The Parable of the Soccer Game

It was General Conference Weekend. We were grateful that we have a DVR (Digital Video Recorder) System with our Dish Network satellite service, since we were going to have to leave during the morning session to attend Andrew's soccer game.

(As a side note, Ethan was especially grateful since he had been so excited to play Conference Bingo that he had cried to me the Thursday before, begging me to let us "do conference" that day instead of waiting until Saturday. I had explained that there was no way possible, but as soon as I said, "I would if I could," I realized that I could use the Internet to make his wish come true. We looked up talks from last April's conference & pulled our Conference Bingo sheets from their file. He sat & listened to 3 whole talks, carefully placing his own candies on the pictures representing the topics mentioned. I was so pleased & impressed. Here was my son, gratefully listening to the advice & counsel of the Lord's servants, while I cleaned the kitchen. Ahhh. Now, on with the parable:)

Tuesday of that week, Andrew was quickly getting off our reclining "cuddler" and scraped the back of his ankle very badly. He hadn't been able to wear shoes, other than sandals or flip-flops, since his accident. There wasn't even a very good scab on the injury, given that so many layers of skin had been removed & that band aids kept bring the scab with them when they were removed. Nevertheless, Mike & I pushed him to wear his cleats, along with his soccer uniform. He screamed in agony as Mike forced the shoe on. I kept assuring him that the pain would lessen as time passed, and tried to comfort & encourage him to just give it a try for a few minutes. Meanwhile, Sister Mary Cook, spoke from our T.V. screen about the Prophet Joseph Smith's operation on his leg at the age of 7. As she talked of his courage, I repeated some of the phrases to Andrew to give him strength. Finally, before I could give in to my heart's desire to end the obvious discomfort of my son, Mike whisked him away to the game, claiming that he should at least go to cheer on his teammates.

I readied myself & the other kids, grabbed the Gatorade, which has become a sort of "magic drink" to keep Andrew going through games he's not so sure about, & headed to the field. I was pleased & surprised to see Grandma & Grandpa Slade there, watching from the sidelines. Mike told me that, although Andrew was currently not on the field, he had participated in the practice drills before the game. Then, after some encouragement from all of us present, and some comfort from Grandma, who told him it was okay if he chose not to play, Andrew went over to his coach and said he was ready to try.

As the boys got into positions, before the whistle even blew for the quarter to begin, our family was loudly cheering, "Yeah Andrew! Good Job! You can do it, Andrew!" I wonder what the other spectators must have thought of our cheers for one who was merely standing on the field, but I didn't care. I was so incredibly proud of my boy for not quiting before he really gave it a try. He played the whole quarter. He didn't just limp along in the back of the group, though there was some limping involved. He actually got right in there after the ball! He blocked a few good kicks from the other team, & he even came close to making a goal himself. Alex & Ethan cheered loudly for their brother, along with us, which made those around us comment on how cute it was. I'm not sure Alex understood why this game was so different than the others, but he recognized for the first time that we were all there to support Andrew. By the end of the quarter, though, Andrew's pain overcame his enthusiasm for the game. He told his coach he couldn't play anymore, & came over to us.

Mike got to him first, telling him how proud he was of his choice to play & reliving his "good moves" with him. As Andrew came toward me, his face was sad & he immediately began explaining that he just couldn't keep playing. I could tell he thought I would be disappointed in him for giving up now. And yet, the truth was I could hardly speak over the lump in my throat from the pride I felt in him for his efforts. I told him it was okay, but he wasn't really hearing me, so I made him look in my eyes as I told him again that it was okay & that I was more proud of him than I could even find the words for. I hugged him tightly and let my tears escaped my eyes. Then I knew he believed my, for I caught him smiling.(Here's Andrew smiling with his friend & teammate, Sam E.)

We helped him to a chair by Grandma & Grandpa. He took off his cleat & showed them the reason for his distress. His wound was indeed bleeding once again from the stress he'd put it through. We cheered for his teammates as we watched the rest of the game, and then left.

Now, there are three main lessons our family has gleaned from this experience. These lessons were felt on that day, though they didn't really become solidified into words, for me, until the following Tuesday when we were asked by a homeopathic specialist to try a sugar-free diet for a month. I have contemplated the theory of "sugar-free diets" in the past (Mike suffered through one as a child. I can't remember how long, but it was much longer than a month - it was their lifestyle then.) I have always come to the conclusion that, while they are probably good for those who can do them, I was not one of those people. I could never be successful at such a thing, & neither could my family. And yet. . . As Jennie, the specialist, made the suggestion, I felt something, which I recognize more & more to be the Holy Spirit, urging me to consider it. Through the "Fight or Flight" panic that I felt as I thought of what it would be like to live "sugar-free" for a whole month, came the words of the three lessons from what I now call the Parable of the Soccer Game. #1 Do not Quit before you Try. #2 Give it your Very Best Effort, despite the discomfort. #3 When you've honestly given your very best try, when it becomes more than you can continue to do, then it's Okay to Be Done.

