What I Learned in Kindergarten...

On Tuesday, Ben started Kindergarten and I guess technically, I did too.You see, Ben was really excited to finally be able to call Amelia Earhart his school, just like his brothers do. He has been waiting for and was completely ready to finally start Kindergarten. I didn't even get emotional dropping him off on his first day because I was so happy that he was finally getting what he wanted. Well, that and the fact that I stayed the entire time.

Walking to school with the brothers.

Why did I stay the entire time when I had a boy who didn't make a fuss or cry at the prospect of me leaving? Why didn't I leave when I could have enjoyed 3 hours tackling my list of "Things to do once the kids are in school"? The reason is because as a friend and I were getting ready to leave, we noticed 28 little bodies filled to the brim with anxious excited energy that the first day of school, let alone the first day of kindergarten brings. We also noticed the teacher doing her best to field parent's questions while trying calm the separation anxiety of a few of them too, while attempting to contain all of that anxious excited energy into a civilized classroom of learning- by herself.

Needless, to say this is a daunting task for even the Superhero-est of seasoned educators like Mrs. Thibault.

Superhero Mrs. Thibault

Luckily, Richard was home and willing to watch Emma, so I was able help along with my friend, Rachel. I would describe the rest of the day as organized chaos. It took all 3 of us and a Foster Grandparent who came to help to wrangle those 28 little bodies through all the activities of the morning. It was thoroughly exhausting. But I can't wait to help out again.

And you might think that Kindergarten is too elementary for an adult, but experiencing it for a second time around, there was still plenty of education to be had. These are a few of the things I learned;

- A party where the majority of the presents are Kleenex, glue sticks, and Ziploc bags is oddly still  really exciting.
- Actually getting the cupcake with pink frosting dams a flood of tears and makes a lot of things right with the world again to a 5 yr old girl.
- Even though a story was told about pigs, snails, fish, and cats going to school, acting like a chipmunk while you are in school is not acceptable. (This one's for you, Rachel :)
- When you're a Kindergartner you can wear 2 completely different shoes to school and it's apparently okay.
- Those shoes can even be 2 different sizes.
- Kindergarten teachers should go straight to heaven for all of the shoelaces they have to tie in the space of 3 hours.
- Bible names were really popular for baby boys in 2004 & 2005.
- Even though you may have a named your son a conservative Bible name, it does not guarantee that he will have Christ-like behavior.
- Riding the bus is kind of a really big deal when you are 5.
- The phrase "pockets, pretzels, basket" has nothing to do with food. Bummer.
- You have snack time a half an hour before you go home and your mom attempts to feed you something nutritious.
- I was not meant to be a Kindergarten teacher.
- I am really glad there are people who are- like Mrs. Thibault.
- No matter how old I or Ben will ever get, it is still the best when Daddy and Emma come to pick us up.

I think Ben's face and skip say it all- Kindergarten is awesome.

Almost Like Christmas

Standing on my front porch the sound of the big truck's engine reached my ears before my eyes caught site of it rounding the bend at the end of the road.  The excitement in me rose.

Could it be?

A search of the recesses of my memory told me the date was indeed within the correct time frame. The truck was the correct colors- brown and golden yellow- not the competitors white with purple and orange logo branded on its side. (A side note of apology to my brother Nate, a driver for the competition). The truck hadn't stopped yet, but the driver was slowing, glancing to the right and then to the left looking at house numbers.

It just had to be.

I ran into the kitchen to avoid looking like I was anxiously awaiting a delivery and to stop the rising hope that the big brown truck would indeed stop at our house instead of my neighbor's like he normally does. Within seconds there was a knock on the glass of our screen door. With the front door being propped open I had a full view of a Doug Heffernan look-a-like clad in the brown shorts with boots and all.

It was here!

I nonchalantly made my way out to the porch where Mr. UPS left a rather large cardboard box for me. Only nothing in it is actually for me, my name just graces the shipping label and the card that paid for it all.

