Black Belt

 

Thursday Night in a small gym, a seven year old boy tested for a black belt. A task for which he had trained for over three years.

At the age of four Jarom joined Tae Kwon Do because it was the only activity offered for his age.

The first day of class he learned to do a jumping jack, and began the challenge of controlling his body.

As the weeks passed Tae Kwon Do became part of his life.

Soon enough it was obvious Jarom was a natural.

For the next several years he attended class three times a week and rarely complained about it.
As his body grew so did his self-confidence and ability. Every two months he tested for a higher belt and passed.

Preparing for the black-belt test took a lot more than just showing up for class. He studied at home to memorize forms, their names, kicks, combinations and much more. It was a mental test just as much as a physical one.

This day was his big day. One other student from his class was ready for this same test and the two of them began warming up as the gym began filling.

I can only imagine how this little seven year old may have felt seeing the room fill up with supportive friends: school friends, home teachers, missionaries, Primary friends and teachers.
This support meant much to me. Thank you to all who came; you helped make it special for us.

He gave them a show. He worked hard and stayed focused the entire hour and a half.

Black Belt achieved! And well deserved.

He left the gym wearing a black belt and carrying a-taller-than-Jarom trophy, and has an entire lifetime ahead to know he can do hard things.

 

Jumping dad and another student doing a flying side kick to break the board.

 

Nailed it!

 

 

Power Breaking. Five boards at the same time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jarom when he started Tae Kwon Do in 2006.

Stay tuned for the video I am making....

Super Size Me!

Nothing comes in right portions these days.

A simple need to fuel our bodies is “Super Sized” sending us on our way to endless problems.
(BTW- I LOVED the documentary Super Size Me, watch the trailer below)

Going to the movies isn’t enough anymore. It’s got to be IMAX!!
One can’t even see the entire screen without holding on to something as to not fall over, all the while balancing the BUCKET of popcorn and GALLON of soda we pass off as snacks.

Lets not leave out the Home Entertainment. A television is no longer left to the corner stand in the living room, it is now multiplied and glorified by being hung on the walls in several rooms.

Bigger isn’t the only thing better. More is too!

I don’t eat at fast food restaurants, but Super Sizing doesn’t escape me.

I am not one to have “scoops” of ice cream. I eat ice cream by the pints.

Pizza doesn't come in Super Size but I'm confident I could eat till the cows come home.

I do laundry by “Super Loads” (That's the actual setting name) I triumphantly close the lid and say “Super Size Me!” I LOVE that setting.

I shop at Costco. Anyone who needs to push a dolly cart to shop is a “Super Sizer!”
I feel like a Giant playing house while loading the the huge boxes of laundry and dish detergent into my cart.
Bananas come 15 to a bunch!(that would take me half a month to eat) Toilet paper fills the entire cart, leaving some consumers balancing them atop their children’s head, muffins serve 3 families, Cheese Puffs are the size of golf balls, and can those pizza’s really fit in a regular oven?

We live in exciting times. Who gets to exercise patience these days?

Want to watch a movie? Download one.
Want to skip commercials? DVR
Need to talk to someone on the other side of the world? Use your cell phone.
Want to see the pictures you just took? Upload them.
Want to share them with someone? Email them
Need money? Use credit card.
My list can go on and on.

The point of my blogging on "Super Sizing" and "Patience" is actually a play on words.

I do have a message, but not the patience to endure time to tell.

So, I wonder who really reads this and can you guess what am I trying to say?

Looking back- the car

Turning sixteen was a Heavenly day for me. On that day I gained a portable personality. I was a proud owner of a car! I have no idea what kind of a car it was, but I do remember it was blue, it was MINE, and it started without a key.
This car was my extra closet. It carried my basketball bag, soccer shoes, track clothes, extra clothes, books, and a bunch of other smelly things... like boys.
I was in charge of the music, the money for fuel and the roads!
(My biggest pet peeve was when someone else honked my horn while I was driving!!! Keep your hands off my horn!)

