May snippets

*May 1st was Calvin's 6th birthday. I had been asking him for awhile what he wanted to do to celebrate so I could adequately prepare myself. Each time he answered that he didn't want any party and no cake. What? Really? What 6-year-old doesn't want a party? or cake?? At the same time, considering the status of my life at the time, I was praising his good, albeit fitting, name. Planning a birthday party was the last thing I needed. His dinner request...chili mac. It's our "mom and dad are going to the temple" go-to dinner that the kids make. He did, however, make it known that he wanted the banana, strawberry and chocolate treat in place of a cake. I was confused. I don't bake anything with fruit in it. I finally realized he wanted fondue! We were all going to Jake's district track meet on his birthday evening, so I told Calvin we'd have his fondue on Sunday when we had more time.

On Thursday, 5/1, it was HOT for the beginning of May (and end of June even)--87 degrees! The kids came home from school, slowly dragging themselves like they would through a desert, faces flushed announcing they were "dyyyyyiiiinnnnggg" from the heat. (I really hoped they wouldn't take forever to get acclimated to the Texas heat and humidity!) Considering the heat, Jake ran pretty good in the 1500. He even overtook two other guys and almost a third in the final push. His time was 5:33 though. His slowest yet. (His PR is 5:26). Later, when I was going through his lunchbox that evening, his 6 broccoli and cheese mini-quiches were still in the container, untouched. He hadn't eaten his protein packed super bites. Jared said, "No wonder you got the time you did--there was nothing in the tank! You have to eat!"

We opened gifts for Calvin after dinner. He got a nice windfall (about $70 in cash--I might have to ask my 6 year old for a loan), a whiffle-ball and bat, a pull-back-and-go plane from the movie Planes and a football. And no party and no cake, per his request.

His candles are in the bananas--because he's just plain bananas. But I cannot imagine my life without this boy.

*On Wednesday, May 7th, Jared and I celebrated 17 years of marriage and an offer on our house, with a fender-bender and a teenager with strep throat tossed in the mix to keep things real!

*On Friday, May 9th, Jared received a letter in the mail from Oregon's Department of Human Services--the Child Welfare Services Division. I froze. Why on earth was he getting a letter from them? Had we been reported?? Surely not. It would have been addressed to us both, right? But maybe not, because Jared's the head of the household. As soon as Jared got home, I made him open it. We discovered that it was a survey, asking Jared questions about a couple from our ward who was seeking to adopt. Ha ha! Yes, I was a little worried at first. But c'mon. Our kids are so vocal or "articulate" that they most certainly disclose family details unbeknownst to us, that taken out of context, might make people wonder. Maybe now you can see where I might have been a little puzzled. I remember my mom saying that my Kindergarten teacher had told the parents at the beginning of the year that she wouldn't believe everything they told her at school if the parents promised not to believe everything they heard about Kindergarten. I would hope that would be the courtesy given to parents, but man, in this litigious society, you just never know!

*On Sunday, May 11th, Mother's Day, Jared's Sunday meetings were cancelled. He was able to stay home and help us get ready for church. I forgot how great that was. We've loved having him serve in the Bishopric though and wouldn't trade it for the world. And it was a Mother's Day miracle that JJ made it through the Sacrament portion of Sacrament meeting all the way to 9:40am. Most days, he and I are in the hall before church even starts at 9:00.

We usually talk a family walk every Sunday that the weather is nice to enjoy the beautiful gifts of nature that God created for us. This Mother's Day stroll, the last I'd have in Oregon, was especially meaningful.

I'm not sure where Calvin was at the time...

Oh Calvin...whatever it is, it can't be that bad...

Silly Calvin...

*May 15th, Jake improved his wellness run (7/10 of a mile) time at school. Previous time: 4:02. New time: 3:58.

*On May 20th, Jake had an advanced band concert. He had a piano solo and was introduced to the whole audience as "Jacob Ho!" He and I both cringed and Jake gently beat his head against the piano in mock frustration. Jacob Ho had a great solo, though :)

*Before school on May 21st, I was doing Karcyn's hair in the bathroom. While she was standing there, Karcyn said she wished I could teach like her teacher, Mrs. Vick (who incidentally taught 2nd grade to both Jake and Cooper, too). I told Karcyn I was a teacher. I used to be Mrs. Hough to my students. Karcyn said when she becomes a teacher, she'll be Ms. Hough. I agreed and responded, "Until you get married and then you'll have a new last name." She asked me very seriously, "What will it be?" I told her, "I don't know. We'll have to wait and see...But it'll be the last name of the young man you marry in the temple." Then, with a drop of dreaminess in her voice she said, "I hope I marry Robby [the McCullough's oldest son--Elissa's twin]! Then I would be Mrs. McCullough." I rolled my eyes and chuckled. She was still on that kick?? Not that I blamer her--he's a cute returned missionary, from a great family about to start dental school...albeit 17 years her senior! :) I gently reminded her, "You know, Karcyn, Robby is a little old for you." Without missing a beat, she exclaimed a little indignantly, "Ah, c'mon Mom--he's not even married!" Oh boy.

