Life

I found this in my draft box and wanted to remember it so it's getting posted months afters I wrote it...

1.  Yesterday we had a fire whip through an area just west of our house.  We could see the billowing smoke and red glow of the fire from our window.  The city put our area on evacuation preparation notice.  We prepared and then because Jarom was becoming extremely anxious we headed over to Spencer's mom to wait until the fire was contained.

This morning I was unpacking and thought it interesting what we all thought was important enough to save if our house burned down.

Spencer and I grabed the file of important papers, cd's of our families pictures, our computer box and Ipad.

Jarom - his Pokemon cards, Dairy of Wimpy Kid book, football trophy, DS, wallet, food, blanket and stuffed animals.

Nolan - his basketball shoes, book, backpacking pack, axe spray, Ipod and other varies small objects.

2.  Barrett has learned how to open the door to the food closet in the kitchen. Bad news!!! Every time I wish for an unadventurous kid I hear my Grandma Blumel say, "you don't want a kid that just sits there, they're boring".  But sometimes I think after picking/cleaning up messes for the hundredth time how nice it would be.

Jarom turns 9

Jarom has wanted a soccer birthday party for a couple of years.  This year I was on top of things, we had the party a couple of weeks before Jarom's birthday so we could enjoy the beautiful fall weather.  And the weather was beautiful right up until the day of the party, ruining all our fun plans. 

Jarom assured me that snow and all the party would go on and be awesome.  So away we went.  We played soccer bowling, balloon heads, yellow card tag.  Coach Nolan and coach Greg took the kids outside to teach them some soccer skills in preparation for the soccer game.

Snow and all, the kids seemed to have a good time. Throughout all the activities the kids were collecting tickets to buy things from our concession stand.  That's right I made them pay for all their food.

Kids love this.  They love spending their tickets on hot dog, chips, tatar tots, pop, hot chocolate and then coming back for more.  I even made them buy all their goodie bag items.  I think it was the highlight for the kids.

Of course present time was Jarom's favorite time.

Jaroms had lots of girlfriends -I think 9.  Tricky candles.

Birthday Part 2.

  Birthdays are important to Jarom.  His excitement is contagious, his praises is exuberant and his joy is complete.    

Seems to be the year of Candy Grams.

 Jarom is so fun to give present to, his excitement is front and center!

Birthday supper consisted of KFC, mashed potatoes with gravy and veggies. 

I love with all my heart that Jarom is not self conscious in the least while everyone sings him Happy Birthday.  I love watching his smile and his twinkly eyes as he soaks in the moments and then because he can't contain himself any longer he sings along.

Baptisms

Oct 15th  In the very early hours of the morning we took Nolan to do baptisms for the dead in the temple.  We had planned to do it on his birthday, but then realized boys had to hold the priesthood.

Both Spencer and I went with him for his first time.  A tradition my friend Anne introduced us to, so thankful for good friends.  Spencer preforming the baptism and I did baptisms along side Nolan.  It was such a nice experience to be there with Nolan and watch as he witness everything for the first time.  We got to quietly sit and talk about the symbolism of it all. 

After we went to the temple cafeteria, where even though it was only 8:30 in the morning we enjoyed fresh bread and jam, pie and cheesecake with Nolan washing it all down with a rootbeer.  I know it wasn't such a great breakfast but I thought the creating of traditions and memories was worth it.

The following Tuesday Nolan went with the YM and YW of our ward.  He was asked to give a talk on his experience the following Sunday.  Here it is.

Talk baptisms for the dead

(Nolan's First talk in Sacrament October 16, 2011)

I was asked to speak to you on baptisms for the dead today.  I recently turned 12 and I wanted to go and do baptisms on my birthday, but I learned that young men must hold the priesthood before he can do baptism for the dead. 

Baptism for the dead is when we get baptised then confirmed in the person name that is dead. Elder Christofferson taught: “The vicarious ordinances we perform in temples, beginning with baptism, make possible an eternal welding link between generations that fulfills the purpose of the earth’s creation.”

