Bullies

3 weeks into school...
Yesterday I got a call from the Principal.
25 minutes before they would be released from class.
My heart sunk to my stomach as I wondered which of my kids had "Done it"
And then it sunk further when Mrs. Winterstein said,
"Cooper is fine..."
(WHAT happened to my little Kindergartner?!?!)

On his way into class, one of his classmates took out some unjustified anger on my 5 year old
By punching him.
In.
The.
Face.

All I wanted to do was rush to the school to hold my little boy in my arms and give him loves.
Logic set in...
Letting me know that he would be home (and in my arms) within the hour.

Mrs. Winterstein assured me that Cooper was alright.
She checked on him that afternoon.

1:15
The Boys RUSHED inside
"How was your day, Cooper?"
"Good!" (said with a huge sweaty smile on his face)
"Did anything happen at school today that you want to tell me about?"
"Oh yeah. Conner punched me in the face."
"Right here" (pointing to his cheek)

I took my sweaty 5 year old baby
(aren't they always our babies when they're hurt?)
In my arms to snuggle him
And get the rest of the story.

"When did this happen?"
"What were you doing?"
"What did Mrs. Connelly do?"
"Did she give you a love?"
"What did the nurse say?"
"Did Conner say sorry?"
"Was he nice to you the rest of the day?"

He answered my questions,
Then said, "Too many questions Mom."
Hopped off my lap.
And went to play.
Obviously no worse for the wear.
I was more upset about the punch than HE was.
Kids are so resilient!

Dear Grandma...

After showing far more strength and endurance than ANYONE thought possible, you gracefully joined the Hosts of Heaven this morning. One of the BEST hostesses, you will now be serving Root Beer floats and dried marshmallows to all who have gone before.

How sweet your reunion must have been with your sweet mother (who passed away just days before your wedding), your oldest daughter Charlene (who passed away in January) and the love of your life (who passed away in December). The love you two shared for each other is evidenced in the letters you wrote to one another while Grandpa was on his mission. Your love story is a Real Life Love Story. It inspires me to love my honey better.

Gwen's letter dated Mar 1, 1937 declared--

"I got your letter and picture to-day and decided then to sit right down and answer pronto. By the way--those are right smart pajamas you're sporting. . . You know, more dash. You make me feel like a very conservative person. I guess I must rush right up town and get a pair of fancy ones or you'll leave me behind the style. Anyway I kind of liked to see you perched there with those fancy house slippers . . .only why didn't you beam kid? Come on beam for me please. If you will then I'll feel more like beaming too. OK now we're both laughing be careful or it'll be a giggle. Remember how we threw dish water at each other and how you always got the best of me[?] You wait though. I'm going to train for a couple of years and then you dear old 'villain' I'll show who's got the muscle in our family."

April 18, 1937--A letter from Gwen reads:

"Darling,
Just think three more days and it will be exactly three months since I kissed you last and then only 21 months to go but I'll bet you a malt you'll make it 27 months to go if you learn to love England as you seem to have done already, but Jim dear, it's worth it isn't it. I'm so glad for you that you are enjoying such a wonderful experience. I guess I am a little jealous though. I wish I were having the same experiences. . . You flatter me when you say you are doing all this for me. I like it though. You understand how blondes are. I guess next best to filling a mission oneself is to have someone you love fill one for you.

". . . Kid, those were surely grand pictures your folks received. . . And say those things you sent your dad just put him sky high in glory.

" . . . Say Jim, how fat are you now? Have you lost any hair? How many towns have you been kicked out of? Say what do you look like anyhow[?] I've forgotten it's been so long since I had a good look at you

"About the Municipal swimming party it was sort of a bachelor girls affair so don't be worrying about who we were with because Maxine, Elizabeth, Bernice and about 3 other girls and I had a swell time all by our lonesomes. In fact, Jim you don't need to worry about me very much but I don't want you to take me for granted ever.

"Well, Jim dear it's almost the 'wee' hours so I must stop now . . .Be good sweetheart and love me as I love you because I do tell you the truth for I have nothing to conceal and I hope you'll tell me the truth also even if it's not so easy to take.

