Great Quotes!

Here are a couple choice samples from our house recently.

Tate was at school and had pushed the boundaries with his Special Ed. Teacher. The established response was that the Teacher would call Cyndie to discuss the situation.

Teacher: Hi, Cyndie. Teacher here. We've got a small problem at the ice cream social here at the school.
Cyndie: OK. What's going on?

Tate (in the background): Abort the call! Abort! Abort! Abort the call!

Teacher and Cyndie: (Trying not to laugh!)
***************************

Have you been to McDonald's recently? Hope not. But if you have, you'll identify with this next one.

With mounting pressure from government and other entities about the obesity level in the US, Happy Meals now come with obligatory apple slices and a severly reduced fry serving. Cyndie explained this to Dane when he earned a recent Happy Meal.

Despite the pre-emptive planning, Dane was not thrilled with the small box of fries. (Aside: I was going to keep the container and post a picture here, but the Dog got it and chewed it up before I could take the pic). Dane wailed "Why, why do they do this to me?"

Cyndie explained that it was due to government pressure and health requirements. Dane began shaking his fist in the air and cried, "Curse you Government!" No word on whether he's forming a militia.
***************************

Finally, here's a look into the power of media:

Tate informed us that our good friend Greg Hefley has assured him that while school wrestling is totally fake, the stuff on TV with masks and chairs, etc. is 100% totally the Real Deal.

OK, Tate, whatever you say.

Zero Hour! Hawaiian Vacation

On the way home from Rock Climbing club tonight, I was treated to the following:

And you're Zero whistling Aloha Oe while you discover that it's hard to do the Hula with no arms or legs, so you just put fresh fruit on your head and continue dancing.

Because apparently while the Hula requires limbs, they are optional for putting fresh fruit on your head.

Too Many Daves

In the fall of 1990, I was a freshman in college. I lived on the 3100 floor of Hinckley Hall on the north end of the BYU campus. Freshman year in college is a unique experience for lots of reasons.

Freshman year in a dorm at a Mormon university named for the Prophet who lead said Mormons from the banks of the Missouri River to the Salt Lake Valley in the Rocky Mountains takes that to a whole different level.

You have a bunch of guys from all over who are preparing to go serve as missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Not exclusively (some had already returned from service, and some opted not to go), but we're talking about 90% or more, so you're dealing with a super majority by any definition.

If I sat down to count, I could probably still name 80% of the guys on that floor. I think the nicknames were the best. There were a bunch of Daves. You know, like Dr. Seuss's Too Many Daves! But instead of renaming them Hoos-Foos, and Zanzibar, and Oliver Boliver Butt, we just gave each a qualifier. And we were 18, so there's some context for you.

Four-Letter Dave swore. All the time. He also look remarkably like Robin Williams.

Dave Who Plays the Guitar was a budding musician. He also roomed with Four-Letter Dave.

The Other Dave was a friend of Four Letter and Guitar. His sister or cousin (can't recall) was in our sister dorm, Merrill Hall. Not sure where he lived, but he was in our dorm all the time.

Dave From Kaysville really wanted us to name him Dave From Hawaii because he'd worked there picking pineapples the summer before college. But you don't get to pick your own nickname. Ask George Costanza.

There was another Dave. I can't remember either his last name or his nickname. It may have been something as lame as "Gorshe's Roommate". He camped all the time and had a ton of gear. He and his Scott Gorshe were from Enid, OK.

Perhaps the most unfortunate qualifier was given to Mousey Dave. He didn't look like a mouse, but he was really timid and quiet as the proverbial church mouse.

Finally, there was Second Floor Dave who, as you might have suspected, did reside one floor below us in dear old Hinckley Hall. SFD's room mate, Bill, was feeling mighty left out until he went shopping and came back with a bunch of flannel shirts and work boots. He immediately became Lumberjack Bill. But I digress.