Robby's going to dental school in Portland, of all places, so it's probably a good thing we're moving to Texas. Then he won't have to worry about an eight-year-old stalker.

Back story: We went to the coast with most of the McCullough clan right after New Year's. This wasn't the first time Karcyn had seen Robby, but maybe it was the first time she really saw him because right after we arrived at the beach house, Karcyn walked up to Robby and batting her eyes with her head cocked to one side, asked, "Robbeeee, will you marry me??" I didn't know if I should be proud or horrified at her initiative.

*One Wednesday evening, I took Karcyn to the church for her 4th or 5th Valiant Girls Activity. I hopped out of the car and followed her as she practically pranced inside. When she saw me behind her she said, "Oh, Mom, it's okay. I know where to go by myself." I skidded to a stop and reluctantly responded, "Ohh-kay." *Sigh* My baby girl is growing up. Then I called after her, "Can I have a kiss?" She swung around dramatically and said, coming towards me, "How could I forget my mommy-kiss?" And planted a kiss on my cheek. I smiled and watched her go through the first set of double doors. Out of habit, I said, "I love you." I thought I was surely out of her range of hearing, but she turned around and through the glass, I saw her blow me a kiss :)

*As we were sorting through desk drawers and belongings, I told the kids that I would put some of their treasured things in a storage bin with their other keepsakes. One afternoon, Cooper handed me a couple of stories he had written and asked if I'd put them in his "keep safe" bin. :)

*Jake and a friend had been planning ways to earn some money so Jake could fly back to Oregon and visit. A young men's advisor at church suggested they offer lawn mowing in his community. There's no HOA to do it and most yards are tiny--tiny enough no one wants to mow them so the homeowners might be willing to pay the boys to do it. They spent an hour and a half walking and knocking on doors. The first guy they spoke to said no. They were surprised when a little while later, that same guy came running down the street after them. He said his wife had no problem paying them to mow, so after 90 minutes of walking and knocking on 20+ doors, they got 1 job. Jake said it was good mission practice for him and his friend Aaron who's a little older than Jake. I certainly applaud them for their efforts to go out and try to earn money in the real world to get what they want and not by just doing odd jobs for Mom and Dad.

*Branch Basics strikes again! Jake has stinky feet. So stinky I can smell them through his shoes. One night, he took his shoes off in the family room before kicking back for the evening. I was in the far end of the kitchen a good 15+ feet away when I caught the unmistakable odor of his feet/socks. "Ohhhh, no you don't! Put your shoes and socks in the garage or put your shoes back on...which is only a little better." He protested insisting he couldn't smell them. I was actually getting ready to let him know that Jared was ready to do his personal priesthood interview with Jake, which would be conducted in our room. Which meant Jake would stink up my sanctuary. I needed some ammo and fast. In desperation, I grabbed the Branch Basics non-toxic soap (the 1:1 "tough stuff" solution) and before his meeting, I sprayed the tops and bottoms of his feet with the stuff. It's just like water. But magical! I was so amazed when I came into my room later and could not detect any residual stinky feet smell. Yay!! That stuff is worth it's weight in gold just for that purpose alone. It's not my fault I have a super sniffer!

*On May 27th, our female mail carrier pulled up to the house while we were outside and she said, "I hear you guys are moving to Texas!" (Thanks to our outgoing and talkative children who like to get the mail). When I confirmed that we were indeed headed south, she said, "I'm going to miss you guys. I used to live in Texas, in the Dallas area." She said we were going to love it there and then said, "I'll miss your kids!"

*On Thursday, May 29th, Cooper had his 5th grade musical AND science fair. It just happens that Cooper was cast as George Washington in the musical "13 Colonies." And he was GREAT! I laughed and laughed, rolled eyes, shook my head and laughed some more. It was pretty funny though since George was a lot shorter than Martha and hard to see off stage :) That kid's got talent. I hope he continues to develop it. It's not easy being on stage and putting yourself out there like that. I was very proud of his acting and singing that helped make this musical a success. In fact, I was impressed with the whole 5th grade. They did a fantastic job!

The other reason to be at the school on the 29th was to see all the 5th grade science fair projects. Cooper did his by setting chips on fire. Jake had heard from our friend who works for the Department of Forestry or Agriculture and is an avid, die-hard fisherman, that you can use Fritos corn chips to start a fire, even when they're wet--in case you can't find wood! So that got Cooper wondering about other chips and which type of chip could hold the flame of a match the longest. We already knew Fritos could, so he tested 3 different types: Doritos, Cheetos and Ruffles. Doritos pulled it out by burning for 6 minutes! All I know is that I no longer have an appetite for these chips anymore, but we made sure to pack some in our camping gear!

*Spring is my favorite season. I must have been so busy cleaning my house in April that I forgot to get pictures of my beloved tulips. (They always come up super early!) But I did get some pictures of our tiger lilies. I hope the new owners appreciate our flowers!