Month of the Military Child, Part Three

Okay, so I was really planning to share a few photos each day.  But the time running back and forth from the farm to the county fair has made things a bit challenging in that regards.

So here are a few more of what my military kids do....  They shoot archery...

They take chickens and goats to local school and help teach about animals and farming...

They use Phoenix chicken feathers to go punk for fun...

They load wagons full of poultry to weigh them systematically for their projects.  Funny, the chickens line up for attention from him!

They name little chickens Trooper after the "camo" feathers they have, then win showmanship ribbons with them...

There is always the outgrowing grandma part, too...

They take advantage of learning opportunities to improve themselves AND the things they believe in...

They PLAY.  They find ways to make every day fun, from walking Grandma's dog to training time.

Military kids aren't different from other kids, except that they may move more, be required to help at home more in a full family regularly missing a parent, or worry more, stand up for siblings while they all miss someone important at birthdays and school events, and more.  Give them some time and understanding.  They are giving you something very important- a share of their parent.  Enjoy your night!  I think I have some more fun photos for tomorrow!

Month of the Military Child- Part 2

So I got off task (surprising, right?) and didn't post last night.  But here is more on what it means to be a military child... in our house anyway...

Wyatt reminds us that no matter what the kids at school say about his Daddy, his Hopper always loves him...

Bailey and Wyatt love taking baby goats on visits to schools and, in the case f this photo, their auntie's assisted living facility.  Auntie thinks kidding season is about bringing her babies goats to cuddle!

When we can squeeze it in around the crazy commute, we go to Operation Military Kids events.  In this one, Wyatt was at the 4H High Ropes Course.  Bailey went too, she would like to be able to volunteer at these soon...

Being small business owners and small farmers, we like events that showcase history and local groups.  We went to downtown Saturday night last summer, and also to the King Tut exhibit.  Great night of local artisans and cool exhibits that spark the imagination!

We got hold of this antique incubator, and tried hard to make it work.  We failed to properly control the temperature but it was still fun!

Here is Wyatt at an obstacle course with Bailey's pygmy buck, Obediah.  Wyatt loves the bucks, and joins in whenever he can play with them, Bailey was somewhere with Nathan at the same event.

They do chores- or sometimes avoid them.  Wyatt was supposed to be cleaning chicken pens....

Both children were advanced to the regional science fair competition this year.  These military kids also love science, and not just as it relates to their Daddy's job.  Anybody recognize the researcher they are posing with here when they took their projects in?

Yep, all children are different, and the same all at once.  They want to be loved and accepted for who they are, and given just enough room to grow and explore.  More to come!  And don't forget to hug a military child.  It is true that they serve, too, though it isn't all they do!

Month of the Military Child, Part One

April is the Month of the Military Child.  If you are like me, by now you figure there is a day or month for everything- and we have all seen some obscure ones!  But they mean something special to someone, or at least some fun, right?  (Reference National Talk Like a Pirate Day...)  Anyhow, being a military family, in a larger family of military families, I think this is a good time to celebrate the thank yous and triumphs that come with our crazy life.  I thought it might be good to take a few posts to share what it means to be a military child in our family.

Many of you know this has been a challenging Spring in facing a few rather tough bullies for our oldest child.  Many thanks to the government, because for many of our trials in this life, the children and I have had long-distance support from Charlie. (That and what I consider close air support from our near extended family, as in my Dad talking me through plumbing over the phone, my father in law picking up kids when the tornado took the shed in the middle of storms and he and Camille and Jamie pitching in when I stood in the middle of one crisis or another and couldn't be enough people in enough places, my mother talking me off the limb late at night, well you know what I mean...)  But this month, the government deemed it necessary for me to have a husband at home.  He got home just in time to walk into the worst of the storm right beside Bailey and I.  While he might have sat there wishing for duty orders to just about anywhere, we were all really glad to stand together as a family.  I was very thankful, as we are all learning how to all be in the same city on similar schedules for the first time since Charlie and I married over fifteen years ago.