Looking back I realize that car took me many places and through many phases.

Like races through town at crazy speeds, football games in the middle of nowhere, road trips with friends, boyfriend drive-by’s and through the canyon to work at Zion National Park each summer.

I learned how to play road games with boys driving on the highways. (I can’t believe I am still alive or that Lindsey wasn’t kidnapped. I would DIE if my kids did some of the things I did!!)

I pushed the limits with that car all the time.
My car was good to me. As my senior year came to an end, so did my relationship with my car. I sold her for $500 and went to Mexico for my Senior Trip. (where was my loyalty??)

Selling her was removing myself from my high school life, and the friends and the town went with it.
Now It was time to move on to the “real world” (aka College, and a whole different story)

Today, my car represents a different Me. It still carries sport bags, stinky shoes, books and a bunch of other smelly things....little kids. I am still in charge of the music (Scripture Scouts 24/7) and my horn is still a big No, No!

This is a car I won’t be trading for any type of vacation or ditch for a new life. I want to hang on to this phase and it’s passengers forever!! (An upgrade may be necessary soon. Seats are running low)

The Bandit

 

This summer something has happened to Jace.
He isn't quite himself.
He has turned into a "Bad Guy!"
I understand it's hard to be good all the time.
He was on a 4 year roll. This day was sure to come, right?

Maybe it's the late night bedtimes, lack of routine, or too much action all day??
My little dress up King has gone to the "Dark Side."

Last week he helped himself to the sucker bowl. He ate Eight suckers is less than 5 min.
He was going for some kind of record!
Yesterday, he got into my car and consumed 10 pieces of my gum.
Today, he returned to my car and finished off the pack of gum and peed on Jennica's floor- just for fun.

He's some kind of animal that feels he needs to mark his territory. For the past month he has randomly peed on the floor and laughs about it!!

What happened to my child??

This evening I took the kids to the park and he was King Grump of the day. He was the screaming child walking to the car. I realized his little body needed an early bed time.
After a bubble bath I cuddled up with him on the top bunk and told him I would read him Peter Pan.(His favorite to dress up as)

As he snuggled into me I remembered how he was as a baby. He would always snuggle his nose into my body and fall sound asleep.

He kissed me over and over as I tried to begin the bedtime story. He kissed up and down my arm then reaching for my face he smashed his lips onto my cheek, pulling me away from the book.

It was clear he wanted Mommy time.

Fifteen minuets later, my little one was asleep with his arms wrapped around me. Then it occurred to me that this has never happened before.

I have never had a child fall asleep to a bedtime story.

I needed that moment with him as a Mom. I will always remember that sweet moment while reading Peter Pan.

I love this kid. In all his characters...

 

Baptism Trip

 

In a few months our oldest turns eight!
Turning eight is a big deal.
We believe all children are born innocent and by the age of eight are old enough to be held accountable for their own choices.
With that accountability Jarom gets to choose to be baptized.

In our family, regardless of their choice to be baptized, Dad will take a soon-to-be-eight child on a "Baptism Trip."

Last month Jarom's baptism trip was a weekend in Palmyra, New York to visit Church History sites of Joseph Smith and to watch the Hill Cumorah Pageant.

Just the two of them.

 

 

 

Jarom's baptism date is set for October 10th.

Baseball

 

This summer Jarom tried his hand at Baseball. He did very well.
The biggest lesson he learned was rain doesn't like baseball.
5 out of his 8 games were rained out!

I don't know a thing about the game but I enjoyed everything about the atmosphere.
Cool nights at the park, lots of green trees, sun going down, and boys having a good time!

 

 

Tragic Sunday

My worst nightmare visited me today.

Words can’t describe the emotion that shot through my body when I opened my computer.

My journal of the past 9 months disappeared! Everything gone!

