Our Week

An Alex video

Monday Bec had a dentist appointment where of course she found a cavity.  She has known Bec since she was three.  She just fit it in and fixed her tooth and wished her well at college.  My parents had another cow processed.  I forget how much meat that is!!  They were kind and divided it between Kathie, themselves, and us.  Thank you!

Happy, crazy kiddos

Playing in the water!             Spending every second she can with Alex.

We meet a new family and then we all went and got ice cream – coneless for Bec.

The original four

Wednesday – Becca and I left for Idaho. You can read about our adventures here.

Salt Lake City Airport and area was fun – there are so many missionaries returning!!  We saw this on an overpass.  And then this graffiti covered building – until you look closer and realize it’s a whole bunch of missionaries welcoming signs!

Moving Bec into her dorm required several trips to the store.  She loves In N Out Burger’s protein burger (totally GF!!)

Her post about her dorm

Loving the soft grass of campus.  Off to New Student Orientation.

My tender mercy – I was really starting to struggle.  Seriously, dropping off your daughter in the middle of nowhere surrounded by total strangers – hard.  We keep talking about how this didn’t feel real yet.  Like I was dropping her off for EFY or going to convention.  But as time to leave crept closer and closer, I was having a harder and harder time.  Lots and lots of prayers, and feeling nothing in return.  I can’t feel the Spirit when I am freaking out.  I block Him.  After I dropped off my baby for New Student Orientation (no parents invited), the tire light came on in the rental car.  Great!  What do I do?  This is Jason’s department, not mine.  Long story short – I checked the tire pressure.  One was way low.  I filled it with air.  I went shopping for some more things Bec needed.  The light was still on.  Darn!  I headed toward campus wondering what to do.  I passed two churches thinking maybe I should go in and ask someone there for a recommendation for an automobile repair shop.  I came around a corner and saw ding, ding, ding a tire store.  So I pulled in and explained that what I had done (checking the pressures, filling it, the light still on, etc).  He was so kind to me.  He got the car right in and sure enough I had a screw in the tire.  They fixed it up and then told me that the car wasn’t sending any signals to the car, so they couldn’t tell me why the light was on.  (I am so just grateful for that Heavenly protection – imagine the tire blowing on the 2 1/2 hour drive to SLC when I’m in a time crunch to catch a plane!)  And then, he didn’t charge me a cent!  So I felt Divinely watched over and extremely grateful to Brian at Brian’s Tire Factory.  They are at the corner of E. Oak and E. Custer if you ever need tires in Pocatello!!  I highly recommend them!!

GF pizza for lunch that day.  More unpacking and dealing with business.  Then we were ready for dinner.  It was raining like crazy, the streets were flooding, and then it started hailing!!  We braved the weather for this great Thai restaurant Bec had read about, only to find out the restaurant wasn’t even open yet!  Becca thought this was hysterical!

We ended up back at her GF Chinese restaurant.  She ordered a huge pot of sweet and sour soup and took it home with her.  She hasn’t been able to have any for over a year, so she was happy!

Saturday was rough – just rough.  How can something so good for you like independence and growing up be so hard!  We cried and cried!  My job is to nurture, to love, to protect.  Watching my 17 year old sob and having to walk away broke my heart.  This isn’t what a Mama does.  A Mama comforts and fixes, she doesn’t abandon.  And to make matters worse, Bec had her big Symphony audition one hour after I left.  What terrible timing!  I prayed so hard for her.  I called Jason and he gathered everyone at home.  They knelt and prayed for Bec to be calm and do well on her audition.

She didn’t do her best, but she did fine she said.  The personnel director was really nice.  She finally got to meet Dr. Cha, her viola instructor.  She was calmer when she talked to me later.

Me, on the other hand, my eyes keep filling with tears.  This is hard and it just plain stinks!

 

Sammy Ricks flew home with me.  He was an angel all day.

So glad to be home.  Missing our Bec.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday Jason took the girls to meet their teachers.  School starts tomorrow!  Crazy!  So grateful everyone’s had their Back to School Blessings.  It’s going to be an awesome year for all 7 of them!

Moving In Day

So grateful there is no video footage of Becca and I hauling all of her earthly belongings up four flights of stairs.  It would make for some great blackmail material!!  Grateful that some guy took pity on us and helped with two of the bags!  Amazed at how uncomfortable I was when he was done and stuck around to talk- Go away and leave my baby alone!

