Ogden Chess Tournament

With my encouragement, the kids have taken an increased interest in chess lately. Todd has been a good player for years now and has played in a few tournaments. Kenna and Alec have learned to play and are pretty good, considering their young ages.

I proposed they play in the first tournament of this school year: the Ogden Scholastic Open. Kenna likes chess, but wasn't interested in doing it competitively. Todd was a bit hesitant because he hasn't played much in the three years since his last tournament, but finally agreed. And Alec, always up for anything, thought it'd be very fun. In fact, he started counting down the days until the tournament.

The tournament was this past Saturday (October 5) at Ogden High School. It started at 8:00 a.m. and lasted most of the day. I knew Alec would be matched against older kids, but it didn't occur to me until we saw the first-round pairings that Todd would be also. For this tournament, the 9th graders were grouped in with the high school students. So, both Todd and Alec played *all* of their matches against older kids.

Todd's first-round game was a rough one. He was matched up against a 12th grader who would eventually go on to win the tournament. He had a few other difficult match-ups and ended up finishing the tournament 1-4. This was only slightly disappointing considering the age of his competition and the fact that it's the first tournament of the year after taking a few years off. I hope he didn't get discouraged because he's got plenty of time to practice before the bigger tournaments later in the year.

Alec's first two rounds were both against 3rd-graders, and neither game was close. Both opponents showed that a couple more years of maturity and experience at that age can make a huge difference. I started to fear that I'd entered Alec in a tournament too soon and that he'd have a bad experience. However, his third- and fourth-round games were against a fellow 1st-grader and a 2nd-grader. Alec won the third round easily, then pulled out a long, hard-fought fourth round victory.

Alec's fifth and final game was epic. There was a bit of pressure on the line because we knew ahead of time that a victory would guarantee him a trophy. He was matched against a well-coached third-grader that examined the board with each move, taking chess notation. It seemed to me that Alec was over-matched, but he captured his opponent's queen quite early in the game. As Alec started to leverage his advantage by capturing his opponent's pawns, I started to think that victory would be assured. However, Alec made a bad move and lost his queen, leaving the match basically even again. At this point there was a bit of a race as each boy tried to be the first one to get a pawn to the final row and convert it to a queen. Alec won the race and was briefly ahead, but failed to stop the other boy's pawn before it also became a queen.

By this point the match had been going for over 45 minutes and the tournament had been going for over six hours. This is a very long time for a six-year-old to stay focused and I could see that it was getting harder for Alec to be patient. He was starting to hurry his moves without considering all options first. But, to make matters worse, the worst thing possible happened: They put a clock on the game.

For those that are unfamiliar with chess tournaments, I should explain how clocks are used. For most games, the players are allowed to take as long as they like for their move. However, this can result in games taking a really long time. So during each round, as the shorter games finish, they put clocks on the games that are taking too long. They give each player a certain amount of time--say, ten minutes each--to finish the game. If you use more than your allotted time you lose. This can change the dynamic of a game considerably. The one-on-one nature of a chess match makes it higher-pressure than you might think. Add to that the fact that you are being timed--and have most likely attracted spectators--and the pressure and distraction can be huge.

You've probably guessed where I'm going with this: Alec fell to the distraction of the clock and started watching his and his opponents time more than he was watching the chess board. His older, more experience, opponent wasn't as distracted and capitalized on a few of Alec's careless moves and eventually won. Todd and I were disappointed that Alec lost because he was ahead so late in the game, but Alec, being his happy-go-lucky self, wasn't down in the least.

Alec finished the tournament in a tie for first in his grade--both he and another boy had two wins. I was anxious as we waited for the awards to be announced, wondering which boy had more tie-break points and would be given the 1st-place trophy. When they said the other boy's name for 2nd place I knew Alec had taken first! He was so proud of himself when they called him up to get his trophy.

I'm proud of how the kids played. I was never much of an athlete when I was young, so I mostly live vicariously through them in chess rather than sports. They have another small tournament tomorrow--I'll be sure to post results--then a few months off until the bigger tournaments, including the state tournaments in March.