Away from little eyes, my box and I stealthily head to my room where the door is promptly shut and locked. Interruptions won't do for what happens next. The packing tape is slit with a trusty bobby pin and the flaps are slowly folded back to reveal a pile of plastic packages in an assortment of colors; like gifts within a gift. I sift and sort and then I rip. Plastic bags take flight going this way and that, creating a substantial snowstorm of plastic flakes. When the last bag lands noiselessly amongst the others, there they sat- brand new school clothes.

There were five new shirts for each boy to get them through the first week of school (with 1 or 2 put away for Christmas or birthdays) and a small collection of outfits for Emma. Although Emma doesn't attend school yet, she is my only girl and without older siblings for hand-me-downs she had nothing for cold weather when fall came. Plus, I suppose I'm a bit partial to flowers, unicorns, and butterflies as opposed to skater and sport graphics. Thus, I am justified.

I held them up, each one individually, admiring their unfaded, unstained, and unwrinkled appearance (except for the fold creases that scream new) noting the size and color and how it would fare for the intended child. They were perfect. Even the kids thought so.

They were also a great deal considering the amount I received because of already discounted items being marked down even more with an extra 15% off coupon and free shipping. And even better than that was that is the fact that they were purchased while my body lay sick in bed last week refusing to move. No expending energy taking ornery anti-shopping boys and one "buy everything for me" girl to the mall, Marts or Ko's in search of the right fashion to kick off the 2010-11 school year. Just point, click, check out, and wait for delivery.

I love the whole online shopping experience. It's like a little gift I give myself.

39 Days

"Ah, summer- what power you have to make us suffer and like it." -Russel Baker


I am in my pajamas....not because it is 10:00 pm, but because I have been in them all day. I also had a nap today-- in fact, I had two. I have watched an abnormal amount of HGTV, yet I can't recall any details of anything I viewed. My house is in shambles due to 4 children being left to their own devices and luckily, my mother sent home a loaf of her homemade bread with us yesterday or those 4 children may have starved. I am not kidding-- I seriously popped 2 bags of popcorn for dinner.

 I woke up today feeling like I had been all I could be, given all I could give, and today it was time for a break. Couple that with the fact, that I came home from camping feeling like I was run over by a Mack truck, with a sore throat, and congestion that makes me sound like the dog my kids want, but can't have and the result you get is my day.

All was not lost, I will have you know that I did do something today. I looked up the date that school starts- August 24th. With today being the 16th there are 15 more days left in July and 24 until the first day of school in August, add them together and we end up with 39 more days of summer. I didn't look it up to know how many more days I had to endure my children being home all day because actually I really enjoy them being around. I looked it up to know how much longer I have to endure the non-schedule of summer, because I think it is starting to wear on me.

It seems like since the last day of school we have been running- and not the good kind of running that I really love. I feel like we have been running from one activity to the other, from one vacation to the next, and from one family get together to another, all in the name of summer. Don't get me wrong, I love to have fun like spending long days in amusement parks and weeks living in a tent with no running water and the nearest flush toilet 275 steps (yes, I counted) in the dark from my campsite because we are making memories. Memories that I hope my kids will repeat someday over a campfire to their kids in the same campground we frequent and on their first time visiting the same amusement park. Having no particular schedule to follow leaves way for plenty of memory making; perhaps just too much for my own good.

So I guess I've started looking forward to a time when bedtimes are set and adhered to. A time when the schedule includes homework, projects, and reading hours. A time when fun things are put on the calendar to look forward to during breaks and vacations. A time when life is somewhat predictable again.

Then 2 months into that time I'll be looking forward to a carefree summer again.

This Interruption Was Brought to You By....

This 2+ week interruption Of a View from the Parke Bench was brought to you courtesy of the last week of school and the first week of summer vacation.

Events worthy of being too busy to post included;

-Benjamin's Pre-School graduation. He was beyond ready to move on from pre-school and is excited to start kindergarten in the fall. I, his mother, am really excited too. I think his pre-school teacher was ecstatic.