I think about those dorm days every so often. I run into a guy here or there. I'm Facebook friends with some. I've even tried to hire a couple of their brothers. There were lots of lessons learned. Lots of growth. And by the end of the year, lots of missionaries. Across the world and in our backyard. Some of the 2000 Stripling Warriors.

If you are bored, here's a shot at remembering who lived on that floor:

• Charles "Chuck" was the RA. He got married and left at the semester break and Rand Kerr moved in. We gave both of them a run for their $$. Kepi Heimuli was the RA on the second floor. He kept the peace.
  


• Matt Busselburg - played guitar too & Tom Nay - skied. Both from MD.
  


• Sean and his roommate who were swimmers and got up way to early for practice.


• Don van Tassle - wrestled


• Dan Nabrotzky & Jeremie McKee - ballers to the max. from Corona, CA


• Tom Cannon - an artist & ?? Campbell who served his mission with my BIL in Germany.


• Jared Jenkins - studied architecture and served with me in Argentina.


• Jason Christensen - to this day, probably the smartest guy I know. Successful entrepreneur today.


• Justin McHood - my roommate. Cool guy that was a natural at sports.


• Chad Garring & Steve Jones - from SoCal. Great athletes. Chad played HS hoops with the NBA's Tracy Murray


• Jared Cowley(?) played baseball & Paul ? played the Tuba


• The Bretts: Rawlins and Dew. Dew played football; Rawlins, the ladies. Dew moved out at semester and guess who moved in, yep, a Dave. He was either the New Dew or Snake owing to a tatoo.
  


• The aforementioned Scott Gorshe
  


• Keith Haraguchi & Kenji Toda - quiet guys. Kenji was from Japan.
  


• "Big" Brian Marshall - a "Guardian of Morality" from Shelly ID. When I saw Napoleon Dynamite, it all made sense. Incredibly smart. & Chris Powell - a math and computer wiz before the rest of us knew how important that would be.
  


• Wyatt ? & Sean Foster (?) - perhaps the oddest pairing, They were just so different


• Jeremy ? & Eric Davis - from Dallas (PESH) and LOVED bass from big speakers.
  


• Derek Todd - mountain man, driest sense of humor ever. & Scott "Surfer Bob" Yurchison. Yurchison: it's not just a name, it's a way of life.
  

So apologies to those I've forgotten. If you know, comment and remind me.

Zero Hour! and My Social Media Fast

This one came while we were sitting together at Cold Stone Creamery for a little family outing to use a coupon before it expired!

"And you're Zero, watching a science video about good and bad bacteria while enjoying your yogurt."


And in a poorly-segued change of topic, many of you readers are aware that I embarked on a social media fast during the month of July. Why would you do such a thing, you ask? I'll give you a little insight and some learning points.

Rationale:

• I probably "browse" too much. Between Facebook and my favorite BYU Sports sites, and various blogs, I could spend too much time perusing information that, while interesting, informative, and/or smile-inducing, isn't critical to my existence.
• I chose July (and I chose it during the last week of June) because I felt that August wouldn't be a good month for 2 reasons: 1) I was gone without internet access while at scout camp for a full week, and 2) Football started and I wanted to read camp updates (which Cyndie picked up on before I even explained it to her, so point made).
• It's summer, there's a lot of other stuff to do when I am not a work.
  
• My wife is pretty anti-social media. She plans to be the last person on earth without a Facebook account. I have a few friends that want to do the same. They've talked of forming a group, just as long as they don't have to do too much to sustain it (quarterly dinner for example, but I'm not sure they'd get it coordinated). I wanted to see the world from their viewpoint.
  

Rules:

• No social media for the month of July
• My initial plan was to check personal email weekly (work email isn't social media, yo), but I figured out that people were trying to get a hold of me and I needed to respond, so I checked my personal email daily (but usually only once at lunch and once at night) and responded to texts (which were mostly for my church responsibilities).
  
