[He] was lonely and wanted to be where someone loved him best of all

I can't believe it has been over a year since I last posted to my blog.  Time goes so fast and gets filled with so many things.  This morning I am feeling nostalgic for the slow days when My Scholar and My Princess were just little ones.

This morning I found out that Maurice Sendak died this morning.  He is the author and illustrator of one of my favorite books, Where the Wild Things Are.  I have this book almost always on display in my living room.  It is not a beautiful, hard-bound, collector's edition book.  In fact, I think we bought it at the D.I.  It is a paper bound copy discarded by a school.  It has always been my favorite book to read to my children.  They think I am crazy.  I am.  There is just something so true about it.  It has fit in all the times of my life.  I have been "Max".  I have been "his mother".  I have felt angry and wanted to run away to a place far from home.  And I have felt "lonely and wanted to be where someone loved [me] best of all".  I will have to read this book to my kids tonight!

Our family has been so busy over the last year that there is no way that I can put it all here in my blog, but here are some of the highlights:

Last fall we took a trip across the country with my parents.  On the way out, we visited Yellowstone, Little Bighorn Battlefield, Devil's Tower, Crazy Horse Memorial, Mount Rushmore, and Niagara Falls.  Our final, eastern destination was Palmyra, New York where we visited all the sites in that area related to LDS church history.  From Palmyra, we traveled to Kirtland, Ohio; Nauvoo, Illinois; Carthage, Illinois; Independence, Missouri; Omaha, Nebraska; Chimney Rock, Nebraska, Scottsbluff, Nebraska; Independence Rock, Wyoming; and Martin's Cove, Wyoming.  It took us two full weeks and six thousand miles.  We had so much fun and built tons of memories.  It was the first big trip we had taken as a family since My Swimmer joined the family.  It was an adventure that we will never forget.

My Scholar has been accepted and received a scholarship to Brigham Young University.  He completed his Eagle Scout Project and was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout.  He will be graduating from high school in just a few weeks.  He qualified to complete at the State Cross Country Meet where he was presented an Academic All-State award.  He is currently trying to qualify to go to the State Track Meet.  He won a first place at the State FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) competition and will travel to Texas this summer to compete on the national level.  He will also go on his last choir tour with Cyprus' top choirs this summer.  Today he has an interview for an internship for the summer at the engineering firm where The Man of My Dreams works.

My Princess has nearly drowned herself in school work this year.  She has taken five classes at her online high school and supplemented them with five more classes at the local high school.  She has been swamped and promises me that she will take an easier load next year.  She has also run cross country, track, and continued clogging on two championship-level teams.  She is looking forward to summer and the chance to relax a little.  (Me, too!)  No summer job for this one.  She just wants some down-time.  Next year, she is planning to attend only Cyprus High School.

My Swimmer has also attended the online high school this year and can't wait until next year when she can go to "a real school", as she calls it.  She will be attending Cyprus next year, too.  She  found her niche in the water.  She is a good swimmer and an amazing water polo player.  She has played goalie for both the varsity girls' team and for the junior varsity co-ed team.  (I don't like co-ed water polo.  Those mostly naked boys get too close to my nearly naked daughter in the co-ed games.)  Her favorite position, she has discovered is "set".  You have to really fight for the ball in that position and she loves it!  She tried out for Cyprus' show choir for next year, but did not make it.  I am looking forward to Mr. Moore following through with his brag that he could teach anyone to sing.  I'm a little weary of the lament of the dying cat that she calls singing.  She is trying to find a job for the summer, too.

My Little Warrior will be leaving me next year for junior high school.  He has convinced us to let him go to school next year.  He will be attending Matheson Jr. High.  He is excited and nervous.  (Me, too!!!)  He has been working very hard at developing his scooter and skateboard talents.  He's really good at it.  I wish there was a way to get him to put that much determination into his academic success.  Maybe he will do better for teachers who aren't me.  He turned twelve this year and was very excited to join the young men's program in our ward.  I can't believe how grown up his has gotten.  He has already begun his summer job.  He mows the lawn for a neighbor for five dollars a week.  He did this last year, too, but this year he is bigger and taller and can do the whole thing on his own rather than having to have help from someone bigger.  He hasn't even complained about it since he realized how easy it is to push the mower when you are taller than it is.

Here are some pictures from the past year:

My Princess & My Warrior in front of (literally) General Custer's
grave.

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Deviils Tower was AMAZING!!! It was beautiful, peaceful,
and magnificant!  I am going there again!!!

They've been hunted. (My Scholar & My Little Warrior)

My Little Warrior found frogs and toads at every stop we made.  This was a tender mercy from God for a little boy who he knew would be SO bored on this vacation without creepy-crawly diversions.



My Little Warrior, Grandpa, and The Man of My Dreams giving Bubba, the Big Blue Bus his 300 mile check up.

At Niagara Falls

You'd think she'd never seen a corn field before.  City kids!