Flat and Scrunch

Think of the inchworm. First it's 3 inches long, flat to the ground. Then it gathers momentum, uses all its strength, and scrunches up to a quarter of its length, proud of its accomplishment. And then . . . flat. Poom. You can't sustain that pose forever.

But it does it again. And in doing so, it moves forward.

Are you good at analogies? Yes, you are. Do you see how this inchworm is like my blog? Hiatus, and then burst of energy!

Flat and scrunch. And lucky for you, it's scrunch time. Yo, yo, here we go. Catching up on the happenings around here.

1. Football games! Bryce and his dad have BYU football season tickets, even though we live a day's drive from Provo. The kids all took a turn going to a game; some kids love the sports action, others love the cotton candy and nachos.

The kids loved their special trips up to Utah to spend time with their dad and Grandpa Al.

2. New Year's Eve! Like every year, we went to Chuck E. Cheese's. We brought a few Shapiro kids with us and everyone had a blast. I didn't bring my camera but you can imagine the scene.

We had to be back a little earlier than normal to get Tyce to a party and then off the the regional New Year's Eve dance. Guess who got to chaperon the activity . . . oh my goodness, you are correct. I spent my night watching hundreds of young people dance, eat ice cream, and flirt. But I must say that it was quite fun.

Tyce had a blast meeting new people and dancing the night away. But the best part of the evening for me was when he asked me--his mom!--to dance the last song of the night.

3. Mary's Birthday! Can you believe Baby Mary is 11 now? She can be a challenge also extraordinarily delightful. She went out to breakfast with Bryce before school. At lunch I brought her Subway and ate lunch with her. I even got to go to recess!

BFFs Nikki, Mary, and Sara

Then she invited Taylor over and we had a family party. She wanted Little Caesar's pizza and instead of a birthday cake, an ice cream sundae bar.

Taylor is a neighbor and friend.

Birthday girl!

She got some very nice presents.

We love our 11-year-old!



4. Star of the Week! Cameron was given this week-long title in his kindergarten class. He got privileges such as being the line leader, choosing his seat for the day, preparing an All-About-Me poster, and bringing an item for show-and-tell.

He loved being Star of the Week! But then there was . . . the incident.

The show-and-tell instructions said to bring something special from home, but no pets. Cam asked if he could bring his new Nerf gun that he bought with his own money; I said sure.

What I didn't know is that I had sent my child to school with what is considered A WEAPON.

All I know is that it ended in humiliation and embarrassment, with Cam forced to keep his Nerf gun concealed and having a chat with the assistant principal.

I'm sure it was very low-key and they were just following procedures when one violates a school rule; but all I know is that my sweet little guy came home crying and I felt horrible. I'm the one who sent him to off with the Nerf blaster in the first place. He probably would've gotten less busted for bringing a cat.

On Monday he brought an alternate show-and-tell; Bryce suggested he bring a bag of cotton balls. Cam brought his tiny stuffed horse with a BYU helmet, which passed the non-violence test.

6. D.A.R.E. Graduation! The 5th-graders completed their drug education program with a visit from local weathermen Kevin Janison (in the role of motivational speaker) and the graduates' performance of a sassy song about resisting peer pressure. A person from each class was elected to read his/her essay to the entire 5th grade and their families at the ceremony, and Mary was chosen from her class!

7. Visit from Grandpa Al! He came for the long weekend. One day he and some of the kids went rock hunting and exploring in the desert.

8. Tyce and I have joined a community choir, Henderson Choral Artists, which is super challenging and so much fun. We have an amazing director and pianist and I'm really looking forward to performing with the group.

9. Other than that, things have been very, very good and very, very the opposite, depending on the day or minute.

10. Oh!!! I was released from my calling in Young Women, which was terribly bittersweet. I knew it was time and I am thrilled about the new leaders for the girls. But I will miss my associations with the young women and the ladies with whom I served. Those last three years have been tiring but so rewarding. But more on that later.

11. Maybe you would like to see a picture of me? It's been a while.

Pretend I'm smiling. This new high-def camera is a little too realistic for flattering self-portraits.

Okay, that's all for now. Must run and get kids to school.