A Season Ends and a New One Begins

Summer break has been completed-Hallelujah!  I was ready for the heat to subside and for kids to get back in a routine at school.  We run better on structured days...particularly ones where I am not the only one overseeing the schedule of events each hour.  While I was happy to wrap up that season, a new season of life has begun for me-all kids in school.  While kindergarten is just a pre-test to see how I will handle full school days without a child at home, it is the intro to a new chapter...and we are all adjusting.  Before that leap happened, this is how we spent the end of summer 2019...

Dave qualified for his 10th President's Club!!!!  Such a huge deal!  We celebrated in the Bahamas this time. 

Not only has he been at the company for more years than most people last in one place of employment, but he has really excelled.  The last fiscal was his best one yet.  He was honored on stage for making it 10 times.  This is everyone else in his office that was there with their guests/spouses.

We have both felt stressed out over the past while so our intention was to stop in Atlanta and meet up with Curt and Anna for dinner (which was so fun) and then to go to the Caribbean island and do nothing!

  Dave couldn't quite keep with the plan, he lasted for a day or so just vegging, but he had to be on the move a bit more.  

We jumped on an activity for a culinary class where we discovered the shocking horror of what lives inside these beauties...

a slimy sea snail doesn't even describe how nasty these creatures are hiding.  But, we ate them and they tasted great! Ha!  We learned how to do authentic dumplings, sushi, macarons, etc it was so fun!

It was somewhere we had never been and we especially appreciated the massages-highlights for sure.  Our kids were SO lucky to get to go camping while we were away.  Grandma stayed for a couple of nights and then Shannon whisked them away to the canyon, well...mostly.  Grant opted out one night and Katelee had to start a summer math course one day.  Anyway, they mostly had a trip while we were gone too. They always want to go camping each summer and well...Dave and I do not!  haha.  But, Shannon is the best and took them, we would be fine if that would be a yearly tradition while we are gone!!!

We wrapped up summer with last minute shopping, movies, volunteering at This is the Place (which is a name Grant says I can not mention ever again...but Harrison is already asking when he can be a pioneer again!) and a day at Lagoon. The kids love Lagoon with all their hearts so it was fun to join up with Shannon and Paige and Porter.  We made Harrison ride everything he was tall enough for and he generally was a star.  Perhaps we pushed it too far when this kid had to ride Wicked.  He screamed "I'M SO SCARED" as we shot up the first hill.  He survived and exited the coaster saying, 'That was a nightmare-it hurt my body so bad but I didn't want to say a bad word.  I thought I was going to, but I didn't.  That was so fast, like cheeks flapping.'  We are so thrilled he was a good trooper, kept his 'bad words' to himself and we will make sure he experiences the nightmare another year!  haha!

Katelee was the first to start school with an orientation day for 7th grade-she is a big middle schooler now!  

She and Grant get to go to school together this year! Hooray!  They even have a class together because they are both going to be part of the Science Olympiad Club, so they get to prep for that in a TA class. 

This little dear is a FRESHMAN in 9th grade! 

He has so far tried to break into Katelee's locker, has successfully zip tied her backpack shut through 2 class periods and kept her on her toes.

Brenna is in 4th grade and has Mrs Saunders.  That is the teacher she had been crossing her fingers for so when she found out she literally squealed and clapped.  I think it will be a great year.  

Before Harrison started his first day, he got to have his 6th Birthday!!!  We had been anticipating the day for months...asking Siri how many days until August 23rd.  Finally, it arrived.  There was no question what the theme for his celebrations would be-baseball.  He still loves loves loves MLB and has started on a team.  He has picked two teams to cheer for-the Pirates and the Angels. 

 I am not sure about the Pirates, but he picked the Angels partly because we found a t-shirt at the DI and he says he will cheer for them because they are like God and because they make him feel good.  So there you go. 

We ate pizza and opened presents with grandma.  He got a new bat and Pirates hat, hence the action shots.  We had to keep dodging the metal weapon, no one was hurt in the filming.  Ha!  Grandma's gift was a big success and has already been put to great use.  