Djammin' on the Djembe

When Todd asked earlier this year if we would pay for him to take djembe lessons, I suspected it'd be a hobby that kept his interest for only a short time. It appears my suspicions were unfounded.

For those that might not know, a djembe is a hand drum from West Africa. The name comes from the Mali phrase "to gather in peace". Todd took an initial interest in the drum after learning about it on the Internet. His formal request for lessons came after I suggested he get a hobby that didn't involve a game controller or a computer mouse. I reluctantly agreed to pay for lessons if he could find an instructor and also show that his interest wasn't just a passing fancy. After a bit of searching he was able to find an instructor in Salt Lake. He showed me that he really was interested by asking me every day for a couple of weeks if I'd sign him up.

So, I signed him up for lessons...and it's been a great experience the whole time. Todd has learned surprisingly fast. He has natural ability at playing the djembe, but more importantly, since he's interested in it he devotes the time and attention required to be good at it. He has already had multiple performances and plays regularly for the African Dance classes at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center. In the picture below, he is helping teach a drum class to kids.

Todd doesn't have any djembe performances scheduled right now, but we'll try to let people know when the next one comes up. We're proud of Todd for choosing such a fun hobby and working so hard at it. We look forward to him continuing to improve his ability to djam on the djembe.

Arizona Trip

Last month Rita and I had a unique opportunity to go on a short trip to Arizona with two of her sisters and their husbands. There were six of us: Rita and Brent; Stephanie and Wayne; and Pam and Shawn. We all stayed in a vacation home in Gilbert, which is in the Phoenix area.

The home was provided to us free of charge by Shawn's boss who owns part of it as a time-share. The house is in a gated community near a private lake and features a private pool, hot tub, and outdoor dining area. It's the house with the star on it in the picture below.

Rita and I drove to Gilbert from St. George, where we had been for the St. George marathon. Our kids stayed in St. George with my parents, who were kind enough to offer to entertain them while we went on our retreat.

We spent Saturday through Wednesday swimming, barbecuing, shopping, and dining in the beautiful Arizona weather. It was fun to relax and spend time with Rita's sisters and brothers-in-law. The highlight of the trip was attending an NFL game featuring the Arizona Cardinals and the New York Giants. (The tickets were also provided free, which was a great perk.) Attending an NFL game was on my "bucket list", so it was not only entertaining but also a life accomplishment.

Taylor Swift Concert with Kenna

If you've seen the posters on the walls in Kenna's room then you'll know that she is a huge fan of Taylor Swift. For her birthday this year I bought tickets for her and me (Brent) to go to Taylor's concert at Energy Solution Arena.

Kenna's birthday was way back in May and the concert was in September. I think she counted down the days until the concert for the whole four months! I knew that tickets to the show were a hot commodity--the concert sold out in less than an hour--so as the date grew closer I looked on-line to see how much they were selling for. The typical re-sell price was about $100 a seat. I told Kenna that if she sold her ticket she could keep the money, but she didn't even think twice about it...She wanted to go to the concert!

Kenna really knows how to plan. She had all the details of the concert worked out ahead of time. She ordered a Taylor Swift t-shirt to wear. She bought some glow sticks at the dollar store. She thought to bring a camera and other items. (I'm not sure how she knew what to bring to a concert--I certainly didn't know.) She also planned for us to take the Frontrunner train to the concert and get something to eat ahead of time, but unfortunately my work schedule didn't allow us enough time for that.

I have been to the Energy Solutions Arena for plenty of basketball games, but I have to say I can't think of a basketball game that was as loud as the concert. The fans were intense. When they all cheered it was impressive. There was a period as the show was getting started that they maintained a deafening scream for about ten minutes.


Taylor Swift doesn't sing the kind of music that a lot of middle-aged men listen to--I would guess that fewer than 10% of the people at the concert were male, and most of them were younger than I was--but, I enjoyed myself nonetheless. The music was high-quality, the pyrotechnics and acrobatics were entertaining, and being with Kenna was a blast. She sang almost every word to every song and just soaked up every aspect of the event. Like I always say: Everything is funner with Kenna!

