Grateful Friday

Here's what is making me grateful today:

Afternoon naps.  Because sometimes you just need one.

The library.  There won't be a Books I Read in August post because I didn't finish one book!  I read about five books partway and then decided they were too uninteresting or inappropriate or that winning combination of both.  I'm grateful for the library because then I just move on to the next selection.

My healthy kids.  It's a blessing I take for granted often but today I'm acknowledging it.  They're healthy and I appreciate that.

My job.  There are so many jobs I would not want and being a teacher's aide feels great.  It is wonderful to feel like I'm helping children navigate their day a little better.  And when one student I was working with finally learned how to spell "again" correctly after practicing again and again and again (ha ha) it felt like I hit the jackpot.  (And I'm from Nevada so I should know.  Except I've never gambled in a casino so I don't really know.)

My kids can go to college and even better, BYU.  For one thing I love BYU and for another thing, I'm so grateful for their opportunities.  Emma is moving into her apartment today.  She is doing it all her independent little self (although Adam and I are going to stop by this evening and check it all out).

I still have Mark around.  He is a great consolation when the big kids are gone.  I love being around that easy going, witty, curmudgeonly guy.

Adam.  He handles being around his emotional, moody, trying-to-get-used-to-her-new-schedule wife like a champ.

Stop sign meditations and playground lessons

In college, my cousin Leslie worked as a flagger.  She told me in a letter (back when we did things like write letters) that she did some of her best thinking with a stop sign in her hands.

Every morning at school I have 15 minutes of traffic duty.  I hold the stop sign for kids to cross the entrance to the school parking lot.  I didn't know I'd enjoy it as much as I do.  I love seeing all the cute children come to school.  Most of them thank me.  A lot of them answer my good morning with a good morning in return.  The shyest ones smile and avert their eyes as they cross by.

It also gives me opportunity to think.

I think about the mothers who are straight up harried, bringing their children after the first bell.  They pull into the parking lot like they are being chased or they push a stroller and drag a recalcitrant first grader behind them and they emanate stress.

It's OK, I want to tell them.  You're OK.  I don't know what the consequences are for a student that is a couple of minutes late, but I don't think they're too harsh.  At the same time, I know that what the mothers are probably stressed about as much as anything is that they feel like they can't get their act together.  I have been there.  Pretty much on a daily basis.

It's OK, I want to tell them. You're OK.

I think about the mothers who are placid and calm.  One mother crosses my way every morning with three darling children, dressed neatly with hair combed.  Her make-up is done and she is chattering away in Spanish to her children until she greets me with a friendly good morning.

I want to tell her that she is making the rest of us look really bad, but it's OK.  You're OK, lady who  has it all together.  You're awesome.

I've seen cars dropping off kids with out of state license plates.  I remember when we first moved here.  Getting UT license plates happened after a lot of other things.  It's overwhelming, moving.  It's OK, I want to tell them.  You're OK.  Moving is hard and moving with kids is harder.  Carry on, warrior.  We'll take care of your kiddos while you take care of business.

I think about the older siblings that yell at their younger siblings.  Brothers yell at younger brothers to hurry UP!  Cross at the crosswalk!  Put your bike there!  Chain it up right!  Sisters yell at younger sisters to hurry UP!  Leave your helmet there, no, not there!  Do you have your backpack?!?  Can you find your class?

One impossibly small girl was trotting off to class, her enormous backpack bouncing up and down her back and her older sister, who had hollered at her and scolded at every turn, yelled after her, "I love you!"

It's OK, harangued brothers and sisters.  You're OK.  As the younger sister of a sister who scolded me into uprightness at times but who also loved me fiercely, I get it.  You don't know how lucky you are.

Later, at recess, there was a kindergartner in tears.  She missed her mom.  She was sad and inconsolable and wouldn't let go of my hand.  Then one of the other girls ran up to breathlessly tell me her friend was hurt.  They love nothing more than heroically telling the teacher someone is hurt.  I took my little appendage with me and we went to inspect.  There were definitely grass stains on the leggings, but when she pulled them up, not a mark on the little knees.  "I'm sorry," I said. "That must have hurt.  I don't think you need a band-aid though."

