Johnson Family Annual Jordanelle Trip

We left Friday afternoon after waiting for Devree to get home from Oakcrest. We threw her clothes in the laundry and let her shower and dry her hair and we were off. Unfortunately, Dev could not stay awake on the 45 minute drive but she found that Alex made a good pillow. What a good brother. He just let her lay on him the whole way there.

When we got there it was quite windy and not worth launching the boat. Rylee entertained herself by making a domino's tower. James and Alex played horse shoes. I made dinner.

Kambree showing us her rugged camping look.

I made Amy W's famous "Doritto" salad and it was a big hit!

This is Zach playing DS. He likes to be under his dark blanket so the sun doesn't glare on the DS screen. While waiting for Dev to get home earlier Z was at our house and T was heading to the store. Z sang out in his scratchy little boy voice, "Dad, whatever treat you get me at the store....I'll eat it!" How can you not buy treats with an announcement like that?

T & Z

That night we played Scum. Alex couldn't remember what it was called and at first called it "Soap" which is sort of the opposite of Scum?

More card playing. For the record when we retired to bed I was the president! (Don't forget that Troy!)

The none card players

This is Troy in Scum's seat and Austin as president! If you know these two then you know the irony of this picture!

We had a fabulous lighting storm Friday night, complete with thunder and rain. Mom and Dad were sleeping in the boat and mom's clothes got wet so this ensemble is a combination of mom's sleep wear, sweats and Dad's coat. Notice her hair is curled and her make up is on? I think she looks cute but she wasn't too thrilled I snapped this picture. (It was my Dad's idea!)

Arron got up early to fish and his boat wasn't running right but he decided that wasn't as bad as this guys problem. Apparently the wench broke as this guys wife pulled to boat out during the storm the night before? The boat fell off the trailer and landed right on the ramp.

James was entertained and used his safety skills to keep the site safe while they hoisted this bad boy up on a trailer.

X & D on the boat

K & R with their temporary tat's.

Captain Grandpa

T & Z again. Z entrained us with his description of outhouses. It went something like this. "I hate potty houses. There is just poop and no water! Just a pile of poop. It makes me want to frow up!" You and me both Zach!

X & James

Dad's boat wasn't running too well either so he dumped us all on the beach to see if getting some of the weight out would help. It did. That's not saying very nice things about us is it?

While on the beach we were all treated to a Rylee spa foot scrub.

One of the people in this picture said "Do not put this picture on your blog!" but since it is the only picture documenting that I am actually ON this trip-it's on the blog. Sorry.

A & R getting ready to try out the new tube.

Alex was bored on the beach and grandpa threw him the shovel. Ah-ha! A shovel! He proceeded to dig holes right where we needed to walk. After three people tripping in them, I instructed him to fill them up. He has recently been asking me how he can make his muscles bigger like James and Austin. I told him to eat protein and work out so while he grunted through filling up the holes I told him he was working on getting bigger muscles. This is him showing his digging muscles.

The sun goddesses caught ray's meanwhile I was wearing a floppy brimmed hat and hiding under my sundress to avoid burning.

My cute mom-also avoiding burning.

Mom and Dad

Alex found a spot further down the beach to dig his hole and then filled it with water and covered it with sticks. He also found these bubbles for fishing. He was so pleased with himself he asked me to come take his picture.

Airbender-I mean Austin-catching some rays. Notice the curly q's in his arrow? We can thank the missionary's serving in our area for that. (I'm a little worried about year book pictures next month!)

Arron got his boat running better and took us all tubing behind it.

We had a great time and sorely missed Kammy and her family and my brother Jeff. Kam was home with her broken leg and Jeff was swamped with work.

When I got home I tackled "Mount Saint Laundry" and Dev and I packed for girls camp and left the next morning.

Poor Dev. She's still up at camp, she will have camped ten days out of eleven when she gets home! I bet she's going through cell phone and Facebook withdrawals.