Mysteries Solved

Mystery #1--
Alec had a friend over to play last week. When the mom arrived to pick him up, I insisted that the friend stay AND that she leave the little brother who worships Alec. (Incidentally, Alec is *everyone's* BEST friend. A lot of kids want to marry him.) Anyway, they played and loved their fun time.

Five minutes after they left, Kenna discovered her ailing fish was no longer in its tank. Alec then decided it was time to say that the younger brother had taken the fish out of its tank but that he put it right back...Well, he didn't put it right back...Or he went back and got it again when Alec wasn't there and now it was missing.

I called the mom, "Hi, it's Rita. Thanks for letting your cute boys come for a play date. Bye. Oh yeah, your kid might have a dead fish in his pocket." Or something similar to that.

Sunday while doing the laundry, (yes, I'm a bad mormon...a bad mormon with clean laundry) I found what I identified as a dried up, CLEAN, fish head. Yay, no stink in Kenna's room and the sick fish is now swimming in the big aquarium in the sky.

Mystery #2--
For a while now, my truck has been smelling like goat **** or something nasty. I've left windows open, checked garbages, vacuumed, sprayed Febreeze, you name it. Actually, it wasn't actually me who checked the garbages. I had Todd empty garbages in fulfillment of an earned extra job won by fighting/competing with a sibling NINE years his junior.

Well, he missed a spot. Last night I discovered reminders of our bug collection/clean up activity that we and the Carter kids (our spunky cousins) participated in a few weeks ago on the Jordan Parkway. Congratulations again Andy, on finding the biggest snail. I found him once more. Escargot anyone?

Happy Birthday, Kenna!

My cute girly girl turns 11 tomorrow. There are so many things that I love about Kenna and this year I found a fun way to capture her at this time of her life.

I recently came across a website belonging to a super talented girl who likes to doodle. She has a lot of darling freebies that I've used for various things (Primary, T-ball, party invitations, etc.) but she also does drawings for hire. I sent Nikki a couple of pictures of Kenna along with a short list of her traits, hobbies, and interests and voila!! She even drew the cute hoodie Kenna was wearing in one of the pics!

This darling collage and the black and white version cost me a mere $7. I'm going to get it printed and put it in a cute frame tonight. Can't wait to unveil it tomorrow. Check out Nikki's blog. I can highly recommend the cuteness :)

It's been a while...

It is a good day for an update because the guy at the gas station rolled down his window and yelled to me, "I just want you to know that I think you are very beautiful." Awwww. And he wasn't even over 60!

Brent is down to a skin and bones 157 lbs. Grossing me out and freaking me out since he is inching nearer and nearer to my weight which collision will cause a similar reaction to George Costanza imagining his mother in the dating world...

George: You're not out there! You can't be, because *I* am out there. And if I see *you* out there, there's not enough voltage in this world to electroshock me back into coherence!

Anyway, he is dieting and training like crazy in an attempt to qualify for the 2012 Boston Marathon. He's got to run it in 3:20:59. Pray to the running gods that he makes it. His first attempt will be in Salt Lake on April 16th.

Todd has started taking djembe lessons...in downtown Salt Lake...in a building that has bars on the windows...from a hippy. Yep. That's what kind of indulgent mom I am. At least I'm not paying $35/hour for the lessons. Oh wait, yes I am. He loves it and he's actually super good at it. It's loud and crazy but why should that be different from any other part of my life?

Kenna is basking in the warmth of St. George and generosity of her Aunt Stephanie. She's off track until the second week of April. She's still crocheting and sewing and has now picked up embroidery. Soooo crafty. Sooooo messy but I love her anyway. Lots of boys at school like her. She is shy about it but it's cute. She had the "talk" at school last week. I did my best to not be an embarrassing mom but I think those terms are inseparable once a child is over 10.

Today is Alec's "fake birthday" at school since he is a summer baby. He loves kindergarten but he's definitely a different student than Todd and Kenna were at his age. He giggles through most of his homework (no idea why) and has miserable handwriting. He's coming along in reading and is better at math than most 3rd graders ;) Maybe not but he is awesome! I'll be coaching his T-ball team again this year. Can't wait.

