Back to School 2009

Hello!

The Von Feldt children are back in school! Here are their first day pics:

But, yes it is true, Thanksgiving pics.

No, no, it can't be. A post.

But it is.

This is our Thanksgiving dinner this year. I made it New Mexico-style, and my in-laws were good sports to not complain about this, and to try everything.



This is about the last time I cooked anything interesting up until now. Doug is in charge of dinner tonight, and we are having tacos.

Here's what we have when Doug is making dinner:

Tacos
Frozen pizza
Noodles and beans (a western Kansas/German favorite)
Spaghetti
Homemade barbeque pork

That is about his repertoire. I'm really glad when he cooks, though, and only complain if he choose to make the last item on the menu, the pork barbeque, because although it remains his favorite, the rest of us are sick of it.

No Halloween pics

None at all to share. This mom was deathly ill on Halloween. After hurling twice during Sophia's class party (not in front of the kids, to her great relief), I spent the evening in the dark basement on the sofa with the throw-up bowl and The O'Reilly Factor.

The dad in our family performed Halloween heroics, first escorting the kids to a neighborhood parade, then driving the girls off to various friend's houses, setting up a serve-yourself bowl of candy at our door, and trick-or-treating with our littlest knight and his neighborhood pals who were also with their dads. (Lucy too, of course).

But do you think he thought to get out the camera and take any shots? No, he did not.

I don't think he deserves any haranguing, though. I was really quite grateful for the way he gamely carried out the usual panoply all on his own.

Family run

The whole family took to the race course for a 5K three weeks ago. This was Mom's first 5K, and I did indeed run it the whole way, which was my goal. Sophia finished well ahead of me, and Meredith, running with a cousin and a friend, came on gamely behind. Doug pushed Aidan in a stroller, so it can be said that we all five completed the course! The weather was fabulous--we have been having the most beautiful fall here--and this Saturday morning was no exception.

Redo . . . I wish

For the last couple of weeks, Uncle Rick as been in town. There have been a round of occasions and events for us to visit with him in different combinations, and for our family it climaxed on Sunday when all the Von Feldts were here for a family dinner and scum-playing extravaganza. It was also the day of the Children's Sacrament Meeting Presentation, so Uncle Rick accompanied us to church and got to see Aidan's first Sacrament Meeting talk, Meredith's fine retelling of the Parable of the Good Samaritan, and Sophia's "I am a Child of God" solo and last talk (she's almost 12 and will be moving on to Young Women's soon).

At the end of a busy and fun weekend, as he exited with his suitcase to his rental car, the whole family piled out of the house to say good-bye, including the dog and the cat.

It was sometime the next day that I realized I hadn't seen Zazu for many hours.

It took us awhile to realize that we had forgotten to let him back in the night before. We began combing the JournalWorld classifieds and Craigslist notices for "Found Cat," but to no avail. We've plastered the neighborhood with posters and knocked door-to-door, but no one has seen Zazu. We've begged in our prayers for his safe return, Aidan always asking for a blessing that "he have lots of fur," since it was our first hard freeze earlier this week.

I guess I am starting to face up to fact that we have had a sad loss. Hopefully, he has found another warm home, but I fear that the coyotes who run at night in the field out back and even sometimes right down the street out front may have played a part in this.

In my melancholy, I must reflect for a moment on that feeling that I am consumed with right now . . . that unbearable yearning for an ability to rewind, to have another chance to make the choice that I didn't know at the time would have such a devastating consequence. It is frightening indeed to realize how the most inconsequential acts can have enormous impact, and it feels somehow unfair that we are so often unaware of the grave events that are to come as the result of something we do in a thought-less moment.

Zazu, 2008:

Pets and family stuff

Sophia has been taking the camera more and more to help me capture family life. She had some great shots of everyday stuff recently.

Here's the share:

Zoo instead of school

The dasterdly Von Feldt parents removed their children from school two Fridays ago and took them to the zoo instead!

I had requested a temple trip for my birthday present, and we made it a family event by hitting the Omaha zoo before a lovely temple session at the Winter Quarters temple. We were going to keep the destination a mystery for the kids, but Brother Von Feldt forgot that detail and blabbed to Sophia. However, Meredith was in the dark about where we were going until she noticed "Nebraska" license plates at the gas station, then saw the Henry Doorly Zoo sign as we drove up. She was thrilled! So was Sophia, and anyway she does best when surprises aren't too surprising.

