Small World

This past week was the transition between mission presidents in Matthew’s mission. Matthew has been a bit anxious about the change as initially his entire mission would be spent with Pres. H and there was a lot of trust and love there. But now that Matthew has met Pres. M, he is at his ease with a new mission president who he describes as funny and happy and loving. When they met, Matthew immediately asked for a picture with him. Why, you might ask? Because last week, he got an email from Ally, his best friend, who is currently in the MTC. Apparently, Pres. M taught her class in the MTC and knowing that he was heading to Arkansas as Matthew’s new mission president, she had to take a picture with him and send it off to Matthew. President was pleasantly surprised by the connection and was more than happy to comply with the request.

Matthew’s second small world moment this week also involved Ally. Aliese, Cory’s youngest daughter, was in the MTC prior to heading to the Texas Fort Worth Mission, which coincidentally is the same mission in which Nathan served. Ally found her while they were both in the MTC and again, sent Matthew a picture.

So, it has been a small world week for Matthew. And sometimes I think those moments make him feel just a little bit closer to the friends and family he loves, even though they are far away.

It’s a Small World

When Matthew received his mission call to Arkansas, we were bombarded with people telling us they had ties to the area-parents living there, extended family in the area, stationed there in a past military posting, etc. For some reason, the parts of Arkansas and Missouri in which he would be serving seem to be teeming with folks who have ties right here. And now that he has been transferred to Bentonville, he has had his first small world encounter. 

You might remember that during his senior year, Matthew met a girl who has similar allergies to his. It was a big moment for him, meeting someone who really gets what his life is like, and we started referring to her as his allergy buddy. Her actual name is Megan, and she has an aunt who lives in Bentonville. In fact, her aunt lives in one of the wards that Matthew is currently serving in, and he met her on his first Sunday in Bentonville. Megan’s aunt was quick to invite them to have dinner in their home, and this evening I got a message from her, with a picture of Matthew and his companion at their dinner appointment.

I know this doesn’t happen to every family who sends out a missionary, but we have been blessed to receive messages from members that all of my sons have worked with during their full-time missionary service. It is always a blessing for me, to know that there are folks watching out for my kids and a reminder as well, that we are a worldwide church and that people all over are doing the best they can to live the gospel, just like me. 

Still Friends

Remember way back in preschool when Malia’s best friend moved away? The perk to that whole situation is that Raylee’s grandma still lives down the street from us so Malia would get a chance to see Raylee on occasion. Raylee and her family have been keeping their distance over the past year and a half due to COVID and some of her grandma’s health issues, but with vaccines readily available and things feeling a bit calmer, they finally drove up for a visit. They were here for a few days which meant that Malia was able to spend this afternoon with Raylee. I love that even after all the years of separation, when they see each other, they get along just as well as they ever did.

 

The Lord’s Hand

Like many of us, Nathan has had a hard week. Online learning is all good and fine for calculus and U.S. history, but things like choir and ASL don’t work as well digitally and as those classes are the highlights of his days, his current routine is lacking its normal perks. In addition, my very social 16-year-old is physically cut off from his peers. He’s been messaging pretty much non-stop, but nothing can really replace face to face interactions. Even though he doesn’t have any really close friends at school right now and in spite of the fact that he gets extraordinarily tired of all the social drama, the isolation is still tough. He had planned a movie and snack day with a friend for yesterday afternoon, but on Friday evening he discovered that another of his friends had close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19 and as he started exploring who saw who and when before there were symptoms, he felt like he had better just call it off. As his mother I completely supported that decision, but it was yet another disappointment in a week full of them.

Last night Kevin and I talked with him at length, trying to help him find some focus, some light, some good in his current situation. One of the things that has been helpful to me has been to focus every day on at least one way I can see the Lord’s hand in my life. It reminds me to look for the good and to be grateful for the many blessings I receive each day, even on days that are hard. I mentioned that to Nathan as a way to help him focus on the light rather than the dark and it was one of those days when he really struggled to see it.