I am in a GIANT running slump. I have no motivation to get up and go even though I know how great I feel when I'm finished. I need a magic spark. Work is good but I am aching for summer break. I still love teaching Primary. Four-year-olds are the bomb, even when there's 10 of them. I spoke at another ward's Enrichment a couple of weeks ago for a lady I work with. The topic?
.
.
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Wait for it...
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.
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Emotional Health.

Bwahahahahahaha. Oh, the irony.

Season's Greetings

In case we didn't have your address this year, here's a Christmas card for you. I didn't get around to writing a 2010 family summary but if I had it would have said something like...

Todd is 14. He's only "ours" for a few more short years. Does he know how to cook, do his own laundry, and clean a bathroom yet? Nope but we're working on it. He is hilarious and smart. His English teacher calls him "Walking Jeopardy". Todd is everyone's favorite young man in the ward and grown-up cousin in the family. We love him.
Kenna is 10. She is THE best little and big sister to her crazy brothers. She's probably making a crafty project right now and recently picked up sport stacking as a hobby. Her room is usually a mess but her goals are creative and brilliant. Kenna is the most well-rounded girl we know--a friend to all, smarter than her parents, and more beautiful every day. We love her.
Alec is 5. He loves Kindergarten and play dates with his best friends. He works up quite a sweat when playing Wii games; partly from the action but mostly from celebrating--with donkey kicks and leg sweeps--or ruing--with grouchy yelling and foot stomps--his performance. Affectionate as he is silly, Alec always makes us smile. We love him.
Brent is 40 and looks/acts 20. Brent weighs 169.7 lbs as of this morning. (That's so skinny for a 6'3" guy!!) He's a running maniac with the lofty goal to qualify for the Boston Marathon this year. He enjoys working at Control4 programming home/hotel automation systems and regularly reminds his co-workers through example that it's okay to be nerdy AND have a personality.
Rita is 40 and looks/feels 50. She runs a few times a week with the best partners in town and wants to do a sub 2hr. 1/2 marathon this year. We'll see. She loves her part time job as a School Psychologist and her favorite student at work is Alec who attends her assigned school! Rita's most constant but alluding goal is to find peace and balance in her life. Maybe some day.

We feel overwhelmed by the love of family and friends and blessed to have all that we need. We wish you the happiest Christmas and joy in 2011!

Boys' Road Trip

Todd and I (Brent) drove to Albuquerque with my father and my brother Russ to watch BYU play in the New Mexico Bowl. It was my third trip to New Mexico in two years. The first trip was a weekend fishing trip with my brother Steve. The second trip was a week-long vacation with Kenna and my parents. This trip was the shortest of the three.

We drove down Friday night, stayed in a hotel, then went to the game Saturday. Our seats for the game were right on the 50 yard line, six rows up. It made for a unique view of the game. We could see the action really well and even hear the players yelling and colliding.
After the Cougars' 52-24 win, we went down onto the field and took pictures with several of the players.
Other activities on the trip included eating out, watching a movie, and going for a morning run along the banks of the Rio Grande. After the game, we drove home. We got home Sunday morning and went to church. I think it'll be a couple of days until I've recovered from the trip, but it was well worth it.

I'm thankful...

* that my parents live so close now that they can come to dinner once-in-a-while.
* that my kids enjoy their cousins more than any friend they could have.
* for a spouse with electric knife-wielding skills.
* for two beautiful sisters-in-law that helped make dinner.
* that the honeydew melon turkey was a big hit.
* for nieces & nephews so darling that it is hard not to constantly squish them with kisses.
* that no one was bothered by cold mashed potatoes, too-hot turkey, & stove top stuffing.

I am thankful for THANKSGIVING DAY!!

(I'm also thankful that Andrea won't mind that I snagged these photo collages from her blog...hopefully.)

Fancy Mac

I used to be a pretty decent chef but unpracticed skills get rusty, you know. You may wonder why my culinary abilities are so sorely under-used. After all, I have an appreciative husband with a healthy appetite and three growing children who require sustenance. It's a pearls-before-swine kind of thing. My kids do not, do not, DO NOT like normal, good food. Chicken nuggets, cheese quesadillas, ramen noodles, Little Caesar's pizza and corn dogs near the top of their dinner request lists. Sad and gross, but true. Brent values quantity over quality in his dining (and spouse!!) selections so great effort would be wasted on his dulled tastebuds. Besides, he arrives home from work well after real people dinner time and if I wait around, I snack on as many calories as dinner costs me. Not good.

