Yesterday was 3 of 3 of a series of 10k races. Last time I placed first in my age group. Last time it started at 7:00 and was warm and sunny. This time it was started at 6am was humid and was already above 92 degrees when I parked the car at 5:35 and kept climbing. I tied for 3rd and was completely happy that I simply pushed through. At the end I met two teachers, one from Ireland, one from Peru. The fastest girl had driven up with a couple friends from Abu Dhabi that morning. The two girls were from New Zealand, the guy was from Syria. He was smiling and friendly until I asked him if he had family back home. He does, but they are safe for now. He wishes Obama would take interest and help. The biggest cheers from the crowd came when a lady running in her abaya crossed the line. Her two cute kids came running over to congratulate her. There were two other covered Arab girls wearing more of the swimwear option: leggings, and long sleeved tunic with a hood. Brighter colors and more aerodynamic. I got home, showered and went back to bed. The kids were still asleep and I was committed to join them.
Isaac was set apart as the Deacon's Quorum President at church. Their numbers will be low for the summer (just 2 in the branch), but there is another boy turning 12 at the end of August. He has been playing the piano for priesthood for a couple of weeks, so we hear hymns being practiced a lot at home. I LOVE that they are all playing. Makenna has been committed to The Entertainer and is getting really good.
Yesterday we went to the pool for an hour before a gang of 6 year old girls showed up--birthday party. They took over the shallow end which messed up our game. We would take turns throwing the diving rings, as scattered as possible and then race. Two people would go after rings against one person swimming a lap as fast as they could. All the heats were really close, but the ring swimmers usually beat the lap swimmer by a hair. It was a good way to make us do speed work. Even Jess liked it, who normally balks at laps. She will only do them if it buys her 10 more minutes. Anyway, after a dozen girls showed up, we decided to head back. We ended up having a yard work party. Makenna was pruning bushes, Jessica was raking leaves, I was attaching a new end on the stupid hose (I get to do this at least once a week and always break a nail in the process. ouch!) and Isaac was digging out a couple stumps of bushes that had died (before we moved in). I was recently solicited by the next door neighbor's gardener to hire him, he was pointing out all the leaves and how we obviously needed his help. We bought ourselves a rake and it does look loads better. Gardening in the shade after swimming with the ability to stay wet thanks to the sprinkler (even if it's too warm) isn't so bad even if it's 100 degrees. It's hard to tell what's sweat and what's sprinkler. The kids ended up bagging a few big piles of leaves and then burning the bush stumps in a big broken flower pot. Fire adds another element of fun. After the ashes had cooled, Makenna carefully scooped up little plastic shovelfuls and sprinkled them around the roots of her favorite bushes. I finished watering while Jess and Isaac set up the little soccer nets and played until they kicked they ball over the wall and had to knock on the nice Iranian couple's door to ask for it back.
Jess officially finished all her current school work. We just ordered 3rd grade history and science and 4th grade math and Language Arts. Good grief. That's my baby? Makenna finished all her 4th grade stuff awhile ago. I ordered her 5th grade math a couple months back, so she has been chipping away at that while she waits for the rest of her stuff to come. Isaac already started Algebra 1 and an 8th grade science class. I ordered the second half of world history from him from k12, but for English, he is switching over to BYU independent study. I talked with them on the phone for over an hour trying to decide if it would be a good move. . . . And we are trying it. He'll start with one English class (9th grade) and when he finishes the rest of the k12 stuff, he can transition over. The great thing is that if he does the advanced route, he doesn't have to worry about AP classes, he can just take BYU courses instead and get high school and college credit at the same time. Nice.
We had pancakes and bacon for breakfast yesterday. I have to work up to the idea of bacon for a few days before we do it. First you have to plan ahead and buy some at a store that has a non-Muslim section. I actually bought two packages last time, but the second has been sitting in the freezer waiting for me to want to bother to cook it. Then you have to prep the kitchen. Pancake batter must be made and ready, the kitchen window must be open all the way, the fan above the stove must be on full power and one child must be stationed at the door to pump it open and closed. You see, we have an over sensitive smoke detector in the kitchen. I have to use the fan most of the time when cooking on the stove, but bacon requires extra effort. The detector is right above the door going from the kitchen to the main room (dining room/family room/music room/school room) and if I can get Isaac to pump the door fast and furious, we can avoid the piercing screeching of the smoke alarm. And the kids can have bacon.