President Hinckly said:“What a marvelous thing that is that you, an ordinary boy or girl, can stand in the place of some great man or woman who at one time lived upon the earth but who is now powerless to move forward without the blessing that you can give to him or her. … There is no greater blessing that you can have than to stand as a proxy in a great service to those who have gone beyond. And it will be your privilege and your opportunity and your responsibility to live worthy to go to the temple of the Lord and there be baptized in behalf of someone else”.

  My mom and dad took me to do baptism last Saturday.  I was really excited to go to the temple and see the inside.  I thought the baptistery was beautiful and I learned that almost everything in the temple is Symbolic.  I could feel that the temple was a scared place when I walked inside the doors. When I was performing the baptisms and confirmation I felt really good that I could help people in the spirit world that wanted to receive those blessings.   

Then on Tuesday I got to go to the temple again with the young men and young women of our ward.  While I was waiting for my turn to perform baptism, I had more time to sit and ponder about the sacredness of the temple and the people I would  be helping .

 President Hunter said:“We hope that you, as young members of the Church, will go often to the temple to perform baptisms for the dead. When the time comes for you to go on a mission or be married, we pray that you will go to the temple worthily and feel the beautiful spiritual atmosphere that is present in the temple.”

I am thankful I was able to go to the temple and perform baptisms.

Nolan's Birthday week-end

It really was a birthday week-end, it just kept going and going.  Lucky kid.

Friday Nolan had a couple of his pals over and they rocked the night away.  Weather spoiled our plans so they ran around in the rain and shot each other with air soft guns, then watched Transformers on the big screen. 

Yep that's right Nolan has a girlfriend and Jamie was quick to let me know her name!

Saturday Morning (his actual birthday) Nolan woke up for his early  for his presents.  This was a tough year for him, he had his heart set on an electric guitar or an Itouch.  He received neither.  Instead he got a sweet little candy gram from Jarom, a docking station for his ipod and basketball clothes that may fit him on his 16th birthday. 

Nolan's birthday's always falls on Thanks-giving week-end. We went out to mom and dad's and had a wonderful Thanks-giving dinner. Nolan received mega cash (which he is stashing away for something really good) and another birthday cake - where we learned he had two girl friends. 

Sunday was a big day.  Since Nolan turned twelve he graduated from Primary.  He had been counting down the days for months until he got to start YM's and stop singing primary songs.  Now he no longer has to pretend to be singing, who he thought he was kidding, I'm not sure.

After church his dad conferred the Aaronic Priesthood on him.  In the circle was Grandpa Strate, Uncle Cam, Cousin Sean, James Northcott and Bishop Steed.

Then we gathered at our house for dinner and visiting.  We are so thankful to everyone that supported Nolan on his big day.

Catching Up

We snuck our Back to School Time Capsule in a couple of weeks in to the school year.  The boys enjoyed it so much last year - okay truth be told, I enjoyed it and Nolan merely humored me by participating this year, we decided to make it a family tradition.

Kaye celebrated her birthday with us.  We partied it up and had a great time.

Nolan and his best pal Greg, qualified to participate in cities.  Nolan ran his little heart out and finished strong.

A Womans Strength

I have lots of thoughts bouncing around my brain and heart tonight about being a mother; as I wrote out my thought it sounded like a bunch of whining. So I'll be brief;  Sometimes I wonder if I have it in me to help my kids become all they need to be to make it through this life.  Their willpower seems to be way stronger than mine, their argumentativeness seems to be stronger then my powers of persuasion and patients.  Some days my frustration level doesn't allow me to see all the good amongst the irksome rebuttals I constantly hear.

Today I was so thankful to read the visiting teaching message for this month.  Julie B. Beck always fills me with strength, courage and hope.  I can totally do this motherhood thing!