In our military family, we close ranks and take care of one another.  Wyatt and Bailey know how to pitch in, and how to stand up for each other and remember  the little details that make the other feel better or stronger when the rest of the world doesn't care.  We don't live anywhere close to base, but make occasional military child events, and they know how to shake their heads and move on when people think our life is easy or make comments like "Is your father actually around right now."  Like all military children they know that comments like the baby killer ones are just from people who don't know better but somewhere deep down should appreciate the sacrifices for the freedom to say unthoughtful things.

The kids also know how to look out for others, and to follow through, and show respect.  In short, they are not really much different than a lot of other children raised in families with values of family, respect, manners and altruism.  But just to make sure the folks from around the world who read this blog know we are just like other folks, I think I will share a photo or two a day for the rest of the month of what our military children do.  Here goes the first two...

They hike the Arizona trail and check out ghost towns,,,

They enjoy playtime with their Daddy whenever he is in town and as soon as the chores are done...

and lots more!

Y'all have a good night now, and wave to the airplanes, I think it makes them fly happier...

Some days...

A friend of mine once asked whether the kids become calloused to the inevitable losses that come inherently with being surrounded by livestock.  Another friend asked me whether the children understand or are involved in the processing of animals raised for consumption.  The answers to those questions deal more with family values and sensibility than anything else.

Today was more about the first question.  I recently posted ab out silly old Sergeant Major.  Gentle but protective with the hens, great at coexisting with the other animals, the head of all the roosters here,  I mentioned that in his old age, he is slowing down a bit.  His balance and spunk have been slowing down.

In the last week, we gave him some rest days in a large crate, with his own food and water, but where he could see and interact with his hens.  When we would be around, he would still be free to roam the property, even met the little ones who were recently hatched, and spent several hours standing guard near them.

This morning, after a night resting, he was fussing in the crate, but was ambling around and resting alternately before the kids and I left for town.  We decided to let him stay out with his girls, with his crate propped open and his own food and water ready.

We got home after school and deliveries, and Wyatt went out to begin feeding, while Bailey was helping unload.  Wyatt came back crying.  We knew Sergeant Major wasn't young, and we really didn't know how old he was.  But he was special, a personality and life force all his own.  In a house with so many chickens, you might think a boy wouldn't notice an older bird.  But every one here is special, even those raised for meat.  And Sergeant Major was no different.

Bailey automatically pitched in with me and let Wyatt sit with his dog for a bit to talk.  They just understand one another like that.  Then Wyatt went out to get back to work.  Sergeant Major,  you will be missed, and your legacy will live on around here in your spirit, children, and the way you trained the other roosters.  Rest well, and fly high.  And Wyatt will remember while tending to the flock.

The Right Decision

"You will know you made the right decision when you pick the hardest and most painful choice but your heart is at peace."

I "stole" this from a post from a friend (many thanks for expressing this so well, Victoris!).  Decisions can be so tough, and second guessing ourselves is a part of trying to do the right thing.  Sometimes, I think I try so hard not to make a decision until I have to, just trying to get all my ducks in a row to make the right one.  Some of my firends tend to worry almost obsessively about things none of us control. 

I believe strongly that we should work to do the best we can with what we actually do control, and underdstand where that line is.  As for the decisions of this life, the hardest ones matter the most, and we will not always be right.  But this is a good thing to remember to give us a little guidance along the way.  And like our mothers always told us, if we do the best we can and came with the right intention, it will work out in the end.  While sometimes it hasn't felt like it would work out lately, maybe the big plan really is working out in the end. 

Hugs to you all!  Let your heart lead, smile, and help you to find your right path.

Let your heart Smile...

I have been thinking about this blog post for a while, but it didn't take shape until this morning.  As my feet were speeding along on the elliptical before teaching yoga this morning, all the thoughts swimming around in my mind about several different posts that haven't quite taken shape yet, the focus and hindsight of some recent discussions in our family brought clarity to this thought in particular: Let your heart Smile.  Funny how a good workout brings clarity, isn't it?

