::~::~::THE BEST IS YET TO COME ... cherishing the adventures in our lives::~::~::
5/31/08
Ruthie
This is my gorgeous sister-in-law Ruth Hope. Can you believe she is the mother to 5 girls and 2 boys? She is an angel and I miss her so much! 
2 Decades of Feeling Inadequate
Over the past week I have been wanting to write about the trials of raising 4 well-mannered latter-day saints boys in the world today, but every time I sat down to start writing I was overwhelmed with feelings of being inadequate. Today, as I was pondering my quest I started thinking back to when these feelings started...
I was about ten years old with an English assignment to write a short story about something that interested me. I cannot remember what I chose to write about (it was likely going to be about my favorite Cabbage Patch doll, Emily, and her "twin" brother, Sam). I cannot remember how I started the story or what adventures they may have come across in it, but I do remember feeling so proud of what I came up with, I decided right then that I didn't want to become a doctor or surgeon, I wanted to write stories forever. Now, after 20 years all I remember about this story is the reaction that my mother had when she was helping me edit my puncuation and spelling. She told me that it was boring! Yes, boring, coming from a mother trying to help her youngest child correct simple mistakes on a writing assignment. She told me that I needed to write about something that would interest OTHER people. I don't really even remember what happened next, I can't remember changing the short story but I remember not writing anymore.
Come to think about it, a few years after this crushing incident, I took an art class. Now, those of you who don't know my mother, which is probably most of you, she is an amazing artist. She can draw anything she sets her mind to. I remember begging her to sketch pictures of me and my older sister all the time. One day I brought home my art book and she started looking through it. She critiqued one rendering after another, one in particular was a still picture of a fruit bowl. I knew it wasn't perfect and I wasn't particularly astounded by my artistic genius, but I can still hear her voice telling me I needed to draw what "other people see" when they looked at a fruit bowl.
Now, I'm not super smart, but to use Mr. Glenn Beck's words, I am a thinker. How do you draw what other people see? How do you coherantly write things that would interest other people? Shortly after her so called advice for my art class I quit drawing freehand completely. I started to imitate cartoon characters, drawing Garfield and Odie and the Seven Dwarfs. From these two incidences in my early childhood I lost my ability to use my imagination.
It's weird how many, many years later some little thing like that can change your ambitions and dreams. As I've gotten older, Jeremy has read some of the little poems that I've written or seen some little doodle from me and told me that it was good, or maybe even great. But it's much, much easier to believe the bad things. It's easier for me to not write or draw anything at all rather than to draw something that might not be up to someone else's standards.
But all this boils down to one thing, Eric is going to be bringing home more and more homework. Do I want to encourage him to use his imagination or do I want him to become a follower, a clone? I want to see his beautiful imagination blossom into a world of possibilities. He brought home an assignment one day about a month ago to draw things that start with the letter "G". He was asking me for ideas, and I started popping out words that begin with "G". I suggested a giraffe, a goat, a girl. He was overwhelmed by having to draw a giraffe at first, but we talked about what a giraffe has, a round body - long, long legs - a long neck - horns, etc. He slowly came up with a not-so-perfect perfect picture of a yellow and orange giraffe. It is my favorite drawing that he has drawn yet. From HIS perspective. That is something that I hope will always continue in him. Many times I have stumbled across him pretending his markers and crayons are fighting instead of quietly coloring a picture.
So, today, I blog about my crushed hopes and dreams of almost 20 years ago and hope that if it's too boring for any of you, you'll forgive me.
I was about ten years old with an English assignment to write a short story about something that interested me. I cannot remember what I chose to write about (it was likely going to be about my favorite Cabbage Patch doll, Emily, and her "twin" brother, Sam). I cannot remember how I started the story or what adventures they may have come across in it, but I do remember feeling so proud of what I came up with, I decided right then that I didn't want to become a doctor or surgeon, I wanted to write stories forever. Now, after 20 years all I remember about this story is the reaction that my mother had when she was helping me edit my puncuation and spelling. She told me that it was boring! Yes, boring, coming from a mother trying to help her youngest child correct simple mistakes on a writing assignment. She told me that I needed to write about something that would interest OTHER people. I don't really even remember what happened next, I can't remember changing the short story but I remember not writing anymore.
Come to think about it, a few years after this crushing incident, I took an art class. Now, those of you who don't know my mother, which is probably most of you, she is an amazing artist. She can draw anything she sets her mind to. I remember begging her to sketch pictures of me and my older sister all the time. One day I brought home my art book and she started looking through it. She critiqued one rendering after another, one in particular was a still picture of a fruit bowl. I knew it wasn't perfect and I wasn't particularly astounded by my artistic genius, but I can still hear her voice telling me I needed to draw what "other people see" when they looked at a fruit bowl.
Now, I'm not super smart, but to use Mr. Glenn Beck's words, I am a thinker. How do you draw what other people see? How do you coherantly write things that would interest other people? Shortly after her so called advice for my art class I quit drawing freehand completely. I started to imitate cartoon characters, drawing Garfield and Odie and the Seven Dwarfs. From these two incidences in my early childhood I lost my ability to use my imagination.
