A little bit of Austin

Oh dear..... Austin you are cracking me up these days! 
The other night Eric was laying in bed when he was supposed to be finishing up his jobs and I called him but he didn't budge.  Marinda said "he is totally awake he is just faking it". 
Mom:  hmmm looks like he is learning from you Scott.
Austin:  (comes walking in our room) Im the master of faking, I mean Im sleeping right now and you can't even tell! 
He has made a duct tape jacket for the Chiawana football games.

He has a group of LDS kids that are going to homecoming together, they are all in drama with him and Marinda.  He came home and asked if he could ask a girl who is in drama with them but she is not a member of the church.  I said no.  And so it began....
He asked why we have that rule and I said I don't know we made it years ago let's call Dad.  Just so happens they had stake standards night that night.  The stake president told all the kids his cell number and said text me any questions you have.  Austin text him, "can we take a non member to Homecoming".  The stake president answered, every family has their own rules, the only thing the Prophet has said about it is to make sure you take someone with the same standards and morals as you.
Here are some of the points discussed in the next few days....
Austin:  It would be a great missionary opportunity to take her, if Dad wouldn't have dated you there would be 6 less members of the church.
Mom:  Dad didn't get to go on a mission, he didn't get to get married in the Temple, he had to wait until I had been a member for a year before he could go through.  He missed out on a lot because he dated me and I wouldn't want you to miss out on those things.  As wonderfully as it all worked out it has been a very hard LONG road of many ups and downs that wouldn't have been if we had been the same religion.
Austin:  She is a really nice girl, Im not worried about her standards or morals.
Mom:  Who am I to judge someones standards and morals, there are some LDS girls I wouldn't want you to go with, it's hard for me to say "you can go with her but then next year tell Rin she can't go with a boy because I don't think his standards are high enough".  (What boy's standards would ever be high enough to take Rin out).  Saying you can only go with LDS kids just means, most likely, I will know their family, their rules, and they will most likely be on the same page as us.
Mom:  the reason you should ask an LDS girl is because their parents would like them to go with LDS boys and if you take someone else you are one less LDS boy out there, you are off the market and I would hate a sweet LDS girl to have to sit home and not get asked.   
Scott:  Even though its wrong to treat them differently,  I don't mind Austin taking a nonmember girl but I do not want Marinda going with a nonmember guy. (who she has picked out already for next year)  We have to make one rule and be consistent and not change it to each different situation.
Mom:  it's not that we are worried about any of you dating non members, I think you would be fine.  In fact there are a lot of kids that are not LDS that are much better kids than you, but it is just easier....

Mom & Dad:  Austin you are 17 and you can make the decision on your own. 
Austin went to his room.
Austin:  Well I went and prayed about it and read my scriptures and I found my answer. 
(short version)  Alma 8:14-16  He changed the land Ammonihah to Chiawana (his school) and Alma's name to Austin.
[As (Austin) was thus weighed down with sorrow, behold an angel appeared unto him saying; blessed art thou, (Austin) lift up thy head and rejoice, for thou hast been faithful in keeping the commandments of God, I am sent to command thee that thou return to the city of (Chiawana) and preach unto the people.]
He said I will go and ask her to the dance and it will be a great missionary experience. 
Scott called all the kids in.  He said we have decided to let Austin try this out and Marinda is not allowed next year to go with a nonmember. 
Marinda stomped her foot and said, not that I would but that is so not fair Dad! 
Dad:  Lifes not fair, get out of my room and go to bed. 
Sooooo Austin asked the girl, she said yes.  THEN she told him about her dress, which was strapless.....
He came home and said Im going to ask her if she can wear a little jacket thing or shawl over her shoulders.... I said "you think you can just ask her to put more clothes on, that is going to offend her and her parents!"  Good luck with that!  Next day at school he TOTALLY told her about the church and about being modest and asked her if she would mind fixing her dress.  Marinda said she acted a little funny but said my Grandma is making it, she can probably make me a little shoulder jacket...... Wow!  That boy is brave.
Last night the missionaries apt. fell through so they came over, we discussed many things including this, one of the missionaries told Austin, you share the gospel by being a good friend to non-members, not dating them.  :)  It was fun to watch Austin listen to them (only a couple years older than him) he seemed to listen without being defensive like he is with his parents. 
Not that anyone reads this, but if anyone is please give me your thoughts or advise on the matter. 

