Just be patient, Daniel

A couple of months ago, Daniel decided that he really, really, really wanted a trophy.  Although he has won awards for various things (especially with his musical talents), he had never gotten an actual trophy.  Compounding the problem was the fact that Benjamin has two trophies from soccer.  So, Daniel had been on a quest to find a way to win a trophy.

Then, about a month ago, Daniel came home from school with an announcement about the third grade spelling bee.  I don't know if his teacher actually told the kids there would be a trophy or if he just assumed there would be one, but he decided that he wanted to win the spelling bee.  K, I hated spelling bees when I was a kid because I couldn't stand to get up in front of people like that.  I remember spelling words wrong on purpose just to get out of the spotlight.  I wasn't excited about Daniel's plan, but I agreed to help him study.  And he studied hard!

I didn't even bring my video camera (which is weird for me) because I was pretty sure that would make him more nervous.  He was already so nervous that he was kind of ill that day.  Not because he was too shy like me, but because he was so determined to win.  I'll warn you that being extra silly is one of the ways Daniel  deals with pressure.  The pictures and video are courtesy of other parents whose kids were in the bee.  Thanks!  Here's the result of his hard work: 

Daniel being announced as the winner, after correctly spelling "opposition" and "patient."

Daniel showing his trophy to some of the other kids in the spelling bee.

Congrats to all the kids who were in the spelling bee!  And thanks to Daniel's grandma, who dug an old trophy out of her basement to have on hand to give Daniel "for super spelling" in case he didn't actually win.  I don't think kids need to be awarded for every little thing they do, but Daniel really deserved a trophy this time.

Skate, skate, we love to skate!

Last week, we went to the Families Supporting Adoption skating party at Classic Skating Rink.  We've taken the kids roller skating before, but never at that rink.  Wow, I think the last time I went to Classic, I was with my college roommates, and it was disco night.  I wish I had a picture of that (sigh). 

It's hard to take pictures in the skating rink anyway because the lighting is always kind of wild.  Here are the two best pictures we got:

We generally enjoy going to FSA activities.  Anyone who has any connection to adoption is always invited.  The people who usually attend are adoptive families, birth moms and dads, caseworkers, etc.  We do sometimes feel like imposters at the activities, though, since we haven't adopted yet.  And sometimes there are people at the activities who think we are a little weird because we have biological kids.   FSA is the only place where people stare at you because your kids look like you.  I should have skated with Daniel and had Wayne skate with Benjamin.  Then maybe we wouldn't have looked so out of place.

It's hard to know where we fit in.  We don't exactly fit in with the people at church who have four or five kids, and most of my friends who are anywhere near my age have had babies in the last two or three years (or are currently pregnant).  On the other hand, having secondary infertility is different from never having given birth.  But seriously, we have been hoping for more kids for more than 5 YEARS!!!  I feel like we've suffered enough to earn our spot in the club.  So, we go to FSA activities.  We have fun.  We meet interesting people.  And we try not to care what anyone else might think about our being there. 

No free lunches, but three free dinners

This was quite a week at our house.  If we can keep this up, I may never have to cook dinner again.  First, Wayne and I were invited to an "etiquette" dinner at BYU.  It was at the Gorden B. Hinckley Alumni Center, which is a beautiful building. They were looking for alumni who were willing to come mentor BYU students.  I don't know that we were actually helpful, but it was kind of fun.   We sat at a table with several BYU students and talked with them about their majors and life plans.  Anna King, an etiquette expert, was the speaker for the evening.  We had a fancy dinner so we could all practice our skills as they were taught.  We had vegetable soup, salad, rolls, pasta with braised beef tips, and chocolate cake.

On Friday, we went to the Blue and Gold banquet for Daniel's Cub Scout pack.  With boys running laps around the church gym, it was very informal.  We ate yummy taco salad.  The boys all decorated cakes for dessert, and various awards were given.  Daniel's won "The cake Baden Powell would most like to eat."  He thought that was pretty cool.      

It's a bear, in case you couldn't tell.

On Saturday, Wayne and I went to the Lincoln Day Dinner in the ballroom at the Marriott.  Wayne was invited by Utah State Representative Francis Gibson, who is a really great guy.  Our table was about 10 feet away from Senator Orrin Hatch's.  Whether you love everything about our elected officials or not, it was still pretty cool to be there with "celebrity" politicians.  Oh, and pardon the quality of the pictures--they were all taken with Wayne's phone.  

 

We also met Senator Mike Lee (no picture, though).  And this girl will look familiar to many of my blog readers:

Yep, that's my sister-in-law Wendy!  She's awesome.  We love hanging out with her.  She may not be an actual celebrity, but it sure seemed like everyone at the dinner knew her and wanted to talk with her.  She said it was because she met so many people while working on the Morgan Philpot's campaign last year.  I think it's because nobody can forget her beautiful face.  She was a little too popular for our liking, though, because we couldn't get Wendy to take our picture with Congressman Jason Chaffetz.  His wife Julie volunteered to take it for us.  Unlike some kinds of celebrities, politicians love meeting ordinary people and having their pictures taken.  Or at least they pretend to.

Wordless Wednesday: Just Before the Snowstorm

Happy Birthday to Me!

About a week ago, we celebrated my birthday!  I'm sure I don't remember everything fun that happened that day, but here are a few highlights.  

On my birthday, my mother-in-law and sister-in-law Wendy took me out to breakfast at Cracker Barrel.  I ordered french toast, and it was yummy.

Later, I went to a baby shower for one of my friends.  For my present, I made a rag quilt with some really cute baby flannel.  If you want instructions for how to make one, I like this website:  Highlights From Higher Ground: Rag Quilts.  When I walked into the baby shower, my friend Liz who was hosting the shower made everyone sing "Happy Birthday" to me!  That was kinda nice, although also kinda embarrassing.

In the afternoon, we went ice skating!  When I was a teenager, that was my favorite thing to do for my birthday.  I'd get together a group of my friends, and we would go ice skating.

My boys enjoyed watching the Zamboni, of course.

And no birthday is complete without a few presents!

The flowers were from Benjamin.  Is that cute or what?

So, yep, I would say I had a happy birthday.  I also had phone calls, emails, cards, etc. from lots of my friends and family.  I felt very loved!