Sixteen Candles

This morning right after Jaclyn went out the door I pulled out my baskets of birthday-partification to get ready for tonight. Steven looked at my supplies and said, "Does Jaclyn know you're doing this?"
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Those words haunted me all day. No, she didn't know. I wanted to surprise her. The party wasn't a surprise: She texted (or facebooked?) all the guests herself. She chose chocolate cake, pizza, pop, and chips. But I chose the rest and I fretted all day because of Steven: What if she didn't like it?
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She did.
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She liked the piano (Kit Kat) birthday cake.

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She liked the lanterns and tissue paper flowers.
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She liked the candy on the mantle, a subtle nod to Sweet 16.

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And who wouldn't like presents?
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So, really, all I've learned is that Steven doesn't want a grand piano cake or tissue flowers at his 16th birthday. Check. Got it.

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Carmen and Chloe, however, can't wait to have a party like this.

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The kids, I mean teens, played Wii and played the piano (and not just Jaclyn) and had elastic band wars.

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Jaclyn opened presents, casting the wrappings at her feet.

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You know, for a couple of weeks now I've had several people say something to me about how crazy/worrisome/surprising/life-changing it is for me to have an almost 16-year-old. Every time someone remarks on this I brush it off because it seems very natural to me to have a girl this old.

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Until.

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Until I had a moment as I pierced the cake with the candles that read 'Sixteen'. It hit me, briefly: She is so very nearly grown up.

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The kids (I keep calling them that) tried to light a fire in the rain using batteries and steel wool (science geeks love this).

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They got sparks, but no fire.
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And now they are settled down in the family room watching The Holy Grail. Jaclyn has the best friends - I love their laughter. What a lucky girl.

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Thwarted at every turn (new insights)

1. I think I know why the kids leave their stuff laying around all over the place:

They think this is their house too!

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2. And I figured out why Chloe doesn't have any shirts: All the new ones that fit her are on her dolls as dresses. (Why can't the dolls wear the old shirts that are too small for her?)
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Hating Soccer

(And I don't know how to remedy it.)

Chloe signed up for indoor soccer this fall, and unfortunately she is the only girl. She has tolerated 3 weeks of the boys only passing to her when the coach tells them to, but this week the unspeakable happenned: one of the boys had the nerve to call her 'Dude'.

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She was horrified.

I hope by then I will be ready

Today Steven went out on his bike to collect fast offerings. (Make that my bike.)

I was going to text all over this photo to point out what I like about it, but my computer is suffering from some kind of trauma and I feel lucky just to be able to post. Photo editing is an impossibility right now.

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So here's what I like about this photo:

• It is the end of September and warm enough to bike for fast offerings, but just cool enough to pull a long sleeved shirt on over top of his collared shirt.
• Riding a bike in dress pants and dress shoes is very pre-missionary.
• I don't know about the elastic band around his ankle, but I suppose missionaries also need to protect their dress pants from bike chain grease.

Marathon of Hope

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I had the privilege of running in the Terry Fox Run with Chloe today at school.
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Terry Fox is a Canadian Hero.

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As a young man he suffered from bone cancer in his leg and had to have it amputated. Two years after his operation he started a running program and set a goal for himself to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. He started at the Atlantic Ocean and ran 42km (a full marathon) his first day. He ran another marathon the next day, and then the next. He ran marathon after marathon for 143 days until the pain in his chest stopped him. The cancer had returned - this time in his lungs.

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Terry Fox died in June of 1981, but his legacy lives on. I ran in my first school-sponsored Terry Fox Run when I was 9 years old, and millions of Canadian children have participated in his Marathon of Hope since then.

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Over $400 million dollars have been raised by the Terry Fox Foundation for cancer research, some of it in large endowments, but also much of it in small

*Toonies for Terry* campaigns in elementary schools across the country.

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Weekend Wrap-up

We had such a great day today with absolutely nothing going on in the schedule after church. (That can't be as rare of an occurrence as it feels.)

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We played Settlers of Catan, which Ken didn't like very much because I guess we've mostly played it without him and he didn't like not knowing what was going on. He did like winning in the end, though. We hurried to clear the table after the game for dinner and pear pie.

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Friday night we started off with Steven still away in the Gulf Islands on a school trip. Chloe had a sleep-over at Tristen's house. Carmen went to the Masters at Spruce Meadows with her riding friends.

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Jaclyn and I went to a concert at the Sundance Chapel, which was put on entirely by one family of 5 sons and 1 daughter all playing several instruments throughout the night along with their dad on piano and guitar. Individually they were okay musicians, but collectively it was astounding. The mom wasn't a performer herself, however I spent the whole night in awe of her ability to get those kids to practise over the years and not just one of them or the first few, but all six of them consistently. The evening was a monument to her organization and discipline whether anyone else saw it that way or not.

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Ken went to Fathers and Sons camp by himself because the High Priest Group leadership was in charge, so even though Steven was away on his school trip (climbing apples trees on Orchard Island, catching and getting caught by crabs which he eventually ate, working as crew on an old mine sweeper ship) Ken camped out with the other men in the ward. And it sounds like his 4-wheel-drive and towing capabilities were put to good use which was enjoyable to Ken. In fact, Ken has had a good week in general as evidenced by his use of Gak (recreational equipment): 4-wheel-drive truck, outdoor gas stove, fly fishing gear, cycling gear, as well as his motorbike helmet at the race track in his friend's race cars. The more equipment needed in a week, the better 'man week' it was.

(I've been married for nearly 19 years and I'm just starting to understand.)