Dallin's acting debut in his class play/musical titled the "Three Piggy Opera". He played the part of one of the very nervous and shy straw peddlers.

As you can see he was a complete natural.



-Ashton's class award presentation where he received an award for making it into the "Foot Hall of Fame". To make it into the "Foot Hall of Fame," one must read as many books that are at least 120 pages as your foot is tall. And for a 5th grader whose feet are bigger than his mothers that is quite a feat. No pun intended.


The first week of summer;

-Memorial Day found us up north visiting with family, barbecuing, and sitting around the campfire. We made S'mores and a mess with these gigantic marshmallows that were about 4 times the size of a normal one.
They were awesome. Can you tell?

-Pedicures in the backyard. I did Emma's and she did mine. She gives a new definition to 'Glitter Toes'.

-A new chore system. Like anything new this is taking some getting used to and called for the resurrection of the "Nazi Mom".

(Sorry, no pictures are available because she ain't pretty.)

-Lessons in getting dressed by ourselves. These lesson include, but are not exclusive to the correct appendages in which underwear are applied.

(Note- If you are ever in need of a straight jacket try inserting the offending child's arms into the underwear and wrapping them around the shoulders. It works pretty well. I am considering this trick for all 4 children on our upcoming vacation.)

-Simply enjoying summer with my friends. Four of the best you'll ever meet.

Thank you for your patience. Regular posting, which is usually irregular at its best, will now resume into your regular blog reading which obviously, is already in progress. 

*Sorry about all the camera phone pictures, but I figured bad pictures were better than no pictures at all.

My camera is having issues with its shutter and is currently awaiting surgery at the camera hospital. No need to fret, if by some unfortunate circumstance he does not return, a replacement is already on its way.  

Magnetism

Ashton's 5th grade class has recently been studying about magnetism.  Apparently, some "magnetism" has rubbed off on Ashton, since he came home with this little note in his pocket yesterday.

Maybe it was just the spiked hair he sported yesterday...Or his incredible brown eyes...Or his killer smile (not shown in this pic.)

Whatever it was, he seems to have little Miss M's heart in a flutter.

This is the second time Miss M has "taken a shot" (his words, not mine) at him. The first was in December in the form of a note thrown into his desk during read aloud that read, "Will you be my boyfriend?" Back then he was honestly in a conundrum, with the What-do-I-do?-Girls-still-have-cooties! panic in his voice.

Yesterday, it was a whole different story.

He told me that, "This time there was just no getting out of it and he thought he was just going to have to say yes." This statement was said with the I'm-trying-to-make-it-sound-like-this-is the-worst-thing-in-the-world-because-you-are-my-mom-so-I-am-suppressing-the-excitement tone emanating from his words.

It is a little crushing to realize you are not the only girl in your little man's world anymore.

I know the hormones are changing; I can smell them when I stand close or not-so close, to him at the end of the day, but I'm not sure I was ready for this. Not girls. Not at 11 years old. I was born boy crazy, but I figured boys, especially my boys, would be impervious to cupid's arrow; and so my naiveté' rears it's ugly head again.

But this morning as I walked him to his appointed door where Miss M and his friends were waiting, he still gave me that arm around my waist sideways hug and I thought...I'm still number one...

At least, for a little while longer.

100 Favorite Things

My first grader brought home his homework folder this week and instead of finding the usual worksheets inside, there was one single page.

My brain thought, "WOO HOO! Less homework this week!"

Then I read the attached newsletter...

Tuesday is the 100th day of school...see how many projects you can do in the week of your 100th day of school.

I inspected the page closer to see what I was going to be dealing with, and there among all the ideas and suggestions, I read this:

Make a list of your favorite 100 things.

My tired brain said, "Yeah right! That's freaking impossible!"

I like challenges.

I thought that sounded like a challenge. Didn't you?

I did.

