Wishful thinking

I've got to hand it to Wade, he knows how to dream BIG. He can't wait until September comes because "then it'll only be a month and a half til my birthday!" Yesterday we were at WalGreens and he really wanted these sunglasses. It wasn't an item that he NEEDED, so I told him that he could buy it with his own money or put it on a Wish List, 'cause that's how we roll.


So this morning Wade handed me a very detailed wish list. I had to share this because it's pretty amazing (and ridiculously funny/thorough/over-the-top):

1. Diary of A Wimpy Kid (on Blu-Ray)
2. DS (as in, Nintendo DS like his sister has)
3. Diary of A Wimpy Kid books 1 & 2
4. Bakugan (something) Invaders toy
5. Lego Toy Story 3 kit
6. Lego Harry Potter game on Wii (he's actually saved up quite a bit of cash for this already)
7. Zathura movie
8. Bionicle the Legend Reborn (movie?)
9. Warriors book (any, but I told him to write down his favorites because there are a ba-jillion of them)
10. 39 Clues, Book 10
11. Karate Kid II movie
12. Star Wars Phantom Menace movie ("to complete our collection")
13. Lego Star Wars toy/kit
14. Sunglasses
15. Lego Batman toy

"The End"

Couples Game Night!

On Saturday night Jason and I went to the Tonks' home for our re-instated Game Night with 5 other couples. We didn't meet over the busy summer, and it was good to get back together. We take turns hosting and try to get together once a month, usually for a potluck feast and all kinds of games. It has been a BLAST!

That night we played Spoons, which I have not played in F-O-R-E-V-E-R, and electronic Catch Phrase (guys against girls). Can't wait til next month! :)

"So, what do you do all day while the kids are at school?"

Jason should be home soon--he's been in DC for business this week. He had to take a red-eye flight Tuesday night to get out there, which is NOT fun, but I was so happy he could hear all about the kids' first day of school before he left. He had lots of meetings back east but also got to spend time with some of our good friends and see a Nats ballgame, too.

So what did I do this week while everyone was gone during the day? I balanced lots of exercising/chores/errands/visiting teaching with plenty of relaxing, too. The past couple days I made some crazy good progress on my second blog book, Volume II of the Cushing Family Adventures. This time around I'm getting pictures and text where I want them FIRST, and then I'll go back and play around with page backgrounds. This book will also be hardbound, unlike the first one. Obviously softbound/paperback was cheaper, but with all the use the first book gets, it's not going to last as long.

I also indulged in some BBC goodness, thanks to Netflix. The kids and I watched Episode 1, Season 1 of Robin Hood, and it was awesome. Just the right amount of PG adventure, action, dialogue, and romance. I'm hooked!



I watched a bit of the BBC miniseries North & South, too, based on Elizabeth Gaskell's book. Hello, Mr. Thornton, and goodbye, Mr. Darcy/Edward Cullen/(any other romantic leading man in literature). You can click on the picture below for a link to the (spoiler!) ending scene. It is fabulous on its own and breathtaking if you've watched the whole miniseries up to that point. Good stuff! :)



The kids have one more swim lesson today, and Jason and I get a group date in tomorrow night with some friends. Hope you have a nice weekend, too!

What a difference a year makes!

This first day back at school has gotten off to a terrific start. Mom was relaxed, Wade was cool and chilled, Rhiannon was HYPER with excitement. Last year we were all nerves--new teachers, new school, few friends going into it. It's nice not being the "new kids" this year--hopefully Rhiannon and Wade will realize that and look out for kids who were in their shoes last year!

Double bonus--the kids both got the teachers they were hoping for (the ones Mom secretly wrote lengthy letters requesting, too!)

Last night we went to the school's open house, got dinner and ice cream afterwards, and then went to bed on time after father's blessings from Dad. The kids woke up on their own and we had no problems getting out the door--we had plenty of time for pictures, donuts, and stopping by a park! It's going to be a great year!

This scrapbook customized with Smilebox

Yesterday we cleaned up the front yard, saw a movie (Nanny McPhee Returns), started some more swim lessons with Matt Krugman (in our pool), and relaxed. The kids spent some time catching tadpoles, too--fun!!!

And here are some pictures from our family bowling day, too! :) Dad was the high scorer, breaking past 100.

Are you there?

A very timely message to get Mom and Dad ready for school, too! :)

Cue the "Jaws" music

The kids absolutely love it when Dad joins them in the pool. He's much better at encouraging them to use their swimming skills than I am!

They're equally terrified when Dad hops in, too. He's good at throwing them around, sneaking up on them, and doing the power bomb (Wade's personal favorite). A couple days ago he amped up the paranoia and mentioned piranhas--apparently some new Piranha 3D movie is coming out and thankfully, we haven't seen any of the freaky trailers for it. Wade laughed the whole time in the pool, giggling and saying "Pirahna 3D!?" He and Rhiannon spent a lot of time fleeing from the snapping Piranha, aka Dad!

