Paul's Half Marathon

Look what Paul did to my watch...

Forget about him running 13.1 miles

Forget about him finishing in 1 hour 48 minutes

Forget about that 8.24 minute/mile pace

Forget about his bloody and bruised shoulder

Forget about his scraped and bloody hands and knuckles

Forget about his bloody knee

Forget about the embarassment he felt as 20 people watched him go DOWN at mile 9

Forget about him bouncing RIGHT BACK UP and finishing strong

LOOK AT MY POOR WATCH!!!

Tough Love

Sometimes being a parent is really hard. I want my kids to be happy. All. The. Time. But because I LOVE my kids, I know that giving them what they want so they can be happy NOW doesn't necessarily mean they will be happy in the long run.

Sunday afternoon we were having a great Family Movie Moment watching Harry Potter. Drake was snuggled into me on the couch and Paul was near us. Cooper, Andrew and Barik were laying on a Queen sized air mattress on the floor next to the couch. The sun had come through the windows and was shining in Coopers eyes. Obviously, he wasn't happy in that location.

OK. Let's solve this problem. We can have Andrew and Barik squeeze closer together so Cooper can get out of the sun. "NO!"

Cooper can sit on the couch. "NO!"

We can make a bed on the floor and prop Coopers pillows up on the air mattress so Cooper can still be near his brothers and "on" the air mattress. "NO!"

Cooper wanted to make Andrew and/or Barik get off the air mattress so he could have their spot. But that wasn't a fair solution. Especially when they were willing to move to make room for Cooper. But Cooper just wouldn't be happy. No matter how hard we tried. No matter which fair solution we came up with.

The boy was getting out of control. The MONSTER had been peaking its ugly head out off and on throughout the day. But now, the MONSTER was taking over. So, the MONSTER was sent to his room for a time out. "SLAM" went the door. {that's never a good thing} One thing led to another. No amount of talking or logic could penetrate the thick skin (skull) of the MONSTER.

I really DON'T like when my kids act like this. I really DON'T like when they get in trouble. I really DON'T like listening to Paul yell at him. I really DON'T like listening to Cooper yell at Paul. Paul was losing patience. In an effort to relieve Paul, I took over. Now I was yelling at Cooper. I really DON'T like that either.

It felt like we were ganging up on him. I'm sure that felt aweful to him. Yet the MONSTER was still there! He was sent to bed without dinner. He was spanked. He was taken to the front porch in his underwear where he continued kicking and screaming.

I was torn. I knew I needed to stand my ground. I knew I needed to be strong. But I also wanted to give in. I wanted to give him what he wanted. I wanted to give him "one more chance." But how many "one more chances" should I give him? If I continue to give him MORE chances, it doesn't teach him limits. It doesn't teach him consequences. I don't know what to do in those circumstances. He needs to learn right from wrong. It's MY job as his parent to teach him.

It felt like I was "breaking" a stalion. Teaching him the appropriate ways to behave in our home. In teaching him these things, sometimes his light fades. And when that happens, I feel great sorrow! Does he know that I love him? Does he know how difficult this is for me? Does he know how I want him to be happy? Does he know that I LOVE him even when he's making bad choices?

Eventually...Eventually...he calmed down.

Whenever I have to discipline my kids, this scripture comes to mind:
Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy; (D & C 121:43)

So with that as my guide, I went in to Coopers room to talk with him. I had torn him down. Now it was my job to lift him back up. I told him that I LOVE him. No matter what. No matter his choices; good or bad. I gave him lots of loves and reminded him why he was being disciplined. I gave him lots of loves and kisses and then said "Good night."

This episode wiped me out. Emotionally. I was spent! Empty. I had nothing left to give. I still felt so sad. I cried on Paul's shoulder telling him how aweful I felt. He held me. He reminded me that it's our job as parents to draw lines. And to stand by those lines. I felt a little bit better. But just a little.

Later that night, I went into Coopers room. He was sleeping. But I climbed into bed next to him and snuggled him. For a long time. I silently told him again how much I love him. I prayed that he would feel my love for him. I prayed that he would not feel worthless. I cried. Again.

The next morning, he acted as if nothing had happened. He was his normal happy-go-lucky self. I took him aside to talk to him. Again. I wanted to lift him up. Again. I told him how sad it makes me to have to discipline him. I told him that I cried because I was so sad. "You cried too, Mom?" I took that little boy in my arms and gave him a BIG hug and lots of kisses. "Yes, I cried. I love you SO much that I feel really sad when you're sad."