One of his extra big stressors this week has been the fact that his best friend, Tate, is currently serving a mission in the Philippines. Earlier this week, it was announced that the Philippines would be closing their borders in response to COVID-19. They gave 72 hours’ notice and immediately the church began to work to get the missionaries out of the country before they couldn’t leave. Nathan had reached out to his friend’s mother, but when he didn’t get any response, he felt like it was not the time to bug her. Smart kid, right? Anyway, not knowing anything about Tate has been very difficult for him. He’s worried. He’s been worried about Daniel all week as well.

Late this afternoon, Nathan opened the Facebook app, which is something he rarely does. He’s more likely to be on Instagram since that is where all his friends are. It just so happened that one of his friends had reposted a picture that has kind of gone viral on Facebook. It was originally posted by a Delta airlines employee. Delta airlines sent six planes and their crews are currently working forty hours straight to get a group of about 1100 missionaries out of the Philippines. That employee posted a picture of a few of the missionaries in one of the planes and of all the planes and all the hundreds of missionaries in each of multiple cabins on every plane, Tate is right in the center of the picture. My first reaction (after tearing up, of course) was to ask Nathan, “Can you see the Lord’s hand in your life?” The answer, of course, was yes. The picture had been posted approximately seven hours before and since it is a fourteen-hour flight, Tate was about halfway home at that time.

The Lord knows our needs. He knows our worries and concerns. He knows how to succor us. He knows that my 16-year old needed to know that his best friend was safe.

So yes, I’ve seen the Lord’s hand in my life today. Have you?

The Right Fit

Matthew is in the beginning band at school. Although he has only had his trumpet since his birthday in February, his skill level far surpasses the majority of the kids in beginning band. Although he could easily play with one of the higher-level bands, he has opted to stay where he is because band is the only class he has with one of his best friends from elementary school. At the end of the first term of school, Matthew as invited to play in the jazz band. Jazz band meets before school every day, so it does not affect his schedule at all. Matthew jumped at the opportunity and jazz band has very quickly become his happy place.

This evening was the Christmas concert and Matthew’s first concert with both beginning band and jazz band. He didn’t have much caring for the beginning band portion of the program, but he was fully invested in the jazz band portion. His face lit up and I could tell he was having a great time. And to be honest, the jazz band was good. Not just good for a first-year middle school jazz band, but good for any school jazz band. I was really impressed! It made me a little emotional (although no tears were shed, which is like a Christmas miracle!) because Daniel would have loved it and my heart hurt just a little bit because he was not there. But other than that, I really enjoyed the concert.

I’m so glad that Matthew is finding where he fits in. It can be a hard task, especially with two older brothers forging ahead. But Matthew is doing well. He’s developing a relationship with the high school band director (who leads the before school jazz band) and that is paving the way for future school years. It’s a good thing. I’m excited to see where to music takes him!

Countdown to the Big Day

I had a rough day yesterday. I think it is because with Daniel’s (non)farewell scheduled for today, the thought that he is really leaving really soon became really real really fast. He’s my oldest child and I’ve never done this before, so in general I have no idea how I’m going to react to things. Yesterday, things felt enormously overwhelming and that kind of took me by surprise. I mean, I’m a mean plan in advancer, the last of the food was prepped and the last of the shopping was done several days ago. Family and friends were all notified, tables and chairs borrowed, the house was cleaned…as far as things that can be checked off a list, I was good to go. But I think the mama in me got the best of me and I had to take a minute to cry out some emotions.

Today is better, probably because I’ve actually admitted to myself that we are now counting down days instead of weeks or months and because we had a multitude of family and friends show up to give Daniel, and all the rest of us, their support. Daniel has been very blessed in that he has a solid group of friends that he has known since elementary school. There have been additions along the way and the importance of one friend over another has shifted from time to time, but he has always had someone he could talk to and on whom he can rely. And we have amazingly supportive families, both Kevin’s and mine. They are always here for us and our kids and I’m more grateful than I can express to know that they have our backs. My kids count their cousins amongst their friends and don’t just hang out with them because they are related. They genuinely enjoy being together. Our house was full to overflowing with well-wishers and it reminded me of just how blessed my family and I are to have such an extensive support system.

