Monday, August 18, 2008

Spirit Bear Suicide and the insightful quirkiness of preschoolers

So, Girls Camp. Can't say much. There's that rule (that I usually break just a little). It was fun...it was a lot of work....and this year, it was full of drama. But being my usual self, I find crazy ways to try and ease the drama. I'm not sure it worked this year but I did have fun. On one of the first nights of girls camp the stake introduced the spirit bear. Whichever ward cheered and sang the loudest would get the spirit bear. Our little beehives screamed until our ears bled. There were several headaches induced by the screaming (if you think I'm exaggerating ask anyone who was there, but particularly ask Hailey M.). We should have won the spirit bear. Really. It should have been ours. But I think the stake decided that since we were one of the biggest wards, being the loudest shouldn't be the only prerequisite. In other words, we were robbed. So in the spirit of girls camp, the next day a few of the girls (what? you think I had something to do with it????) decided to kidnap the spirit bear and leave a ransom note. Sister Kendell (camp director extraordinaire.....seriously, she had a sash that someone awesome made her and everything but I digress....) didn't want the bear to be kidnapped. She kept pointing out that our value was integrity and that kidnapping was certainly not an integrity-filled act. We (ahem, I mean "they") took a little walk. As a little side note, if you're trying to do a covert mission, do NOT include every single 1st year. It will not be covert. "They" discovered the spirit bear was well protected. Disheartened we (eek, I mean they) returned to camp. Later, during dinner, the stake brought the mail. Imagine our surprise when there was a note from the spirit bear himself. It was addressed to Sister Kendell. The spirit bear wrote that he had not been fed since Windsor Meadows had received him. He also wrote, in great detail and horror, that he had been tied to the top of a tent and left out overnight. Poor, poor spirit bear. In the note, the spirit bear pleaded for someone, anyone, especially someone who was a preschool teacher (*cough Bess cough*) to come rescue him. Unfortunately, this tale does not end well. The spirit bear was never rescued. In fact, I have it on good authority that the spirit bear hung itself in a tree in the Kendell's front yard along with all the honey. Poor poor spirit bear. I also have on good authority that the spirit bear left a note saying something along the lines of the following:

"I thought you would come for me but alas, I have come to you instead. I would like to be cremated and have my ashes spread over Cobble Creek. I hereby bequeath all my honey to the Young Women of the West Park ward. I'm sorry. I just didn't have the spirit to go on."

So the question that comes to mind is this....where is the honey?

Now, a totally unrelated question. If you tell a little tiny white lie at girls camp (or you know, anywhere) in order to perpetuate a really funny (ok, at least to some of us) prank can you still answer "yes" to that question in your temple recommend interview? Hypothetically speaking of course.



So I went with Shannon to the last summer movie thingy at the movie theater. (Wow, that was one eloquent sentence). Half an hour after the start time, we're still sitting in our chairs waiting. Shannon went to see what was wrong. She came back to tell me the projector was having problems. I asked her "mental problems"? (ha ha, I think I'm so funny) To which Jaden replied "no Kim, you have mental problems". What an insightful 3 year old.

And my insightful little preschooler gave me this nugget last week. She came home from church all upset. Some girl in her class (in order to protect her mother's pride, I will not name names) told Ashley that she wasn't pretty. I said to Ashley "that's weird, you're gorgeous," to which she replied, "I know!!! Her eyes must be broken or something." Oh that we could all have Ashley's confidence in ourselves.

Friday, August 8, 2008

And we're off....

Alright fine. I'll start a blog. I don't want to but I suppose I can acquiesce. So this is us. There will be pictures soon.

Today Kris and I were in the kitchen doing dishes and cooking dinner together. We thought all the kids were downstairs watching tv. In retrospect, it was awfully quiet but I was enjoying the quiet time with hubby. So we hear Hunter screaming his head off. We both look to the stairs assuming he's coming up to tell us that the girls had turned off Diego so they could watch Hannah Montana. Instead, he came from down the hallway. Somehow he had snuck back upstairs with neither of us noticing. He was covered in bubbles and he was screaming because there was soap in his eyes. So I picked him up and tossed him in the kitchen sink to hose him down. Meanwhile, Kris had gone to the bathroom to see what kind of damage had been done. In the back of my mind I'm wondering how much overflow is all over the bathroom until I hear Kris say, "it's not sink water that's the problem" leading me to believe that Hunter had done some sort of science experiment in the toilet. So I rush down the hall to find it's not a problem with the toilet at all. And while there is no water all over the bathroom, there are bubbles everywhere. And the hand soap that I had filled this morning is less than half full. I'm trying to tell myself that he was attempting to make amends for the basil explosion in the kitchen this morning (there is always an explosion of something while I am in the shower). Maybe somehow, in his little 2 year old head, he thought if he made clean bubbles, it would make up for the trail of dirt and disaster that is always behind him. I love that kid but he had better be a darn easy teenager or there is no justice in this world.

Kaylyn was named a star student today. Each month every teacher can pick one student to be named as star student. The principal calls their name over the intercom for the whole school to hear and then the star students all get to come pick a prize. This was the first group of star students of the year so Kaylyn was really happy. Her best friend (Brielle) was also picked as the star student of her class so the two of them have been in the clouds all day basking in the glory of star student hood. She has an amazing teacher this year. Last year I was constantly getting calls about how she talked to much in class (really??? a child of mine talks to much??? Shocking). This year, her teacher just tells me she loves her enthusiasm and the energy she brings to class. Hopefully she won't get croup every other week again this year and miss tons of school. She's already had it once since school started and it's summer!!!! At least we have the steroids and breathing treatments stocked and ready to go at home so we don't have to make bi-weekly ER runs anymore.

Ashley. What can I say about Ashley? Unlike Hunter, Ashley is proof that there is justice in the world. Behind that wonderfully sweet demeanor that everyone else sees is the Ashley we know (and love) at home. Primary teachers and pre-school teachers would be shocked at the teasing and sassing that comes out of that girl's mouth. Anytime I try to complain about what a handful she can be I get blank stares. When I say she's justice, I mean for me. I suppose as an adult, I should quit being such a tease but it's so much fun. She did indeed learn it from me. Perhaps that's why I find it more difficult to discipline her than the other two.

Well, that's all for now. Stay tuned for my next post which will include the suicide note from the spirit bear.