Meta...what?

I walked downstairs on Saturday night to catch the tail end of a brother-on-brother argument.

I hear B look at his younger brother and say, "I'm going to kill you if you do that again..."

Then, he spots me coming down the stairs and he adds, in a louder voice to make sure I can hear...

"I'm speaking metaphorically of course..."

Guess he's learning SOMETHING at school...

10 Things I Love About My boys

There was no event or snafu in the Skor house that brought this post on other than I've just been watching these two grow up lately and have been filled with a growing love for these two boney boys. So here's 10 Things I Love About My Boys (in no particular order):

1. Their sense humor - they make me laugh - every day!
2. Their hair - seriously, they both have crazy hair.
3. Their creativity - you should hear the ideas that spurt from their brains.
4. Their obsessions - I wonder where they get obsessiveness from?! hmm
5. Their kindness - they are known by their friends, parents, coaches and teachers for their kindness.
6. Their honesty - Although, when they're talking about my waistline, they COULD do with less honesty.
7. Their artistry - both have a love for art, which I love.
8. Their love for wrestling - There is nothing like pounding on your kids at the end of a long day. :-)
9. Their love for reading - what can we say, it runs in the family.
10. Their pursuit of God - there is nothing like hearing your children talk about learning about the very real God.

Another Good Quote

One of our prayers for our boys is that they would be men of character. We don't often pray that they would be leaders, that might not be their gifting... instead we pray for character and humility and influence for the Kingdom. I would rather see them live life unnoticed and unannounced if they live life in love with Jesus, His Kingdom and are willing to do whatever it takes... even if it means the death of personal dreams, pride and perceived position. That's why this quote from John the Baptist is one of the greatest "leadership" quotes, in my opinion, that there is:

"He must become greater; I must become less." ~ John 3:30

There are and will be times when men of real character are called upon to step back and to push others forward. That's a sign of real character.

What's that noise?

So, after Brendon and I came home from our recent Sutter Fort Adventure we crashed, or at least I did.

He sat and read. I turned the TV on for some background noise and promptly fell asleep.

I found out later that when Kiley walked into the room Brendon asked, "Why does dad make that weird noise when he sleeps?"

She replied, "Dad snores."

"That's really annoying..."

"I know, tell me about it."

My family loves me... I think.

Connecting in 1846

Brendon and I had an incredible 24 hours this week (actually it was closer to 28 hours).

As mentioned in the previous post, his class was part of the ELP (Enviromental Living Program) this week.

I arrived at the Fort bright and early on Tuesday morning in full 1846 regalia. I was dressed as a Norwegian Immigrant (I figured it wasn't much of a stretch) thanks to my wife's creativity in sewing and finding a costume. Once there, the parents prepared the Fort for the arrival of the "wagon train" from across the country. 

We had spent a day training with the docents earlier in the year. There were "teams" of parents who learned specific trades that were common to the era. The teams positioned themselves around the Fort in various stations that would have been common back in the day. Here's an incomplete list of our stations: Blacksmith, grain mill, carpentry, rope-making, bakery, butter-making, trade store, fur-trading/trapping, corn-husk doll making, and more.

I was partnered with two other parents to teach rope-making. We crammed a bunch of rope-making facts in our heads and quickly learned the art... and it is indeed an art. Did you know that Columbus carried over 15 miles of rope on his ship alone? But I digress...

The kids soon arrived at the front gate in covered wagons. We poured out the gate to use, what the fort manager described to the kids, as "magic boxes" that doing something called "taking a picture."

Once the formal welcome was over, the kids spent the next 7 hours going from station to station, learning life at the Fort. Each child was a specific character who had been documented as part of Sutter's Fort. They had done research and were to pretend to be that individual for the day. They did a fantastic job.

Kiley came and helped for a while. Which was somewhat of a chore on her part as any parent coming had to be in costume. So she got all dressed up for 2 hours.

About noon, we paused to fire the cannon (which set off car alarms all over the area) and eat some old-fashioned lunch. Then, it was back to learning the trades.

