the advanced level

Kindin has been taking once weekly classes in gymnastics during swim's off season.  She is quickly progressing through the classes and loves it.  (Unlike her mother who has yet to accomplish a cartwheel, she has natural potential!)  This past week, a new class - the advanced level - was prescribed and it ended up being much more serious than either of us had anticipated!

Within minutes after warm-up ^, it became clear that the other girls were more 'advanced' - doing all sorts of flips and aerials in multiples with ease.  (I'm not going to pretend to know the technical terms for what those girls could do!)  It was only 20 minutes before Kindin was in tears.   Trying hard to keep up, the poor girl had reached her quota of unfamiliar directives.  Back at it with the encouragement of the coach, she was calmed until the vault came out - at which point, she was rushing off the floor to see me.  My usually confident, able, and independent girl broke down and said, 'I just want to go home!'  I somehow convinced her to finish the remainder of the grueling two hours.

And it proved a privilege to watch her.  I sat in awe at how humbly she submitted herself to the coaching of a (rather grumpy) stranger and held her head high in confidence among the advanced gymnasts.  I've known for a while that she is growing up and right in front of me, I had more proof.  I was very pleased with my advanced level girl.  And when she was done, she was proud too - gushing with excitement about all the new things she'd tried and for the next class.  

a junky, maroon mom

My ultimate entertainment preferences combined this past week making this junky, maroon mom very happy!

I landed some elusive tickets to attend #imomsohard with some of my very favorite mom friends. It was a blast meeting these two irreverent Nebraska natives.

Later on that week, Dave impulsively ditched work and bought tickets to see Maroon 5!  The concert was a fantastic sing-a-long with marooning friends.

And I ended the week with one of my favorite traditions - junking with Mia!  We always find some fantastic things and this year was no exception.

and to think that i saw it on mulberry street

dalia's launch into kindergarten has been an entirely different experience than with the other two. obviously, it means mom is alone during the day.  i won't pretend to hate it - i actually love it. (though i did have one good cry on the 4th day of school when i reached for the cart at target and it hit me like a ton of bricks that i wouldn't have my chatty buddy sitting up top to keep me company.)  but it has been an unanticipated adjustment configuring the next chapter.  (i did accomplish a 60 mile bike race!)  like the other children, it was a rough start filled with fits characteristic of a two year old (she even locked herself in the bathroom in a fit of rage on the second day of school - we're all thankful that she's adjusted quickly to the fatigue).  but the biggest difference comes because she is our most verbose child.  she races home anxious to blurt out every single school happening - with a pseudo- mature flair that only comes from being the baby trying to keep up with older siblings.  dalia's kindergarten launch has made our after school hour quite delightful.  what has always been my worst mommy hour, 4:00 has now become a fun time to gather for her tales.

"I heard 2 boys talking in line about how pretty I am"

"There was a boy who was on the swings. And he was only going halfway. halfway! but he was screaming,  'help me!'  'Someone help!'  Until a teacher had to come and slow him down."

"I have to wait to eat lunch until everyone else does number order... I wish they would learn their number order!"

"This is so embarrassing Mom.  I accidentally tooted in line.  And Emily was in line behind me and she started laughing.  I said, 'What?'  And she said, 'you tooted.'  And I just said, 'Oh'.  And she laughed again."

standing on the shoulders of giants - grandpa jack

recently, we shared the life and military service of "grandpa jack" with the kids.  John (Jack) Paul Parry is Jack's namesake and he often asks about the man he's named after.  i told them about his cheesy jokes about the name jack.  one of my favorites was, 'hi jack - whoops, can't say that one in the airport!'  we told them how jack lived a very healthy life - playing 18 holes of golf at age 90 and going into the office to see clients into his late 80s.  and how he was always generous with his money - giving every grandchild a fun christmas bonus.  dave remembers him being at as many of his sporting events as possible.  in his honor, there was a family softball team for the idaho falls league named 'jack's pack' in which every member wore tie dye as jerseys. And we watched 'Echo' - a family made DVD saluting his service during WWII.  and the paper weight that sat on their coffee table for years now sits on our desktop as a reminder of him.