• News sites were OK, but only to further investigate news I had become aware of.
  
• I'm the boss, so I can mutate rules if needed
  

Learning points:

• While I am goal oriented, I am better at denial goals (I swore off pop in 2009 and now rarely drink it) than proactive goals (I have a hard time getting in serious exercise every day).
  
• Social media is all around us. There's really no escaping it. We all engage in it to some degree every day.
  
• I can live without it, but I may feel disconnected. I missed some updates... and some events (was there a Swim Herschel Swim reunion?) Please forgive me.
  
• I read more, spent time with the family, did lots of yard work, and watched some old TV on Netflix with Cyndie, but not a ton (see proactive goal difficulty above).

All in all, it was a worthwhile experiment and experience. I do less "browsing" now. But here's the thing: I have friends (both the real kind like Joel, Ryan, and Rick and the Facebook kind like Cougar Tracks and Cougar Corner) who compile great information that I want, but save me the time of searching it out myself.

I will likely realize insights, or come up with learning points and post them later. In the mean time, see you in the ether.

T-Shirts and Stickers and Buttons and Such...

Cyndie was looking for some diabetes awareness material the other such merchandise and came across www.cafepress.com, a site with all kinds of schwag for diabetes, autism and other conditions.

Some choice excerpts from the site:

• WARNING! Tendency to be brutally honest. Strong Opinions and Passion may Offend.
  
• Keep Staring! It may cure my autism. Then we can work on YOUR social skills.
  
• Eye Contact Is Overrated.
• Cure Neurotypicals Now!
  
• Fingertips of Steel.
• Type 1: The Real Diabetes
• Unless Your Pancreas Doesn't Work, Stop Whining!
• Yes, I am diabetic. Yes, I have tested. Yes, I know this is candy. Yes, I can eat it. Yes, I even took a shot. BACK OFF!

I read an article a year or so ago stating that women's groups were choosing more crass names as monikers for their Susan G. Komen and other Breast Cancer Awareness/Cure fundraising teams. As a general rule, I see more and more advocacy groups doing the same.

The rationale, as I understand it, is that the crassness creates a "tougher than the disease" mentality. Not sure if the tougher than you persona actually does anything, but it does make for some funny shirts. And some laughs when you might otherwise cry.

Hunk-cules and Turning over new leaves

We went to the Desert Star Playhouse today. It's a place we take the kids a couple-three times each year to get them exposed to some culture (and comedy) in a place they can't do too much damage. Although we did send a glass of Sprite and ice sailing over a bannister today...

Anywho, today's feature was "Hunk-cules (I'm Too Sexy For My Toga)".

At one point the princess, betrothed to a man that was not her true love, ran into the audience to find the Amazon Queen (apparently she could not be found on amazon.com). She came right up to our table and Dane was able to help her find the fugitive!

After the ordeal, Dane looked at his mom and said, "I finally spoke to a princess. A real princess!" And then he whispered, "Everything is so clear now!"

As we were reminiscing about the hilarity of it all tonight, Dane dropped this gem: "I'm turning over a new leaf, getting a clean slate, living my life on the lam." And we thought he was looking forward to starting school on Monday! Oye!

Zero Hour! Conjoined Ghost Puppies

... and you're Zero, conjoined with another ghost puppy (at this point Tate and Dane touch their heads together, followed by a puppy "yip" from Dane). But don't worry, you're dead, so you're easily separated!

Zero Hour!

I've been on a social media fast. I decided the last week of June that July would be a cold-turkey, go-off-it-all month. I'll post more on that later.

Interestingly enough, Tate took a bit of a hiatus in his Zero game that you didn't miss much while I abstained from blogging. He's conveniently re-started the game, with an intensified complexity!


...and you're Zero in 1937 in the third pilot seat with Fred Noonan and Amelia Erhart, not paying attention to the coming storm.

...and I'm holding the just-been-born puppy Zero and all of the adult ghost dogs are amazed because he's the first baby ghost puppy ever.

