Checkmate

Kyle's found a new accomplishment and obsession in the game of chess (or "chest," as he likes to call it). For some reason, he's always been interested in the game and has literally begged us for years to teach him how to play. We kept putting it off, deeming the game too complicated for a 4 or 5-year-old brain. Kevin finally gave in to Kyle's pleas and sat down with him a couple of weeks ago to teach him how to play. It went well, but he didn't completely catch it all. Completely understandable.

A couple of weeks ago, we left the kids with a babysitter and Kyle talked her into playing "chest." By the time we came home, he had the game down. He seriously knew the rules of the game, had beaten the babysitter in one game (she probably let him), and was ready for some serious competition.

Since that fateful evening, not a day, or an hour, has passed that he doesn't challenge us to a game. Sadly, he beats me about 50% of the time. And no, it's not always because I let him. And while he still has a ways to go with his dad, with the rate Kyle's learning, Kevin only has a few more years of easy victories left.

However, I have a problem with this game of "chest." It's brought a lot of ugliness into our home. You see, Kyle's happy as can be when he wins the game. But when he loses...boy, oh boy! It's gets U.G.L.Y. At the very least, we have a lot of pouting on the couch. And at its worst, we have yelling, screaming, and the throwing of whatever happens to be nearby. It's not good. For about a week, I was beating my head against the wall, wondering what in the world I was going to do.

Finally, after one particularly bad outburst, I pulled out the video camera and got Kyle in all his glory. When I showed the footage to him, he got kind of a sheepish smile on his face, realizing how silly he was. Then he got very serious and said:

"You know why I get mad, mom? Because I have to think. Those other games are all luck. So when I lose at those games, it's just bad luck. But in "chest," I have to think. And I don't like to lose when I have to think."

Simple, but it makes perfect sense. Who likes to put their whole heart and effort into something and lose? I certainly don't. Nobody does.

And so we had a talk. We talked about anger, and how to direct it. We talked about not letting it affect other people. And while the tantrums aren't completely gone, we're pretty much only dealing with pouting these days. And let's face it, even I'm guilty of that one.

A Day on the Town

In preparation for the first day of school, Kyle and I went on a little date. The purpose of the trip was school shopping, but I tried to camouflage it as something entirely more fun. Because shopping definitely wouldn't land on my son's "Top 10 Fun Things To Do" list.

First stop: LUNCH. I told him he could pick whatever he wanted, thinking that it would probably be something like McDonalds. I'm a charitable mom, right? Well, his response wasn't exactly what I expected.

First choice? Red Lobster. Uh, try again.
Second choice? Famous Dave's. Seriously?
Third choice? Olive Garden.

At least he has good taste, even if he is a little spoiled.

Next stop was Old Navy, where he got to pick out his very own outfit - mom wasn't allowed to veto. He very dutifully looked at the tags of every pair of shorts, but there were no size 7's to be found. Bummer.

But at least he found this awesome Star Wars t-shirt. This coming from the kid who told me he "just wasn't into Star Wars anymore" less than a month ago. I knew it was a brief phase.

Next, it was on to Target for some serious school supplies. I'll just say that California's budget crisis is definitely affecting the schools. But I'm kind of a school supply junkie, so it actually wasn't too painful.

After he picked out his Star Wars lunchbox (are we sensing a theme here?) we took a brief pit-stop in the toys section, where he tried to convince me that the new school year warranted a new toy. Unfortunately, he didn't convince me. But I did remind him for the 2,199 time that his birthday was coming up soon.

We searched again for shorts, and this time we found them. But not the beloved plaid ones he wanted. They were all so hideous that even HE didn't want them. So we settled for denim instead.

I knew our trip had come to an end when he started climbing on the clothing racks and running circles around the cart. So we called our date a success and finished it off with a delicious McDonalds sundae. It was a great afternoon - I think we've found a new tradition.

And so it begins...

I found this on Kyle's bedroom door today:

Apparently he's had enough of his little sister and her destructive tendencies.

If any of you are confused, the stick-straight pigtail and "M" on the shirt are a dead giveaway. I'm not sure what to make of the lack of arms. Perhaps a secret wish? I know the house would certainly stay cleaner without those cute little arms.

Brianhead 2009

Prepare yourself for lots of pictures because we just back from our annual Turner family vacation and we had loads of fun! This year's destination: Brianhead Ski Resort.

Given the fact that we live in the desert, and it's the end of July, the last thing we expected to see was a massive hail storm. But that's what we got as we passed over the mountain pass between Baker and Las Vegas. It was crazy! We had near white-out conditions, and marble size hail slamming into our car. People were pulled over on the side of the roads and everything. I've never seen anything like it. I'm glad Kevin was the one driving.

The drive was fairly smooth, considering the fact that 3/4 of our family hates road trips. Thank goodness for DVD players and lollipops - I don't know what we'd do without them.

Brianhead was absolutely beautiful! With temperatures in the mid-70's, and the occasional brief rainstorm, we thought we were in heaven. We spent most of our time outside - playing basketball, baseball, volleyball, horseshoes, steal the flag, etc. We loved every minute of it.

