Back to School

First Day of 2nd grade

First Day of 5th Grade

TORTURE  - he has to wait two weeks to start pre-school!

Back to school Tea

Oh Nana, you've outdone yourself!

Sunday Hike

Hike or in this case RIDE with Cambridge

Protection

LOVING my #94.  I  LOVE this photo.  94 and 95 play protection for the SCORE!

Back to school prep

This girl is a shopper!

Pre-school shopping!

Checking out class lists!

So Happy with who she got!

Highlights

As we traveled through West Yellowstone we played a bunch of Neil Diamond.  TORTURE for our kids.  LOVED it.  And eventually they did too.

I want a turn

Sometimes I am in complete wonder at what Sport wants to try.

Down by the river

Horseback riding

This was a small miracle.  Sport is terrified of horses.

We had a great time.  My bum hurts but it was FUN!

Grateful for the good at the ungrateful moments...

In every life there are hard things.  We tell our kids we can do hard things.  Sometimes the lamest of things can seem hard.  I was cleaning out closets in prep for back to school and I was finding it exhausting.  I was working on Remy's closet and had found a bunch of clothes he had outgrown.  Give away?  Save for Noah?  Where do I store them?  And suddenly I had a feeling "be grateful he is growing" and I had in my very hand the evidence he was growing.  My heart was flooded with gratitude for this child God had sent me.

Now here I am tonight Remy has a wicked sore bum and I am wiping butt paste on my 10 year old and I am TIRED, somedays it doesn't bother me and others it does.  I've had poop and butt paste or residue of paste on my fingers almost everyday for ten years.  And it stinks and it's sometimes hard to get rid of the residue or the smell.   Trying to find the grateful????????
I hugged him, tucked him in bed and here I am at my computer:
Grateful for good soap from bed and bath
Grateful for a computer to vent on
Grateful for good butt paste that usually helps him feel better
Grateful for a washer and dryer to wash the dirty towels and linens and clothes
Grateful I get to go to bed and start over fresh tomorrow.

Sometimes the gratitude comes easily to our minds and other times we have to work for it.

Buddies

Meet Morgan.  or MoMo.  I adore her.   I'm pretty sure these two should get married.  She belongs to one of the other coaches.  Sport knows her from school.  She will start 1st grade this year, and Sport will be in 5th, but they have the same functional skills class.

One of these things...

One of these things is not like the other........  This kid is hilarious.  He jumps right in line with them.

Football, football football

5:30 to 7:45 every night we are at football.

Seriously the things they do when I'm not watching ?!?!

My future daughter-in-law!

Wipe Out!

These two wipe me out!!  Sunday afternoon naps are the best.  They are even better with a couple of cuddle buddies!  I don't think they can get any closer ? ..?..

20years High School Reunion

Katherine Wright Dougall and Me

Kari, Amy Kath, Me

Kari, Heidi, Amy, Becky, Me, Kath

Andrea, Kath, Me

"fun" in funeral

I have to say this was the funerals of funerals.  The Mootz would have highly approved. Things that were highlighted during the funeral and some of the extra things I remember about her are:

Be FUN - seriously who fakes dead just to get a kick out of their kids when they are 85?

Be Generous - she was generous with the arts, the neighbor next door and everyone in-between.

Be About the work - She wasn't busy ready the scriptures she was busy doing the scriptures.

Be Positive - "Chin up"

Be Unique 

Be your best you and don't be afraid to let that light shine.

And many many more.....

Mootz

Where do I even begin? Other than my mom, she was the single biggest influence in my life.  She was my first BFF.  She was technically my Great-Aunt.  My maternal Grandfather's little sister.  She was my Mootz.  Mootz or Mootzie is derived from Mootsley which I believe is Finnish for Grandmother.  Everything about Barbara Patterson was Great or Grand.  She ALWAYS had a twinkle in her eye.  She worked hard and played harder. The pillow on her bed said "If I rest I rust"  I was her weekend second set of hands from the summer after 7th grade until I graduated from High School.  She was my lifeline.  That time period was extremely hard for my family, my Dad was going through a rough time.  Because of the work and "play" we did on the weekends and during the summer I am who I am today.  I drive like her, I cook like her, I can throw a party because Mootz taught me how.  She taught me about Diet Coke and Lime.  She introduced me to the concept of "Elbow Grease"  The woman was 55 years older than me and she could completely out work me.  She brought ENERGY to the room.  She loved everyone and she wanted to know all about you.  She was the greatest story teller.  She wanted the best for you. She could tell your fortune by reading cards, and pretty much I am superstitious today because of her.  Do you know if you skim the bubbles off of a cup of black coffee it is like collecting Gold.  Whenever I loose something I say a catholic prayer and a mormon prayer because of her.  She wasn't afraid to march to the beat of her own drum.  She had flash and she had her own style.  She was extravagant but not afraid to show up with a run in her pantyhose.  She had a great sense of humor.   She was the glue of every family gathering.  She loved chocolate.  She loved music, especially the piano.  She loved to sing.  She was the epitomy of positive thought.  She taught me to "Do kind deeds and think kind thoughts"  Mootz I will love you forever and THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for EVERYTHING!