Arrangements

Andy and I came to a conclusion regarding our recent differences.  Items on my agenda were abandoned and our children were placed in the custody of others while we spent a night away.

Besides the side effects of driving up and down Provo Canyon everything was spectacular (I do have one or two adjectives in my vocabulary besides amazing).  I surprised Andy by picking him up from work earlier than expected.  The American Red Cross missed me at the blood drive but I realized as the day progressed I needed to make the most out of our evening together.

This was our first night away since Aysen was born almost two and a-half years earlier.  We have left our other children much sooner than this and vacationed in Hawaii, New York, and Boston.  Midway, Utah isn't as exotic as any of these destinations but it was just what the doctor ordered.

Time with my husband.  One-on-one time.  Time where his focus was me (and maybe his new calling).

Everything was low-key.  Late breakfast.  Shopping trip in Provo.  Miscellaneous errands and then back to reality.  Softball practice and children.  A beautiful reality, mind you.

Terrific Kids

Keanna was awarded Kiwanis Terrific Kid at school today.  The award came with a note, and I quote:

Keanna Williams
4th Grade - Mr. Moore
March 28, 2012

"I have chosen someone this month who really deserves Terrific Kid due the extraordinary amount of work she constantly does, both in and outside of school  She has made subtle changes in her approach to school, which has made a difference in her achievement level.  I'm speaking of Keanna Williams, who continues to exemplify what students can accomplish with a focused mindset and good work ethic.  I appreciate the time she puts in, the questions she asks in class, and the level of responsibility she puts forth.  She is an inspiration to me and others to work harder.  Keanna is always searching for the next great book to read.  She stretches herself at home by typing ridiculous amounts of minutes in order to improve her typing fluency.  Her work still gets done on time, every time.  Thank you, thank you!!!  Keep working towards your goals.  Mr. Moore."

I concur with the words of her teacher.  Keanna is amazing at anything she chooses to devote her time and attention.  At her first parent teacher conference of the year we learned Keanna wasn't focusing.  Her report card had two H's and two S's (Honors and Satisfactory) in regards to her behavior.  S's are not acceptable in our home (at least with Taylei and Keanna, I know all children are different but these two are capable of following class rules).

Keanna was reprimanded and the teacher separated Keanna from her friend whom she choose to visit with instead of listen.  Since this time the report cards have yielded H's and everyone involved is happy.

Picture Taken March 14, 2008 - Age 6.  

Scramble, Words and Where is My Time

I may have an OCD disorder.  When I like something, I might become obsessed.  Evidences of this are located throughout my home.  Stamp sets, paper punches, ribbon, and paper are found in abundance in our office.  At a time in my life I couldn't pass Roberts Craft without going inside and finding a way to spend a 40% off coupon.  Then weeds -- if I pull one, it's over.  Physically removing myself from the garden, lawn or flower beds takes all the strength I can muster.  Usually it is accompanied by prodding from my children reminding me of the responsibilities I'm neglecting.

I own an Iphone.  I didn't desire a smart phone for quite some time.  My feelings about cell phones were closely in line with the elderly -- a phone is for talking, period.  Then my heart began to soften.  Being able to check my email anywhere, view my calendar, and most importantly access coupons merchants would honor if displayed by phone.  Sold.

This phone is far from reaching its maximum potential while in my care.  I have no movies and no songs for starters.  I wouldn't put any games on it for some time -- my track record for losing things made me not want to have my children borrowing for their enjoyment.  I have an app to scan bar codes, a flashlight app along with the LDS app and scriptures.

Then I was introduced to games I would enjoy (not Angry Birds and Temple Run).  I started playing Words with Friends a few months ago against Paul and Andy.  What should be a quick game transformed into torment.  I stare at my playing options for 30 minutes at a time, trying to make a word that could award me enough points to stay in the game (Andy and Paul are masters of utilizing triple letter and triple word spaces).  This became almost painful.

Diane introduced me to Scramble with Friends this month -- an electronic version of Boggle with a two minute time limit.  Sign me up.

Not such a good idea.

Over the course of a day, two minutes add up.  I need to blog but it takes more than two minutes to sit down and gather my thoughts.  So instead, I check to see if my turn to play awaits.  Too bad that when I have eight different games in the works two minutes rapidly multiply until twenty minutes have passed and the laundry and dishes are still untouched, my scriptures are on the table and lets not even talk about how many push ups or sit ups I could have done in the same two minutes.  

When I'm waiting to pick up my girls it is a great way to waste time.  But that is the complete extent.

The game has limits to keep me in check - it costs two coins to play.  One coin is earned every twenty minutes with a maximum of fifteen held in the bank and if I have found that many spare free minutes that I run out of coins it is time to re-evaluate my 'spare' time.

Just for the record, Paul consistently beats me, Andy and I are about even and nth is a word.

