A Day in the Life of Steven (aka The Overscheduled Child)

Note: My family keeps asking us "what we're up to" so we've decided to spotlight what each of us has been up to, starting with Steven.

I wanted to start with Steven, since he's been "up to" the most over the last few weeks. The other day at the bus stop, one of the other moms was talking about the book, The Overscheduled Child--I told her it sounds like I need to read it! School is going by in a blur. Steven's already finished with his 1st Quarter of Middle School. He LOVES school. He says middle school is the best! He loves his teachers and is doing really well in his classes. He says the best part of this year is that there's not as much homework as elementary school because they give him a chance to do most of it in class. Also, they have lots and lots of fun at school!

I had to go spy on him the other day just to see if it's as fun as he says it is. Each quarter, the PTA puts on a Way to Go Lunch. This is an incentive lunch that 30 kids get to participate in during the lunch hour. All quarter, kids earn tickets for good behavior. At the end of the quarter 30 tickets per grade level are chosen to eat at the front of the cafeteria with all their buddies watching. Fast food restaurants around Auburn donate a bunch of junk food for the kids to eat--McDonald's cheeseburgers, shakes, sausage McMuffins, apple pies, Arby's sandwiches, pizza, etc. They get to eat as much as they can stand! Steven didn't win one of the spots, but because I was helping out, they let me give him some of the food.

The week before last, all of the 6th graders got to go to Round Table Pizza for all-you-can-eat pizza because they'd met some incentive goal in their class. Steven and his friend, Zac, took this seriously and ate all they could--17 pieces each! I told him I wouldn't let him go anymore if he was planning on doing that again. I couldn't believe he was able to play basketball after school that day.

This leaves time for extracurricular activities. Steven wants to try everything to see what he likes. His morning starts out at 6:00 a.m. (ouch! His mom and dad are NOT morning people!) He leaves for Jazz band at 6:30 a.m. His band teacher is Mr. Paustian who was also, ironically, Steve's band teacher in Idaho 20 years ago! He plays trombone and really enjoys it.

In school he's taking the regular classes--English, Math, Science, plus an Industrial Arts elective. He just informed me that he's been asked to be the Student Representative for his class next quarter, so his elective will be the Leadership class.

After school from 2:30-4:15, Steven's been participating in 6th grade basketball. He played forward, so he got lots of practice rebounding. This is the first time he's played on an organized team, so it's been a learning experience for him. The coach kept calling him Stevie for some reason--I hope that doesn't stick!

After coming home and practicing trombone and finishing homework, Steven goes to Savior of the World Practice on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Our stake is putting on the Savior of the World play/musical Nov. 30th and Dec. 1st. It's really an amazing production about the Savior's birth. Steven is playing the part of Nathan, a shepherd boy. He has a couple of solos and some speaking parts. It's a huge time commitment, but we're really enjoying the experience.

On Wednesday's, he goes to Scouts. He's been working on the 1st Class Rank Advancement and really enjoys going every week and going on the campouts.

In addition to all of these obligations, Steven still finds time for a social life. On Thursday, he went to a skating party at Auburn Skate Connection with the other 6th graders. He was excited that he won a skating race.

He also likes to walk Leia while his buddy, Zac, walks his dog, Scuppers. (Sorry if I spelled his name wrong, Johnson's!) On Saturday afternoons, he goes to Puppy Obedience Training to teach Leia to be a good doggy!

Finally, to make money, Steven's been raking leaves for neighbors. They've been very generous, and although he tells them he's doing it just to be nice, they insist that he put it in his mission fund. We have great LDS neighbors!

We're looking forward to January when most of these extra activities will be over. Last Saturday, we had a window of nothing to do, so Steven really enjoyed just being a kid playing video games and watching TV!

Halloween Happenings

We've had an exciting Halloween at the Summers' house. It all started last weekend when Steve and I went to an annual Halloween costume party. In the past, we've gone as individual characters. This year, we wanted to dress up as a couple.

I went online to get ideas. On ebay, I saw a few ideas, including Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head. But, HELLO! They were bidding over $150 for them! I don't think so! So I went to Jo-Ann Fabrics, spent $25 on felt and $10 on accessories and made them myself. (Mom and Grandma Lacey--thanks for all that time and patience you took teaching me how to sew! I get to use my sewing annually for Halloween costumes.)

There was only a little drama (well, a lot, at the time) when we tried the costumes on and realized they wouldn't fit over our hips. The costumes were lined, and apparantly I'd goofed up on the seam allowances for the lining and the linings were smaller than the outer shells. Thank goodness for seam rippers!

