Flag Football

We are so busy this year coaching sports. Well maybe I should rephrase that. Steve is busy coaching I just send all the emails out to parents. But either way it has definitely taken up some time. We have soccer on Thursdays and football on Tuesdays and both on Saturdays. So far we've only had one rotten Saturday--granted it was the first.

So I've said it before and I will continue to say it I'm afraid. Damen has a passion for football, he gets it from his Dad (well maybe not, Steve loves football and loves to play it but doesn't care to watch it every second of every day like Damen). Anyway Damen plays quarterback or receiver. He's learned a lot about trying to be a leader of the team and encourage everyone to do their best but so far he's also scored in 2/3 of the games a couple touch downs each game. I love how excited he is for every second of the game as well as how excited he is for his team mates. Often I will look over and when kids are out on the sideline they are picking the dandelions or are off messing around or wrestling the other kids that are out. Not Damen he is running up and down the field with the team yelling and cheering as loud as he can. He's so fun to watch.

Seth plays both defense and offense and does so well at blocking. One time he blocked so well that the kid just gave up and went down another time he had his arms a little high and actually got the kids neck (we had a little talk on that one). He continues to get more and more excited about the game as the weeks go on.

On our first game everyone was extremely confident that we were going to will, that we were going to score on the first drive of the game and be super amazing. Well we were all humbled that week. So much so that Steve was upset and stayed awake all night coming up with new plays and reevaluating the game plan. Damen came home saying "why doesn't my team trust me I kept telling them what was going to happen and they just didn't trust me." Then as he got in the shower the tears started to flow and though the water was loud and he thought we couldn't hear him, he was just a sobbing, (I told you he was passionate). Seth walked around for a minute with his head down because he thought he was supposed to and then gave up on that and went out to play.

I guess the game plan worked because they have just dominated the other teams since then. Their plays work their defense has been amazing and it has just been fun to watch and pleasant to live with. I was wondering after that first game why I had signed Steve up to be their coach, but ya know he gets frustrated if they aren't coached right so I would rather have him coach and be in control of that than get mad at the other parents, but now he feels so much pressure to perform. He does well though and the kids love all the high fives they get!

Here's Damen in the middle passing off to Seth whose behind him

Here's Damen trying to make some forward progress. Looks like I need to get some pictures of Seth. I know I have some from this last week. We'll get more up soon or at least of soccer

Fruit of our Labors

Last year we planted strawberries. Oh that has seriously been the best purchase EVER. This year we added 3-4 more rows to what we already had last year. Because we did this we had to make an additional garden. But like I said it was the best thing we have ever done. Our kids don't know how truly spoiled they are. Yea it's nice to have fresh veggies, but my kids don't care for zucchini all that much, but strawberries now that's a different story.

See that colander full? We pick that many every other day. So yes we are bringing in quite a few, and they aren't small by any means most of the time they are as big as the ones in the store if not bigger. I have 3 gallon bags in the freezer and could have more but I've already made jam 3 times and more pies, and German pancakes and waffles and shortcakes then we care to mention (well at least you know why we've put on some extra pounds. Our kids love them and so do we!)

Kenna knows not to go into the garden so she well stand out side and point and yell Momma, Momma, she can see them and tells us where the good ones are. She doesn't like it when you tell her it's not quite ripe, she just keeps telling you to pick it anyway. But she can eat them I'll tell you. We all can! Railey though, she's our picker and she knows which ones are to be picked.

Yea we have eaten lots of those strawberries before we took the picture. This year as we were starting our seeds in the office, we had extra dirt without seeds in them and Steve happened to be eating watermelon and just spit one of the seeds into the dirt. Well look what we got as a result. It's the only one we got but oh my goodness was it sweet and good! Now if only those cantaloupe will hurry and ripen --we have tons of those!

Yes when you have lots of Strawberries you have to cover at least some in chocolate. This was our first and only time doing this and we just did it last night for FHE. Why have we not been doing this all summer? Oh yeah the diet thingy.

Not only have our strawberries done great but so have our raspberries. They are just coming on again. Back in June we got about 4 gallons worth and are expecting at least that many if not more within the next month. Our girls will eat those just as fast as they will the strawberries. This morning I picked that little container full (not to many like I said they are just barely coming on) and they barely made it into the house before the girls had them finished off. Oh we love us some berries.

Every time we go out to pick both Steve and I comment on how this was the best idea ever as well as how our kids have no idea how good they have it. Now if the blackberries will hurry and get bigger, we only got 5 berries this year!

Miracles

When I first started this blog, I wanted it to be a place that I could put our family's experiences as well as photos so the kids could go back and remember their growing up years. I figured they would look at it in the future but I never realized how much they would go and read it even now. I find them a couple times a month in on the computer reading and laughing at the pictures and the stories. I'm so grateful I decided to do this whole blog thing even if I'm not as consistent as I once hoped I would be. But this isn't just a place for funny stories and cute pictures. I know I don't share too many spiritual experiences but today I must because I am extremely grateful and indebted to our Heavenly Father for the miracles he has performed in our lives in the last 24 hours.