Frustration, Anger and

Today it was cold, really cold.  Andy had a game scheduled for Insanity (a new softball team Taylei is a member of, don't ask) to play against the Strikers in Spanish Fork.

This morning, when it was time for Taylei to go to the bus, I drove her.  The wind was blowing horizontally.  The stop is one-half block from our home but I feared that a gust might pick her up and drop her off in the land of Oz.  Or, what if a tree branch broke and in its spiral to the earth found her in its path and knocked her unconscious.  This was serious.  Driving her to the bus stop is ridiculous but after watching the trees sporadic movements I was truly concerned for her safety.

By mid-morning the wind died but brief snow flurries, rain, or hail kept appearing.  During this time I had a realization.  My calendar was void of obligations for Tuesday, March 27.  Last week I was constantly running.  A free day was heaven sent.  Andy has FTO (flexible time-off) he has to use or lose by the end of the month.  He purchased a certificate for a night at the Zermatt resort in Midway last December and we have been trying to schedule a night away.

Tonight would have been perfect  -- except Andy had a softball game on the calendar.  Solution: CANCEL due to weather.  The expected high for the day was 50.  The wind made it feel like 10.  There were no umpires involved so the game could easily be rescheduled for a later date.

Softball, my greatest blessing and greatest curse.

I should have never suggested the cancellation.  As it grew closer and closer to game time my frustration levels increased.  Andy was not willing to give up a game to spend an evening with me.  The coach of the other team was at the field and didn't feel the weather would be a factor.  I tried to explain to Andy he had as much right to cancel as the other coach.  Negative.

I had a slight temper-tantrum and refused to attend.  Taylei was begging for a ride with the other girls and I stayed home.  Feelings hurt.  Softball was more important than me.  We haven't even made it to the month of April and I'm already feeling my place of importance has been upended.

Dinner was waiting when Taylei and Andy came home.  They ate it on the way to Ari's birthday party.  (Direct quote from Taylei, "This is going to be the best dinner of the entire week."  Potato cakes, hard-boiled eggs, and hash browns were served).

Andy and I had made it to bed without discussing the state of my being.  He can read me like the newspaper so I know unhappiness was written across my face.  He ventured to say good night and hoped I was fine.  In an unprecedented act, I admitted my hurt.

Have I ever mentioned Andy is my better half.  He didn't lash back in disgust.  He patiently rubbed my feet while I blogged, hoping to have a discussion with my soul.  So funny, three days earlier I'm on cloud nine with his softball involvement and today I have a passionate hatred.

He has mentioned my mood is unpredictable.  That I'm a thousand-sided dice.  He never knows which mood I'll land on, how long the mood will last, or what action will prompt the change.  Tonight it is hurt.

I love him, he isn't perfect.  I realize I frustrate him as much or more than he frustrates me.  I'll get over the hurt and wonder why I ever had such feelings but for today, this is me.

I write this to acknowledge Andy and I have moments when things aren't perfect.  I'm human, he's human.  Repentance and forgiveness are needed on a daily basis.

P.S. -- After he got home he did wish we would have gone out of town.  He got a phone call that made him extremely uncomfortable.  I get to smile inside, he gets to worry, speculate and stress.  Funny how things work.

Picture taken January 23, 2008, Hawaii
Warm enough to play softball -- I would never be able
to suggest weather cancellations.

P.S. -- After he got home he did wish we would have gone out of town.  He got a phone call that made him extremely uncomfortable.  I get to smile inside, he gets to worry, speculate and stress.  Funny how things work.

VIP at BYU

Warning:  Terrible post, it has sat on my computer screen for over a week now, staring me in the face.  I should have known to have skipped this event.  Softball posts are my downfall.  Too much information with too many pictures with no sense of fluency from one paragraph to the next.  It is what it is, and to avoid my blog re-entering hibernation I am publishing it, flaws and all.

Andy loves softball.  In case there is doubt, I hereby solemnly confirm and attest to his addiction.  For one of his birthday gifts he requested to attend a softball round table training hosted by the coaching staff of the BYU Cougars.  He enjoyed the evening and learned a few new things to teach his team.

The coaches in attendance were invited to bring their team to an upcoming college game.  Andy was quick to get it arranged.

The promise offered: BYU gives the girls and their families free tickets to the game,  a tour of the facility along with being introduced at the beginning of the game.  It was all this and so much more . . .

The event:

One never knows what to expect with the weather when you attend a March softball game but we couldn't have been blessed with a more perfect night.

All of the team was in attendance with two extra girls, Keanna and Stormy, coming along for the ride.

My mother presented the girls with ear warmers.  (While we were shopping she found them on clearance and paid to have them embroidered).  They look awesome.  I'm just hoping they never have to use them, never again playing in freezing cold temperatures.  If this could change fate I would mourn the fact they weren't purchased four years earlier.