The party was so much fun. The highlight was the power tools pumpkin carving contest. The winner carved his
with a chain saw!

Steve with his Gremlin pumpkin

Monday night we made carameled apples and carved pumpkins for Family Night. In the past, we've gone to a pumpkin patch to let the kids each pick one out. This year we were too busy, so Steve took the kids down to Albertson's to pick them out.

Steven insisted on carving his pumpkin all by himself this year. He made a very detailed witch. It turned out great! (Dad ended up "helping" a little to speed things along--Steven needed to go to bed!)

Here are the final versions of the Pumpkins. Don't you love the kids' assortment of "jammies?!"

Ben wanted to make a Pac Man pumpkin. Steve learned a cool trick from the power tool pumpkin carving contest--drills make really great holes in pumpkins! So, Steve even made the little dots PacMan needed to eat. We heard some really excited trick-or-treaters exclaim that they loved the PacMan pumpkin.

Rachel wanted to make a dog--it was too hard to design, but she was able to make an adorable pumpkin almost all by herself!

On Halloween (Wednesday night,) we started the evening by going to a tri-ward carnival at the church. Sophia, dressed as Piglet, had so much fun. She especially enjoyed the cupcakes. Rachel was a beautiful Sleeping Beauty.

Ben was a mad scientist--complete with a balding white wig and safety goggles, but when anyone asked him, he replied, "I'm my dad!"

Steven dressed as Dracula. (We never got a picture of him, though!) The middle schoolers were allowed to dress up for school, so he wore his costume all day. He started out wearing a black wig, but by the end of the day, it looked like a dead rat, so he didn't want to wear it trick or treating.

The kids didn't want to stay at the church for the dinner or "trunk or treating." They wanted to come home so they could go out with friends. Trick or treating was a new experience this year. Steve and Sophia stayed home to pass out the candy while I went out with Ben and his friends, Connor and Ethan. Rachel went with her friend, Christine and Christine's mom and sister. Steven and his friends, Nik, Zak, Kyle, Sam, and Aaron, decided they didn't want any adults hampering their progress, so we let them all go together. They had cell phones and set boundaries and an 8:00 curfew to adhere to. They were home before 8:00, so we'll let them do it again next year! They all came home with lots of loot. They've gotten wise over the years. They're keeping it stashed in their bedrooms so Dad and Mom can't eat any of it. (We told them if we saw any of it down here, it was ours! We didn't want Leia, the dog, to get into any of it!)

Happy 1st Birthday, Sophia!

Our baby turned 1 on September 21st (which also, by the way, was our 13th anniversary.)

My sister, Cherilyn, and her son, Ryan, were here visiting from Pinetop, AZ. (We took this picture of them when we went to the Pacific Science Center on Saturday. We had so much fun while they were here. Thanks for coming, guys!)We had a little birthday party, complete with pizza, cake, and ice cream. Our neighbors, Barbara, Christine, and Elizabeth Davis came. Chad Carman and his kids came, too--Barb was out of town, so we figured we could be their entertainment for the weekend!

Traditionally, I've made all of the kids' birthday cakes from scratch and have decorated them myself, but I cheated this year and bought the cake from Costco. I'd made the cake and when I went to decorate it, I found out it didn't quite get baked enough. The frosting, I'm sure, was lots nummier for Sophie. We had so much fun watching her eat the cake. She had never eaten sugar before, and she's decided she loves it! She coated her fingers with frosting and just sucked on them for a long time. I thought she'd get tired of it, but she ate almost the entire piece!

She loved opening her presents, but with all of the "help" she was getting from all the kids, she was a little overwhelmed. (That's why she's not smiling in these next pictures.) Her favorite present was a Fisher Price train from Daddy.

She's been showing off all week to everyone that she can walk as she follows the moving train around the room. She also likes the rooster flashlight that cock-a-doodle-doo's when it's turned on that the Carman's gave her. I've noticed a theme with almost every gift she received--they ALL make noise! She loves them!

I really can't believe how quickly the last year has passed. Today, I spent an extra few minutes talking to Sophie today, singing to her, and holding her as I captured pictures of her in my mind as my "baby." Before I know it, she will be a big girl!

I took this picture of her last week playing in Daddy's office--she'll always be spoiled--that's for sure!

My ears are still ringing!

Awesome! Tammy and I went to the Def Leppard/Foreigner/Styx concert last night. WOW! For the last 6 months, everyone we've told about it has laughed at us, I'm not sure why. Maybe we don't strike people as metal-heads. Well, we went and had a great time.