KateLyn came up with an awesome treasure hunt for the kids. That crazy group of kidlets ran all over the place, as the adults trailed slowly along. They loved it - especially the jackpot at the end. So fun!

We tie-dyed t-shirts.

And spent lots and lots (and lots!) of time swimming. I think the pool was the main attraction.

We got to celebrate another anniversary of Aunt Priscilla's 29th birthday, where Hannah was clearly the biggest fan of the chocolate cupcakes.

And we went on this beautiful nature walk / hike. It was absolutely gorgeous, with all of the wildflowers and the fresh dew all over the place.

Normally we have to bribe Kyle to even walk around the block with us. But get him with 14 other buddies and he'll enjoy every minute of it.

We had quite a few comments as our long trail of people would pass other smaller groups. But at one point we passed another family of 25 or so. Where else would that happen but in Utah?

One of the highlights was driving down to Tuacahn to see a show. We actually saw "Annie," not "Footloose," but this picture was so hilarious I couldn't leave it out. The show was amazing - we all loved every minute of it.



On our last day, we decided to drive an extra hour in the opposite direction to see Cove Fort. What a great decision - it ended up being another vacation favorite. Thank you to Rob & Sherstine for letting us tag along!!!

They had so many interesting things to see and fun things for the kids to do. Kevin & I decided that's where we want to serve our mission someday. After we serve some of the proseletyzing ones, Kevin says. I think I'd be fine with just Cove Fort!

And finally, on our way home, a stop in St. George. The rediculous weekend traffic in Vegas makes getting home on a Sunday almost impossible. So we decided to stay over in St. George and head home early, EARLY the next morning. And what better place to go visit than the St. George temple?

It was the perfect ending to a great vacation. There's nowhere else I'd rather be than with family.

Movin' on up

We just finished up another successful summer of swimming lessons and passed Level 2. This year Kyle improved his front stroke, learned the backstroke, and learned how to tread water.

My two favorite things about this session:

1. Kyle's total grump of a teacher. I'm telling you, she's one grouchy girl. She was always late for lessons and always had a scowl on her face. Except when she was talking to Kyle. Then her face would light up and I'd even catch her laughing. I don't know what it was. Maybe he has magic voodoo powers.

2. Watching Kyle's confidence grow. It's crazy to think that in previous years we'd been forced to drop out of swimming lessons because he wouldn't even get his face wet. Even last year, he was a nervous ninny. This year, he's swimming the length of the pool and doing sommersaults under water. It's amazing.

Marie and I had our own little routine during Kyle's lessons. For 20 minutes, she would sit. So obedient and easy-going. Then at the 20-minute mark, she would do this:

Which would quickly lead to this:

And for the remainder of the lesson, I tailed her as she stole people's flip-flops, begged for people's snacks, tried to walk into the pool, and climbed where she shouldn't. Good times.

Kids these days...

We were watching "High School Musical 3" the other day, when Kyle turns to me and says:

"Mom, I wish I were already in high school."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because then I could get the girls."

What?!?

Sunshine & Summertime

Recently, I had someone ask me, "Do you guys go swimming a lot during the summer?"

The answer to that question was a "yes." But really it should have been a "Yes" with a capital "Y." Or maybe all caps. "YES." Or Y.E.S. You get the idea...

In any case, we go swimming a lot. In fact, we've gone swimming so much the past two summers that Kyle taught himself how to swim. The swimming lessons are only for technique improvement. I'll admit, last summer was a lot more relaxing - plopping my big, pregnant self on the pool steps while Kyle played. This year, I do a lot more chasing Marie around the pool deck than actual swimming. But still, we love it. It's fun, cool, free entertainment. The only thing we do more is this:

I think it's safe to say that we keep the popsicle companies in business. Everyday we pull a blanket out under the shade tree in the backyard, grab a stack of books & and a cooler of popsicles and relax. Somehow, it makes that reading time just a little more fun.

I had lots of great plans for this summer - a schedule everyday, field trips once a week, exciting art projects, etc. Well, now that summer's half over, I realize that those plans haven't quite come to fruition. And I was starting to feel bad about that, wondering what I was going to have to show for my summer.

And then I realized that we've had a great summer so far. Who cares if the schedule was a bust? We still managed to cram some learning in. Who cares if I still haven't made it to Michaels to buy all those supplies for my fantastic art projects? We made do with what we had. The field trips? We've had some last minute trips to the magic show and a movie at the park. I'd call that fun.

And there's still time. I have plenty of time to revise my list and decide what I absolutely want to do in the next month. We have a great vacation with family planned in a couple weeks, and plenty more time to make it to the beach. Half the summer may be gone, but here's to the other half that's still ahead!

She's had amazing balance for months now, she just didn't have the confidence. Well, she's really taken off. It makes me laugh to watch those stiff little legs run across the floor. Someone commented to me, "It's almost as if they're not connected to the rest of her body." Before long, she'll be catching up to her big brother.

I just had to...

...take advantage of the cute pink chair that my friend had.
Can't let a cute prop like that go to waste.