I've blogged about Lona and Isaac a lot lately, but nothing about Job.  I think that's because he has been fairly quiet.  I don't mean that he hasn't said anything but that he hasn't pushed any buttons and hasn't had any major changes lately.  Job is my calm steady kid.  When I ask him to do something he generally says OK and does it.  His interests are mainly Legos and well Legos.  I don't think that a day goes by without him working on something with his Legos.  He saves his money up for Legos.  I'm pretty sure that he dreams about Legos.  It's the first thing he does in the morning.  In fact if I want to punish him it's not allowing him to play with Legos.  Then he's listless.  It's amazing how much this kid likes his Legos.  Both John's Mom and my Mom have Legos at their house and Job immediately finds them.  He even knows if someone has played with them during the year because they aren't the way he left them.  He is destined to become an engineer, partly because of the Legos.  He asked John the question the other day:  "What if  you have two liquids that are different temperatures and you mix them?  John:  "If everything being equal (like they are the same liquid and same quanity) then their temperature will be the average of the two."  Job: "That's what I thought."  John: "I just worked on a problem like that at work the other day."  Job:  "Really!  Cool!  I want to do that too."  Me:  "Yawn"  Engineering is not my gift, but I'm glad that John and Job have something in common.

Job aime ses Legos.  Il joue avec ses Legos chaque jour.  Il se reves des Legos. C'est le premiere chose qu'il fait du matin.  Si je lui grounde, il ne peut pas jouer avec ses Legos.  C'est incroiable comment il aimes ses Legos.  La mere de John et ma mere ont des Legos chez eux pour Job.  Il sait si quelun joue avec des Legos pendent l'annee parce que des Legos ne sont pas comme il les laisses.  Je pense qu'il a besions devenir un engineer.  L'autre jour il demande a John, "Si tu a deux liquides avec des temps differents et tu les mis dans un tasses qu'est ce qui passes?"  John dit, "Si les liquides est le meme liquid et ils sont le meme tailles puis quand ils ont dans un tasse le temps est au mileau le deux temps."  Job: "C'est juste que je pense."  John:  "Je fais un probleme comme ca l'autre jour a mon travail."  Job: "C'est vrais! Chouette!  Je veut faire ca aussi."  Les problems comme ca ce n'est pas pour moi.  J'aime que John et Job peuvent parler comme ca.

In the USA teeth seem to be fairly important.  In other countries I don't think it is as important, maybe that has changed.  I don't know.  We've known that our kids are going to need braces.  Isaac and Job are missing teeth.  It wouldn't be so bad if the teeth were in the back but they are in the front.  Both Isaac and Job have an overbite.  Job's overbite is more extreme.  We looked into braces and decided to bite the dust.  Isaac had braces put on May 25th (happy bithday to my brother & nephew).  We followed that appointment with a trip to the library and quick stop to the eye doctor (order more contacts), the pharmacy, the grocery store, and finally to Sonics for milk shakes.  Grill cheese sandwhiches for lunch at home and pasta alfredo with little chicken bites (soft foods this week).  Our neighbor felt sorry for Isaac and she brought over advil and baby food.  Hilarious, what are good friends for.

  Nous avons decide que c'est temps de metre des croisillons sur les dents d'Isaac.  Job et Lona les ont besoins aussi mais ce n'est pas le temps.  Je pense qu'aux Etates Unis les dents parfait est plus important qu'autre payesages, mais je n'ai pas sur.  Alors le 25 maie, nous avons chez orthodontist pour les croisillons puis le bibliotheque, chez docteur d'oiel pour acheter plus des contact, le pharmacie pour moi (j'ai un calcul renal), le supermarche, et Sonics (un restaurant) pour des glaces.  Il faut que Isaac mange des nouriture doux pour une semaine parce que ses dents blessees.   Apres une semaine il peut mange des autres choses mais il faut que je coupe des fruits.  Il ne peut pas manger le caramel pour deux annees ou boire des coca-cola pour deux annees.  C'est pas grave, il ne mange pas des choses avec caramel souvent et il ne boit pas le coca-cola ou boisson comme ca.  Notre voisin lui donne un boite de aspirine et un boitille de nouriture des bebe.  C'est drole.