Each time I repeat these three principles, I feel the Spirit confirm the truthfulness of them to me once more. I agreed to try the sugar-free diet (which, through rule #3 has become more of a Diabetic - Carb counting, Sugar-substituting, sugar avoiding - Diet), and I used these three lessons to invite my children & husband to support me in this venture. Gratefully, they have all agreed to submit to it. The kids were even excited about it, . . . until the first breakfast without any sugar.

Admittedly, it hasn't been easy. But I have felt encouraged, lifted, & supported in so many ways. I have felt that this experience will not just be about our health. It will be a way of becoming more united, cheering each other on through the difficult times & working together toward a common goal. It will be evidence we can draw strength from that We Can Do Hard Things, with the Lord's help. Both Andrew & Ethan have turned down treats offered when they were away from home. I could just burst with the joy they are bringing to my heart through their obedience! Andrew denied himself one Pringle chip, even though he checked & the package said there was only 1 gram of sugar per serving. I gave him a sugar-free candy for that one! Ethan not only told his buddy Elliott that he could eat their preschool treats in front of him- a Twinkie & a Blow-Pop - but tonight he asked to make graham cracker & frosting treats to take to neighbors, though he knew he could not even lick his fingers when the frosting got on them. We made them & he was true to his word. I was only able to resist because of his determination.

It is an answer to many different prayers I've said: "Please help my kids to eat better;" "Please help me to set a better example of eating better;" "Please help us all learn to try new foods & to actually like them;"(we'll have to wait & see about that last part! LOL!) Anyway, I am grateful to have experienced the Parable of the Soccer Game. I am grateful for the lessons I am continuing to learn & for all those who have been supportive of me in following the guidance I have received. The past four days have been a challenge. I honestly don't know if we can make it to Halloween (well, the Saturday before, since Halloween is on Sunday this year.) But, I know I'm not alone. We're not quitting until we've tried. We're going to give it our best shot, cheering each other on, even when it's really hard. And we will be pleased with whatever we're able to do.

This is a video of Andrew's game today. He's still in some pain, was still reluctant to play, but still did a great job!

Easter

Okay, I really thought I had posted about Easter, since I thought it all out in my head, and probably went to do it several times. Sadly, now I can't remember what I had planned to write. I'll just tell you what I know from the pictures I took (Lucky for me I take so many pictures that there's not much I won't remember):

It's tradition in our little family to have the Easter Bunny come to our house on Saturday, so Sunday can be all about the Savior. Some time around 7 am, the boys were awakened and we asked if they wanted to find their Easter Baskets. To which Ethan replied," Why don't we get dressed, eat breakfast, and then look for our baskets?" Oh, he is sooo Mike's son sometimes! And yet, even Mike said, "No way! We want to find our baskets first!"

This year the Easter Bunny brought very little candy (at least, compared to last year it was very little), but included a few gifts as well. Alex and Ethan got big bouncy balls, Ethan also got a Slinky, Andrew got Spokey Dokes for his bike & a journal (which he LOVED as much as receiving his own Book of Mormon), and they all got a small book. Mike got styrofoam gliders to play with with his boys, I got a Hula Hoop (I've always wanted one! - my current record is 40 minutes straight), and we got a Jumprope to share.

(I should just smile normally instead of trying to make my face say, "I'm so excited to get a hula hoop!")All Mike hoped to get was a hollow chocolate bunny. I'm glad the Easter bunny came through for him!All Alex liked of the Peeps were the heads and the tails. We'd find the poor decapitated, tail-less bodies lying discarded on the floor sometime after Alex was finished with them. For while, Alex had no idea that it was delicious Jelly Beans making the noise inside the eggs. He just thought they were great noisemakers. Now I wonder why Mike ever thought to show him otherwise. This year, we held an Easter Egg Treasure Hunt. Instead of getting loads more candy (we're really trying to be healthier with less treats overall), the eggs held clues to where the next egg could be found. Each boy was the leader for one Hunt, though the prizes were to be shared by the whole family. I loved how well our boys let each other be involved with the whole hunt - taking turns finding each egg! Andrew read all the clues, then they raced together to the spot it described.The prizes were the Bedknobs & Broomsticks DVD, Alma in King Noah's Court (a Liken scripture story DVD), and a duffel bag and LED Flashlights for our 72 hour kits. I was happy to find that the kids were pleased with all of the prizes. This may be the new way we do it every year!