The topic Daniel was asked to speak about in sacrament meeting was “using the Book of Mormon to convert myself and others.” He chose to lean a bit more toward the process of conversion and how the Book of Mormon is only a part of that process. The three points he covered were 1) the Book of Mormon teaches plain and simple truths in simple, easy to understand language, 2) the Spirit is who actually testifies of truth, and 3) we all have agency and conversion is a choice that every person must make for themselves. Kevin and I were both impressed with his depth of understanding. So often we hear stories about how missionaries have converted people, but in reality, the missionaries teach, the Spirit testifies, and then each person chooses whether or not to accept and live by the principles they have been taught. I had quite a few people comment on how great this talk was.

Although I felt a bit watery eyed from time to time today, I didn’t have an actual emotional breakdown. I fully expect there to be at least a couple breakdowns in the next ten days, but for today I’m doing ok. Daniel’s going to be fine and I am confident that he can feed himself, keep his clothes clean, and won’t actually die of the plague. Once all our visitors left, he shared with us the scripture he has selected to go on his missionary plaque. “Yea, and they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and even according to their faith it was done unto them; and I did remember the words which they said unto me that their mothers had taught them.” (Alma 57:21)

Dang it. So much for not actually crying today. Let the bawling commence. Honestly, I feel like I won the kid lottery. I have some of the best kids there are.

Eight is Great! (Part 2)

In terms of a birthday party, Malia had very simple desires this year. She wanted to go swimming at the rec center. I was completely on board with that since it meant all I had to do was provide cake, ice cream and supervision. And Kevin ended up being the one to take the kids to the pool which meant that I was able to skip out on supervision and pick up the much calmer clean up duty instead.

Because we have limits on how many 3rd graders we can 1) fit in our car and 2) we can realistically keep an eye on at the pool, we told Malia her invite list was limited to five friends. When the appointed hour arrived, we only ended up with two-my niece Kate and Acie, a friend of Malia’s from school. Luckily for us, Malia was not disappointed in the least. In fact, she told me yesterday that if Kate was the only one who came, she would be just fine with that. Once again, love that my kids are friends with their cousins! One of the perks of having such a small group was that Acie and Kate warmed up to each other very quickly.

Malia wanted her cakes to match the theme of her party, so today’s cupcakes featured teddy grahams hanging out at the beach. They were simple to put together, Malia loved the way they turned out, and they were delicious which is all I can ask from a cupcake!

She had a great time. It was all very low stress. Success for both of us!

Friends and Family

This evening was the annual neighborhood block party. There seemed to be far fewer people there than in the past, probably due to the large number people who have moved out in the past year, although that is just a guess. Malia still had a good time. Matthew enjoyed himself and even spent time playing night games with the deacon’s quorum boys (something he doesn’t do often as there are many of those boys that he just doesn’t get along with). And even Daniel participated in the event. I stayed as long as the heat would let me (which was longer than usual due to the fact that one of the meds I take for the migraines makes me feel even colder than normal) and Kev came down for dinner and to keep an eye on Malia for a while. I’ve been trying to get out more since I was called to be in the Relief Society presidency (I don’t think I’ve actually mentioned that as of yet. I’m currently the second counselor.) and mingling at the party for awhile felt like a good step. I’m a bit of an introvert by nature and while it takes some conscious effort to get out and socialize, I think it will be good for me. Although I love my family and get tons of support from them, I think I could probably use some friends as well. I’ve been a bit short on those since we moved out here.

Nathan was invited to go to a baseball game with his cousin Ella (youngest daughter of my sister Patti) and Kevin and I completely supported his skipping of the block party.  I love that he has cousins that he likes, considers friends…

…and can be dorky with.

And Aunties that wonder why in the heck they are sitting next to such a couple of dorks.

I feel blessed that I get along with my family and consider them friends. I’m doubly blessed because my kids feel the same way.

The BIG Game

Remember those giant playing cards that sent Nathan into a paroxysm of laughter last Christmas? Nathan and friends actually gave them some play time this evening. It was crazy entertaining…and terribly hard not to cheat. 😁

A Brave New World

Once a month our elementary school has what they call the Birthday Table. They set up extra tables in the lunchroom, decorate with balloons and such and invite the families of all the kids whose birthdays fall in that month to come eat lunch with their kids. While I was at the birthday table for Matthew’s birthday in February, the lunchroom assistant, who seems to know Matthew quite well, was chatting with me and mentioned that he doesn’t always eat his lunch. This was definitely not news to me. It has been an ongoing conversation where Kevin and I tell him he needs to eat so he has energy to play, grow and learn and he says ok but doesn’t eat his lunch anyway. I think a lot of it stems from the fact that he is bored with his lunch options. His options are limited due to all his allergies and compounded by his own pickiness, so I’m not sure what to do about it. The lunchroom assistant mentioned that the head lunch lady is actually really good about making hot lunch work for the allergy kids and although I told her we didn’t expect anyone to go out of the way because he is allergic to so many things, she dragged me into the lunchroom office and had me talk to the head lunch lady.