"Latter-day Saint women who recognize that their strength comes from the Lord’s Atonement do not give up during difficult and discouraging times. As covenant keepers, we excel at upholding, nurturing, and protecting children and youth so that one day we might say of this rising generation, “Never had I seen so great courage, nay, not amongst all"

End of the Season

Jarom's  first season of football has come to an end.  It was a great learning year.  He learned lots, I even learned a thing or two and he made some sweet tackles.  The coach moved the players position around a bit so Jarom mostly played defensive tackle and the odd time offensive tackle.  He did well and had lots of fun.

Jarom played a tournament in Cardston, so after the games we swung by the temple. To do a little photoshoot the kids. It was a good day.

14 Months and 10 Minutes

I'm not sure what happened to month13, but man alive did it ever fly by.  Even weeks after Barrett turned 13 months I kept telling people he was 12 months.  I was stunned the day I realized he was almost 14 months. 

All these pictures represent about 10 minutes in Barretts schedule.  There are many more haunts that Barrett likes to frequent and destroy, but I thought this was enough to share.  But I would like to note that the pot and pan drawer and the cupboard with the toaster are amongst his favorites.  Yesterday while making toast I smelt the stink of melted plastic and sure enough upon inspection there was a melted felt marker and a couple of magnets.  Today we got a new toaster.  The Q-tip box is his very favorite to empty all over and he is convinced that my nicely swept up pile of dirt is meant for him to "sweep" all over with his hands.

Barrett at 14 months.

1.  Loves the broom and the mop - the mop is his favorite since the handle can be collapsed to kid size and he can carry it all over the house.

2. Know what a McDonald's take out bag is and starts yelling for fries as soon as the bag enters the van.  This I find disturbing.

3. Loves to watch his brothers play soccer - will even sit on my lap the whole game.

4. Is masterful at hiding his soothers all over the house; he is most happy when he has one in his mouth and one in each hand.

5.  Loves to crawl under his crib in search of soothers and under the boys bed in search of treasures.

6. He Runs. 

7. Is developing a bit of an attitude.  He puts his chin to his chest and flops on the ground and grunts when he doesn't get what he wants.  We all think it's funny, but I know trouble is brewing.

8. Playing peek-a-boo can pretty much fix any problem.

9. Loves pens.  Enjoys taking the cap on and off  and loves to click spring loaded pens.

10. Still a horrible sleeper.  One short nap a day.  Wakes up every couple of hours every night.

11. Loves to eat green grapes, mandarin oranges, noddles and chocolate.  A bit of a picky eater.

12. Says mama, dada, oops and yuckie

13. Favorite pass time, aside from destroying everything, is to kick balls around the house.  He also loves to hit the balls with a mini hockey stick.

14. Is taking over Jarom's Stuffy collection.

Reading and Random

1.  I love reading; I've tried very hard over the years to turn my non-reading kids into readers.  I'll let them read anything - even dare I confess it - Captain Underpants, to get them to catch the reading bug.  Nolan caught it and always has a good book to read.

A while back he finished reading the Book of Mormon - I was ridiculously proud, because although I gave lots of encouragement, he ultimately was the one who had to read it.  The older he gets the more I can see how essential it is for these teens to have their testimonies growing. 

Today he was chatty when he got home from school.  He is normally quite silent and stingy with the information he is willing to share, so I sat there and soaked it in, appreciating the moment of free flowing information.  He has two girls at school who want him to ask them to the upcoming dance.  He's 11.  We talked about how he felt, what he wanted to do and then we talked about the counsel from the prophet; 14 is the age to start attending dances.  He seemed relieved.  There is safety and comfort in following the prophet.

Anyhow, I sort of went in a different direction there then I intended; my purpose in telling you Nolan finished the Book of Mormon was to lead into something he said that I always want to remember.  The boys and I were driving out to my parents and Nolan and I were discussing personal scripture study and how it was important that he continue to read a little bit every day.  Then he said, "Mom, it's so hard for me just to read a little bit.  When I read it's so real.  It's like I'm the main character in the story and everything is happening to me".  Awesome!