I thought Bec had brought way too much stuff (probably because I had to pay for all of those suitcases), but no, we barely touched the surface of what others brought- amazing!  My eyes have been opened!  We had to make several stops to Target, Fred Meyer, and Big Lots.  Some things we had planned to buy- sheets, toiletries, but others we didn't think about till we were here and unpacking- a fan (Idaho doesn't really understand the concept of of air conditioning).

We found an Asian restaurant that has several GF items in their menu - and they deliver!!

We ran around dealing with gluten free food plans, doing paperwork with HR for her job, music theory placement test, piano placement test, aural skills, getting her a bank account set up, getting her ID, handling her insurance waiver, registering for student orientation, figuring out her final schedule.

We found the Institute building and figured out what ward she is in.

We were two very, very tired girls.  Those couple of pounds we gained over the summer are probably now gone, but we really got to know campus well!

Can we drive next time?

Things we have learned on today's journeyings:

1.  Mama freaks out about full body scanners

2. In her panicked state, she says, "I hate the US Government," as she jumps out of the large metal tube.  Probably not smart in front of the TSA agents, although they did laugh, whether at me, my panicked state, or the early hour, it's hard to say.

3. Having a flight leave two hours late makes for some stressful moments

4.  Becca freaks out about her viola when notified that all the overhead bins are full

5. 17 year olds are not old enough to handle cranberry apple juice.  It will end up all over the seat and her jeans - sticky times!

6. The alligator on the app Where's my Water? Reminds us of Alex during his bath time.  So cute!

7. Good Mamas should always carry wipes.  Even when your baby thinks she's all grown up.

8. Although nice to have two feet on the ground, an unplanned five and a half hour layover is pretty boring.

9. Plans are just funny suggestions we mortals like to make.

10. Terbulance does bad things to my tummy.

11. Two people are not enough to handle that much luggage!

12.  Driving in the dark when you are tired in unfamiliar areas is kinda funny/ scary depends on how delirious you are!

Our Week

Alex updates:  He is progressing in the walking department.  We are so proud of him!

(Don’t mind the little yellow alien at the end of the video – that would be Bella and her fetish for other people’s clothes)

His head banging is seriously reduced!  We are so proud of him!  He is still doing it in the car seat, but not on the hard concrete floor and that is a huge improvement!

This was a really big week, Bec’s last full week with us, so I cancelled all therapies.  I don’t know that I’ve EVER done that before.  It made me feel guilty :), but that’s just me.

Lots of changes for my Sammi girl!  Jason and she went to the high school for a meeting on the tablets they will be renting to all of the students.  Monday Sammi and I registered her and meet with her counselor. (Poor lady had Bec last year and Sam this year!)  We went to Freshmen Orientation on Friday. It was loud.  It was crowded.  It was obnoxious with standleaders, band, cheerleaders, drill team – basically a mini-prep relay – AND she handled it, no problem!  So grateful!  I can’t ask for an IEP or a 504 until at least 3 weeks, and they would prefer 6.  We shall see what we shall see.  So far she is handling her anxieties – way to go babe!

Remember the little yellow alien at the end of Alex’s walking video above – that would be this creature!  If she finds clothes on the floor, they go on her body. It’s awesome for learning to dress herself except she can’t figure out that everything doesn’t go around your neck, shirts, shorts, underwear, bras, it’s all the same to her!  -And she loves the bath!! If she hears the water running she scoots into the bathroom to see if she can get in.  I get cries of “Mom!  Come get Bella!”  They call her the Peeping Tom!

Becca asked me to take her back out to Tomball and do a photo shoot of her, her viola, and her pointe shoes.  She is so happy that this summer she was able to learn so much more Ballet.  After her trip to Iowa, her summer has basically been ballet, viola, and her psychology course.  She loved how the pictures turned out.  Bella screamed the whole way through.  We finally figured out that she just wanted to play the viola too!  Then she stopped screaming and kept “crawling” away.

And finally these two pictures.  She likes the first one.  She says it’s symbolic…she is walking away, moving on.  That’s probably why I like the second one.  :)

Tuesday Becca wanted to see some uniquely Texas locations – Bucee’s and the Blue Bell Factory.

Wednesday for YW we had a great activity on Weddings and what to look for in a future companion.  One big point made was to be what you are looking for!