Yesterday was like any other frustrating day. It actually wasn't too bad until I had gone to scouts and the kids were awful. I know 9 year olds have lots and energy and like to be accepted by their peers and all that and I really do give them room to be boys but they were on one yesterday and we finally had to do some threatening. So I was a little frustrated with that when I came home and vented to the neighbor but then came in and got dinner ready while Steve and the boys were at soccer practice. We all sat down to dinner and Railey was eating a chip when I put meat on her chips and she started to throw a fit. Well that brought on choking because there was a chip that got lodged down in her throat. I watched as she was gagging and then started turning blue before Steve was finally able to help her dislodge the chip. I did send up a little prayer of gratitude that she was ok and breathing again, but continued to get frustrated by her stubbornness of not wanting her taco salad they way it should be. Lets just say I was looking forward to her bedtime in less than a 1/2 hour.

Dinner got done and cleaned up when Steve had to run and do a sprinkler repair. As he was walking out the door one of my scouts knocked on the door. So Steve walked out followed by the girls and Seth was already out there. I let my scout and his mom in and shut the door so we wouldn't be disturbed. He had come to apologize and while he was in the middle of it I hear Steve yelling at Seth to get out of the way as he started pounding on the door. I open the door for him to come barging in all frustrated holding Kenna in his arms and her crying uncontrollably.

Steve forced his way to the couch only to say, "I just ran over Kenna." What? I was in disbelief. I think he was too. He repeated himself a little louder, "I just ran over Kenna." "With your bike?" I asked knowing the answer. "No, with my truck."

We both just sat there, not knowing what to do. Our neighbor could sense the anxiety in the room and said she could watch the kids if we needed to go to the hospital and then she quietly slipped out of the door with her boy. Kenna reached up and wanted me but Steve didn't want to let go. He kept pressing on her leg where there was a big black mark, we are thinking from the tires, but not sure. He pushed, stretched, moved, pinched everything we could think of but there was no response from her. She wasn't crying anymore. In fact her cry from the beginning wasn't a hurt cry it was a scared, mad cry. We all know how mother's know their kids cries. Once Kenna came to me she didn't cry anymore so we continued to poke and pry focusing all of our attention on her legs, but honestly we couldn't see anything. We didn't know what to do, there honestly were no signs of injury, except the black tire mark across her shin. Should we take her in and get her x-rayed all over just to be sure? We didn't know. We did put her down and tried having her walk to us and right at first she fell straight to the ground when she put pressure on the leg we thought might be hurt, but then she got up and walked over to me.

By this time, Steve and I just look at each other in total shock and the tears started streaming (at least from me). We couldn't believe what had just happened. You always hear of the stories on the news of how the 20 month old died after being run over by a car backing up. We both knew that a miracle had just taken place in our lives. See there were no kids outside when Steve left (they followed behind him). So though he did check his truck it was all clear. It wasn't until he was backing up that he felt the truck go over something and he knew. He hoped it wasn't so but he knew. Kenna, who's a little Daddys' girl was going to get Dad. Steve found her completely under the truck. Her whole body, he knows for sure he ran over something and yet he didn't feel the truck bump anything. We don't know she got all the way under the truck! We don't know how she came out alive let alone with no broken bones and only a scrape on her elbow that we found this morning after giving her a bath.

Steve left after making sure we were all fine, to go do his repair. He pulled out and got a couple blocks away before the tears came flowing down his cheeks uncontrollably. We had just experienced our own huge miracle.

Throughout the night, or at least until she fell asleep we kept a close eye on Kenna. She wouldn't sit still was constantly running around and didn't seem to be hurt at all. She did keep saying over and over again, "Daddy bye byes, leg, toes." "Daddy bye byes, leg, toes." As if she was trying to say "Daddy was going bye byes and ran over my leg and toes." She would reach down each time and grab at her leg and then her ankle. We didn't know if it hurt or not but it didn't appear to. Even this morning she said the same thing but there is literally nothing wrong with her. How, she was completely under the truck?

(no I didn't think to take a picture, this was one I had from a few weeks ago when she was sick)

After it all happened Seth came in the house and was hovering around knowing what had happened and Steve got after him, wanting to put blame somewhere but knowing it couldn't be. But he asked why he didn't grab Kenna and keep her away from the truck. Seth was too worried about two lizards he had just buried. But suddenly he felt responsible. We quickly, both Steve and I told him it wasn't his fault, but the lip was still quivering a titch. Once he knew she was ok I told him to go and get in the bath so we could get to bed. When I went to check on him he wasn't in the bath. He was sitting in the office at the computer and I got after him to go get in. I was sitting on the couch when he came out. I knew not to get mad this time for some reason as he reached his arm out and handed me a picture he had just drawn.