I was totally surprised to see that all the kids in the school who are allergic to more than just peanuts or tree nuts (all the school lunches are nut free) had a paper taped to her window so she could see at a glance who is allergic to what. Even though Matthew has never eaten school lunch, his profile was up there too. And the lunch lady proceeded to tell me exactly how she handles all the special food needs, answering all my normal questions before I could even ask them. That is always something that makes me feel like someone really knows what the deal is where food allergies are concerned. In fact, I was so confident in the way she handles everything that eating school lunch became a very real option for Matthew.

Kevin and I talked to Matthew about having school lunch, knowing that it would be scary for him, and told him that we thought it would be great for him to try. It has taken him a few months to work up the courage, but today was his first hot lunch ever. We looked up the menu last night to see which items he could eat. He walked in and talked to the lunch lady this morning so she would know what to make for him. I met him at the school so I could be there when he ate. We had all our bases covered.

Boston, Rylan and William (Matthew’s three school besties) sat with us. Matthew was nervous, of course. It is a very scary thing. But honestly, Boston was almost as nervous as Matthew was. Rylan told Matthew he didn’t want him to die, and William made sure I had Matthew’s Epipens before Matthew started eating. I truly could not ask for better friends. What a great little group they are. And they were all thrilled that everything was just fine.

There are a lot of hard days with food allergy kids: days then they feel excluded, days when an unknowing action makes a normally safe food source unsafe, days when ingredients change and foods have to be eliminated from their diet. But there are good days as well: days when other people go out of their way to make things safe for your kid, days when previously off limits things all of a sudden become an option, days when friends show their love and concern and cheer with you when things go well.

Today was definitely a good day.

Welcoming the New Year

The last few New Year’s Eves have seen us celebrating with friends. We eat dinner, play games, usually celebrate the new year as it rolls into New York and get home to put the little ones to bed at a somewhat decent time. Kev and I have become a bit hermitish over the years, so it has been nice to get together with people we know and like. Last night we had a grand time, discovered a super fun new board game (it’s already in my Amazon wish list), cheered the new year in at 10:00 and managed to get to bed in enough time that I wasn’t a complete mess at 9:00 church this morning. Malia also had some hands on experience with birds. Super low key and super fun!

BFF

For almost the past year, Malia’s best friend has been Raylee. They have been in preschool together and although they weren’t in the same primary class last year, they were this year. When Malia discovered that fact, there was a fist pump and a “Yes!” involved. These two girls have gotten along amazingly well. Their personalities are very similar, they like the same things and they just love being together. I’ve only had to intervene in a moment of disagreement once in the past year and that one was just to suggest maybe they could take turns. Other than that, they have worked everything out on their own and have had surprisingly few moments of conflict. As far as a couple of 4-5 year olds go, that is pretty much a mini miracle. Raylee has even taught Malia some of the finer points of being a princess. Malia can be pretty rough and tumble (having three older brothers will do that) and Raylee has helped balance that out. I couldn’t have asked for a better first girlfriend for Malia.

Raylee and her family have been living down the street, with one of her sets of grandparents. Her dad was finishing up his last year of medical school and they didn’t know where he would be assigned for his residency so they didn’t want to buy a home or anything like that only to be there less than a year. Because of that, we’ve known all along that they would be moving, we just didn’t know where. When they were given their assignment a few months ago, I started prepping Malia for the fact that Raylee would be moving. I figured if she knew what was coming and had an idea of what it really meant, it might be easier on her. By the time Raylee left last week, Malia had a pretty good idea what moving meant.