The video interviews of my kids and their sweet childish voices, my personal thoughts on motherhood and marriage.
My “Mommy Magic” and special moments shared with my kids. The silly things they do, goals for myself, hopes for our family......

I am a big journal writer. I NEED to write in my journal to get clarity. I end my day by placing my thoughts in a safe place....or so I thought.

This experience is devastating. I can only imagine the torture Joseph Smith and Martin Harris went through when loosing the 116 pages from the book of Lehi.

Ironically enough, Sam’s FHE lesson today was on that very subject. (pouring salt on the wound??)
I can understand, on a very small scale, the anguish Joseph Smith may have felt knowing he had to answer to God about those sacred, Ancient records disappearing!

If only I had been so wise as Nephi and made a copy along the way!
(My mom and I had this very conversation YESTERDAY!!)

I refuse to believe those thoughts and memories are gone. (Thank goodness I use some of my Journal entries as my Blog)

After dissecting my computer, Sam was able to find some copies located in TextEdit so tomorrow’s emergency project is to run to the printer and print, print, print!

It won’t be them same. I liked how MacJournal kept everything organized for me. I liked “seeing” my entries mapped.

I feel out of whack now. I’ve been stripped of my personal history! That stinks.

I’m a little sad for me, mostly I am sad for my family. I can’t go back and capture the cute way Jace talked or the conversations I recorded.

The Lord is all knowing, this lesson must be learned.

OUCH.

 

Stay and play camp

 

Last weekend we went on our first summer adventure. And adventure it was!
We had so much fun at Winding Trails last year we signed up for our favorite program again, Play and Stay.

Play and Stay is basicly BYOB. (Bring your own bag) They provide all the food and we have access to the entire park.
(Which includes a beach, sailing, canoe, basketball, tennis, archery, play grounds and miles of trails.)

In just over an hour we arrived ready to spend the rest of the afternoon on the beach. At the gate the attendant called the office to verify our arrival only to deflate our high spirits.

“Play and Stay has been cancelled.“ He informed me.

”Cancelled?“ I repeated.

The kids were silent, but the dissapointment was loud and clear.

I went to the Park office where I learned there weren’t enough families signed up to run this session.

( I clearly missed that phone call.)

I wasn’t about to turn around and go home. My car was loaded for fun!

I decided we would stay for the day.

Once we were in our bathing suits, and our tummies full, we found a spot on the over crowded beach.

I sat in my beach chair with cell phone in hand creating plan B with Sam. (Who was going to join us after work)

About 1 hour into our swim the clouds rolled in and I found myself wet with rain!

Jarom commented on our unfortunate luck as we sat in the rain watching everyone around us pick up and scatter like cocroaches.

Relutuntaly we picked up our belongings and started for the car.

My creative Mommy skills were slow to kick in. I had no idea what to do next.

By the time I made the trek to the evacuated parking lot- the rain stopped!

The exchange of looks from the kids was priceless as they looked to the sky and back to the beach.

After realizing the beach was staying open they ditched me, and the load I was juggeling, without looking back.

They recognized the advantage of swimming with a little rain. Everyone’s gone!

They continued swimming, with approval from the life guards, with sly smiles as if they were getting away with something.

Eventually I made my way back with all the beach comforts and set up camp again.

3o min. later threats of thunder called us out, leaving the beach closed till further notice.

Now we were wet puppies gathering up our belongings with long faces...again.

Just as I wrapped the last bag around my neck and heaved the loaded chair on my back and began tugging at my stuffed cooler- our luck changed, again!

”The beach is open“ announced the life guard.

I froze in my tracks, exchanged looks with the kids as their eyes popped open and postures perked up.

Back to the beach they ran.

I stood for a moment and considered holding my load a bit longer to see if the foercast would continue to tease me.

Finally, I let it all drop with awkward grace and untangled the bags and towels that were strewn around me. Then I sat down to laugh at this game we were playing with the heavens.

