Special Olympics and pictures by Garrett

Yippee, I finally found the cord to my point and shoot camera! So now we are going to do an update of the last couple of months that I finally now have the pictures from! So here goes...

The first weekend in April was Special Olympics held at BYU. I have helped out at Special Olympics almost every year ever since I was in middle school and it is one of my favorite places to be. I have been taking the kids along with me for the past couple of years, hoping to instill that same love and thrill in them as well. When I used to go help when I was a teenager I got to help out in all sorts of ways - I remember one year I got to be the 1996 World Olympic Mascot Whatizit in one of those large headed costumes, that was a lot of fun. (you can click on the link to see the costume!) But now with a lot of little kids in tow, we don't really get to do too much. We have worked in the office organizing and stapling brochures before, but we are usually assigned to be cheerleaders or to work in the Olympic Village. This year we worked as cheerleaders one day for the runners and bikers, and the next day we worked in the Olympic Village playing with the athletes between their events. We brought our lunches and water bottles so we could spend a couple of hours there and bells and tamborines to make noise as we cheered. We let Emmett play with our water bottles in the stroller and he learned how to suck up through a straw. He doesn't much like the taste of water - he makes a scrunched up face whenever he gets a mouthful of it and then he lets it drool down his shirt and goes for another sip! It is great fun to watch! The kids got to watch the live performances in the village, have free snow cones, cotton candy, and popcorn. They also got to try their arm at the dunk tank and got to see a magic show and all sorts of other fun things. We were there when the Olympic Torch was brought in by a police squad, so they got to see the ambulance/fire truck/police car escorts blare into the parking lot and then see the police runners run it up to the platform. It was pretty cool!

Garrett was our photographer for a while, and he did a pretty good job.

Emmett did pretty well even though it was really hot. He loved sipping on the water bottle, and he liked hearing everyone being happy - I believe it is sort of like having solar power for him... only it is joyful power. All he has to do is hear happiness and the little guy is all smiles!

The older three did get hot and tired and a bit whiny after a few hours of working. But I think it is important for them to go to things like this... I am trying to help them appreciate all the miracles they have been given and to see life through other eyes. Sometimes it feels like I am missing the target with them and am just subjecting them to cruel and unusual punishments; but this year they met a girl there and played some games with her for a while and then both Tig and Garrett talked about her for a few days afterwards. She was one of those Special Olympic athletes that you probably wouldn't have guessed was one. They wanted to know why Heavenly Father had made her a little different, how would her life be different than theirs, and other fairly deep thought for kids. So maybe my idea is working? I don't know... I want them to realize how great life is, theirs in particular, and to appreciate all they have been given and to learn to find joy in serving others.

Here are some more pictures from Garrett when he was fooling around with my camera:

Okay, that takes care of some of the pictures from this camera, there are more stories to come but they will come another night when it isn't so late!

Oh, guess what....! Emmett says "Mama" now!!! He says it when he is sort of sad and is needing me. And when I come into his view to get him, he stops whining and saying it and gives me this huge smile and his arms stiffen up because he gets so excited. Then I pick him up and he nuzzles his little head into the crook of my neck and hugs my neck with his chubby little arms and even though he pinches me so tightly in his little fingers, I love getting those hugs! And after the hug comes a huge, slobbery, open mouthed kiss to show his appreciation for me responding to him calling me! I love it! The kids are thrilled that he is saying it, and Owen is trying to start calling me Momma also. But I told him that I am either Mommy or Mom to him, but not Momma - it sounds too southern!