Bickmore Buzz September 11, 2016

By Lesley - September 11, 2016

Helllllooooo!

The Bickmore's have been busy!

Isaac:

Isaac is almost done with his dissertation proposal. He is still planning on proposing by the end of this month. He keeps busy with his writing, reading, meeting with his robot group, and attending meetings and visits for his church calling.

Lesley:

School is going much smoother. I set up some of our fall decorations. Fall doesn't exist in Arizona so I just bring fall to our house. It reached 104 today. Ugh! I'm excited to see Scott, Karla, and Brittany next weekend. They are going to a wedding and then spending Sunday with us!! Yay!

William:

Will has mostly good days at school. One day was bad for him this past week. He said that he told Madison that he likes Samantha assuming that Madison wouldn't tell her. Well, of course Madison told Samantha, then word got around and some kids teased Will about it. He said it was a crummy day. Overall, he's doing well in school. He gets to play with his friend Isaac a few times a week and really enjoys his company. Today I gave him his first piano lesson. He knows where middle C is and can play Mary Had a Little Lamb. I'm going to sit with him every Sunday for 15-30 minutes and teach him how to play the piano.

Van:

This Saturday our baby is turning 6!! I can NOT believe it. It seems like yesterday I was walking in the dark quiet hallway at the hospital in the middle of the night to pay him a visit at the nursery. Good times! Van is liking school. He misses doing his crafts at preschool, but he seems to enjoy Kindergarten so far. He loves to run to me every morning when I have playground duty to give me a hug. He starts soccer soon. Both boys just finished their swimming lessons. I'm so glad they are comfortable in the water and can both be in the deep end now without feeling anxious.

Family Fun:

Last night for our ward talent show at church we did a lip sync to the Muppets Version of Bohemian Rhapsody. I'll upload the video to youtube and send the link. The boys did a phenomenal job as the lead parts. Isaac and I did the back up. We practiced over and over on Friday night in front of the mirror and had a lot of fun preparing for the performance. After the talent show, a group of us had a dance party right there in the gym. We didn't leave the church until 9:30.

Last weekend for Labor Day, we escaped the heat of Phoenix and ventured into the Prescott National Forest to Mingus Mountain. Our friend Austen told us about it. It's a popular place to go hang gliding. We went Sunday after church and found a campground. It was right on top of the mountain. We watched the sunset and then roasted hot dogs and marshmallows for dinner. I told the boys a scary ghost story with a funny ending. Then we did shadow puppets and went to sleep.

Monday morning, Isaac made our favorite campfire breakfast--blueberry muffins inside of an orange peel. Then we went on a 2 hour hike and drove to Jerome, a small mining town, for lunch. We listened to podcasts on the way up and the way back. We found a podcast about science for kids. We learned about farts, boogers, and aliens. The boys were very tuned in.

Overheard at our house:

When I asked Van what he wants for his birthday, he said, "A Mario costume. But not the hat because we already have one. I just want the mustache, the gloves, the boots, and the bib."
William today said, "I like to ask 'Why.' I think it's good to do that."
Last night at the talent show, Elisa Skidmore sang a gorgeous rendition of Amazing Grace. Van was rubbing his eyes. I asked him what was wrong and he whimpered, "This song is just so pretty."