Zack's birthday cake

Zack drew a picture of the castle type cake he wanted and we did our best to design it. We maybe didn't do the best job, but he enoyed it anyway. Here is the drawing of what he wanted, followed by the actual cake.
A good plan to work from...

Our's didn't work quite like the drawing. Our bottom layer was thin, so you can't really tell it's there, or that it's a different color. It is indeed blue and then the green towers are on top.

Things turned up-side-down

Life is interesting and keeps you on your toes.

Gymnastics
Jordan made the (community) gymnastics team at the end of the last school year. We were up front about not being able to participate in meets on Sundays and they were fine with that. Last year the team had practice on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. So I also told them that she would probably not be able to make Wednesday practice regularly because she would have Youth church activities that night (Young Women's). They were fine with all that. Well, we just got the Fall practice schedule and it's and LDS nightmare--Mondays (FHE), Wednesdays (YW) and Sundays. We talked about things and explained as nicely as we could, that Jordan would have to withdraw from the team, because she can't keep that practice schedule. They said they would discuss things and let us know. So, things are up in the air right now. I'd like to know one way or the other, so we can move on if we need to and find something else for her to participate in.

School
Last year the school board nullified the teachers union, and thus their contracts. There are more details than that, but it's been a mess since. The teachers used to have to choose to prep 40 minutes before or after school. After the teachers union was nullified, the decision was made to make the school day 40 minutes longer for the elementary kids, so that the teachers could prep during the day. They keep saying that the kids will get more Math and Literacy instruction, but I don't buy that and think the school day was already long enough, especially for my littler ones. Well, late this last week, the school board decided to flip school times on their heads and make the High school and Middle schools start at 7:30 and the Elementary schools start later at 8:30. I think it's good to let the little ones not have to wake up at the crack of dawn, and not be waiting for the bus in the dark, but they are still trying to build that 40 minutes into the school day. I HATE that! School was already long enough and I don't need my kid there for 40 hours a week. There are child labor laws and I think it should apply to school and learning. That's too much time in the classroom. Plus, parents are all up in arms about the time change because those who work, which is the majority, can't get their kids to school and then to work. And who knows what time it's going to make early morning seminary start for Kate. School starts Thursday and bus schedules are still in question, among other things. I've heard the teachers won't strike, but I still hate the 40 minutes longer. They'll be going to school from 8:30am until 4pm. YUCK!

Sickness
Out of the blue, Kate began a fever on Thursday of 102 or more. I took her to an after hours clinic at our Dr.'s office and luckily our pediatrician was the one on call. The strep test was negative, but she has some other swollen lymph nodes, and her blood count indicated infection, so she is on a Z-pack for the next few days. Hopefully she'll get better quickly with school starting next week and no one else will get sick.

Hail storm--thankfully not on our new roof

James had a work meeting up on Mount Magazine (the highest point here in AR) and was able to take Jordan and Kammie along for some fun. (Kate was off to girls camp.) Kammie and Jordan "hiked" to the highest point with our friend, Nancy Goddard, while James and Wally were in meetings and then spent time at the pool. Later there was a big Hail storm. Here are a couple of shots from James' cell phone...

Good bye to the crib and rearranging Bedrooms

We moved Sidnie to sleep in a big bed since we got home from our vacation in Florida last month. She's done great. The best thing is she never gets out of bed, just calls for "Mom" when she's "awake now." With school starting in a couple of weeks, we decided it was time to the bedroom switch-a-roo. Kate and Jordan are in the front bedroom (Sid's old room) with the bunk beds and Kammie and Sidnie now share the middle room. We spent ALL day taking apart the day bed, the bunk beds and the crib and began switching bedrooms. And we are not done yet, so I don't have nice finished pictures. The mess flows freely out of both rooms into the family room. A work in progress, that for now is on hold as it is a day of rest...

Kate on the bottom bunk, Jordan on the top.

A shot of the room so far.

Sidnie's (day) bed in her new room.

A couple of shots or Kammie's bed complete with dust catcher, or rather Dream Catcher and the huge mess on the floor outside the closet.

My Boys!

We got some rain this week which helped temperatures cool down from heat indicies of 115 to 90 degrees. Since it was then bearable to go outside, Spencer and Zack decided to scale the light post out front.

Spencer rivaling his best Spiderman!
He fell shortly after this while on his way down. Thankfully he wasn't hurt much.

And Zack wasn't about to be left behind.

Kate and Youth Conference

This week Kate had the opportunity to attend a 6 stake youth conference held up on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville, AR. It was hard for me as a mother to send her off on Thursday. They had 1,200 youth in attendance--man that's a lot of youth. She had a great time. Lauren Jackson and Gloria Hiatt took care of her and helped her with make up and her hair. They stopped at Parley P. Pratt's grave site in Alma, Arkansas, on the way up to youth conference. I know they had a cultural dance celebration and she participated well in the dance number they had been learning as a ward for the last several months. (Thanks to Kristin Litster for all her work in choreographing the dance and teaching it to the youth before they moved.) They had speakers, a Luau, testimony meeting and Kate went to her first two dances and had lots of fun. I never am able to pull much information from my children, but I know she enjoyed herself and was in good hands. We were very glad to have her back though--it wasn't the same without her here at home. Boy we missed her!

MOC photos

I should be done posting about swimming, I know, but here are the few pictures my friend took from the last meet of the season, on Saturday the 24th.

Kammie's 25 yard freestyle race...

Kammie getting ready

On your mark

The start...she was a bit hesitant on the start...

It's a blurry picture of the swimmer, but that's Kam in the water with the yellow swim cap.

The score board. This would actually change and adjust a couple of times. Kam was in lane 6, so it says she finished 4th, but her official time was 17.73 and she took 2nd place.

Zack's 25 yard backstroke race...

Zacky waiting to get into the water. He's in the middle with one foot in front of the other and adjusting his blue goggles.

The start...Zack got off a little bit later than others, but won the race.

The score board at the end. Zack was in lane 5 and it's fun to see the #1 in his lane assignment.

This past week his name was even in the newspaper (the Maumelle Monitor) for the 6 year old freestyle relay team's record setting performance--cutting 10 seconds off the previous record. Go Zack, Cole, Holden and Luke.

It's the last paragraph in that first column.


Kammie also got her name in the paper for her 2nd place relay team finish. Hers is in the top paragraph on the right hand side (column).