Somehow in all of the hustle and bustle of the never ending to-do list, trying to embody the beliefs to which we espouse, driving long commutes and working through health issues, work, school and the bullying problems, I felt like the clarity wasn't quite there.  The whole family did, but we were trying to finish the year strong, with the thought we could regroup over the summer.  But then, that is what we have been saying.

Don't get me wrong, we are generally happy, hardworking folks.  A military family with a large number of animals and busy kids.  Like most of us.  But we were also trying to make small, beneficial changes.  Some were working, some were not.  And what has happened in the course of it, well, you;ll see what I mean...

Charlie had talked for years about changing jobs within his unit.  he would complete the application, then not turn it in.  Staying where he had been for so many years was familiar, and he knew if he needed time to help with something, it was there.  But he travelled so much, and he was under a lit of stress.  Then he finally turned in an application.  And within weeks, he boarded twice, landing at the top of each board list.  He had a lot of second thoughts, but ultimately gave up a stripe in rank and found a new job where he works like crazy, but is recognized for his ability to manage himself, and he says he is more fulfilled getting to work directly with the pilots. Funny, people keep saying that he smiles all the time now.  They are right.

Then it was our daughter.  Sometimes the allergies and migraines can be a real challenge for adults, let alone when you are fourteen.  Add to that our commute, her multiple animals, and many interests.  As she puts it, High School is easier academically than middle school, but harder in people and social pressure.  After a really round with bullies, the wonderful robotics team she was lucky enough to be invited to was advanced to nationals/ world championships.  In trying to juggle academics and a once in a lifetime opportunity, she found she needed to let go of a few things.  She put off the decision, and once she finally did, she began to smile again.  REALLY smile again.

We are certainly trying to take the time to refocus and recenter on what is most important to us.  Following our hearts, but without neglecting responsibility.  Just remembering what it is that drive us in our lives and our life together.  We all can get a little fuzzy sometimes.  Then we need to stop and let our hearts smile.  I wish the best for all of you, and that this holds in your own heart.  So come on, you too.  Let your heart smile!

Our crazy weekend

Early Saturday morning, we braved the rain and cold and headed out to work day at the Pima County Fair.  We helped build pygmy goat and poultry pens, and tried to take in our projects.  The shooting sports are looking a little waterlogged, and Bailey's pecan pie didn't look nearly as beautiful as it did when it left home!  The photography was well packaged, though, and there wasn't much that could go wrong with Bailey's up cycled jean skirt purse.  My copper/ azurite shadow box necklace did okay.  The children's welding projects had paint issues from the packing around the rain- oops.  Really, though, the whole goal of their welding was for Bailey to teach Wyatt welding safety and basics, which he could not have learned elsewhere.

After everything was turned in and our wristband issues were taken care of and the camping assignments dealt with, the rain cleared.  (Murphy's Law, right?)  So we celebrated the task being over and warmed up with lunch and pie at the TTT.  That makes twice this year!

If you are noticing Bailey's dressed up look from a workday, I left out that she was interviewed in the sewing and cooking projects...  We came home after that to work on chores and homework, and had a relaxing evening together, after the kids took a nap and worked on putting things back together after the wind.

This morning, pen cleaning time!  Blondie was harboring this bird egg in her nesting space, Bailey had to show me.  (Presently she and Wyatt have a deal going because Blondie is in a temporary area by the goats, and she is caring for Blondie while Wyatt is in charge of the bantams on his own.)

This Mama hen has been sitting on eggs in the garden shed.   I saw a baby, but she tucked it back under her before I got the camera to focus.  She did let Charlie check on the two babies who had hatched today, though I only got the one photo below.  Gotta love babies!  And she is a good mama.

What breed of babies are they?  I don't know yet.  While the hens are picky in terms of whom they mate with, they will team up and set and hatch eggs from several hens under one mama to hide them from us!