We bought our tickets last spring, for our anniversary last week. We had great seats at the White River Amphitheater just outside of Auburn. Here's the seating map, the yellow circle is where we were sitting:



Of course, I left the camera in the car so the only pictures I got were on my phone. But, just so you know we were really there, here are some of the pictures:


Styx started out and they were my favorite group. Yep, I even bought a T-Shirt to prove it. The crowd was thin at the start, but filled in as the concert went along. I couldn't believe it when the guy next to me asked "Are they the opener?" Yeah, buddy, Styx is just the opener. And Star Wars was just a preview of Star Trek. Geez.

By the time Foreigner started, the stadium was full. They turned the amps up to 11 - that's one louder than 10, if you're not familiar with Spinal Tap. Tammy's favorite song was Urgent- a Sax solo that knocked her shoes off. Literally.






Finally, Def Leppard came out. They proved that this is really their tour. My apologies to the guy next to me. Wow! Foreigner and Styx were loud, but only painfully loud. If the amps were at 11 before, they jumped to 111 for Def Leppard. We had to lean toward the stage to keep from being knocked over by the thump of the bass guitar. I'm guessing this has something to do with the ringing in my ears this morning. Congratulations, Gents, you've proven that Def is all yours.

Any one of these groups was worth the ticket price. All 3 together was, like, 3 times as good. Plus, we go the fun of watching everyone there (Yes, Jackie, we saw you gettin' Def with your friends). Believe it or not, we weren't the oldest ones there- most of their fans were listening to these groups in the late 70's, so many of the concert goers were 5-10 years older than us. Many had been drinking, some had desperate looks in their eyes, a few were smoking some brand of cigarette I hadn't smelled before...

So I'm looking for another concert to go to. I'm not sure what could top this one, but it would be fun to get a group of friends together for the next big concert.
-- Steve

Sophie, the Toddler

On Monday, September 17th, our baby turned into a toddler. Sophia started walking! Wasn't she just born last month?!? Oh, wait! Her birthday is this Friday! Yikes! Time flies.

We were kind of shocked that she just started walking. She's been cruising along furniture for a few weeks, but hasn't shown any interest in standing on her own. We decided to try the same trick we used with Rachel. Sunday night, we got Rachel's doll stroller and had Sophie push it along for awhile. She was squealing with delight as she tried to keep up with the fast stroller.

On Monday, just for fun, I got down on the floor and stood Sophie up out and towards me a few feet and let go of her. She stood there, grinned, and took her first steps. She was so proud of herself--almost as proud as her Mommy!

Ever since then, she has been trying to walk everywhere. When she's on a roll, she even tries to walk when she falls down, crawling/standing upright on her knees. Of course her older siblings are more than happy to help her in her new-found skill.

Doin' the Puyallup!

For Family Night, we “Did the Puyallup!” I’m referring to the annual fall fair in Puyallup, WA. We had so much fun. We started out by taking the shuttle bus from the Sumner train station. The kids had as much fun riding in the back of the bus as they did on the rides at the fair.



We had initially told the kids that we would not be riding any rides. We started out by walking through all of the exhibit buildings. Rachel’s favorite exhibit was a lady bug collection from an 11-year-old girl. Steve’s favorite part was listening to the live accordion music. My favorite part was people watching (and all of the food, of course!) Sophia’s favorite part (I guess) was watching the clowns do their magic show onstage.


I made the kids walk through the livestock barns with me. They couldn’t believe that their own mom had taken a heifer (baby cow) to show for 4-H when she was Ben’s age. I explained that I had to hang out in the barn the 3-4 days that fair was going on to watch Violet, my heifer. They gagged and held their noses because of the “cow poop” smell that permeated the building!


After the wonderful aroma of the livestock building, we moved on to the food areas. The boys wanted the Walla Walla Burgers—huge hamburgers with grilled onions—and curly fries. Steve and Rachel split a Soba Noodle plate. We all split an elephant ear. I had a scone (fresh, hot biscuits filled with jam ) for dinner—no nutritional value, whatsoever, but yummy—plus bites of the boys’ hamburgers!


We reluctantly told the kids they could each ride one ride before we left to go home. When we got to the ticket counter, we realized that it was “cheap ride night at the fair!” All rides were just $1 each. We splurged and bought 6 tickets so each kid could go on 2 rides. (We had to hurry and catch the shuttle back, so they couldn’t go on more—darn!) The kids were pretty bummed. We heard a lot of “No fair! You mean we walked through a bunch of boring buildings and smelled smelly cows when we could have been riding more rides?!?” We told them they should be thankful they got to ride any rides at all because we’d told them we were just going there for dinner and the free entertainment.