Raylee moved last Saturday. They were able to spend a good chunk of the last couple of days together and due to our in-advance discussions, Malia has handled it really well. She’s only asked when Raylee would be living down the street from us again once. I was just about Malia’s age when my parents moved to their current home and I met a group of girls, some of whom became besties and one of whom I still keep in touch with. (This is a shout out to Lisa-my life long bestie!) Luckily for us, Raylee has only moved to Provo and her grandparents still live just down the street so while I’m old enough to know things definitely won’t be the same, at least Malia will be able to see her from time to time.

Raylee drew a picture for Malia by way of a parting gift. Raylee is on the right dressed as Rapunzel who is currently her favorite princess. Malia is on the left as Snow White which is what Malia wants to be for Halloween this year. I thought it was a sweet way of letting Malia know that the friendship goes both ways.

In moments of loneliness or boredom, Malia will sigh and say, “I wish Raylee was here.” You know what? I wish Raylee was here too.

Nostalgia

I’ve been working on getting blog books made for the first few years that I blogged and it has been a whirlwind of memories. The boys were so small then and Matthew was equal parts exasperating and hilarious. I’ve been laughing my head off as I remember some of the things he did. Nathan, my most willing proofreader, read about how he used to chase Matthew with the vacuum cleaner because he knew Matthew was scared of it and he told me he was ashamed. I laughed because honestly, it was even funny then and also because there is a big difference in the conscience of a 12 year old as opposed to a 5 year old. Nathan has grown up a lot. Daniel has grown up almost without me noticing it. He’s not even the socially awkward science nerd he was then. He has turned into a band geek instead and is surrounded by friends with like interests. High school registration is coming right up and he’s started thinking about driving (!!!!!). Where does the time go? And why does it have to go so quickly?

I’ve also been remembering the fabulous support network I had in the Murray ward. I had a lot of friends, any number of whom I could call up when I was having a craptastic day and say, “Hey, I need to complain.” Relief society activities were usually spent laughing and I always felt like I had emotional support when things got rough. And that was during a time when I really needed that support. I was mothering three small boys who kept me on my toes. Kev was working full time and going to school so he was gone a lot. He went through four different jobs while we lived in Murray which meant a lot of changes in schedules, insurance carriers, etc. It was during that time period when Matthew’s food allergies were first diagnosed and I was trying to figure out how to deal with that. Nathan’s lazy eye was discovered as well and we were dealing with patching, glasses, and eye appointments every 4-6 weeks. Really, I had a lot on my plate but I also had a lot of help as I dealt with it all.

That is something I’ve missed since I moved out here. I have a few friends, but the boundary changes four years ago put them in a different ward. The ward we’re in now has been great for Daniel and Matthew, and even Malia has a good group of little playmates that she loves, but I really don’t have any friends in this ward. It’s not that the ladies aren’t nice or anything like that, I just haven’t met anyone that I really click with, with whom I feel like I’m going to be great friends. I have a lot of acquaintances, but no one that I know can see me at my worst and like me anyway. At one of the last midweek Relief Society meetings I went to, we were working on a project and when it was time to let things dry, every lady at my table stood up and walked away to socialize with other people. It wasn’t one of those round tables either. It was two of the long church tables put together and I was sitting there all alone. And as I looked across the cultural hall, there was not one group of ladies that I felt like I could walk up to and join the conversation. I dislike going to ward activities for the same reason.

Even my online support system has dwindled drastically in the past few years. Blogging is not the new hot thing and everyone has moved to Facebook. I’m not a Facebook fan. It just seems like a huge time suck to me. And in actuality, very little of the things I’m seeing there actually have anything to do with people’s real lives. Most of it is just liking stuff, reposting news items, game invites, etc. I prefer the personal touch that blogging gives me and for those that still blog, I like actually hearing how their lives are going. And honestly, it fills my need to vent on occasion, lets me feel like I’m actually fulfilling my obligation to journal and create a family history, and the boys really love reading the blog books once they are printed.

It’s not that I don’t like it out here. I really do. I have loved living in this area. It is super family friendly and we love our schools. It is quiet and in general I feel like our neighborhood is very safe. I just feel lonely and isolated sometimes. So if any of you Murray ladies are even still reading, you are missed.