Tough Love is just that...TOUGH.

Christmas/New Years 2011

We drove to Utah for all the Christmas festivities...

Which begin December 24 with the Telford's Christmas Eve party.

So, we ask Santa to deliver his gifts to Utah,

And we have the boys open their gifts from us a couple days early.

Happy boys on our "Christmas Eve"

Click on the link below to bring a bit of Barik's Christmas to life...

Barik's Christmas Bike

With endless options including Cotton Candy,

Golden Corral is Heaven for the boys.

(It's nice for me too...

I don't have to prepare a "Christmas Dinner" the night before we leave town)

The next morning, December 24, we hit the road early to make sure we would make it to our Christmas Eve party on time.

I love spending the Holidays with our family!

I can't believe I didn't get any pictures of Christmas morning!

LAME!  LAME!!  LAME!!!

So, let me try to paint you a picture.

The stocking were set in Mom and Dad's living room

On the burgandy leather set.

The sun was still slumbering...

It was dark.

Barik, Cooper and Drake were wide awake and excited!

IT WAS CHRISTMAS!!!

We had to drag Andrew out of bed.

He was SO unimpressed.

I couldn't figure out what was wrong with him.

Drake had a HUGE Imaginex Blue Dinosaur standing near his stocking.

Cooper had the Biggest Optimus Prime EVER fighting the urge to save Planet Earth

(either that or protect the goods in Cooper's stocking)

Barik had a baseball bat and mitt resting next to his stocking.

Andrew got his very own Kindle (except for the case, it's identical to Paul's)

He was so funny when he saw the Kindle.

He looked at it with a wary eye.

Not quite sure if we were trying to trick him.

"So, are Dad and I going to share this Kindle?"

"No. 

This one is all yours...Look. 

Turn it on.

  See the list of books there?

Those are books for YOU."

Still not convinced, he went searching for Paul's Kindle.

It wasn't until he had HIS Kindle in one hand and Paul's Kindle in the other that he believed us.

Finally, the Christmas excitement caught up with Andrew.

I realized the reason he was so moody when he woke up...

He figured he had received all of his gifts in Arizona.

He didn't think he would have anything to look forward to Christmas morning.

Boy, was he WRONG!

Sheepishly, and with a HUGE smile on his face,

He sought out Paul and I to thank us.

"Thank me?!  You need to thank Santa Clause."

Ha.  Ha. 

After breakfast, a fierce game of Air Hockey broke out...

Three (or two) against One (or two, depending on which team Drake played on).

"Hey Mom.  Take a picture of my hockey puck sandwich."

"Hey Mom.  Take a picture of me hitting 2 hockey pucks."

New Years Eve/Dad's Birthday/Dad's Retirement

Normally we spend either New Years Eve or Day sledding.

But Utah had NO snow.

Anywhere.

(which was FINE with me...I really don't like the cold and I like sledding/tubing even less than that)

So, we went to the Rec Center and...

Swam.

Ha. Ha.

Who does that December 31?

The kids had a BLAST!!!

And of course the adults loved watching the cousins laugh and play together.

Barik on the High Dive

Drake

Cooper and his BEST buddy, Ashton

Cooper

Drake

Coop leaping across the lilly pads.

Andrew

Barik wanted to Wish You a Merry Christmas (click the link)

I love spending time with all of our Utah Family.

I love watching the cousins play and strengthen their friendships.

  I never wanted to raise our kids away from their extended family. 

Building upon those friendships is so easy when we're all in the same place.

But I'm grateful that we're within driving distance.

I'm also so grateful for the family that makes that same LONG drive to come visit us!

2011 Christmas Letter

The Boley’s 2011 Christmas Vacation POP Quiz

Answer all questions correctly to win the opportunity of a sleepover with the child of your choice!

1. 
   
   The Boleys, in 2011, have
   a. Traveled extensively, including Mexico, Grand Cayman, Utah and California
   b. Nearly made it as far as Phoenix
   c. Thought a couple of times of walking up to the park
   d. Driven around the block


2. 
   