"Our Summer Vacation"

Dear New Teacher,

Our family had a wonderful summer vacation. Here is a list of things we did this summer:

1. Uncle Tommy and Aunt Lydia's wedding
2. Spent time with Texas relatives
3. Rode on an airplane
4. Got a visit from Uncle Derrick, Aunt Traci, and Max
5. Watched Toy Story 3
6. Took more piano lessons (R)
7. Took tennis lessons (R)
8. Took swimming lessons (R & W)
9. Memorized Articles of Faith and went bowling for a reward (R)
10. Swam the length of the pool and back (W)
11. Watched Despicable Me
12. Did a paper route (R)
13. Went to a fun Primary water games party
14. Had LOTS of friends over to play and swim
15. Went out of town for baseball game and saw fireworks, too!
16. Shopped for school clothes
17. Made indoor tents
18. Watched lots of TV (Disney channel shows, Unnatural History, and The Batman were favorites)
19. Watched lots of Netflix movies (too many to count)
20. Fed carrots to wild burros
21. Visited the local animal shelter
22. Visited the local pet store
23. Hosted some parties
24. Played on the computer a lot and played lots of Wii
25. Got new kitchen countertops
26. Did lots and lots of reading
27. Went on a 50-miler camping trip (Dad)
28. Got a new pet--Toby the Tortoise!
29. Did lots and lots and lots more reading (it's worth mentioning twice!)
30. Helped others on vacation with mail pick-up, pet care, and watering
31. Stayed up late many nights
32. Watched Inception (Dad and Mom)
33. Swam in our pool almost every single day this summer

We are relaxed and happy, ready for the new school year to begin!

Sincerely,
The Cushing family

Wha-wha-wha-Weekend!

So what have we done this last important week before school starts? Lots of swimming and lots of time with friends. On Thursday we had a very big water games party at the church for all the Primary kids. About 50 kids came, and we had a blast!!!!!!!!!!!! The kids' favorite game was Dribble, Dribble, DRENCH, where you play duck/duck/goose with a small pitcher of water and dump water on the person you want to have chase you around the circle. :)

Today Wade helped Jason all morning long with outdoor projects. He was having a good time and wanted to show off how he could use the socket wrench. Rhiannon helped me chop up some tree branches to fit in the trashcan. We also tried trimming a bush but went a little crazy and basically chopped the whole thing!

We'll see what the rest of the weekend holds. A barbecue tomorrow for sure, but nothing else is set, and that's probably a good thing. Come Tuesday, it's back to routines and schedules!

Gotta go--I hear kids and hubby enjoying the pool without me. :)

Interview 2

An Interview with Wade R. Cushing

How many months until you turn 7? I'd have to say one and a half.

What's been your favorite memory this summer? Going to Uncle Tommy's wedding.

What are you excited about for school? I'm going to first grade and I'll have a new playground.

What are you not excited about? Having to go to school every day.

What are you going to wear on the first day of school? My Lego Batman shirt and shorts.

What do you want to learn about this year? George Washington

How many new friends are you going to make? 1 (just one?) No, I meant 5.

Current favorites:

Watching Netflix and playing with Toby

Color? yellow and turquoise

Book? Iron Man 2

Sport? Soccer and baseball

TV show? Kick Buttowski (anything else?) Phineas and Ferb, and The Batman

Lunch? Hot dog, chips, and yogurt!

Interview 1

An Interview with Rhiannon Cushing

So, how's your summer been? AWESOME.

Why? Because we got to go to Uncle Tommy's wedding, we got Toby, um, I got to read a lot, and I got to swim!

What are you looking forward to about school? Possibly having Mrs. Knehans as a teacher, upgrading to a new year, and Super Star assemblies! I can't think of anymore right now.

Why do you like gum so much? Weird question, Mom. Well, I like to chew stuff and when I'm hungry it satisfies my hunger a little bit.

What's your favorite piano song that you can play? Mostly the hymns and, um, seriously? Uhhh, what? C'mon! (she doesn't like that I'm trying to type word for word)

What are you not looking forward to about school? Not staying home all day, basically that.

What are you going to wear on your first day of school? Some of my new clothes! Oh, type that Toby says hi!

Current favorites:

Movie? Netflix instant streaming stuff

Color? blue, definitely

Book? Basically, lots and lots and lots and lots!

Lunch? Spaghettios (Rhiannon can open up a can and cook it all by herself now)

Music? My piano songs and stuff on my iPod and Disney singers, NOT Justin Bieber

This chair is looking pretty good...

Here's the list of books I'm currently reading:

The Book of Mormon

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet (for book club this month)

The Happiness Project (thought it sounded interesting)

The South Beach Diet (pure curiosity--haven't quite wrapped my head around 2 weeks without carbs, even though I could definitely do with less sugar!)