Every Girl Needs a BFF

Malia is accustomed to living in a world full of boys. Not only does he have three brothers, there are simply a lot of boys around here. In our ward it is normal for each primary class to have six or eight boys and only one or two girls. Classes at the elementary school are usually 2/3 to ¾ boys with a few girls sprinkled in for variety (and sanity). But with a few new move ins, Malia’s age group is actually tipped a bit in favor of the girls. Last year her preschool class had only 3 girls which really isn’t a terrible percentage since there were only eight kids in her class. But this year there are six girls and Malia is loving it!

Today was her first field trip of the year and we happened to park right by one of her little girlfriends. I have a soft spot in my heart for this particular little girl. Her family moved into our ward five or six months ago and she sings for me in primary. It has been a challenge to get anyone, child or adult, in this ward to sing. The hymns in Sacrament Meeting are sung by about ten people, five of whom have the same last name as me. And since I am the choir director and the junior primary chorister, the lack of musical participation makes my callings a million times harder. So to have a child come to primary, sit on the front row and sing out with abandon makes me feel like maybe it’s not completely a lost cause.

Anyway, we walked with this particular friend of Malia’s and she had a fabulous time. The two of them are the hugging, chatting, declaring they are best friends kind of friends. It’s actually pretty cute. Since Malia is usually surrounded by boys, she was a bit unsure the first time Raylie dashed up and hugged her (her cousin Kate is really the only other girlfriend who is like that with Malia) but she warmed up super fast. I tried to take a cute picture of the two girls, but the sun and a pesky leaf foiled my plans. Nevertheless, the field trip was a success and we are all anxiously awaiting the next one.

Take Me Out To the Ball Game

Yesterday morning Malia and I went to see a princess play. Last night the boys had their turn. They went to a baseball game. Daniel opted to stay home because he isn’t all that interested in sports. Nathan is not all that interested in sports either, but he saw the game as a social event and went to hang out with some of his cousins. There was a ticket to spare so Matthew invited Boston, his best friend. They had a super time. Since Matthew goes back to school tomorrow, it was a final celebration before starting a new school year.

It's an Honor and a Privilege

We’ve been really pleased with our middle school. They have some really great programs and Daniel has been able to participate in several of them. In eighth grade, the kids can apply to participate in PSTA which is this school’s version of service club. Daniel had a great time doing that this school year. For the ninth graders, they can apply to be members of the National Junior Honor Society. NJHS also provides service to the school. Only those who are invited can apply and of those who are invited, less than half get in. Daniel and a number of his friends were invited to apply and most of them, including Daniel, got in. Tonight was the induction ceremony which was a suit and tie, cookies and punch event. I’m so pleased that not only is he excelling in school (and all on his own prerogative), but he has gotten himself all mixed up with a great group of kids. They are all focused in school, fun and polite to be around, and most of them are involved in some aspect of the school’s music program.

Sounds a lot like the group I hung around with in junior high and high school. Most of us were firmly entrenched in the music programs. We performed hither and yon and attended performances of our other friends. We spent nearly every weekend hanging out at someone or others house (I’m equally grateful for all those parents who accommodated our social habits). We consumed unbelievable amounts of M & M’s and root beer (my mom didn’t even get mad when we took to throwing M & M’s). We laughed and cried together. We went through some tough times (teenage emotions can be a killer) and somehow we managed to make it out together. Basically, we were inseparable.

I can’t even begin to express how thankful I am for all those friends. I’m so grateful that I never had to deal with being isolated or ostracized. I will never be able to repay the kindness of those who stood by my side and defended and protected me from a variety of hurts. It makes me think back and as an adult, I’ve realized just how lucky I was to be all mixed up in my very own great group of kids. At the time I think I took it for granted. I thought that everyone had an amazing group of peers with whom they felt totally accepted and loved. As an adult, I know that is not true. A lot of kids come out of high school feeling grateful that it is over. But I cried when I graduated. I knew things would never be the same. And while that was definitely true, it is also true that a number of those relationships have carried over. I’m still in touch with a pretty good number of those friends that I shared my teen years with. Of course, blogging and facebook have definitely facilitated that ongoing connection, but really I think it is a reflection of just how much we cared about each other. They were not friendships of convenience, they were the honest real deal.

