There Are Crazy People Everywhere

Kaleb is getting more into riding his bike around the block.  He's still on the training wheels, but at least he is practicing.  He likes to come and ask me to go with him.  Of course I love this.  So today, when he asked me to go around the block with him, how could I say no?  We left our drive way, and this guy who lives in the neighborhood just over from me slows down and sticks his head out his car window.  Weird.
"Hey, do you know what's going on?" he asks.
"Um.  No."  I reply because I have no idea what he is even talking about, who he is, or why he is even talking to me.
"There's been a murder over there."  He points north of my home.  "They've blocked off the street and are asking every one to stay inside and lock their doors."
"Oh.  Okay.  Thank you."  He drives home and I see him pull into his driveway.  "Kaleb, let's go home for a second.  I want to check something out on the internet."  I had no idea what this guy was talking about or if I could even believe him.
"You can go back.  I want to keep going."  Not wanting to alarm my child, stayed with him and we went around the block.  As we turned the corner to get back on our street, I looked to the west at the bottom of our street.  Sure enough, there were cop cars blocking the way into our neighborhood.  Oh, dear.
As soon as we got home, I locked the doors.  Even the deadbolt I tell our children not to lock because it sticks and can be extremely hard to unlock. Then I looked on the news' websites.  I found this article.
Awesome.  I live in the ghetto.  I also had to tell my children what happened so they would stay inside.  But I suppose it's better to tell them the truth and talk about what's going on than to lie to them.
Well, that explains why I heard a helicopter fly over my house.  Riley said, "Oh, yeah.  I saw it.  It flew over our across the street neighbors' house."  Kaleb didn't understand why I was saying there was a murder when the guy was flown to the hospital.  He also wanted to see the dead body.  Zach told me he was scared, but the police were there to protect him and so he wasn't that scared.
My neighbor told me there was a swat team searching the field behind her house.  Another neighbor told me that she left for half an hour and couldn't get back home.
I hope they catch the guy.

Here is an update on this story.

This Will Only Take a Minute. I Just Wanted to Show You Something.

I'm trying to blog right now, but I'm a little distracted by Kaleb right now.  He thinks that he can talk to me whenever he wants.  I suppose that's true.  He is just arguing with me about tape right now and it's getting tedious.  Now the whining.  I don't want him to use my scotch tape for taping cardboard together.  I told him to get something stronger.  Like duct tape.  But he can't find it.  Not my problem.  Maybe if he actually looked for it, he would find it.  Oh, good.  Now he's distracted by the kitten we are kitten-sitting.  He thinks it's super-kitty and likes to fly it around the room.  Sigh.

Any way.  I just wanted to show you this awesome thing that I made:

It's for my wolf den meetings.  The letters on the rings are the first initial of the boys in our den.  As they do things during den meetings like answer a question, or say the prayer, they will earn a bead.  It will get put on the yellow boondoggle cording and when they leave the wolfs and move on to the bear den, they get to take it with them.  Isn't it awesome?  It was really easy to make, too.  Okay.  You can get on with your day now. I just wanted to show off a little.  Thanks for letting me. :)  Have a great day!

I Thought This Post Was Going to Be So Different at Four O'Clock Yesterday Afternoon

Oh my gosh.  I'm just kind of emotional right now.  Maybe this isn't the best time to be blogging about this, but I want to do it while it's fresh in my mind and I can't handle it any more and decide I don't care because not caring is always easier than dealing with something outright isn't it?
Kaleb had a soccer game yesterday.  It's after midnight, so technically it was yesterday and the date of this post will show that it was yesterday, but the rest of this post will say today because it isn't tomorrow until I have gone to bed and woken up.  That's my disclaimer for the rest of your reading experience.  I don't want to go through and change all the "today"s to "yesterday"s.  You wouldn't either.
He has been wanting so badly to be the goalie all year.  Today he got his chance.  He's so little and skinny and not really very good at soccer right now (It is his first year playing after all), that I never thought his coach would let him, to be honest.  He tries so hard and I love to watch him play because he loves it.  Well, today, his coach couldn't make it to the game, so he asked one of the other dads to help out.  I didn't know this was going to happen.  Maybe his coach's wife sent an email saying that, but it didn't click with me that that was the way it was going to be.  Any way, I don't like unexpected surprises like that and it made me feel uncomfortable from the start.  I shook it off because I was probably just being weird, and was excited for Kaleb when he got put in as goalie in the second quarter.  Well, he didn't really do a very good job.  I had to keep reminding him to watch the ball.  The other team was really good, and he is still kind of not sure how to play the game.  Kurtis needs to work with him more because I don't know the rules at all.  He only caught one goal.  One time, he stopped it from going out of bounds and the ref told him to do a goalie kick and he was supposed to take it up to the line further away from the goal rather than the line closest to the goal that forms the box around the goal.  The poor kid.  Everybody is yelling at him to take it to the white line and he's getting told what to do by at least fifteen different people.  He gets confused - he put the ball on the white line, duh.  His not-coach says, "God, Kaleb."  Just like that.  He's crushed and humiliated.  The whole rest of the game is ruined for him.  I didn't hear his not-coach say what he said.  He was too far away from  me, but after the game, I asked Kaleb if he liked being the goalie and if he was so excited that he got to do it.  At first he was like, "Yeah." but he said it with so little enthusiasm that I asked him again if he thought it was awesome.  "Actually, no.  My coach said the 'G' word at me, Mom!"  He has been taught not to take the Lord's name in vain and to not say other swear words.  He doesn't take lightly when people do - at least when they are aimed at him.  He's very sensitive and can be quite emotional when he gets hurt.  He said he didn't know where his coach was pointing and let me tell you, there really is no white line any more.  It's been worn down to a brown line of dirt.  And let's face it.  Pointing really isn't that great of a way to get someone in the exact spot you want them.  So of course he was confused!
I'm so sad this happened to my little guy.  I'm upset that an adult would be so insensitive to small children and not think how inappropriate it is to talk to them that way.  He said two words to my son.  Two.  That's all it took.  I understand being frustrated with him.  He frustrates me everyday!  What upsets me is the impact it had on him.  That man's job for that one hour that day was to help seven boys have fun.  My heart is filled with sadness right now.  I just don't understand why people need to humiliate each other.  I never will.  His real coach would never have spoken to him like that.