So I responded back, "Did you just issue me a challenge, you old dusty brain of mine? Well, I accept your challenge."

So I gave myself an assignment and made this old brain of mine work and come up with 100 things that I like.

That'll show her.

Now where's the Advil?

1. Reading blogs.

2. Blogging

3. My family

4. A clean house.

5. Reading

6. Chocolate

7. Steak

8. Broiled shrimp

9. Going to the movie.

10. The USA.

11. Daffodils

12. Fall

13. Ice cream

14. Peanut butter

15. Oreos

16. Date night

17. Drawing house plans

18. Swiss cheese

19. Kamloops

20. Girls night out

21. Facebook

22. Going to the Temple

23. Music

24. The Library

25. The beach & ocean

26. Being up before anyone else

27. Going new places

28. Compliments

29. Green

30. Purple

31. Giraffes

32. Being in the mountains

33. Being alone

34. Cool summer nights

35. People who make me laugh

36. Watching the stars

37. Hiking

38. Camping

39. Helping

40. Doing a good job.

41. The way Emma says, "Uh huh, mom."

42. A clean shaven man

43. Dancing

44. Getting my hair cut.

45. Catching up with old friends

46. Road trips

47. Butterfingers

48. Canada

49. Spinach Salads from Ric's Grill

50. Sweatshirts/sweaters

51. Jeans

52. Fields

53. Running

54. The smell of rain

55. Playing night games

56. Thunderstorms

57. Hot cocoa with whipped cream (esp. Irish Cream)

58. Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup

59. Jane Austen (esp. Persuasion)

60. Romantic comedies

61. Diet Dr. Pepper & Mtn Dew

62. Gummie Peaches

63. Raspberries

64. Ben's hugs

65. Ashton's smile

66. That Dallin still snuggles with me.

67. Riding horses

68. New York

69. Richard's perseverance, patience, & passion.

70. Laughing

71. Playing board games

72. Being inspired

73. Seeing the light bulb go on when my kids learn new things

74. Giving

75. The Pacific Northwest

76. Skeet shooting

77. Fishing

78. Skiing

79. Musicals

80. Soundtracks

81. Halloween

82. The Sea to Sky Highway

83. To fly

84. Traditions

85. The gospel

86. Freshly washed sheets

87. Sunday naps

88. Feeling like I accomplished something

89. Sunsets

90. A full moon

91. The smell of freshly cut wood.

92. Bubble baths

93. Going out to eat.

94. Doc Martens

95. Doughnuts

96. Having everything in its place.

97. My mom's homemade bread

98. Singing

99. Lightning

100. Making others happy

Did you learn something new about me? Really? What?

I hope we are still friends anyway.

Could you do it?

Yes, I just issued you a challenge.

So dust off your brain and get to work.

Speechless

I'm not sure if viewing this counts for 'Turn off the TV and Get a Life Week' or not, but so I can in good conscience say I did the challenge in all honesty, I have not watched it. Your comments will have to tell me how it turned out. Regardless, just know that the real thing was amazing. It left me speechless and teary eyed.

Thank you Veterans for bravely and unselfishly preserving the freedom of the land that I love.

5th graders performing "God Bless the U.S.A" in ASL.

We think we can. We think we can.

Did you know that this week is "Turn Off the TV and Get a Life Week"? Well it is. And if you haven't already, I invite you to join in...all the 'cool kids' are doing it.

Ashton took the challenge from his teacher and is working toward a party consisting of pajama wearing, cereal eating, and cartoon watching fun.  Knowing this challenge would be no easy task for Ashton, my Nintendo DS addict, Richard, Dallin, and I decided to join the challenge for moral support. It started yesterday and so far it has been pretty easy.

My biggest worry was bedtime. We are bad parents who let their kids watch a show or two while they are nodding off to dreamland, but after FHE last night that was a non issue.

