1-17-2015

Books I've read recently:  All the light we cannot see, The pecan man, Gertruda's promise, We didn't ask for wings.  All ok but none really that I'd say, "Best book ever" you know?  Next book:  anything worth doing. . . Brad says I need to read it, that it made him cry in the end.  It is about a man who wandered through life from one adventure to another and dies in the end poor and alone.  Some insight into the life that has always appealed to Brad even given the price paid in the end.  Also reading the Book of the Mormon with the kids.  Made a goal to get through the whole thing this year.   That and memorize the family proclamation again .

Wrestling update:  Jordan got his first two long awaited wins this week for the season.  Being on varsity as a sophomore at 132 has been an eye opener for him to say the least.  He has to get a lot more aggresive and have a lot more confidence in himself.   We keep telling him to keep working hard and stay focused.  Everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) is pulling for him.  I know he'll get there.  He ended up in the newspaper this week:

That one was a loss but here are a couple from his last win:

 

Brad has taken up backcountry skiing, well Brad and Jordan.  But, since Jordan doesn't have much time on his Saturdays due to wrestling, Ben puts on an extra pair of socks and does the best he can.

Ben is growing out his hair to donate for locks of love, (well maybe not locks for love since we heard of a recent scandal where they have sold the donated hair) but soon it is time for that cut and the hair will be donated.  It has to be 10 inches before he can donate and he is up to 8.  It's funny because at times he looks like a total surfer dude.  He kind of looks it here.  This could be an ad for REI or something with that hippy hair and the background, right?

Since I'm on Ben, I'll let you know that Ben got his first lunch detention this week.  For what, you ask?  Throwing snowballs at his sister during a fire drill.  At least it was for that, but had to have a long talk with Ben about respecting authority and why there are rules that may seem silly.  I feel like I'm going back to 2nd grade when he got in trouble for climbing the bathroom stalls.

As for the rest of us, Kenzie is back to her music and waiting for track to begin, Riley, Ben and Jacob all start wrestling within the month.  I'm spending a lot of time in indoor spin classes due to all the snow and Brad is skiing as much with the boys as he can:  In this picture he "skins" up a mile or so behind the house with Riley and Ben following in his tracks dragging a sled.  When it gets dark they ski and sled back down to the house in the dark.  They found large mountain lion tracks about 1/4 mile from the house which makes for the run through the trees back down in the dark especially exciting.

He always tells me over and over:  I only have a few years left with the kids.  Got to get in the most time I can playing with them while they are here.