THE PARK POST

This table belonged to Michael's parents years ago and we inherited it probably 9 or 10 years ago from them. We have re-finished it, re-painted it, and re-upholstered it a few times, but finally decided it was time to say goodbye to it last week. We have spent many hours around this table playing games, eating meals, doing homework, creating art projects and playing playdough. It really has been a fixture in our family's life. This will be one of the last hand-me-down pieces of furniture we acquired from our school days. (And believe me we've had a lot over the years) You would think I would be sad to see it go, but I'm not. I'm actually excited for the new table to move on in and this one to move on out to another family in our ward that needs a free hand-me-down. I would love to know where this table ends up someday. Bon Voyage!

McKell has dreamed about being on a competitive gymnastics team ever since she knew what that even meant. Mike and I have not let her do it in the past for several reasons(cost, time, Sunday meets, etc.). When we moved here they asked again if she would like to be on the team. We explained our reasons to them and told them our issue with Sunday meets. They said she wouldn't have to go to those meets and wouldn't be charged to be at them since it was for religious reasons. Her meets are from Aug. to Dec. and she only practices twice a week. So we decided to let her join the team last Jan., before the whole deployment thing happened. Yesterday was her first meet in Roswell, GA. She loved the leotard, sweatsuit ensemble and all of the goodies they gave her. She was in heaven! She did a great job for her first time. She even won first place in vault for her division, and 4th over-all. Jackson, Sydney and I weren't in heaven exactly, since the meet was a good 4 hours from ...

I pass by the Hilton Terrace Baptist Church everyday on my way to pick Paige up from school. They have some of the best quotes on their sign. "Life without God is like an unsharpened pencil, it doesn't have a point." "God wants us to be like spiritual fruit, not religious nuts."

Since I have had to drive Paige to seminary every morning, Mike has been helping get the younger kids ready over Skype. We turn the camera towards the kitchen so he can see what is going on and help them manage their time. It can be very frustrating for him watching the kids misbehave and not being in the room to do anything about it. They have gotten very good at pretending not to hear him, and he is never sure if they can hear him or not. This morning he had to helplessly watch Jackson and McKell fight over a water bottle and sit by as it flew through the air and crashed into the pendant light above the bar. By the time I got back and got the kids out the door, he was feeling a little overwhelmed, ignored and disrespected. Parenting from a distance is not as easy as it sounds!!

Some of the best surprises are simple things in life. This tree, which I think is a crepe myrtle, has only had green leaves on it until a few weeks ago when all of the pink flowers started popping out on it. And the other bush out front is a lilac bush, I think. It smells awesome and the purple buds are so pretty. (I need my green thumb friends to clue me in on what plants are in my yard.) All of these plants were put in by our builder, so we had no idea they would bloom like they have. Another surprise for the day was Sydney and Jackson getting along and playing outside together. I guess you just never know what a new day will bring!!

Lately we are spending lots of time together driving to activities, lessons, school, etc. Yesterday Jackson and Sydney had a heated conversation about whether or not jelly fish like to eat jelly. Apparently Sydney read a book at school about a jelly fish that loved jelly, and since she doesn't quite know the difference between fiction and non-fiction, she was adamant that jelly fish do indeed love jelly. Jackson loves to argue about most any topic, and especially if he thinks he is right about something (which in his mind he always is right). He proceeded to inform her they like plankton, not jelly, and then the volume started to escalate. Pretty soon it became physical and the two of them were in a full scuffle in the back seat. My new mantra is "choose your battles," so I chose to bow out of this one and let them figure it out. I'm not sure if they ever came to an agreement, but I learned that my kids will fight for their right to have their opinion heard. I g...

Today I buried my first dead body. Ok so it was only a miniature sized chipmunk, but it still was one of the worst things I've ever had to clean up in my life. I put it off for a few days hoping somehow it would just go away, but instead my procrastinating made it worse because of the stench, flies, and wet fur from the rain storm. (I am gagging just writing about it.) These are the kind of days when I miss my hubby!! The most pleasurable part about it for me was pouring a whole jug of clorox on the back porch and scrubbing it like crazy. I threw out all items the cats had been on and hosed down everything. It was seriously one of the most cleansing moments of my life. I had also put off getting the traps for the cats, but miraculously both cats have been gone all day, so I am hoping they got the memo that we closed up shop.