Sumnmer Insanity & Upate

Well, it's time to "hang on and keep my hands and feet inside the ride at all times"! It's camp/birthday extravaganza at our home in the next few weeks. Dev is at girls camp-she'll get back on Friday. Alex leaves for 11 year old scout camp tomorrow and get's back on Saturday. Austin leaves for Montana on Saturday-he's vacationing with his friends family-and get's home next Saturday Kambree leaves the following Monday for Badgerett camp down at Snow-she gets home on Alex's birthday-the same day that Austin leaves for scout camp. The next Friday is Devree's birthday. Austin arrives home on Saturday we're ALL home on Sunday and then Alex leaves for scout camp on Monday and Kambree's birthday is on Tuesday! We have a four week period where we will ALL be home for TWO day's out of TWENTY EIGHT!
Is that insane or what??
Besides the overwhelming fear that I'll forget to get a child packed, dropped off or picked up at the right place and time and the ticking time bomb of birthday shopping followed by back to school shopping, things are good.
Not so good at my sisters house. She broke her leg last week. One surgery, one plate and five screws later she's home with orders to put no weight on her foot for six weeks and crutches for twelve! Her life is just as packed if not more than mine. She works 3/4 time, is taking a college chemistry course while she waits to get into PA school, has three kids of her own and one special needs foster son that makes Alex and Austin combined look saintly. Good thing we live close and her kids are like my own. Her littlest one spent the day with us and I love listening to her sing as she cuts up scrap paper into teeny tiny pieces and peppers the floor of my office. Syd will be three next Monday and has quickly learned that her mom cannot chase her or get her out of stuff so it's safer to be at Aunt Wendy's or send Rylee over to be the eyes and legs for Kammy.
We had a lovely lunch with our Ukraine friends today. Thanks for the sushi Amy! I always love getting together with the other parents that have adopted. I love seeing how their children have blossomed and hearing their funny stories and struggles.
We also try to keep tabs on the other families coming and going from Ukraine. The experience of adopting in Ukraine is something that just bond's us together.
I've been commissioned or recruited or something like that to write the Save A Child Foundation newsletter. I've been a slacker as we were up to our eyeballs in Peter Pan practices and performances and then the 4th, and camping and just life so I tried today to put something down on paper. I have this new Mac with a wonderful program and after we went out to lunch I sat down and really put some effort into the newsletter only to have some sort of error and the program shut down and everything I worked on lost!! Grrrr.....
I have a feeling it was something I did and not the computer but regardless, it's gone and I'm back to square one!
Alex is excited to be going to scout tomorrow. I'm a little nervous. I know he'll be fine and have fun and I don't doubt he'll enjoy a day off of studying but I just worry a bit. He's never been away from home for two nights without being with us.
Last night when I discovered he hadn't done his reading or his journal he lost $5 of his $100 for studying. That's the deal. The deal was I wouldn't be reminding him or hounding him to do his studies and it would be finished before nine thirty at night. Just after nine last night I asked if he was done. (He's been watching TV for a couple of hours and playing most the day so he had plenty of time.) Nope. When I had him do the math as to how he was going to get thirty minutes of reading in before nine thirty when it was 9:08 he agreed he had failed to hold up his end of the bargain.
When I went to tuck him in he told me in a quivering voice that he "just can't handle ninety dollars" (the amount his $100 is down to). I was a bit confused but what I think he was trying to say was he just can't handle EARNING his $90 dollars. I explained that he had to study one way or another either he could do it willingly and earn the money or I could remind him and hound him each day. Either way he had to do it. We talked about how sometimes we make mistakes and that all he made was a $5 mistake. Why throw away the whole $90? He was pretty down trodden and resigned to the fact that he just can't do it. After a few more words of encouragement and a "sleep on it and tell me what you decide in the morning" he's back on track and worked on his studies first thing this morning.
Game On Diet! Update.
I've lost six pounds. I even stayed on plan at girls camp which was no easy task. We're at the top of our fourth week. My team isn't doing so well, I think we're in 4th overall. Boo. But man alive! If it weren't for peer pressure I would have falling of the wagon long ago! I do love my free day and I would probably be down more than six if it weren't for my love of eating everything under the sun on free day!
James is back to work. ((Sigh)) But we're so grateful for his job and more importantly his paycheck!
Blessings to all!
Wendy

Good read!