Another item on Becca’s “Before I leave Texas” list was some good Tex-Mex. Just so happened that some friends from church invited Sam and Jes over for swimming and pizza, so we took everyone else out to Gringo’s for fajitas!

Playing – Duck, Duck, Goose          Swimming (notice the the extra shirt  and PJ shirt on Bella)

New slippers (They came from Becca’s closet.  We boxed up all of her keepsakes this week.)

On Lizzy’s list this summer was to dissect a frog.  We figured that last summer we found so many dead frogs in the baby pool in the back yard that getting our hands on a specimen wouldn’t be a problem.  For some reason this year the frogs are smarter.  This is the first one we have seen in the pool and he hopped out before the sun could bake him.  So we are going to have to resort to buying a frog dissection kit.  She and I are going to do that for her 5th Grade Science Fair.

Coloring

Xylophone – she loves it!! Is it the sticks and the power or the incredible amount of noise she can make??                        Playing with Brother’s light box (looks cooler in the dark)

Food related:  Joy’s favorite snack is bread with mustard and one of her sisters was kind enough to take the time to write out JOY – she loved it!    

Lizzy made this pumpkin bread all by herself.  I was in and out that day and she did the whole thing without help.  It was delicious!! 

Sammi made us a Boston Cream Pie – a two day endeavor!!  It was awesome!

Bella, oh Bella. She lost her g-button four times this week.  Just the call you want to get from home during Freshmen Orientation, “Mom, Bella’s button fell out.”  The balloon is busted and I’m nursing it along.  Hopefully we are getting a new one on Monday.  They will only pay for a new one every six months.  We usually only last about four for Bella.  Lots of phone calls.  Here’s hoping it’s here on Monday!

A friend found these stickers on the internet – love it!  Cute Jessi helped me put it on the van.  Don’t know if it will help or not.  Most people don’t realize there is a difference between handicap parking and handicap van accessible parking.  I’m just grateful that Bella is still small enough that I can pick her up.  My heart goes out to parents who can’t and can’t find parking.

I registered Lizzy for Fifth Grade at Mittlestadt Elementary.  That is the school Joy and Bella go to.  I would rather deal with one Elementary school than two, but District policy leaves it up to the principal discretion. She was kind enough to allow Lizzy to come as well. I have to provide transport. She will be my first one to attend public school during Fifth Grade.

Friday morning was Bella’s ARD.  She will be attending for a 1/4 of the day.  The hope is she will be able to work up to 1/2 a day.  That means I get to provide transport. That means four times to Mittlestadt a day, six on the days that Lizzy stays after for Fifth Grade Strings!  People keep asking me what I’m going to do with all of my free time now that everyone will be in school.  What free time?  I’ll be in the car from 7:50 until 9 with Elementary and Middle school dropoff and then back to the Elementary by 10:30.  Then repeat at the other end of the day.  Plus we have to fit in all of our therapies.  It’s gonna be great!

Swinging

                                                             These two LOVE the water!

Becca requested a game of “May I?” 

Bec wen to Kleb and helped out with their Summer Orchestra and preparing instruments for new students.  Grateful for these experiences.  She has really gotten to see into her chosen career. 

Jessi was also in Summer Orchestra, but over at Doerre.  She has been working hard on her new music already.  Harp is crazy – first off, they stick you in the back in a practice room, rather than with the rest of the Orchestra.   Secondly, while the rest of the kids are pulling one note at a time, Jessi is playing the piano accompaniment on the harp.  It’s no wonder she is improving so quickly!  So much is expected!  I wonder how long she’ll stick with it, though.  It’s beautiful and she loves it, but expectations on the harps are just so much higher and she has such a laid back personality.  We’ll see.  Meanwhile, we love listening to her practice!

Bec and some friends went out on a group date on Friday.  The traditional handing off of the keys (ornery kid wouldn’t stick around for the flash to go off!)  They were going up to the park to go ice blocking.  The cute Texas kids were completely confused by what that was.  :)  But half way there the storm of the century turned them around and they ended up with games upstairs and frozen yogurt.  Oh well, “It was fun.” Bec said.   That night she finished her five week psychology class twenty minutes before the deadline!  That’s my girl – nothing like a deadline to keep ya going!

 

 

 

My Jessi and Sammi at the temple bright and early on Saturday morning.  Love being there with them!