Relay '09

This past weekend was Oregon City's Relay for Life. After last year's efforts, I was a little worn out, but was SO glad we participated again this year. It was a lot of fun! Here are some of my favorites. (Get ready, eliminating is not my strong point.)

The survivors' lap always chokes me up and makes me thankful for sunglasses to hide the tears. Especially when I saw our friends, Kathy and Mark.

Avy enjoyed yummy treats.

Avy chose an alternative mode of transportation around the track for her laps.

Our friends, Joe and Autumn, came to cover our first shifts.

Sawyer was a superb tent supervisor.

Sophie enjoyed a cool treat and . . .

meeting Cinderella.

The Hoeppners came to walk an afternoon shift. Later, in Home Depot, they actually met Autumn and Joe in the paint line. Small world.

Michael actually got Sawyer out into the sunshine. For a brief moment.

Jordan ventured onto the track for the team.

Bike riding is a team effort.

The Moonwalkers' tent. (Who would have known that would have been a timely name?)

Bounce house time . . .

Then came the water in the heat of the day.

Jenni and Patty got in the creative 80's mode and . . .

and took us right back.

Avy sang during kids' karaoke.

This is Slade's team participation contribution . . .

He ate 6 hot dogs and buns in less than 5 minutes. But believe it or not, he was beaten by 10 seconds.

Jenny Wayne came in the evening. The girls had a blast Jenny Wayne style.

There were 700 luminary around the track. And there was no wind this year so they burned through the night.

The following morning everyone took one final lap together . . .

and 'til next year.

Another Toy Substitute

Today we spent some time in the park taking pictures of cute little Koen.

Sawyer sat in the car impatiently waiting until 3:00 sharp, when he could begin swimming with other cousins. Avy helped with the reflector. Kennah wandered around doing something, but I didn't pay a lot of attention to the details. (Poor Spock was tied to a post. Seriously, I thought the kids would harass the dog this summer, not relegate him to the fringes.)

As we finished, Kennah said I needed to take a picture of something and led me over to a spot where she'd created a little log cabin. (Don't you love her new fashion statement? She's been sporting the head band off and on for the past month or so. She even wrote a letter to her principal sharing her opinion that bandannas, in 4th grade, are not gang related and that the dress code could include them.)

She explained the larger sticks are on the bottom and tapered off towards the top. She was so proud of her creation. That's now day 2 of no-cost toys. SCORE!! I am pretty confident, however, if I asked her to play with the sticks, she'd turned her nose up at me. My feelings aren't hurt by her independence--grow girl, grow!!

Way TOOOO Easy

This morning on my daily stroll through blogland (hey, it gets the creative juices flowing) I stumbled onto some cute paper dolls and then stumbled away without bookmarking it under my catch-all, "random ideas."

No big deal, until an hour later I mentioned it to Avy and she was SO excited. Then I had to try to find my way back. Luckily a friend reminded me of the handy-dandy history button. Wah-la, there it was.

And with a few printing clicks, I reached bliss.

Not for my crafting needs. But Avy cannot get enough creative outlets. In particular, she LIVES to cut. I have never seen someone cut so much. Paper, clothes (yes, clothes ON her body), fabric packed away in the attic, anything.

I knew she'd like to cut the dolls, but I had NO ideas she'd do it for 6 hours. We had a marvelous afternoon "working" side by side. "Mom, I can't believe I have paper dolls. At Fred Meyer they are $10! And we just had to print them!" (Spoken with the giddiness of Christmas Eve conversations.)

Now she is happily sorting them and distributing them into properly marked bags.

Why didn't I think of this YEARS ago?!

And now my morning "habit" has been justified.

Solved

I have a weakness. For "sick" kids. I believe them when they say they don't feel well.

Slade does not share this weakness. In fact, so much so that he has set boundaries for the kids (and me.)

"You can ONLY come home from school IF:
1. you have a fever
2. you have barfed"

I have found great power in holding to those two items this year. That is until the school calls back and says, "You will come pick her up" after someone failed both parts of the test but moaned in class long enough to warrant dismissal. Or, "He says he barfed. He needs to go home." I tried to explain that Sawyer counts burps as barf at times. He still came home.

So yesterday Sawyer began scheming.

12:30 "I don't feel well."
"Hmmmm. You look fine."

1:30 "I won't be able to go to school tomorrow."
"Why is that, Sawyer?"
"You can't go for 24 hours after barfing."
"Barfing where things come out Sawyer. I haven't seen that."

3:00 Picture Sawyer running around Grandpa's yard with the dogs.

3:30 "I don't feel good, Mom."
I stared him down, he can't keep a straight face when he's lying. Although he is getting better at it holding out longer.

5:30 "I don't want to go to school tomorrow, Mom."
"Do you not want to go because of field day?"
"No, I LOVE field day."
"Why don't you want to go then?"
Shoulder shrug.

8:00 "Groan . . . "
"You know you are going to school tomorrow, Sawyer. Good-night."

THIS MORNING

6:30 "I don't feel good. I don't need breakfast."
Then he disappears.

6:49 "Sawyer, I am leaving in 9 minutes and you need to be dressed and ready to go with me." (Slade)

6:51 "Groan. . . . ."
"What's the reason Sawyer?"
No response. Slade and I are stumped.

7:00 Sawyer pouted his way out the door.

All this time I KNOW he is faking, but part of me wonders if there is something that is really physically wrong and I am a mean mother for making him go to school. ("Remember rule #1 and #2, Heidi . . .Remember rule #1 and #2 . . . ")

8:41 Sawyer's teacher calls from school.
"Sawyer forgot his animal report at home."
It is ALL coming together!
"I didn't know about an animal report."
muffled "Sawyer, did you do your animal report?"
even more muffled "No."

Case of the "sick" boy solved. Looks like Sawyer will be doing some homework on the last day of school. And maybe then some.

I am not a bad mom for falling for the sickness. But how did I miss the info about the animal report?! I don't know that papers in the backpack are the best way to go anymore.

Don't forget, Heidi

I saw this and LOVE the idea. But I am not quite ready to compose something to myself. So, this "bookmark" will do for now.

http://www.futureme.org/

Or, maybe I'll write a letter to remind myself to write a letter.

Grande

I got a call at 8:42 this morning, "Mom, can you come to my pirate play today?"

"Sure, what time?"

"9:00."

I arrived BEFORE the production this time and enjoyed myself. But it was in Spanish, so I did not really get the whole story. Although I did hear, "Grande" somewhere in the midst of it all.

Let's hear it for teachers that encourage imagination!

(I don't know where the stripped pants came from, but they totally pull off the pirate look!)