Pros and Cons

To every calling, as with every other thing in life, there are good things and bad things. I love many aspects about my church job, and other things are really difficult for me to deal with. (I think I may need to work on patience--I have none.)
I really love getting to know the kids, I love it when the little ones come to give hugs because they know we care about them, I love when I am teaching Sharing Time and the room is silent because they are actually listening (and hopefully learning). I love to see teachers who have a strong relationship with the kids in their class, and I love working with the counselor in the bishopric over primary. He is amazing and really tries so hard to help us out.
The biggest problem is our scouting program. It is giving me fits. We have got leaders who are new, and I am relatively new, and I feel like I don't have any portion of a clue to help these poor den mothers with their somewhat confusing callings. It is very frustrating for me, and probably for them too. Burke keeps reminding me that we need to just take it a little at a time until we get things up and running smoothly... but I have no patience.
This summer we had a greater than average difficulty getting the Wolf and Bear Scouts to day camp. It finally came together on the third try last week.
The Webelos camp happened yesterday, and thankfully we had plenty of help for that one. Burke was able to take the day off and go with Nathan and the two other leaders and five other scouts. They had a great time. Here are some of the pictures Burke took at day camp.

Who is doing all the work here?
Here are all the scouts who went. Nathan is toward the back of the pack.

This is a game they played. You can see Nathan in the shade on the left side in the light tan shorts.

They had lots of fun, which makes all the grief worth it in the end...right?

Oldies

My sister in law commented a few months ago that she and my brother had watched Rocky. It stuck in my head, and I recently decided that maybe the kids were old enough to try one out.
We rented the first one, thinking we would turn it off if it got too... well, you know. (We once rented Short Circuit to watch with the kids, remember that one? Well, it was much worse than I remembered--lots of potty jokes and innuendo--and we decided that maybe we remember movies the way we would have liked them... or maybe I was a little naive when I watched it the first time 25 years ago...)
Anyway, much to our surprise, we watched the entire thing, and the kids really enjoyed it. We moved on to Rocky II, III, and IV before we stopped. (They get really stupid after IV).
The kids' running commentaries were hilarious. "I really hope that he beats that guy up." "Eeeeeew, he's all sweaty and he hugged her." and "Dad, I think you look just like Rocky." (That one was the best. He decided to take that one as a compliment.)
It was nice to be able to watch a good movie together. It was nice and clean: no swearing, no innuendo, no potty jokes... Nice and clean...

Well, other than the whole business of beating each other to a bloody pulp...

But the overall message was good...

And now we have lots of "Yo, Adrienne"s! at our house.

I'm looking for some more family oriented oldies-but-goodies, so if you have any ideas, please leave a comment.

Happy Birthday Grandpa

We miss you.

Results

The result of allowing a three year old to put on her own bike helmet:
The result of a little girl laughing with her mouth open while playing with the big boys:

The result of a bike ride in the mountains:

The result of recycling outside of the box (gotta love the fashion statement):

Summer Days

We have taken some time to play as a family this summer, in spite of everything else going on.

I took the kids to play in the fountains last week and suckered myself into buying a membership to the planetarium. To get my money's worth we have already been back. We have seen some really good 3D IMAX movies, although Adrienne isn't a fan. She won't wear the glasses because she says that it makes the movie "come to me" and she thinks it is scary. She is perfectly content to watch blurred images for about an hour, so I guess it really doesn't matter. The last time we went they had a special program (a lecture with photos, video, and refreshments) for members only (that's us!) about the moon landing. We took the kids with us and really enjoyed it until Adrienne got the wiggles. I took her and Annika out to look at the displays. Annika said, "Whew, it is about time! That movie took forever!" I guess she didn't get the geek gene like the rest of us.

This is a short video of Adrienne having lots of fun, then getting a little "surprise".

We had an opportunity to go the children's museum for free the other day, so I took advantage of it while Burke and Nathan were sleeping the day after the Relay for Life.

Kade, Annika, Adrienne, and I went and had a great time. They had just opened a new exhibit about the Wild West. It was so cute, with a cow you can milk, and some stationary pretend horses and bulls to ride. It was complete with dress ups and everything. Lots of fun for the kids.

Guess who wants to be a cowgirl for Halloween?
They also do something called a ParticiPlay where they put on a play with the kids. Kade happened to be the star (a coyote wearing a blanket) and hammed it up plenty.

In Memory of...

Friday night was the Relay for Life. A big, big big thank you to those who supported us. We surpassed our goal and ended the evening with $420!

It was a really great experience for our family. I stayed with the kids for the first three hours and then left when the girls began begging for their beds.

Nathan stayed and walked the night away with Burke. They walked until 4AM, talking about "stuff".

We lit a luminary in honor of grandpa.

After the sun went down, there was a moment of silence for those who have fallen victim to cancer in the past year, or those who have battled it. It was a profound experience to listen to the names being read while looking at all the luminaries lit in their honor.

Grandpa's name was toward the end of a roll that lasted about 15 minutes.

The light on this recording was the only light other than the luminaries that was turned on at that time.

We love you grandpa!

because...

Because...

i had to explain death to my three year old

but she still went to go check grandpa's room in the morning to see if he was there

we had to watch two years of suffering and pain

he was only 64

my children lost their grandpa

my husband lost his father

my mother in law lost her companion of 44 years

so many tears have been shed: tears of fear, anger, worry, pain, and finally grief

Because he's gone...

This Friday, Burke will be walking in the Relay for Life in memory of his father.

It is a fundraiser sponsored by the American Cancer Society.

It is an event that lasts for 24 hours straight.

Because cancer never sleeps...

We need your help. Our goal is to raise $100. You can go to Burke's personal page here to donate.

The site is secure and you can use credit cards, or you can print a donation form and contact me at bjnfam@yahoo.com for more information on where to send it.

I understand that money is tight for many right now, but anything you can donate will help someone who has heard those devastating words: "You have Cancer."

Time Marches On

We came home for the first time in over a week today.

It seems like we have been gone for months.

I was somewhat surprised that there was mail in the mailbox,

Weeds growing in the flower beds,

and long grass.

It seemed to us that the world should have screeched to a stop,

But I guess time always marches on...

Memories

All we have are memories...for now.

Burke's dad passed away early Friday morning.
He is no longer suffering.
But we miss him.

The last few days have been a mix of emotions. There have been tears of sorrow, and tears of laughter as each of his children, their spouses and some grandchildren have shared stories about him.

Today Annika said that she still felt sad about Grandpa. Burke told her it would probably take a while before she would feel better.
She immediately burst into tears and said that she knew it would take a very long time because, "He has been my grandpa for years!"

Brown, Baby, Brown

We are pleased to announce the advancement of Sempai Kade to the rank of brown belt.

Congratulations Kaders!

When a student advances, there is a little ceremony the senseis do.
Sensei Monica puts the belt up to her forehead, and says "I share my knowledge of Karate with you."
Then she passes the belt to Kade and he touches the belt to his forehead.

Then she touches it to her chest and says, "I share my love of Karate with you."
Kade touches the belt to his chest.
Then Sensei Monica ties the new belt on.
Kade bows to all of his instructors: Then he gets a certificate and a big cheesy grin:

This is a picture of Kade and his friend from class who also tested for brown.