Below is his obituary:

John (Jack) Paul Parry, 91, of Idaho Falls, passed away July 31, 2015 at Lincoln Court Retirement Center surrounded by his family.

Jack was born July 20,1924 in Malad, Idaho, to Paul and Mary Mildred Parry. He was raised in Malad with two sisters and two brothers. He graduated from Malad High School in 1942. Jack was a hard-working man his whole life. He worked from the time he was a small boy cleaning chicken coops for 10 cents a day. He loved all sports and played football, baseball, basketball and even pole vaulted with a bamboo pole in High School. At 17 he left home and moved to Salt Lake taking a job as an apprentice for the Railroad. It was here that he met his future wife who happened to be a roommate with his cousin. Vadis Parry introduced Jack to Lois Lovell, of Ririe, Idaho, and they were married on March 28,1943. They were sealed in the Idaho Falls Temple on March 28,1946.

Two months after they were married, Jack was drafted into the army and served heroically until the end the war. Their first child, Renne Sue, was born during this time. Five more children were born to this union, Harriett, Kristine, John, Jackie and Steven. During WWII, Jack was a member of the Army's Rainbow Division which participated in the liberation of Dachau prison camp. He received the Bronze Star for an incredible act of courage to save a fellow soldier under fire. Jack stayed silent about his war experience for decades, until he began hearing public denials of the holocaust.Thereafter, he made numerous public and school presentations regarding the war, and considered it his sacred duty to bear witness of the atrocities of the holocaust.

After the war, Jack returned to BYU. He became a CPA and held the oldest active license in Idaho at the age of 90.

Jack was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served in many capacities in the Church. He especially loved the young men and spent many hours coaching and mentoring them. He was a friend to all-whether he knew them or not. In 1990, Jack and Lois served a church mission to Anaheim, California. He was a long-time member of the Idaho Falls Kiwanis Club and served a term as president.

Jack was his children's and grandchildren's greatest fan. He attended countless sporting events and even played with them on a coed softball team for several years. This team (Jack's Pack) is still going strong and has several of his grandchildren and great grandchildren playing on it. He didn't miss a game and attended his last game a week before his death.

Jack was preceded in death by Lois, his eternal companion of 71 years, his parents, his three beautiful daughters: Renne Sue Roe, Harriett Millburn and Kristine Powell, his son-in-law Chuck Roe, his two brothers Warren and Bill Parry, and his sister LaDean Dixon.

Jack is survived by his two sons, John D (Renee) Parry and Steven (Sharon) Parry, his daughter Jackie (Mark) Fuller, the three grandchildren he helped raise, Terry (Debie) Roe, Tammi (Frank) Hopkins, Rozie (Brad) Couch, two sons-in-law Ron Millburn and Glade Powell, his sister Barbara (Bud) Olson, 25 additional grandchildren, seventy-one great grandchildren and nine great-great grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, August 8, 2015 at the LDS Virlow Chapel, 2349 Virlow, Idaho Falls.The family will visit with friends and family from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Friday and 10:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. Saturday, both at the Virlow Church Building. Burial will be in the Ririe/Shelton Cemetery with military rites performed by the Bonneville County Veterans Team and Idaho Honor Guard. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Idaho Falls Humanitarian Center, 3270 E. 17th St. #240, Ammon, ID 83406.

yellowstone in a day

on our drive to idaho falls this year, dave and i realized the proximity with which grandma lives to yellowstone national park.  never before had we thought of it but immediately and impulsively, we decided that this was THE trip to take advantage of the opportunity.  we made it a day trip and it was wonderful - we saw moose on the side of the road, the kids passed certification as junior rangers, and we wondered in awe at old faithful and the prismatic pools.