Love, Gwen"

Gwen's Letter, also dated Sat. April 3, 1937, reads
Goodnight Sweetheart
Til we meet to-morrow
With lots of love and a big X O,
Gwen"

Your quiet presence had nothing to do with weakness. Instead it had everything to do with strength. You held your tongue and quietly waited for a private moment to express your thoughts and feelings. You allowed Grandpa to rule the House with his tongue, yet you were the law governing Grandpa. Always with love. Always in grace.

"Goodnight Sweetheart
Til we meet to-morrow
With lots of love and a big X O,
Gwen"

Back To School!

Kindergarten Jump Start...
All the Kids met on the playground
Found their teachers
And then parents were asked to walk them to the door
And leave.
Just like that.
No classroom "Good byes."
No classroom pictures.
Just a hug,
A Kiss,
And "See you in a couple hours"

Cooper told me that he cried a little when he got to his classroom
But he told himself to
"Stop crying and be brave. And then I stopped, Mom!"
My heart broke for him
And rejoiced with him all at the same time.

So come the first day of REAL school,
Coop was MORE than ready!
All those little nervous bugs
Worked their way out of his system the week before.

Here he is with THE BEST Kindergarten teacher at Sunset Hills.
She gets SO many requests from parents
That it has actually caused some contention amongst all the Kinder teachers.
I met with her back in February
To learn more about her teaching style.
And then was told to wait until the purple teacher request forms were available.
But this year would be different.
The Principal put the hammer down on Teacher Requests.
We'll get who we get
And we won't throw a fit.
(except that I WOULD throw a fit if Coop got
that ONE Kinder teacher...
You know, the ONE Barik had...)

So, you can bet I was more than THRILLED
To find out Cooper was able to be in Mrs. Connelly's class.
With his Best Friend Laney Kiedrowski!

Barik's teacher, Mrs. Zsilavec looped with her 1st Grade class
We already knew we LOVED Mrs. Z

Andrew was a super good sport
About smiling for the camera
Even though he was completely humiliated!
No pictures inside the classroom for him!
We're also super excited about his 5th grade teacher.
Mrs. Voss taught 4th grade last year
And I was very impressed with what I saw of her.

Even Drake got to start School this year.
He's so excited to be a Big Boy like his brothers
And go to Miss Emily's preschool.

This should be a fantastic School year for all the Boley Boys!

Summer Survival

After our GREAT Utah Trip,
We (OK, I) was counting down the days until School Started!

With all the outdoor activities
And Cousin Time
That happened in Utah,
Our stifling heat
Made outside activities unbearable
The pool had lost its appeal
The kids were arguing
And I had lost all motivation.

So, they played WAY TOO MANY video games.
Watched WAY TOO MUCH television.
And argued WAY TOO MUCH.

Thank goodness for Friends
Who distracted them from picking on one another.

School Can't Come SOON enough!

(Fortunately, most of the Summer was fantastic!
And we loved spending time with one another.)

Bear Lake--Telford Time!!!

After over a month of planning, Debbi, Lori and I made the trek to SAMS to purchase the food necessary to feed the Lot of us. (Mom, Dad, Denice, Dale, Shanae, Jake, Nicole, Kayla, Debbi, Brent, Austin, Brayden, Dillan, Bailee, Maegan, Me, Paul, Andrew, Barik, Cooper, Drake, Lori, Benj, Emma, Josh, Maddi, Ashton...That's 27, just in case you were wondering...We were so sad that Brett, Heather, Braydon, Cassedy, Kaden and Brynlee weren't able to join us this year.)

Debbi's house turned into the "Play Pen"
While the 3 Mommas went shopping.
Bailee and Emma babysat
Maddi, Ashton, Barik, Cooper and Drake
$650, 2 stores and 5 hours later, we were done shopping.
WHEW!
That was QUITE the experience!
The organization
And list checking
And checking again
And again
Was awe inspiring.
I really don't know how my mom has done it on her own.
(except that she had me to help)
But seriously,
It was quite the feat!

Then it was off to the Cabin.
Oh! The Cabin!
Every year I fall more in love with the Cabin,
The Lake,
AND the Family!

Dinner for the first night:
Brent's delicious Chicken Tacos.
Mmmm!
Mmmm!
Good!

