The Bits: August Part 3

August continues and finishes.

Ben didn't start school until Tuesday, since Monday was a 6th-grade-only day at the middle school, so we carried on a tradition Zac and I started last year for the kids who aren't in school when the rest are, a movie and lunch date!

The full-day kindy kids were given a slow start to ease them into school, half the class went Monday, Tommy included, and the other half went Tuesday, then they all joined together for Wednesday, before testing days Thursday and Friday.  On his day off, Tommy asked to bake and deliver cookies to his preschool teacher, Ms. Rachel.  Such a sweet boy!

After a busy morning at the PTO New Parent Meet-and-Greet, and then a Primary Presidency meeting, I returned home to our quiet house.  Wednesday was my first official day with all the boys in school all day long.  It's really real.  I've been a stay-at-home mom with a son at home with me for 14.5 years, until now.  I'm still feeling a little blue about it.

Luke's first night at Ninja-in-Training classes.  A little gymnastics, a little parkour.  He loves it!

The elementary school had assessment testing days Thursday and Friday so some friends organized a little hike along the Helen Hunt Falls trail.  What a beautiful falls!  The water seems to cascade down the smoothed-over mountain rocks for miles.  It had been years since we hiked this trail last, Luke was in a backpack and Tommy wasn't yet a twinkle in my eye.  With two long-legged boys and no baby in a pack, the hike felt much shorter than I remembered it.  

Luke started cello lessons with our neighbor, Josiah.  He really enjoys it!  And a week in, he's already sounding much better.  More musical, less nails-on-chalkboard. 

Josh also started tenor saxophone lessons with Zac.  We are still getting some squawks and squeaks, but he's also getting out some nice little tunes.  It's really fun!  And really loud.

Tommy missed out on our Helen Hunt Falls hike on Thursday because of a weird, rogue, one-day fever.  He was already feeling better by Friday, thankfully, because he had testing, but it sure shot up fast for that one day!  So bizarre.

Luke and Tommy had a fun playdate with our new neighbors/church class friends on Friday after their tests.  It's so fun to have these new kids right around the corner so we can walk to each other for a visit!  Claire is in Luke's church class, but in 2nd grade at the elementary school, and Ike is in Tommy's class and in his grade, but with a different teacher.  They're really nice kids!

Luke: "Tommy said the water for my shower was too hot, but it's not hot, it's lukewarm."  Tommy: "No!  I just want my water tomwarm!"

Every Sunday Josh reads The Friend during sacrament meeting.  Every Sunday Josh finds recipes he wants to try.  Every Sunday we are missing one ingredient or another, and then we end up forgetting about it.  Until this last Sunday.  Voila!  Peanut Butter Cream Chocolate Pudding with Butterscotch Chips made by Josh with Mom assisting.  Yum!

Wildfire haze from the West.  No fires in Colorado this year, but we've been through that and know the heartbreak our friends in California and Washington are enduring.

I always think, "I'd like to eat healthier."  Then ice cream says, "Nope.  No you wouldn't."  And then I say, "Yeah, you're right."

Our first 3rd grade homework assignment back from summer break reminded me how hard it is to keep Luke focused on homework.  Ug.  I was already dreading an entire year of homework battles.  However, I am happy to report that since that first assignment, things have seemed to improve a bit.  I don't know what has done it, maybe he's just really enjoying his school year already, maybe it's finally clicked that he has to do it so he might as well just sit and do it quickly, but homework hasn't been quite as painful these first couple of weeks.  Feeling hopeful!

Not to be outdone by his musical brothers, Tommy asked to start piano lessons this year, too.  He is very diligent about practicing everyday without being asked!