I have lots to post-we just returned for a camping trip and I went up to girls camp for the day but I had to catch up on some of my favorite blogs and found this article and found it so enlightening that I wanted to share it with all of you.

It's a quick read and gives a HUGE understanding to what older adopted children may think and/or have experienced.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/bases-loaded/201007/kidnapped-or-saved-how-some-orphans-really-feel-when-theyre-adopted

I spoke to Alex about this article and he claimed all though the teachers swore at him and "are nicey-nice to parents and not to children" that no one ever told them they were worthless or deserved being in an orphanage. Whew.

He had heard about the organ thing but didn't believe it for a minute. Another whew!

But I do think he might have felt so very unbalanced when he lost his language about six months after being home. It would be scary to not even understand your thoughts. You would think you were going crazy I think. I argued this with the school-that he was a child WITHOUT a language not a 2nd language learner. Ever so often he'll blurt out a word he remembers in Ukraine but besides "hi" and "bye" and a few random words-he truly cannot speak his language. He understands it to hear it, he just cannot speak back. We've even typed in words on a speaking translator program but they speak so fast he just laughs and say's "I cannot understand that word."

My thoughts on it all....

Last May I wrote the following post in my private blog. Today I feel compelled to share it with all of you. I didn't post it as I didn't want to offend those with well meaning advice and opinions but I think there are probably quite a few of you out there in my same boat with well meaning folks diagnosing and analyzing your child. So I'm not longer holding back, here are my thoughts....

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Yesterday, I had a fabulous lunch with a bunch of mom's that have adopted from Ukraine. Some have had their kids for 3+ years and others less than we've had Alex.
I follow so many blogs of families that struggle with adoption and have children diagnosed with RAD and PTSD and all sort of attachment disorders that it was refreshing to visit with mom's that have kids a lot like Alex. Kids that love openly, try hard and are blossoming where they are planted.
After reading so many traumatic and scary scenario's in blog world, it's almost like I've been watching for the other "shoe to drop" with Alex. Waiting for his RAD or PTSD to come roaring through. Waiting for some violent or emotional outburst. Some proof that he is broken and needs fixing. Not because I WANT it but because I've been told it WILL happen that he can't possibly have endured his past without having an official diagnosis, issues and or problems.
But guess what....not happening!
Yes, I know we've been home just over a year and that things can surface later but rather than live my life on eggs shells waiting for it to happen, I am just going to stop looking for it, stop assuming he's broken, and stop giving into fear.
Yes, he struggles with homework, who wouldn't only being in a country for a year? Yes, he has horrible memories and past experiences, we talk about them when he wants to talk about them and he's moving on and healing. Yes, he struggles to tell the truth but after ten years of lying at the drop of a pin it's going to take awhile to give up that vice.
He has confidence, he feels secure in his position here in our family, he's working on telling the truth, talking about his feelings, learning the Gospel, sharing his parents, making friends, learning English, growing and trying new things and all in all he's doing beautifully.
Not ONE of the families in our group have their kids in therapy. Some use and apply the Beyond Love and Logic principles but most parent their Ukraine imports with the same skills and strategies that they parent their home grown children with. And they are having success.
We moms have our ups and downs but we do with ALL our children, adopted or not.
Am I naive? Am I just looking through rose color glasses? Maybe. But that's okay. I think that's better than jumping to conclusions, diagnosing him myself, trying therapies without being a therapist. I think there is much worse things than just loving and accepting a child as he is and letting come what may and crossing that bridge when we get to it.
As of today I am done waiting for the "shoe to drop" I am just going to love and accept Alex just like he is and just take it one day at a time. He has done nothing to warrant putting him in therapy or counseling. In fact he's easier right now then some of his siblings. Much easier.
Nope, the road here wasn't smooth and I imagine we will still have bumps and bruises. But hey, I have that with ALL my children and I'm not dragging them by the hand to sit in front of a therapist or join a therapy play group.
Besides, some therapy's like the water therapy and some of the holding techniques have proven to be more harmful then good. Why would I want to subject to Alex to anything more harmful and traumatic then what he's already been through? Many theories are unproven and I'll be darned if it's my kid that they practice on and decide years later, "Nope that didn't work!"
I'm a firm believer that if you treat him like he's broken he will be broken. I also think that kids will act and behave a lot like you expect them to act and behave like. If you're always telling your friends and family how awful they behave, what issues they have then by darn...they'll prove you right! I have a friend that openly tells everyone how her child is so shy and backward and what a horrible student she is. All the while the child is standing next to her. Guess what? She is all those things and will probably continue to be because that is what her mom expects of her.
This is not to say that I don't think some children need therapy or help. They do. There are amazing mom's out there that deal with incredibly hard children day in and day out. Mom's that make my life look like a piece of cake. Children that need help. Professional help. But just because a child is adopted be it from Ukraine, Uganda or the Uruguay, doesn't mean they automatically have all these diagnosis, issues and problems.
I thank my lucky stars that I have Alex. I am thankful for ALL my children and the problems they EACH have. Perfect children like perfect parents are imaginary. I am just grateful that the issues and situations we have we muddle through. Not always perfectly, not always the way we should but we make it. Day by day. Moment by moment.
So that's my vent. Not all adoptive mom's are at their wits end, I know, I just lunched with some yesterday!