It was just an idyllic trip. Doug and I enjoyed lots of talking time on the 3 1/2 drive up and back. The weather--oh my goodness--was gorgeous. It was neat to be at the zoo in the fall, yet not too cold.

Apple Time

Yeah, you know, the yearly trip to the apple orchard. My first time with Aidan, though, and he was mesmerized. A most diligent picker of apples. And it was the most beautiful day. . . .

Please enjoy the shots.

The Outdoor Von Feldts

We scheduled it and planned it for several weeks, and then it finally arrived--our camping weekend! (Last month, that is, but I'm just now posting about it.)

Doug came home early to help us get packed up, then off we went to Clinton Lake for an overnight stay with a hike and boating the next day.

The weather could not have been better, and the traffic on the lake was way down, I guess just because it's fall. We spent four hours on the water! Lucy swam until she was absolutely exhausted--as did the rest of us. Doug played a game with the kids called "shark" which sent them all into peels of laughter as Lucy did laps around the boat. I myself got in the water, which amazed everyone, and even did some rafting, but I also got in some reading, some napping, and a nice pink sunburn.

Bliss.

Train tracks

We have these wooden train tracks that we have finally been able to afford after the birth of the fourth kid, and the whole family loves them. Aidan likes to play with them, and the rest of us like to set them up for him.

Meredith created this configuration recently:


Here's Aidan happily enjoying it:


I came along and made some modifications:

This is what our straggler child does for the whole family. He keeps us playing.

Magnifying one's calling

The girls were required to clean out the van one recent weekend and vaccuum it. Nothing can really ever remove the smell that has developed in it through the years, no matter how much Brown Sugar and Fig body spray Sophia might mist into the air, but I digress.

Sophia and Meredith took their cleaning job a step further and completely tricked out the van, girl style. Behold:

Trash receptacle and library:


The girls in their lounge:

Sophia anchorwoman

Meredith may want to be an actress, but Sophia got the first crack at the screen. She appeared as the news anchor on her school's morning broadcast for a month this fall.

Here Sophia prepares for the newsday:


The newsroom is bustling with activity every morning:

Sophia and Matthew, the sports and weather anchor, are ready to go:


Catch her last broadcast here:

Sophia News Anchor

You will note that she is diligent in applying her dazzling smile between segments.

Halloween School Party Ideas

I have been a room parent or a room parent assistant for many years, and by now I definitely know now how to throw a rockin' school party. I have developed some opinions about what works and what does not work. Here are my tips. Why, you may ask, am I suddenly in the business of giving tips? I'll let you know when I've figured that out.

Aly's School Party Principles

1. The goal is to have wild fun that would not otherwise be had at school. Therefore, forget word searches, crossword puzzles, and read-aloud stories. The kids do that stuff already.

2. Keep parties simple. Trying to fit too much stuff into the 30-45 minutes allotted for most school parties just makes everyone feel rushed. Parties are funnest when there is plenty of time to enjoy each activity and parents haven't worked too hard to plan them.

3. Keep it cheap. There is no reason for a school party to consume much of anyone's budget.

3. Forget the candy. Each and every holiday already has plenty of candy associated, so no need to add more as part of the class party.

4. Forget the craft. They are hard to organize and chaotic as part of a school party. There is no time for glue to dry. They are a bummer to clean up. They are difficult to take home along with all the other goods and costumes that kids will be carrying that day. Plus, kids already do plenty of crafts at school and probably did several associated with the holiday already.

5. Have parents bring the treats. Parents are more than willing to donate food for the party--some want to go all out and make elaborate decorated cupcakes, others just want to bring a couple of boxes of Capri Suns. Either way is fine; the good news is that the parents enjoy contributing, and you can use your budget from the PTO, if you have a budget from the PTO, for game supplies and maybe prizes. Or you can just buy some more classroom books with it. P.S. Make sure kids can eat every item with their fingers so that you don't need utensils.

6. Include some salty and healthy treats. Some pretzels, trail mix, or even a--gasp--small apple will be for many kids a welcome palate-cleanser to go with the sweet stuff.

7. Request or purchase pre-packaged drinks. Then you are not pouring and spilling sticky liquid, or, at worst, managing the mess of a punch bowl. Request that parents who send drinks donate individual boxes, pouches, cans, or bottled water. Save the punch bowl for the holiday party at home.