At dinner time, their principal showed up in full 1846 garb and led them in tug-o-war, sack races and more until dinner was ready. Dinner featured bread and butter made by the kids during the day.

After dinner, we gathered around the fire with a fiddler and guitarist to learn some folk songs. Then we moved inside to learn how to square dance... THAT was an experience for them.

As late night drew near, we put the kids in two big rooms in their sleeping bags.

But, in the interest of helping them understand what life was like... we woke them up in groups until late in the night to walk guard duty. There were scenarios we arranged in which they discovered people breaking in, checked on prisoners in the jail and so on. 

I was one of the fortunate ones who talked the girls into feeling sorry for me and letting me out of jail and feeding my in the kitchen because I was hungry. You can always get them to feel sorry for you...

In the morning we feasted on sticky buns and bread which they had made in the outdoor fire-oven, cleaned up the fort and headed back to the school. 

Brendon and I crashed about 12:30 at home. Well... I crashed. He had gotten sleep during the night. I hadn't...

It was an incredible memory for my son and I. And a great learning experience for him that has fostered some great conversation this week. The time Brendon and I spent together has connected us in some great new ways this week.

Pictures are posted on Facebook...

Sutters Fort

This morning I get to dress up like a person from 1846.

This morning I get to drive through traffic and find a parking spot where I pay by the hour for 25 hours.

This morning I get to meet 46 fourth graders and begin spending 25 hours with them...

...no showers.

...no beds, only a dirt floor.

...food we cook over an open fire.

I GET to spend 25 hours with my son and his friends and their parents.

That kind of opportunity doesn't come along very often.

I pray that the Holy Spirit will let me be salt and light.

Let thirst for Him be created.

Let Truth and Grace be shared.

Let laughter, joy, hope and love be the rule.

MLK Weekend Trip

We surprised the boys with a last minute trip this last weekend. Kiley and I packed the van and had it ready to go when we got home from Sunday celebrations. They knew something was up, but didn't know what, when or where.

We drove to Reno, where a friend had found a deal on a hotel room at Circus Circus. Once there, we headed to the Circus Midway and played the evening away. There were circus acts to watch and loads of carnival games. The deal included some 2 for 1 tickets for the games, so we set about to see what we could win.

One of our favorite games was "the fishing game." Basically, they have a bunch of metal discs that float on a current in a circle. We were given a "fishing pole" which had a magnet on the end. If you snagged a yellow disk, you received a small prize (which anyone could do), but if you snagged a red disk all by itself (which is much more difficult) you received a bigger prize. This was one of my dad's favorite games at the county fair growing up and he had it dialed in. He had taught me well...we walked away with two armloads full of stuffed animals.

Once Ian went to bed, Brendon and I headed down for another round and won another several prizes. He had his heart set on a guitar that was won by knocking down 3 blocks with a bean bag...problem is, neither of us could hit the blocks! So much for that...

The next morning, we played a few more games and ate brunch at the buffet. It was fun to watch the contrast in the boys at the buffet. Brendon comes back with breads and goodies, but Ian comes back with fruit and oatmeal. :-)

We stopped in at Cabela's to look at the stuffed animals on the way back and then met some friends near Boreal where we found some very hard packed, but deep snow. We played there for several hours. Ian headed right for the top and sledded down over and over and over until finally he hit his head on my kneecap so hard that he cried for quite a while. After that he was done, but we were a few minutes from leaving anyway. Brendon and his friend played with snow ball makers and did their best to start a war with the parents. I don't think they expected their mom's to be quite as good as they were at taking them out with snow balls. :-)

When we got back in the van after stopping for a quick dinner at KFC, the boys pronounced, "This was the best day ever!" That always makes you feel good as a parent.

My Wife is Incredible

Kiley has been working her fingers to the bone over the last few weeks making costumes.