It was a kind of crazy week with the start of school and high school soccer tryouts.  After an exhausting week of working hard, Zac was told he made the C-Squad, the third-level team, which surprised us because he has a solid soccer resume, including his success at BYU camp over the summer, plus a few of the other kids he plays club ball with made JV, even some kids who are on a lower team level than Zac.  Frustrating, but ultimately, there wasn't a lot we could do.  Adam and I were heartbroken for him.  One of the hardest parts of being a parent for me is not being able to make everything better for my kids when things go wrong, and I felt so helpless.  It was a big disappointment for Zac, but, in classic Zac fashion, he got over it, and by the end of the weekend he was excited to head back to school, crush it for C-Squad and prove he should move up.  However, when he showed up for soccer practice at the end of the school day, the coaches said there had been some mistakes and they would have to make some adjustments to the rosters over the next few days.  What.  Grrr!  We were so annoyed by the process and the lack of communication so far, and nervous Zac's hopes were going to soar, only to have him disappointed again.  Fortunately, we needed not worry!  Zac was promoted to the JV Squad and was really thrilled.  Hooray!  Let the season begin!

We had a little scare with our sweet pup in August.  Ruby has had a small lump, suspected to be a fatty tumor that is typical of Golden Retrievers, for over a year, but over the course of a couple of weeks this month, we discovered that it had started to grow.  We were worried that it had become cancerous.  We took her to the vet and the vet felt concerned as well, so they took her to do a biopsy.  When they came back to report to Adam, the news couldn't have been better.  It was just a cyst!  They had to drain three syringes-full of liquid (gross!), but she was just fine.  I wanted to cry from the relief!

After five back-to-school nights in three days--in addition to our typical school-year carefully choreographed evening schedule, we know three things 1) Our kids go to great schools; 2) They all have some pretty fantastic teachers this year; and 3) I need another summer vacation to recover from that crazy, busy week.

One perk of having all the kids in school and Adam's work's temporary summer policy of finishing the work day by noon on Fridays: lunch at SmashBurger with my best guy.  Adam was laughing that more of my Colorado SmashChicken sandwich was outside of the bun than inside!

One hard-earned win, one heartbreaking loss to kick off official season games.  Soccer Saturdays begin!

Another fun opportunity for Josh's team to walk out with the players at the start of the game, and then participate as ball boys for the duration, this time with the Air Force Falcon Men's Soccer Team.  Ben decided to go watch too, and what a cool game to attend!  AFA v. Army, big rivals with a huge energetic crowd.  The game went into overtime, with Air Force squeezing out the 1-0 win!  The crowd went wild and rushed the field.  It was awesome.

Luke: "Mom!  I have a two-pack!"  Tommy: "I have a zero-pack."

Thirteen years ago this sweet baby joined our family, bright-eyed and ready to take on the world, and we have been amazed, entertained and blessed by him ever since.  Wonderful Ben!  Love this boy of ours!

All caught up...yeah, baby!

Ben's Thirteenth

Ben's birthday fell on a Monday this year, which meant he had cross-country practice after school, and then the rest of the family would be here and there for other activities, so we celebrated together on Sunday...and a little bit on Monday, too.  It being an odd birthday year, it's a family party year, and the only thing Ben has wanted to do for his birthday for a long time is to take a family camping trip so he could use all the cool new gear he was hoping to receive (and did receive) for his birthday.  Unfortunately, that means we have to wait until October 3rd to really celebrate Ben's birthday, when we have our only soccer-free weekend of the season.  So we have a fun surprise location for that weekend for our boy!

Until then, here's how we celebrated:

• A delicious birthday brunch of aebelskivers made by Dad.
• Gifts galore!  If the Zombie Apocalypse comes, we are counting on Ben.  Ben is now ready to live off the land and off the grid.  All he wanted this year was gear to add to his "go bag."  A hatchet, knife (the non-pocket variety), SOL pocket survival kit, ten-pack of reflective emergency blankets, a LifeStraw individual water filter and 150 feet of paracord.  We also gave him an iPhone, at long last, because he's sure he's the last person he knows who doesn't have a phone.  And, because he's Ben, he also wanted a Spirograph kit.  If you know Ben, this all makes perfect sense.  The only things he received that really said "13-year-old boy" and not "Man Versus Wild" to me, were things that he did not ask for (but still really liked), a few UnderArmour clothing items, that I picked out for him.
• Lemon chicken orzo soup with homemade rolls for dinner.
• A pile of Mom's secret recipe chocolate chip cookies instead of boring old cake.
• On Monday, his actual birthday, I brought Panda Express takeout to him for lunchtime at school.
• He got to choose a second delicious dinner, because why not?  Spinach fettuccine alfredo with shrimp followed by gooey, caramely, chocolaty carmelitos. 
• Window shopping with Dad at REI and building a wishlist worthy of any rugged outdoorsman.  Bring on Christmas!