8. Here's my standard party food list: for each child, a frosted/decorated cupcake or large cookie; a salty snack such as pretzels, potato chips, or popcorn; a healthy component such as an apple, grape-and-cheese-cubes-skewers, or baby carrots; a pre-packaged drink; and a large napkin. Notice that no utensils, cups, or plates are needed! This saves budget money and reduces waste!

7. Here's where the party action is at: GAMES. How often to kids push back the desks and play a fun game together? Hardly ever! We have forgotten how much fun simple games are! Tips for keeping things from getting too rowdy: give VERY CLEAR INSTRUCTIONS AND RULES before anyone moves from their seats. Have groups or teams defined AHEAD OF TIME and once you've told each child which group they are in, TELL THEM EXACTLY WHERE TO GO to hook up with the rest of their group (Team A, meet up here by the teacher's desk; team B, you're in the back corner by the door, etc). After the game, have everyone sit where they are and WAIT FOR EVERYONE TO BE QUIET before you give further instructions.

8. My tried-and-tested-party-formula: One game (10-20 minutes), then treats at your desk (15 minutes). Have parent-helpers deliver treats and drink to each person's desk rather than allowing the kids to serve themselves. You can have a second and even third game in mind just-in-case, but I bet you won't need them! This formula works for 30-45 minute class parties.

I quickly compiled the list of games below from several sources, including other internet sites. I bring these together because they are all 1) super fun, 2) cheap, 3) simple to prepare for.

This year, the sixth-grade class I'm room parenting will, for Halloween, play the Party Pairings game, and I'll have the Eye-ball relay or the Spider Web available as back-pocket alternatives.

Halloween Game Ideas

Party Pairings
Supplies needed: Enough slips of paper for everyone
No. people: Any even-numbered size group—standing up
Directions: Make enough slips of paper for each player to have one. Write the name of different Halloween characters on two slips (ex. 2 ghosts, 2 witches, 2 bats, etc.). Then fold the pieces of paper up and throw them into the air. Everyone in the group dives for a piece of paper and starts acting out the character written on it. When you find your partner (the player who is acting out the same animal as you), sit down. The last people to sit down are out! Take out one pair of characters from the pieces of paper and start over!
Halloween characters—enough for a whole classroom!: Ghost, witch, bat, mummy, crow, monster, scarecrow, rat, spider, cat, vampire, Frankenstein

Eyeball Relay
Supplies needed:
1 Ping pong ball for each team (painted like an eyeball)
1 spoon for each team
Divide children into teams. Give the first child on each team a spoon and a ping pong ball.
Set up the course to where they have to carry the "EYE" on the spoon to the end of the course and come back. Hand off to the next child and continue until all children have played on the team. First team done wins!

Spider Web
Supplies needed:
Ball of black yarn
Children stand in a circle. A ball of yarn is thrown across to another child. The child holds on to a piece of the yarn and then throws the ball across to another child. Continue until a spider web is created.

Tongue Twisters
Playing with words, silly rhymes and sounds are a favorite activity for children and can be a blast at parties. See who can say these quickly three times:
Which witch wants Winnie's watch?
Good ghosts go galloping gratefully.
Slow snakes slither, speedy spiders spin.
You could have a tournament: split the kids up into teams, then let them try the twisters and choose a representative for a championship round to be judged by parents and/or teachers.

Mummy Wrap
Supplies needed:
Toilet paper on a roll
Teacher or adult helper
Chair
If you desire to make this a relay, then you will need a roll of toilet paper for each team, an adult, and a chair.
Each child takes turn wrapping up the adult as a mummy. Don't forget to unwrap them!

Candy Corn Relay
Supplies needed:
Candy corn (you will need a lot)
1 Pumpkin or ghost bucket for each team
1 Spoon for each team
Small candy pieces such as candy corns, M&M’s, Skittles, etc.
Divide children into teams. Set up a course for them to race on. Children scoop up candy corn in spoon and race to the end of the course and dump the candy in the bucket. Run back and tag the next person. First team to finish wins.

Ghost Waiter
Supplies needed:
Balloon for each team
Paper plate for each team
Divide children into teams. Set up a course for them to race on. The child has to balance a balloon on a paper plate while walking it down the course and back to their team.

Spider Relay
Divide children into teams. Set up a course for them to race on. Have first child of each team sit down, put their arms behind them and walk (AKA crab walk) to the end of the course and back. Tag the next child and repeat until all the teams finish.