...Zero, the ghost puppy, presents "Ghost Puppy Tunes 2"! Including Zero, singing "Smoke On The Water".

Zero Hour! The Initiation

Remember Zero? The cute little ghost-dog from The Nightmare Before Christmas? Sure ya do!

Let's face it. Tim Burton has a way of ingraining his visions on us... permanently. When the OmaHecks hit Disneyland in 2009, our favorite ride was definitely The Haunted Mansion. And because we went in the fall, said mansion was decked out in all it's Nightmare Before Christmas glory. A huge hit!

Tate took an exceptional liking to "puppy Zero." One of his new "things" is to do is say to his brother: "And you're Zero..." then suggest an activity. Dane will make some reasonable attempt to pantomime the activity, sometimes with sound. (Yes, I know that's not pantomime, gimme a break, it's been a long day). Cyndie and I can't believe we haven't been writing them down. They are so weird and random and funny.

So I've decided to introduce a new feature here at the blog "Zero Hour!"

We'll post these as we hear them, or remember them, or maybe as we make them up ('cuz participating is fun too!)

... And you're Zero, panting to the rhythm "Funkytown"

... And you're Zero, dressing us a Guinea Pig as Elvis

Of Father's Day and My Sons

I was asked to speak in Church today, Father's Day. Having congregants deliver sermons is routine in the Mormon Church. But this was no routine assignment: I was to deliver a message on the blessings and joys of being the Father of a child with a disability. God sent His Spirit to lift and comfort me and I was blessed to deliver it (mostly) in control of my emotions. I thought I'd share what I said. Here's the text of my talk:

I know that for many of you, being in my place today would be nerve wracking. But, I am really not bothered by speaking in Church. It's a place of love and acceptance. Plus, I've been asked to teach true principles, and I have a testimony of the restored Gospel, which makes my assignment easier. I frequently speak at work, and the environment‟s not so nurturing. Poor performance can even damage my career. I figure the worst that can happen today is that my message will be so off track that Bishop Rowley will decide to release me from my calling… but none of you get any ideas…

Actually, when Brother Hill called me and invited me to speak today, my biggest concern was that he only gave me 10-12 minutes! I have been the third speaker on a three speaker program when I prepared 15 minutes and had 30 minutes left; and prepared 20 minutes and had 5. I’ll do my best to stick to the 10 minute goal.

The topic I've been assigned is the challenges and blessings of being the Father of a child with disabilities. After accepting this opportunity, Cyndie's first question was “Are you going to get through that?” My first comment to Cyndie was “How do I make this a positive talk?” Allow me to make an analogy with a mission: Dealing with a disability can be monotonous, with very challenging routines. Knowing the challenges you will face, you often look for ways to circumvent them. When stacked next to each other by quantity, the positive seem to be outweighed almost infinitely. However, when compared in magnitude, each positive experience can nearly eliminate the feelings of hardship endured to get there. I was inspired in preparing this talk as I researched the topic and have found a great and humbling message to share with you.

For those who don't know, my sons both have developmental disorders on the autism spectrum. Tate is considered high-functioning and Dane has Asperger's, a milder form. The Church's new website on Disabilities, disabilities.lds.org, summarizes as follows: “While persons with autism can't be identified by their physical appearance, they have similar attributes that can be observed. They usually have difficulties with language or communication, social skills, and behavior.” Sound familiar?

Because there is no defining outward marker for autism, until told, it can be interesting to see how people react to the boys. Dane upped the ante last year when he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.

The Church's website has lots of great information along with fantastic explanations. I encourage you to take a look.

My goal today is to share some insights, include some personal experiences, and teach doctrine. I am going to sample liberally from a 1991 talk by President Boyd K. Packer entitled “The Moving of the Water”, a talk I highly recommend.

