Soccer girls

Just the girls are playing soccer this year.  Surprisingly, Mariah was hesitant to play.  She had a lackluster season last year; she didn't connect with her coach; she wasn't feeling the fun in it anymore.  I encouraged her to continue (why stop now?) and to our relief she is really enjoying her team and her coach this season.  A new coach has made a world of difference in her experience, for which I am grateful.

No, she hasn't grown extra legs.... yet.

Mariah has also started working as a soccer referee for our local league.  She took the certification class this summer and now has her first official job!  Her first game was working with the kids Karina's age.  She was nervous but she did a great job.  Since then she's ref'd several games and loves the pay that comes with it.  I love experiences like this for my kids, which help them gain confidence in themselves and their abilities.  I'm proud of her and her willingness to do something different and to overcome her inhibitions to do so.  

Mariah as a referee getting the kids to line up for an equipment check

Most days, Karina is on fire on the field.  Does that surprise anyone?  Her energy and confidence are evident and, even though she is one of the younger players on the team, she holds her own just fine.  She's a chatterbox while she's playing--sometimes bossy, sometimes just voicing the plays, sometimes laughing and giggling.  A few games ago, she and another player were having a dance party on the sidelines as they watched their teammates.  Yes, she is my constant entertainment.

She likes to play the goalie position and does a pretty good job.  She's taken a few hits in the stomach with the ball, which isn't fun.  She's pretty tough about it though and doesn't complain much.

A special visit

We had a special visit from a special lady recently--our Aunt Judy!

The kids were mega-excited to see her.  And so was I, to be honest.

There's no one else on the planet quite like Aunt Judy.

She's fun.  She's happy.

She's outgoing.  She's loving.

She's warm.  She's giving.

She has the best laugh.

She's one of our favorites!

She hung out with us for the day and we hauled her all over the place--to the horse barn, to soccer games, to lunch, to the park, to eat donuts, to visit Jason's shop, to dinner, and everywhere else in between.

She was a trooper!

It was a joy and a pleasure to have her companionship, along with my mom's, all day long.  They both got a taste of "a day in the life of" the Richards family.

Hope we didn't wear you out!

Can't wait to do it again!

Kyle-ee-oh Smile-ee-oh is 8!

During a recent conversation with the kids about their births, Kyle said, 

"Mom, did your body push me out?  Or did I just climb out of there?"  

Well, Kyle didn't climb out on the day he was born, but his birth story is the most dramatic of all my children, which is ironic since he is the least dramatic personality in our family.  

Kyle's birthday party was full of friends and fun.  Jason put together a scavenger hunt to keep the boys occupied.  They ran all over the house and property looking for clues, completing tasks, and searching for treasure.  

 

Kyle got a bike ramp for his birthday, which the boys were excited to try out.

Kyle requested an ice cream cake.  He must love them because he chooses them almost every year.  He decorated it with M&M's to spell his name.  

It was fun to see Kyle enjoy his special day.  He's a special kid and I'm so glad he's mine!

Happy birthday, Smiles!

"Vancouver, this is it!"

We visited Mt. St. Helens during Labor Day weekend and were awed by it's beauty and magnificence.  What a testament to the power of the earth!  I'm always amazed at the photos of ash pluming from the mountain that morning of May 1980.  And the photos of the forest trees, stripped of their branches, and lying like matchsticks on the hills are unbelievable.  It's almost more than my mind can comprehend.  "Vancouver, this is it!" were the last recorded words of David Johnston, a volcanologist who witnessed the 1980 eruption and died in it by doing so.  We visited the Johnston Ridge Observatory which was named after him and located on the ridge where he died during the eruption.

Since I've lived so close to the mountain all my life, I've known its history pretty well.  But with our visit, I learned some new things about the eruption of 1980.  The beautiful Spirit Lake, which is located under the glorious beauty of the mountain summit was a tourist destination with resorts, cabins, and camping locations.  When the mountain erupted, it forced mud and debris into the lake so vehemently that it pushed the lake water to the opposite shore over 800 feet high.  When the water dropped back down, it pulled all the dirt, trees, and vegetation with it back into the lake where, even today, the logs from the trees lie on top of the lake.  Now the logs are slowly sinking to the bottom of the lake (in a standing position since the root ends are heavier than the tops) where they are becoming a petrified forest underwater.  Cool!  If you go and visit the lake today (which is only accessible now by hiking to it) you can see the 800 feet of bare rock where the water stripped the earth of its covering.  The surface elevation of the lake also rose about 200 feet because of the debris that was dumped into it.  Amazing.  We didn't get to visit the lake, but someday I'd like to go there and see it in person.

The eruption also changed the landscape of the mountain so much that it created two lakes that weren't there before--Coldwater Lake and Castle Lake.  It also blocked the outlet to Spirit Lake. With nowhere for the water to go as it drained into these lakes, the water levels continued to rise until the threat of overspilling and causing another catastrophic event downstream was imminent.  So, they built a drainage tunnel for Spirit Lake and spillways for Coldwater and Castle Lakes to prevent this from happening.

It's awesome that we can visit places like this with such abundant and physically evident geologic histories.  Hopefully we can spend more time there and explore even more in depth the history of this great volcano.

State Fair

Who doesn't love the State Fair? 

Well, evidently my kids don't.

It took plenty of wrangling to get them there.

"It's the same ol' thing!" they kept saying.

I don't see what's wrong with the same ol' animals, exhibits, rides, elephant ears, 

ice cream, horses, piglets, music, entertainment, vendors, smells....

Seems like loads of fun to me.  I love it!

And guess what?  After all was said and done, the kids left loving it too!

This pig was too lazy to lift his head to look at us, but he was snorting at Karina through the fence.  Oink!

Dallin describing what his face was doing during his ride on the Gravitron.

Mariah and Grant flying high!

First Day of School

'Twas the Night Before School Starts

'Twas the night before school starts and all the day long,

This mother of five children was still going strong.

She had started her day gathering, organizing, and cleaning,

Not fully realizing what a task was beginning......

The laundry was started and well underway,

Sorting through dressers took a good part of her day.

Do these pants still fit? Let's try them and see.

If they stay or they go--doesn't matter to me.

Too small, too stained, too holey, outgrew,

Out with the old and in with the new.

And what a mighty task it was!  Just to realize

That each child's backpack must be filled with supplies.

Paper, pens, markers, and glue,

Don't forget the notebooks!  How 'bout PE shoes?

Check off the lists for the things that were bought'n,

And make a new one for the things that were forgotten.

"Why must we clean for the first day of school?"

The kids whined and complained, which was very uncool

To this mother of five who couldn't explain

Why a clean house is a must for her brain

To work properly and function with happiness and joy

"Someday you'll understand..." she explained with annoy.

Meat, crackers, fruit, cheese,

Juice, yogurt, and dessert, please.

The lunches--all five--prepared in advance, 

So that in the morning this mom has a chance, 

To stay ahead of the whirlwind that comes each school day,

In an effort to keep the rushing and chaos at bay.

Together as a family this final summer eve,

Bonding, loving, laughing, reprieve

From the hustle and bustle of the busy day

And the realization that summer will soon fade away

Into the distance.  May our memories keep

The good times we've had together and treasure them deep.

With the last load of laundry folded and put away,

She said her "Good nights!" and finished her day.

One, two......  three, four, five,

She tucked them in--all still alive!

Tomorrow's awaiting, fresh and anew.

Tomorrow's the first day of school!  Phew!