Pop the Balloon
Supplies needed:
At least 2 balloons for each child
Enough "treats" for each balloon to have one
Add the "treat" inside each balloon and blow up. Tie the balloon. Dump all the balloons on the floor and tell the children how MANY they may pop. The children must pop the balloons by sitting on them and bouncing.
Treat ideas: spider or other types of rings, wrapped candy, mini balls, anything small that will fit inside a balloon.

Scarecrow Nose
Supplies needed:
Sheet
Scissors
Paint
Adult helpers
Before the party, paint a scarecrow on a sheet. Cut out the area where the nose is. Keep in mind the height of the children playing the game!
Divide the children into 2 teams. Take one team out into the hall. The other team stays in the classroom. Have the adults hold the sheet up. The first child out in the hall puts their nose through the hole in the sheet. The children in the classroom try to guess who is the scarecrow's nose.

Balloon Sweep
Supplies needed:
1 Broom for each team
1 Balloon for each team
Divide children into teams. Set up a course for them to race on. The children are to run relays sweeping the balloon along the course and back to their team. First team having all their classmates through the course wins.

On Meredith

Meredith is a most delightful young lady. She wants to be an actress when she grows up. She has the personality to fit that role. We went camping recently weekend (more on that later), and here are some quotes I heard from her:

Mom, take a picture of me.
Mom, get out your camera.
Mom, I wasn't in that picture.
Mom, let me see that picture.
Mom, you never take one of me.
Mom, take one of just me.

So here are some shots of Meredith, just Meredith, composed by Meredith, posed by Meredith, and reviewed by Meredith. Taken by me, though, or she wouldn't have been able to be in them.

Meredith up:


Still higher up:


Meredith dawg:

Fall family get-together

So we have not got together with Doug's side of the family--the Kansas relatives--since before Jacob went away to school in early August! We remedied that recently.

Enjoy the shots. Uncle Rick and Jacob, we missed you. We drew names for Christmas. The idea is to give meaningful, thoughtful gifts, and keep the price down so that the expression of caring is highlighted above the commercialism. I'll write and explain more!

Family home evening

We grabbed the camera during a couple of family home evenings this year. The kids absolutely love family home evening. Family home evening tends to put Doug to lettin' out lots of big yawns. But you will see below that we keep him involved so that he stays alert.

One trick is to assign him a major role. Last winter we had our very own Sukkoth. Behold Doug as King Bejamin:



And the people in their tents:

The next set shows Aidan's first time conducting. Sophia had the lesson (Sophia LOVES to have the lesson, and she does a very good job, and we just have to keep reminding her: short and sweet!)

Family home evening is play time extraordinaire for Lucy. She grabs one or two of her toys and settles down in the middle of the carpet for some crazy wild toy-squeaking. I guess you could say Lucy loves family home evening as much as the kiddos. Even Zazu, our new cat who we haven't yet mentioned on the blog, is quite a student of the scriptures.

Sophia also had the activity. We had promised her for some reason earlier in the week that she could teach us all a dance. SHORT AND SWEET, we said, and she stuck to it. Look at us dancing! Boogie, Doug, boogie! Then we threw in a second activity, which was to play a favorite family game, Quirkle.

Outings with Addison

Aidan and I still take great joy in assaying forth now and then for an outing with friends. We spend a lot of time with Addison, whose mom has lots of great ideas for fun things to do.

We hit Prairie Park Nature center in September for a great class on spiders. Since that time, Aidan has not been afraid of spiders anymore. It was such a beautiful day, we could not resist a leisurely hike afterward.

Kansas prairie grass:


Addison and Aidan exploring near a bridge:


One bridge. Two sticks. That's all you really need:


Lucy was along and could not resist:


Mary's Lake. Isn't it beautiful. Readers formerly from Kansas, don't you miss it here? (No chiggers this time of year).


Later in the month we went with the playgroup to Deanna Rose Farms. How neglectful am I that it's been so long since we went that Aidan didn't even remember it?

Here are the boys with a friendly (or is it hungry?) goat:


Aidan with friend Ellie:


New at the petting zoo, you can buy a bottle with milk for $1 and then feed it to the baby goats. You cannot imagine how much Aidan laughed and laughed!



Hayride below!!



Addison looking resplendent:


Boys on a turtle:

Aidan starts school, too--for the first time ever!