As other sports seasons are approaching, we suggested perhaps requesting a basketball or football gift.  Last year's Christmas was all football, so I asked Harrison if maybe a NBA jersey would be fun.  I regret that question and will for my whole life.  He said he wanted a James Harden jersey.  After going back and forth, even me telling him ANYONE but James Harden, Dave convinced me to make the kid's day and go for it... 

Bleh...but he was pretty happy...

I will just keep eye contact the whole time he wears it!  He desperately wanted a Costco cake (then he didn't really like it, oh well)  It looked cool!  it said Happy Birthday Harrison...different than the original "Happy Home Run Day Harrison" that he thought it should say.  I should have gone for that.  I had told the girls we could go to a movie in the park for his birthday after cake if he wanted, but he opted to stay home and play.  It was a bit of a fiasco with the other peeps, but we had to be ready for his friend party at the park the next day.  

Oh my, that was something.  We had been scoping out the park, knew he wanted to put on a game of baseball for his festivities and I thought maybe we could keep their attention for half of it and then let them play on the playground.  Well, someone reserved it and the diamond wasn't close to the slide, so we had a couple rounds of pitching

which included a nervous breakdown from Harrison when we tried to switch sides to avoid being blinded by the sun and a real punching fight between some of the party guests.  I missed out on that cuz I was trying to calm Harry down.  Katelee and her friend told me about it.  I tried to divert attention and hurt feelings with Popsicles and cupcakes

but Katelee's friend had already gone home and told one of the boys' moms he was getting punched, so she rushed over and then a couple more moms came early to make sure we weren't engaged in a full out brawl.  Oh sweet boys...

We had Sam, Paxton, Jack, Maddax, Tyler, Emmett, Austin, Harrison, Cash and Luke.  They ended up with their shirts off and running through the water-

we should have just done that in the first place, but Harrison would not be dissuaded from the baseball birthday of his dreams.  It may be one of my nightmares and I have a little anxiety just typing about it!  haha!  Family party next year, please.  

And now for the day I had been dreading for about 6 years...sending my baby to kindergarten.  

Harrison was assigned afternoon kindergarten so we have all morning to get hang out, run errands and play.  It is glorious.  The first day of school, Harry told me to turn on some music to "pump him up".  He had specific songs he needed-apparently those were Ice Ice Baby and the theme from Rocky.  Who knew?  But, they did their job cuz he was ready! 

He will be riding the bus everyday, but of course, on the first day I wanted to take him.  We arrived and let the kids play outside before the bell rang.  I had on my dark sunglasses to hide the tears welling up in my eyes.  Mrs Chandler invited parents to come in and get their kids settled-following directions on where to hang backpacks, put folders, find their seat etc.  It really was nice to be there and see the routine.  

I hovered too long while he was working on his first paper

and he finally turned and told me I could go.  So, I had to document that I wasn't a balling mess. 

And so he survived...and I survived, just like I did with my other 3.  The two and a half hours flew by and have ever since.  I was pulled together for day one, but I will admit when I walked him to the bust stop on day 2, I watched him step up into the vehicle and I lost it.  He is my little guy, my bud, my partner. Good thing it is just half day!  

 It made me think back on when I started kindergarten drop offs with Grant and I gave him a penny to hold and rub in case he got scared.  I followed that bus with Grant on it and I felt a piece of me go into that school.  I guess each day, each year since then has been spreading me out-sending pieces of me with each child.  They may not know I am there with them, but I am, no matter if a coin can prove it.  Grant and I walked with a neighbor who is suffering with dementia and she just hugged him talking about he was her special primary boy.  It goes by fast.  Kindergarten to 9th grade...baby to teenager...adult to senior.  I just hope those pieces of me that I am sending with my loved ones can build up inside them and they will always know they are loved.  

Some Like it Hot

Some people do indeed, like it hot.  I would not be grouped with those people!  I tend to melt and pant when the temps are at their yearly high.  In addition to the sweltering weather, sometimes things get a bit rough at our home in the summer months.  The last couple have not been smooth sailing at all, so we tried to really stay busy as much as possible.  While This is the Place hasn't been the kids all time fav activity, it has helped with this goal.  We also planned a little getaway as soon as Dave's fiscal year at ADP wrapped up.  We hopped in the car 

and set out for Yosemite and Lake Tahoe! Our kids have reached the prime age for driving trips.  It also helps that technology keeps them busy for hours...or as long as they are charged! We drove near to Yosemite the first day and then got up and hit the park.