Family Picture August 2011

2.  Lately I've been reading non-fiction.  Our book club read Driven - the Larry H. Miller Biography a few months ago and ever since I've enjoyed reading life lessons others have to share.  Currently I'm reading Katie Couric's The Best Advice I Ever Got - Lessons from extraordinary lives. One quote in there I love - "Along the way, you're bound to encounter people who are naysayers and buzz killers.  Maybe they're insecure, maybe they're bitter, maybe they simply lack imagination.  Those people need to be strained from your life like sand from a colander of freshly washed seashells."  Great Metaphor!

3.  Spencer is gone for the week.  He's in Regina attending a conference.  I hate it when he's gone; life doesn't seem to run as smooth.

4.  Yesterday during dinner, Jarom took a scoop of Mayo.  Looked at it and said it looked like a pile of bird poop.  I looked at it and thought, you're right, it does. 

5.  A couple of weeks back I finally got to talk to one of my best friends from Winnipeg I hadn't talked to her for a long time.  We chatted for hours and then because it was after midnight we hung up.  After I was so "homesick" for her and all of my good friends from Winnipeg.  I was reminded how much I love talking to her and how much I miss our chats about life and parenting.

Cooling Off

Man alive it has been so stinking hot here all week long - like Vegas hot.  Alright not quite that hot, but it has been warmer than normal - hotter than all summer. 

Barrett discovered the hose and thought it was awesome.  He whipped the hose around, but mostly he sucked on the end.  Since I'm aiming for mother of the year, I stood there and watched; took a few pictures.  I know I'm awesome, just ask my kids they'll tell you.  I've been getting rave reviews all week.

Guess what Jarom started...

That's right folks. FOOTBALL!!!  He was so excited the first time he was dressed up in his gear he could barely hold still long enough for me to click a couple of shots off.

This is his game face.  Wednesday is his first game.  We're all so excited to see him take down his first tackle.  It's going to be awesome. 

Week-End Wanderings

We had big plans for the Labor Day Long Week-End. 

We've been counting down the days until we got to go and see this smiley guy. Man alive is he ever cute. He turned one. We had to go and celebrate.

We also wanted to see Rachel and Paul's beautiful new home.  They have a spare bedroom, we are going to use it lots. 

Rachel sure knows how to throw a party.  Don't you wish you had such a marvelous party thrown for you?  Cute cute Jungle theme.

The Birthday Boy didn't hold back during cake time.  Somebody has a sweet tooth.  Good old Strate genes!

We got to see Patrice; Nikolas just adores her; he thinks she is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Paul got a BBQ.  I don't think I've ever seen someone so excited to get something.  It was fun to watch how elated he was.  Then he treated us to some awesome BBQ'ed chicken. 

All cousins have to have naked tub pics. 

Off They Go

Grade 3 for this kid.  He's pretty excited about his teacher,  Mr. Pickering, yep a male.  Awesome.  None of his really good friends are in his class, but lots of boys that he likes are.  He'll be fine, he'll do good.

Such cute boys.

Jumping for Joy!  School is in!



Grade 7 for this kid.  A bit of a disappointment.  He didn't get the options he wanted, no one he really knows in his class.  He'll be fine.  He'll meet new friends and learn new things.  It's what life is all about.

Barrett and I missed these kids like crazy and were so excited to see them and hear about their day.  We all munched on cookies.  Chocolate chip cookies have magic powers that get these normally silent boys talking. 

Week-End Wanderings

It's been a busy summer.  Usually the boys have been on multiple hikes by now; not so this summer.  This week-end was their first over nighter this summer.

Spencer and Nolan hiked up to Medicine Grizzle in Glacier National Park.  They were both pretty excited to out in the wilderness, hiking and doing manly things.

Together they caught and threw back about 30 fish.  

The next day they hiked up to Triple Divide Pass.



They made some friends along the way.