Books

The Help was a fabulous book. It takes place in Mississippi during the Civil Rights movement and tells the story of a white Ole Miss graduate who wants to break into a writing career by revealing the untold stories of black house servants - who are more than a tad leery to tell of their experiences to a white woman. The story is funny, tragic and hopeful all in one. I highly recommend this one.

The sequel to Hunger Games came out recently, and I was convinced it could never measure up to the original, but I'm happy to report that Catching Fire was a great read! Katniss finds herself as the symbol of a rebellion forming against the Capital, so, of course, the Capital has to deal with her threat. I read the whole thing in less than two days - I just couldn't put it down.


Big Stone Gap was constantly interrupted by other reading. It was a fine enough book, but somehow never seemed to captivate me. Set in a small, southern, coal-mining town you follow a 30-something, never married, woman as she struggles to find family, love and success. This the first in a series.


One of my all-time favorite non-fiction books is Reviving Ophelia. It came out in 1994, but I just reread it for book club. I will warn you that this book can read a bit like a text book, it's a lot of sociology mixed together with personal stories - but I found the information utterly fascinating. Mary Pipher is a therapist who focuses on adolescent girls. She examines the impact our of "girl-poisoning" culture and the challenges that young girls face. I think it's helpful as a teacher or a mother, but it also forces a women to reflect on her own experiences.


My boys have been begging me to read Diary of a Wimpy Kid. It's the only book series that my boys have read over and over and over. The main character Greg behaves like a stupid middle-school boy and therein lies the humor that my boys can't get enough of. I'm not really recommending it to any adult, but there were parts that left me laughing out loud -and it's a really fun book for kids.

Next on my list is Life and Death in Shanghai.

So Proud...

The Tooth Fairy found this under Big Boy #2 pillow last night:

In a related event, Big Boy #2 just made Student Council. I'm pretty sure that his note to the Tooth Fairy is evidence that this kid certainly thinks like a politician!

**********************************************************

The same day that BB#2 made student council, Big Boy #1 received the highest honor in Cub Scouts: The Arrow of Light

They had BB#1 ceremoniously walk across the backs of his dad and his scout leaders - symbolizing the role that those men play in creating a path for him to follow. I held his hand, representing the stabilizing role of the mom.

It seemed only fitting that my parents were there: Nanna and Grandpa did a TON to help him along in Cub Scouts! (LOVE that they are so close!)

That same night our troop had its second Raingutter Regatta. This year they ruled out catamarans - so much for our secret weapon that allowed us to dominate last year!

At one point the two boys were racing head to head. Like we need FORMALIZED competition between our boys?! ? Thank goodness this is the only race they will ever both compete in!

Even Diamond got in on the action: helping out a struggling ship.

Student Council? Arrow of Light? Negotiating with the Tooth Fairy for more cash? We couldn't BE more proud!

Football!

BYU beat Oklahoma tonight 14-13. A bit of a surprise for BYU to upset the team that made it to the Nationals last year. It cracks me up to watch Diamond watch a BYU game - especially when it's close. Can you tell when Oklahoma failed their field goal attempt?

Meanwhile, the boys set up their own stadium - complete with lights for a night game. (I swear my boys aren't too interested in coming up with stages for a play, or costumes for dress up, but they will spend all kinds of time getting the backyard ready for a game, and will dress in uniform according to the sport they are playing!)

It was amazing how bright they got the place! I suppose gathering up every lamp from every room in the house adds up!


The boys had a great time playing football with their friend while the dads watched BYU inside. They did come in for the final bit - enough to be thrilled when BYU won.


Then Thursday night Diamond took the big boys to a Broncos game. They had never been before (games are usually on Sunday) and LOVE it! Of course BB#1 was as thrilled to see the pyrotechnics as much as the game, and they had a great time!

Ahh, football, and it's only Labor Day...