9/17/09

McKay, Katie and Clark, and Becca,
I thought I'd catch you up on some of the comings and goings of the family. My intent is to do this each week- an up to date email to you and a page in our family journal for me.

We are in the middle of fall sports. Levi and Aubrey are playing soccer. They both play on Tuesday nights and Levi also plays on Saturdays. Blake and Tyler are loving football. They practice 3x a week and have Saturday games. Dad also works on Saturdays until about 2:00. So you can see that Saturdays get a little crazy.  I usually rotate which of the boys games to go to.

Levi also tries to support every sporting event connected with VHS. He has appointed himself the most vocal fan position and apparently he and his friends have been asked by the administration and people from the other team on several occassions to tone it down or leave. They have a "senior couch" that they haul around in Isaac's truck and sit on at the games. Once he was in charge of tending Lauren one afternoon when there was a girl's soccer game, so he took her with him. She came home all excited because she got to sit on the senior couch with Levi and Isaac. They had food, too, she said. Life is never dull when Levi is around. Even when I'm mad at him, I sometimes end up laughing because he is so darn off the wall.

Lauren is in kindergarten and it was a little emotional for me. 25 years is a long time to be raising children full time at home. I was glad that Becca was with me the day we walked her to her first real day of kindergarten, or I think I might have cried all the way home. Even with Becca with me I still got a bit  teary. There have definitely been ups and downs and lots of hard times. I had many days when I thought I was loosing my mind, especially when the three of you were little and still so dependant on me. By the time Levi came along I had gained the perspective which is one of my philosophies of life: "Enjoy the good and tolerate the bad, because neither one lasts forever.'  As I walked home from leaving Lauren at school that first real day, I thought how there is nothing I would rather have been doing for the past 25 years than raising my wonderful children. It's like the day I nursed Lauren for the last time and I was counting up all the hours, which translated into literally weeks, possibly more than a month, worth of time that I had spend nursing babies and I thought there is nothing I would rather have been doing with my time than having that precious time with my babies. So it was a bit emotional to send her off, and still it tugs at my heart every morning as I watch Aubrey and Lauren and the 3 Carr girls riding their bikes up the street to school, but I have to tell you. I am loving having a few hours each morning to get things done!

McKay taught me how to change the oil in the suburban this summer. Well that time under the car came in handy on Tuesday when Lauren and I were at the Peterson's house visiting. We got in the car to go home and the car wouldn't start. The engine didn't turn over or anything. Frank from next door came over and we determined that the battery was fine. He thought it might be the starter motor. Then another neighbor came over and said the same thing. They both said that if it is a problem with the starter motor, if you get under the car and hit the starter motor, you often can get the car started enough to take it into the shop. They tried to get under the car, but were too big. So I said that I would get under the car. My son had just taught me how to change the oil so I knew I could fit. So I shimmied under the car and followed their directions to the starter motor, but it didn't do the trick. Grandma was extremely impressed when I dropped to the ground and slid under the car. She hasn't stopped talking about it! Anyway, we had to have the car towed to the shop and hopefully it will be ready today. Oh, well, it's just money. What would I do with it if I didn't have to repair a car?

Our sister reunion starts next Wednesday. All of us can hardly wait! Julie will drive down and pick me up and then we'll go to the airport to pick up Lisa and Jeanette. And then we'll go to the Petersons to have a sleepover and laugh and giggle like 4 immature Beehives. We made sure that the hotel in Park City has a swimming pool (for Aunt Julie) and a microwave and store on sight for Aunt Jeanette's midnight cravings for microwave popcorn, and the outlet stores close by for Aunt Lisa. And for me, I don't care what we do because I just like all the laughing we do.

I hope you are all well. Dad and I pray for each of you several times a day and think of you so often. I love you each very much.
Love,
Mom