Nate: Listen people... I'm having an aging crisis! My curly haired, blue eyed, dimpled little boy will be 18 in five months! I'm trying hard not to panic, but I swear he was two years old just yesterday, then I blinked and now he's almost 18.
So what are his plans post high school? Trust me... I'm dying to know right along with the rest of you. Nate's a pretty private kid, and right now he's keeping us all in the dark. Will it be military? LDS Mission? Work? School? Stay tuned...
Meanwhile, we're loving the time we have left with this guy.
Like most moms, I feel like I was blessed to be able to rub shoulders with some of God's finest beings when I became a mom, and certainly I feel that way about Nate. He's stepped up a lot this year to help out. He's loyal and patient during times when I need inspiration to be loyal and patient myself. He's observant and kind when I need to be reminded that noticing more of the whole picture usually leads to kindness.
He also works hard (on everything but his family job and room). Two weeks after starting a job at a fast food place, he heard about another job working for an automotive shop. Besides having to repeat the interview process, there was nothing bad about the new job, so he took it. Now he works, does cross country and wrestling, and goes to school. He was able to fit work release into his school schedule, which has helped a lot.
Sadly, Nate spent a lot of this past year in a knee brace and on crutches. He ended up having knee surgery in the spring, but this past month, he's been sporting a brace again on the opposite knee. This time it's "just a sprain," but it's kept him out of wrestling so far this season. Tonight after practice he was icing both knees. I'm not a trainer or sports medicine doctor, but I think that's not a good sign...
 |
| Last winter... My thought, "I did not just see my son walk through the door on crutches..." |
 |
| Sleeping it off after surgery... So much for the funny youtube video version of waking up. He was really pretty ordinary. |
And a few other Nathan highlights:
 |
| Triple Eagle Court of Honor... Nate, Jeran, and their cousin, Sam, were all awarded their Eagles on the same night. (Also pictured, proud grandparents and several of the other Jarman uncles who also have their Eagles) |
 |
| Youth Conference 2013 ...Because it was fun! I know, because I was there. Tim and I were in charge of planning. |
 |
| Hiking in Moab over Thanksgiving (Check out the knee brace.) |
 |
| The Thanksgiving pie that didn't turn out quite right... Perfect pie-in-the-face moment. You should have seen Becky (my sister) when he gifted the pie back to her... |
In a nutshell, Nate is humor and calm, steadiness and determination. He's a great kind of energy to have at the beginning of this pack of teens. He's also sensitive and aware...a great older brother. For Christmas this year we've decided to do a family trip...one last hurrah with Nate. We're going to Disneyland and Seaworld because Gabby has never been, and we'll do Universal Studios while we're there also, because none of us have been there.
Nate would probably rather do 50 things ahead of choosing a Disneyland vacation for one of his last family memories, but he gets that Gabby is dying to go to Disneyland. I can't explain it, but there is something really amazing about Nate's relationship with Gabby. He calls her "Giblet," and "Little Giblet," and even when she really, really messes up (like reading his texts to a girl and telling mom and dad), he did nothing... Not a thing. And remember, Nate is a pretty private guy. (For the record, there is nothing wrong with Nate texting a girl unless you're 12 and you think there is something wrong with Nate texting a girl... The way Gabby approached us, I was sure Nate had done something serious enough to land him in prison.) Nate will miss Giblet a lot next year, and for sure she'll miss him!
Megan: This girl needs a pause button, and I'm sure there are days she wishes for one also. How we ever passed the one-activity-at-a-time rule, I'll never know, but right now she's playing basketball and indoor soccer. She tried out for a premier team last spring, and amidst a ton of soccer drama, she kept her eye on her own goal, and made the team. She committed then to the indoor season which started as soon as her school soccer season ended, but basketball started at the same time, and of course it's just one more night, and one more game, and one more set of shoes, and one more uniform... Just one more everything, right? It's not much...
Ok-- I'm done kidding about the middle child getting left out of the blog. Jeran is incredible. He constantly pushes himself to do and be and learn. I struggle to keep up! He has some pretty high expectations of life and family, and sometimes it makes me nervous to be his mom. Other days I find myself saying, "I'm the mom. You're the kid." (Apparently, I'm not quite convincing enough because he's still auditioning for my role.)