There are many types of friendships in this world.  Some are easy and some are hard.  Sometimes you can just slip into a friendship and even after years apart you just pick up where you left off.  Some friendships take a lot of work and its a struggle every day.  When I was twelve or thirteen, I had a friend that I did everything with.  Then one day we were hanging out with another girl and I felt very left out.  They were talking and talking as we were walking home and I just stopped walking and they continued on without noticing.  I talked to my Mom later about it because I was feeling lonely and left out.  My Mom is so full of wisdom.  She basically told me to grow up.  Friends can have other friends, if I didn't want to feel left out then I should have participated in the conversation and I shouldn't have stopped walking.  It was NOT their responsibility to entertain me.  Wow,  she was right.  Right now I have the opportunity to teach Lona about friendships.  I really don't want her to be a "needy" friend but one that others like to be around because she's not high maintenence.  We had this opportunity to talk and practice this last Sunday.  On Sunday she had some friends over and she got mad at them, threw a friend's sweater in the dirt and ran away.  Then she lied about being stung by bees. She wanted them to feel bad for her.  It was then time to take her friends home. She cried and cried, but if she isn't treating her friends correctly then they aren't going to want to be with her.  After taking her friends home we stopped and took photos at a fountain.  At first she was upset but after an hour, she was happy and jumping all over the place.  Then we were able to talk.  Here are some things we discussed.  It's Ok for our friends to have other friends, even best friends.  It's Ok for friends to hangout and plan to do things with other friends and we know about it but aren't invited.  Sometimes this will be just hanging out and sometimes it will be a party.  We do things with other friends too. If she learns this now, there will be less heartache later on.  When we got home Lona told me that her best friend was probably her Dad and I.  I understand that, outside of John, my Mom is probably my best friend.  Thanks Mom for being truthful with me.

Lona a beaucoup des amies.  Toujours elle demande si elle peut jouer avec ses amies.  Dimanche, deux amies de Lona venir chez nous pour jouer.  Ca marche  bien jusqu'elle deviens fou avec eux.  Elle a demande si elles pourraient l'aider a arranger les jouers.  Elles ont voulu quelques autres choses et retourner au jouets.  Elle deviens fou et jette leurs chandail dans le terre.  Et apres elle a dit une histoire faux.  Elle me dit qu'elle veut ses amies faire attention a t'elle.  Je pense que c'ette temps que ses amies retournent chez elles.  Lona et moi allons de prendre des photos.  Au debut, elles etait en larmes, mais apres une heures elle etait content avec un grand sourires.  A ca moment je sais que je peut parler avec elle.   Nous avons discute l'importance de l'amitie.  Ce n'est pas le travail d'un amie de nous amuser.  Si nous voulons des amies, nous devons leur etre gentil.  C'est d'accord que notre amies ont autre amies.  Elles peuvent faire des choses avec les autres amies.  C'est difficile pour une filles de huit annee mais si elle comprend ceca mainenant, il sera plus tardiff plus facile.

We've gotten to playing VW in the car and I love to beat him seeing a VW parked and driving around town.  Any VW will do.  The day he turned twelve he needed to go to a friend's house 2 1/2 miles away.  We told him to ride his bike.  No way did he want to do that.  We made him anyway.  He started off and then I drove ahead of him and waited for him to catch up and then drove down the road and then waited.  We did this until he reached his friend's house.  Then I left and he was to return by himself.  The father called when the "Tiger left the den" and I kept track of the time.  When he had been gone for 1/2 hour and was still not home, I sent John after him.  He had gone the wrong direction and was almost to Guide Meridian, which is in the opposite direction from our house.  At twelve John was biking all over and so was I.  By the time I was twelve I had already traveled to Europe and back with just my little brother twice.  My mom stuck us on an airplane in Salt Lake City with a back pack of carmels and butterscotch candy.  We returned a month later after visiting our Grandparents in Switzerland.  I think that Isaac may have gone to Greene's and back with friends once.  Not quite the same.  Change is coming for him, for  me, for us.  He is starting to need deoderant!  This week he's getting braces and I'm sure that will be a blog post in itself.  Am I going to be able to adjust to the changes that are coming?  I don't know - I have to.  I'm excited and scared all at the same time.
Birthday celebration facts:  Three friends came over to celebrate - Nathan, Rhett, Gabe.  They played kick ball at Job's end of season soccer party and ate pizza.  Isaac had to prepare his own birthday dessert - homemade no bake fudge.  We opened gifts the next day.

Cette annee il y a beaucoup de changement dans la vie d'Isaac.  Il est douze maintenant et il veut faire plus de chose.  Nous decidons qu'il peut aller des places tout seul mais il faut conduit par velo.  Il vas chez ami et il est perdu.  Quand j'etais douze ans, je vais chez mes grandparents en Suisse seulement avec mon frere. Pour son anniversaire, il invite trois amis pour rester la nuit.  Ils mangent de pizza, jouent dehors et voir un filme. 

These are my favorite photos of this last season.  Even though soccer officially ended Saturday we are still in the middle of soccer with end of season parties.  Job's was Saturday night and coincided with Isaac's 12th birthday.  Isaac's is Monday and Lona's is in a couple of weeks.  I again took photos and put them to DVD with music.  Isaac's team had 13 kids, Job's team had 11 kids and Lona's team had 9 kids.  I'm almost done but had to share some photos.
Voici mes photos preferee de la saison du football.  Le footfall termine samedi mais il y a deja des choses de faire.  Le fete pour l'equip de Job etait samedi soir a le meme temp du fete pour l'anniversaire d'Isaac.  Le fete pour l'equip de Isaac est lundi soir et pour Lona, c'est dans deux semaine.  Je pris des photos pour chaque equip et je fais un presetation avec des photos et des musique.  L'equip d'Isaac avait 13 jouer, Job avait 11 jouer, et Lona avait 9 jouer.  J'ai presque fini avec les presentation d'Isaac et il faut que je commence avec le presentation pour Lona.  Je veux partager ces photos.

