Summer In, Summer Out

I don't know how time slips by so quickly. But here we are facing another school year, and I haven't updated the family blog since January? Wow. Well, fortunately, nothing happens around this house, so you haven't missed much. Stop smirking. I'm totally serious.

Zach's life is exactly as it was before--consumed by banging on things with sticks. This summer, since he is moving into the 9th grade, he signed on with the Pleasant Grove High School Marching Band (4A). He is a part of the "pit"--which is the group of percussionists who play the big, non-marching instruments on the field. Zach is particularly excited to be assigned to marimba, where he plays both two-mallet and even a little four-mallet music. The band's entire field show this year features the music of Billy Joel, and Zach is loving it. He also joined the junior high's (9th grade is still at the Jr. High in PG) steel drum band, where he plays rhythm (bongos, congos, trap set, etc.). And now that school is starting, he is ALSO playing in the school Jazz band that meets before school, and in the Symphonic band that meets as a regular class. So, in case you missed it, this fall Zach will be playing in the Marching Band, the Steel Drum Band, the Jazz Band, and the Symphonic Band. He asked if he could try out for the golf team, too, and I punched him. (no...not really...I didn't punch him. But he did want to try out for golf.)

Both Zach's and Izzy's musical skills veritably exploded this summer after we sent them to a week-long music camp in the mountains of New Mexico. The camp, called Hummingbird Music Camp, is something that Chris attended every single year of his boyhood, even working there as a paid head counselor when he was 17 or 18 years old. Since we started having kids Chris has been anxious to give them an opportunity to attend Hummingbird, and this was the year. The kids had a great time. Zach "majored" in percussion there, while Izzy "majored" in viola (their primary instruments). But they both also took the opportunity to learn to play the saxophone, too, as a second instrument. Granted, neither of them is ready to go on tour on the sax, but it was fun to watch them pick up a new skill in a short amount of time! They are both excited to go back next year.

Izzy is playing viola, and was accepted into the advanced orchestra this year as an 8th grader. She seems to enjoy it very much, but her heart really lies in drama. This year she is taking both 8th grade drama and musical theater, and would like me to see if there is some kind of children's acting classes or company that she could join once school starts again. I'm on the lookout... Izzy and Zach are both part of the Peer Advisory Leadership (PALs) group at the junior high, so they will have some fun this year helping out with school activities, etc. In fact, as I type this they are both at the junior high giving tours to the incoming seventh graders. Izzy had a great time at Girl's Camp this year, too, learning to be a "D.O.L.L." (Daughter of Light and Liberty).

Joey had a good summer, too, but not nearly so busy a summer as his older siblings had. The poor critter had to have five baby teeth pulled out over the summer because his mouth is just so tiny that some of his permanent teeth were beginning to come in through the roof of his mouth, simply because there was no room for them anywhere else. Now, with five spaces opened up, things are looking a little better. However, the orthodontist (who already has Zach and Izzy in braces) said that he probably wants to put braces on Joey's upper teeth, just for six months or so, right away because Joey has a cross-bite that causes his upper jaw to lock over his lower jaw and prevent the lower jaw from growing as it should. Needless to say, Joey is NOT happy about the prospect of having braces on his teeth as a fifth grader. Yes, you read that right: Joey is moving into 5th grade!! I really can't believe it myself. He's such a diminutive creature--but only physically. What he lacks in height and weight, he makes up for in personality. Joey is also musically gifted, and I've been putting him through the horrors of piano lessons. But his ultimate goal is to get to a place where I tell him he can take up the electric guitar. That's his true passion and ambition--to get and learn to play the guitar. Perhaps that's why he spends so much time playing Guitar Hero on the Wii.

And then there is Ben. Sweet, strange, mostly-naked Ben. If you track my other blog (http://adventureswithautism.blogspot.com) then you know about Ben's special needs. He's truly a remarkable kid, with an interesting perspective on the world. However, if you ever show up at my house unexpectedly, be warned that Ben will likely greet you in his underwear. He understands that when we leave the house he must put on clothing. But the minute we walk through our door again, Ben vanishes for about two minutes, and then returns in just his skivvies. He claims that clothes make him feel hot and "don't feel comfortable." We have gotten so used to the au natural Ben, actually, that a couple nights ago, when Joey bequeathed an old pair of pajamas to Ben, I did not recognize who was curled up on my bed. I gave the pajama-ed child a squeeze and said, "You look so cozy in those jammies!" He nodded, and let me tuck him in. The next morning, he emerged from his room completely undressed again. I surrender.

School starts again next week, and I have mixed emotions. On the one hand, I am entirely ready to reclaim some solitude, and can't wait to see what it's like to clean a room in the house and two hours later, still have it clean. On the other hand, school brings a demanding schedule, homework, projects, lunches, etc. that wear me down after too long. And Ben's special needs mean that I can't ever just merrily send all the kids off with a kiss and a wave. There are behavior charts to create, and IEP's to update, and teacher conferences / principal conferences / school psychologist conferences / speech therapist conferences to attend. And homework with Ben is like root canals with Ben--long and painful. So school starts again next week. Hurray, and hang on tight.

Because I am insane, I am teaching five classes this fall-three at UVU (Utah Valley University), and two at Kaplan University. Right now, I'm desperately trying to revamp my syllabi so that my students will have less papers to turn in to me, and more papers that they work on in groups, and grade as peers. I haven't come up with a perfect plan yet, but I'm working on it. I will continue to play the organ at church, though I will not be teaching Relief Society anymore (the women's class at our church). Teaching my college classes will require about 60 hours each week, and I have to fit those in during the hours when the kids are either at school, or sleeping. Because when they are home and awake, I will be taxiing to marching band rehearsals, jazz band rehearsals, orthodontist appointments, music lessons, drama rehearsals, church and scout activities, etc. On top of those, Chris's father is now living in Utah, and while his day-to-day living needs are taken care of by the facility in which he lives, we are still required to get him to all the doctor appointments that he requires for his diabetes, congestive heart failure, kidney disease, etc. I'm so glad that he is here with us, and that we have this time to spend with him. But the appointments are time-consuming.

Chris has just accepted a position in our church to work with the Young Men's organization (he is the new YM secretary). This means that he will be attending the weekly YM activities, as well as camp outs, hikes, summer camp activities, etc. I think he's happy about the calling, though. It's always fulfilling to work with the youth. Chris is still working full-time for the State Hospital as a psychologist and as director of the APA internship there. He's also finally picking up more testing clients, which is good for our bank account, but it means that he is not home very much anymore as he juggles all his work and church responsibilities. On top of that, he has been invited to teach for the University of Phoenix, and so he's attending some preliminary training sessions during September in anticipation of teaching a class or two for UoP this fall. Again, good for the bank account (which we've desperately needed for a while now), but harder on the family schedule.

So, like I said, not much is happening here in the Tolen household. Just the normal insanities of raising four children in a fast-paced world. I can't complain. They are talented, active, involved kids, and though it's exhausting to have them involved in so many things, it's also quite fulfilling. And everyone keeps telling me that no matter how hard things are right now, the time will quickly come when everyone is grown, and out of the house, and opportunities like we have now will be gone.

Carpe Diem, I suppose. But thank heavens for Diet Coke and chocolate.