And Dessert...
Shakes at the Famous Quick N Tasty.
I KNOW they're famous for their raspberry shakes,
But I'm just not a "raspberry" kinda girl.
So it was Oreo Mint for me.
Chocolate for Barik
Chocolate Brownie for Andrew
Reeses Peanut Butter Cups for Paul
(Coop and Drake shared with Paul and I)
OK
I guess none of us are "raspberry" kinda people...

But Brent and Mom are...
(Mom, Brent, Andrew with Dillan, Brayden and Austin in the background)

Most of the Telford clan
Check out the jackets...
Night time was chili.
Add shakes to that and
Brrrr!!!

Paul has an uncanny ability to come up with a game for every occasion.
Tonight's game:
Stand on Log and Spin on One Leg.

Next Game:

Hammer Time

These boys were moving SO fast.

The Master, himself

A Day at the Lake...
With the excess water Utah has seen this year,
The lake rose 8 feet.
Great, right?
Unless you want a quiet beach.
With 8 feet of beach having disappeared,
They were CROWDED!
AND it was Saturday
Of a 3 day weekend.
But our group seemed completely unconcerned by all of this.

Brayden buried Andrew

Barik was cold
(can you imagine being cold July 23?)

These 2 boys have a pretty special connection.
I LOVE that 16 year old Austin will play
GO FISH
With 7 year old Barik.

Sunday Night...
The Last Supper...
Here's the Kitchen Crew
Getting the Assembly line together for Tin Foil Dinners
"MORE Spices!"

What's for Dessert?
Giant SMORES.
(Check out the Golf Course and the Lake in the background)

(Mom and Dad...{Muwah!})

(Andrew, Maegan, Barik)

(Kayla, Denice, Nicole)

(The cabin had an ice machine that would spew out this AMAZING ice All Day Long)

The last night around the campfire, Barik put on an awesome dance solo.
Brent played DJ.
And Barik ripped it up!
It was too dark for pictures
Or Video
So, he reenacted his performance as we parted
He arranged all the sofas and chairs
"There's not a bad seat in the house"
He informed us as he invited us to his performance.
Who knew this kid was such a performer?
Maybe we really should have him try out for
America's Got Talent.

After Barik's amazing performance,
Debbi presented Mom and Dad with the hand made
Bear Lake Memory Book.
Each one of took a page to write/draw our favorite memories from the weekend.

Yes!
We did it again!
(made Mom cry)

We love you, Mom and Dad!
Thank you so much for providing an amazing Family Vacation for us!
Our Favorite memories are:
The Wave Runners
The Shakes
The Hot Tub
Bacci Ball
The Girls Only morning walk
Laughing
Making new memories
And inside jokes
"Conflatulations!"
Jimmy John Joe (and the surprising places he showed up)
Making Meals together
Eating meals together
The Kids' Bunk Room
We Can't Wait for Next Year!

Happy 10th Birthday, Andrew

Dear Andrew,
10 years ago, you turned me into a Mother.
Before you came, the best love I knew was the love I had for your Dad.
And that was a good, no a GREAT love.
But you introduced me to a new kind of love.
A Mother's Love.
This kind of love is different than the love I felt for your Dad,
Or my parents and siblings.
This is an All-Sacrificing kind of love.

Originally I sacrificed my body.
My once tight, flat belly grew and stretched in unimaginable ways.

After you were born,
This love turned into a sleep-sacrificing kind of love.
I was awake with you every couple hours...
Nursing
Burping
and
Changing your dirty diapers.

It was during those sleepless nights that my love for you increased.
I KNEW that I would do ANYTHING for you.
Your very survival was completely dependent upon me.
I often mused to myself in those early morning/middle of the night hours
That surely this was part of Heavenly Father's plan...
We were to fall in love with His children so completely
that we would still love them when they became teenagers.

And so it continues...
You are still a few years away from being a teenager,
but as the years pass,
My love for you continues to grow.

Your Dad and I hope and pray for your continued protection
From the many negative influences that surround you.
You are an incredibly smart young man.
You're very helpful,
Responsible,
Loving and
Fun.
You love to spend one on one time with Dad and I.
You eat up that special attention.
You often get more of it than Dad or I intend because you're the Master Back Scratcher
(you KNOW my weakness)
You are a night owl...often turning out your lights long after I do.
And then you're awake before I roll out of bed.
You LOVE, LOVE, LOVE computer games
(that is your main motivation)
You are a very talented artist.
You are learning to love work
And the good feelings/money that come from your labors.
You love adult food (no chicken nuggets for you!)
Including my FAVE:
Dunford Donuts

(especially for your Birthday Breakfast)

You are a Master Lego (Halo) builder.

