the pants that looked nice on him, so I skipped ahead to his sock situation. Shane couldn't find his church socks. I started the usual "Did you look in your drawer? Are they stuffed in your shoes...etc" and he soon came up with two very different socks. One was a solid, thick black sock, the other a thin sock with a definite pattern. I hurried to find a match for one and while I was digging around under his bed, he decided he would just wear the mismatched pair he had come come up with, and he put them on with his shoes. He was trying to tell me they wouldn't show when I reminded him of his flood pant choice. I thought I had solved the problem when I found the mate to the thicker solid-colored sock and held it out to him. This is when he informed me that the thinner sock was comfortable and pulled up farther on his leg which looked good and felt good. So he had made the decision that having one foot comfortable was superior to having two matched socks. I could tell by the calm look on his face that he was quite happy with his decision and it would not be easy to change his mind. It was the moment of truth. Did I have the mettle to debate the issue quickly? Time was of the essence as they needed to leave in a few minutes. Could I wrestle him to the ground, remove the shoe and sock and force the matching sock onto his foot? Maybe--but I really didn't think that would set the right tone for a Temple trip. Just in the nick of time I remembered a lone dress sock I had recently seen in the laundry. It was thin and had a pattern. And so, both of Shane's feet were comfortable and his too-short pants revealed two matching socks. When it comes to boys and their clothing battles, ya win some, ya lose some.

Families Are FOR-EV-ERRRRRR

Gentle Reader,
I have been a little remiss of late in posting. This is due in part to a cold that has been keeping me from my beauty rest and draining me of my usual vim and vigor. But our Family Home Evening last night was memorable enough to motivate me to sit my phlegm-ridden body in front of the computer and share it with all of you.

Let me preface this by saying that we are diligent about FHE. We are depending on the promised blessings for basic obedience to the admonition that families gather every week for gospel study and quality family togetherness. We need all the help we can get--believe me! But, I will say that some are more meaningful than others. I held on through all the preschool and toddler years with a dream that one day they would all be old enough to sit through a well-prepared and spiritually uplifting lesson without any crying, whining, potty emergencies, diaper changes, spitting up, throwing up, bumps, bruises, fighting over whose turn it was for treat, spontaneous twirling and/or jumping, gymnastic moves over and around the furniture etc.

But here we are with children who should be old enough to sit still and listen. Maybe even participate --and I have to say--it's not all that much better. Different maybe, but not much better.

After much thought and prayer, we chose a Family Theme for the year: "Cherish Virtue". So each week during FHE we have a thought that goes along with the year's theme. Last night I prepared the thought (thank you Shanna!) and printed it up for each of them to post as a reminder: "The chief cause of failure and disappointment is trading what you want MOST for something you want at the moment."

I told them the Bible story of Jacob working 7 years for Rachel and then getting Leah- they discussed at length how awful to get stuck with someone with 'tender eyes'

"Does that mean she had puppy dog eyes?"

"Yeah, she was a dog!"

instead of someone 'beautiful and highly favored'

"So, Rachel was hot!"

"Now boys, highly favored means she was a young woman of quality-not just a pretty face."

"Yeah, but she was hot, right?"

I tried to bring them back around to the fact that Jacob "served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her" The whole point being that some things are worth waiting for. Here you see their favorite family activity: Free-for-all Wrestling

These matches break out spontaneously and at random moments.

Last night the camera was sitting on the table near-by so I captured the moment. This was somewhere between the opening song and the stampede for treats.

Something worth waiting for: a peaceful Family Home Evening.
Unfortunately, that would be an "EVENING" without the "FAMILY"

For now, I KNOW that families are forever--because one Family Home Evening feels like an ETERNITY.
But I'm sure when I look  back, the years will seem like"but a few days" for the love I have for them.

Over the Edge

Here's a fun way to spend quality time as a family together for the Holidays: We like to welcome our college kids home for the Holidays with a good home improvement project.

Our strapping boys: Two chemical engineer majors and a snowboarding major.
Helping Dad with jet tub removal.


Setting up for the tub toss.

It's more efficient to throw it off the balcony than carry it through the house and out.

And now for the retrieval...picking up the debris from the river bank.

Hauling it through the snow. As you can see, Andy is dressed for the weather!

It was then deposited at the side of the house--I think I'll plant geraniums in it next Spring!

We're looking forward to the girls getting here so we can crochet some cozies for the outhouse.