   The oldest child, Andrew (10) has
   a. Shown a devotion to all computer games, in particular Mine Craft
   b. Taken up extreme cliff jumping showing the adults and teenagers how “easy” it is to jump off cliffs at Grasshopper Point (Sedona, AZ) and upped the ante with the cousins jumping off higher cliffs at Lake Powell
   c. Been comissioned by by the Pope to repaint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel
   d. Excelled in school, earning all A’s


3. 
   
   The second child, Barik (7), has
   a. Been a regular performer in the Choir del Baño
   b. Had a very good year at school earning almost all A’s
   c. Continued to inspire the Mother and Father with his gentle kindness, love and spirituality
   d. Excelled in Coach-Pitch Baseball


4. 
   
   The third child, Cooper (5), has
   a. Fallen in love with Ms. Susan Bocks Dutter Docks Berklummer Snue (Dr. Suess’s Who are you, Sue Snue?) and stares at her “pretty picture” at night
   b. Maintained a spitfire attitude…crying hysterically one moment then laughing just as hysterically the next
   c. Loved learning to read
   d. Behaved VERY well in Kindergarten (much to the Mothers surprise and delight)


5. 
   
   The youngest son, Drake (3), has
   a. Been drafted straight out of Cooper’s Tee Ball practices by the Arizona Diamondbacks as their youngest pitcher. The Talent Scouts were astounded with the 3 year olds ability to field, hit, catch and throw
   b. Embarked on an international adventure as he took his first field trip to nearby Wildlife World Zoo with his Preschool
   c. Become quite independent and has often been heard saying, “I do MY self!” especially while potty training
   d. Discovered how to mess up an entire room in under three seconds


6. 
   
   Paul, the Father of the family, has
   a. Shown himself to be the same boring, uninteresting, and unremittingly dull person he always has been
   b. Continued to play racquetball, flag football, softball, run, and lift weights (as if he weren’t old with lots of gray hair)
   c. Coached tee ball with an overwhelming group of happy children who constantly run to 3rd base (skipping 1st and 2nd) after hitting the ball
   d. Run a half marathon and broke a personal best time


7. 
   
   Leslie, otherwise known as "the domestic goddess", has
   a. Prepped, fed, entertained, housed, and thoroughly enjoyed 18 people over Thanksgiving week
   b. Immediately missed all 12 guests as soon as they left
   c. Run the Wasatch Back Ragnar for the 2nd straight year with the hubby the sister and some great friends
   d. Lounged about in satin pajamas eating grapes and drinking sparkling water


8. 
   
   In our spare time, we
   a. Vacation in Oceanside, CA where we relax at the beach, spend time at the beach, soak up sun at the beach, play in the waves (by the beach), play with friends at the beach, and think about the beach when not there
   b. Spend long weekends at Bear Lake with extended family where we eat shakes, play games, golf, dance (mostly Barik), roast enormous marshmallows, play at the beach (yep back to the beach again), and reconnect with some of our great family
   c. Enjoy cool summer weather at Snowbird where we hike, build forts, play with cousins, play games, and swim (although not at the beach – Snowbird is a ski resort, after all)
   d. Leave the kids with Grandma, fall further in love, cruise around the Carribean with good friends, and yes you got it – spend time at the beach!!


9. 
   
   Our hopes and wishes for the future include
   a. Your continued friendship
   b. An uninterrupted night’s sleep
   c. World peace, or a reasonable facsimile thereof
   d. Wishing you a Very Merry Christmas

Much love to you all,

Team Boley
Answer Key: 1) a,d 2) a,b,d 3) b,c,d 4) a,b,c,d 5) b,c,d 6) b,c,d 7 )a,b,c 8) a,b,c,d 9)a,b,c,d

Santa Drake

I made this video private, so if you don't have a YouTube account, make one...You'll want to see this...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1utFl1F4xsE

Gingerbread houses and a trip to visit Santa

We've continued the Boley Gingerbread house tradition

With minor differences...

Carol Boley used to make her Gingerbread houses from scratch...

That's right, 

Mix the ingredients,

Roll out the dough

Cut the shapes

And bake.

She's amazing.

I'm not as amazing...

So, I buy the kits.

No mixing, rolling or baking.

This year we invited Luigi to our party...

And his little brother, Mario.

And even Luigi's older brother, Luigi.

Andrew had a "stache" too, but had washed it off before I grabbed the camera.

The finished product didn't have a chance with this guy around.

Guess where we are...

The kids always find great ways of entertaining themselves (and us)

While we waited for our good friends, the Glovers.