 These were taken with my phone because I forgot my camera.  I had to take a picture of him in his goalie gear though!  This may never happen again! :)

 Yes.  He even has gloves on that are waaay to big for him.  Probably part of the problem, but he does look cute in them.

 See the brown line I am referring to?

I've Been Waiting For a Miracle

I wanted to blog about my weekend on Monday, but I got distracted by laundry and I really can't remember what else.  Then Tuesday, I cleaned my kitchen even though I caught Zach's cold.  It desperately needed it.  Just ask my mom.  She was having a compulsive fit when she stopped by with Ben trying not to start cleaning.  It's all better now, Mom.  No worries.  Then Wednesday, I had to get ready for my Stampin' Up! workshop.  I hadn't even made the projects yet.  I knew what we were going to do, I just hadn't made it yet.  Holy crap, though.  I was dying all day.  I just wanted to lay in bed and do nothing.  As the day wore I on, I knew that I either needed to cancel or pray and I would never cancel on my hostess.  Unless I was puking.  So through the power of prayer, I somehow managed to get through without coughing all over everyone.  Pretty much a miracle.  Today, I'm still sick.  Zach is still sick (he's going back to school tomorrow because I'm just tired of him being around), and Kurtis is home sick.  But that's his own fault because he still kisses me when I'm sick even though I tell him it's a bad idea.
Want to see what we made at the workshop?

Pretty cute, right?  Oh, you lift up the poppies and underneath are some post-it notes.  What a cute way to dress those up if you're like me and you leave them out on your counter.  I was thinking about starting a new blog just for my workshop projects and I can teach you how to do them.  What do you think?  Good idea, or no?

Alright.  Now that I am done showing off, let me tell you what we did on Saturday.  We had to get up early because Zach had a soccer game at 8.  I'm not very good at that, so I missed it.  Kaleb's game was at 9, though, so he and I stayed home and walked to his game.  Dad and the other boys showed up later, after Zach's game in a different part of town.  Here's a shot of Kaleb kicking the ball.

Unfortunately, the ball isn't in the picture.  But I love it when he goes after it!

After the game, we went up to Brigham City.  Kurtis and I went to lunch (it's a Saturday thing we like to do now that the kids can take care of themselves).  Then we went to the church to borrow some tables and chairs for Ben's welcome home party.  I was supposed to go to my 15 year high school reunion, but by the time we were done with the chairs, it was pretty much over.  Ah, well.  There's always the 20th.  Instead, I helped my dad prepare out dutch oven BBQ chicken dinner, and started the coals burning.  I like fire.

It's hard to photograph, though.  This shot turned out pretty well.

After dinner, we went to Peach Days!  Brigham City always has a celebration the weekend after Labor Day weekend to celebrate the peach harvest.  A lot of the farms have been sold off, but we still have this tradition any way.  There's a carnival and rides and my kids didn't want to go!  What is wrong with them?

 The Brigham City sign with the temple in the background.

 The kids got to go on two rides.  They chose this one. 

 It does this, and they got to go around and around the track more times than I thought they would. :)

Even though this picture is blurry, I still love it.  Look at his happy face!

 Kaleb saw this ride and wanted to go on it.  I was all like, "Whaaaat?" But then Kurtis insisted that Zach, Riley, Kaleb and I go on it.  Zach and Riley wanted to go on the Ferris wheel, but the line was so long, Kurtis  put his foot down.  You get in there and there are no restraints.  You just lay against the slanted wall and it spins you around and around.  I thought it was fun until I got a little motion sickness at the end.