Ashton chose to have a dance competition for our FHE activity. I really hope there are no hidden cameras in my house; although, I would have loved recording Dallin's break dancing (he's actually pretty good), Emma's twirling until she was dizzy, Ashton dancing ballroom style with his little sister, and Ben just trying to get his little body to move with the rhythm. It was hilarious and the type of moment a mother wants to freeze in time. And it wore them out. Completely. Halleluiah!

Oh... are you wondering who won our little competition?

That's right, with a little booty shaking, hip swinging, and the clincher... 'the centipede', I showed them all up!

Whoever said you wouldn't need the stuff you learn in jr. high?!?

Halloween Heroes

Each year as my children carefully choose their Halloween costumes, I notice if they don't choose to dress up as some kind of monster or ghoul,  they choose to dress up as someone they look up to; a hero of sorts. Usually, it is someone who displays extraordinary skills, has super powers, or just gets to accessorize with some neat contraption or accessory. But above all else they have to be cool.

In years past, we have had everything from superheroes such as Batman & Superman, to our everyday heroes like firefighters and policemen.  This year was no different.  All 3 of my boys chose a specific hero to emulate.

Dallin chose to be a BYU football player (surprise, surprise).  Sometimes, I feel like we give too much glory, and definitely too much money, to athletes, especially professional ones. I do however realize that there is a lot of hard work and determination that goes into perfecting skills to be good enough to play on college and professional levels and those values are something I don't mind him admiring.

Ben chose to be a freedom defending army guy and a cute one at that. Unselfishly defending our country and getting to carry a really awesome walkie talkie and gun; definitely hero-ish.

(Making his toughest army man face.)

From the day we first began talking about costumes for this year Ashton, knew who he wanted to be. He wanted to be a superhero of different a kind this year...

... his school teacher, Mr. Z.

And he wasn't the only one...

(The Z Squad)

...two other boys in the class did the same.

Of course, in this picture it was Halloween and even heroes like to dress up, so Mr. Z was pretending to be Wolverine, but on regular school days this superhero dons his suit of slacks, dress shirt, and tie and sports his extra cool accessory-spiky hair. And between the combination of suit and hair he unleashes his superpowers on unsuspecting 5th graders actually making school a great place they want to be, inspiring them to work harder, and simply to be better.

We could certainly use more superheroes like that.

Halloween 2009

With Halloween falling on Saturday this year it seems like we had 2 Halloweens- Friday at school  with the class parties and annual costume parade and Sat. at home. That made for a very fun Halloween! 

On Friday, I was able to help with both Ashton's & Dallin's class parties. I forgot my camera for Ashton's party, but it was held at a the home of a boy in his class who doesn't live far from the school. This boy's mom planned the whole thing and took up about 2 hrs with great activities.  It was fun and I am glad I was able to go and help.

Dallin's party consisted of making pumpkin puppets, halloween songs and poems, and lots and lots of sugar. The room mothers brought doughnuts & apple juice for refreshments and a girl in the class also brought cupcakes for everyone- every 1st graders dream... doughnuts and cupcakes both!

D with his teacher, Mrs. Anderson

The whole class in costume and hopped up on sugar.

These are the types of things 1st graders do when they've had too much sugar;

They talking in funny voices while their pumpkin puppet dances around, making their mom laugh.

They stick out their tongues at parents trying to get cute pictures; making the parents more successful than they planned to be.

And they give their friends "bunny ears" adding to the goofy face they are already pulling.

Friday night I had the chance to drive kids in Ashton's class to their Super Activity.  This was a special activity for those kids who had not missed more than 4 assigments this term.  We went to Doc's Pizza Buffet where they tried to out eat Mr. Z in pizza and then to Comedy Sportz, which is an improv group similar to 'Whose Line is it Anyway'.  It was very fun and the kids had a great time.

We were supposed to dress up for a costume contest, so I dragged out my witch and queen costume from the costume tote and Ashton and Richard both told me to wear the queen costume. After seeeing the pictures... I think they were wrong.  I think it should have stayed in the costume tote or better yet, gone in the DI tote to be given away. I can't believe they let me go out looking like that.