On the way out of the park, Steven bought a fake wooden snake with his allowance money. He had fun freaking people out while we were waiting for the shuttle bus. In the dark the snake looked very realistic. (I'll post a picture of Steven and his snake when I take one!) Until then, look at how much fun Sophie had riding on Daddy's shoulders!

Back in the Swing of Things

We're officially back to "real" life again. The kids all started school Wednesday, and what an exciting (and long) day it was! First, at 7:00 a.m. we sent Steven off to middle school. For those of you who know me well, know that I am NOT a morning person. So this will be a new experience for me! It will only get worse soon, as Steven starts Jazz Band before school, and since the bus doesn't pick him up, I get to drive him a couple of days a week. Oh mannn!

Next, we sent Ben off to his new school, where he will participate in STEP (Student Teacher Enrichment Program). STEP is designed to challenge kids who might drive their teachers crazy in a normal classroom setting. They go at a little faster pace and have more interactive projects and assignments. The school is near downtown Auburn. It's kind of rundown, but they have excellent teachers and, more importantly to Ben, a fun playground. Luckily, the bus comes to pick him up near Rachel's bus stop, only a few minutes before her's comes, so I only have to make one treck to the bus stop in the morning.
At 9:00, we went to a teacher conference for Rachel's class. We met her new teacher. She seems so nice, and Rachel is just thrilled to be back in school. She was sad that her best friend, Kylie, isn't in her class this year, but she has another friend, Payton, in the class, so she's happy. Rachel didn't actually attend class until Thursday, so she had one more day to stay home and play with Sophia and Leia (our new puppy.)
Everyone came home from school and reported that everything at school was just fine. Steven said middle school is a lot like elementary school, except there are a lot more rules. He had been nervous about the whole locker combination thing and finding his various classrooms, but he did just fine. He's bummed that none of his friends are in his core classes. He does have a couple of friends in Wood Shop and Band, though. The boys brought a whole recycling bin full of papers home with them, and I spent the next 2 hours filling out forms.

As I was filling out the forms, I noticed Leia (the puppy) on the porch with something bright orange (and pretty big) hanging out of her mouth. I quickly went over to her and instructed her to "drop it." Of course she didn't! She swallowed it! She kind of gagged as it went down, and I opened her mouth to see if I could see it anymore. Nope! Gone! I figure it was one of three things--a nerf dart from the boys' gun, a broken piece of plastic shovel that was recently chopped up by a lawn mower, or (hopefully) a Rhodedendron leaf. (Although Rodies are poisonous to dogs.)

I wasn't too worried at first because she ate a bunch of her dinner later, so I thought, "She's fine!" After I got the kids in bed and Steve was out taking care of bishopric business, Leia started writhing around on the floor in pain. She started gagging. I picked her up and ran outside. As soon as I got to the porch, she threw up.

Now for those who know me, I have a HUGE aversion to anything to do with throwing up. I try to keep my kids away from other sick kids, I have them wash their hands a lot during flu season, etc. just so they don't get sick. Steve is such a wonderful husband that when the kids do get sick, he cleans everything up. For some reason, doggy vomit is not as vile as kids' vomit. I didn't freak out too badly--except that I was really worried now about what the dog had swallowed.

I called Steve, and as he came home, I called the after-hours vet, and they said to rush her in. I just knew she was dying, so I went upstairs to the boys' room and told them to give her a hug before Dad got home. There was weeping and wailing and lots of prayers said for our sick, sick doggy. I was really afraid we'd never see our new puppy again and I wanted our boys to be able to say "good-bye." Steve, the eternal optimist, gave me an "Oh brother!" look when he came home and said everything would be fine and told the boys not to worry.

Leia threw up in her kennel on the way as Steve took her to the vet. Steve left the dog at the animal hospital and came home. I asked him how much it was going to cost. He said, "Around $300." We've never even spent that much on all of our kids combined for visits to the emergency room! The vet took x-rays and said he couldn't see anything solid, but that things like Nerf toys and plastic don't usually show up on x-rays. Well, duh! Then why did he take the x-rays?!? So he induced vomiting and the only thing that came up other than dinner, was a bunch of strings from, ironically, a toy the vet had given us last week! I went back at midnight to pick up Leia and brought her home.