Brendon's 4th Grade class has the opportunity in two weeks to participate in an overnight history immersion experience at Sutter's Fort. They will, for 24 hours, live, work and play in the fort in the same manner that the early settler's did. They will learn to cook in the same way. They will learn the basic skills of the day such as rope-making, blacksmithing, building with no power tools ;-), and more.

While at the fort they will also be dressed in period clothing. Each child is given a character (an actual figure who lived at or near the fort) to research and "become" for those 24 hours. 

So Kiley is sewing...she is making period costumes by the arm load. She's an amazing woman with more talents than I can keep track of. It's fun to watch her in action. 

What am I doing with this whole field trip? I get to spend 24 hours with a bunch of 4th graders in a fort. I get to sleep on the floor with them. I get to dress up in a period costume as well. 

I'm not sure who go the easy job...

Little Enigmas

If you have kids, you've probably experienced this. Our boys are so different and we revel in those differences. It's always interesting to hear how other people perceive them.

Most people see Ian as the "outgoing one" because of his lively sense of humor and sparkle. The truth is, he's an introvert to the core. He could go days at home in his little bubble and not be bothered. He can play alone for hours on end. If we spend too much time with people, he gets cranky and we'll find him off alone in his room when we get home, quietly recharging as he plays.

Brendon is viewed as our introvert, and he's anything but an introvert. This young man is a social animal. He would have friends over every day for hours on end. He'll engage in conversations with about anyone if they're talking about something that interests him. It kills him to play by himself. His conversations after school are full of what he did with his friends that day.

They are our enigmas. They both come across as the opposite of what they are. It adds some serious spice to our family.

We wouldn't have it any other way.

Christmas Morning

There's been much happening around the Skor household since our last blog post. I'll take some time over the Christmas break to update you all on events and memories.

We'll be posting some Christmas pics on Facebook later today or tomorrow as well.

Here's a couple of memories from Christmas Morning:

• Ian opened up an electric toothbrush and yelled, "I've always wanted a 'try me!'" We tried to figure out what he meant and asked. He pointed out the words on the front of the toothbrush...you guessed it, they were "try me!"
• Brendon came dramatically down the stair gasping and fainting repeatedly, which made us wonder what was going on. He came into the family room and declared, dramatically, "I've been shot" -- he had a velcro vest from his Nerf Shooter on and had carefully place 2 dozen Nerf bullet/darts all over the vest as if he'd been shot. Then he repeatedly collapsed on the floor declaring, "I'm dying!"

And the Verdict is...

Well, Brendon didn't win his race for Student Council Treasurer. He was pretty disappointed and hurt. I think what hurt the most was the fact that the boy who won had once claimed to be Brendon's good friend, but who, in the campaign, said and done some pretty mean things.

Brendon's sense of justice kicked in and pointed out that this boy had broken the campaigning rules and, according to those rules, should have been withdrawn from the campaign by the teacher.

To Brendon's credit, his whole class was upset by the results... they wanted him to win. His teacher gave him some space to recover his disappointment (I think she was disappointed too - she likes him a lot). He also was excited for several of his friends who were elected to other posts and congratulated them.

Life lessons are never easy are they?!

We had a "boys movie night" when I got home from work to celebrate how proud we were of Brendon. We watched Return of The Jedi and fought with light-sabers in the living room.

Welcome to politics Brendon...

Election Update

I just got off the phone with Brendon. He gave his speech today in front of all of the second, third, fourth and fifth grade classes at his school.

In his words, "It was weird dad, because I wasn't nervous at all! I didn't mess up at all either! But now, I'm REAL nervous that I might not win."

He finds out the results in the morning.

Brendon for Treasurer

Brendon is running for Treasurer of his school student council. It's been a great learning experience for him. He's justice oriented like his parents and so hearing his classmates promise things that they can't deliver really bugs him. He's convinced that people will vote for him because he doesn't resort to jokes and impossible promises that others have, and whom, he's convinced, can't/won't do the job.