We adore Ben, we are so proud of him and hope we made him feel as special as we think he is on his very special day.  And we're all looking forward to that camping trip in October.  Hopefully winter doesn't arrive too early this year; this campout involves some water fun!

Ben on Ben: Thirteen

We are so proud of the young man Ben is becoming at thirteen.  He is principled and considerate, so much so, that he gets frustrated when people don't stick to the rules of civility and kindness, as tweens and teens are bound to do.  This trait has helped him choose friends who are thoughtful kids so he can be surrounded by good vibes.  He works really hard to meet his educational, physical and spiritual goals and never slacks off.  He has an intensity and drive that is incredibly admirable, although sometimes we worry that he is going to burn himself out or over-worry himself.  He just wants to do it all, and do it all to perfection...if only there were more hours in the day and he never felt tired, he'd be happy!  Ben loves the outdoors and exploration of the natural world, it gives him release from the intensity of his everyday life and lets him get some space from the world a bit, space that the introvert part of him needs.  He doesn't love the routine and time consumption of school, but he loves to learn new things and prove his knowledge to others.  Without question, his favorite subject is math, but he also loves social studies and science.  When he has a teacher that challenges him and expects a lot of him, he thrives and rises to meet those expectations.  He also loves being part of the band and playing his trumpet.  When something fascinates him, he dives in to learn as much as he can or takes time to master the skill.  Ben is faithful and wants to do all he can to follow his Savior and set an example for others, especially his brothers.  His favorite scripture story is that of Enos; he loves Enos' humility and faithfulness.  He has a fantastic goofy side and likes to be a jokester and make other people laugh.  Ben is so fun to spend time with and is always asking how he can help and is great about seeing a need and simply stepping in to fulfill it without being asked.  We often hear from other adults about how much they admire Ben and what a great kid he is, and it always feels so great, but isn't a surprise.  We think he is wonderful! 

Ben is clearly becoming a teen this year because getting him to answer these questions was not so easy!  Here's what I got out of him:

How old are you?  "Thirteen."
What makes you happy?  "Having free time to do what I want, running, playing soccer, winning."
What are your favorite things to eat?  "Lemon chicken orzo soup, aebelskivers, fettuccine alfredo, and Cafe Rio sweet barbacoa burrito enchilada style with hot sauce."
What is your least favorite thing to eat?  "McDonalds, unless it's french fries."
What are your favorite things to do?  "Run, play soccer, go camping, slack-lining."
What is your favorite TV show?  "Ted Talks."
What are you really good at?   "Running, soccer, school."
What is your favorite movie?  "Hobbit, all of them."
What is your favorite animal?  "Dogs."
What is your favorite color?  "Green, blue and purple"
What is your favorite song?  "The Star Spangled Banner, it's fun to play on my trumpet."
Who are your best friends?  "Micah Simonds, Thomas Boyle, Owen Kalbfleisch."
What do you and Mom do together that you love?  "Run."
What do you and Dad do together that you love?  "Play soccer."
What is your favorite sport?  "Soccer and running." (I'm sensing a theme here.)
What is your favorite book?  "Ranger's Apprentice: Kings of Clonmel."
Where is your favorite place to go?  "The cabin."
What makes you feel scared?  "Failure, losing someone I love."
What do you want to be when you grow up?  "A nature photographer for National Geographic or a soccer player."
What words would you use to describe yourself? "Awesome, intelligent, athletic, kind, Frankenstein-like in the mornings."
What is the most exciting thing you got to do this year? "Got to turn thirteen, an awesome summer vacation."
What do you want to tell the future you? "Don't get down about something just because it doesn't go your way."