The Steelers have decided it is cool to wear coordinating attire and hair styles on game days.  On the menu today: upside-down french braids finished off with a messy bun (Taylei requested I braid straight this time).  I went up her head higher than normal, and the bun landed right on top.  This added three or four inches to her height.  Maybe I should try it during a game, a little height might help her seem at least a little intimidating.

Andy -- I love him.  This is a fact.  I both love and hate (see below) his love of softball, fact.  He looks good carrying my purse, (he should just be grateful it isn't hot pink with extensive bling) fact.

Often times I become frustrated with the amount of time softball takes from other activities our family could be involved in.  In the summer when each weekend is dedicated to the ball field and most nights are spent practicing I reflect on the why.  Why?  In the good, better, best, scheme of things where does softball rank?  What benefit will pitching lessons, batting practice and hundreds of hours of game recaps be to my family's eternal salvation?  Then the money aspect floats through my brain: tournament fees, gasoline, food.  I'm spending thousands of dollars a year when the money could be spent increasing our food storage or decreasing our home mortgage.  Why?

Many reasons I guess.  He spends 10-20 hours a week with my daughters, teaching and coaching them.  How many other girls have a dad so involved in their lives?  My girls are both good at it, they are developing a talent.  There are many other reasons, both pros and cons involved with the obsession but a major reason for this madness . . . .

Our parents.

They love watching their granddaughters play.  Both sets of grandparents have watched my girls compete in four different states.  My mom even went to Tennessee.  Our dads will review situations with Andy for hours.

Today was a perfect example:

I was on the phone early this morning with Terry.  I reminded him of the invitation to come to the BYU game tonight and watch the girls play at an umpire training in the morning.  He wasn't feeling well and declined.  Then the phone rang at approximately noon.  Terry had changed his mind, he was just leaving and wanted to make sure he was still invited.

My father is the same.  Lately he has been assisting Andy with his practices.  He is watching videos and reading articles on softball philosophy.  My mom claims that games are the only thing he worries about being on time to.

Our dads are crazy.  A fantastic crazy.  And, our moms are much the same.

Back to the evening's events . . .

The girls were taken through the training rooms.  I was jealous of the laundry chute.  The players dump their dirty attire into a bin and when they come back for the next game it is laundered and ready to wear. Washing uniforms isn't on the top of my list, especially when St. George dirt is involved.

The team was on the field warming up so the coach allowed our tour guide to take us through the locker room.  Most of the lockers had three extra pairs of cleats and at least that many bats.  These are in addition to what the players had taken onto the field with them.  Impressive or excessive?

My brain began churning once again.  Is this something I hope for my girls, to play ball on the collegiate level?  What would they be giving up to achieve this?  The good, better, best question auto-populates again.

Then reality sets in, it isn't what I want, but what they want.  I need to support them.  Period.

The Steeler girls were sporting a new look -- uniform tops with bling-bling denim.  Not the usual attire you find these girls wearing at a ball field.

While the girls were out showing off during the warm-ups waiting for their introductions they began to notice their phones were becoming a liability.  The worm, back hand-springs, and sprinkler were in the plans and damage to their phones was inevitable.  My pockets were soon full (which does nothing but accentuate the size of my hips).

The game ended in the most perfect fashion -- BYU winning with a walk-off double in the bottom of the seventh.  BYU handed out team posters and allowed the fans onto the field for player autographs.

While everyone else was in line garnishing signatures, Aysen had much better ideas.  After watching hundreds and hundreds of softball games he has picked up on some finer points of the game.  One of which, when the game is over he is allowed onto the field.  He snuck away to first base without anyone noticing -- when I noticed his location my thoughts went quickly to wondering if this was permitted.  He ran between the bases and was on top of the world, loving every minute of his base running action.

Before we left for ice cream, Keanna found her 'buddy' -- the girl she got introduced with and asked for a picture.  24 was more than happy to oblige, she was on cloud nine, it was her hit that won the game.

Miscellaneous Highlights:

• The tickets we were given to attend were not just for the game but the entire season.  It also included a ticket for a hot dog, we had dinner and entertainment all wrapped up in one, free of charge.
• My father, in his dedicated position behind home plate, never argued with a call BUT my mom was mortified when she realized they were on television the entire game.  Being filmed eating a hot dog was not on her bucket list.
• Cris and Ty Durbin competed in the hot dog eating contest -- they both barely ate one in a minutes time, they better stick to sports, shoveling food is not one of their talents.
• Keanna was hugged by Cosmo on live television -- adorable.
• Although you couldn't see Taylei on the television her voice was easily recognized, cheering the Cougars on to victory.
• The head coach's wife loved watching Kyler dance and recorded his moves on her cell phone.
• My dad conducted the wave, Steeler fans have become pros at following his lead.
• BYU couldn't have treated us better.  The girls were highlighted numerous times and everyone left with gigantic smiles on their faces!