Getting....

You know?
I get a lot of things.
I get that living in an orphanage was hard. I get that the life Alex lead before living with us was sad, lonely and full of defense. I get that lying was an everyday occurrence, that cheating was the norm, that tattling was praised.
I get all that.
What I don't get is that after a year or more of living in our home he still struggles with all these issues.
The lying one has got to be the one that kills me the most. Now, don't get me wrong, he doesn't lie about big things or even important things. He lies about the stupidest, everyday, won't even get in trouble if you did or didn't things!
Did you brush your teeth?
Yes.
Did you write your words down?
Yes.
Did you finish your homework?
Yes.
And the list goes on. To all these questions if that answer had been negative my response would have been, "Then go do it." not a punishment. When confronted on these small lies and asked what I would have said if he had told the truth he admits I would have just said "Go do it." He knows he's not in trouble. And when asked if when he lies if he always gets caught the answer is "Yes." But the question of "So, why do it?" remains unanswered.
The cheating he is consciously trying to work on. He told me in Ukraine everyone cheats and the teachers don't even care. Well buddy, in America cheating doesn't fly. At least not in our family. The sad thing is, he cheats so well last year he tested ON grade level for math but now that we're working on summer school it's apparent that he is NOT on grade level. He's just creating more problems for himself because by cheating he's not getting the help and basics that he needs and then he'll have to continue cheating because he doesn't know how to do the problems. I've tried explaining this and I think he gets it but he wants to badly to please and perform correctly that the compulsive desire to cheat is so very strong. We're hitting math hard this summer and I'm thinking I'll be taking his teacher aside and explaining his situation and hoping he can keep an eye out or strategically place him in the class where it's impossible to cheat?
Tattling. Oh good gravy. We're getting use to it AND he's trying hard not to but when you were rewarded and patted on the head for narking in the past-it's hard to get past that annoying, sibling detesting, driving mother insane behavior.
I don't get our newest issue-his inability to speak clearly. He speaks so fast and slurred that if he says "I don't have....it sounds like "I have..." which is exactly the opposite of what he's saying and very confusing for all involved. And it's not that he doesn't know the words or can't speak clearly-he can-he just doesn't. This I don't get either. You would think he would want to be understood? He claims he does and cry's sometimes that no one can understand him but yet he won't slow down and speak clearly. Even in the most calm and easy going situations. Even his "okay" sounds like "nukay".
I thought I got the fact that we had an understanding about studying this summer. The deal was 2 hours a day, 5 days a week and $100 at the end of summer. Well, Alex is smart. He's figured that if he just stares into space for minutes on end "thinking"about his homework and watching the clock tick eventually his two hours gets over and he's done about 15 minutes worth of work. So this week the rules changed and he has a daily list of things that have to be done and he can work on it for as long as it takes. He cried and carried on over this until I sat down with him and asked him if he were concentrating and trying hard how long would spelling take? English? Math? Flashcards? Reading? Journal? He gave me the minutes he thought it would take and it added up to LESS than two hours! Good grief.