In the midst of cleaning, Wyatt brought in this feather.  He has already had his hair cut short for the warm weather on its way, and he says this fancy mohawk will be all the rage in style in a few months...

This is Wyatt on break.  The fort, slide and top area are his favorites, while Bailey favors the swings.

I was glad to plant six new boxes in the greenhouse.  While in there, I discovered the first flowers in the Roma tomatoes I grew from seed recently.  I cannot wait to see them fruit, and I had better get that garden enclosure finished!

Charlie brought home more beautiful veggies which he put on his smoker/ grill while helping me water, and checking pens.  The boys had felt left out that the pie went to the fair, so I made a pecan pie for us, too.

Wow, what a weekend! Hoping the R&R was enough, because there is standardized testing this week, and fair preparation in earnest!  Hope you all have a great week, and find great joy and love surrounding you each day.

Azurite Shadow Box- my entry in this year's county fair

These are the moments I really think I need to make time for a photography class!  My entry this year for the county fair was this copper collar necklace.  The collar is heavy gauge copper wire, shaped into abstract hearts.  It settles around the neck, with the pendant near the sternum, no clasp.

The centerpiece is this copper shadow box.  I used the flash in an attempt to show the pattern in the back.  I used pure silver to mount the azurite cabochon, then blackened the back.  I carved the scrolls into the black, letting the copper show through the black for more decoration.

The front is dome copper, which I had soldered to the back before the blackening and carving and mounting of the azurite.  Apparently I shined it well enough, since I cannot seem to photograph it without getting either my own image, or that of the camera in reflection on the pendant!  Photographers out there, got any secrets for me?

This is the whole piece again.  The kids like to challenge me to put things into the fair as well as them.  I just don't juggle the schedule well enough the week before fair to enter and coking competitions these days, so I decided to see what the judges thought of this other aspect of my work.

Yup, there is the camera again!  (And me.)  Since I finished this piece, it made a stint in the Tucson Gem show showcase of the main show, and now to the fair.  I will have to decide whether I get to wear this one, or if I will sell it.  Although I am expecting some pure silver in any day...  What do you think?  I sure love all the comments and feedback!

Thank you... I needed that hope...

We have been through some tough patches around here this Spring.  Often times, it has left me wondering about my generation and, despite knowing better than to generalize, feeling like those of my generation may be failing the world with the me attitudes being given or passed on to children, and the way so many of us seem to live out our dreams through the accomplishments of our children and teaching them to step on others in the conquest of more wins.

My mother reminded me this morning, that the lord doesn't take away without first giving, and if we open our eyes to those gifts, they truly are there. (She is good at smacking me upside the head with perspective that way.)  Even as I was saying my generation had serious issues, knowing she would tell me not to generalize, and remembering someone who recently told me that all generations are flawed in the eyes of the generation before them, Wyatt Clay went out the back door saying it was a good thing I was from a generation from several centuries ago. 

That just might be the first time I take one of his age comments as a compliment.

School doesn't come easy for Wyatt, and he has faced his share of bullies.  Through his different processing, he was blessed with the ability to know which adults are worth trusting, something we call the Wyatt List, and if I would learn to watch who is on it, and the rare case that someone has their Wyatt list privileges removed, I would likely do better int his life.

Bailey has been through some really vicious bullies.  The kind that hurt very deep, and yet have caused her to focus on what is most important.  And through it, some very special people have come forward to patiently guide her, and to accept her into their inner circle.  And she is learning to stand for herself.

At the same time, we have made many special friends with wonderful insight and focus in this crazy life, who have modeled for me the patience and acceptance with strength that I hope to get better at.And we are better learning, after all this time as a military family, to stand together as a team and communicate.  And we are placing our foot down and taking more time to let kids be kids.

So to all those who have given me hope, I thank you,  I guess there is hope for our generation after all.  Maybe we can continue to make a positive difference.  Hugs, you all rock!