Drake

Andrew

Cooper

Barik

After good food, we planned on going to the McCormick Train park

For good times and the annual picture with Santa.

(I HAVE to have this Santa Picture for our annual calendar)

While we were eating, Dan and Becky told us about this AMAZING Santa at Bass Pro.

They went on and on about his REAL beard,

His big belt buckle,

His cottage,

His stuffed Reindeer (the real kind) "grazing" near him.

They were very convincing.

And Bass Pro was just around the corner.

But guess what...

The tickets to see and sit with Santa were

GONE!

Handed out to the 100's of people standing in the line snaking through the store.

But guess what?!

They had a Merry-go-round,

Remote control cars,

Shooting ranges for plastic guns,

And LOTS of stuffed mountain goats, mountain lions, and deer on the walls all around us.

Andrew and Danny look like they could be brothers.

They even made identical funny faces.

Who needs a picture with Santa when you can have a picture with a

Real Life Sized Fake Snowman?

(This one made the cut for the annual calendar)

Thanks for hanging out with us, Glovers!

I wish we lived closer so we could laugh at you more often.

Thanksgiving

I love when the "Crazies" come to visit for Thanksgiving
And jump in the 60 degree pool.
Why?
Because I get to laugh at them
As they are shivering uncontrollably
Waiting for me to hand them a towel.
Tee-hee-hee...

Dillan, Andrew, Brayden, Barik, Bailee, Maegan

Meal Time with 18 people in my kitchen...
"Sit where you can find a square inch."

The cups...

My cute neighbor Julie made these super cute, super yummy turkeys for all of us!
Aren't they ADORABLE?!?!
(The Whopper head sits on top of a Milk Dud...the rest is pretty obvious)

Pillow Fights and Tickle Attacks with Uncle Brent...

Good times usually end in someone crying...
Coop was the victim this time.
(Dillan smashed in the middle)

The unheard of happened this year...

Denice and 2 of her girls were able to join us for Thanksgiving!

Because they fly stand by, Holiday visits are usually OUT!

So we were all surprised and excited to have some of the Sorensens join us for Thanksgiving this year!

It was a BIG party for sure!

With Mom and Dad, Debbi, Brent, Austin, Brayden, Dillan, Bailee, Maegan and our 6, that made

18 people eating, sleeping and playing in my house.

And I LOVED EVERY SECOND OF IT!!!

Another FIRST happened this year!

Denice ran her FIRST race!

She had some reservations about doing this...

But I talked her into it!

(You don't tell ME No!)

Me, Denice, Brent, Debbi

Denice's FIRST bib!

We LOVE our sister!

The Seattle Mariners Baseball at the Peoria Sports Complex

Are we having fun yet?
I THINK SO!!!

Brent Finishing...

Here we COME!!!

She even ADMITTED that she had fun :)

While the girls and Brent were running, Paul was playing in the Turkey Bowl...
A little blood never hurt anyone, right?  He's a TOUGH boy!

With 4 bedrooms containing beds for 7, where do the other 11 sleep?

Here's how my family room looked...

Dillan and Brayden slept on the brown leather couch,

Bailee, Maegan and Kayla rotated between the Queen air mattress and the twin thermarest.

Austin slept on the small black leather couch in the Play room.

Debbi and Brent slept on Cooper and Barik's twin beds.

Mom and Dad slept in Andrew's room.

Denice slept on Drake's bed

With Nicole on the floor in Drake's room.

Paul and I slept in our bed (imagine that!)

With Cooper, Barik, Drake and Andrew on the floor around our bed.



There were 2 people missing from this picture...
Dad (who was behind the camera)
and Drake (who was already sleeping)

I love having family come to visit!

We usually rotate Thanksgiving visitors between the Boleys and the Telfords.

This year was my family's turn.

I've never had 12 guest stay at my house.

18 people in my "humble abode" could be a LOT.

But it didn't feel like a LOT!

I had TONS of helpers in the kitchen.

And lots of little mommies playing with my little boys.

And lots of cousins playing with my older boys.

I dare say that we were ALL in heaven

and thoroughly enjoyed being in such close quarters.

One by One
Each Family left...
First the Sorensens,
Next, Mom and Dad.
The last night before our last guests left,
The Cool-Murffs joined us,
For a Fire side roasting of
Hot dogs and Schmoes (Smores) in the White Tanks
Where we enjoyed a beautiful sunset in the desert
And more laughter.