11 Days

11 days.  That's how long Scott was in Alaska.  11 days may not seem like much to other people, but it was a whole lot for us.  A lot happened in those 11 days, a lot that Scott had to miss out on.  Here's a summary of what he missed.

Day 1
Taking pumpkins to the library. Sara brought home a couple of pumpkin plants from school last Spring, and I planted them.  Josh watered them all summer long, and they grew two huge pumpkins. Our library was having a grow your own pumpkin contest, and Sara wanted to enter.  Scott had promised to take the pumpkins in to the library the day before he left, but he got held up at an Elder's Quorum meeting, and wasn't able to.  So I recruited our friend Glen Moore to help me take them in to the library.  Sara's weighed in at 139.5lbs and took 2nd place (1st place was 155lbs) and Josh's weighed 101.5lbs and took 3rd.

We ended that first day with pizza and a fire pit in the back yard with smores.  Kate and Owen went from eating smores to playing in the sand box.  They really needed bath time that night.

Day Two
The kids' Primary Program.  (These pictures are from a practice we held earlier that week).  It was Josh's last program and Owen's first.  We were so sad that Scott had to miss this.  Our friend Randy came to watch it, so I wouldn't be the kids' only person in the audience.  They all five did great on their parts and singing the songs.  I appreciated having Savannah in the audience this year, so she could help with Kate.

 

Day 6
Team pictures at the Special Olympics gym.

And then straight to Josh's middle school choir concert (he's the only boy on the back row, right in the middle between two tall girls).

Day 7
Pumpkin Math at Nate's school.  When Nate's teacher asked for parent volunteers for Friday afternoon, I signed Scott up, thinking he could do it the day before he flew out for Alaska.  But, I got the wrong Friday, and it turned out to be the next Friday, while he was in Alaska.  So I got to go help in Nate's class.  Randy came and babysat Owen and Kate while I went in to help.  Kate napped the whole time, but Owen loved getting to have his buddy Randy all to himself to play with.  When I came home, Randy had left cute little pumpkin ghosts for each kid lined up along the kitchen counter. 

Day 8
Trunk or Treat.  I wasn't planning to go to this.  The thought of having to costume 7 kids by myself seemed overwhelming.  But, my wonderful neighbor, Anne, came over an hour before and helped me get all the kids dressed up, and we went together to the ward trunk or treat.

 

 

 

After the trunk or treat, we went back to our house and ordered pizzas (the kids didn't love the food that was offered for dinner at the trunk or treat).  Anne and I went to pick up the pizzas and had a good long talk out in her truck (we both needed adult conversation).  Then we took the pizzas in and fed 10 kids (7 of mine and 3 of hers), then watched them play for hours in our backyard.  As Anne put it, "These are the kind of moments that make it all worth it."  It was a wonderful night. 

Day 9
Kate's first day of Nursery.  She hated it.  She spent most of the time out in the hall with me.

And when I did take her in to nursery, it went mostly like this....

 
Coloring was the only happy part of the morning, and then only if the paper was on my lap. 

 

She was much happier to come home, eat cookies, and play in her playhouse.

Those were the big moments Scott missed.  But then there were all the little ones too.  Like this.  He missed tucking his children into bed for so many nights.

And he missed breakfasts in the mornings. 

He missed getting to sit around the table each night and help kids with homework.

And he missed having to clean up the mess when that homework didn't get done.

He missed finding selfies on his phone of these two cute girls.

He missed so so much.  But even more, we missed him.