"It's for Kenna, see she's in the rain but the rain can't hit her mom, she's protected and it can't get her. And Kennas' thoughts are in the clouds." he told me. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Seth had so beautifully just described in his own way what had just happened. He knew Kenna had been protected and so did I. I loved that he used art to describe his feelings. Steve later told me that he doesn't know how or what he did but that somehow his dad was involved in protecting our little girl. Thanks to whatever angles protected her, whether it was one or many. Thanks for letting us keep our little girl, even if it's just for one more day. I will say this she has been pretty spoiled today with lots of hugs and kisses, as have all our kids. If only I can always remember how precious life is and not to take it for granted.

Oh those giggles!

Steve has been off to football practice. I've been in the office on the computer. I could hear giggling going on down in the kitchen which isn't too uncommon. Railey and Kenna love to play with each other and they can sure make each other laugh. I had just left them at the kitchen table with paper and pencils and they were drawing away. It didn't even dawn on me that anything bad could be going on. It was just refreshing for a change to hear laughter instead of arguing or fighting or hitting or any of those other things that 1, 3, 8 and 10 year old kids do. Finally I drug myself from my chair and went to see what all the fun was about.

Oh my goodness. Do you want to know? Kenna was soaked as you can see in the picture below. She was reaching up and pushing the button on the fridge and watching as the water would shoot out at her. The giggles would come as it would spray all over her and then all over the floor. Are you serious! The floor all around the fridge (not just a foot out but more like 5 feet all around the fridge) was wet. I mean I had been enjoying giggles for a good 5-8 minutes ok maybe not that long (or maybe longer). But seriously. What do I do? I wanted to grab the camera and take a picture. I was laughing inside, between taking deep breaths and trying to control my temper. But she had to know that was not ok. So what did I do. I yelled NO and then went and slapped her hand. I mean really this can't keep happening and she has to know that. And our fridge is old and doesn't lock like the newer ones. So after cleaning it all up I brought her down to the office and then pulled out the camera away from the mess so she wouldn't associate the cute fun pull out of the camera with what she had just done.

However when I went and grabbed the towel and saw toilet paper all over the bathroom floor that's when I realized this computer had pulled me away from them for probably 10 minutes instead of the 8 I originally thought. Why can so much happen in such a short period of time when it comes to 2 cute girls that are only 20 months and 3 yrs old?


The culprit. Railey at least knew to run. J/K she stayed and helped me clean up the mess.

Tradition

Tradition! Well at least that's what we are hoping to create here. Last year Steve took Damen to a Broncos game over in Denver. He has talked about it ever since and tried to plan which stadium they would go to next. Also since taking that trip Steve and Damen have set a goal of attending an NFL game in every stadium (31 stadiums 32 teams). Why do their goals seem to cost so much? Well a couple of months ago Damen wasn't feeling well (or so he convinced me) and ended up staying home from church. Steve stayed too and while we were gone they started planning their next trip. By the time I came home 3 hours later they had it all narrowed down to Florida, Indiana, or Arizona. Not only did they have that narrowed down but they realized that if they went to a preseason game tickets are only about $5 -15 instead of $100-200. I liked those prices better and I really liked Arizona distance. So that's what they did, I might not have a say in what their goals are but I think I had a little say in the distance this time. Too bad we have hit all the close stadiums and now all that are left are over 12 hour drives.

They took off Wednesday after school and drove down to Mesquite NV to stay the night and then drove onto Phoenix the next morning. I don't know what all the pictures are but there are some cute ones.




I do know that once they got there they had fun going swimming and playing around before they headed to the game on Thursday night but guess what they called me on the way to the game and told me they had forgotten the camera. That's the only reason I had sent it was to document the fact that they had gone to the game. Those were some of the best pictures last trip. Oh well maybe someday we will get all high tech and all and get a phone that has a camera in it, Steve seems to remember his phone, most of the time (not guaranteeing we will be high tech any time in the near future--just saying).

They had a good time, I watched some of the game on TV which we realized had about a 5-10 sec delay, they kept calling to see if I had seen this or that play (which I hadn't because I was watching a movie and I would have to stop it and turn it over to the game and let them know that I was watching it--see I'm not into it as much as they were). But it's not about me. See Damen couldn't stand the Broncos until he went to their game last year and they lost by like 50 + points. But now he's a fan. So he went to the game wearing his Broncos hat and fully intending to cheer for them. Seth was the opposite. He cheers for whatever team Damen doesn't cheer for. Well lets just say Damen started cheering along with Seth after the Cardinals had scored and the score was 20-0. By the end though the Broncos scored in the last 4 minutes of the game which took Damen back to being a Broncos fan again. They did have a great time and I'm glad we had points on the card to allow the boys to go and spend time with their Dad. They are making memories and starting Father Son traditions.

The next morning they got up bight and early and headed for home. They decided to go by way of Lake Powell so they stopped and took a few pictures while at the visitors center there.

So they are already planning next years trip. I guess BYU will by playing Notre Dame in Indiana so they think they will go to that game and then either go down to Indianapolis and see the Colts or go up to Michigan and see Green Bay Packers. I just might have to tag along for that one. I don't care if I go to a game or not I just think it would be fun to see a few church history sights along the way. We'll have to start saving our pennies now. Ready. Set. Save!