Monday, June 14th: Swim team begins! This morning at 6:30 we got everyone up and at 'em for the first day of swim team. At the pool, Amber stood shivering in line waiting to take her swim test, while Jeff and I watched from the other side of the fence. Sweet Amber doggy paddled, mostly with her hands, about 2/3 of the way across the pool (short way) before touching her feet down. She stood up two other times before she made it to the other side, and she didn't make it onto the swim team. She tried again about 15 minutes later, and still couldn't quite make it across. She was pretty sad and discouraged, but we reminded her how young she is (Jay didn't join the team till he was 9, and Rose joined when she was 8). We also reminded her how far she did manage to swim, and we told her we would help her practice a lot this summer so she could make it next year.
During swim team, Jeff and I coached our first cross country summer conditioning session. Six runners showed up! 3 boys, 3 girls. It was awesome having three girls show up to run--a team record for summer training!
Tuesday, June 15th: Amber played beauty parlor with my hair for a solid 20 minutes this evening. My scalp feels very...scraped. Jay was pleased with himself for winning a lengthy game of chess against the 15 year old big brother of his friend today. Rose felt emotional several times today, but hugs and acknowledgement of her difficulties seemed to soothe her. Jeff did a goofy dance in the kitchen tonight and it made me laugh.
[June 16-21 was my trip to Denver for my Mom's birthday, and June 24th we went to the track and field Olympic Trials]
Sunday, June 27th: EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING. Seriously, the forecast for the next nine days has highs between 102-115 degrees! We celebrated Father's Day today (a week after the rest of the country). I love the freedom of choosing our own days to celebrate. It feels so much more real to celebrate because we choose to rather than because we're supposed to/everyone else is doing it. I know we can choose to celebrate at the same time as everyone else, but being free to celebrate when we're ready and in the mood to celebrate is the truly liberating part. I gave Jeff a leaf blower (a jokingly many tool gift that will also be super handy for keeping our garage clean). Amber gave him the coaster and card that she made way back during school (her teacher was on the ball like that). Rose couldn't find the card she made him weeks ago, and Jeff said "you know what will work just as well for me, Rose? Put away the milk." So Rose put away the milk and they called it good. Hah!
This evening, we braved the heat so Jeff could do his traditional triple kid lift, where he picks up all three kids to celebrate fatherhood. Jay got on his shoulders (Jay hates even being up that high), and Rose and Amber sat on Jeff's bent thighs while he held them in place. It was a great picture. I love Jeff. He is the best.
Monday, June 28th: HOT DAY. Ugh, I don't even feel like writing about it. Laundry, groceries, cook dinner. We changed cross country practice to earlier in the day to beat the heat, so Jeff ran with them and I ran after dropping Jay and Rose off at swim practice. It was a peel off the tank top kind of a painfully hot sunny run.
Yesterday Rose saw me eat a piece of chocolate and said "you're so lucky that you get chocolate!" I sassed back with "yeah, and I'm so lucky to have a period every month!" It was my way of explaining the chocolate snacking, but the blank look that Rose gave me said that she had no clue what I was talking about. So I explained about hormonal cravings and then told her "when you start your period, I'll give you chocolate every month." Rose lit up with glee at that prospect. Amber piped into the conversation next: "when I get my period, I don't want chocolate; I want cookies!" Rose sheepishly said "I explained about periods to her, and about how an egg hatches in your stomach every month." I made sure she knew I was completely fine with them talking about it, and set her straight on a few details, such as an egg doesn't hatch in your stomach every month, the egg is released but it's not a living thing without a sperm! Amber later said "when I get my dot, I want chocolate milk instead of cookies." Apparently womanhood has been reduced to a dot that guarantees treats. I think this will be a long learning and teaching process, hahaha.
Jay got his second Covid shot today!!!
Tuesday, June 29: We survived another sweaty heat wave scorcher. Whew. After swim team and cross country practice this morning, I took the kids to our friends' house for a play date. They had two little wading pools, a slip n slide, and sprinklers on the trampoline for the kids to play in. The moms huddled in a tiny patch of shade and talked for 2 hours while the kids played. It was pleasant, minus my soaking wet sweaty back. Our kids played, the moms chatted, and I kept thinking what an amazing support system we are for each other. I feel so blessed to have such a good group of friends. They were so kind to welcome me into their long time friendship circle when we moved to Sunnyside four years ago. If I think too much about it, I feel emotional. Good friends make a difference.
After our morning out and about, we had a low key afternoon. Between swim team and friend playing and other outside time, the kids earned 4 hours of screen time! I didn't even feel bad about it. We had a very pleasant calm afternoon. Leftovers for dinner.
[June 30th we went to Paradise for a hike.]
Day one of Swim team, before Amber's swim test. They only had to wear masks into practice for a few days. Wahoo!
This picture came up in my Google photo memories, causing Jeff and I to swoon and reminisce over the cuteness of our babies.
View from a run behind the orchards. Those towering stacks of apple boxes are always impressive.
Same run, heading south on the edge of the orchards.
Cousin massage parlor at the Gibbons' house.
For a family home evening (aka family game night): I consented to watching everyone play a round of Mario Kart. They offered repeatedly to give me a turn with the controller, but I declined on grounds that they get far more joy out of Nintendo than I do. Bullet: dodged. Haha.
One day Amber and I both rode our bikes during cross country practice. She took me on a tour of the various statues by the park and insisted on stopping and posing for pictures with each statue. Her poses were so cute, I took all of the pictures.
Sunnyside native-turned female astronaut Bonnie Dunbar.
Kissing the cat.
Sunnyside's tribute to the local dairy industry.
The swimmers after practice.
While I was in Denver, Jay went to the temple for the first time. I was sad to miss this milestone, but Jay had a good experience and his friend Tanner's dad took pictures for me.
The boy at the temple.
While I was in Denver, Jeff sent me one picture, of a large fort the girls made.
Amber, browsing the Friend magazine.
We drank a lot of Gatorade during the heat wave. Rose was in heaven.
Sometimes Jay looks too much like a teenager.
The girls, enjoying Gatorade and doing artwork on the shady trampoline. Their faces were still flushed when they came inside, even after merely sitting in the shade.
The girls took most of a day to clean the disaster that was their bedroom. Amber kept running out of clothes because they weren't making it into her laundry basket to be washed. That's what tipped the scales and had me force the room-cleaning issue.
A less-glamorous side of our valley: the bike path, which is set between two highways. I ran the ten miles home from our Grandview family's house one Saturday morning. The bike path requires music or other audio entertainment because it's so dull.
After dinner and it was still over 100 when we went outside to take the Father's Day picture.
Jeff does fatherhood right. He devised this new method for lifting the kids this year, using his legs to prop the girls up. With this new lifting configuration, he thinks he'll be able to keep this tradition up for a few more years now.
My cute, mischievous daughters.
Jay's second Covid vaccine! He didn't suffer any noticeable side effects beyond a slightly sore arm. Yay!
Our thermometer sits in the sun, but still. It was a hellishly hot week.
The girls like to play "democracy" where Jay mans the controller for a Nintendo game and lets the girls vote on what he should do in the game.
A hot day playing in water with friends required popsicles!
More Gatorade on the trampoline.
Family scripture time: we have not been as consistent during summertime as we are during school, but it has happened a few days each week. Amber likes trying to read a verse. She still knows all of her sight words, plus a few more, but hasn't made the full leap into sounding out words yet.
Pretty view from a bike ride, on SW Crescent Drive on the south side of Sunnyside.. That green hill on the horizon is Superman Hill.
June End.
1 comment:
“When I get my dot….” I am cracking up over here!
You are a great mom!
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