We've had many discussions about doing the right thing, but that the right thing isn't always rewarded by the people around us -- in other words, doing the right thing may not get him voted into office, but that doing the right thing is still always the best path.

This weekend, he worked on his campaign speech. I thought you'd enjoy reading it (note that it has to be two minutes or less). He'll be giving it in front of the entire school. He's justifiably nervous, but he's resolved that this is what he should do.

Speech for Student Council Treasurer By Brendon Skor November 17, 2008 Hi! My name is Brendon Skor and I’m here to tell you why I believe I will be a great Student Council Treasurer and why I believe you should vote for me.
You know those rich people we always see on TV? Who counts their money? Do you know? Well, if they were real, I would count their money.
If you vote for me I will work hard to listen to each person and to represent you well.
I want you to know that you can trust me. I am honest, kind and I really care about doing a good job for our school and you. You can trust me to work hard to keep track of our student council money because I am honest and because I like math (and I think I’m good at it!)
There are a lot of great people who you can vote for Student Council and for treasurer. I ask that you would vote for me, Brendon Skor, for Treasurer because I will help our school become an even better school.
Do you think our school is a great school?! (pause) Do you, I can’t hear you?! (pause)
I do too! I think it’s a GREAT school!
I think we have GREAT teachers!
I think that you, my friends, are the BEST!
And, as Treasurer, I will work hard to make us better!
Remember, when you vote for Treasurer this week. GET MORE AND VOTE FOR BRENDON SKOR!
Thank you.

Jesus Moments

So, I've been attempting to use car rides to school for some teaching moments.

My latest endeavor has been to challenge the boys on the way to school to think about one thing they can do that day that Jesus would want them to do. I promise to ask them after school.

So, on the first day we were sitting around the supper table together and I asked the question, "What did you do today that you think Jesus wanted you to do?"

Brendon -- "I invited a friend to go to AWANA because I thought it might be good for him and he might enjoy it..." and then, a little quieter, "...and I get points when he comes."

Ok, he's close, but the motivation needs some help. :-)

Ian -- (said without any hesitation or thought) "I went to the library!"

"You think going to the library was what Jesus wanted you to do today?"

"Yep."

"Why?"

"Because I got a book called 'Backyard Detective' that teaches me about the stuff in my backyard that God made."

Hmmm...his associative skills astound me, but I probably have some more work to do as we drive in the mornings.

Laughing at my children

Tonight both boys made me laugh:

• Brendon learned that he can't winner in a towel-snapping duel with his dad. No welts, bruises or broken skin...but when dad has a wet towel in his hand...Brendon has a newly-found respect!
• Ian was showing me his "aquarium display" in his room. Many of his animals set up in various displays which he talked me through. As I saw what looked like a T-rex with a lizard in his mouth he said, "This dinosaur likes to try and eat this lizard but he's too squishy to be eaten."

Growing up

As I was praying with the boys on our way to school this morning, I was a little overwhelmed by how they are becoming young men already.

Brendon and I are interacting at a different level than ever before. We're having more "grown up" conversations about life. His sense of humor jumps back and forth between elementary boy "body" humor and more sophisticated teasing and thoughts. Often, we'll sit in my big chair on lay on his bed at night and just talk. If I close my eyes, it's sometimes easy to forget that he's only nine. Of course, then he tackles me in the hall and makes some sci-fi sound effect and his age comes rushing back. :-)

Ian is feeling the pain of his pre-school childhood slipping away. He absolutely LOVES school, but daily reminds us how he misses just playing with his toys. He's moved from toddler to elementary boy. His art teacher caught me this morning to tell me how impressed she is with his maturity. She said, the normal kindergartners take several months to learn to pay attention and manage themselves, but he has been instantly attentive and produces great art already. Guess he is brighter than the average boy...ha!

I love these two dearly. And I pray daily that they would thoroughly enjoy their childhood...that it would be filled with life-long warm memories. I also look forward to watching them grow-up, however quickly that may be, and pray that they mature into passionate followers of the God who died for them.