Awesome Saturday

Our family had a great day yesterday.

Dad made a big breakfast of poofy pancakes (we have Rachel to thank for the yummy recipe).

I made a major grocery run (including a few birthday gifts for Zach) at Walmart with Lexi in tow. It's truly amazing how pleasant shopping can be without a two-year-old.

Garry took Zach to his football game warm-up.

I followed an hour later with Tyler, Gavin, and Lexi.

We watched the last three quarters as a family. It's truly amazing how pleasant the sidelines can be with two parents and happy children.



During half-time we walked over to Prospect Lake. Gavin dipped his toes. The best part was watching Daddy and the Littles together.



Gavin and Lexi were pretty cute, too.



Then we watched the rest of the game. Zach is still trying to get the hang of tackling. His team beat the Panthers 34-0.



After the game, we went to BJ's Velvet Freeze for ice cream. We were hungry for lunch, but only got dessert. Then we went to Costco for the bulk portion of our grocery needs. (I haven't shopped for a few weeks!) We sampled lots of delicious things (lunch!) and made a couple of impulse purchases: macaroni and cheese from the deli and a giant stuffed teddy bear for the kids.

Then I went to the General Relief Society Meeting broadcast at the stake center. The broadcast was absolutely fantastic! I was riveted from word one, took copious notes, and had personal revelation during the meeting that has given me a lot to think about.

I came home to a family who had cleaned the kitchen after dinner. Gavin and Lexi were in bed. Garry and I folded laundry while Zach and Tyler read a chapter from 2 Nephi out loud to us. That was a choice experience.

Garry and I fell asleep on the couch watching an episode of "Everybody Loves Raymond," my favorite show EVER. I laughed so hard....and I'm not sure how I fell asleep between fits of laughter!

Last Wednesday, I was surprised when comments to my post were sympathetic. I didn't mean for that post about my day to have an ornery tone -- the day wasn't so bad. I thought I was just being matter-of-fact.

So to be clear: Saturday was terrific. I love my family.

BYU v. Air Force

About a month ago, we heard that the BYU football team would visit Colorado Springs for a game against the Air Force Academy. Through a promotion online, tickets were just $5.00, so we decided to attend as a family. After talking to some friends, our fun idea expanded. Garry bought a block of 50 tickets together, which we then sold to friends. I found a babysitter so we could leave the Littles at home. We marked our calendars for a fun family event!

The big day finally arrived on September 11. Zach was probably the most excited, since he now has experience with football and his friend, Gavin, got to come along. However, Tyler and I were so sick that we couldn't join them. Tyler's croup (and my grown-up version) was quite debilitating. We were both a sniffling, hacking, snorting mess. I canceled with the babysitter, sold our tickets, wore pajamas all day, and bemoaned the loss of a unique outing and exciting social opportunity. Bummer!

Now that my complaining is out of the way, here are some pictures from the football game.

Garry, Gavin, and Zach


Tiffany and Kristi; Josh, Colleen, Ramona, Shaina, Heath, and Jen


The Jack family: Stephen, Meredith, Tim, and Randy


Scenes from the game and half-time.

I am still so disappointed I missed out -- even though BYU's performance was pretty lackluster. Maybe next time! Go Cougars!

Are you ready for some football?

Last night Zachary played in his first football game of the season. He did a great job and had a lot of fun. Getting to wear the Rams team jersey was an extra bonus!

The season has already had its ups and downs. Zach's team has a fantastic coach who seems committed to the character development of his team as much as he is to the outcome of the game. While Zach has enjoyed learning from his coach and his teammates, he was unprepared for the frequency, duration, and repetitive nature of practices. One night a couple of weeks ago, he declared he hated football and never wanted to play again. Coach Mitch helped convince him that sticking it out until the games started would be worth it! Happily, Zach chose to endure, and the effort paid off.

I was excited to see Zach play last night since I don't attend his practices. However, since Zach had to arrive an hour early (and the playing field was 30 minutes from home), Gavin and Lexi had worn out their welcome by the time the game began. I would provide commentary on the photos below, but I realized last night that I can either watch the game or tend to crazy children on the sidelines, but not both. These pictures may well be the best (perhaps only) pictures of the season.








Have a great season, Zach!

Big boy, Little boy

Today was Zach's first football practice in full gear. He was excited and a little nervous. As he ran onto the field, I noticed he was the only kid on the team without a jersey -- but one of Dad's shirts got the job done. Of the 25 or so kids playing for the Rams Rookies, all are returning players except a few. Zach is one of the new kids on the block.