Sgt Major

Sergeant Major came to us as a rescue several years ago, right after county fair.  A friend of Charlie's Dad had had a flock abandoned in a rental; he called because he knew the kids were raising chickens, and thought Wyatt Clay would take good care of them.  Charlie and Wyatt, still exhasted from fair, spent three evenings gathering birds.  Sergeant Magor had earned his name for his flashy looks and protective attitude before he ever made it home.  He and his flock of hens and babies came home to a quarantine pen, where they lived until after the monsoon season, when they began to have privileges out in the property during the day.

Sergeant Major has a large number of hens, who generally adore him because of his mellow nature and protector attitude.  He is known for spending a whole feeding time flapping his wings to stop two hens from fighting.  He helped to raise Muffy, the Ameraucauna roo, who has learned to be a gentleman as well, with both roos stepping back during treat times to let the hens have first choice, intervening only to stop other birds trying to sneak in.  He has raised many babies, and when young roos try to be dominant with hens, they take flight and line up behind Sergeant Major for protection.

Undeniably, Sergeant Major has great stock around here as all good guys do.  But we don't even know how old he was when he came to live here, as he already had good sized spurs and has never really moulted here.  So he is not a young guy.  I guess it should come as no surprise that his balance isn't what it used to be, but last night he fell out of a tree- twice.  Worried for him, Wyatt brought him inside where he relaxed on his lap for some time, then Wyatt settled him into a large crate on the back porch in the hopes he would relax for the night.

As soon as first light came, though, he was fussing at the crate, so Wyatt sat him on the back porch with his own food and water and his ladies clucking at him.  He eventually got up and got wandering around.  He doesn't seem quite himself, but not ill either.  He really does seem much better just meandering with his adoring hens, so who are we to complain?

Chicken Man!

Stopped at the mailbox last Friday, hoping to find a package I ordered.  But the package in the mail was for Wyatt, and was he excited!  He opened it to find a chicken head from his Auntie Heather!  He had it on before we got all the way to the house, and opened the gate, then went to feed his chickens while wearing it. I believe he even ran in the house and tackled his Dad in it!

Hopper wasn't so sure about it, especially when he wanted her to play with a dog toy, since she most definitely doesn't play with dog toys since her buddy Remington passed away (even then it was only tug).  But Hopper does love her Wyatt.  Silly Wyatt is having a great time.  His is, after all, Chicken Man Wyatt!

A Best Bud...

I don't spend much time on introductions, though I really should.  In this case, it is the personality coming out in her latter years that brings more laughter to the silly dog who has been with us for over ten years now.  This is Hopper Spark.  She was hit by a car out on the reservation right after I began working there, and she ended up with us while we tried to nurse her back to health.  Whether I simply could not find her rightful owner, or being new out there, looked in all the wrong places, Hopper is still here with us.

When she came home, we had to reset her growing front leg each day after she continually chewed off the bandages.  When I first brought her in, and sat her in the floor to begin pulling off ticks and watching her for shock, I told Callie Jo and Vegas that she was hurt, and just a visitor, and that we would care for her until she went to her home.  The other two helped me look after her, and until Hopper tried to usurp Callie's place with Charlie, there were no cross words between the three.

Once Hopper could get up on her casts, she tried to follow Bailey through the house, wanting to be a kid dog.  She never once chewed on the house, or poddied in it.  Which was good, because Charlie had NOT authorized this new addition.  He was away, and busy in the wake of 9/11, and I was pregnant.  After Wyatt was born, and Hopper was seemingly not very temporary, Callie Jo let Hopper know that Wyatt was hers.  Odd how it works that way, but I could not have found a better best friend for Wyatt Clay.

As Wyatt grew, he went through a time during Charlie's travels for the military in which he stuttered, then did not speak, then slowly began to speak again.  Through it all, his best friend, the one who he would come home and sit with, cuddle with, and first began to talk to again, was Hopper Spark.  According to her, the boy can do no wrong.  He nearly smothered her with hugs, worrie dover her when she got valley fever, wandered the property with her side by side.  If I come home during the day while he is at school, she follows me around grunting at me that I am a bad mama who left Hopper's kid somewhere.