Now that he is four, Aidan has started preschool. He was excited about this until the first day of school, and then he thought it was the worst idea he ever heard of. We worked with him for a few weeks, and pretty soon he figured out that being at school was WAY better than being home with mom.

The preschool is just across the street at the Catholic school, so we walk together every day.

Here Aidan is with his backpack, ready to set out:


And tearing out of school at the end of the day:


The incomparable Mrs. Fowler, a woman of great wisdom and kindness:


And . . . Aidan, 007:

Sunday on the boat

After a busy Saturday of a soccer game, a wedding, some shopping, and a fine BYU game, we decided to spend some family time together on the boat. It was the most beautiful day on Clinton Lake:

Sophia's playing soccer

Sophia has been a dance or gymnastics girl for many years, but she has decided to give soccer a try:

Do I Have Daughters, Too?

Many may have noticed that my younger three have gotten short shrift in blog posts for many months. I assure that that is only when it comes to blogging, of course. But now it's time to make up that shortfall!

I didn't get to take pictures of everyone on their first day of school because I had given the camera to Jacob when we dropped him off at school. It took me several weeks to decide what model to replace it with.

Today is picture day for the girls at school, and I thought it was high time to take their first-day--of-school pictures.




Look out how they are growing into such beauties! Here's Sophia:


And of course Meredith:


More here:

Jacob's blog

Hey folks:

Jacob has started up his own blog. He has managed to write several entries so far! Encourage him to post pictures so that we all can see what his friends and teachers look like.

His classes started just over a week ago, and so far so good. He says he's pretty dang busy, though. Also, he took a ball and a kick to the face yesterday at soccer practice, but no stitches and besides a headache he's doing okay.

join him here: Learnin' with Style

Olympic Fever

Our niece Ashtyn is very into it. Are you?

(Notice Phelps also triumphing in the background.)

The Beach

Despite all the amazing historic locations on our itinerary, of course the kids were most looking forward to a day at the beach. Aunt Annie and Ashtyn indulged us by taking us to the Jersey shore, about 1 1/2 hours from her home. It was a perfect day: hot, but a bit breezy at times, and very sunny.

Doug played with the kids almost nonstop, and I was busy taking pictures.

2008_Pennsylvania

That evening, Uncle Jeff joined us and the grownups got to enjoy dinner out and a movie.

We were sad to say goodbye the next morning!

Days 4 and 5

A fever revved up in Jacob on Tuesday night. He crawled in bed next to me and I thought I was sleeping next to a baked potato. We left him at the hotel the next day while we went back to DC for another day of sight-seeing. He didn't have to be convinced.

Doug had concocted a food adventure the night before, and we set out for the fish market first thing. Aidan especially loved seeing all the fresh, whole fish and the live crabs. The fishmongers bantered with him and offered to let him hold a live crab. He declined. Doug and I both love seafood, so we happily tried the Maryland crab chowder, clam chowder, fresh red snapper, and ceviche with shrimp. The kiddos preferred snacking on huge slices of watermelon.

We gave ourselves another hour or so at the Smithsonian Air and Space museum (remember, these national museums are free!), we stopped at the Capitol for a tour of the Senate side courtesy one of Senator Brownback's interns. None of us had ever been inside the Capitol before. We visited the Senate chambers as well and heard Bob Bennett of Utah speak on energy.

We were STARVING by the time we hit Chinatown for another food adventure planned by Doug. We ate at a four-star restaurant where fresh noodles and dumplings are made in the front window. Then we hurried home to the sick one, who was glad to see us, even though he had enjoyed watching ESPN all day and had even started on his summer reading books (better late than never).

The next morning we dosed up our sick boy with Advil, checked out, and drove to Washington's crib at Mt. Vernon. This was really an excellent experience, and we could have enjoyed many hours more there. But as you can imagine, the feverish kid was pretty miserable out in the heat on a tour.

So we packed everyone in the car and I called the doctor for a prescription as we started our way up the coast to . . . .

Philadelphia! Which is where Aunt Annie now lives! We were ready for Philly cheesesteaks and then an evening swim in the neighborhood pool. Doug and Jacob skipped the pool but joined us for a massive group indulgence in ice cream.

PS: We picked up a prescription for our sicky boy on the way home!