So, I don't cook very often. On occasion, however, I dust off my homey food prep skills and try, try again. Tonight's selection seemed to have promise--Four Cheese Pasta. It's just an upgraded Kraft Mac-n-Cheese, right? Wrong. Todd took an obligatory half bite and euphemized, "I don't hate it." Kenna claimed she liked it before I added the breadcrumbs. Alec's forkful evoked a gag and flappy dance that made me suspect an underlying seizure disorder had been triggered. Brent inhaled a bowl and rushed out the door to burn it off during a 5 mile run. Defeated at the table, I dished myself a sad second helping. Don't be discouraged and dissuaded from your homemaking duties by my experience though, your family will love it!

Four Cheese Pasta
Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) package pasta
  
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup shredded Muenster cheese
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack or Colby Jack cheese
• 1 1/2 cups milk or half-and-half
• 8 ounces cubed processed cheese food
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 c plain or seasoned breadcrumbs
  

Directions

1. Boil pasta in a large pot and cook according to package directions until al dente; drain well and return to cooking pot.
2. Add butter to drained pasta; stir until mostly melted.
   
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4. Add the milk or half and half, 1 1/2 cups of cheese mixture, cubed processed cheese food, and eggs to pasta; mix together and season with salt and pepper.
   
5. Transfer to a lightly greased deep 2 1/2 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese mixture and then with breadcrumbs.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbling around the edges; serve.

Fourteen

Poor Todd is getting sick of sharing his birthday with the St. George Marathon but that's how we commemorated yet another year of this cool kid's life.

Honestly, Todd and I have had a rough year. Boundless, maternal love is sometimes reflected as magnified frustration when kids don't conform to the lofty imaginings of a first-time momma. Todd is blazing the way to help me be a more flexible parent. It's been a tough job for him but he's certainly shown to be up to the challenge. Turns out Todd has his own personality, spirit, BRAIN and doesn't feel overly compelled to make his red-haired mum too comfortable in her role as steward and nurturer.

Todd's birthday was October 1st. He is FOURTEEN and...

• FUNNY. Fast with a joke and not very shy, Todd garnishes all sorts of attention for his wit and humor. Substitute teachers have not shown to be appreciative.
• FARCE-intolerant. Todd has his own ideas about what merits his time and energy. Once again, substitute teachers have not been impressed.
• FACTUAL when he recounts exactly what I said he could or couldn't do. Yep. Todd doesn't really go with the whole "spirit of the law" thing. I am forced to cover all my bases with him.
  
• FANATIC in his love of BYU sports.
• FANTASTIC with kids. He's an awesome big brother, cousin, neighbor, friend to the littles of the world.
• FASHION-monogomous. He likes sporty, comfy tees and shorts and that's about it. It kills him that his personal style is harshed by the strict school dress code (uniforms!).
• FAR-OUT. Like I said. He's a cool kid. I love him a lot more than substitute teachers do.
  

$5, a mini snickers bar and my work keys

These are the things that I found this morning while choosing a jacket to go with my outfit. (My work keys have been AWOL for about a month so I was extra happy to find them!)

Spooooooky Fun

Let it be documented that I participated in the carving of pumpkins this year. I so try to pawn off this messy, smelly tradition to my more fun, even-keeled partner each year but once a decade or so the guilt is overwhelming and I dive in to help. We had fun using carving templates this year. Ever innovative Kenna out-clevered all of us by choosing a white pumpkin and combining two stencils to make her scary boo-toothed grinner. I carved Dracula for Alec and Todd fashioned a Y to show his true blue spirit. Brent sculpted his company logo and took it to work to get a few brownie points.

