Jog-A-Thon

Yay for Emily! She's our Laurel president (middle) and she just completed the personal progress program. Amanda and I met her for ice cream to celebrate and hear more about the projects she completed. Earlier to our ice cream visit I went over to the school for the Jog-A-Thon. Jane and Emma wore their new yellow Kinder shirts and Abby wore her teal choir shirt. They ran their 15 minute races at the same time on different tracks. Luckily they were right next to each other. I stood in the middle and could cheer loud (over the music speaker) for both!

Grandpa Buick

Ross had the day off. He hung out with us, went along on school drop-offs and we cleaned out the garage, put laundry away, cleaned our master closet and took the van in to get oiled changed and new brakes. The van repair took longer than they thought so they gave us a loner car for second soccer practice. Ross got to drive the "Grandpa" buick with four kids. Van was fixed halfway through the twins soccer practice. I attended Abby's practice solo and it was so nice to sit in peace, crochet, listen to the coach and watch the girls scrimmage. Abby loves playing goalie! She was so excited she didn't let any balls past her tonight.

YW in Cross Country and Volleyball

Hannah came over after 2 and we watched her and then passed her off to her mom at pick-up. After school we went to the library and Maidu Park and saw Eliza (a Mia Maid) and her high school cross country meet and then stopped back home so Allen could get his homework and girls could get a cereal snack, and then we went to Chilton Middle School to see Alanna (another Mia Maid) play volleyball. These girls have babysat for me several times and my kids love them. In the evening Ross put the kids in bed and I went to a birthday party/GNO at Blaze Pizza for a sister in the ward. Nice to get out and visit!

Last Day at Cota Cole

Jill and I met Spring and Brett for Mother Goose on the Loose @ Downtown and then we went to Royer Park. I pulled out a tub full of bubbles, beach balls, jump ropes and rockets. Kids played while Spring and I chatted. An hour later we left and I had missed a call and text from Ross who didn't have any lunch and no plans. We picked him up and went to Jimmy Johns. He told me about his last day breakfast and how he gave Sean all his furniture and helped move it over. We dropped him back at work and I took some pictures. He takes tomorrow off and then Friday he starts downtown at the federal courthouse with Judge Shubb. As I pulled away I thought goodbye close firm, goodbye lunch-together option, goodbye nice co-workers, goodbye five minute commute. This new clerkship opportunity just fell in his lap and we know it the right thing to do. It's just sad to leave a good thing we already had going on.

Auburn Regional Park

On Tuesday Jill and I went to storytime at the library and then to the park where we visited and played for two hours and met Laura (for the 3rd time) and Preston and saw the Souliers and Cambria's mom. After school we went to Allen's last country meet. The temperature gauge on the car said 100 degrees. I knew that would be hard for Allen since he really struggles with the heat and running. We got lost twice trying to find the right park in Auburn, but we were there to see him loop around and circle to the finish line, where Ross ran the last uphill stretch with him in his work clothes. "Why not? What are they going to do? It's the last race and Allen is the last runner," as I egged him to go. We got a picture of him with parents and the coach after. At night for Young Women we had a volleyball practice complete with a water break and fruit feast. I brought a K home-helper project of gluing pictures on pages and roped in two leaders to help as they were watching practice! So that's how I get things done--I have people help me! :)

Jabari Atari

Monday: I finished a blanket I started at Time Out For Women. (Project Linus Blanket #17. 43 inches x 43 inches. Solid teal. I call it "Time Out For Teal"), Emma and Jane were Halloween clothes to school because the kids insisted we open the Halloween box on Sunday night ("Emma, it looks like Halloween exploded on you". -Ross), Jane and Emma brought home Bumble (the classroom mascot), Emma and Jill saw wild turkeys out the library window, we spotted the Sami Circuit car and trailer in traffic, and Ross got an early Christmas present (Jabari shirt. Nine years ago he was Jabari's primary teacher in Chicago.)

Loaded Up From Church

This is my view as I came out of the church building to get in the van. Ross had everyone loaded, with seat belts on and windows down (because it's still in the 90s here). He's great to take care of the kids while I wrap up everything in YW and talk to people in the hall. Sometimes he even reads books to the kids while they wait for me--just depends on how long it takes me to get out.

In the morning I had ward council, had a PPI (put together two "Nish Ribbons" yw value bookmarks while I waited in between), and then came home to get kids ready and make sure dinner was prepped. We had the missionaries come for dinner--Elder Broderick (from Bountiful) and Elder Bean (from Spanish Fork--Elder Bean has a sister with Type One Diabetes--she's 18 and was diagnosed at age 8. He said she was worried about her future with having kids. I told him to tell her he was eating dinner at a home with me-- a lady who'd had diabetes for almost 16 years and had 5 kids. He seemed excited about that.) We had chicken taco salad, cut up fruit and cookie pie and ice cream for dessert.

Telephone Museum, Soccer and Women's Conference

On Saturday morning Ross and I went to play tennis (Allen babysat while kid watched cartoons) and when both courts were full at two parks we went for a walk and then jog instead. We came home and I showered while Ross went to go run longer. Then we got kids ready and went to twins' soccer game. Then we stopped at city's Family Fest event (with booths, crafts, bounce houses and Ross and I enjoyed some tacos and a torte for a date food this week), and saw Roseville Telephone Museum open and popped inside. Fun to use the old rotary phones and call each other and see how phones have evolved in just my lifetime. We watched a little of BYU came, had lunch, got ready for birthday party and another soccer game. Ross took twins to party and I took others to Abby's soccer game. She played goalie last half and there were 4 goals on her. :( We came home to change again and Abby and I went to the women's conference. We sat by Spring/Paige and Ashley/Calli. enjoyed mints during the meeting, cinnamon rolls in the back after, went to Costa Vida together (girls rode together in our car) and then Abby and I went to OMG Yogurt (where one of the YM in are ward works) and used a free certificate in my purse. When we got back I put Abby in bed, cut Ross's hair and then we went to Walmart (leaving kids sleeping--with Allen in charge) to get a key cut and buy food for missionaries coming tomorrow.