Day 3 of 9

Well, the day began early--not--when we all slept in and missed the 9:00 shuttle to the metro station. We were subsequently disappointed when the 10:00 shuttle was full. The driver assured us he would be back in 10 minutes, yet 1 hour later he returned and the shuttle filled up again before our family of six could get on. This was a good challenge for us. Could we stay kind? Could we roll with the punches? Could we withhold grumbling about the hotel and its service? No, we could not. But we did try to pull ourselves together as best we could. We took our van to the metro station and parked it there, which we could have done two hours earlier if we had only known.



But once we boarded the metro we were back on track. It only took three monuments for us to fall seriously off again: the Lincoln memorial, the Korean war memorial, and the Vietnam memorial. We are smiling in the pictures, but by the time we limped onto the site of the WWII memorial--hot, thirsty, and tired--there was some definite bad blood going on. A 10-minute rest with our feet in the water there did wonders, and we forged on to the Smithsonian with famial harmony renewed. A long break and $20 worth of lemonade put us almost as good as new.

We lingered at the Air and Space museum for awhile--more on that tomorrow--and then we caught the free 6:00 pm concert at the Kennedy Center. I would be lying if I said that all the kids were as enthusiastic as I was about this opportunity, or if I tried to claim that once they heard the music they became engrossed and subsequently asked my forgiveness for their reluctance. But some of us enjoyed it and thanked the others for sticking in there--though not quite until the end of the concert.

We had a contest today as well, but not about civics. This morning Meredith was feeling put-upon, and I realized that what she needed was a Day of Adoration. So I told the other big kids that whoever could serve and adore Meredith the most effusively would be granted an as yet undisclosed award. As usual, Jacob was motivated by the competition and the reward and Sophia was motivated by the moral challenge, so Meredith lived like a princess. Jacob carried her purse all day long. Can you believe that? Meredith hates to carry her purse, and yet she really wants it with her, so she was beyond delighted at this service. Sophia was marvelously kind and solicitous as well. Meredith just announced the winner right before we turned off the lights for bed (I'm writing in the dark), and Jacob won by a slim margin because of his purse-carrying stunt. He is just willing to do anything to win.

Sophia is still up reading her scriptures and look, I'm blogging! More tomorrow!

Day 2 of 9

Our first two days of vacation are mostly driving. We left yesterday from Lawrence about 2:00 pm. The original plans were to leave early, but those were foiled when Jacob got a tuberculosis test last Thursday (required for boarding school). Turns out a TB test must be read in person three days later. So there we were on Sunday morning at the immediate care clinic having Jacob's forearm reviewed for signs of infection. Nada of course.

We had rather a blessed day in the car yesterday. The kids were all in a jovial mood, due they think to the lingering fun of theater camp. Doug points out that there was a lot of sleeping. They also played Mafia, a favorite game for which skills were honed during theater camp warm-ups. Jacob and Aidan sat in the very back of the van, and Jacob kept Aidan so entertained that we hardly heard a peep out of him. Aidan, that is. We heard lots of peeps out of Jacob. Even when his headphoneswere on he would be singing at the top of his lungs. Aidan only piped up when he had been injured in a game of tackle. How do you play tackle in the back seat of the car? Ask Aidan and Jacob.

Things are going smashingly today as well. We stayed last night in Richmond, Indiana, which is where Doug and I met 17 years and 2 months ago. We had breakfast at a Bob Evans; Doug got fried mush to show the kids what it's like. He used to have fried mush a lot when he was little at Grandma Patzner's farmhouse. Then we actually drove over to the Hill's Richmond plant, where 17 years ago I was engrossed in my business school internship and one certain information systems team leader. When we stepped out of the car in front of the plant, the scent of corn gluten washed over us. Doug and I inhaled deeply and enjoyed the memories; the kids thought it was nasty and pulled the tops of their t-shirts up over their noses as filters. We took pictures of our four children in front of the plant. Who would have thought 17 years ago that we'd be all married with four such spectacular offspring?

We headed on down I-70 toward West Virginia. We were going to dump Jacob's stuff at his school early so we don't have to haul it around all week. As we were driving, Jacob decided he needed some of Sophia's string to make a friendship anklet, and so ferocious bargaining ensued. Jacob thought foolishly that she could be persuaded if he 1) demanded the string from her loudly. After I talked him through the merits of negotiating with your subject's interests in mind, he mistakenly attempted to 2) persuade her with an offer of payment. Finally, Sophia stepped in with a compromise: if Jacob would read the book on Congress she had checked out, she would give him the string. He took her up on that and then I upped them one, and we had ourselves another deal: if they would read the book and take a quiz, they would receive a cash award, the amount based on their performance on the quiz. Sophia was enticed by the learning challenge, and Jacob was enticed by the competition and the cash reward, and Meredith wasn't enticed by any incentive at all so we told her we'd pay her a buck if she's simply read one page and take the quiz.