The cats have still not left our backyard. I kept accusing the kids of feeding them on the sly, but after yesterday I realize that's not the case. Jackson and Sydney found this little chipmunk out on the porch where the cats have been staying. At first I thought he was lounging like the cats, but upon further inspection we realized he had a mortal wound on his back and had been attacked. A few days before that we found a dead bird back there in the same spot. I think they are truly hungry and for some reason don't want to leave us. Today I'm heading over to animal control to pick up some traps so that they can take over. I don't want to have to bury anymore animals.

The morning started out a little troubled when I woke up around 6:15 and realized I didn't hear any noise coming from downstairs. I ran down and woke Paige up because apparently her alarm didn't go off. She was scrambling around and pretty upset because she only had a half hour to get ready for school (She was planning on an hour and a half.) She made it out ok and hopefully doesn't get too lost today. Sydney and Jackson walked right into school and didn't seem nervous at all. I will have to drive them for a few days until the bus pass comes. McKell has the most time to get ready. She was the only one to take the bus this morning. I'm sure she will adjust fine, as long as she can figure out her locker. I have to admit that it feels really nice this morning to be back in a regular schedule. I think I'm a better mom when I have some alone time during the day.

Sydney lost her first tooth today. She would not let any of us touch or wiggle it when it was loose in her mouth. I think she was nervous about losing any part of her body or seeing blood after the stitches incident. She was shaking like a leaf when she went to the mirror and saw the blood, but when she finally pulled it out and realized it wasn't going to hurt or change her too much, she suddenly became very excited. I think she felt like one of the big kids and felt like she was really brave. She's all ready for her first day of Kindergarten tomorrow and now she has exciting news to share.

These are pictures of Michael's accomodations while in Mosul, Iraq. He has quite the view of this bunker (above) every day when he opens his door. I guess it's nice to know you have somewhere to go if any bombing begins. I think the neutral tans and grays really simplify the space and keep it classy. Here's a nice patio feature on the compound. Here's the hospital. It is only about 10 steps away from where he lives which is a plus. Location, location, location. Here's a view looking towards his front door. What spectacular curb appeal! He even has a home theater system right outside his door. They project movies onto the cement wall and enjoy for hours. A cement wall can be a multi-functional piece of real estate.

Thursday night I took Paige to freshman orientation at Columbus High School. The school seemed awfully big and crowded. I think she is a little nervous because she doesn't have many people she knows in her classes, but she vowed to remain positive. (One of her new traits that I love.) Columbus High School has been around for over 100 years and is very established and well-known here. The building is really old, but I think the school is going to be a very good school. It's a liberal arts magnet school, and they expect a lot out of the kids. She had to take a test to get in and has to keep her grades up to stay in. They have to give 20 hours of community service every year and they teach them manners, ettiquete (sp?), and how to act in social situations. It is definitely a southern school. We're hoping Paige can teach the rest of us how to act properly in public. She'll have to be getting up pretty early to attend Seminary before school every day. I really like the l...

I didn't realize until recently that we have an invisible friend living around the house. I found chips crunched up all over the couch and when I asked who did it, no one seemed to know. Or when I noticed a nice sized deep purple nail polish spill on our rug, the kids just couldn't figure out where it had come from. Later on I found a figurine my mom had given me, minus its head and arm, inside the washer. That too was a big mystery to us all. When one of the windows magically popped out of its track earlier this morning I knew someone was really up to no good. One of the infamous cats made its way back inside the house again tonight and scared Paige and her friend downstairs when they found it walking around. No one knows how that cat got in here or why it is still hanging around (since we haven't fed it in weeks??). Hmmmmm, Maybe he has some invisible accomplices that have helped him carry out his mischievous work today. The anticipation is just killing me.

Mike has had a lot of free time on his hands lately. His biggest challenge in Iraq right now is being bored. One of his new past times is ping pong. Last week he was so excited to win the tournament they had at the base where he is. The little things are what keep him going. Unfortunately I had to take his picture on Skype and it didn't convert very well and is super tiny, but at least it is proof. We have one month of this deployment under our belt and we are starting to feel the length of his time away. I do love the fact that we can talk everyday, it really helps to see him, but I sure wish he were here.