Scarborough Fair

Utah Soccer Alliance is the big deal in soccer for boys in Salt Lake City.  For the next 7 weeks we will be spending our time at practice and games.  There are 2 other boys from our neighborhood who also play on his team.  Next week I'll post pictures, but after game 1 Logan did really well.  He stands taller than the other boys and showed terrific soccer acumen considering he hasn't every played before.

We enjoyed socializing with the neighbors and Grandma Bryant who also came to the game.

Each year our Stake puts on a Stake Fair.  It's a community event where Brother Bailey can show off his prized tomatoes and Brother Richards displays the Green Peppers from his garden.   There was an area for homemade quilts, bottled preserves, and handouts on preparedness.  Each ward makes a stone soup, where the only ingredients are a small stone and anything you can grow in your garden.  An award is given to the best soup.  Hot dogs, grilled corn on the cob, and popcorn are all provided by the stake.

There was a hayride.

Cotton-candy

And a craft.  Build a bug where children made critters with egg cartons, pipe-cleaners,  glue and sprinkles.  

This year the day's event began with a 5K.  For the first year there were about 100 people that participated.  The men from our running group ran and did very well.  We took 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 6th!  I finished 3rd and it was all I could do to keep the 4th place finisher behind me.  We had quite the sprint off at the end and I'm glad he pushed me like he did.  I haven't finished a race in such an exciting fashion for a long time.

Here is an updated photo of baby Alyssa.

Remember When

The best part of this week is that no one from our family had to go to the hospital.  This is the first week in 4 that we didn't have to go, so for that I am grateful.  Of course we were flooded, so it wasn't a week without struggle.

The highlight of the week was celebrating the 80th birthday of my dear Grandmother Joyce Hort Bryant.

Her children put on quite a production inviting everyone from her TOPS Class, Dialysis nurse, ward members, neighbors, and of course family.  There was about 5 times more food than was needed with amazing desserts.  My cousin Julie had a beautiful cake made that had 2 pictures of Grandma on it.  When she was young, and a more recent picture.

There was a video with pictures of her life and her children and grandchildren, scrapbooks of important happenings including her cosmetology license, report cards, pictures including her in the stake singing mothers choir.

Many people attended to wish Grandma a Happy Birthday and demonstrate their love for her.  She was a huge part of my upbringing and I spent a lot of time with her as a baby and even though high school my grandparents lived close enough that I would often ride my bicycle over to their house and visit.

I love you Grandma.

After all of the festivities we had our annual backyard camp out.  This year we elected to invite over other fathers and sons.  We had 3 other neighbors with their boys.  We rode the canoe in the canal in our backyard, rode the ATV, and then played flashlight/talkie talki tag.  All the boys had a great time playing with each other and shining their flashlights.  Everyone was so tuckered out that we immediately crashed as soon as we laid down.

Backyard camping is the best of sleeping outdoors and modern conveniences.  I stayed abreast with Facebook laying next to the boys as they slept.  I'm actually looking forward to doing it again next year.

The Rain's Came Down and the Floods Came Up

I'd like to insert an additional post to my regularly scheduled weekly blog.  Today at work I got the dreaded phone call from Jill.  It was 4:00 p.m. when she called , and no Jill isn't pregnant again, rather with the huge downpour of rain today our basement flooded!

Most of our effects are in plastic bins so this flood could have been much worse.  But there were still quite a few boxes that soaked up the water and were ruined.

By the time I got home Jill had already done the majority of the clean up.

Here she is by the window that filled like a fish bowl and soaked our basement.

I filled in to vacuum up the remaining water and help dispose of all of the wet boxes.

Landon is such a big helper. Whenever there is a job to be done, he loves helping out.

Everything is drying out right now and we should have our basement back to the stacked bins that we have loved since moving in 6 months ago.

Doctor! Doctor!

Friday the 13th historically has been an omen of bad luck.  Throughout my life I've seen many Friday the 13th's come and go without so much thinking twice that something bad was supposed to happen.  My brother Jake even has a birthday on a 13th which occasionally falls on a Friday and it seemed nothing bad every happened to him.

Flash forward to Friday August 13, 2010.  It began as most other days, I enjoyed a morning run, our family had a small breakfast before I left for work.  As I walked out the door, Logan complained about some pain he was having.  We'd kept an eye on it for a day or two, and because it was still hurting him I told Jill, "I guess you can take him to the doctor."

Little did I realize the gravity of what was about to unfold.  While I was at work enjoying the casualness that seems to happen on Friday's, Jill called to tell me that the doctor was "concerned" about Logan and wanted to send him to Primary Children's Hospital.

I met up with Jill and the rest of the family a little after noon at the Urologist office.  They turned us away because it was their lunch time, "Please return at 1:00 p.m. please."  We waited for a few minutes at the door and when the boys were needing a diversion, we took a walk.  We got back at 1:00 p.m. and there were 4 other families in front of us, so we took our place in line.

When we got in to see the doctor, she wanted to apply a numbing cream that would then allow her to use an injection that would reduce his swelling.  Just applying the cream had Logan yelling and screaming and in tears because of the pain.  45 minutes later when it came time for the injection he was not his pleasant self.  For 20 minutes of the doctor poking and prodding and Logan screamed in pain. It was after 20 minutes that I told the doctor in a rather firm voice that it was time to pursue another course of action.  Logan was in more pain that I had ever seen, and it was my responsibility to hold him down while the doctor was hurting him.  I told him how much I loved him and how it would all be better and how tomorrow he would feel better and could do whatever he wanted.  I looked over my shoulder and Jill was crying as much as Logan was.  One of the few things he said to me as the doctor stopped and he was able to compose himself was "Daddy today is a really bad day."