DISABILITIES: WHAT AND WHY
Some teach that all suffering is somehow the direct result of sin. President Packer reinforced that this is a false doctrine. Recall what the Savior taught during his ministry. In the Gospel of John 9:1-3, we read:

“As Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
“And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents,
that he was born blind?
“Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.”

And then Christ healed the man.

It isn't always clear why disabilities occur. Elder Russell M. Nelson referenced the prophet Alma when he taught:

“For reasons usually unknown, some people are born with physical limitations. Specific parts of the body may be abnormal. Regulatory systems may be out of balance. And all of our bodies are subject to disease and death. Nevertheless,
the gift of a physical body is priceless. Without it, we cannot attain a fullness of joy. “Eventually the time will come when each 'spirit and … body shall be reunited again in … perfect form; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame' (Alma 11:43). Then, thanks to the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can become perfected in Him.”

(We Are Children of God,” Ensign, Nov. 1998, 86–87)

FOCUS ON THE ETERNAL
Note that Elder Nelson ultimately focused on the eternal, the restored, the perfected. Living daily with a challenge of this nature forces a parent to look to the future, an eternal future free from the bondage of an imperfect physical body. President Packer cited President Joseph Fielding Smith as he explained that

“all spirits while in the pre-existence were perfect in form, having all their faculties and mental powers unimpaired. … Deformities in body and mind are …
physical.” (Answers to Gospel Questions, comp. Joseph Fielding Smith, Jr., 5 vols., Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1979, 3:19.) President Packer continues, “Physical means “temporal”; temporal means “temporary.” Spirits which are beautiful and innocent may be temporally restrained by physical impediments. If healing does not come in mortal life, it will come thereafter. Just as the gorgeous monarch butterfly emerges from a chrysalis, so will spirits emerge.”

DEALING WITH TODAY
Despite our best efforts, we all lose focus of our eternal goal from time to time. It is normal to spotlight the “need to do” items. Dealing with a disability—especially one that can be publicly distracting—forces us to address issues differently than most.

In a 2009 article in the Salt Lake Tribune titled “Trial of Faith: Parents, Children with Autism, and Church” we found many kindred spirits, who shared insights into how families with autistic children try to adapt, and how we struggle at Church.

The mother of an autistic son said:

"We spend our lives trying to be invisible, the family nobody notices."

The article goes on:

Indeed, many parents of children with autism give up on public worship,
weary of the frustration and embarrassment, angry with the real or perceived judgment of others.

Showing up in public places (especially where there is an expectation of reverence or decorum) can be difficult; none of us wants to be embarrassed, but most of us have sufficient pride that shame comes anyway. It is not easy to worship, or to watch the discomfort of those around you (real or perceived), when your child is consistently (and perhaps incorrectably)inappropriate.

Brent Petersen, a psychiatrist and clinical director at the Pingree Center for Children with Autism and Stake President of the Salt Lake Butler West Stake says,

"I can't tell you how many parents have come to me and said, 'We stopped coming to church. People look at us, and it's just not worth it.”

President Petersen opines "That just should not be,"

Carol Ruddell, a member of the Roman Catholic Church's Salt Lake City Diocesan Commission for People with Disabilities, agrees. "[Church] should be the most inclusive, the most accommodating, the most accessible. That's what faith is about."

Cyndie and I are extremely grateful for the encouragement, acceptance and friendship we find in our ward. Those of you here in March of 2010 may recall what we dubbed The Longest Two Minutes in Church. As Tate was presented to the Ward to receive the Aaronic Priesthood and be ordained a deacon, things got interesting… among other antics, he decided to dismount the stand over the bulkhead rather than use the stairs, and landed on his backside. Neither parent was in a position to do anything about it, and we were mortified!

Some of the feedback we got included:

• “Joseph Smith exited the stand like that all the time” from Jeremy Lowry.




• Sandra Hill said, “I wanted to tell Alex (who was being presented to advance to the office of Teacher the same day) to do the same thing! Take the pressure off!”