 

on this trip, we also visited BYU I (somewhat like last summer's indoctrination trip  http://stoverstreetfam.blogspot.com/2015/09/indoctrination.html), reunited kindin and her kindergarten bestie as second generation friends (see nostalgic pic at http://stoverstreetfam.blogspot.com/2010/12/random-musings-from-hustle-bustle-mind.html) spent time at the lake, and treasured time with family and cousins.

all about me

at the beginning of every school year, elementary teachers ask for copious amounts of information. while I don't enjoy filling them out, i do specifically love the 'all about me' worksheets. It's the perfect opportunity to ponder where each of them are. and because they serve as a perfect window into who they are right now, i've included my answers here:


DALIA:

what does your child like to do at home? plays moms to her dolls or veterinarian to her pets, dancing/ singing/ performing, playdates with friends, likes fashion

is your child part of any extracurricular activities? no, i don't allow extracurrciulars for the kindergarten year- i want them to know that school is their first and most important responsibility

what is your child most interested in? she likes to cook with mom- more so than any child i've known

what kind of rewards/ reinforcements does your child respond best to? dalia likes words of affirmation and enjoys being perceived as a big kid. she takes pride in being a helper and expert.

waht are your main areas of concern for your child? i think she will do well academically. we are working to calm her sometimes bossy tone.

what are your goals for your child this year? identify an area of interest at school and feel confident, practice independence, and enjoy making friends

what else should i know about her? dalia wants life to be fun. she is brave and adventurous and chatty too. it'd be helpful for you to know that she gets extremely uncomfortable with embarrassing situations (i.e. injury, hurt feelings) and she prefers it to be unnoticed rather than fussed over.


JACK:

my child loves: to wrestle and rough house, play stratego and checkers, science, learning about animals and geography, and video games.

in his free time, my child usually: plays legos, visits neighborhood friends, begs for screen time

my child reads books such as these on his own: i survived series, diary of a whimpy kid, captain underpants, james patterson books

my child has these special abilities and talents: sports and agility, likeable and charismatic, telling jokes, was the class expert on the ipad last year, flexibility - he is very easy going

special concerns i have about him are: last year, we discovered he has test anxiety, be patient with absences as we are in the middle of assessment for adenoidectomy and tonsillectomy, as discussed before, his handwriting and artwork can be sloppy and i'd like a teacher to reinforce corrections as needed.


KINDIN:

What is Kindin like? She's sweet, sensitive to the needs of others, and intuitive.

Are there special considerations that would be important to share? Kindin has been tested a couple of times for HAL but always falls right below the line. My concern is not about HAL programming but rather there are times she's bored in school and I'd like that monitored in order to provide further learning opportunities as needed.

What are Kindin's interests? Kindin is a fantastic swimmer, she enjoys gymnastics as well, she loves time with friends, she gets bored of screen time, she taught herself how to play the piano, and she reads often (without being compelled).

How is Kindin as a learner and an individual? I think Kindin is a golden student: she is self-motivated, organized, careful and corrective with her work, goal-oriented, and a quick learner. She genuinely enjoys school and wants to be a teacher someday. At home, she is the oldest and behaves as such - she is a good example to her siblings, helps around the house when she sees a need, and prefers conversation with her parents over play. I believe she is liked by most of her peers. Kindin's best traits can be weaknesses too: she can be a worrier, she wants the approval of others and too often seeks permission, and she can be a little risk averse as well.

How does Kindin think and play? She's ALWAYS thinking! Kindin is playful by being silly and chatty. She enjoys word searches, board games, and crafts during her free time - I don't think she's picked up a toy since age 4.

mortal lifesavers

a wise friend recently quipped, a woman needs her husband to make it to the celestial kingdom, but she needs her girlfriends to make it through life.  and i feel blessed to have some of the best lifesavers!

katie, marinda and julie (from my former laveen life) came for an omaha visit! i enjoyed showing off my home (despite morbid humidity) and i absolutely adored giggling all day and night together... but i was especially glad that the years of separation haven't changed us.  they remain some of my dearest confidants and most trusted advisers. 

and then there's my local lifesavers...

we recently treated ourselves to a long weekend at the lakehouse - and it was absolutely the perfect way to refuel!

grandparents who are up for anything

grandparents are up for anything, right?  so when grandparents and aunt (whose also up for anything) came for a visit we tried out a sport trying to gain traction - footgolf.

grandparents and aunt, who are up for anything, also took the kids shooting

spoiled us with our favorite foods

goofed around downtown

grandparents and aunt, who are up for anything, even graciously accepted some sunday relaxation!