It's weird how many, many years later some little thing like that can change your ambitions and dreams. As I've gotten older, Jeremy has read some of the little poems that I've written or seen some little doodle from me and told me that it was good, or maybe even great. But it's much, much easier to believe the bad things. It's easier for me to not write or draw anything at all rather than to draw something that might not be up to someone else's standards.
But all this boils down to one thing, Eric is going to be bringing home more and more homework. Do I want to encourage him to use his imagination or do I want him to become a follower, a clone? I want to see his beautiful imagination blossom into a world of possibilities. He brought home an assignment one day about a month ago to draw things that start with the letter "G". He was asking me for ideas, and I started popping out words that begin with "G". I suggested a giraffe, a goat, a girl. He was overwhelmed by having to draw a giraffe at first, but we talked about what a giraffe has, a round body - long, long legs - a long neck - horns, etc. He slowly came up with a not-so-perfect perfect picture of a yellow and orange giraffe. It is my favorite drawing that he has drawn yet. From HIS perspective. That is something that I hope will always continue in him. Many times I have stumbled across him pretending his markers and crayons are fighting instead of quietly coloring a picture.
So, today, I blog about my crushed hopes and dreams of almost 20 years ago and hope that if it's too boring for any of you, you'll forgive me.
5/30/08
BroncoNation welcomes us HOME
The biggest Bronco Fans in the world are definately, for sure, no doubt, 100% moving back to BroncoNation! We have a roomy 3 bedroom apartment ready for us to move in on (or around) June 21st! I am so excited and relieved to know that we have a place for us to live now! Hip Hip Hooray!
5/27/08
He's MY baby daddy!
I gotta say, the cowboy boots go very well with the Dukes of Hazzard undies! I want to see this same outfit on him today!
5/26/08
School Boy
Eric Steel Rigby
Class of 2020
Mrs. Sandru's Kindergarten Class
Whitman Elementary
Tacoma, WA
Class of 2020
Mrs. Sandru's Kindergarten Class
Whitman Elementary
Tacoma, WA
Oh Brother!
Our camera broke and since we are still camera-less I have been looking through the older photos. Today, I came across this picture and started to laugh, so I thought I would just post it, and introduce Jeremy's older brother Brent Hope to anyone who may not have met him yet. He is a wonderful guy with a perfect wife and family. We love them all so much! He came to visit us yesterday all the way from Sun Valley, Idaho and today he went back! Brent, the Puget seems darker without your light! Love you!
5/25/08
5/24/08
Walking on a bridge
I really love Boise! This is a bridge in Boise on the Greenbelt! One of my favorite sights in all of this beautiful world.
5/22/08
Hunter's Drugstore
Yesterday, Jeremy woke up way before the sun did and flew to the Boise Airport and then caught a flight into Idaho Falls, Idaho. He was able to spend the night with his highschool buddies, Nathan and Justin, and Justin new bride, Kjiersten. The boys and I got to have a little sleepover, with pizza, breadsticks and "Meet the Robinsons"!
Jeremy will be saying goodbye to the buddies and coming home to us today, so for today's post I decided to put on an old picture to remind me of our first home together. This is Hunter's Drug on St. Anthony's main street.
5/20/08
Rainy Day Blues
Today is yet another rainy, sad day in the Puget Sound! I remember once upon a time, I loved the rain! I loved to run in it, to do cartwheels on the soft, wet grass during a quick downpour. I loved catching the fresh rain water in my mouth, and sitting with a good book under the porch reading during a beautiful thunderstorm. But... after living in the wet Northwest Region called the Puget Sound, I am so SICK of the wet weather - I could scream! Maybe I will ~ AAAAAAHH!!!!!
Okay, I feel better now. Does anyone else need to scream?
5/19/08
Little Bronco
Timo is a Super Duper Bronco! We are raising the biggest sports fans in the world!
(Keep scrolling downward to remember our Timo!)
The Grove Fountain
The Grove in Boise has a wonderful area behind it. During the summer there is a street market where you can get rugs, jewelry, and a variety of all other things. We especially loved going to this beautiful fountain to cool the boys off on the hottest days.
Timo Timo Timo
I love this picture of him! It shows his little teeth and his adorable double chin. He looks quite a bit like Noah in this picture, but is still his own little person.
Celebrating our Timo!
On a day where my youngest three boys are all feeling under the weather, I felt like posting a few pictures of my Timo buddy. He is the little lover of the family. Always hugging and kissing and talking, talking, talking. Sometimes too much, but always with love and excitement all around him.
5/11/08
Happy Mother's Day
Happy Mother's Day to all those mother's who frequently read my blogspot! I love you all and hope your day was as full of joy as mine was.
5/8/08
5/5/08
5/3/08
Missing Boise
It is a rainy day here in Tacoma, Washington and it really makes me miss my little city Boise! My boys are stuck inside today because of the weather and it seems like everything is wet and droopy.
I am looking forward to moving back home to Boise next month!
5/2/08
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)