I get that Alex is hyper vigilant about things. If anything is lost or misplaced-just ask Alex. This morning I was looking for my shopping list and couldn't find it. Upon hearing what I was looking for Alex rushed off exclaiming (or at least I think-as I cannot understand him and especially with his back turned to me rushing off) that he knows where it is. I joked about him being my own little KGB agent but really....he is! He knows where everyone is and where everything is and he's the first to answer the phone or door. He can't talk on the phone or write down a message but he certainly knows how to say hello. I've had to talk with him about NOT answering the phone unless he knows who's calling and letting the phone go to voice mail.
I get that Alex is tough. Physically. He's not ton's bigger than his friends but he is hands down tougher than all of them. The other night he had four friends over and they were taking turns trying to wrestle him. After whopping everyone, one boy got mad and jumped on him while he was down. Alex told him to let him up and they would start over and the boy wouldn't so Alex aggressively got the boy off of him. The boy had his pride hurt and took all the friends and left. Alex stormed in the house and after figuring out what happened, we had a little talk. No, it wasn't right what the boy did but Alex needs to just walk away when things get like this-we talked about him being Hurricane Alex-and how he has to be the one that controls his aggression. We also talked about how un-fun it is to always lose-like how un-fun it is to lose to Austin all the time in wrestling-that maybe he needs to let his friends win every once in awhile? He agreed.
I don't get how he's forgot so many things so fast. He wanted an idea of what to write in his journal and I suggested he write what he remembers about visiting our house during the hosting program. He immediately fakes crying. I asked why and he said because I have to go on airplane back to Ukraine. No, I'm not asking you to write about that-I'm asking you to write about when you first met your new family and the fun things we did. We looked over pictures on the blog to help him remember and he wrote about the pictures and "leaving the next day." I asked him how many days he stayed with us and he said three. (He was here for over two weeks.)
I also don't get his warped memory of his past. How wonderful he thinks his brother treated him-when he went years without a visit or how great his Ukraine Dad was-when he let him be beat by his mother and forced to shoplift and often went hungry. Last week he was telling us these ridiculous, impossible stories about letting off firecrackers on his teachers head and inside the orphanage. I finally said, "Alex I don't think that really happened. I think you might have really liked to have that happen but it really didn't happen did it?"
"No. I tell you a story."
Funny how "telling you a story" sounds better than "telling you a lie"? And just how much is true about his Dad and brother and how much is "a story" that he might possible have created to help him cope with his neglectful past?
(((Sigh)))
I do get that Alex needs love. Unconditional, non judging, out and out shooting sparks love. I get that. And each day I tell myself today's the day I'm going to dish that out with heaping spoons to Alex and everyday I go to bed thinking of the many talks, reprimands, lesson's, reminders, corrections and sighs I've dished out-sprinkled with love.
But then I get this.....yesterdays journal entry-after talk #403 (?) about homework and lying:
Mom and I were talking about my homework. I cried for nothing. If I concentrate on my journal I will be able to play. But I gave up and lied to my mom. I was upset about stupid sentences. I felt so much better after I had a talk with my mom.