This game of give and take went on a few more times as we were called out of the water only to rush in again when the threat of thunder had passed and it was safe to return.

By now I had the drill down. I left everything as it was.

The beach and the Life Guards were at our disposal. We took advantage of the loot left behind from rain phobic friends and played till the sun went down.

Dad showed up just as we changed into dry clothes and took us out for pizza then we snuggled safely in a Hotel as the rain continued through the night.

The following morning we were back at the beach with sunny skies.

We returned home late that evening waterlogged and happy despite our series of unfortunate events!

Hobi’s don’t quit.

 

Fireflies

When the sun goes down at our house the kids are rushing to get their pajamas on and their teeth brushed.

They aren’t in a hurry to get to bed, they are in a hurry to go back outside!

Fireflies dot the yard with a magical glow as they appear then disappear.

I am a mother that can’t refuse the chance to sit quietly outside and watch these little “Tinkerbells”, (as Jace calls them) even if it is past bedtime.

I didn’t grow up catching fireflies. In fact, the first time I saw one was while living in Ohio. I am amazed at their ability to put off such a glow. When they aren’t glowing they are a rather ugly bug, but once they are lit up I am in love with them.

Tonight, all three of my kids ended their day tenderly holding a firefly up to their face to witness one of the many “Magical“ creations God has placed on Earth for us to enjoy.

Personally, I think the firefly is the perfect touch to the setting sun.

Bird Funeral

This morning, during a family bike ride, we ventured to the school playground to play on the swings.

Jarom and Jennica quickly secured their spots on the “high” swing and were chanting:

“Under dog, Under dog!”

In which, I have the pleasure of giving them a running push, as I duck under the swing and run through to the other side- over and over- and over again.

As Jace and I were running down the hill toward the swings he stopped dead in his tracks.

When I turned to see what he was doing I saw his four year old face soften with concern for what lay on the ground before him.

He crouched down and lovingly asked the dead bird what happened.

During this moment, in a four year olds world everything stopped.

He forgot about the race to the swings, the bees in the grass and the under dogs we rode a mile and a half for.

Right now was for the bird.

“Mom, can I give him a kiss?” He asked, not taking his eyes off the bird.

By now the other kids had gathered around to see what we were looking at.

Jace declared the bird dead and all four of us stood there in silence.

Typical of a seven year old boy, Jarom wanted to flip it over to see if the other side was hurt.

Instead, I suggested we give it a funeral.

All eyes were anxiously waiting for my next move to learn if I was really serious.

“Lets sing it a song.“

Jennica smiled and watched me as I sang a song of thanks for beautiful birds.
(Mommy magic kicked in and provided a few rhyming words)

Then I suggested we say a prayer.

Each of them looked at me funny, not taking me seriously but eventually folding their arms once I began to pray.

I thanked God for birds and the songs they offer, their beauty and life they add to the sky. Then prayed this little bird before us would return to Heaven and fly again with the Angles.

After the prayer Jace studied the bird and asked, ”Mom, did the bird really go to Heaven?“

I told him the bird returned to it’s Maker, Heavenly Father.

He looked toward the sky then back at the bird and asked the obvious, ”Why is the bird still here?“

I assured him the birds Spirit was flying with Angels today.

He took my hand as we walked toward the swings and said, ”I can’t wait to go back to Heaven to be with Heavenly Father and Jesus, Mom.“

”Me too“ I replied, ”It’s going to be great.“

That bird gave me a special gift today. I’m grateful for that.


I love that Greg Olsen depected the Savior paying notice to the little birds in this picture titled In His Constant Care.

4th of July faces

 

Our 4th of July was beautiful. We spent the day with the Haws family swimming and then watched fireworks at Waveny Park.
Jace has yet to come out from under the blanket for the firework show. (I don't blame him. I remember being terrified of fireworks as a child.)

For Family Home Evening dad put on another firework show at home. The kids loved it. Jace did better this time around.