I'm hoping the pics look worse than I did in person.

Saturday we finally carved some of our pumpkins, most of which we actually grew ourselves.

Richard finishing Dallin's "Y".

Ashton with his pumpkin pre and post carving.  He did it all by himself this year. Very cool.

I did not buy Emma a costume this year.  She never really took to anything at the store and I wasn't even sure she would keep one on. So I didn't want to spend any money when I knew we had 3 or 4 costumes at home that would work just fine.  After trying out a cow costume for about 15 minutes, she decided to be a gorilla.

Not exactly feminine.

But she did want to leave on the Halloween skirt she had been wearing all day, so at least she was a girl gorilla.

For trick or treating Ashton wanted to have a different costume since he didn't think our neighbors would know who Mr. Z was, so he decided to be a ninja.

He had a hard time deciding what to be and waited until the last minute to pick his costume.  He told me that he thought, "he should be a spy or ninja, since that fit his personality." 

Try to keep a straight face, sitting in the car next to him when he says something like that.
He cracks me up and sometimes I wonder about the world he lives in inside that head of his.

The whole crew...

... doing what they do best on Halloween...begging for candy.

Happy Halloween!

Connections

A few days ago, a favorite blog of mine posted this video and wrote about how we seem to be able to forge connections with complete strangers and yet not know our neighbor next door.



Obviously, I loved it or I wouldn't be sharing it with you here.

As the music's tempo increased and locales started going by faster, I was excited to see where he would dance next and I even got misty eyed from a couple of different locations that I have an emotional connection to myself. It made me smile, laugh, cry, and think. I identified with the question posed and thought about it off and on for the rest of the week- until Friday.

That's when I saw something that made me appreciate the connections we make a little differently.

First, I have to explain something so you will understand my appreciation.

My eldest child is sensitive. You know the characteristic you hope you won't pass on to any off your offspring, well he got the double whammy. My tendency to worry and Richard's relationship with anxiety fell squarely on his shoulder's.

We realized the depth of his sensitvity a couple of years ago when he started 3rd grade. It was his second year in this school since we had moved back to the states from Canada. He had done really well getting settled and making friends his first year, so we didn't anticipate any problems the following year. The first week went fine.

Then the dam broke.

He couldn't sleep. He couldn't eat. Panic attacks started and so did the inconsolable crying. Going to school was out of the question. He would beg me not to go, but after some coaxing I would get him there only to end up leaving with him in tears. We finally got that the heart of the problem was that there was nobody he knew in his class.

No connections.

He was the only boy from his previous class that had been placed in his current one and of course, the girls he knew still had cooties. His problem all boiled down to this; it was hard enough to be the new kid and have to make friends one year, let alone two in a row.

The only way to solve the problem though was to go to school. And he did. And eventually he made friends. Things were better, he wanted me to walk him to class each day and would give me the "please, don't leave me here look", but at least he went.

There was a difference in him though. He was more particular about what he did, what he wore, and he became really concerned about what people thought about him. He didn't want to do or wear anything that might cause him to lose the friends and connections he had made. It intensified last year after a bully stopped a soccer game he was playing in to make fun of him.

The boy who used to love to dance in the kitchen with me to Elton John's "Crocodile Rock" won't even dance with me anymore.

That is why I was so surprised and delighted to be able to film my own little 'Dance' video on Friday morning following the Fun Run at the school.

I was only able to get 15 seconds of it- I wish I could have gotten more, but I will take what I could get. Just look at my boy "shaking his thang" with all of his friends (I like to think he gets his moves from me), but better yet... think of the connections he has made to make him feel comfortable enough to do it in public!

The good it did this mother's heart, who has the propensity to worry, was great. And perhaps, it is time I give "Crocodile Rock" a rest... it looks like I have a new dance to learn.

