Spring “Break”

Glenn has been traveling and working long, unpredictable hours the past couple of months.  After many weeks of this, everyone in the family was starting to feel worn down.  Miraculously, a business trip Glenn had planned during Spring Break was cancelled the Friday before.  Perfect!  It was too late to plan a grandiose vacation, but not too late to plan some fun.  We found a fabulous cabin up in the mountains on 30 acres of forest and booked it for Tuesday and Wednesday nights- perfect for the family fun we were all craving!

On Monday Glenn had to work.  I was busy packing and trying to get things ready for our little trip.  The boys were crabby and fighting, but I was not disturbed.  I would let them fight it out while I made the great preparations, and the next day we would be off spending time together as a family!

Monday night we were ready.  We had charcoal, ingredients for s’mores and meals, snacks, games, and hiking gear.  The only thing left on Tuesday morning was to load it into the car.

Except that early Tuesday morning Glenn woke up with a miserable case of the stomach flu.

I would not be deterred.  I figured I would get things loaded and we could go have a good time.  Glenn would surely feel better by the next day, and we could still have our family fun time.

Except that Derek started throwing up as well.

I made the heartbreaking decision to cancel our plans.  The stomach flu is so unpredictable.  Would we all feel great the next day and I would regret my decision?  Would we all be sick in the next few days and be glad to be home in our own beds?  There was no way to know.

I took Evan, Adam, and Amelia to the Littleton Historical Museum to get us away from the germs and the disappointment.  Not quite like hiking through the woods, but we had a good time.

Until Adam threw up all over in the car on the way home.  I spent Tuesday afternoon scrubbing down the interior of our van and attending to sick people.

Wednesday everyone felt better but sluggish.  We spent the day doing laundry, changing sheets on beds, and unpacking our suitcases.

Thursday we all felt great.  We decided to make the best of the situation and go for a little hike nearby at Lair O’ the Bear.  We packed our charcoal and s’mores supplies then headed out.

We had a great morning together!  We went for a short hike then grilled pizza for lunch and s’mores for dessert.  It was refreshing to be together!  Spring Break wasn’t a total bust after all!

Until I woke up the next morning with the stomach flu.  Oh well.  At least we were able to have one day of fun, and nothing says family bonding like sharing the Sprite and saltine crackers, right?  Happy Spring Break!

Mission Accomplished

Glenn and Derek ran their second 5K today.  They set 3 goals for themselves:

1.  Finish the race
2.  Finish the race without walking
3.  Beat their time from the Turkey Day 5K in November

They missed one little detail, however.  When they ran the 5K back in November, Derek had just finished up soccer season where he spent 3 days a week running for almost an hour straight.  As Glenn and Derek started training for this race a couple of weeks ago, it became painfully obvious that Derek’s running capacity has dwindled somewhat during the 5 months since soccer finished.

Yesterday as we sat down to dinner, Glenn told Derek he thought they should drop the last goal and just feel proud of themselves if they could run the whole 3 miles.  And so, this morning they set off (somewhere in that huge group of people).

They came sprinting across the finish line 32 minutes and 1 second later (they beat both of those guys next to them by a long shot, by the way).

We came home and checked their time for the Turkey Day 5K.  It was a very close 32 minutes and 15 seconds!  They beat their time by 14 seconds.  Derek pulled me aside this afternoon and told me with pride in his voice that when Glenn mentioned last night that he thought they should drop their goal, in his mind he decided he was going to try for it anyway. 

Derek said he remembered me telling him about 2 weeks ago (during a homework lecture I thought he was ignoring) that if he was going to set a goal he needed to make it happen.  He needed to just decide to do what it takes and then do it.  He was so proud of himself that he made it happen!

Later this afternoon while practicing the piano, he said enthusiastically, “I think most people think that advice only applies to large goals like beating your race time, but it applies to small goals too like having a good attitude while practicing the piano.”

What a good boy!  I’m thrilled some of my brilliant advice is sinking in!  And I’m so proud of Glenn and Derek for finishing the race, doing it without walking, and even beating their time from November!

Derek and Glenn finished 346 and 347 out of  831 participants.  Derek was 13th in his age group, Glenn was 66th.  Most importantly, they beat the people who really mattered: themselves!

(They ran out of shirts, so Glenn will get his in the mail, but they still look good!)Way to go, you two!

Ropin’ With The Ropers

Saturday I had the fortunate opportunity to go on a date with not just one, but TWO of the most wonderful young men around- Derek and Evan.  The school held a Mother-Son Hoedown, and with a last name like Roper, missing a hoedown is just not an option.

I saddled up with my two cowboys and we headed off for an evening of BBQ, lasso lessons, mechanical bull-riding, and even a fun photo booth!

Evan didn’t want to ride the mechanical bull.  I  knew he would be proud of himself if he could drum up the courage (even though he insisted that fear was NOT the problem).  After trying several methods of mild persuasion, I offered to let him choose what we would do after riding the bull, and he agreed.  Evan also insisted that I stand by my earlier offer of “If you’ll do it, I’ll do it.”  So, I was one of the few mothers there who braved the bull.  Not to brag or anything, but I got loud cheers from the onlookers upon completion of my ride.

What did Evan choose to do next?  Eat dinner.  For the second time.  So, we ate our second full meal in less than an hour (although this one consisted of more cornbread and cookies than BBQ and salad).  It was good food, but not that good.  I wasn’t about to go back on my word though, so we stuffed our bellies full to the brim!

I wish everyone could experience the joy of holding hands with a 7 year-old cowboy or giggle while planning out photobooth outfits with an eager 9 year-old.  The experience was best defined when we got home.  The boys enthusiastically burst through the door and Derek exclaimed, “Hi Dad!  You REALLY missed out!”  It’s true.  We had a great time on our date!

Can It Be True??

It is no secret that I am insanely jealous of all the curly hair that runs on Glenn’s side of the family, and slightly disappointed that none of our kids inherited the desired trait.

But, I have been keeping a close eye on a certain tuft of Amelia’s hair.  I have watched it when her hair is messy, dry, wet, clean, and fresh out of bed.  It started out as kind of a kink.  At first I didn’t dare hope that the kink could amount to anything, but weeks later it doesn’t seem to be going away and in fact seems to be taking on more form. After much observation, I have come to the conclusion that…. SHE HAS A CURL!!

Chances are that the curl won’t last and Amelia will probably not be the next Shirley Temple (or Coral Roper), but she has one curl nonetheless.  Go ahead and judge for yourself.  Amelia isn’t too keen on me taking pictures of the back of her head  (must be shy about her gorgeous curl) but you can at least get the idea.

Unmistakable, wouldn’t you say?  We didn’t miss all the good genes after all!

Kids are Strange

Adam has gotten really into coloring these days.  He can spend hours at a time coloring photocopies that he makes out of his “Keeping the Commandments” coloring book while listening to scripture stories on my iphone.  I have no idea what has prompted this streak of righteous living, but it is actually pretty entertaining (and I won’t complain about a few extra minutes of relative quiet).

The other day I came in and thought maybe Adam missed the coloring page and got his face instead.  I asked him if he colored on his face.  He answered that he did and when I asked why, he replied, “I don’t know.  I just felt like it.”

Kids baffle me sometimes.  How weird to color on your own face on purpose!  I try to picture myself doing that and it makes me laugh.  I can’t help but love them anyway though!  They’re just so darn cute!

Isn’t he adorable?  This wasn’t even posed- just gazing out the window.  I love that boy of mine (marker face and all)!