The cold hearted doctor with zero bedside manner, asked to step out of the room because she could tell I was going into protective "Father Bear" mode and she didn't want to be around if I snapped.  "Most children are okay, but clearly he is an oversensitive child," she told us before she left.  If someone was sticking a needle into my "business" I'm sure I would be even more upset than Logan.  This woman is cold.

While out, she made a call to the other Urologist Dr. Snow, who we have met before and we really like.  He was just coming out of surgery and agreed to operate on Logan before calling it a day.

We took him via wagon from the doctor office to the operating room, and Logan was in such pain he wouldn't even allow a sheet to cover him.  As they prepped my poor traumatized boy for surgery, 2 high school kids came in to give him an IV.  Neither "student" could find a vein which caused another few minutes of intense screaming because of the pain.

Dr. Snow took Logan, and the entire operating time was just over 30 minutes.  We kept telling him that when he wakes up from his nap everything will be all better.   Sure enough he woke up from surgery and was a whole new boy.  Actually he was much like his former self.  Logan drank the root beer slushy, chowed down some Jello, and even smiled.

After it was all said and done we left the hospital at about 7:00 p.m. that night.  

When we got home, it wasn't long before Logan reminded us that "tomorrow I get to do anything I want."  Considering the pain he was in, I can't believe he remembered that promise I made to him. Rather than tell him the truth, that those were just words that I used to try and calm him down, we decided to take him to go see the movie Despicable Me.

With visits from both Grandparents Logan is a new boy.  He is so much happier.

I'm still not a superstitious kind of person, so next time Friday the 13th comes up I won't necessarily worry, but this week, this Friday the 13th, was particularly a "really bad day".

ABC

It's been a slow week, but I did sit down with the boys to review letters of the alphabet.

I'm a big fan of pictures, but have tried to capture some video of the boys at this young, fun, age.  I'll never have as much video as still photo's  because I love the story that still photo's tell, but video is so great at being able to show how the boys talked, and interacted with each other.

The excitement of the week happened on Saturday night while Jill and I were at dinner.  The boys were playing with their cousins on Taylor's new GYM bar in her bedroom.  They were pushing each other and swinging and Landon face planted.  He hit with so much force that his teeth went through the skin inside his mouth and cut it pretty deep.  It was cut so badly that I took him to the doctor.

Thankfully the doctor (or at least some guy in scrubs) said it's not that bad and they wouldn't stitch it anyway.  They told me to let it heal on it's own.  I loved it.  No co pay, no wait in the lobby, they just gave me the advice to let it heal on it's own.  We rode the elevator just for fun and came home.

Other big news this week is that we ran out of "pull-ups" for the boys and Jill decided that despite the number of accidents we are going to be a pull-up free family.  Maybe Jill just wanted a $30/month more for her grocery budget.  I don't care why it happened, both boys are 100% underwear!

Be True to Your School

This is the first day of school in Riverton for students on A track, and for Logan it's his first first day of school.  Armed with his new Bakugan backpack he was ready.   Logan is a special boy (don't all parents think their kids are special?).  Logan has such a love for other children and playing that he can't wait for school to start to meet new friends. Last week he met his teacher, Mrs. Brunetti, in the preseason, and today is gameday. 

Jill asked Logan what he would like for breafkast (it's a word our boys use for breakfast), and he wanted muffins.  He is his father's son.  

Of all the kids in the neighborhood his same age, none of them are in his class.  Jill took him to school and after a short parent child activity, Mrs. Brunetti blew her whistle and like the MTC on Wednesday, parents had to leave their kids in the care of the professionals.

Jill was able to see the other 5 children who would be sitting at Logan's table and they all seemed really nice.  It was a tough pill to swallow when Jill tried to sign up for some volunteer opportunities and they were all taken by the same 2 over zealous mothers who hogged all the spots!

He did great his first day and loved Kindergarten.  He made new friends and liked his teacher.  After school came book club where Jill and some of the ladies all read and discuss books.  While out playing with the other kids Logan later complained "Mom, they messed up my new school hair."  

Logan's first day of school was a smashing success.  We love you son and know you will do very well in Kindergarten as a Riverton Racoon. 

Sing Me a Home

For the last 4 weeks my sister Kandis has been doing an internship for a law firm in Singapore.  She just finished her 1st year of law school and got a chance to travel, so she took it.  Considering she already has her CPA, she is clearly the smartest kid in the family.

Before she left, she promised our boys that she would bring them something from Singapore.  Don't think for a moment that a day went by without our boys asking when Kandis would be back and bring them their present.

Well that day finally came and it was Saturday evening.

We had Kandis, Mom and Dad, and the Ludlows over to hear about Kandis' adventures.  Jake's family was on a fun Alaskan cruise (which we can't wait to hear about).  We all brought something so Kandis could finally get a good home cooked meal.

Kandis was able to shop, eat exotic foods, and see amazing places, all while "working" as an intern in Singapore.  She was very kind and bought all the grandkids a shirt, toy balls, figurines, and an enormous selection of Singapore candy.

This is where the story gets a bit fuzzy for me.  I had been out on a long run the day before and come to find out I got strep throat.  I excused myself from all the fun and laid down (who would have known it would last 3 days with a fever of 103?) but I do remember everyone having fun and hearing about Kandis' fun adventures.

Thank you for sharing them with us,  Kandis.  We look forward to seeing all the pictures you took while you were abroad.