Knock Knock

Jameson feels like he is old enough to go and knock on the neighbors doors to either play with his friend Johnny, or in the case of the Benson's, who only have older children, ask for a treat.  I have told the Benson's several times to NOT give him treats when he knocks on their door, but they love it and think it is so funny they can't help themselves. He never makes it to their door on my watch, but sometimes Korinne is the one who is in charge of keeping an eye on him when they are both outside playing, and she isn't as vigilant when it comes to these un-announced Benson visits.  In fact, I didn't even know about them for a long time until Tammy casually mentioned it one day. Apparently it is always Halloween at the Benson's if you are a cute 2 year old who isn't afraid to ask.

 

Here are Jameson and Johnny out playing. They are 5 months apart.

 

 

Something inside Jameson makes him want to feed his friends.  Every time he is playing with friends he will run inside and look for food to give everyone.  It kind of drives me crazy, but he insists on doing it.  On this particular day he and Johnny were sitting out on the lawn eating a piece of toast I had given them. 

 

I always know when Ali, Johnny's 4 year old sister, has been playing with the boys because she loves to put them in her dress up clothes.

I was fine with J-mo being in a superman outfit until I realized it was really a supergirl outfit.  I have also found him in a tinkerbell outfit and another fairy dress. Ali thinks it is awesome. Adam? Not so much.

Up and Onward

The Odgen Temple is being re-dedicated today. For us this means that we don't have regular church and all members ages 8 and up (with recommends) get to attend one of three dedicatory sessions broadcast to our stake center.  Adam spent a lot of time meeting with kids over 8 and youth from our ward for recommends so they would be able to attend the dedication.

 

Temple dedications are cool in and of themselves, but throw in a Sunday with Adam home all day and not having to perform normal church responsibilities and you have the makings of a GREAT day. Jameson is the only one from our family who won't be attending, but since it is right during nap time and Grandma will be here with him, I don't think he will even notice.

Jameson remembers touring the Odgen Temple and often talks about "Jesus' house".  This past summer we received the painting we had made in China that hangs in our main living area.  It is a very popular picture, but for us it is cool because it really represents our family.  There are 4 children around the savior and each one looks kind of like one of our kids.

Jameson likes to point to each of the kids in the picture and say, "That's Britton, that's Jenna, that's Korinne and that's me!"  One day he walked by it and said to Adam, "Jesus loves me."  I think he really believes he is the one in the picture.

J-mo's preschool e-mailed me a picture this week.

They said he just loves taking the other kids on rides with this tricycle and is always laughing and is loved by all.  Because it is a research program one of the teachers will make a home visit at some point during the semester and we had our home visit this past Friday.  The teacher told me about this tricycle and I told her I had received a picture and joked that he is probably the only one strong enough to take other kids on a ride and she just laughed and said, "Yes, I think you are right!" I'm glad to know he is good about sharing at school and is always happy and laughing.  If he is going to have tempter tantrums I would rather he have them at home rather than at school. :-)

Britton's 7th grade school picture.

 

Britton keeps himself busy during the school year with soccer, piano, cello, scouts, homework and READING.  I still threaten to take away books on a daily basis because sometimes (all the time) he would rather read than get other stuff done.  He has been asking to take private cello lessons for a long time so this last summer we told him he could take cello lessons for the summer but that was it.  We would pay for piano lessons but since he has an opportunity to take orchestra at school we were only going to do piano.  Well, at the end of the summer Britton wanted to continue his private cello lessons so he decided he would pay for the lessons himself with lawn mowing money from the summer.  Fortunately we have an excellent cellist in our ward who is a music major at the University and teaches cello pretty inexpensively so it works out well.

 

Jenna's 6th grade school picture.

 

I think Jenna has adjusted to life at middle school and is really enjoying it.  She has always loved school so throw in a few different teachers, lockers, more choices at lunch time and you have a happy girl.  Adam measured her this last week and she is now 5'3" tall, just an inch shorter than me.  It won't be long before she passes me up completely.

 

Last week was our primary program at church.  It was Jenna's primary program before she goes into Young Women's in February.  Korinne told me before the program that she would say her part in the microphone, but she wasn't going to look up at all.  I said that was just fine.  She has come a long way since last year when she refused to stand up to sing the songs with the rest of the kids.  It wouldn't have been so bad except she was on the front row.  In her effort to not have people look at her she had everyone looking at her. This year she understood that she just needed to do what she was supposed to do and guess what? No one would look at her when there were 100 other kids around.  Besides, we were all too busy laughing at the sunbeams to notice anyone else and I'm happy to say they did not disappoint this year! The sunbeams really make it the most entertaining sacrament meeting of the year.  If Jameson had been born just 7 days earlier he would have been in the Primary program next year. Whoa! Good thing we still have another year.  I don't think the primary program is ready for J-mo yet! 