So for Daniel it is an honor to be accepted in the NJHS, but it is a privilege to have a group of amazing kids. I’ll pray that they will be able to stick together.

Daniel and a couple of his chums.

 

Me and my cronies.

 

You May Not Know This One…

Daniel has found himself a group of friends whose interests are similar to his. What that means is they are a big group of nerds. But nerds aren’t social pariahs like they were when I was in school. To be a geek or a nerd is actually pretty cool nowadays. One of Daniel’s friends likes really long words. Isn’t there always one of those in every geek group? My high school group had one and he is now an amazing linguist who is fluent in like nine languages or something like that. And I’m pretty that two of those are Russian and Cantonese which are both pretty tough languages. But anyway, back to the big word lover. He taught Daniel a big word and Daniel has taught that big word to the entire family. Are you ready for the big word? Here it is:

Floccinaucinihilipilification

Do you want to try and say that one? Here’s the pronunciation and the definition:

/fläksəˌnôsəˌnīˌhiləˌpiləfiˈkāSHən/
noun: the action or habit of estimating something as worthless. (The word is used chiefly as a curiosity.)

A doozy of a word if I’ve ever heard one. And it’s really entertaining coming out of Malia’s mouth.

Football Flashback

As I was going through Halloween pictures yesterday, I realized that I completely forgot to tell all y'all about Matthew's latest passion. He has discovered that he loves football. We signed him up for flag football and his games were in September and early October. He was pretty small compared to the other boys on his team but that is not a big surprise. He is pretty fast but because his legs are so short he struggled to keep up. Nevertheless, he had a fabulous time and was bummed when it was over. He is already looking forward to next year.

He is definitely going to be my sports fanatic. After having two sons that just don't care about sports, it is nice for Kev to have someone that will watch football with him. Right now Matthew's favorite teams are BYU and the Seattle Seahawks.

I think a lot of this football fervor were picked up from one of his best friends and I don't mind at all. It is so nice that he finally has a friend who will come looking for him. Matthew is usually the one seeking out playmates and I worry sometimes that they play with him just because he comes to them. In my experience one sided friendships are not terribly long lasting. So I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see Boston at our front door. :-)

Better Than I Had Hoped

When all the wards in our stake were re-organized last year I was pretty unsure about how things were going to be for my family. In particular, I was concerned about Daniel. He is not a terribly social creature and both the boys who he played with and who could get him to come out of his solitary happiness were no longer in our ward. For the first year after the change, Daniel pretty much hung out alone. And then he turned twelve and joined the deacons quorum on our ward. In the past six months, he is no longer alone all the time. The other boys in his quorum call to invite him to attend parties and go on fishing trips. They show up at the door to get him to come hang out. They give him the inside scoop about middle school so he is more excited than nervous. They include him in their comings and goings and he enjoys their company.

They showed up at the door again this evening to invite him to a spontaneous Studio C (For those who don't know, Studio C is a comedy show on BYUTV) marathon and it made me realize that while the ward change has been okay for the rest of us, it has been really good for Daniel.

I’m so grateful.

If Only It Were That Easy For Me

Nathan was playing outside this afternoon and when I looked out, besides him I saw six little boys. When he came in I asked where they all came from. Two live across the street (these ones I already knew about), and according to Nathan, two are from next door and the other two are from the two houses diagonally across the street. It would appear that we picked a good spot, at least where friends for little boys are concerned.

The day before our big move, we brought a load of stuff over and met the two little boys across the street (Their mom sent their dad to help us carry boxes-nice neighbors!). Nathan got to play for a little bit and in the nature of small children, they were all perfectly at ease from the start. When we arrived the next day, I saw those two little boys watching our car come down the street. By the time we pulled up at the house, they were standing on the curb waving. Before I could even turn the car off, they were knocking on the window asking if Nathan could play. I'm so glad we arrived in a neighborhood where there are lots of children to be friends with.

I grew up with a big herd of girls who were all the same age as me (The infamous Lisa of the Wicked tickets for one!) and feel like I was very blessed to have the friendship and support of all those girls. I really hope that my children can have the same opportunity to make good friends, friends they can trust and count on, friends who will be around forever. Moving onto a street jam packed with little boys seems like a good place to start.

Now if only I could make friends that easily . . .