But enough small talk. Let's just jump to the biggest news of the entire year... Megan's high school soccer team took state!
 |
| Megan's Rio Tinto Stadium moment! (She's #10 in the center) |
 |
| Team being awarded the state trophy |
And some post-season fun at the awards banquet:
Then one of Megan's coaches wanted to give her a hug...
But there is so much more to this story, and of course if there's a story I have to tell it.
During the beginning of high school playoff season, Megan also made the injury list with a sprained ankle. The timing was horrible. It was the beginning of playoffs, and she wanted to play. Instead she sat out...
 |
| Things got a little messy when the girls went after the coaches with whipped cream and silly string |
Then one of Megan's coaches wanted to give her a hug...
 |
| Megan, you know you want a hug! |
 |
| Come on, don't be shy... |
 |
| Ahhhhh.... Warm and fuzzy |
But there is so much more to this story, and of course if there's a story I have to tell it.
During the beginning of high school playoff season, Megan also made the injury list with a sprained ankle. The timing was horrible. It was the beginning of playoffs, and she wanted to play. Instead she sat out...
In a rare blogging history moment, I actually blogged about something this year when it happened.(See here for proof) "Sit out for a few days," she was told. So she did, but her ankle was still swollen and hurting the next week, so with tape and a brace she played again.
And again, and again, and again... She wasn't practicing at all to save her ankle for the games, and this little starter charter school team that hadn't had much of a season found their groove and kept winning.
So Megan kept playing. At some point during the playoffs, Megan's grade one sprain became a grade two sprain, and she started seeing a physical therapist three times a week. She pushed herself, and worked hard, and was on crutches after almost every game, but thankfully all the treatments and exercise kept her playing, and she played hard...all game, every game. (And of course I kept telling the trainer and physical therapist to tell me if they thought the risk of playing would cause permanent damage later on, but they were always confident that with the right amount of tape and the right kind of brace she could keep going.)
We could see that amazing Megan speed drop off during games when she was hurting, but she always kept going. Then during the semi-finals game, she almost went down. I could see her struggle to stay on her feet, and thought she'd sit out, but she limped it off and kept going. It's moments like that through the entire playoff process that made the mom in me want to cry and cheer for her all at the same time. I'm always inspired by my children when I see them dig down deep and find strength they didn't know they had.
At the end of the semi-final game, in a moment of excitement, Megan forgot she was injured. She jumped up in the air and came down on her ankle and instantly went to the ground in pain. All the emotion and pain caught up with her and she was crying as team mates helped her off the field. She couldn't put weight on her ankle as we walked her to the car.
The state finals game at Rio Tinto stadium was the next day and Megan was determined to play. We drove to the physical therapy office, but they had just closed. Nothing seemed broken and after she got some ibuprofen in her, she could put weight on it. That night a friend's mom did some energy healing and we massaged her foot and ankle with essential oils, and got her as ready as we could to play the next day.
Megan played hard. She didn't have her usual speed, but we could see how time after time she played smart and was always where she needed to be. Then at some point toward the last third of the game, Megan went in for the ball and her ankle got kicked again. We saw her stumble and try to keep going, but she couldn't do it and she stumbled again and went down. My heart was breaking for her and when the trainers went onto the field, I knew she was hurting. It was so difficult to be in the stands and not be able to do anything...definitely not your average high school game! She was helped from the field, and at that point, we were sure she was finished playing. Her team was ahead by one, and they just had to keep the lead to win so things were still looking good.
We couldn't see the activity on the bench from where we were in the stands, but about 10 minutes after she went out, we saw Megan running the sideline with the trainers. Really? She was going back in? Megan told us later that she told the trainers she wanted to be on the field when her team won state, so once again, they taped her and tightened up her brace and let her test it out. A few minutes later she was back in the game.
