Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Yesterday was Megan, Ryan and Taylor's first day of school:( 
Meg and I talked last night about her day.  She loves her mission prep class, met a cute boy in her physics class (he walked with her for awhile after class -lol), loves her family life class, her teachers wife died of cancer a few years ago and he met a woman whose husband died a few years ago of cancer and they got married and have 13 kids (yes, I cried when she told me the story).  She has a date on Saturday and loves her roommates and student ward.  YEAH!!!!! I'm ssoooo happy.  As Chris says: "Mom thinks you should be at college for the social not the academic"  Ha, ha sooo true:)  Meg has also decided that she needs to "stay home" (in America) and get her degree finished so that when her missionary (his name is Dakota - who is in Brazil - 11 months out) comes home then she can work and he can go to school.  She is sooo wise.  I'm such a proud mother:):)  also she is thinking of getting her degree in some kind of behaviorism/speech therapy.  She would work with autistic children.

Oh, last blog that was written was started by me and ended (except the quote) by Chris.  In case you noticed a writing style difference - no your not crazy.  Hee, hee not he, he.  I started and then had to leave to take Rye to work when I came back it was finished:)  I left most of it.  I was happy to finally have it done.

Rye has a cross country meet today and Chris has been asked to ride the bus to the meet and help with whatever the coach needs him to do.  Not crazy about the meet being the second day of school.  Rye will miss meeting his "B" day teachers.  He will have to wait til Friday to meet them.  He has asked me to help him switch into a college math class - I have been bugging him forever about doing this (getting college credit and hardly paying any money for the class) I finally stopped bugging him and wallllaaaaa he wants to do it - sooo proud:):)  Hopefully they have room for him.  We can't make any class changes until tomorrow morning.  Here I come 7 am in line just like a lot of other people:):)  (I get two Dr. Peppers tomorrow:)  Funny story- Chris picked up Rye and his friend from a party last weekend.  Chris drove the friend to his house and noticed a car following them.  Car pulls up in friends drive way and asks for Ryan's phone number!!!!!!  what brave girls!!  Rye doesn't know his phone number so "his dad" gives it to the girls.  Such a proud mother.  Hee, hee.

Tay, is excited about his French class and band.  He said that he likes all of his teachers and that they all seem nice.  For the last two days Tays bus has driven right past his bus stop (other kids there also) and I have to take him to a different stop.  Calling transportation today!!!  Tay has been babysitting for one of r neighbors - she pays very well - soo he has just about enough money to pay for a new retainer.  Lost his.  I told him to put it somewhere safe before he left for scout camp.  Can't remember where somewhere safe is:):):)  He keeps trying to blame it on me. mmmm....

Last night I made my first basil pesto sauce from scratch using basil from my garden.  sooo exciting:)  We have pasta Tuesdays and Friday nights - carbs for Rye night before a race.  And made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies for Tay and chocolate chip cookies for Rye - first day of school tradition.
So far, life is just moving along and taking us with it:)  We are busy, but happy and grateful.
Love ya, Ricki

