Cub Scout Carnival, Collett Version

Joseph is working to earn his Bear Rank in Cub Scouts.  One of the requirements is to work with the den and organize a carnival for the rest of the cub scouts. Unfortunately, the den here did this activity in early November, before we arrived and before Joseph was even 9.  Joseph is going to be turning 10 in a few months and we didn't want to risk waiting for another chance with the den, so we said, organize one yourself for the FHE activity!

Today, Rebekah spent several hours helping Joseph organize games and create tickets and signs for the carnival.  They did a great job!  Here's what they did and how everyone enjoyed it...

Everyone got an invitation that had been handwritten, with several ticket taped inside.  No two were the same!

The admission ticket got us "into" the carnival, and a chance to punch a spot and reach inside for a piece of candy. A couple of them had two pieces; I was lucky enough to get a starburst AND a dum dum!  (It's perfectly understandable if you feel some jealousy.)

Notice the clown.  Joseph did an excellent job dressing as a carnival clown for the activity.  Don't miss the socks!

When Daniel took his turn, Joseph had to grip the box a little harder.  I'm suspecting Daniel was trying to get a little more fun from the moment than Joseph had planned on.

The carnival had several things to do and each station had a sign.  They really put a lot of effort into this!

Leah playing horse shoes...

You've already seen the tickets.  Here is Rebekah demonstrating how to "pay" for the game.  I think they thought of everything!

Near the horse shoe toss was a lawn darts game.  Considering the fact that we had two throwing games in close proximity, I feel grateful no heads (or anything else) were injured during the evening!

There was also a petting zoo.  I think Rebekah had a lot of influence in this one!  Poor Luke and Suzie were the only animals that could be staked out there (the cat wasn't really an option).  They endured the attention with great patience.  

Lastly, there was an abbreviated croquet course set up.  Sarah tried to beat Daddy in a game.  I'm not sure what the result was.  I know what she'd say!

The whole carnival was small, but they put a lot of thought and work into it and was pretty impressive for an 11 (almost 12)-year-old and 9-year-old!  I think everyone had fun.

Here is our master clown and host.  I think he had fun, which is most important!

Have you met our cat?  Rusty ventured upstairs while the dogs were safely tethered outside in the petting zoo.  Comfortably seated in the window, he kept an eye on the croquet game (and the dogs).

The weather was perfect and the mosquitoes were not too bad.  It was a great activity for our FHE.  After we cleaned it all up, we went inside for a lesson to support Sarah's upcoming baptism and then we finished it all off with German chocolate cake, compliments of Nathan.

Mind Trick

I found this gem this morning while I was trying to put more stuff away.  (So much stuff!  We will never get settled!)

I held it up to Sarah and waited for her reaction. Her first response was, "Which one is you?"  Then she corrected herself, but made several confused comments as her brain tried to sort out an old fashioned look with people she recognized.  Lol!  I wish you could have seen the expressions on her face.

Perhaps I should be offended that she thought I was old enough to have really had a picture so ancient.  But it was all funny enough to overlook the insult.

Early to Rise...

...should mean early to bed.  It would make waking up a whole lot easier! 

When school starts the boys will have to leave for Seminary around 5:45 am, over an hour earlier than we've previously enjoyed.  This means an early family prayer!

To get us ready for the big change, we've been adjusting our alarm clocks each week.  Last week we were up at 7:30.  This week is 6:45, though we let everyone sleep in yesterday because of a late night at the fair.  We will be falling out of bed at 6 next week and 5:30 during the school year.

Years of enjoying solitude after the kids have gone to bed has trained me to be a night owl.  This has been perfect since I've never been a morning person.  Going to bed before 11 pm is very unusual and it's often around midnight when we shut off the lights.  Of course, Chad still has a big reason to wake up in the morning and I'm sure he'd appreciate some extra sleep. 

Most of the kids are dragging through the transition like I am.  And then there's Leah who has her alarm set for 5:15 and is out watering plants an hour before I am getting out of bed. She also likes to cook and has been making dinner for the past few weeks. I'd wonder if she was perfect if it wasn't for the fact that she's terrible at cleaning up the kitchen afterwards.

School starts in 19 days.  Before that happens, we have several more medical appointments, two birthdays (with parties), and a baptism to do.  We're also trying to a few things accomplished in the house. 

Who has time for sleep?  But I so want a nap!

Trust Issues

I have them.  Deep-rooted, too.  I'd tell you their history, but I don't know if I can trust you.  And so the cycle continues.

The thing I hate about moving the most, even more than packing/unpacking and finding new schools and doctors, is having to get to know people again.  Don't misunderstand what I mean.  I like to meet new people.  I think I'm pretty good at having a conversation with someone I've just met.  But everyone needs a base of operations.  I keep losing mine.

I have a child in a similar situation.  They are struggling with change and finding a new place to belong.  I have spent so much energy on this little soul to smooth the transition and support it through the bumpy spots.  But I'm also a little envious because while they can get away with leaving a situation in tears and finding safety at my side, I don't have that freedom.  (Honestly, I believe all of my children are struggling in some way or another, though one seems to be doing better than most.  Others are just in survival mode and retreating into a silence that seems standoffish...because it kind of is.  And the adults they are dealing with aren't really reaching out to them.)  I am not naming names to respect their feelings.  But if you know us well enough, you know who they are.

Recently, I've had several experiences that have caused me to want to go into my own standoffish survival mode.  The general gist of what keeps happening is:  Hey, Arlyn!  Come join us!  What is your opinion?  No, really, we want to know.  That opinion isn't the same as ours.  We don't accept it.  Go back to what you were doing.  Haha, just kidding (not really).