 

I can't remember if I blogged this yet but I was called to be a Family History Consultant specifically for the youth of our ward this summer.  After I gave a 5th Sunday lesson for all of the youth several of them went home and got started.  To help these kids get going and see the excitement is fun for me.  Britton came home after my first lesson and by the end of the night had found 27 people that need temple work!  He was thrilled. Many of the youth, Britton included, have accepted Elder Neil A Anderson's Temple Challenge issued this summer to find as many names as they do baptisms in the temple.  Once these kids realize that they can find all of their aunts/uncles and thousands of cousins and not just their direct line ancestors (which have mostly been done) they get really excited and it doesn't take them too long to start finding people.

 

The Janitors

The night before LOTOJA was a "divide and conquer" night for us.  Adam went to Britton's soccer team family party with Korinne and Jameson and I took Jenna to a book release party and concert for the 4th installment of "The Janitors" series by Tyler Whitesides at a local high school.  The place was packed. 

Both Britton and Jenna love the popular series which just happens to be written by a local guy who attended the very high school that was hosting the event.  Oh yeah, and before he decided to write books he received a degree in music from Utah State University.  Wow. He has some serious skills.  I'm assuming he was a percussion guy because the entire show was full of amazing drum lines using creative things like desks, toilets (brand new clean ones, of course), and kitchen ware.  I filmed a few clips on my cell phone, but the quality is so poor you would be better off just looking him up on You Tube.  Seriously, he is very talented and I quite enjoyed the show.  Britton and Jenna were also thrilled to get their hands on the book a week before the release date.

Jameson's first day of pre pre-school (2 year old lab) was Sept 4th. 

He was super excited right up until the teachers came to the car to help him get out and then he started to panic.  He had both arms tight around my neck as I took him into the greeting hall and handed him over to the teachers. As I left he was screaming "Mommy!  Mommy!" Not my favorite moment but I knew he would love every single minute of it and I was right.  They said he was fine within a few moments of arriving and didn't want to go when the time came. 

J-mo sportin' his new backpack.  He loves it.

 

My biggest Mommy fail moment didn't come until the second day of school a few days later.  For some reason I had it in my head that school got out at 11:45 so when I got a call from the school at 11:00 I thought something must have happened. "Hi, are you on your way?" What!? I still have lots of time.  At that very moment I realized that school was done at 10:45 not 11:45! What was I thinking!?!  Who is 30 min. late to pick up their 2 year old on the 2nd day of pre pre-school? That would be me. Talk about an epic Mommy fail!!  I'm sure it isn't the first time it has happened, but it is the first time it has happened to me and I was mortified.  Fortunately Jameson didn't seem a bit concerned when I finally arrived and an older class of kids was going home at that point so it was all business as usual for the teaching staff.

 

Jameson likes to play with Andy and Ali in our cul-de-sac.  One day there was one teeny tiny puddle in the circle and I couldn't believe how dirty and wet they got from such a small amount of water.  They are super talented when it comes to making messes.

 

Jenna had to make an "All About Me" book for one of her classes. On the back she had to have critic reviews like "A Terrific Read!" or something like that written by members of the family.  I told her just to write something and put my name to it since I wasn't sure exactly what she was looking for.  Just as I was getting ready to go to bed I saw the finished product on the counter and it made me laugh out loud.

 

 

I'm pretty sure she'll get an A for this one.

 

I'm only a week out of LOTOJA and already all I can think about was how I can ride it better and not have such a miserable experience.  The first thing I said to Adam after it was over was, "I'm never doing that again." and he replied with a smile and a  "Yeah, I'll believe that when I see it."  At the time it made me a little mad, but it only goes to show how well he knows me.  He knew I wasn't going to be happy leaving it like that.  I took heart when I saw that almost 900 men were able to finish LOTOJA in time, but only 62 women (who were not in the racing categories) were able to make it to the finish line before it was shut down.  Not only that but we finished a full hour faster than my teammates rode it last year.  The challenge for me will be to ride it again without feeling like I'm going to die during the last 100 miles. 