The Red Pyramid (Wade got this from Grandma--we're reading it aloud a few pages at a time. I really like this author!)

Smells Like Dog (just picked it up at the library because it looked cute--surprisingly good so far)

Substitute Teaching from A to Z (because I'm considering it)

The Time Pirate (another "looked good" kids' lit book, but I think I want to get the first book in the series now, too)


Will start reading soon:

The Price of Stones (looked good; hopefully it won't be too depressing)

Mockingjay (should come in the mail next week, I hope, I hope, I hope! :))

What's for dinner?

I've stumbled onto some fant-abulous recipe blogs lately. There's my old stand-by, allrecipes.com, but here are a few more that I am drooling over:

Jamie Cooks It Up!

Deals to Meals blog

Food.com

I plan on making THIS and THIS for a barbecue this weekend!

Where do you go for recipe ideas??

1 part panic, 2 parts imagination

Every so often I have a bad night where I CANNOT sleep. Last night I tossed and turned with so many things going through my head. Most of my thoughts revolved around the end of summer--too quick, too fast, too soon. First came guilt about not doing more, and then came panic. To help put all my thoughts together and calm my brain down enough to be able to sleep, I wrote down a quick 4-item list:

1. Engage and listen.

2. Don't forget bedtime scripture reading.

3. Set up a tent, either indoors or out.

4. Plan one more "Electronic Devices Are Off" day before the week ends.

That's all I needed. The gears in my brain stopped humming, I relaxed, and life was good again. I got a few hours of sleep and woke up early feeling a lot better. So far today we've gone on a long walk and made an indoor tent. We're having some friends over to swim this afternoon, and more friends over in the evening. It's not such a bad thing to be able to say that most of our summer vacation has been spent relaxing, swimming, and being with friends!

ps. So far The Tent is a huge hit.

Dishes duty

Ah, isn't that sweet. A sister and brother working together on the dishes, giving their mom a break after a long Sunday on her feet.

Sorry to disappoint, but the reality is that they got busted for fighting and their punishment was to work together to wash and dry all the dirty dishes in the kitchen without their mother's help (gasp!). To their credit, they were doing the very best job they could to avoid an even greater punishment (going to bed early).

Life is not all sunshine and roses, and that's okay. Who knows, they might actually have fun on this little dishes project. :)

Moving on...

Some of our friends have dealt with very sudden moves over the last few weeks. The Jones family moved up to Cedar City on Monday--they had about 3 weeks to move. Rhiannon's good friend Ayaka moved to San Jose today, and they had about 2 weeks. There are a few more like that. These families have all handled the stress pretty well, but watching it all made me very, very grateful for all the time we had to move out to VA and back. Time to plan, time to get rid of junk, time to think things through, time to "say goodbye for now."

That's what we did this week--said goodbyes. We also went to a fun birthday party at the base pool. Jason and I had a fantastic date going to dinner and seeing Inception. And I spent a LOT of time doing Cub Scouts stuff. After being in Primary for a year and losing my counselor who took care of Cub Scout stuff, I figured it was time for me to jump in. I waded through 3 hours of meetings on Tuesday night and sat through 4.5 hours of semi-helpful training yesterday. And I don't have a clue how much time I've spent studying and sifting through things on my own. But I'm trained now, and "every boy deserves a trained leader!" :)

We've got ONE MORE WEEK before school starts!

50 Miler

Jason was gone the first week of August on a 50-miler hiking trip with the young men in our ward. They hiked different trails around the Cottonwood Lakes area. He had a great time and would love to do it again! Hopefully he'll get on here and give the details that I don't have. I know it was a good week, the boys did well, and no bears attacked! :) He said it was a surprisingly "benign" week for being with a bunch of teenagers! Enjoy the pics, and ignore any duplication I made. :)

Am I dreaming?

Jason and I saw this last night. I hardly breathed through the whole movie. Jason said it was one of the better movies he's seen in a long time.

It was spectacular, breathtaking, fast-paced, and action-packed. I can't wait to see it again!

More signs of growing up

Most Mondays the kids and I are out in the front yard cleaning up leaves, debris, pine needles, and algae from the pond. I'm always grateful for the kids' help, and they're anxious to get it done because then they know they can PLAY!

I guess it's a bit unusual, though, because most of our neighbors have commented on the kids working with me. I've heard everything from "your kids sure are good workers" to "I see you've got your slave labor out helping again!"

We've been trying to get back into a good chore routine. I'd slacked off the last couple months of the school year, and it's been good to start it up again. Today Rhiannon shocked me. I came into her room and she was going through the big blue tub in her closet, otherwise known as the "bottomless paper pit." This has been one of those areas in her room that we try to ignore, and the fact that she was tackling it on her own, without any prompting from me, sure made me happy!