Yosemite was gorgeous and crowded.  It is a pretty congested canyon and valley-but we could see why.  The hikes were breathtaking.  We are so blessed to have such an incredible world!!  Harrison did pretty well but hit a definite wall where he started to break down.  As soon as we sat on the shuttle that takes you throughout Yosemite, he zonked out.  I finished up the last hike with the kids while Dave held him on a bench.  

Getting to the park had been tricky because we had a small window of when a certain mountain pass was open.  We got in line with a bunch of other travelers in their vehicles and made it through.  The ranger came up to each car to let us know there would be no stopping.  If anyone stopped, it would be an automatic $500 fine.  We thought we would be perfectly fine, everyone had a potty break, it was only 45 min, we would make it, right?  Well, of course not.  This little turkey

announced he had to go pee a good 15 min in.  I asked him to hold it but there was no way that 5 year old's bladder could.  So, i found myself holding an empty water bottle so he could relieve himself in there!  UGH!!!  He thought it was hilarious when we hit a bump and he splashed out for a second on my hand.  Gross.  I went to twist the lid on to make sure that didn't happen again, but of course, we had picked the one water bottle that had been chewed on and the opening was misshapen- no lid would fit!!  I held that bottle of urine till we could stop the car while everyone was laughing and hoping to hit a bump!!

Leaving the park was much more smooth, but we did leave in the evening and it was dark, so that wasn't the most brilliant idea through the canyons to Lake Tahoe.  When we woke the next morning, we were so excited to see this beautiful sight.  

The lake was a record cold temps, so we weren't planning on getting in much.  When we went to the shore, however, the frigid water didn't stop our kids from "wading" in.  They got pretty soaked.  The best part of the day was renting bikes and biking along the lakeside.  We all loved it and since Harrison still refuses to learn how to ride a bike, he sat in a little trailer and was pulled like a toddler, so he too enjoyed it!

We took a scenic hike that hovers over the highway and has spectacular views...

The beloved turquoise thermoflask was left at the top and that was quite a tragic event for one child pictured above, but we all decided we wouldn't be trekking back up to retrieve it.  So, sorry Lake Tahoe for not taking care of our belongings and 'leaving a trace.' 

The kids swam a bunch and had a great time at the resort. Here is Grant, Katelee and Harrison playing chicken.  I'm not sure if their tower got higher than 3 kids, hopefully it didn't.

We even participated in a Latin Dance class session there and an Amazing Race.  We shockingly were not the winners of the Amazing Race, despite what big fans we are of the actual tv show!  But, in our defense, the winners only had 2 players and we had to haul all 6 of us to each challenge.  

Tahoe (and Yosemite) was just what we needed.  We had a great time and really loved getting to see places we had never been before.  We let the kids get out and run across the salt flats on the way home.  It was cool and strange!

We came home from our trip in time for the Fourth of July because we just love celebrating it here!  While we were away, Russell and Lisa and their girls arrived into town, so they were at our house waiting for us when we got back.  It was so fun to visit with them! 

The firework show was a cold one this year.  We had to wait out quite a bit of rain for the first couple hours and found ourselves sitting in the car til it cleared up. 

But, the sun did come out!

We got some games in, some rides, some treats and fun!

We love this holiday, getting spend it with family and we love the USA!

The next week my sisters and I went out to see Huge Jackman.  

Yes, I spelled it HUGE, because that's what we call him.  He's that big.  It was a good night fo sho.

Katelee spent two weeks working her tail off at theatre boot camp.  She was so great in all her scenes.  We especially loved her in Xanadu.  Next time she should do it on roller skates, though.

We had a movie day seeing Toy Story 4...I maybe cried.  

We went to the float preview and had a great time with family getting balloons, face paint and going to see Lion King after.

We were especially happy to see Caleb and have him grace us with his presence.  

Most of Harrison's days start out with him asking Siri what the MLB scores are.  The other day he asked me if he could ask Siri a score.  When I told him no, he picked up my cell and said, "I heard yes."  He prints out logos and had me safety pin them to a shirt...that is not a real Braves shirt.  He is so MLB obsessed, our neighbors have even helped him start a baseball card collection.