LOTOJA

What is LOTOJA?  It's the longest one-day USAC-sanctioned bicycle race in the country and was set up to resemble the difficulty of a one-day European classic.  In short, it's kind of a big deal.  It starts in Logan, UT and ends in Jackson Hole, WY (hence the name LO TO JA).  It is 206 miles long, has grueling hill climbs,and moves through 3 states: Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming.  Every year people come from all over the country to ride it.  How long does it take to go 206 miles on your bike up and down a few mountains?  Well, if you're me it takes about 13 hours. 13 very long hours sitting on a bike seat.  It means starting your ride at first daylight and praying you make it to the finish line before they shut it down at 8:30 p.m. I may not have been in a racing category with other cyclists, but I was definitely racing against the clock.  A lot of people never make it to the finish in time. 

I signed up for LOTOJA in March and was informed that I was awarded an entry in April (not everyone who wants to do it gets to do it).  I put in over 2000 miles on my bike this summer and did 4 or 5 "century rides" (100 miles long)  I went into the event with a team of 6 ladies and felt like I was as ready as I would ever be.  I had heard it was crazy hard but found out that it was actually CRAZY HARD!!  I've run an entire marathon on an injured leg, but that was NOTHING compared to the pain I experienced yesterday.  I'm not going to sugar coat it, it hurt real bad.

I feel like I could write a book about how not to ride LOTOJA.  I made all the rookie mistakes and I paid for it big time.  What went wrong?  First of all I was too aggressive on the hill climbs.  I'm a good hill climber and I was feeling great so when a men's team passed at the start of the first 20 mile climb I hopped on the back of their pace line and let them pull me up the mountain. ("Pull" meaning I drafted off of them and used less energy than the lead rider going just as fast)  I was feeling great and loving every minute of it.  At the summit I stopped at the feed zone and waited for all of my teammates to come in so we could re-group.  On the second major hill climb I was already feeling it.  I had used too much energy on the first hill climb and I was hurting.  By the time I hit the 3rd major hill climb, which was the steepest one a good 100 miles into the race, I knew I was in a lot of trouble.  Like I said before, it hurt real bad.  At the summit I was 100 miles from the finish line and already I felt like I had absolutely nothing left to give.  Yeah, that is pretty much the worst feeling the world.

I have absolutely no idea how I managed to get to the finish line.  My teammates rallied around me and instead of taking my regular turns to pull the others they let me sit on the back of the pace line.  I was literally hanging on for dear life and they knew it.  We teamed up with several riders during those last 100 miles so there were a lot of people taking turns pulling, this was key in getting us to the finish line in time.  When we hit the feed zone at mile 120 I cried.  I had 80 miles to go and I felt absolutely awful.  The key to a race like this is to eat and drink the entire time so even though nothing sounded or tasted good to me I stuffed my face at every chance and filled my water bottles at every stop.  The next leg was only 33 miles, but it felt like it would never end.  The last leg was 47 miles and was mostly uphill. It was pure torture.  I've never felt like that before. Never. I honestly don't know how I was able to hang on. 9 hours is a long time to be that miserable.  As we neared the finish line our team was down to 4 women . One dropped out at mile 120 and the other was 45 minutes behind us. We crossed the finish line just after 8 p.m. 30 minutes before they shut it down.  I don't often get emotional,  but I cried like a baby. It was so hard but somehow I finished with a vow to NEVER EVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES DO THAT TO MYSELF AGAIN!

Adam came to cheer me on the last 80 miles of the race and when it was all said and done we had to turn around and drive over 3 hours to get back to the starting line.  I wish I could say I felt better when I was finished, but the next 5 hours were just as terrible as the 9 before that.  I was very sick.  We weren't that far out of Jackson before Adam had to pull over so I could get out and throw up.  When I got back in the car it hit me, "you are dehydrated!"  Believe me, I know all about dehydration after living through 3 HG pregnancies.  It was all starting to make sense!  Yes, I had taken in a lot of water, but my body probably needed double or triple that amount to make it through an event like this.  To be so incredibly nauseous and sick was a sign that I wasn't just a little bit dehydrated, I was severely dehydrated.  It had been a vicious cycle. The worse I felt the harder it was to drink from my back water bottle while trying to maintain the pace so I mostly used the front water bottle.  Another rookie mistake.  I felt so sick on that 4 hour ride home through winding roads and canyons that I declared I was never going to ride my bike again and I hated LOTOJA and I even hated the entire state of Wyoming and especially the town of Afton and I couldn't imagine how I would every feel normal again.  Ok, I might have been a bit dramatic but that kind of misery can do that to a person.

