Tate & T-Ball

Tate played T-Ball for the first time this spring. He loved it. To him, every game was the final game in the World Series. The anticipation all week just about did him in, and he could hardly contain himself on Saturday mornings. He had some pretty good hits, but our favorite is the way he runs..... look at the way he holds his hands and arms.

Cade's First 4th of July

This is what Cade thought of the fireworks spinning on the ground on July 4th. You can't see it, but he's holding onto Ryan's shirt for dear life. At least he didn't cry. Before our show was over, he snuggled up to Channa, let her hold him wrapped up in a blanket like a baby (strangely, it was a wee bit on the cold side that evening), and he fell fast asleep despite the loud bangs and bright sparks. He NEVER EVER lets us hold him like a baby - - Channa thoroughly enjoyed it!!!

Paige McKensie Pender

In reviewing all my blog posts, I realized that I have neglected to include any posts exclusively about Paige. Paige is the unfortunate Middle Child. She is the one that basically does what she's told without fuss. She does the dishes when no one else will. She takes out the garbage when someone else forgot to. She doesn't ask, "Why am I the poop-checker?" but will change the diaper even if it's not her turn. Paige spoon-feeds Cade the most because he eats the best for her. She gets good grades at school and doesn't get involved in drama with friends. She doesn't stand out in sports yet because she hasn't been old enough to play. (5th grade - this year finally!) Paige has never had a big birthday party with friends because there isn't anyone in our ward her age, and she only has one best friend from school that she's ever cared to invite over. I'm very aware of the guilt I feel as a parent, wondering if she's missing out on anything as she strolls through life.

So let me talk about Paige:

Paige is tall and thin (just like her dad).

Paige can eat like a horse (just like her dad) and stay skinny (just like her dad).

Paige has dark eyebrows and long eyelashes (just like her dad).

Paige likes salsa and fiery Doritoes, and ketchup on eggs (just like her dad).

Paige has big brown eyes (just like her mom, thank you very much).

Paige gets very tan in the summer (thanks to her 25% Portuguese mom).

Paige will most likely never have a weight problem, even after having children (lucky!).

Paige loves to sing and has a pretty good voice, actually.

Paige likes to dance and has the best groove and rythym in our family.

Paige likes to play outside, but is also content laying in the grass staring up at the sky.

Paige likes animals, especially the ones she can cuddle and pet.

Paige views the world with rose-colored glasses, and doesn't understand why people intentionally hurt others.

Paige is very sentimental and cries during sad movies.... and sometimes the happy ones, too.

Paige usually lets things roll off her back, gives a shrug, and moves on pretty quickly.

Paige is deathly afraid of frogs.

Paige doesn't like cookie dough.

Paige likes to draw, and makes her own cut-outs she calls "Paper People".

Paige plays the flute very well for having just learned this year.

Paige is fairly clumsy and gets hurt doing the simplest, safest, things (walking, breathing.)

Paige has a temper that flares up when she is overly tired.

Paige doesn't feel the need to compete with her siblings unless she feels threatened by them.

Paige used to have the strangest, mis-matched sense of fashion until her mom fixed that.

Paige would sleep in the longest of the kids if the others didn't wake her up with their loudness.

Paige idolizes Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus (we're keeping tabs on it, don't worry.)

Paige isn't too big on reading in her spare time (just like her dad; makes her mom sad).

Paige tries to be a good person; if she is dishonest the guilt is too much for her and she comes clean fairly quickly.

Paige has been allowed to get her ears pierced since she was 8 but has been too scared to.

Paige is going to be 10 years old on September 16th.

We love Paige very much and the dynamics of our family wouldn't be the same without her!!!

Happy 4th Birthday, Chaye!

Little Miss Chaye loved her birthday. Weeks before she would tell anyone who would listen that her birthday was "Tuesday, July 8th, and I'll be four." Then she would hold up four fingers. She doesn't have any friends her age, so when we asked her who she wanted to invite to her birthday party, she named off our friends and their kids.... the ward family she's grown up with and is used to, really. So they were all invited to a BBQ and swim party in our friends' backyard. (Thanks, Ryan & Jan - you're awesome!) Chaye is so easy to please, that someone could have given her a stick in a box and she would have thought it was the greatest gift on earth. She sure is a sweetheart... when she wants to be! Chaye is a huge ice cream fan but does not like cake (weird, we know!) so I didn't feel the urge to bake anything fancy. She told me what kind to make, what color frosting, and which sprinkles to put on. On the way to the party her gifts toppled over in the back of the vehicle and landed in the frosting. Someone who likes cake would have cared, but she didn't and neither did we!