I LOVE Football!

 

Eric #33

This year he is playing line backer and running back.  He is so good at defense!  Has been since last year so he is doing GREAT at it!  But this is the first year handling the ball for him.  First game he was first string running back and they gave him the ball every inning!  It was so awesome!  One play he was running with it and two guys were on him trying to take him down and he just kept going one foot at a time.... it was slow motion, everyone was yelling for him, others came and jumped on him and it took 4 or 5 (seemed like 12) boys to get him to the ground, he got the first down!  YAY  it was fun to watch, then he got a touchdown which was unbelievably amazing for me!  TOUCHDOWN!!!!  AND then yesterday at the game, it was a close one and the other team had the ball, a kid was running, no one could get him.....kids were jumping for him and missing.....it was not looking good.... then ERIC comes flying across the field and tackles him... crowd goes wild..... Ok.... it isn't really that dramatic but it's like fishing stories, the fish just gets bigger and bigger the more I tell it!!!!  GO ERIC!  So fun to watch!!!!  I wish I could take a picture of these moments but my hands are always VERY shaky and I won't dare take my eyes off the field to look into the tiny camera screen....

Ocean

We talked Scott into going to the freezing Oregon Coast!  It was so much fun, the first day was hot and then second was cold!  We always have so much fun, something about the beach and the waves..... dreamy.

 

 

The kids filled up 2 cups with jelly fish.  By the end of the day they were grabbing them with their hands, the clear ones don't hurt, but the yellow ones do...

 

The kids were dying to rent this bike, it was a lot of fun cruising around main street on this!  We realized we don't work together well, it took a while to get it down, too many captains...

 

At the candyman store the kids got to spin the wheel, Jocelyn won!  

 

While there Austin celebrated his 17th Bday!  Holy cow, that sounds old!!!  

 

It was so fun to watch these boys jumping, yelling, hopping, screaming like girls trying to catch this crab in the ocean!  

 Sunset at Seaside.... again..... dreamy.

I took this picture for my Mom, when I saw the horses on the beach I thought of her and my Dad when they went on a horseback ride in Mexico on the beach, my Mom LOVES horses. 

Good Stuff!

 Little Sweet Carter is back from Tennessee!  The girls were so excited to run to the airport and see him.  Eric was at football and Austin was at call backs for a play. 

 Who are the most annoying people at the apartments?  WE ARE!  Now we have tap shoes to add to the noise level we produce.  The girls start Friday.........they are SO thrilled.  Love their sock choices and pj's. 

Well here I am..... the model.  Im the one talking with the blonde in the blue/green shirt.  I started my career a few weeks ago but I have decided it isn't for me.  It takes too much from the family, you know the interviews, calls from Oprah and such.  The paparazzi just got too invasive so I decided to retire.  Haaaahhhaaa it was so embarrassing!  Steve Leaven's a friend, dentist, and our Bishop asked me to take pictures for an add they were doing for his dentist office.  We had a lot of fun laughing at all the things they made me do, the only reason I said yes was because he said I was just going to be background sitting in the dentist chair and then when I got there I had to pretend to talk at the front desk and sit in the chair and take single shots of just me like a senior picture.  It was fun.....ny.  The photographer asked me to put my purse over my shoulder and then him and Steve saw my zebra/sparkly/hotpink purse and started laughing.  The photographer said, "does anyone have a normal looking purse in here?"  :)  Im glad it's done and as weird as it was to be on the wrong side of the camera, I am happy to say I get lots of FREE dental care!  YES! 

Austin and Marinda have gotten into the play!  HURRAH!  They are so brave, they went and auditioned for 4 days, they had to sing (Austin doesn't sing) and dance....(they don't dance) and read scrips of many different characters.  They are doing Beauty and the Beast, Austin was dying to be the candlestick and had his french accent down but the candlestick sings Be Our Guest and as awesome as it was that Austin didn't care and sang it out for the entire room full of judges, there was a guy who has a lot of experience and got it instead.  They are both townspeople so they get to sing and dance at all the parts where the townspeople are.  Austin is the Librarian and Marinda is the "lady with a baby". 