...we're so glad that grandparents and aunt, up for anything, came to visit

an 'insane' weekend

Some generous grandparents treated us to a Kansas City trip over the weekend. We enjoyed BBQ, played at science city, raced around the 'city of fountains' for a fountain scavenger hunt, watched the world champs play ball, visited liberty jail, and... rode verruckt, the world's tallest waterslide.

It was a fabulous weekend treat!

just keep swimming

we started our summer with finding dory and we've been swimming ever since:

jack joined kindin on swim team.  he likes swimming daily, enjoys being on a team, loves goofing around with his 20-something coach, is earning ribbons at competitions, and is getting extremely tan depiste 100 SPF applications.  (he isn't necessarily enjoying the associated symptoms that confirm an impending adenoidectomy)

dalia's omaha start to swimming has given her a much more relaxed 'stroke' but she's hoping to be free of her floaties soon.

we've hosted lots of water wars

and O! hosted the olympic swim trials - it stands as the best athletic event i've ever attended!  Phelps' comeback was inspiring, the olympic committee plan with a knack for efficiency, and there wasn't the puffed up self-aggrandizement that you see too often elsewhere.

summer lovin'

i've loved this guy for 14 summers now...

and he's still just as cute playing ultimate frisbee!

strep on the last school day!

2016's school year ended with a miserable case of strep.  on the last day of school (pictured below), kindin made the tough decision to stick it out - knowing she likely had strep throat just like her brother and sister had recently had.  surely she could last the 3 hours required that day!?  right?! medicated and confident, it was only 1 hour before i got the call from a very annoyed school nurse to pick up my feverish, tearful child.  it was a last day she'll always remember.    

"i'm a fashion girl"

shrouded with way too much confidence, dalia says often, 'i'm a fashion girl'.  these recently captured photos might prove her point. (?)

dalia also often says, 'when the magic happens' - her phrase for when she falls asleep.  mystified by the effortlessness of that process, she's certain it's magic.  again, point proven. (?)  there is a sandman after all.

babysitting blunders

kindin's been through a few babysitting blunders recently.   undaunted, she continues trying stints of responsibility even if secretly scared.  I encourage her by letting her know that when she's asked to babysit for others, these experiences will make her a pro!

on one occasion, i took dalia to her kindergarten checkup.  the doctor's office is literally 1.3 miles away.  the skies were clear, no tornado in site.  and 30 minutes after arriving, the tornado sirens were blaring and we were quarantined in the doctor's lounge.  i called home to a very scared, tearful daughter who struggled to talk through her fear.  i told her to head to the basement and hung up with a resolve to contact our neighbors for assistance.  no one answered their phone.  not knowing how close the tornado was (it was a close 13 miles away), i continued making calls in a room where we were squished like sardines.  i luckily found a friend who could come get the kids and rescue them from their fear.  here is dolly and i smiling through the chaos.

another time, i received 3 phonecalls in a row during my spin class.  (again, a mere 1.3 miles away)  i left the room to see what was wrong but kindin didn't pick up my calls.  i quickly put my shoes on and raced out the door as i dialed my voicemail.  a panicked message said, 'there are 4 guys in our back yard. i'm so scared.'  i dashed around cars unafraid of traffic citations with worries flashing through my mind.  all to find that it was just unannounced cable guys!  (what inconsiderate dorks!)  the kids were in a corner of the room all with tears in their eyes.
...yep, she's being prepared for almost anything!