There was a collective sag of shoulders because a band-aid would have prolonged/upped the excitement.

The little girl who missed her mom, had forgotten about it.  "I have fruit snacks in my bag," she said brightly. "Can I give her fruit snacks?"

I said yes and she raced away to get the snacks for her fallen comrade.

It's OK, I want to tell the little girl who misses her mom.  You're OK.  You are wise beyond your years because you know this truth:  helping someone else makes you forget your own troubles.

Bang crash

That's the sound of plates (being spun by me) hitting the ground.

There is a learning curve here and I'm not at the top of it yet.

Yesterday I left work and all three kids needed me and I felt an urgency to get to all of it immediately because that's how I live my life.  I don't procrastinate.  I do it now.  I do it preemptively.  I like to be ON TOP OF THINGS.

Except I can't always.

Also, I had a Relief Society meeting to go to.

Also, I needed to figure out my work email.

Also, there was the laundry and the dishes and all the everything.

I can do this.  I know I can.  Lots and lots of people do.  It will take time.  And patience.

(I don't have patience.)

(I need to work on that.)

Change is in the air

Yesterday the temperature didn't get above 80 degrees.  That's the first time that's happened around here since June.

The leaves on the tops of the mountains are starting to change color.

And this:

Boxes and suitcases are being packed and assembled.  Braeden moves into his apartment today and Emma moves in on Friday.

I am happy for them and the adventures and friends and learning that awaits.

But I'll miss those kids.

The most natural thing in the world

It was such a delight to have the Jorgensens visit.  They are like family.  It's like we're siblings and our kids are cousins.  I even scolded Eric for not getting to shredding the chicken fast enough.  We interrupt each other and love each other (and each others' children) and disagree and agree and never run out of things to say.

The big kids went out and the adults and little girls (who we're eventually going to have to stop calling the little girls because they are 8 and 11) sat on the deck and enjoyed the evening.  Eric found  Saturn with our telescope which was amazing and Eric also caught a katydid for Britta.  With shining eyes of admiration she told me that her dad was master of catching things.

We named it Leaf Jorgensen.  Then he let it go.

Saturday was a tumble of people everywhere and lots of conversations and Emma and Freja singing.  Janet and I cried a little, like we do, when we're talking about things closest to the soul.  We watched The Phone Call because they hadn't seen it before.  (What kind of friends are we anyway that we hadn't shown them it by now?)  Adam was in charge of making a plan for making the afternoon work--there were dorms and apartments to be moved into and cars going hither and yon and Adam is good at logistics.  Whenever any of the kids wanted to know what was happening, we'd say, "Ask Adam."

Like a posse, we hauled boxes and moved Leif into his dorm.  Lots of kids had a parent or two helping.  No one else seemed to have two entire families.  But we made quick work of it.  Adam and Eric went to pick up a bike, Janet and I went to Costco and the kids all stayed and unpacked.  Then there was the Costco stuff to unload.  The entire parking lot was a zoo and it was a crazy time but with all our enlisted help, we got things done.  Finally Adam and Mark and I and Eric and the little girls made our escape to JCW's for burgers and shakes while everyone else continued to work (except Braeden--he had also escaped for a social engagement).

Sunday we all went to church together but the Jorgensens didn't sit in our front row with us (not everyone's flavor).  They sat in the row where they've sat for as long as we've known them (which has been 14+ years) so I liked that even better.

After sacrament meeting we had tearful good-byes and Eric and Janet and Britta and Inge drove away and left Leif and Freja for college.  My heart broke a little for Janet, because I can imagine how hard that was.  I'm such a lucky duck that college is so close for our kids.