Saturday, August 25, 2012

I don't know about you but this summer has fllllowwwnnnn by!!!!  We have been sooooo busy! I have started writing a blog three different times but never been able to finish due to being extremely busy.  Thank you everyone for worrying about Chris - very kind of you all:)  He has been wearing compression socks for the past few weeks due to his legs swelling.  He is also a little more tired but I think that is because he has been keeping himself very busy with scout camps (went with Rye, Tay and Jacob at different times this summer), helping each morning with cross country, cooking food for youth conference - 175 people, 3 meals a day, 3 day conference.  Also went to Camp Helaman and I'm sure I'm missing things.  Meg left us yesterday to go back to BYU.  Been a long week looking for apartments (nothing like waiting til the last minute to get one!) and then taking her and her stuff down to Provo.  I had some issues with the blog sight...messed up a password.  Sorry I have not posted for some time.
I am excited for Meg, she seems to have nice roommates and I hope she gets to experience more of  college this time around.  Between working and classes it gets busy for her and sometimes she forgets to have fun.  She had been in Katie's room after returning from China.  Poor girl felt she did not have any space for her things, so they ended up all over the floor a foot deep (that is the excuse I am giving her for not cleaning up after herself, he he he).  I know Katie was happy to sleep in her bed and have access to her room again.  I will miss Megan, she is such a fine young lady and her steady influence is missed when she is off to school!
Ryan has been busy most of the summer running Cross Country.  He ran several community races that Chris signed him up for, he seemed to enjoy them and won a couple of them and placed 2nd or 3rd when he did not win.  Chris and I will be busy the next month or two going to his meets.  Today he ran at American Fork High, he looked good and ran varsity!
Taylor finished up tennis classes this week, took them most of the summer.  He seemed to enjoy it and it kept him active, he is a bit too friendly with the computer and the TV.  He has a great time when he gets out.  I am proud of him for earning several merit badges at camp this summer, his troop went to Bear Lake.  He had fun swimming in the lake, eating great food prepared by his leaders, and hanging out with his friends. Soooo, grateful he is done with the camping merit badge.  Grandpa Ingles stayed with him Mon-Wed night and Chris did Thurs and Friday night.  Poor Tay doesn't like sleeping other places.  Sooo glad it's over now he doesn't have to go camping if he feels upset and neither do grandpa or Chris. lol.  Thanks sooo much grandpa for helping out:)   He starts 8th grade this coming Tuesday.  He is going to help on Monday with 7th grade orientation, since he's sooo experienced. hee, hee.
Jacob and Katie have been in school for a couple of weeks now.  Jacob is in 5th grade now and he sure likes things to be right and fair.  He does not like it when others are not kind to his fellow students.  He told a boy at school this last week that if he did not stop picking on another kid that Jacob would no longer be his friend.  He is a sharp boy and a leader!  Katie is busy learning to read, she is great at sounding out.  Reads all the signs in restaurants and along the road.  We are practicing sight word flash cards every day, she is so smart!  She is so funny...she wrote me a note the other day reminding me to bring something to school for her at lunch time.  She asked how to spell some of the words.  She left it at the top of the stairs so I would not miss it.  I am not sure where she gets the reminder note idea from (not me, wink wink).
Chris keeps busy. Just had him fingerprinted for a back ground check so that he can help at all the schools.  The cross country coach would like him to ride the bus with the kids to meets sometimes and he will work in Katie adn Jacob's classrooms doing whatever the teacher wants him to do (I had mine done a year ago - good for five years). I worry sometimes he tries to do too much, but as he always reminds me, "I have to try and do it now, I don't want to look back and say I could have then".  He naps a lot and still has lots of stomach problems, the most frustrating part for him.  The growth on his neck looks about the same and his recent PET scan showed the growths in the rest of his body were only slightly bigger.  His oncologist says he can't explain why Chris is still here, he says the same as everyone else, Chris looks good.  I guess looking good on the outside doesn't always say how he feels on the inside but he is pretty stubborn and is plugging along as well as he can.  Endure to the end... stay strong, do what is right, be loyal to others, show love to others, and die well.  Those seem to be his goals.  I keep telling him he is not going to die, he scoffs at me but he wakes up each morning for another day with us!
I have been volunteering at the elementary school helping the new 1st graders at lunch.  They need help opening their milk cartons, learning where to put their trays when they are done eating, and not getting upset when they don't see their teacher.  Next week Chris and I help the new 7th graders with their lunch - new lunch number adn 4 different lines with different food options, sooo many choices:)

Well, I have to run, got to take Ryan to work!  I will try and post some pictures and write some more details soon.  Chris helped me get the password thing fixed.  I don't want to fill my email box again with emails asking why I have not written recently, hee hee!  (:  Thank you for your love and concerns, you are all wonderful!
"Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he's been robbed.  The fact is that most putts don't drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to just be people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, most jobs are more often dull than otherwise.  Life is like an old time rail journey...delays....sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed.  The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride."  Gordon B. Hinckley
(LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!)))))