• Sam Ford told his mother: Mom, I really thought he was going to stick the landing.

And when Tate ran away from the Bishop waiving his Tithing envelope and yelling “It‟s my money! He can‟t have it!” Monica Ford put her arm around Cyndie and simply said, “I think we all feel like that sometimes.”

PROGNOSIS
One of the most powerful passages in all of scripture is found in Acts Chapter 3 when a crippled man asks alms of Peter and John, Apostles focused on their mission to testify of Christ. Peter asked the man to exercise faith by looking at them, it is recorded that the man did look:

“And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.
“Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
“And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
“And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.
“And all the people saw him walking and praising God:
“And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him.

I'd be lying if I told you I didn't wish every day that this happened in my home. However, President Packer taught:

“The very purpose for which the world was created, and man introduced to
live upon it, requires that the laws of nature operate in cold disregard for human feelings. We must work out our salvation without expecting the laws of nature to be exempted for us. Natural law is, on rare occasions, suspended in a miracle. But mostly our handicapped, like the lame man at the pool of Bethesda, wait endlessly for the moving of the water."

When we come to this earth, the Lord makes us two outcome promises. Our faith can
give us peace in this life and our righteousness will allow us to live with him in the world to come.

President Packer reminds us that remedy will occur. He said, “That day of healing will come. Bodies which are deformed and minds that are warped will be made prefect.”

I know that the Resurrection is real. I look forward to that day when bodies, minds, and souls are healed and perfected.

In the meantime, it is my role to look after those in my stewardship who wait by the pool of Bethesda.

Tate's Take

Hello and welcome to our latest installment of Tate's Take.

This episode brought to you by the good folks at the Cattlemen's Beef Board and the Beef Council. Beef: It's What's for Dinner!

The following in an unabridged and unedited persuasive essay written by Tate.

Did you know? Meat is heathyer than plants. Acorrding to me and meat eaters. I get heathy muscles. I eat a lot of meat, because meat is good.

Meet me please (ha ha). Help us with more meat. Please meet me is a joke. Plant eater have more fate.

Meat gives you protein. Put meat on the grill. Tell smart people.

Ask the butcher he knows. Tell him meat is heathy. Some veggies and other plants are heathy too.

That's my advice. Tell that to people who like barbecues. So if you want to be strong eat meat.

So if you are wondering what Tate wants to eat, your are pretty safe if you offer something that stated as a cow.

OmaHeck: Dane Can Say It!

Since I just posted a long list of Tate quotes, here are some Dane-isms from recent days.

When he wants to know about something, he goes in head first. He kind of immerses himself in the issue and becomes something of an expert. This excerpt came when D was highly focused on Tokyo's most famous monster, and at the same time asked Music Momma a classic rock question.

"Wow, you sure remember a lot of things for a person who doesn't remember very much about Godzilla movies."

---

Those of you who have spent time around Dane won't really believe this, but it is 100% authentic:

"Boy, I sure am getting tired from talking so much!"

---

Here's a combo from the boys together talking to their mom.

Tate: Did I spy on you as a spirit? Did I spy on you watching your favorite shows?
Dane: Yeah, me too! And we came down from Heaven when you didn't even suspect it!

OmaHecks: Awesome Tate Quotes (warning: very LONG)

I know it has been a while. Some good stuff is saved up. No promises, but I'll try and do better.

These are all from Tate. He's been on a roll lately. They date back a while, but like NBC TV, if you haven't seen it, it's new to you!

We'll start with two from today (I'm partial to FIFO inventory systems , but I'm going LIFO on this one).

While he and I were passing the Sacrament in Church today, T looks at me and semi-whispers: "Bellatrix pretends to be an innocent woman."

Now tell me, does this look like an innocent woman?I don't think so. It was just so random. Classic Tate.

Then, just a few minutes later, this gem: "I like the presents at Christmas... and also the feasts!"