Articles of Faith Awesomeness

Rhiannon passed off all of the Articles of Faith today! We're very grateful to her Primary teachers Brother Rosser and Brother Bingham who challenged the class to memorize all of them this summer. And a BIG thank you to Brother Rosser who called from Kansas in the middle of the week to remind Rhiannon that she needed to finish up if she wanted to attend the special bowling party on Saturday! As you can imagine, that was a great motivator. :)

Way to go, RC!

Dad comes home today!

Whew! Daddy comes down from the mountains today! It'll be good to have him home.

This week was busy on our end. We got plenty of cleaning and chores done, got plenty of fast food, got errands and "Mommy-do's" done, had LOTS of friends over, and watched LOTS of movies.

But I have this feeling that Jason had a better time than us. I could be wrong, but spending a week in and around this--

sounds way more fun than the playdate I refereed yesterday. We had two brothers over who would not stop fighting/pummeling/annoying each other. It was the first time I've EVER raised my voice during a playdate and the first time I've EVER threatened to call parents and send kids home. After an hour of this, I sat them down (well, they were already sitting down in time-out) and told them that my stress level was almost through the roof and I wasn't going to take too much more of it. I told them to talk to each other and figure out how they were going to behave towards each other for their remaining time with us, because they only had one more strike left.

Thankfully they clued in that Sister Cushing wasn't messing around. Our last 2 hours were really nice. One of the brothers asked me a couple of times, "Is your stress level down now?" I probably should have given myself a time-out, too, but at least the afternoon ended on a nice high note!

We must be dependable or something

So, starting tomorrow, we'll be picking up mail for 4 different people over the weekend. It's a combination of not being able to say no, wanting to be helpful, and actually being in town. :)

Fun with friends

With only two and a half weeks left til school starts, we've been packing in some time with friends. Rhiannon and Wade have enjoyed going over to friends' houses, but they've really looked forward to our semi-designated weekly "Friend Days" here at home.

I took pictures yesterday because it was a little busier than normal and mostly spur-of-the-moment. We invited Alex over in the morning (his family is moving next week, and we're going to miss them!). Then we called and invited JeNai and Halle over to join us for swimming. After Alex, JeNai, and Halle went home, Caden and his little brother Isaac came over for a couple of hours while their mom went to the doctor.

The day went by really quickly!!! I thanked all our guests for being such good company, too. When kids are kind and get along well together, I want them to know how much I appreciate it! :)

Jethawks game

On Friday we drove down to Lancaster for a minor league baseball game and school shopping. The game was a lot of fun and much more enjoyable than our first experience (when Jason, Wade, and I went to a game before Wade's surgery in May--it was FREEZING and the Jethawks got creamed). The Jethawks lost this game, too, but at least they scored some runs!!! The fireworks at the end were fun, too!

We spent the night at a hotel and then got up in the morning and shopped, shopped, shopped. It was a perfect little family vacation!

In the jungle

ps. Please disregard the videos that show up on the bottom. They are not mine. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to turn off that feature, with no luck. Anyone know how to do that when you're uploading a video on YouTube???

6 months later

Rhiannon has been taking piano lessons for 6 months now, and she's doing great!

"I need your help cleaning out the van so bears aren't attracted to anything in it"

Jason left before 6am today for a week-long 50-miler backpacking trip with the Scouts. Jason has done SO MUCH to prepare for this week; besides dropping almost 30 pounds and running 5ks regularly, he's also spent a great deal of time and money getting good equipment and good info.

I'm excited for him but will be praying for the group's safety this week, too. Not only will they be in bear country, but they'll also be cut off from the world for 6 days, too, at 11,000 ft elevation. When I start to get crazy in the head with "what ifs," I just remember 2 things. First, Jason is awesome. And, second, one of the adults going with him has a day job but also works as head of a mountain rescue group on the side, so....yeah, they'll be fine! :)

What will we do while he's gone this week? Probably our regular "Daddy is on travel" routine which consists of some movies, fast food, and trying to be a little productive, too!

On another note...

Yesterday our neighbor came by to ask if our kids would mind checking in on her cat for a few days while she and her husband are away. Of course we were happy to oblige. It made me happy that she felt comfortable giving us a key and walking around in her house, especially since we really don't know each other well. We brought over something at Christmas and gave her some grapes last week, but besides that and an occasional wave across the street, that's it for contact. They plan on moving to Austin once her husband retires in December, and they've accepted an offer on their home already, too.

I'm not 100% on this, but I think the family who made the offer are people I've felt for a long time that I should get to know better. They have two kids, a girl Rhiannon's age who was in her 4th grade class, and a boy Wade's age who was in a different kindergarten class. I'm very hopeful that they move next door--what a way to kick-start a potentially very awesome friendship!