After Wyatt spent a year feeding and giving the neds to the dogs (under supervision, of course), he earned his first chickens.  Hopper wander with him through feedings.  One of her vices- she likes to sneak eggs.  She will gladly steal a favorite nesting spot from a hen if it looks comfy, and knows all the latest hiding spots for eggs.  We have learned to try to remain a step ahead of her!

Aside from snatch the eggs, Hopper's favorite past times are sleeping on all the dog beds stacked together (or falling off them), and hiding shoes.  Some dogs play fetch, Hopper Spark steals the chore shoes from the shelves by the back door, and hides them around the property, with special attention paid to Charlie's- those are filled almost completely with dirt.  When Charlie comes home, she wags her tail at him until he begins walking around finding the shoes, walking behind him wagging her tail.

They have now taken to calling it their game, and I am beginning to think that, as much as we all miss Remington, Charlie is coming to look forward to their little ritual in the game they play while the kids feed their animals and I tend to my greehouse and garden each evening.  Despite the leg that never healed quite right, and her  ongoing health issues, Hopper is still going strong as she gets ready to turn eleven.  She snores loudly, and knocks things with her thumping tail.  And she might not play fetch, but she is training Charlie to.  Gotta love it, and I still couldn't have picked a better best friend for Wyatt Clay.  Thanks again, Callie Jo, and Karma, too.

Good, clean fun...

http://www.team987.com/LVRwebcast2012/live.html

Good, clean, fun...

Got to see my eldest today via USTREAM,  doing the GIANT WAVE courtside at robotics regionals in Las Vegas.  I have to admit, it was a little scary letting her go away to Las Vegas without her Daddy or I, regardless of how I adore the group she is with or the experience that it is.  Funny, though, I really do recognize that this is a part of growing up and taking responsibility, and we are thankful for the positive force this has been in her life.

Crazy, my mother and father have been streaming the USTREAM and cheering the kids on like crazy.  They make it online well before I do, and this morning, while I was speaking with students with issues before class, my phone rang for the first time, my mother excited to be watching them set up.  Care to check it out?  The USTREAM link is above.

I know I post about robotics a lot these days.  Life has been challenging for everyone, and when something so positive seems a saving grace for my own child, I want to share it.  Children are overscheduled, over stressed, over technologied, etc.  I am loving watching her grow, change, and take on new things as her wings spread and her confidence soars.  I hope this for all kids, even if I have to sit with her dog and promise us both that she will be home soon.

They grow up too fast, I am trying to learn to let her, and to remember to be thankful for the blessings.  I am proud of the kids, excited to share the experience via internet with my parents (even if my mother is tutoring me) and I am putting one foot in front of the other.  Walking beside her on the tough days, and cheering her along on these fun ones.  Gulp.  Growing up myself, and learning. 

Here's to good, clean fun in whatever form it takes for you.  Feel free to share your version in the comments, it would be fun!  Oh, and the song of the day- one of my faves...  Check it out...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=26okNVDVRgk

I borrowed the link from youtube, not my upload, or an actual video, but a great listen and a great anthem.  Enjoy the Ride...

Shiloh, 150 years from the battle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=37IybIZNTVw

Growing up in our house, my parents took us on trips to national landmarks and historical sites.  We walked battlefields from the War for Independence, the Freedom Trail, Civil War battlefields, Washington with the cherry blossoms in bloom, Fleet Week and airshows and so much more.  My father's idea of a free Saturday usually included a seemingly indiscriminant pen drop on a map, followed by a drive to a quaint artist colony, museum, or other stop.  It was those big family trips, though, where we walked in the steps of those who built our nation, and where I developed a very distinct pride in the knowledge that in our family, this life was about service.  Members from every generation had served.  There is even a family story about a ship stowaway, found hiding in a barrel part way to America, who felt so strongly about his adopted county that he was involved in the Crossng with General Washington.  Do I know for sure that one is true? Nope.  But I love the story, and one of our cousins has been doing a lot of geneology work to find out.