Garry picked him up from practice and had a chance to talk to the coach. Coach Mitch was surprised to learn that Zach has never played football before. Apparently he is the best center on the team! Zach will be the starting center this season; his natural ability makes up for his utter lack of experience. Zach will be at the center of the action, which makes me nervous, but he is so excited about this newly discovered talent. Coach Mitch also said that Zach would be a great running back. Football season just got more exciting for the biggest boy in the house!

Meanwhile, the littlest boy continued his study of the letter A today. Gavin was thrilled for the chance to paint with apples. As you can see, he covered several sheets of paper with apple-stamped paint. What masterpieces!

Notes to self: Buy a vinyl tablecloth. Mom needs a smock, too.

Farewell, football

Since Zachary's last football game of the season was tonight, I thought I ought to venture down to Memorial Park and watch him play. (I've been a bit of a stick-in-the-mud-Mom and opted for the soccer shift every week.)

So I shouted, "Rah-rah-rah!" and "Go Zach!" from the sidelines. I took some pictures and shivered in the cold and nursed and bounced a baby and entertained a toddler and told Tyler to sit down a million times and checked the time a lot. It was quite spectacular. Garry was there, too, of course, except for the part when he ran to the store to replace the team snacks we left on the kitchen counter.

For me, most of the evening's entertainment happened on the sidelines with our goofy children. However, Zach had moments of exciting play, and his team scored a touchdown or two. Here is the photo essay:



While Zachary stretched with his team and began the game, his loyal fans sat on the sidelines munching on Burger King delicacies like crown-shaped nuggets and calorie-laden burgers. Gavin kept asking, "More soda? More soda?"



We were also very cold. Winter wear is very cute on small people. And obviously the boys weren't so cold that they couldn't smile.



And Gavin wasn't so cold that he didn't take his shoes off.
(And his gloves and hat and blanket...multiple times.)



Garry was an excellent baby-holder. Lexi liked him a lot. But toward the end, Gavin escaped from the stroller (after an hour and a half, can you blame him?) and Garry gave him a shoulder ride.



There really were moments when I was paying attention to the game. In this video clip, Zach begins in the center of the frame. He's wearing red shorts.



And here is the final defensive huddle, and the last round of "good game" high fives.

Now the season is over. {Single tear. Wait...nope, not even a single tear...at least not from me.} Zachary is distressed that the end-of-season "banquet" (at a popular pizza place) will be held on Sunday. Since we strive for Sunday to be a day of rest and worship and family togetherness, we will not be attending the banquet. I'm proud of Zach for following our family rules, even when they are hard to follow. He must be ready to be baptized!

Life is an adventure to be enjoyed...

....and not a problem to be solved.

I am trying to remember this sage wisdom as a season of sports insanity falls upon us.

At 3:30 p.m., when the after-school taxi pulled into the garage and little boys piled out, I knew that in just 90 minutes' time we needed to have homework done, cleats on, and the van packed full of spectator necessities. Tonight was our first double-header: football at 5:00, soccer at 6:15. (We got off easy tonight, since start times were staggered and the football game was in our neighborhood. Come Wednesday, football games are 30 minutes away.)

So off we went, a gaggle of Bartles trying their best to have a good time. (The mommy was, admittedly, not particularly successful.) While Zach's team (the Bills) scrimmaged with the Colts, I passed out peanut butter sandwiches and grapes. Garry arrived and took some pictures. He got his own pb&j. My friend Andrea held the baby. I wiped noses and sticky fingers and spooned cake into Gavin's mouth. Occasionally I glanced toward the field (Hey, Zach's got the ball! Go Zach!). Andrea and I chatted a lot. (How lovely it is to have a friend on the sidelines!) Gavin made a huge mess with his water bottle and charmed me with his sunglasses. Tyler ran to the van for jackets. We all eyed the sky and hoped the wind wouldn't turn into rain.




At 6:00 Garry packed up Gavin and Tyler. Tyler put on his shin guards and cleats and Gavin traded sandals for socks and shoes. Those three headed to another local park for Tyler's soccer game. Tyler got a flashy new jersey (my, what an improvement over last year!). His team warmed up for-ev-er and delayed the starting of their game by 30 minutes. It finally began. Tyler scored a goal. A kid from our ward on the opposing team scored about 10.




Meanwhile, Zachary's scrimmage ended. He and Lexi and I went home. Zach ate dinner and, while I was out of the room, snarfed FOUR pieces of cake. He finished his homework and went to bed. I fed Lexi.

Garry and the littlest boys came home at 8:00. Tyler ate his soccer snack. Garry put Gavin to bed. Tyler put himself to bed.

And then there was rest.

Until Wednesday, that is.