I asked the boys if they liked it when they got out.  There was a resounding "NO!" that came from all of them pretty much in unison.

Sunday was Ben's big day and he had to speak in church about his mission.  It was a really good talk.  One of the things he said was, "I was always wet.  I was either sweaty, it was raining, or I was baptizing people." Ha ha.  That's awesome.  I would hate that.  But I bet you get used to it.  When he got off the plane, he said, "It's really dry here."  After, we had food, family and friends over to my mom's house and celebrated his return.

 I made this sign and took it over to my mom's on the 4th for when Ben got home on the 5th.  Jeremy, Grandma Sharp, and I hung it up, and then I went home so that I could be home before the boys got home from school.  About half an hour later, my mom called to tell me the wind was blowing it too much and the "E" in the word Elder had gone missing.  I made a new one, and they picked it up when I went to the airport with them.

 They hung it up inside instead.  I used the colors of the Brazil flag for the letters, and decorated it with stars because there are stars on the Brazilian flag.  The stars on the flag are the constellations that were in the sky the night they gained their independence, but I didn't try to get that fancy with them.  It says, "Welcome home Elder Sharp!" in Portuguese.  Yes, grammar police.  I know I forgot the comma.  It's bugging me, too.

 Some of Ben's friends.

 More of Ben's friends.

Food, family, and Ben hugging a cute girl.

 While Ben was in Brazil, he slept in a hammock.  This one was made for him by a lady he went to church with.  She did the crochet work.  The other side says "REAL Salt Lake".  But I forgot to take a picture of it.

 The man of the hour!  We're so glad he's home. :)

Missionaries are weird.

In Which Our Brother is Returned in One Piece (More or Less)

He's here!  He's really, really here! :)
So, two years ago, my youngest brother left for a mission for the LDS church.  He taught the people of Idaho (while he waited for his visa to come through) and the people of Belem, Brazil about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for two years.  We missed him.  A lot.
And now he's back!  My mom, dad, and grandma picked me up today and we all went to the airport to greet him.  My brother Michael and his wife Lili joined us a little bit later.  It's hard to express how glad I am to have him back.  I get all misty-eyed when I think about it.
He is doing really well.  We wondered if he was super tired after getting off the air plane, but he told us he got bumped up to first class on his flight from Brazil to Atlanta, so he got to sleep then.  What?  First class?  Yes.  Apparently, they were late getting to the air port.  He thinks they had already given their seats away, so they got bumped to first class.  That's awesome.  Sometimes, he starts to speak to you in Portuguese.  It's kind of funny.  I had to explain to Michael that English isn't his first language any more and it might take him a minute to remember English words for things.  He'll be fine in a couple weeks, I'm sure. ;)
Pictures?  Why, yes.  I took pictures. :)  I think you will like them.

 We got to meet some of the families who were also waiting for their missionaries.

 The boys and I made this poster yesterday.  My dad likes it. :)

 Here we are, all lined up and waiting for our missionaries! :)

 There they are!  The three guys in the ties are Elder Sharp, Elder Smith and Elder Harris.

 Aw!

 My mom hates this picture because she is crying in it.  I love it for that very reason.

 Ben loves his sign.

 So the Elder Bitner in this picture, is actually, the twin of the Elder Bitner Ben served with.  They both served in different parts of Brazil, and they were supposed to come home together, but the Elder Bitner Ben served with missed his flight.  I hope he gets home soon!

 Ben and his new sister. :)

 He's still a cheese ball!

 Me and my little brother! :)

Ben wanted to see my boys, so on the way home from the air port, they stopped at my house.  This is his first taste of milk in two years.  Because Brazil milk is gross.  According to him.

It's Time to Begin - Isn't It?

Today, was the first day of school.  Finally!  Usually we have started by now.  Two weeks we should be into the school year already!  No, wait.  Three!  This should be the beginning of the third week of school for us, but nope.  We had to start two weeks late.  Bah.  I've been wanting to pull my hair out.  There's just been too much fighting.

I've been trying to get the boys to go to bed on time all last month.  On time for them is eight o'clock.  They haven't been listening to me and so this morning, Kaleb had a break down.  I just wanted to take his picture, but he's going through this phase right now where if I want a picture of him, I have to be super sneaky.  I'm really not kidding.  He doesn't like his picture taken right now.  I hope he gets over it because I like to take lots and lots of pictures.

I'm not going to lie though.  I really, really like that I quit my job and no longer babysit.  I really, really needed the quiet time with the boys in school.  All the sibling rivalry stuff that they have going on, makes me really, really stressed out.

 Riley is in fourth grade now.  He told me he really likes his new teacher.

 Zach is finishing his grade school years this year.  Sixth grade.  Sigh.  I blinked and he grew up.

He has two teachers.  They are team teaching.  I asked which one he liked better and he said he likes them both the same.

 This is my super tired second grader.  He didn't know I was taking his picture.

My facebook status this morning said, "It's finally here!  The first day of school!  I just want to hug it!"