I don't really have pictures from anything, but we have plans to take the underwater camera to the pool while it's daylight. Here are a couple of random shots.
Isaac was set apart as the Deacon's Quorum President at church. Their numbers will be low for the summer (just 2 in the branch), but there is another boy turning 12 at the end of August. He has been playing the piano for priesthood for a couple of weeks, so we hear hymns being practiced a lot at home. I LOVE that they are all playing. Makenna has been committed to The Entertainer and is getting really good.
Yesterday we went to the pool for an hour before a gang of 6 year old girls showed up--birthday party. They took over the shallow end which messed up our game. We would take turns throwing the diving rings, as scattered as possible and then race. Two people would go after rings against one person swimming a lap as fast as they could. All the heats were really close, but the ring swimmers usually beat the lap swimmer by a hair. It was a good way to make us do speed work. Even Jess liked it, who normally balks at laps. She will only do them if it buys her 10 more minutes. Anyway, after a dozen girls showed up, we decided to head back. We ended up having a yard work party. Makenna was pruning bushes, Jessica was raking leaves, I was attaching a new end on the stupid hose (I get to do this at least once a week and always break a nail in the process. ouch!) and Isaac was digging out a couple stumps of bushes that had died (before we moved in). I was recently solicited by the next door neighbor's gardener to hire him, he was pointing out all the leaves and how we obviously needed his help. We bought ourselves a rake and it does look loads better. Gardening in the shade after swimming with the ability to stay wet thanks to the sprinkler (even if it's too warm) isn't so bad even if it's 100 degrees. It's hard to tell what's sweat and what's sprinkler. The kids ended up bagging a few big piles of leaves and then burning the bush stumps in a big broken flower pot. Fire adds another element of fun. After the ashes had cooled, Makenna carefully scooped up little plastic shovelfuls and sprinkled them around the roots of her favorite bushes. I finished watering while Jess and Isaac set up the little soccer nets and played until they kicked they ball over the wall and had to knock on the nice Iranian couple's door to ask for it back.
Jess officially finished all her current school work. We just ordered 3rd grade history and science and 4th grade math and Language Arts. Good grief. That's my baby? Makenna finished all her 4th grade stuff awhile ago. I ordered her 5th grade math a couple months back, so she has been chipping away at that while she waits for the rest of her stuff to come. Isaac already started Algebra 1 and an 8th grade science class. I ordered the second half of world history from him from k12, but for English, he is switching over to BYU independent study. I talked with them on the phone for over an hour trying to decide if it would be a good move. . . . And we are trying it. He'll start with one English class (9th grade) and when he finishes the rest of the k12 stuff, he can transition over. The great thing is that if he does the advanced route, he doesn't have to worry about AP classes, he can just take BYU courses instead and get high school and college credit at the same time. Nice.
We had pancakes and bacon for breakfast yesterday. I have to work up to the idea of bacon for a few days before we do it. First you have to plan ahead and buy some at a store that has a non-Muslim section. I actually bought two packages last time, but the second has been sitting in the freezer waiting for me to want to bother to cook it. Then you have to prep the kitchen. Pancake batter must be made and ready, the kitchen window must be open all the way, the fan above the stove must be on full power and one child must be stationed at the door to pump it open and closed. You see, we have an over sensitive smoke detector in the kitchen. I have to use the fan most of the time when cooking on the stove, but bacon requires extra effort. The detector is right above the door going from the kitchen to the main room (dining room/family room/music room/school room) and if I can get Isaac to pump the door fast and furious, we can avoid the piercing screeching of the smoke alarm. And the kids can have bacon.
I don't really have pictures from anything, but we have plans to take the underwater camera to the pool while it's daylight. Here are a couple of random shots.
See anything? I barely noticed as we drove by and had to circle back to take a picture.
There is a well kept volleyball court for. . . . someone.
How Jess looked coming down after a shower.
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