Thanks BYU and thanks Andy!

America's Got Talent -- Mustang Style

Kyler and Keanna both participated in the talent show at their school today.  I was quite surprised when Kyler told me he had signed up.  A sheet was left by the door of each classroom and you had to add your name to the list and the talent you would be sharing.

Kyler chose to break dance.  If he hadn't taken Terrika to her Senior Ball I would have never known he could twist and turn like this.  I was impressed and figured if he didn't lose his courage in front of his peers he would be awesome.

He chose to dance to Dynamite and coincidentally began his routine in the same manner as the dance number in Napolean Dynamite, he was just missing the moon boots.  He gained courage and performed a toned down version of his Senior Ball performance which means his clothes were unscathed.  

To add a little spontaneity to Kyler's performance and completely unplanned, Aysen joined his brother on the stage, wanting to share the spotlight.  I was video taping and decided to just let the tape keep rolling.  Kyler didn't bat an eye.  My insides smiled at the reaction, there was no embarrassment, no dismay.  He loves his brother and his actions prove it.

Aysen truly believes he is a student in his brothers class, the 29th kindergartener, a genuine member of the student body.  The director of the show cut Kyler's music shortly after Aysen joined him.  Kyler was happy to be done but Aysen felt he needed more time on the stage.  When I went to grab him he shook his head, not wanting to be removed from the spotlight.

(For some reason, pictures on the stage of the school never turn out.  The blurriness comes standard.

Lisa took a minute after the show was over to take pictures of Kyler.)

Keanna also participated in the talent show.  She was hoping to perform a dance number with a few of her friends but arrangements to practice never evolved and on Monday morning when they had to 'audition' Keanna moved to Plan B.  She performed her piano solo from festival a few weeks earlier.

I was impressed with our student body.  Keanna was playing a song that had a fun beat and the audience showed their support by clapping along to the beat.  She seemed more nervous to play for her peers than the judges a few weeks earlier, but her peers gave her amazing support.

The talent show is one of my favorite extras our school allows.  There is such a variety of talents -- joke telling, basketball dribbling, singing, dancing, magic tricks, jump roping and even rollerblading by none other than Kaci Fae.  To have the confidence to stand in front of your peers and perform is amazing but the cheers from the students in the audience was my favorite act.

Super Scientist and the Testing of the Sun

Little Miss Keanna likes a project.  She figures out her approach and moves full speed ahead until it is complete.  This is the case unless she needs help from her mother or father.  Science Fair is one of those occasions.  Last year, as a third grader, she expressed interest in completing a project (not required until fourth grade).  I didn't veto this desire but it was also not encouraged.  I admit to celebrating internally when she changed her mind.

We (means Tina in this instance) have an unwritten rule at our home:  Science fair projects are the responsibility of the father.  Science was never my forte and so I graciously remove myself from this assignment.  I'm happy to help create a board but otherwise want to be left out of the process, let it be a great bonding moment between father and child.

This year though, Keanna chose to do a project based on a myth I was interested in busting.  The project:

Sunscreen SPF -- Does It Matter?

When you are stopped in front of the sunscreen aisle contemplating which brand and SPF to purchase, expensive or cheap? a 15, 30, 45, 60 or 100 SPF?  My brain begins to debate, "If I'm going to spend the money should I buy the most expensive or is this just like throwing money to the wind".  On the other hand, "If I buy the cheapest sunscreen available will it work well enough for my children to avoid becoming lobsters?"  Keanna chose to test the SPF factor.

After Keanna begged, pleaded and constantly reminded her father, he purchased sunscreen (we now have our three year supply).  On a Sunday right after church, the sun was shining, clouds were absent and the project was ready for testing.

Step-by-step Directions according to Keanna: 1. Fold each piece of construction paper in half.  2. Smear a different SPF rated sunscreen on half of four of the sheets of paper.  3. Make sure you label each piece of paper with SPF used.  4. Put them in the sun for 6 hours (make sure they don’t blow away).  5. Evaluate which SPF worked best.

Conclusion according to Keanna:  My hypothesis was correct.  The highest SPF rated sunscreen offered the most protection.  Although the lower SPF ratings offered good protection there doesn’t appear to be much difference with their results.

My conclusion:  Unless your children have extremely fair skin and always burn, save your money and buy an SPF 15 rated sunscreen.  The results were as good with this as with the SPF 30 and 45.  But, the SPF 100 was amazing, the paper protected with this was almost unchanged.  It must have been designed for red heads with freckles.

We place the finishing touches on Keanna's board this morning.  The date it was due -- she would have been finished weeks ago but I needed just as much coaxing to buy a board as Andy did to buy the sunscreen.

If all kids were as homework motivated as this girl, teaching would become a career of ease.