a testament to the golden age

jack turned eight.  and in reflecting on the year, eight is really a golden age! he's developed a lot of confidence, a funny sense of sarcasm, an appreciation for physical affection sometimes, mastery and perserverance in soccer, and he finally stopped sucking his thumb.  but most importantly, he stopped complaining about church, he answers questions in his primary class, is often the first to remember scripture stories, and has learned how to be reverent in church rather than bored.  It's a neat testiment to the age of accountability.

the golden age has really show-cased his talents. we've always known about his smile that brightens any room.  he is also agile and fast. (he was the star of his flag football team this year.)  he's very inquisitive in an unembarassed way.  (we were at someone's house who had a framed family history portrait collection and he asked, 'what president is that?')  he is an excellent reader and is often chosen to demonstrate math problems for the class.  and one of the talents that i've recently been trying to decide how to help him utilize is his impressive talent for description.  (through health ailments, he has descriptions that could only be prescribed by a doctor.)  this year stands as a testament to the golden age... eight is great!

not just a whim but a hunch

'I want to ride my bicycle' by Queen is just one of the songs of my 2 hr and 46 min playlist as I competed in my first bike race.  It was my reminder to just enjoy the ride without judgment or self-criticism.  That was my primary concern - how will this newbie keep from getting discouraged among a large group of cyclists for an entire 41 miles?  (Truthfully, I'm glad I had something other than the frigid 44 degree wind to worry about!)  I'd ridden the route twice before but couldn't possibly prepare myself for how to deal with my own personal expectations in the face of 600 plus cyclists.  I carefully heeded the two pieces of advice I received from the 2 people I've  known to compete: 1. hang back at the start and let others go ahead of me and 2. simply look straight ahead without checking to my left or right.  I breezed through the first 14 miles thinking only on those two things.  (Though I'll admit, I got distracted once when passing my spin instructor.)  I biked cautiously- taking care to primarily keep my mind game in tact.  However, at 14 miles something happened to change the entire ride.  At 14 miles, a cyclist passed me.  As he passed, I realized that it was the first time I'd been passed.  (I hadn't consciously been tracking that but some sort of internal monitor was.)  And I couldn't believe it!  I'd been so focused on protecting my psyche that I didn't realize I was doing well.  I was keeping up.  I had a good pace.  In that moment, I started to give myself permission to notice the other riders.  It was thrilling to allow competition to enter the rest of the ride. I began riding with confidence and my thoughts turned to feeling like I found something I just might be good at. The race didn't track times or positions so I don't technically know how I performed but I know how many cyclists passed me and I exceeded my expectations!  It has been a long, solo, unexpected journey to this road race and it was good to feel like I wasn't just chasing a whim but rather following a hunch - a hunch that I might actually be a decent cyclist.

the proof!

dave obliges (usually) (after a bit of begging) to a yearly family picture but he really, really hates it!  he would have you believe it's the kids who hate it (and yes, they partially do) but the holdup every year is him really.  he just won't admit it.  and i finally have proof that the session ends when dave's done (not when the kids are done as he'd want you to believe)  check out this hilarious sequence of pictures from our last family photo shot!  now i have proof:

he begins to lean - signalling the end for dave: 

 this is where he posits something like, 'we're good here, right?':

hoping for an accomplice in crime he asks something like, 'chad, are you with me?'

he begins his get- away while everyone else is chatting about the possibility of more photos:

 'forget this, i'm outta here!'

all things 5

dalia turned 5.
she requested a baking birthday party (i think this interest of hers might just stick!?).

she graduated to a bigger bike

she had her kindergarten checkup (complete with a tornado touchdown during the appointment!)

and she gave her very first primary talk:

"Jesus Christ paid for our sins.  He was bleeding because of the pain. In this picture, Jesus is praying to Heavenly Father for us.  Now because of Him, we can repent and be clean even after we make mistakes.  I want to thank Jesus for dying for our sins.  In the name of Jesus Christ, amen."