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Pear Pie

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Single pie crust

4-8 pears peeled, cored, and diced into the pie shell

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Mix together:

1c sugar

1/4 c flour

1/4 c butter

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

dash salt

Pour over pears.

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Bake 350 x 1 hour

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Allow to cool and set before eating.

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A day in the life of my hair

Ponytail: I wear this from 6am (when I get up to take Jaclyn to Seminary) until after I work out.

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Then, after I shower and blow dry, I'll decide that my hair looks good with my natural wave and plan to keep my hair like this for the day. I will not make it through a whole day with wavy hair. I will sometimes change my mind while I'm finishing my make-up, and sometimes later in the day, maybe before I go out for the evening.

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At which point I'll straighten my hair.

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Bobbi pin time!

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(Eventually the cheek-bone length bangs my stylist likes will get to me.)

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By evening I come full circle, returning once again to a ponytail.

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2 things you should know about Chloe:

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1. She's a planner.

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And that really worked in my favor this weekend, because I feel like I spent this weekend the same way I spent the summer - trying to squeeze in a little bit of time together as a family. With Jaclyn and Steven both working this summer (Jaclyn nannying, Steven yard-care) I felt like I had to fight to get any time together. Chloe comes in handy here because there is nothing she likes better than family fun and once she has made a plan, good luck breaking it.

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So with Chloe's help I tore Ken and Carmen away from chores, and Jaclyn and Steven away from homework and we tried out the Calgary Corn Maze. Here's where the second thing you should know about Chloe comes in:

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2. She's very competitive.

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Chloe decided we should break up in to teams do to the maze with the winning team getting a prize (chocolate bars). From there she had some trouble because she so desperately wanted to be on the winning team, yet somehow she'd been stuck with mom by the other kids and she didn't seem to think I was a winner. She talked herself onto Dad's team and entered the maze with confidence.

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I guess she thought boys would be better at this.

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Around now I should tell you that competitiveness is a strong female trait in our family. Team Mom won.

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Surprisingly, Chloe didn't let it get her down and had fun in the other activities.

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Being a good sport is a new thing for her. New, like for the first time yesterday.

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Everyone had fun on the bikes that you steer with your feet, but I snapped the best picture of Carmen and that's how I decide which photos make the blog.

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Carmen was the only kid interested in petting the farm animals.

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No one else even stepped in the pen.

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Within 2 1/2 hours we were back home and back at our tasks but with Chloe's help we did manage to squeeze in a little R&R on Monday. Thanks Chloe!

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Thoughts this morning

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My flower garden did well this summer, thanks to Carmen and all her watering attention.
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One thing I like about running in the fall is how tall I look as I head west in the morning.
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I can't believe Jaclyn's bus didn't pick her up today.
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I really enjoyed standing outside the school this morning chatting with my fellow school moms after the kids found their names on the class lists and headed inside.
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That's 3 fingers for 3rd grade!
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Can I just sit here if you're taking first-day-of-school pictures?
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Carmen can't take her favorite accessory to school with her, so her fashion scarf and metallic flats will have to be enough for the first day of 5th grade.

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As per usual, the kids got some of the friends they wanted in their class, and some not. We weren't desperate for one particular teacher, so it was impossible to be disappointed there.

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Now today my big plans today are laundry, finishing my Shutterfly book while it's still 20% off, making caramel sauce with apple slices for after school, and if there's any time left after that I might clean up a little around here.

If you think I have your email address, well I don't

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Last weekend we had the best time at Ken's parents ranch!
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We did a little bit of work,
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A whole lot of play,
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Even cattleguards are fun with cousins around.
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Carmen wanted to take the kiddie quad home with her.
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We enjoyed a little bit of nature,

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Make that a whole lot of nature.
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And then we came home, where for me, the relaxation continues. Steven BBQ'd his second meal for Duty to God (Deacon) on Sunday and now Jaclyn is 5 days into planning and preparing 2 weeks of meals for Personal Progress. I hardly know what to do with myself.

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Maybe I can rebuild my email address book? Send me a note via email - please!

Sisterless

Pathfinder Outdoor Skills #6

Jaclyn's at EFY, Carmen and Chloe are each at sleepovers - Steven doesn't mind at all.

(I have to pick Jaclyn up at 7am tomorrow morning - what kind of check-out time is that??? I have a friend who holds a theory that the EFY people are just trying to get out of serving breakfast.)

The Film Camera (and a bonus)

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On Saturday after Ken and the big kids ferried over to the Crypt trail head, Carmen, Chloe and I to the International Ferry down to Goat Haunt which is located at the Glacier Park end of Upper Waterton Lake.
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The Canada/U.S. border cut into the forest.
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The American end of the lake. From here it is possible to enter the United States through customs and backpack in to Glacier Park.
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Chloe learned how to skip rocks and Carmen practised the skill further. The similar postures are an effort to keep the rock low as they throw it.

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After we returned to the town of Waterton we hit the beach with floaties that we found in the shed of the cabin where we stayed.

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Chloe prefered the tube - she had a hard time working the oars of the dinghy.

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Monday:

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Naturally, the kids weren't deterred by the murky water or the colder day or the wind. Steven flew ahead of the girls up the canyon - Ken hurried along the top to stop him and turn him around when we realized how far and fast he was going.
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Chloe doesn't let a little cold water get the the way of her fun. Ever.

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Jaclyn and Carmen found a small natural waterslide. The water was a little too high and murky for their usual longer one.

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The bonus: Not from the film camera, from my Flip video camera.