Back to School 2015: K, 3, 5, 7 and 9

High school, middle school and elementary school.  It's our first year of many where we will be spread across three schools.

The boys looked all shiny and new, ready for their first day on Monday.  Zac left first, walking to his first day of high school with our neighbor, Josiah.  I was a little sad not to drop him off, but I wanted him to do his thing, so I watched them go until they turned the corner, the tissues I had grabbed fully employed.  About fifteen minutes later, I got a call..."Hi Mom, I forgot my...."  "On my way!!!"  I think it was a little message from God, "You are still needed."  So glad He knows what we need.

Then it was time to take the elementary boys.  I donned my large, dark sunglasses, as I do every year, best for concealing my weepy eyes, and off we went.  The boys were so excited, and Tommy was thrilled.  This has been on countdown for a long, long time, so it was hard not to get caught up in his enthusiasm even though I was feeling sad.

The boys' line-ups are in three completely different parts of the school this year.  Luke on the side closest to home, Tommy in the front, Josh on the far side.  After hugs goodbye and wishes for a happy first day, Adam walked Luke to his line and Josh confidently went by himself to his, while I waited with our big kindergartner.  We checked in with his teacher, and then waited for the bell.  Tommy turned to hug me several times, and just after the bell rang he gave me one final hug and told me, "It's OK, Mama, you can go now."  And off he went, turning to wave every few steps until he was in the building.  Glad I wore those sunglasses!

Ben headed off to school on Tuesday, walking, as usual, with his best pal, Micah.  He was excited for the year to start because he enjoys his friends and enjoys learning...and also not so excited to lose the independence and freedom of the summer.  Plus, he thought it was weird that he'd be the only Conlin at his school this year.  He's never been the only Conlin at any school and never will be again until he graduates!  Although I had been through the excitement and sadness of sending off the other boys the day before, I still got a little misty to see Ben go.

It is one of those bittersweet times of year, when I am freshly reminded how true it is that the days are long but the years are short, when I reflect on where the boys and I have been over the blissful and challenging years of motherhood, and I remind myself how wonderfully our boys are growing up.  I always try to be brave and hold to the hope that, as the saying goes, we have given them roots and must give them wings.  Happy first day of school, Conlin Chaos!  

The Bits: August Part 2

You wanted them, you got them!  More August Bits.

Zac at Rampart check-in day.  He is officially all set for high school.  It cannot be denied any longer.

Back to school shopping with boys is actually fun!  When did my cute kid turn into a handsome young man?

Summer nights.

Running with Ben.

Even with the long lines and the locker snafu, Grizzly Jump Start with Ben and Micah was a hoot!

Ben's gunning for you McCabe.

Getting our slackline on!

How can this kid be leaving me for all-day school in just a few days?  Oh, my mama heart!

Josh lost 2 molars, which are a two-buck score, and our lame tooth fairy didn't show up for a week, so he got a dollar bonus.

Cloudy, stormy skies obscured our Perseid Meteor Shower viewing, but we got a different skyward delight.

Ice Cream Social night!  These boys are ready for school!

School days, school days, go away!  Come again another day!

Found on the basement whiteboard after a playdate with Luke's favorite friend, Cooper.  They aren't in the same class this year, which is a little heartbreaking for Luke, but I think this is a friendship that can survive on recess time.

Sitting out a thunderstorm in the car at the Pride of the Rockies soccer tourney wasn't Tommy's idea of a good time.

Still falling in love after 17 years of marriage.

Spending our anniversary cheering on our boys at the Air Force Academy soccer fields!  So romantic!

Josh sends one sailing.

They win some, they lose some, but they are always fun to watch.

Wild child, wild weather.

Our family theme for the school year.

School Year's Eve.  Look at those guys.  I am one lucky Mama!