Recall the the point of the Sacrament ordinance (Communion, The Lord's Supper, most Christian religions have something similar) is to remember Christ. Gentle reader (not Gentile reader, I'm not going there) how on earth am I supposed to be Christ-focused with this kind of hilarity being whispered into my ear?

---

Shortly before Christmas, Cyndie and Tate were wrapping Tate's gift to Dane. They are quietly whispering to be covert. Tate is giggling, chirping and bouncing around. Apparently he could take it no longer when his arm start flapping above his head (no quite as though they are disconnected at the shoulders, but almost). Cyndie asks what's going on, and it that same loud whisper he tells her, "I'm acting casual!"

---

My parents came up to take the boys on an adventure. Open skate wasn't until 8 pm, so we decided to go bowling. JetBlue had reserved all the lanes until 9 (thanks JB, appreciate that you are taking care of your employees) so we had to find an alternative. Fortunately, the local Fat Cats bowling alley also has an arcade. The kind with tickets and over-priced prized you can use the tickets to redeem. We played games with Grandpa and Grandma for a while, ordered some pizza, and headed to the car.

As we left the building, we saw some girls standing outside the entrance (no word on whether their parents work for JetBlue). They offered salutations: Hi Tate! Hey Tate! Merry Christmas Tate!

To get the full effect of his response, allow me to paint a mental picture for you:
He looked away, pointed both arms toward the gaggle (one away from his body and the other across his chest) and said simply, "Hey chicks, nice jackets!"

Dane followed that with "'S'up?" and a slight shrug. Oi!

I thought I was going to die! I had never heard him say something like that... especially with the Joe Cool attitude. It was hilarious. Being the diligent patent I am, I asked Tate if he thought that was maybe just a little rude. (He didn't.) Or whether he might have something a bit more conversational to say. (Again, no.) The girls were unphased. They giggled and said it was OK, that he was in their classes at school.

---

Over the summer, we had a family reunion. The whole famdamily. All 62 of us. Patriarch, Matriach, 10 kids, 10 spouses, 40 grandkids. It was an exercise in togetherness :P Really Together.

Actually, it was lots of fun. Others have done better in their blogging, journaling, and general reminiscing about it. My kids haven't really stopped talking about it, and list it among the best trips ever (right up there with Disney Land, Great Wolf Lodge, and finding a cotton candy vendor... just so you have perspective).

Among the "together" things we did was take a family picture. No small accomplishment. This post is already long, but I'm going to let you in on some family picture taking history.

Once, when the colors had been pre-determined, a sibling called for a pre-picture discussion of what everyone was wearing. At least half of those with children at the time listed a color other than those that had been pre-authorized. And none of them matched each other.

Another time, it was determined that we would wear "jeans and solid pastel shirts." Pretty hard to screw that one up. And we didn't. Picture still hangs in several houses. Looks like a skittles factory exploded.
So in our patriotic best, (red, white, and blue, not Tea Party duds) we stood, sat, stacked and squished, and rearranged and swapped, squished some more, then we tried to get kids to look and smile and... I bet you can picture it, can't you! It's a nice picture. We are standing against the brick wall of a church that is 100+ years old.

Finally it went off. Woo Hoo! Until someone suggested another picture, this one on the stairs leading up to the former main entrance of the church. Cyndie and I, being among the tallers were put in the back. All the kids were put up front. We had no access to them. After one picture, Tate decides he's done. He takes off.

Several looks at Cyndie and I. What would you like us to do, our looks reply. We're here 20' off the ground and you are all in our way! Perhaps one of you would like to go get him? Ha Ha!

Sweet niece Maren gently goes after him to coax, invite, cajole, (unfortunately she hasn't really learned bribing yet), and get him back in the fold for more picture taking. Of course she was unsuccessful. He ran off with the arms flailing above his head (think ET) and yelled at his cousin: "You are so FIRED!"