Because of these recent interactions, I have started to stay on the fringe.  And yesterday, they left me right there.  They did bring me a chair from their group so I didn't have to stand the whole time...in the fringe.  To be fair, I was dealing with a fringe-seeking child, but even after that issue resolved itself, I continued to hold down my chair and keep an eye on the minutes ticking by.  When it was finally time to leave, I felt such a chasm that I had one of my children return the chair for me so I wouldn't have to face the other women and walked to my car without saying anything to anyone.  Next time, I'll just wait in the car.  The hope of being included is starting to fade.

Why do I have such trust issues?  Well, some of them come from a bit of a nightmare that keeps repeating itself:  I make a friend that I think is a pretty close friend and start to share my insecurities, including the fact that I keep losing friends and don't understand why (to which they are supportively appalled at), and they end up ditching me down the road, too.  Warm fuzzies?  No.  Unless you want to count the heat I feel in my face as they "don't see" me when they walk past.

And why do I so keenly feel the sting of being excluded from a group?  That's also something I can't share without trusting you.

If you are the person that immediately has a bunch of suggestions on how I should be friendlier and just introduce myself, trust in the atonement, pray, etc., then I will know I won't be opening up to you.  This tells me you are making judgements with assumptions and not facts and you will not be my "safe place" when I need you.

My Hands

I have noticed that my hands haven't heard that I'm trying not to get old too fast.  I can fake youth in my behavior and my face, but my hands are giving me away.

These hands have a lot of miles on them and have been exposed to over 40 years of work and stresses.  

They've been sunburned, torn, swollen, and cracked.  

They've knocked on doors, manipulated home improvements, soaked in dish water, and been buried in craft goop.

They've wiped dirty bottoms, applied band aids, brushed away tears, and cut hair.  

They've  patted, swatted, tickled, and pounded.  

They've played instruments, cooked dinner, counted to 3 (so many times), and crocheted miles of afghan stitches.

They've painted, gardened, sewed, and sorted.  

They've worked on assembly lines, scanned groceries, led music, and taped (and untaped) boxes.  

They've been hot, numb, pained, and blistered.  

They've been raised in question and in acceptance. 

They've been folded in prayer and in worry.  

They've served and have accepted service.  

And it shows. I think my hands are a bit like a timeline of my life. I imagine my heart might show similar aging if it could.  I'm OK with that. But let's see if I can't fool people with my face for a little longer!  :)

Quote of the Day

Compliments of Sarah, after getting a panoramic x-ray at the dentist's office:

"And then she just left me there all alone. I mean, who does that?  To a little girl?"

Picture a fake disgusted look with hands outstretched. 

Lol.  She hasn't had enough x-rays to know the technician always leaves the room.

TMI

There is a strange phenomenon occurring in my house.  Some of you may consider this to be sharing a little too much, but it's so strange that I feel I should record it for posterity.

The strange happening is that I cannot go to the bathroom without someone discovering me there.  It's a serious thing that is partly mystifying and partly annoying the heck out of me!

I can be left alone all morning, but Las Vegas could thrive on the probability that within minutes of entering the bathroom, someone will come disturb my solitude.  It's as if they sense I'm not nearby and they must make sure I haven't escaped out the back door.  (The temptation has been there.)

I am anticipating the start of school so that I'm assured it will only be the dogs tracking me down.

There Really Is No Such Thing As Catching Up

I seem to be in an eternal conflict.  Why recording my life publicly is so important to me is hard to understand.  I imagine it's due to moving often and not having an easy escape with friends to share my events and feelings with in person.  So I turn to the next easiest avenue I have...online outlets.

And why not?  It's a great way to keep friends and family updated as well as creates a record of the happenings of our family.  We have a wonderful collection of stories dating back to 2005 of the funny, momentous, and important activities that happen to our family.  So many of the things I have recorded have ended up being new to me later when my kids read them to me in fits of laughter. My memories are not very reliable, unless I write them down!

Unfortunately, once I started using Facebook, the time spent updating the blog became too much.  I was getting nearly instant feedback on my FB posts, and much more attention.  That was enough to keep me going and eventually my blog was ignored.  But not forgotten!  Facebook is great for short paragraphs, but I have a need to TYPE!  I have missed my blog.  I have also missed story-telling.

Because FB is a little too public and less intimate than I'd like, I have struggled with feelings of guilt due to sharing so much.  I attempted to fix that by limiting my friends lists and only sharing with certain groups, depending on the topic.  However, that hasn't been the best answer and I believe that many people have become upset when I have removed them from my friends list despite their inactivity in my FB life or real life.

So I have decided that I will open up my FB interactions to be more public, but less personal, and return to blogging the many details of our life.  If someone is truly interested, they will find their way here and I will be rid of the guilt of over-sharing!

I regret that I can't catch up with everything that has happened since my last blog post.  But there really is no such thing as catching up.  I would never be able to share all the details that have been since forgotten. I can only start from now and try to keep up with current events.

But I can share some recent photos.  Joseph recently got a cat.  It's mainly to help him with his anxieties that have followed him for a few years.  The cat, an orange tabby, is named Rusty.

He's had all sorts of attention, from the dogs chasing him to copious boxes presented for his cat-like hiding.  Joseph and Sarah made this box in Rusty's likeness.  It looks pretty good, don't you think?  I'm not sure how Rusty feels about it.

And in other news, Nathan and I enjoyed a morning of running errands.  One of our stops was Hobby Lobby.  While I searched and contemplated trims for Sarah's dresses, Nathan found some trim of his own. We call this his rapper chains!  lol  We don't really call them anything, but it's what I'm thinking.  I'm glad he's willing to be silly with me sometimes.  Oh, and during this morning out, we stopped to see ourselves reflected in the window of one of the stores.  I can confirm that Nathan is taller than me now.  2017 has been a good year for growing!