Easter fell on Conference Weekend, so we were home, in front of the T.V., for most of the weekend. We were, however, able to have the Slades (and Longmores) over for Easter Egg dying, the last session of General Conference, and a simple Easter Dinner. Alex worked on hand painting this single egg for more than 20 minutes straight. Dipping and painting, dipping and painting. I don't think I've ever seen him do one thing for that long!I think this picture was taken during a song or something, judging by how many people are NOT paying rapt attention to the T.V. screen. :-) Legos during Conference are a Slade tradition. During the Saturday Sessions, we played Conference Bingo (a tradition from my childhood), and our new game of listening for key words or topics that determine which snack we could eat. This time, since I went way overboard on yummy candies last October, I kept the snacks more simple and healthy: Pretzels, Goldfish crackers, Raisins, and Assorted Mini-Candy Bars (you gotta have one candy option!) During Sunday's Morning Session, we worked a little on the Conference Booklets that the kids were given in Primary. During the Afternoon, in addition to playing with Legos and coloring, the kids listened for five key words. If they heard one of them, and told Grandma, they were given a ticket. At first the game was that if they heard all five words by the end of Conference, Grandma would give them a special gift at the end. When all the kids had heard all but one word by the end of the first talk, it quickly turned into a competition to see who could have the most tickets by the end of Conference. Some talks were so centered on the topics (i.e., Missionary Work) that we had to make a new rule that you could only claim a word three times in a single talk, so we could hear the words of the talk other than the key words.

I thought this would be a good time to capture some couples shots. I love the one of Will and Heidi! Heidi took the one of Mike and I for us. :-) Henry sacrificed the safety of his white shirt to allow Alex to come near it with a pen. I love what uncles will do for the sake of entertaining their nephews!This Jello-Lego Man was made from the mold that was my souvenier from Legoland. Andrew asked me to take this picture of the library book he was reading: Sideways Arithmetic from Wayside School. His favorite problem from the book was "elf+ elf = fool." We also threw in a few extra "to-do's" in our day. Grandpa gave Levi and Braxton haircuts.

And afterward, Henry and Levi gave our boys flips - over, and over, and over, until I finally told the boys they'd worn out their uncles enough. (Oh they are so patient! We are so blessed!)

Conference Weekend at Island Park

Our family had a wonderful conference weekend! Our friends the Lucherinis invited us to come with them, and the Stotts, another family in our ward, to their family's cabin in Island Park, ID. The atmosphere was comfy and woodsy; the company was friendly and fun; and the talks we heard were spirit-filled and motivational! Oh, and the food was delicious! (Kim made meal assignments so no one family had too much work to do!)

Megan Stott, with her baby girl, Chris Lucherini, Me (I actually got to take notes on most talks, since the kids were so entertained with each other!), Elliott Lucherini, and Mike.

To keep the kids listening, we labelled snacks with "key words" for which they should listen in order to eat the snack. We tried to mix healthy snacks and candy, but we made the mistake of putting "Jesus Christ" on the giant nerd jelly beans - it was totally delicious, but I think it made for a bit too much sugar in the kids! They were wild, and poor Quinn even threw up the next morning.

Of course, there were also other activities during conference:

Wrestling, Some TiddlieWinks,

and, of course, some Napping! (How sweet, Tyler & Megan!)
Before, between, and after each sessions there were plenty of bonding moments too! Between the first two sessions, we went to Big Springs to feed the large trout there. Here, Quinn Lucherini shares his snacks with Alex:

Elliott Lucherini and Ethan never seem to have enough time together! Even after this whole fun weekend, they were both upset when they only had a couple of hours together on Monday. Kim and I imagine they will be best friends throughout their lives! I truly hope so!

At the cabin, there was a totally awesome game room above the garage! I got to play some Air Hockey with Andrew, and show off a few flip tricks on the Trampoline - yes, a full size trampoline INSIDE the game room! I wanted to play some Ping-Pong, but I let my attention turn to visiting or reading my book instead. Oh well. In this picture, Kim was helping Andrew and Elliott with a round of Foosball.

Our only owie was when Alex tumbled down a dark stairwell, trying to chase the big kids who were playing Hide and Seek. He looked like Quasi-Modo for about three days, and his eye stayed purple for a week!

While the men were off to the nearby chapel to watch the Priesthood Session, Kim and I took the boys to the clubhouse pool (somewhat reluctantly - we weren't sure we were up to taking 5 kids full of sugar, but it went well).
Andrew was brave enough to try out the larger pool all by himself!

Elliott and Quinn were quite good at jumping into the pool!
Toward the end of our time there, Ethan got brave enough to jump in too! Alex tried a few times too!

Alex and Quinn may someday be as good of friends as Elliott and Ethan are.

All in all, we had a fantastic time! Good memories to last a lifetime!

Oh, yeah, and it snowed a little on Sunday! I love the changing seasons! This truly is the most wonderful time of the year! (But if you ask me in the Summertime, I may say the same about that season too!)