Deborah Sampson

Let me tell you a little story. I found out years ago that when your child reaches the 5th grade, they will participate in the "wax museum". They pick a historic figure, dress up in a costume devised by their mothers and Pinterest and the local thrift shops, they memorize a quick biography and then recite it for parents and siblings in one fantastic afternoon.

We put together costumes for Paul Revere and then Ethan Allen. Meanwhile, I have kept my eye out for dresses that might help us pull off a Martha Washington or maybe Molly Pitcher....and I've been hoarding these little items for years....(years!) knowing that I have 4 little girls that will need skirts and aprons and whatnot.

So wouldn't you know? Megan chose Deborah Sampson. A woman who DRESSED LIKE A MAN so she could fight in the revolutionary war.

And that's how it goes.

Animal Talks....Laney's fieldtrip

I think I've mentioned that I really can only manage to chaperone one field trip per child per year?

So Laney got me for the "Animal Talks" this year. 

We started at Sunnyside and walked one mile to Olathe South High School to listen to teenagers give a 3 minute talk about their assigned lizard/bird/rodent/snake what-have-you. 

We had so much fun. 

The cuteness factor of the baby hedgehog was through the roof. 

My own little critter is pretty cute, I think:

Then she got mad at me on the walk back to the school because I wasn't planning on taking her out of school (3 hours early). She gave me the silent treatment and then her poor little walking partner got caught in her ice-out. I gave her a very stern talking-to and if it made any difference, she wasn't about to tell me. Silent treatment, remember?

Haven Park

The weather is getting pretty nice, so we are spending long stretches of time at Haven Park. This park is great because it has fantastic climbing trees:

A sand volleyball court perfect for digging holes:

(Everly and her best buddy Aaron)

And newly installed swings just Ethan's size:

8:30

I love/hate crossfit.

I talk about it too much with other people and I know I'm being annoying and I can't help myself.

But I really love these people and I look forward to seeing them every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (Tuesday and Thursday if it's something that doesn't involve wall balls or thrusters).

And now Mike Cardinal is moving to Iowa. (He's in the white t-shirt), which totally stinks. Because he is kind and crazy strong and an example of what you can do over time if you just stick with it.  

And he tells me "good job" even when we both know I'm a bit of a wimp.

This is the best use for a box I've seen so far. Why jump up on it, when you can sit?

We did geriatric wall balls in honor of Mike's age on his last day.

I'm so sad to see Mike go, but I'll see the rest of you at 8:30.

Hufford Women

These girls are my favorite girls.

Champions

I'm not going to lie. 

As a rule, I have very little experience being associated with any kind of winning team. I still can't believe the Royals won the World Series last year. By default, they should have lost simply by virtue of my watching games and caring about it.  I have lots of experience having the "what matters is that you had fun!" talk with my kids. We are consistently the scrappy underdogs in any given sports arena. 

But today we won. 

The whole shebang.

And it was really fun.

Nicely done, Olathe 3rd Young Men's Basketball Champs!

General Conference: outdoor session

I used to be really strict about attending the Sunday morning Conference session at the chapel.  My thought was that it helped the kids to feel a sense of "differentness" about the day and feel like the Sabbath instead of just a huge break from church. 

But then I realized that I was sitting out in the foyer, frustrated and angry with my kids because I wasn't able to hear the Prophet's address. I was spitting mad and full of resentment and it wasn't doing us any good. 

Elder Uchtdorf gave a great talk during the October 2015 session. It was called "It Works Wonderfully".

A great quote:

"I wonder if we as Church members might also benefit from asking ourselves from time to time: “Is my experience in the Church working for me? Is it bringing me closer to Christ? Is it blessing me and my family with peace and joy as promised in the gospel?”

"sometimes we take the beautiful lily of God’s truth and gild it with layer upon layer of man-made good ideas, programs, and expectations. Each one, by itself, might be helpful and appropriate for a certain time and circumstance, but when they are laid on top of each other, they can create a mountain of sediment that becomes so thick and heavy that we risk losing sight of that precious flower we once loved so dearly."

I think, for now, I need to let go of the expectation that we attend our Sunday morning session at the chapel. It really isn't necessary. And it isn't bringing peace and joy into our family.

So today we decided that we would tune into the session on our phones and walk down to Prairie Creek Elementary with Grandma Kathleen's awesome kites. 

I can listen to the prophet and Everly can swing.

Mat can ponder the gospel and fly his kite from the monkey bars.

We can enjoy the morning with our kids and see if we can't practice some the principles we learn from our good leaders. 

And Ethan will be around to catch a few words while he holds his string. Instead of asleep at home while I fume in the foyer. 

Grateful for wise words and the ability to change today.