We took a selfie before they left (utilizing Braeden's long arm):

Braeden, Leif, Britta, Inge, Janet, Freja, Eric, Emma, Adam, Mark and me--you can tell I'd already been crying a little....

It's hard to say good-bye to each other but I do take comfort that we're all going to live in the same cul-de-sac in heaven someday.

Leif and Freja came over after church and ate with us.  I made sure I had their numbers in my phone and made sure they knew they could call us for whatever they need.  We also issued our standing invitation for Sunday dinners to Leif and Freja.  Eric and Janet's loss is our gain on this one.

Grateful Friday

Here's what I'm grateful for:

1.

I survived my first week!  Starting work after a nearly 22 year hiatus is a new experience.

2.

I think I'll love my job.  Some parts of it are less exciting than others but I love working one on one with students and just being in a school.  Recess duty is the best.  Little kids come up to me with a tiny Lego creation they made, someone needs their shoe tied, someone else wants to show me a trick they learned bouncing a ball.  It delights me.

3.

(This one's for Nyla)  I found out where to put my purse!  Also, I found a secret stash for my sunglasses and whistle in the old part of the school where I usually am rather than the new part of school, where I keep the rest of my things.  It's the details.

4.

Adam gave me a Fox 40 whistle.  If you don't know why Fox 40 whistles are the best, I will refer you to Adam for education.  There aren't recess bells so I need to blow the whistle when recess is done.  That little Fox 40 does the trick!

5. 

Mark is happy with his new school year.  I am happy with his new teachers.  This is his back to school shot--lounging on the couch.

There was a great absence of fanfare on the first day.  This is what happens with a third child apparently.  That and the night before school, since we'd bought zero school supplies, it occurred to him that he maybe needed a notebook.  It hadn't occurred to me at all.

6.

My family has been super supportive with my new work adventure.  My mom and sisters have called to check in.  My dad forgave me for being too preoccupied to send him a birthday card or gift on time.  Our kids have been encouraging and oh so helpful.  Braeden shouldered extra work every day because he's not working right now.  He made the kitchen so clean and pretty I wanted to cry.  Mark filled out all his disclosure documents completely leaving only the spot for me to sign.  He even arranged a pen.

Those kids make me feel loved.

Adam is, as always, my anchor and rudder and rock and whatever other metaphor you can come up with for the guy who makes everything all right.

7.

It's a small world after all.  One lady I work with has a son that lives in the apartment building Braeden is moving in to next week.  Someone else I work with lives in my same stake (although she goes to a singles ward outside the stake).  It's that old Utah County Magic and pretty soon we're sitting around the table at lunch talking about family history and missionary sons.

8.

The Jorgensens are coming to stay this weekend!  I have been looking forward to it all week.

The social event of the year

That's what I began calling it.  Because it was a big deal.  Olivia and I gave Clarissa a bridal shower.  We took a detour to Nevada on our way home from Washington.

Olivia was in charge of food and I was in charge of decorations and games and my mom and Katie and all the sweet girls helped too.

We held the event in Olivia's lovely backyard.  It was smoky like the rest of the West but not too bad.

The pretty napkins were really just sails in the breeze so they didn't get to grace the table.  The  littles had expertly folded them though.  Also, they filled the tiny vases my mom had purchased for party favors.

All the pretty girls--minus Desi who we missed!  Liberty, Clarissa, Carolina, Liliana, Emma, Ruby, Olivia, Charlotte and Savannah

Liliana and Olivia--Clarissa gave us all pretty shell necklaces from Kiribati

Present time:  Clarissa being assisted by Marianne and Carolina.  I loved the delightful cousin audience  (they were eating chocolate dipped fudge courtesy of Katie)

My mom made a quilt top for Clarissa.  She can either tie it or quilt it or whatever she wants.  It's made of pieces of the wedding quilts she made for all of her children.

Carolina, Clarissa and Katie

I didn't get a picture of my mom!  She was there!  And working hard and making everything nice, like she does.

I love these women!