 Everyday pretty much includes this...

He will smack the ball with the bat and yell, "That's what I call hitting."  And of course, every hit somehow results in a home run.  It is a perfect way to spend the warm evenings...but I'm not going to lie, hours and hours of pitching does tend to get old.  I would never make it in the major league!  ha!

Summer, here we come!

Because Grant had pioneer Trek and I knew we would want to fill our time doing good things this summer, I signed our family up to volunteer as pioneers at This is the Place Heritage Park.  Everyone seemed fairly ok with my proposition, until we had training and Dave discovered that we would be in costume.  I explained to him that he really wouldn't be joining us often, really only once maybe twice the entire season.  I thought it would be nice if he had pioneer attire to match his family's.  This is the response I got...

Lets just say that he wore it one time and let me take a picture but it never left the hanger again!  hahaha  Being a pioneer is not Dave's cup of tea and I'm trying to keep the little people upbeat about it.  Not sure it is getting rave reviews from the older two, but Brenna and Harrison love it! Harrison will sing out in his famous "Haka-lujah"  song when I tell him we are going.  He thinks he is saying Hallelujah correctly, but I love it so much I don't want to inform him of the actual pronunciation.  They have to check in at the school, have a lesson, then go on a task.  This year the task is centered around the railroad in commemoration of the Golden Spike.  As soon as they accomplish the task, they get a prize. 

 They then can earn a token for pony rides or panning for gold etc if they do a chore.  I love putting them to work wherever I am volunteering.  

Brenna also loves helping me give tours or share pioneer stories with guests.  Grant stays busy doing his apprenticeship in the Tinsmith shop

while Katelee does needlework for hours

...no blood loss for her, but there have been some minor burns by our tinsmith.  Grant refuses to let me say the name of our volunteer location and he gets really upset when I mention an upcoming shift.  I have bribed them with a treat or lunch after each visit, so at least there is deliciousness involved at some point.  Good or bad, memories are being made!! haha!

Grant was so busy in June with double camps-he went to Moab with the scouts and then the week after he went to EFY.  He loved loved loved EFY.  He made great friends and was not too thrilled to come home, so I guess that's a good sign.  

We took everyone else to the ART festival while Grant was away.  It's always a good time there-

authorization to paint on someone's walls, trying the instrument zoo, listening to unique musical acts, doing cool crafts.  Dave and I always look forward to it.  Katelee informed us that we are the only ones that like it, good thing we are forcing new experiences and culture on them!  She seems happy enough here...

Harry was NOT happy when these trippy puppet things came walking around making odd sounds. 

He found them to be the things of his nightmares and screamed bloody murder when we tried to get a picture.  Brenna was a good sport, at least! She must have taken the artistic heart back home with her because I came across her expressing her displeasure like this the other day: 

She pretty much could be a mime or clown with her storytelling makeup.  Brenna doesn't really need the extra suggestive coloring on her face-she makes it pretty obvious when she is upset! She was yelling at me not too long ago and her little brother turned to me and said, "mom, is she having a breakdown?"  He definitely is not one to talk, but summer can do that to a person...especially a mom!  

Katelee was super busy with a production at Kensington Theatre.  She was a Neverland Native in Peter Pan with her friend Emily. 

She was an awfully cute and intimidating native!

Katelee also had Beehive camp.  Because the older youth in our church are doing trek, girls camp was just with the Beehives.  She had a good time despite leaders forcing some sleep meds on all the little ladies who weren't asleep by 11-which was pretty much everyone.  I can't wait to experience camp with her next year-hopefully I will still be in YW and get to go!

And hello...BIG day at our house.  On June 28 Mr David McArthur turned 40!!!

We decorated the house, put up banners on our doors and garage...which maybe caused some paint damage.  Hey, it will always remind us of how much we love Dave! Grandma came over to babysit so I could surprise the birthday boy with a night out at a MAGIC SHOW!

We went to Mystique Dining where we had a 5 course meal and were entertained by a magician.  It was really impressive and such a fun way to celebrate our  main man!!!  Fourty never looked so good!