(A little history here... Megan has played keeper for the last 3 years, but is also fast and wanted to try playing field, so she's played forward on her competitive team and defense on her high school team.) As it turned out, when she went back in the game after being injured, she had one of those game changing moments where her years as keeper and her position as a defender came together with perfect timing and position when she ran into the box to help out the keeper. She blocked what easily could have been a game tying goal. Talk about ultimate victory, and the entire team earned it.
There's a saying about opportunity being that moment when training and hard work come together... This was that moment, not just for Megan, but for her team. They were a start up team who lost most of their field from the previous season to a new school that was built in the area. They struggled through the season, and were written off by a lot of other teams before playoffs even started. They lost their first playoff game to the team they beat in the state final match, a team that held the title for 5 out of 7 of the previous years. After that first game, they just kept winning. Most of the time they just wanted it more than the other teams they played, and built cohesion that allowed them to do what they needed to do to win!
Megan is all kinds of awesome... And I'm going to get all kinds of grief for writing more about her than anyone else, but how often does an injured sophomore varsity player get an experience like winning a state title? This one definitely makes our ten best list for the year.
I'll also just add that Megan is as awesome at the game of life as she is at soccer. If she weren't, the titles and trophies wouldn't matter. My personal favorite example of her awesomeness happened just last month while we were in Moab for Thanksgiving. We were there with my family...my siblings and their kids. Cousin time is always a big deal when our kids are together with extended family, and this was no different.
At one point we had all driven up to a place called Hurrah Pass, and were hiking around. Megan motioned for me to go off with her around the back side of a huge rock plateau, and for about 30 minutes, we hiked farther and farther around the rock, and saw more and more of our amazing view as we went. I was oohing and awing over the views, and chatting about how amazing it all was. As we went along we were both taking pictures and Megan was getting excited about her camera. She had earned almost $600.00 this past year to buy a really nice camera Moab was the perfect place to dive into her passion of capturing the beauty through her lens. (She also took the family pictures on the sidebar of the blog.) At one point, I was still chatting about all the incredible beauty around us, and Megan put her hand on my shoulder and said, "Mom, shhhhhhhh.... Just listen." I stopped talking and the silence was as beautiful as the view. As we stood there together, taking it all in, I remember thinking it was one of those moments that would stay in my mind forever. Our youth theme for our church this year is "Stand ye in holy places and be not moved..." Megan is creating the slideshow for the youth in our ward about their experiences this year, and had this theme on her mind. I love that she made me stand still long enough to share that with her. Since then, on busy days, I can hear Megan saying, "Mom, shhhhhhhhh... Just listen."
 |
| Stand ye in holy places |
Then when we had enough quiet, we took feet pictures and laughed a little.
 |
| Look close and you can see her ankle brace. She got to start basketball the Monday after Moab. |
Jeran: If I'm not careful, this could turn into a bad case of middle child gets the shortest paragraph... But honestly? Jeran makes it hard to forget him or write him out of anything. I can see this being shorter though, because I updated Jeran's latest and greatest moment recently when I blogged about his high school play. The first day he came home with the script and the part of the romantic lead in the play, he said, "It says in here I have to kiss her." Of course he was as happy about that as he was nervous, but the high school theater teacher wrote that part out of the play. (So I guess that part about not being able to write him out of anything might not actually be true, not to mention the fact that I don't think I'm ready to see Jeran kiss a girl.)
Then there was the triple Eagle Court of Honor that I posted about when I wrote about Nate above... (Sorry Jeran, you really are getting the shortest paragraph, but you get extra points for being the youngest of the three receiving awards.)
Jeran's project also wins for creative use of resources to do something incredible. Tim's woodshop/garage became an assembly line for bird houses that Jeran donated to Primary Children's Medical Center for children to paint during long hospitalizations.
 |
| Eagle's Nest reciting scout oath |
Example of learning and dedication: He's been teaching himself guitar and piano, and doing a pretty decent job of both. He and Nate both did NYLT (national boy scout leadership training) but like everything, Jeran took his commitment very seriously. There is no half way with this guy.
