One Day at a Time

I am trying to take life one day at a time, but the days are going by so fast! I mean, really, is it just me, or have the sands of time started to fall faster lately? I must say, I really respect the bloggers who manage to blog everyday. I love blogging, and I was once way more consistent, but now is the time that I really want to record, so I had better start making more time for it. Perhaps when school starts, I can make more time for sitting quietly to write and record life as it happens. 

The sign on the door in the picture above spoke to me somehow. It was hanging on a door in the junior high where Sammi has been attending Driver's Ed. The sign explained perfectly how I feel about her driving! No, not really, I am excited for her to drive, it will be nice to have another driver in the home; but still, it is so hard to let her go out on the roads! I am sure there will be reasons to panic and freak out in the near future... especially when my insurance rates go up! 

This part of parenthood has proven to be more stressful than I anticipated. I could really use some backup with these kind of teenage parenting things. For example, I will be the only one helping her get in her 50 hours of driving time before she qualifies for a license. Oh man, I wish Charles were here to help with that! He would have loved taking his daughter out on the road. 

Her class has been great though, the instructor took her out on the road on day two of class, and she has driven all over the place. She will be going on the freeway in the next few days, so that will be exciting. She goes out with a driving partner and the instructor, and they learn as they drive. I highly recommend if you see a car with a "Driving School" sign on top, steer clear... position your vehicle as far away from that car as possible. 

So much has been going on lately in preparation for school to start and wrapping up the last days of summer. I enjoyed summer for the most part, but I really think routine is going to be great for our family. I am kind of burnt out of the hot summer days, and I am ready for the brisk Autumn breeze and pumpkins. 

Have I ever mentioned how much I love pumpkins? I just love them... so much. They are a symbol of pure happiness for me. I saw a sign in a store the other day that said, "Pumpkin Everything," and I totally should have bought it, because I absolutely agree. I also saw a display of big ceramic pumpkins out in front of Fred Meyer today. As I walked by, they all seemed to look at me with big toothy smiles, and I am pretty sure one of them winked. I do not know why I love pumpkins so much, maybe I was Cinderella in another life. 

Speaking of Fairy Tales... here we have Sleeping Beauty. She was so tired after Girl's Camp she slept the entire day. 

 Sammi was cracking up at her Camp award, because people often tease her about her dancing. (It is actually really adorable when she dances, she has this extra bounce she puts into it.)

 This is how smoky it was... there are foothills there that could not be seen.

 It was so eerie it was dark and smoky and then all these crows flew over... like out of a scary movie.

Here we have Henry's "food people." He was not interested in eating the food, he felt more like using his art abilities.

 The people out of turkey kind of grossed me out.

 Lots of cheese in one picture.

 This smile... he lights up my life with it.

 Sammi will sometimes be super nice to me and braid my hair.

 A smoky sunset.

 Grandma and Grandpa got this shirt for Sammi. She loves it. Sammi also made the hat on her head.

 Building some Legos.

Speaking of Pumpkin... these are the best pumpkin cookies ever. They are from Fred Meyer. I have tried other cookies from other stores, but none compare so far. The problem is, they make them all year round, and so my addiction to them is impossible to cure.

 Perfection in a cookie.

 Daniel is back! After 7 weeks at Scout Camp, Dan the Man has returned. We are all excited to have him home.

 Zoie was CRAZY upon his arrival.

Sammi is so glad to have her buddy back. 

 Ahhh... my favorite part. The cleansing of the camping gear.

The "back" is back. This boy is so strong, and having him around is very comforting. He has been doing loads of push-ups everyday to gain strength. He "arm-wrestled" me one day, and I felt the crazy strength that is packed in his muscles. He is only 14, but that is not how old he looks or acts. He said at Scout Camp the boys thought he was at least 20, some thought he was 30. I think he is aptly named Dan the Man.

 I found this smashed bug. And then I talked to a child about not leaving bug guts on the wall.

 Sammi going into her driving class. Some of her driving times have been at 6 am.

 A beautiful morning.

 Waiting for her first time behind the wheel, with her driving companion. They were both so nervous.

 Daniel ready to go to a Stake Youth Dance.

I had a parent meeting for Driver's Ed. It was very educational. I have been doing it wrong all these years. ;)

I started my car and it gave me a motivational message - RUN! And I have been, I have started running again. I was a little banged-up after the fall I took, and it was smoky, hot, and gross, so I had been avoiding it. Now it is nice again, and I am taking to pounding the pavement.