I have blogged about Awana before but on Wednesday we had our last Awana night for the year.  This year it was Isaac's last Awana night.  He is in 6th grade this year and NorthLake Church does not offer Awana to the older kids.  Isaac has finished the program.  He started part way through the Sparky year when he was 6 1/2 years old.  A child on his soccer team invited him to the club and he loved it.  That got Job involved and when Lona was old enough she joined Cubbies.  Cubbies is the preschool program.  At Cubbies they say one verse a week.  After two years and over 60 verses later, they graduate to Sparks.  Sparks is for kids in Kindergarten through 2nd grade.  At Sparks they learn 166 verses, rules about taking care of the flag, how to treat others, seeing God's creation, and missionaries.  At the end of Sparks if they have finished all sections in their 3 books they receive a Sparky plaque and graduate to TnT (Truth and Training).  Here they work through four books in four years. They investigate four questions each year with eight answers to each question with two back up Bible verses for each answer.  That ends up being 64 verses a year times 4 years.  This year was a mile stone year.  Lona received her Sparky Plaque and she graduates to TnT.  Then Job finished his 2nd book in TnT and received his Excellence Award.  Isaac finished his fourth book and received the Timothy Award.  I set aside time during the school day where they learn their verses but they have to memorize the verses themselves.  I generally don't sit down with them and help them.  I do help them figure how many sections of their book they need to do in order to finish but they do the work on their own. We decided to celebrate their achievements with a present.  This is the first time we've done this but felt like it was appropriate.  We are proud of the three of you.

Usually for Awana, I load up the car with kids, mine and others, and head out.  This  is our very full van.

What to do on a sunny day with a magnifying glass?  Start a fire of course.

Qu'est nous pouvons faire a une jour ensoliel et un loupe?  Commencez un feu bien sur.  Deux garcon et un peu du temp, ils commencent un feu dans notre allee.

On Friday, Lona and I met a friend and her girl at Boulevard Park with the idea in mind that the girls would take pictures and scrapbook them for their final class.  The girls took a few pictures but played mostly and I got a chance to visit.  The sun was shining, everyone and their dog was out enjoying the day and I really had no agenda for the rest of the day.  It was amazing.  I felt like a normal happy mom.  Lately, it seems that all I do is nag my kids and get upset.  This is the sign that school needs to end quick.  Like right NOW.  It stinks to go into Mother's Day feeling like I've been a terrible mother for the last month and have the kids tell me how great of a mother I've been.  So we are looking to get so much of our school done this week and finish up with straggling projects in the next two weeks.  We all want summer.  That brings me back to Boulevard Park with friends.  It was a taste of what summer is about.  A taste of freedom that summer brings to all kids. The girls ran all over.  They played at the playground, chased seagulls, rolled down hills, climbed rocks and trees, watched kites, ran races and petted dogs. I took pictures, my friend took pictures, and the girls well their pictures were of seagulls.  So thank you Marie, for listening and being outside with me and helping me through a rough patch of mother hood.  Looking forward to scrapbooking with the girls. 

Tonight I found myself at home with only one child.  I looked around and really wanted to pick up the house or organize my scrap desk but instead I invited Job outside to play Rummikub.  My grandmother Renee gave this game to us quite a few years ago and the kids are getting to the age that they can play it.  They need to add to thirty, place numbers in runs or in groups of three.  It's a fun game.  I can't remember the rules to rummy but this is almost like rummy and it has directions (in french though).  We sat outside in the sun and enjoyed hanging out together.  It isn't often that I play games with the kids.  I usually feel like I have too much to do.  Job gave up playing Legos to hang out with me.  Some day it may not be like that. 

Ce soir je trouve que c'est juste Job et moi a la maison toute seul.  Je regarde au tour de moi et voir tous les choses qu'il faut je fais.  C'est facile de laisser Job joue avec ses Legos mais je lui demande de jouer Rummnikub avec moi.  Ma grandmere Renee me le donne quelques annees passes et les enfants peuvent comprendre le jeu mieu maintenant.  Je ne souviens pas les regeles au rami mais rummikub avait les regele dans le boit (c'est tout en francais, mais c'est d'accord).  Nous nous sommes assis dehors dans le soliel.  Il etait merveilleux.  Job a laisse ses Legos pour jouer avec moi.  Le temp de depense avec Job est plus precieux d'une maison propre a moi.  Saisissez le moment.