The next day she was a little lethargic (and boy was I, too.) We watched her closely and the kids said lots of prayers and asked about "doggy heaven." I told them she'd be fine. It's funny! Now we don't have as much of a problem getting the kids to go out and play with her now. I think they have a new-found appreciation for her.

Rachel had fun her first full day of school. She came home super tired, but really happy. She said first grade "wasn't as hard as I thought it would be!" Just wait! Sophia just crawled around the house all day saying, "Da-dull" (Rachel) and looking for stuff to do. She REALLY misses the kids! And so do I, but it sure is quiet now. :)

Dog Days of the Summers'

Summer has flown by. We have been keeping so busy, and we're even busier now because we've added a new member to our family. We'd like to introduce you to Leia, our new Miniature Schnauzer puppy.


I know my family will faint because I've never been a known dog lover. But, the kids have been asking us for a dog for the last couple of years. Whenever I've tried to send them outside to play, they always say that our backyard is too boring and that it would be so much more fun with a dog.


For Ben's birthday in June, we told him that his present could be getting a dog. But, we would spend some time researching what kind of dog to get, and we would need to learn about caring for an "inside dog" before getting the right one. We checked out every book from the library on choosing dogs, training dogs, etc. Our family is now officially dog-trained!


When I first went online to search for what kind of dog we should get, a website popped up with the reply, "You want a cat!" We finally decided on a Schnauzer because they don't shed, they don't smell, and they're kid friendly if they're raised with kids. We even helped a lady in our ward bathe her Schnauzer, just to make sure this was really something "I" could handle! It was just like bathing Sophia, just a little wetter!


Two days ago (Tuesday) we went to the dog breeder in Olalla, WA. We got to meet a couple of her litter mates and her mommy, Jessi. She was the sweetest little one there. She came right up to us and instantly everyone decided she was meant to be part of our family.



Coming up with a name was a brief cause of contention among the kids, but they finally agreed to "Leia" after "Princess Leia" from Star Wars. They originally wanted to name any dog we got "Obi" after "Obi Won Kenobi" but I insisted on getting a female dog!


She has been such a good, little doggy. She follows me around everywhere I go. I never, ever imagined that I could like a dog, but I really think she is sweet. She snuggles up in our arms just like a new baby. But she doesn't wake up in the middle of the night to eat, so it's even better!


After the first morning up with her at 5:00 a.m. (I'm NOT a morning person!), I wondered, "What have we done?!?" It's really been crazy around here trying to make sure she doesn't go potty on the floor--(no accidents yet!) and keeping Sophia and Leia from each other, but the kids have really stepped up and are doing a great job learning all about RESPONSIBILITY. I'm just wondering, "What do I do when the older kids are in school!?!" At least Sophia won't be bored.


Leia was just what we needed right now because the kids now have a "project" for the next two weeks before school starts. They really love her!

Party at the Lacey's!

We're in Drummond, Montana visiting Tammy's parents for a family reunion. All of Tammy's siblings are here, along with their kids. There are 27 of us. Here's a quick picture of all of the kids:

We're spread out in tents, trailers, and various rooms in the house. The kids are having a great time, and so far we've been able to keep up with them. Tammy's having fun with her sisters:

and Sophia is meeting her cousins:

So far, we've ridden in the boat (Steven wakeboarded!), roasted hot dogs and marshmallows, played all kinds of games, changed 657 dirty diapers, and eaten 7 million calories. It's the perfect 4th of July vacation!

Our Little Vacuum Cleaner

Our little Sophia turned 9 months old this week. How the time flies! She is having so much fun trying to keep up with everyone. She is very independent now. She loves to explore the house. We no longer need to vacuum or sweep the floor because she takes care of it for us! Just kidding--we sweep a couple of times a day, but she still manages to find something to put into her mouth.

Sophie has also started "singing." Her favorite songs are Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam and The Wheels on the Bus. She even likes to dance along when she sings--it elicits more of a reaction from her adoring fans. Jabbering is also a favorite pasttime. She can say her own little versions of "Da-Da," "Ra-Ra" (Rachel), "bbbbbb" (bottle.) The last couple of days she has learned to shake her head "No!"

Here's a picture of one of her favorite places to play--under her bouncy chair!

Finally, Sophia is trying to learn to stand up with the help of furniture. As a result, she has little bruises all over her forehead from falling into chairs and walls. Her latest bruise coordinates with her purple pants she's wearing today.

We're all happy that stranger anxiety and separation anxiety haven't set in, yet. Steve and I were even able to go out to dinner and to see Ocean's 13 last night while Sophia and the other kids stayed home with our friend, Barb Davis. Thanks Barb!