Did I mention your love of chocolate?
Yes, you ARE my son!

Happy 10th Birthday.
I love you so much!

Snowbird--Boley Time!!!

The wind is blowing.

The Pines and Aspens are swaying.

The windows are open.

The river is FULL and flowing.

The mountains are topped with snow.

The sun is intense, but there is a chill in the air.

The average daytime temperature is low 80's.

The date?

July 16, 2011.

The place?

Snowbird, Utah.

A drastic change from Phoenix where...

The sun is INTENSE.

Sweat drips down the back.

ALWAYS.

The average daytime temperature is 110.

It seems so strange that it's mid July and my hands are cold. This is a welcome change from our summer life in Surprise where the only outdoor activity we can enjoy is swimming. Right now our pool (94 degrees) is hotter than Snowbird's day time high temperature.

The boys are loving all the cousin time their getting. Running down the halls and up and down the elevators between cousins condos. Hiking, swimming, exploring, playing board games, playing the game cube, watching movies...These activities are much more fun with cousins!

(Barik snuggling with Grandpa)

(Grandpa, Barik, Conner, Treyson)

(The Human Dams...Cooper, Barik, Andrew, Drake and Conner)

(Playing Chess...Conner, Barik, Drake)

(Treyson, Conner, Andrew, Marshall, Cooper)

(The AWESOME fort: Mercer, Treyson, Marshall, Andrew,
Barik, Cooper, Conner, Mena)

Andrew and Barik are finally old enough for some quality unsupervised exploring (as long as they are with older cousins and use the buddy system). Their first experience with this happened Thursday when all of the older cousins (ages 7-12) were let loose at the Snowbird center with their all day activity pass wrist bands. They took the chair lift to the Alpine Slide and the Zip Line. They did the rope course, the sky jumpers and the rock wall. But the favorite, by FAR was the Alpine slide. Up the chair lift and down the slide they would go. Again. And Again. And Again!

(Barik doing his FAVORITE activity!)

(Andrew on the Zip Line)

(Andrew...Sky Bouncer)

(Barik...Sky Bouncer)

(Cooper)

(Drake)

I let about a half hour go by without having a visual on the boys and started to get a bit nervous. Cutting those apron strings takes a lot of practice. After about 10 minutes, I found Andrew and Marshall. They came running up the hill asking if Barik had just crashed on the Alpine Slide. I hadn't found Barik yet. The boys told me that as they were riding the chair lift up to the Alpine slide they saw a kid who looked like Barik crash. Bad. He rolled down the slide. But they didn't think it was him because the kid wasn't crying. That little bit of information made me more concerned than the rest. Barik is a tough kid and doesn't cry easily. After asking around, I was told that kids who crashed on the slide could be found at the first aid station...at the base of the chair lift. Yup. That's where I found my Bear. At the first aid station. Being bandaged by a sweet young girl. I never did thank that sweet young girl for taking care of my little Bear.

His cheek was burned.

The top and inside of his ear was burned.

His knee was burned.

His thumb was burned.

The track had even melted a hole in his shirt and he had another burn on his shoulder.

It looked SO painful! But he didn't cry.

I asked him if someone had taken him down to the first aid station. No. He put his slide back on the track and s.l.o.w.l.y. rode the rest of the way down.

I offered to carry him back to the condo, but he said he was fine.

I told him that it was OK to cry, but he said he was fine.

Strangers commented that they had heard about his crash at the top of the slide.

His cousins quickly learned of his bravery. Most of them have experienced the pain that comes from going a little too fast on the alpine slide. They each know how BAD it hurts! Each one of them stopped by to offer their condolences and congratulate him on his bravery. They were each amazed that he didn't ever cry. Not once.

Although Barik chose to stay out of the pool for the rest of our time at Snowbird (can you blame him?), he still had a great time playing board games and Lego's with his cousins.

Snowbird is a family favorite. Always has been. Always will be. Until next year...