Costumes were fun this year too. Todd dressed as a scientist bedecked in my old Food Chemistry (fun class...except for the Chemistry) lab coat and Brent's safety goggles. Alec wavered among shark, Batman, astronaut, fox, Darth Vader, and other characters. He settled on shark for the church Trunk-or-Treat and Brent's work party but fifteen minutes before he left to go trick-or-treating, he requested to be a fox. I was thinking how lame his inside-out sweats, paper ears, and dishtowel tail looked when he gave me a giant hug and most sincere thank you for making the costume. He is the best. Kenna's two-year-old desire to be a jellyfish came true when we found these instructions on the Family Fun magazine website.

(Not pictured: ME dressed as a party pooper.)

What to do.

This school year, two friends and I have scheduled play dates for our three Kindergarten boys on Tuesday afternoons and we take turns hosting the fun. I'm surprised by how well the boys get along and at how much Alec looks forward to this time with friends. It makes him happy...even happier than he normally is which is pretty darn happy!

On my non-host weeks, I dream of quiet, uncomplicated alone time but usually end up over-scheduled and busied with something. Today is my dream day, though. I'm here. At home. Alone. And suddenly, I'm paralyzed with the coincidence of a bad mood and too many choices that fall into the nebulous and intersecting categories of want-to, need-to, and should-do...

• Get and keep this house clean. I've tried chore charts, index card systems, begging, bribing, threatening, rewarding, going it alone. This place is impermeable to my efforts and desires for lemon-scented order. I can't even hire a cleaning lady. Things are too bad.
• De-junk. Although this would help my desperate need of house-straightening, this is a separate issue. I have been married nearly 18 years and have have three growing kids. It's past time to prune and purge our lives of the acquired and long accumulating accouterments, accessories, apparatuses and attachments that are weighing us down. I bought three books recently that now bulk our bookshelf to aid me in this vein. Oh, the irony.
  
• Write reports. For almost 2 weeks I have toted work tasks home and back again teasing myself that I will have the uninterrupted time and thought to put in here what I can't seem to accomplish there. Nope. Not today either.
• Sing like the kids on Glee. Sometimes I wish I had the music in me. I think an entire afternoon at the piano belting out show tunes might lift a blue and undecided mood.
  
• Get along with my teenager. Maybe I could make a Sonic strawberry shake run to the Jr. High and surprise Todd. Would he less resent my homework and chore nagging? Better make it a hot fudge shake for me. I can't yell with my mouth full.
• Blog about Hawaii. Though the tan has faded, I took the trip. I have the pictures. I just can't blog about it. What is wrong with me? Who doesn't enjoy a tropical island getaway? ME!! Our family had a rough time on our "vacation" across the ocean. I'm still grieving and I want my shining recollection to be free of embittered unfulfilled expectations.
• Go running. The weather is perfect right now for a good, long trot but this is low, low, low on my wish list of time-spenders. I know my mood brightens when I'm consistent with exercise but I just can't make myself do it today or the last three weeks. :*( I'm in a burned-out funk.
• Make jean quilts. I have been seriously stockpiling old jeans over the last several years with a plan to sew quilts for friends and family Christmas gifts. My trait strength of seeing a project through completion is a weakness when it comes to getting started. The daunting denim edifice taunts and overwhelms me. Not today.
• Go or at least plan Christmas shopping. Every year some anxiety holds me back from enjoying what should be a peaceful, happy season. I worry about searching and ordering presents too late, overspending because I started buying too early, choosing an equal amount of gifts for the kids, picking dumb or wrong gifts, forgetting someone who should have been on my list, being "out-thoughtfulled" by someone who buys for me, shipping presents too late or too early, etc. I can't face whatever will put me over the edge this year.
  
• Read. I'm halfway through a book titled, "Boys Adrift" which describes why today's young males are unmotivated and low-achieving. Yeah. That'll boost my spirits. "Dear Rita, two of your three children are doomed. You and society have failed them. Particulates from the plastic container holding the milk you pour on their cereal is partly to blame. Good luck with that."
  
• Cry. I need a something that might induce a good, cathartic tear fest. Too bad I don't have a dvr'ed episode of Biggest Loser. That can usually get me going.
• Accept mediocrity. As might have been predicted, I have squandered my time and creativity digging the entrance to and escape from pity party a little deeper. "Pain is the result of unmet expectations." Number one on my want-to/need-to/should-do list needs to be lose the list.