Eric is loving football.  They start games this week.  They are having him play positions he has never done so Im nervous to go watch.  He is linebacker on defense and running back on offense.  I would rather him never touch the ball because Im that kind of Mom but I guess we will see how he does.  I hope I don't run out on the field when those big scary guys chase after my Baby!  Run Eric Run!

School Days!

 

 

 

End of Summer.

 

Scott went on a bike ride to Canada with his brother's and some friends.  Marky and Scott had to ride together all the way to Othello to get Scott's bike..... WOW.

 

We are so excited for Brittany and Courtney who got baptized!  Marinda and Brittany were friends way back when in 2nd ward and then for a little bit in 8th ward.  When we moved back here into 6th ward the girls were so excited to be in the same ward again!  The baptism was on Saturday and then Brittany asked Scott to confirm her on Sunday.  What a fabulous day!  

It was so FUN to see this adorable family that we love welcome home their missionary!  Welcome back Cameron! 

 A visit to Jacksen's headstone. 

Justin!

We went and got Justin and his brother Linus and took them out to the river.  They were so much fun (besides how wet they got us all) The kids loved throwing the sticks in the water and the dogs going out to get them, Linus tried to get both some of the time.  It was funny! 

 

We went to the sand dunes with Iverson's and McDonald's (-Mick) and Jory set up an awesome slip&slide.  

 

There was no one around when we started but the dunes filled up as the day went on.

 

I was too chicken to try it, the kids all loved it.

 

Cameron and Megan came out with their boat and took all the kids tubbing.  Super Sweet!  Stephen and Korbi came out for a bit too.

 

Eric has a lot of skills, one of them is sleeping.

The other day he was supposed to be doing his jobs, I was facing the other way and said "Eric stop standing around and get busy" he said, how did you know I wasn't doing my jobs, your not even looking at me?  I said "I know everything, always, even when I can't see you".  He mumbled "That's kinda creepy".

Im wondering when the shopping for school supplies for Marinda changed from this to this!  :(

 

Avery turned SEVEN!  She was very excited to find all the balloons when she woke up.

Spoiled Rotten!

 

These two were spoiled rotten by Cindy Norr while we were gone!  They were only there for 3 days and it took another three days just to tell us all the fun things they did!  Im sure I will leave some things out but to name a few:  swimming, summer movies at the theater every morning, painting sun catchers, make overs and framing pictures, ChuckEcheese, growing dinosaur toys, painting wodden crafts, clay projects and shopping for shoes.  They called as we were almost to the Trek sight and said "Jocelyn came barefoot, she didn't bring any shoes" !!!!!  NICE!  Im such a fabulous Mom.  I can blame it on Austin because he was the one that ran them over there that morning.  So they both came home with new shoes.  We are so lucky to have the most wonderful friends and don't have to worry about our angels when we have to leave them!  They keep asking if they can go back.....

Trek!

 

There are so many pictures and SO many great times that I can't fit it all in.  I can't wait to scrapbook it all and make a slide show.  What an amazing experience this was!  They had different companies and then 5 families in each company.  Our family was white company - family 4, Austin, Rin, and Eric were all in different companies so we hardly saw them. Which I think they were happy about.  :)

 

Marinda's family Teal

 

Austin's family Yellow  5

                                                                Eric's family Pink

 A week before the trek we got a doll for our "trek baby" and the girls carried it around NON STOP that whole week.  One night Scott and I realized all their dolls are in storage and its been a good 7 months.  They have some small petshop toys and little things that will fit in their tiny toy box in their room but I started to feel bad after watching them adore this doll.  Most their toys that we packed up before the Othello move are still in storage so its been 2 years now that they haven't seen their "junk" I mean toys.  So the next morning Avery came out of her room with the doll on her hip and Scott said "get to the store and get those girls a doll"  :)