And every day I get sweaty hugs, and a cute little boys head laid softly on my shoulder at the oddest moments and I get that he's mine and for better and for worse we just keep getting on.
Oh, and I don't want to forget this- when I had him write about the first time he met our family he instantly referred to me as "my mom" in his journal. I said "Alex, you didn't know I would be your mom when you came did you?" "Yes," he said grinning up at me, "I knew when I first saw you that you would be my mom."

That gets me.....right in the heart!

Happy Birthday Dad!

My Dad is a "real life nephew of my Uncle Sam....born on the 4th of July!"
When I was little my best friends Dad's birthday was the 24th of July so I sincerely believed that all Dad's had parades and fireworks on their birthdays!
My Dad is a lot of things.
He's always been a big, strong man. I remember him working out and lifting weights when I was little. In fact I remember him using me as a bench press. He played basketball and softball. I spent many a summer evening playing on the rock bleachers at Murray Park watching my Dad hit the ball into the pool. Because he was a pitcher-it was assumed that I could pitch for our Young Women softball team. Uhm....wrong!
I remember always feeling safe when my Dad was around. Once while floating down tube's on a river my mom-who always tends to get hurt somehow during water sports-went over a small waterfall and my Dad stood up and walked against the current to go take care of her and make sure she was alright. Not one other person-full grown men included could even stop! That's my Dad.
A few years ago he had a portion of his lung removed and his health has not been the same. I know it frustrates him to not be as physical and strong as he was but he's become stronger in different ways. He's sort of the level headed rock of our family. He's the phone number I always put as the 2nd person to contact in case of an emergency.
After his surgery he was on very strong pain meds that made this quiet, giant of a man talk and talk and talk. I joked that Dad on Lortab makes the best girlfriend! I loved it and I still love it when Dad starts reminiscing and sharing stories of his youth. Just a few weeks ago he told me a story about telling his Dad he was going to babysit at the neighbors house on New Years Eve-his Dad had been asleep and he woke him up to tell him. Well, apparently Grandpa wasn't very awake because when he got home there was police at his house as Grandpa and Grandma had no idea where he was and had called them!
He's never been big on lectures or lessons but man on man when I was little he could break my heart with just one "holler". I have very vivid memories of him putting me over his shoulder and patting my back trying to help me calm down as I couldn't catch my breath and hiccuped with sobs because "Daddy howered at me." He never had to raise his hand to us or lecture us to death just one bark of his gruff voice and we melted into sobs. I think he could still do that to me if he wanted to.
I will never forget when Austin fell off the tricky bars the 2nd day of kindergarten and broke his arm. I had left my cell phone in my car and was helping my sister move into her new apartment so the school called my Dad. He had just come through surgery himself-his lung removal- and he picked Austin up and took him to the ER all the while Austin hollering in pain over ever bump and dip. My Dad was white as a ghost when I saw him-I thought Austin must be dying based on how pale my Dad looked. Austin wasn't dying but my Dad was so worried and concerned and in pain himself and I'm sure being back in a hospital after just leaving a few weeks earlier didn't help either.
My Dad is a jack of all trades. Between him and James I don't think there is much they cannot fix. Dad's always helping me out with car issues or stuck garbage disposals while James is away.
Thirteen years ago we moved around the corner from my parents. At the time I wasn't sure it was a good idea but the deal we got on the house was too good to pass up so we took the plunge and moved in! Seven years later I guess we just weren't close enough (around the corner and down five houses) so we bought our current home which is on the same road and three houses apart! It's great to have my mom and dad so close.
So, Dad....I know you don't read my blog but I just wanted to document how much you mean to me and what a great dad and grandpa you are!
Happy Birthday!

The Real 4th of July!

Sunday after church we went up to Jordanelle reservoir to celebrate the 4th and my Dad's b-day. My cousin Jen and Paul had reserved a small pavilion on the lake. The weather was windy and chilly and then sunny and windy. So we kept putting on our jackets, then taking them off.