It is slow going though, I am still not 100% after my exhausting EBV virus. The post viral fatigue really takes a toll, and I am working through it slowly but surely. I am so much better than I was, but not as good as I have been, and I know the difference. After running the marathon, I am way too in tune with my body, which is a blessing and a curse sometimes.

I will say that this last year has not been my favorite in terms of health both physical and mental. I have hope for much better days ahead though. Did you know that it is extremely common for the widowed to become very ill after their spouse dies? It is a grueling thing to deal with death, and the stress and trauma can take its toll overtime. Sometimes I wish I could walk or run around trials, rather than having to go through them, but I have yet to learn how to do that. I'll let you know if I figure out how.

 Sammi was so happy after not crashing the car during her class.

 Just hanging out in the backyard.

 I got some tennis rackets at the beginning of summer, the boys have gone out to play, but they have mostly been used for indoor games. After my wrist heals up (I sprained it when I fell running on the dirt trail), I hope to play a little more in the fall, when it is pleasant outside.

 Sammi and Henry.

I was able to go to a missionary homecoming last Sunday. One of my Trek daughters invited me to hear her speak. It was such a beautiful experience. She was such an amazing example of light and love. When she bore her testimony in Spanish, I was floored at how fluent she was, I could not hold back the tears. I just felt so much love for her. There is a power in the connections formed on Trek, I still think about all of my Trek children, and whenever I run into them I always get hugs and love.

When I went up to Lexi after her talk she ran up to me and squeezed me tight and said, "Mom!" It was the best. That moment has happened with other Trek children of mine too, I ran into another one of my sons at the store just a few days before he left on his mission, and I got the "Mom" hug.  It makes my heart so happy. Sure we only spent 3 days on Trek together, but they were a powerful 3 days! Life changing, really. We also had the advantage of forming family bonds with activities beforehand, and we just really learned to love our family! They were the best!

Here is our Trek family. Lexi is the girl standing next to the cart with the yellow skirt. Oh man, Trek was the BEST time. And I sure miss that handsome man with the fantastic beard. 

 Sunday morning.

 I LOVE my van Ormer kiddos!

A few weeks ago, I taught a lesson in Sunday School. It was on journal writing. I shared a bit from one of Charles' journals, and one of the lines he wrote was, "I will never let you walk the earth alone." One of the girls in the class said the sweetest thing. She said something like, "You will never be alone, because he gave you your children." It touched my heart hearing that comment in that moment for some reason. I am so grateful to have each and every one of my children. I love them SO MUCH! And it is true, because of them, I will never be alone. I will just get an RV and park it wherever they are in the future. He, he. I am joking... sort of.

 The van Ormer boys.

 I got my hair thinned out. Not cut off, just thinned out. That hair is from the inside of my hair, not inches off the bottom.

 We went running on the dirt trail. Now there are beautiful flowers all along the path. It is SO much better than it was! Though the trail is still full of potholes, I hope they fix them soon!

 These beautiful purple flowers are everywhere! I love them!

 It rained! Hooray!

 Zoie is healed up from her surgery, and ready to run with me again. After a break from running, she seemed to forget the routine. She went after every car, bird, squirrel, and nearly tripped me 10 times. I am sure learning to have patience with this furry friend. Give me strength.

Super cheese! This is a hand-me-down shirt from a friend. Sammi almost started crying when she read it. Henry has no idea what it says. I think it is cute.

 We went to the junior high to get Daniel's information and locker.

Daniel got started with his Invisalign today. He opted for that instead of traditional braces since he will be performing in choir and band. It is sweet because you can remove the trays and be free when you need to be. I am excited to see the results over time. I know they work because I have had them over the last few years. (My teeth moved when I was pregnant, I had braces when I was a teenager. All I have to say is never stop wearing the retainer, ever.) My sister and my brother have also gone through the Invisalign process and had great results. It is certainly a nice option when it comes to fixing teeth!

 Zoie jumped up and shredded one of my outdoor lanterns. After ripping it to shreds, she managed to get herself tangled up in it? I mean, really?

 Here is Daniel wearing his Invisalign. Let the teeth shifting begin!

Over the next week before school we have: eye appointments, choir car washes for both Sammi and Daniel, back to school night for Kindergarten, Sammi's Driver's Ed and final test, taking pictures at a missionary homecoming, choir bootcamp, teaching a church lesson, a welcome to Seminary fireside, school supplies shopping, school clothes shopping, some other stuff, and a total solar eclipse.

Should be fun.

One day at a time, right? Whew!