Here it is:

Quiz about Congress

1. What is a filibuster?
   
2. When our government was first being formed, what was the dilemma about representation to Congress? How was it solved?
   
3. What is the leader of the House of Representatives called?
   
4. What is a bill? How does one get passed?
   
5. What is the leader of the Senate called?
   
6. The two groups of representatives who make laws are together called ________.
   
7. What is the name of the document that described how our government would be organized and that made the first laws of our nation?
   
8. Are you allowed to carve your name in your desk if you are a Senator?
   
9. True or False: Only the president can declare war.
   
10. What are the small groups that leaders break into to talk about ideas and write bills?
    

Something new was learned by everyone, so we'll call it a success.

We arrived in DC about 9:30 at a rather stinky hotel where we had to wait an hour for the computers to be fixed before we could checked in, but it's cheap and so no complaining. We're off to the National Mall in the morning!

Family Vacation

What better way than to initiate another probably doomed attempt at blogging than by reporting on our family’s summer vacation?

We are headed east--our entire family: all four kids, both parents. It feels like a long time since we all six of us made it away together. Our plan is to see some sights in DC, then head up to Philly for a visit with my sister and her family, then back to West Virginia to drop Jacob off at his new school.

Jacob had a most remarkable semester at the military academy. By his own reckoning, it took about two weeks for him to feel comfortable and make friends. Then he was off. He enjoyed his classes, especially Spanish. He enjoyed making friends with the international students and learning cuss words in several foreign languages, including Spanish and Korean. He became quite an expert at hospital corners. He did not much enjoy the food. When he came home at spring break, he cooked us up a breakfast MMA-style: sloshy, watery oatmeal, saltless scrambled eggs, and grapefruit hunks floating in a vat of water. Nevertheless, he shed a tear or two when it came time to say goodbye. Need I mention that he received the top academic award for his grade? Both his social and academic performances were stellar. We were very proud of him and were delighted to see him thriving.



Shortly after bringing him home for the summer, Jacob got going on a little neighborhood mowing business.



Meanwhile, the younger kids and I headed west to Albuquerque for a couple of weeks. Most recently, Jacob, Sophia, and Meredith came off three weeks of theater camp, sponsored by Uncle Rick and Grandma Susie. Those events deserve their own posts, but we’ll skip them for now and move on, as promised, to the Full Family Vacation. But first, I should note that Jacob recently turned 14, was advanced to the office of a teacher in the Aaronic priesthood, and attended his first church dance.



Now back to the introduction to our family vacation.

We all adored MMA, but Jacob had caught a glimpse of the co-ed prep school lifestyle when we made a round of boarding school visits last January. He decided to give MMA a go for a semester and then take up at a coed prep school this coming fall. He’s going out for soccer and starts pre-conditioning in early August, so we thought we’d bring the whole family out to deposit him at school, and might as well make it into a sightseeing extravaganza while we’re at it.

New quote but not much else

I have added a new quote from the MMA handbook. Be sure to check the right hand column every time you visit for new nuggets of wisdom.

Jacob called me today very excited to have received two excellent grades on English assignments. He read me both papers over the phone. Things seem to be going dandy.

Now I'm going to try to "catch up" on all those months I fell behind blogging. I will post date them, so the entries will come up below Jacob's cadethood. This is for our family's benefit; some of these events happened months ago, but we want to have a record of them in the blog, which is printed out yearly. So no need for all readers to go back and plod through those. I'll try to keep on top of current events at the same time at the top of the blog.

Doug had my camera in Colombia last week, so I regret I don't have any photos to add today!

Promotion!

I had a call from one very excited young man today. The call came from his own cell phone number! This is important because his cell phone (a Christmas present) was being held by the Officer in Charge until Jacob's first promotion. So I knew by the caller ID that there was good news in store!

Sure enough, Jacob got is first promotion today. He moved from Recruit Candidate to Recruit 2nd class (R-2). Also this week he earned the privilege, based on his academic performance, of staying in his own room for evening study hall. Now that he is R-2, besides getting his phone, the major perc of this promotion is that he can now wear his pajamas during evening study hall in his room (rather than his uniform). He was very thrilled about this! With all these exciting privileges, he said that after class time, all the rest of the day is fun: first comes athletics, then mess, then study hall in your pajamas!