My handsome brother Jeff catching some rays.

Dad, Mom & Aunt Deb

Alex on his homemade chair on the beach

The girls posing

The birthday boy! (If you look closely you can see the only picture of me-in the reflection of his glasses!)

Austin keeping his bald head covered to avoid sunburn AND staying warm.

My cute grandma!

The girls throwing sticks in the lake. (See below for their funny video that they had no idea I was recording!)

James playing horseshoes

Alex playing horseshoes

It took awhile(and a few tears of frustration and a rock kick or two) but he finally got the hang of it and this is him posing behind his "leaner" (horseshoe leaning against the pole.)

The girls dancing to their own drummer??

Saturday morning we went to Murray's 4th of July parade. This year we didn't get our traditional spots in the shade but that was a blessing as it was so pretty chilly for the 4th of July!

My Five!

Devree after her water fight with her friend on a float with WAY more water power than she had! (I don't know why this won't rotate!)

Rylee after the clown with silly string

Ry and Dad moment

Grandpa concentrating on the parade

Grandma Lee

It was rather chilly-as evidenced by the jean blanket Austin wore the whole time!

Alex after being hit by a water gun

Syd and Ry

James in front of our Stake float that he helped build and craft!

Here's a little video of the float!

That night Kambree and Austin went with friends to the fireworks and James and I were tired and really didn't want to go but the three home were set on going so we loaded up the bikes in the truck, parked over by the high school and road in right when the fireworks started. It was pretty cool riding our bikes with fireworks going off over our heads. We found a patch of grass, threw ourselves down, watched the fireworks and then jetted out of there before the masses. It was nice-the whole adventure was about thirty minutes! Next year I think we'll bike from home and leave a little earlier!

Austin.... The Last Airbender

Tuesday night at midnight the girls went to see the premier of "Eclipse" and last night Austin and his friends went to the long awaited premier of "The Last Airbender".

Austin's been waiting months for this film to come out. He and his friends were all excited and had special haircuts to celebrate the release of the film.

The barber? James of course!

And these handsome boys all had the same haircut.....

Here's a view looking down.

And the two that went the baldest along with a friend that said NO WAY!

Austin's haircut was actually complete before I got home. Good thing as I would have put up more of a fit-he told me he was going to do it-I just didn't think he really would.

James asked all the boys if it was okay with their parents and they all said "Yep!" But one boy, upon going home to get his car keys for the movie, got in trouble. He came back and told us about it. As James was cleaning up his barbering tools and hair he shrugged and said "Well, at least we weren't giving them beer!"

We certainly felt like the hippie parents.

It's just hair for goodness sake.

Now that's Austin's seen the movie and is sorely disappointed in it, I think he wishes he hadn't done it. Good lesson to learn...right? I bet many a person with a tattoo feels the same way-but at least with hair-time heals all things.

I'm a little worried about his yearbook photo in August and blessing the sacrament. I think we will have to shave the whole thing in time but for now he's Austin....the last Airbender!

ALex On The Long Board

Tuesday night Alex came in all excited! "Mom come take my picture!" He had been playing on one of Austin's friends long boards and was so excited to show off his new trick. Not only did he want a picture he wanted video!

At the end of this post of said trick, is a way to long video.

What is the trick, you may ask???

Riding the long board on his belly!

(Although in this shot it looks like he's just loving on the long board!)

I finally made him stand up and pose for a picture after two minutes of belly surfing.

I've been very aware of his time playing video games lately and since he's allotted time was over with before lunch I guess he had to find something else to do? Oh, well-at least he had fun and per his request here is his video on the blog!

It really is quite boring but in the event you have nothing better to do just ignore my conversation with Rylee (about what Werewolf's like to eat-she was playing a trivia game and came out to pick my brain-like I know what Werewolf's like?) and the terrible wind sounds.