I grew up knowing that the family bible was the record of birthdays and weddings, and that only one copy was still in existence after the family homestead burned.  The family homestead was in South Eastern Missouri, a border state, and our family had fought on both sides of the Civil War.  Being a good Southern girl was nothing about being closed minded, but about proper manners, the ability to cook, clean, work hard and stand your ground. 

One hundred fifty years ago today, a Sunday, the Union Army, under the leadership of Grant, was doing Sunday chores, washing, shining boots, writing letters, attending services with the chalpain.  A  Rebel Yell broke through the quiet.  In the two days of fighting in the Battle at Shiloh, over twenty four thousand men died on home soil, in close combat.  In the first day, it seemed the South had won, but by the end of the second, they knew the North had won.  But in war, no one really ever wins.

Arlington National Cemetary wouldn't come until the end of the Civil War, the VA would come later as well.  (In the words of President Lincoln, "to care for him who shall have bourne the battle.")  But today, a century and a half after the battle, many who walk this mere four miles square can still feel the spirit of those who fought in a battle so fierce that mere small arms fire felled trees in itself.

Our world will likely always have those whose beliefs lead to conflict, yet we should strive to learn from those who have walked before us.  To commemorate all that has been given for our great nation, including at the Battle of Shiloh, I didn't want today to go without mention of our collective history.  The link above is to a Darryl Worley song, called Shiloh, about the battle.  This was turned into a video by someone else, who used photography overlay, her credit is listed at the end.  Hope you like it.  All the best to you all.

A Country Girl, A High-Tech Team

This week, our Bailey will leave us for the bright lights of the big city- Las Vegas.  On Thursday, the CRUSH robotics team will head out for the Las Vegas regional competition with their robot for this year, Yoshime.  I will worry the whole time- that's what Mamas do- and hopefully get to watch them on the UStream video online from the competition.

Funny thing about this, parents volunteer and support the kids, but this competition is all about what the kids do- what the team can pull together as a team.  What they build, create, fix and follow through on their own, with the watchful safety eye of mentors.  In a world where the parents scream on the sidelines, and compete to live out there dreams through their kids, belittle the competition and forget about the youth learning and having fun, this is youth driven, youth led, and all about fun while working hard.

The sportsmanship and accountability are phenomenal.  When Bailey called home from the last regional in Phoenix, she was excited, happy, saying they had won some and lost some, but that their friends on Plasma were doing great, and worried about a team from another Tucson high school whose robot had not passed inspection to take the floor.  Some of the CRUSH kids had tried to help, but they all wanted the kids to all be able to compete.  They felt so bad that kids could have come through the whole year, travelled all the way to competition, and have to sit and watch.  CRUSH brought home the spirit award, as well as the website award.  And they are so excited for their friends winning in other regionals.

Where else can some little girl with a yard full of goats, dogs and chickens ride her early skills as a welder and machine operator into real skills as a tig welder, machinist, programmer and team leader?  Knowing that she had welding experience led a friend of Bailey's from the drama productions of the year before, one who was this year a senior and a team leader, to suggest extending the freshman invitation for the year to her.  One of Bailey's friends had even stepped in to watch little Wyatt the day it happened, wanting ot make sure Bailey would not miss out while waiting for me to get there for work.  These are the experiences that life is made of.

Many of you have seen my role in this.  Parents provide dinners twice or so during the build season, and I made robot cookies for a big presentation.  And I drive a lot.  And I walk with her in the dark, so she can still work her livestock when she has a late night at school during build season.  Oh, and I think I need to find some blue socks to match the orange ones here, so she can combine them for this longer trip.

Who cares if they win?  Oh, you know we will be rooting them on and cheering like crazy from here.  If it hadn't been so long and so far away, we likely would have gone to scream from the stands.  But in having built this team from the beginning of the year, worked tirelessly and laughed through their video blogs and mishaps, they have already won in the biggest trial of all.  You go, kids.  I am so proud of you all.