Now that I am hydrated again and am in my right mind I can say I'm genuinely glad that I had the experience.  I learned a lot and have decided that Wyoming probably isn't such a bad state after all.  My brother Taylor had a very similar experience with LOTOJA a few years back so he'll know exactly what I'm talking about and is probably getting a good laugh out of this post.

I may have made peace with the state of Wyoming, but I'll never ride LOTOJA again. You can quote me on that.

Labor Day

Has it really only been a week since the kids went back to school?  It's funny how a big shift in the schedule becomes routine so quickly.  The kids have adjusted well, except that I had to take forgotten musical instruments to the middle school TWICE last week.  I told Britton and Jenna that if they forget again they will have to do without because I'm not a violin/cello taxi service. (I'm such a mean Mom)

We were in town for Labor Day without any plans so we decided to check out "Founder's Day" for a local community here in the valley.  They were the first settlement in the area and Labor Day is the day they celebrate their city.  A neighbor of ours goes to the parade and celebration every year and told us about it so we decided to check it out.  Hey, every once in awhile we can be super wild and crazy.

We drove until we found the parade route and settled into our own little spot.

 

Britton never goes anywhere without a book just in case he should be forced to just sit around and wait for something.

After the flag came through the first float was the mayor of the town. As soon as I saw him dressed as one of the Duck Commander guys throwing candy out of a duck blind float I knew I was in the right place.  It was going to be an awesome parade.

 

Fake ducks were in the tall grass and the bearded mayor was throwing candy out to all the kids. The mayor was closely followed by the city council members who were on 4 -wheelers with dear heads mounted to the front. The signs on the 4-wheelers said, "Oh deer, it's the city council!"

I took the picture a little late so you can't see the deer head on the front very well.

Jameson has learned the art of waving for candy.  Even when the floats weren't throwing candy he was waving his little heart out.

I like a parade with some character so I enjoyed the random covered wagon with a bunch of people riding horses behind it.  What I liked most was that the horse manure clean-up crew got their own banner. Typically these guys don't get any respect, but in this small town they believe in giving credit where credit is due!

The blue banner says, "Excess Materials Disposition Crew"

The crew on 4-wheelers with shovels in hand.

Some parades have policeman or street sweepers at the end.  This parade finished up with a bunch of white guys dressed up as Indians.  It is really the only logical ending in my book, I'm not sure why more parades aren't doing it.

 

When the parade ended we walked over to the town square where the after party was in full swing.  As luck would have it we ran into another neighbor who said, "Hey, are you guys going to the Sham Battle?" Uh, what's a "Sham Battle"?  "It's a big cowboy and Indian fight.  They act it out on the other side of the elementary school and they do it every year"  What!? A cowboy and Indian fight?  This I gotta see.  We made our way over to the battle sight and based on the size of the crowd and the size of the "stage" I knew we were in for a treat.  I've heard of civil war reenactments, but this was the first cowboy and Indian fight.  It was obvious the "actors" took their parts very seriously. It also explained why the parade ended with Indians.

 

 

There were huge speakers and a narration came on talking about the first settlement in the valley and how the pioneers worked hard and began to settle the area while the Indians, who were already living in the valley, began to get nervous.  Tensions rose when the Indians realized the white settlers had no plans of leaving and even more were coming so they decided to burn down the settler's homes so they would give up and leave the area.

 

The U.S Calvary came in to help the settlers fight off the Indian attacks. To act out the battle there were Indians on horses riding around, soldiers on horses, the settlers and their families with wagons, and an Indian Teepee and Indian families to the side. The white men were all carrying guns that made loud noises and shot out marshmallows.

 

 They even burned down one of the buildings.

How is it that we have lived in the valley for almost 6 years and had never even heard of the this battle?!?  They had music playing the entire time and I thought it was the most entertaining thing I have seen in a long time.  Here is a little clip for you:

 

 

 

Wow. Nothing says Happy Labor Day like a good old fashioned Cowboy and Indian battle. We will definitely be going back next year.

 

Jameson got into the 2 year old child development lab at the University and will start his school on Thursday.  We went to the open house today and this picture sums up how he feels about being able to go to school just like his older siblings.

 

We were the last ones to leave the open house because Jameson didn't want to leave all of the fun things to play with.  When I finally got him outside he ran over to play in the sand box.  It took me another few minutes to get him to leave the outdoor playground. 

 

 I put him on the waiting list for the lab when he was born and boy, am I glad I did.  He is going to really love going on Tues, Wed, and Thurs from 8:30- 10:45a.m.  The only thing that makes me sad is that is will only be for one semester.  I think he will go through serious withdrawals come December.