Sk8 Night

Friends- L to R Ryan, Wade, & Ashton

Really, I do know how to spell "skate", but I was informed this was "the COOL way" to write it. So to remain "hip" in the eyes of my followers, a.k.a. my children, I spelled it "the cool way". You know, just trying to keep up with the young whippersnappers.

Anyway.... last Friday evening our elementary held a Family Skate Night. All of the students and their families were invited to either rent rollerblades or ride scooters and have fun being together as a school community. And fun it was!

Dallin, Spencer, Wade, & Ashton

The kids had a great time riding their scooters with all of their friends. I had a great time chatting with all the other parents. And after Ben took a turn in the bubbles and was freezing in his wet clothes, Richard, had a great time getting to go home half way through. He was suffering from jet lag, so I was glad he wanted to come at all. What a good Daddy.

Midget Mania
I've always wanted to learn to rollerblade, but decided this was probably not the night. I didn't think my boys would appreciate their mother falling on her face, rear end, or other delicate body parts in front of their teachers, principal, or friends. Thus, making a fool out of myself and them. So I refrained from putting on the blades and settled for pushing Emma around on her early birthday gift, a new "Princess" scooter.

Bubble head

The biggest hit of the whole night was the bubble machine. The kids had talked about it all week. From what they had said, I had visions of this machine that generated a bubble big enough to encompass you. Instead, I found a blow-up reservoir like the kind you might fill with plastic balls, but instead of balls, there were bubbles. Tons and tons of bubbles! Like a giant bubble bath without the water.

Dallin swimming in the bubbles

All 3 boys had a turn in the bubbles and had a great time, except Ben.

He had fun alright, just too much. He got cold and must have swallowed too many bubbles since he started screaming to get out and go home. Once he was out and we were walking across the parking lot where everyone was skating, he started spitting.

Lovely. Just what everyone wants to skate through..... Ben's spit!

I told him to stop. He wouldn't. So I told him to spit into his shirt. At least, it would wash. I didn't think the reputation of being the lady with the gross, spitting, kid would come clean as easy.

I can't wait for next year! I'm thinking that I will rollerblade and embarrass him right back!

Thanks to Mr. Z for many of the great pics of Ashton and his friends. And to Chastina for the pic of me and Emma.

Remember

Yesterday I wore red, white, and blue. I proudly pinned my flag pin on my collar.

I wore a flag shirt and changed my running route too. I wanted to run through the flag lined streets of Provo.

I also flew my flag yesterday. Okay, I fly it everyday, but yesterday, I flew it for a slightly different reason.

I hope for the same reason you all flew yours.

To remember.

To remember that awful day 8 years ago when I felt shocked, scared, helpless, and sad.

To remember the feeling I had of being a mother and watching my two year old Ashton, pointing at the TV after the 2nd plane hit and saying, "Moke, Mommy. Moke." and thinking what kind of world I had brought him into.

To remember all those innocent lives lost. I didn't know any of them personally, but they are still my brothers and sisters and I still mourn for them and their families.

To remember those who gave the ultimate gift and sacrificed their own lives for that of their friends.

And today, I chose to remember the good that awful day brought.

To remember the love felt for our fellow countrymen. And how we brought those we love a little closer and loved them a little longer.

To remember the giving of resources, time, money, and most of all, prayers.

To remember the unity. We were truly the UNITED States of America again.

To remember the surge of patriotism that filled the fibers of my being.

And our family chose to honor those who lost their lives that day by the hands of terrorists, by doing some of the things those terrorists hoped to make the American People too scared to do.

We gathered in with a large group of friends, neighbors, and classmates at the elementary for a Family Skate Night.

We enjoyed the beauty of our Provo trail by running together for our Annual Ward 5K and Kids Fun Run.

We watched Dallin play in a flag football game while the other kids enjoyed one our public parks.

We exercised our freedom of speech and gathered at the State Capital for a Freedom Rally.

And I hope we proved to the orchestrator's of those attacks that they didn't win that day. And that even 8 years later we still remember.

The American Spirit doesn't easily forget.