And he's forever the entertainer. He sees an opportunity to play a role or create humor in almost everything... When he was pre-school age our pediatrician commented that Jeran would be the next Jim Carrey. I kind of hope not, because we don't want to share him with the world, but I'm always reminded that someone else noticed the entertainer trait also, even when he was very young.
 |
| applying make up as part of the post family pictures show |
 |
| Add a flower and you have... Yeah, Tim looks worried. |
 |
| Hummer Safari, Moab Jeran saw the camera in my hand and tried to get everyone else to pose like prairie dogs behind the seat. Apparently, he needs to work on his director skills. |
 |
| I'm calling this one, "When boys decorate." This is at my office and Jeran had been waiting a little too long for me to finish. |
Jeran is also an awesome brother...
 |
| Hanging out at the park and gave Gabby his coat because she was cold. |
 |
| Carrying Megan down a mountain when her ankle hurt |
 |
| Goofing off with Joie...these two are theater geeks together! |
Jeran will also be our next driver... Watch out...brake, gas, brake, gas, brake, gas... Drive, reverse, drive, reverse, drive, reverse... He'll get it right soon enough.
I also found this picture of him after a play he was in last spring...
 |
| The Importance of Being Earnest (after the play) |
Joie: We wrote an entire blog post about her 15 minutes of fame this past summer. This girl thinks big, all day, every day, and she circled the world with Random Acts of Kindness. She was on the local news, then was picked up on a few national spots. Things don't get her down, at least not for long. She's also a brainiac, which makes her a brainiac that thinks big. Help us! (Or maybe we'll just be thankful that school and good grades come easily to her.) She's also a sensitive friend who tunes into others' needs. Her life experience has fine tuned her ability to pick up on signals there are changes or problems looming in friendships, and she doesn't like drama.
She's a pro at babysitting, and gets asked to babysit frequently.
And when Megan's new camera lens needs a model, Joie obliges...
And more...
And every girl needs to get in touch with their inner mermaid...
 |
| Bear Lake Youth Conference 2013 |
And her voice! Here's a sample:
Amazing, right? As she gets older, her voice reminds me a lot of her mom's voice, which always throws me off a little. I'm glad she loves to sing!
Gabby: She actually started this whole blogging update with her very own gotcha day blog post, so go check it out if you missed it. She had her very first babysitting job tonight, and when she got home she said, "It is hard to get those girls to do their chores!" (Insert parental laughter here.) Gabby said at least she's not that bad because they're little. You're right, Gabby. Teenagers are so much more willing to listen... (Insert more parental laughter.)
Gabby: She actually started this whole blogging update with her very own gotcha day blog post, so go check it out if you missed it. She had her very first babysitting job tonight, and when she got home she said, "It is hard to get those girls to do their chores!" (Insert parental laughter here.) Gabby said at least she's not that bad because they're little. You're right, Gabby. Teenagers are so much more willing to listen... (Insert more parental laughter.)
And the crazy parents: I know you think I'm kidding, but I'm not. Ask anyone who has seen us walk through this past year. Crazy doesn't begin to describe the life we're living. Most days I look at my kids and think, "How do they do it?" I'm supposed to be guiding them, but they're my teachers. Then I always think maybe that's the way God actually intended it. This past year I've started calling myself the Mormon Buddhist. To be honest, eastern traditions are a lot like Christian beliefs, but I love focusing on mindfulness and being present. I've started saying, "Where ever you are, be all there." And I'm not sure if it's a Buddhist idea or one that grew out of my own desperation to find meaning in my chaos, but I also find myself focusing a lot on being perfect at being imperfect. Maybe that's what has me focusing on the gifts my children bring into our lives...persistence, patience, love, compassion, humor, resilience, forgiveness, hope, courage, having fun, noticing needs... With that in mine, the idea of getting things wrong more than we get things right isn't as scary because we're fostering a life where living in a real way is it's own reward. I know I'm no longer making sense, but they're my thoughts.
So is anyone still reading? If so, we send you our love and are glad you're a part of our world!
This blog will one day be known as The Longest Christmas Letter In the World. I'm thinking of applying to Guinness.
So is anyone still reading? If so, we send you our love and are glad you're a part of our world!
This blog will one day be known as The Longest Christmas Letter In the World. I'm thinking of applying to Guinness.
No comments:
Post a Comment