I grew up skinny. I remember as a high school senior getting measurements for a band uniform and my pant measurements were 30” x 30”. These measurements were in spite of frequent Hostess-Os binges where I would eat all six powder-sugar coated, raspberry-jelly filled donuts in a box in one sitting. I would dunk them […]
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Some of my children became roll playing game (RPG) enthusiasts. They would gather with a group of friends every now and then and spend a Saturday on some quest while sitting in the family room eating junk food. I would hear humorous observations about these quests in the days that followed. It made me curious. […]
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My third daughter, the seventh of eight children, is thirteen years old. She is on the cusp of womanhood. I watch her with wonder as she wends her way through life. She brings me great delight even though, of my three daughters—the black belt, the drama queen, and the imp—she is the imp. I remember […]
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I hang to the belief that life is found in the trivial moments. I’ve try to capture those moments with my children. September 20, 1992 Yesterday we went for a picnic up American Fork Canyon. We found a little place next to the river (creek) under the trees and ate tuna fish sandwiches, chips and […]
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Let’s just say it’s Parents 1 – Kids 0. I’m a school bus driver, among other things, and all school year long I dream of summer. Now that summer is here I’m not going to waste one moment saying the words It’s too hot. It is plenty hot, but there are things you can do […]
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This when my second son was two. November 25, 1990 Dear Cory, The other day I was sick. I had a very upset stomach and felt like I needed to throw up. Mom and Tory were gone which left just you and me and Rory (but he doesn’t count because he was asleep). I finally […]
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As I searched for ways to capture the wonderful trivial moments of my children’s lives I found a simple, easy method: once a week I take a few moments to write some brief observations on a child’s life. I’ve done this for all eight of my children. There is nothing special about what I’ve done. […]
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I’ve kept journals for each of my kids. These include the near real-time entries from when they were toddlers to the letters I write them now as adults. Are you the parent of young children? You think you will never forget your times together, but you will. These entries don’t remind me of past times […]
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I have five sons. That’s a lot, right? I’m able to surround myself with all things male. We wear camo, shoot deer, talk football, scratch ourselves, and spit. My sons will raise an eyebrow and chuckle at this description. We find camo amusing and have never shot anything. We throw boomerangs and Frisbees and fly […]
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I’ve always been proud of the fact that I have eight children. I think it gives me the same pride as owning a yacht, or a 20,000 square-foot home, or a Ferrari, or the New York Yankees, except more so. The pride isn’t necessarily the number of kids, but my relationship with them. With my […]
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