A Tribute to our 1965 Mustang

Let's roll the calendar back one year....

In Spring 2007, Channa's car had to get an overhaul to fix the engine modifications that went from bad to worse (long, dishonest mechanic story). We paid the bill (and we're still trying to find the arm & leg it cost each of us when the check cleared!) and Ryan noticed a used 5.0 engine sitting in the corner of the shop and asked our new mechanic about it. It was for sale. Channa immediately saw the wheels a-turning in her husband's head and she promptly put her foot down (the right foot because the left leg was missing.) Over the next few weeks Ryan would come home from work and casually mention that he'd visited the mechanic's shop and "that engine" was still there. Each evening the conversation became more detailed about "that engine" and it was very apparent to Channa that Ryan was trying his best sales pitch on her. Now mind you, Ryan can go out and buy anything (within reason) that he wants if he really wants to - - - after all, he's the breadwinner of the family and the king of his castle (Channa just helps choose the kind of bread, and tells him where to build the castle.) But we'd just had some very expensive vehicle repairs over six months' time, and the words "engine" and "replace" were enough to send either of us into a seizure at any moment.

Now Father's Day 2007 was coming up and Channa wanted to get Ryan something really cool. There have been only a handful of "really cool" gifts that Channa has pulled off throughout our 18-year relationship, and it was time for a really good one. After all, Ryan had just spent a lot of money modifying Channa's car and he deserved something, too, right? Okay, so not really, financially, but we did need an engine and it was a great deal. So one day Channa dropped by the mechanic's shop and talked to him about "that engine". And then she bought it. She told the mechanic and his employees that they had to keep it a secret from Ryan, who now found it fun to drop by quite often on his way home from work. Father's Day was 5 weeks away and Channa wanted this to be the surprise of all surprise gifts for him. She didn't dare tell the kids about it.

The next day Ryan come home from work pretty bummed out. Someone had bought "that engine"! He couldn't believe it! It wasn't fair! We'd never find a deal like that again! The world may as well just come to an end! How DARE that person buy HIS engine! How DARE that mechanic sell that engine to someone else! Darn it! Let's take turns kicking ourselves! Channa sympathized and consoled him as best as she could, ever the understanding wife. "It's okay, honey, we couldn't afford it anyway. You need to let it go."

A couple weeks later we had to take Channa's car in to get the A/C charged before the summer heat kicked in (She was pregnant and A/C was a necessity, not an option at that point!) Channa was so nervous that someone at the shop would blow her cover and let something slip about "that engine" - - - "So, when are we installing this for you, Mr. Pender?" Ryan asked the mechanic so many questions, but our mechanic was so awesome and played it all off very well. With the gesturing and looks Channa was giving the mechanic behind Ryan's back, you'd think it was a catcher/pitcher relationship at a baseball game! But Ryan didn't have a clue... hee hee hee. And he went home so disappointed and disgusted that the buyer was just going to let the engine sit there for awhile because he wasn't in any hurry to install it into his car just yet.

Father's Day came and Ryan got the surprise of his life when he opened his card and found a receipt for one bonified 5.0 Mustang engine. By the time Channa got to church that day, he had told everyone he knew what he got for Father's Day. He was absolutely glowing! We trailered the Mustang down to the shop a few weeks later and the engine replacement process began. We should have the Mustang back in a couple weeks.

Well, putting a 90's engine into a completely original 65 Mustang wasn't easy. Lots of things had to be replaced, refitted, updated, moved, reattached, computerized, etc., and two weeks turned into two months, four months, six months, a year. Could it have been done quicker? Yes, but we didn't push it. Our mechanic was swamped with other cars (including two more of ours on two or three separate occasions), and besides, we had replaced the Mustang's place in the garage with junk, so there was no room to park it even if we could bring it home.

The phone call finally came.... a year almost to the day. "This is Method Motor Works. Your Mustang is ready to go." Ryan didn't let himself get excited because we'd heard this before and when he went to take a look, it didn't start, or it was leaking something, etc. But we headed down there and our mechanic fired it up and took Ryan on a test drive. This time it was for real and Ryan was going to drive her home!

Channa followed Ryan home and took pictures while steadying the camera on the steering wheel. The junk has been redistributed throughout the garage and the Mustang is back in it's proper parking spot. (Basically, Channa's sign workshop got shoved up against the wall, and to use any power equipment the Mustang has to be backed out of the garage first..... *sigh*) Ryan has washed and vacuumed it, and he drives it around the block on Saturdays. He actually bought himself a Ford Mustang t-shirt while we were in Utah last week. :) We're not done with this car, but we're taking a break for now.