Princesses Need Not Apply

It's no secret that we are not raising girly-girls at our house. Not that there is anything wrong with being girly. My girls just don't roll that way. Which is cool.

So...

When Peyton decided she would like a desk for her room, Mark suggested they build one together. Which really means Mark will design it and make Peyton do the work. And why shouldn't she learn to build things? Certainly not because she is a girl!

They discussed what she wanted. Talked about how it should look. Redesigned based on their conversations, talked about it some more, redesigned again, and then began building.

Peyton did all of the cutting. I had to not watch this part. (Full disclosure, I COULD NOT WATCH THIS PART!!!) Mark did have to help with some of the screws as he is a bit stronger than Peyton. Ha ha ha. They got the base part done. I think in one more weekend, they will be completely done. It should be pretty cool. Part will attach to the wall and have shelving for her to store stuff.  Then, when she needs to use the desk, it will pull down. When she's done, it will retract once again. My people are creative for sure.

I'm actually super proud of both of them. Often, they butt heads. This project, Mark was patient and Peyton was a great "student".

Here are some action shots. If you can call this action...

[Just kidding on this part. Apparently, when I went to download photos from my phone, I deleted about 200 of them. If you need me, I'll be in the corner crying...]

Lessons Learned.

So, we know our 16 year-old is smart. What we don't always remember is that she is pretty wise too. We have had some pretty deep conversations with her recently.

One of the things that she mentioned is we've probably been putting a bit too much pressure on them lately. She said that when we compliment them we say things like "Wow, good job getting 9 out of 10 on that quiz, but what happened with the last question?" Or "Nice race Syd, but looks like you had some trouble with that turn." It's all about the "but".

Looking back on these conversations, I realize that what she is saying is true. I know neither Mark or I is trying to be critical. We just know they have huge potential and the "but" is our way of trying to see what we can do to help. That's how we see it. Obviously, they see it differently. And how they see it is what matters.

One of the other things that came up is what we expect from them. We try to be pretty "Free Range" in our parenting. (You can read more about that here.) But, we forget sometimes that they still need us to guide them. There seems to be a fine line between too little and too much. I'm not sure we will ever strike the right balance. But, we will keep trying.

For now, George-o (because I know you're reading this) just know that we heard you. We listened. And we will keep trying. Because we weren't lying when we said all we want is for you to try your hardest. And the best way to show you that is for us to do the same. Always.

XOXO

Labor Day weekend

With the three day weekend, it was the perfect opportunity to head to Filer, Idaho for the Twin Falls County Fair.

We loaded up Saturday morning, dog an all.

 My people are quiet travelers. Unless they spontaneously burst into song.

And it seems only fitting that we would do some actual labor for the "Labor Day" Weekend. So, we did.

Mark's brother Scott is in charge of the church food booth. We have helped for the last few years, and it is actually pretty fun. This year, both girls helped.  They were pretty awesome!  Even with a 4:30-11:30 PM shift. Ugh.

Here are some "action" shots...

We also ran into this character...

Sunday, we took the girls back to do rides. They seemed to enjoy themselves.

Mark, not so much..."Dad, hold my stuff, please!"

Played some of this...

Ate some of this...and many other things. Oh my.

Last year, I wasn't able to eat much of the fair food since GLUTEN. But, one day of fair food is what I live for the rest of the year. ;-)

Did some of this...

And some of this?

We spent most of the day Sunday there, then loaded up and headed home.

The second picture of Syd pretty much sums up how much fun we had. We were exhausted!