Jacob said that yesterday, the last full day of his third week at MMA, was the first fun day. He says that things are just really clicking and he is enjoying himself very much.

This weekend is an "Open Weekend," so Doug is going to head east instead of west when he arrives home from Colombia tomorrow, and spend a day with Jacob in Columbia. Did you get that? (Note the spelling difference.)

Now, on another note, I have reviewed the MMA Middle School Cadet Handbook and Regulations and found that I heartily approve of it. It has many words of very good advice for young men. It also has many important rules that suddenly make our system here at home--once viewed as oppressive and constrictive by our burgeoning adolescent--look like a blissful sojourn in Tahiti.

Therefore, I have decided to periodically share some quotations from this handbook for your edification. See sidebar. Check often.

Introducing: Cadet Von Feldt

There has been a long dry spell on this blog, but look what photos I have for you at last: Cadet Von Feldt.


Yes, it's true that Jacob transferred to Missouri Military Academy just over two weeks ago.

Here's how excited he was to go:


The decision was a long time coming, but all parties--parents and teenager--came to feel happy about it after many struggles and much fasting and prayer.

After some research, Doug and I and Jacob first took a weekend to visit a couple of boarding schools, and we settled on Missouri Military Academy (MMA). It is only about 3 1/2 hours away in Mexico, MO which is near Columbia, home of Mizzou (University of Missouri). Rather unfortunate neighbors if you are a KU fan, but many of the boys are not from Missouri at all and so have no particular devotion to Mizzou.

Please enjoy these photos of Jacob's send-off, his first day at MMA, and our first visit to see him there after his enrollment.

That Brings Us to Jacob's Birthday

which was on July 10. He turned 13. I am now the mother of a teenager. And believe you me, I am well aware.

Here are some shots of the family party, held at Grandma's after a fine day of theater camp for Jacob, Haley, and Megan.

More All-American Stuff: Baseball This TIme

What gets the Von Feldts out to a Royals baseball game in Kansas City on a hot Saturday afternoon?


BUCK NIGHT!

It was a beautiful evening at the K, at least after the sun went behind the bleachers.


The Royals' diamond:


We love the Royals. At least some of us. Others are rather disinterested, no offense intended.


One fan and one of the disinterested parties:

Hollerin' for the Royals:


Cotton Candy! Not part of buck night, but it's hard to resist the plaintiveness of a three-year-old. It is very sunny and hot!


This is a spectacular shot of Meredith's freckles. I adore them. It is funner to take shots of them than watch a baseball game. Doug says that at least watching baseball is better than watching golf.


Those disinterested among us bring a good book. Sophia is hoping to finish Harry Potter 4 before seeing the movie of Harry Potter 5.


It actually turned out to be an unusually fabulous game, with all of us standing and whooping by the end. The Royals won it by a point in the bottom of the ninth!

A Lawrence Fourth

Funny, but last year for the Fourth of July we were also homeless, as we had just sold our country house in Lawrence and were awaiting the close date on our Lamar house. We were welcomed last year at GR's party, and that's where we headed again this year. In the meantime GR and Joe have both gotten their professional pyrotechnic licenses. It was one well-organized, beautiful evening. And let me tell you what, the fireworks and the company could not be beat! We spent a lot of time catching up with old friends from Wakarusa Valley Ward and Second Ward. I'm glad the congregations are still so close, even though it has been three years since they were split. Then we enjoyed the spectacular show! And guess what: those professional-grade fireworks are LOUD!

Here, Sophia, Meredith, and Aidan have donned their flag baseball caps in a display of patriotism:


Jacob is really growing up, don't you think?



Jacob loves to lavish his little brother with affection and play. He helped Aidan admire and catch the parachutes that Joe set off early in the evening!


Now, those of you who know Jacob know that he is destined for his own professional pyrotechnic license someday: he LOVES fireworks. In the days leading up to the fourth, his grandpa took him along to help out at the Knights of Columbus fireworks tent. Jacob enjoyed tagging, organizing, and perusing the fireworks each day. He also bought quite a few of them! So on the third of July, our family had our own event to shoot off our favorites at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Click to play:



(I have switched templates again because that green template was just buggin' me. I really like the way photos look against black. I'm sorry that I'm am using the same template as good friend Kristy, but I hope she won't mind too much.)