Win some, lose some

I begin this one with a sad story. Since Jarom was a young boy one of his favorite things to do has always been play basketball. It is great exercise, builds lasting friendships, and gives him a convenient and socially acceptable venue to practice his psychological warfare skills. So it is a good thing that Jarom is Mormon, because everywhere he has lived he has been able to quickly find a regular pickup game that is played relatively close to his home on a quality court. And Dallas was no exception to that rule. The first week he arrived he found the regular pickup games played at the stake center not once, but twice weekly. It was great. He made friends and stayed in decent shape. Unfortunately one night between Christmas and January a man from the high council came in and interrupted the game and informed everyone that basketball was cancelled by order of the stake president and that we were all to go home, and that we couldn’t play anymore. This did not fly with Jarom, so he stuck around to talk with the president for more details, which the messenger could not provide. The president was in a meeting, so Jarom simply shot baskets by himself while he waited. After a little while an upset stake president came through the doors to yell at him for playing basketball. Jarom asked him why basketball was cancelled, and was given a list of nebulous pseudo-reasons such as: people are staying too late, there have been incidents of vandalism (Jarom researched this claim and found it to be patently false), nobody is in charge, and (this is not a joke) the games are getting too fast. Jarom offered to be in charge and was referred to one of the counselors to get the games back on track.

 He's a very good snuggler

 Costume party at the Walmart?

Over the next few months Jarom was led on a sad trail where it became increasingly apparent that the stake president had no interest in restoring the basketball games. A system was arranged where there would be people with callings who were in charge and responsible, information for all participants would be kept, games would finish by a specified time, and the imaginary vandalism would be stopped. No promise was made about making people run slower. After all this Jarom was told that the only way basketball could be played is if it was part of a stake sponsored tournament with teams from each ward. The given reason was that the president is not willing to open the church up to the possibility of a player getting injured and suing the church. It goes without saying that a lot of people aren’t thrilled about this decision, but for the moment it doesn’t seem like there is much that can be done. I guess all we can hope for is an early release and a less paranoid successor. But you know what they say; “For every grumpy overzealous ecclesiastical leader who won’t let you have any fun there is a new litter of adorable bunnies.” At least I think that’s what they say. And wouldn’t you know, yesterday while Jarom was giving the lawn its first cut of the year he stumbled across a little den full of bunnylings. Jenna and Bo are pretty excited about it. I think Sonic would also be excited about it, but he hasn’t ventured outside so far during his life and when Jarom tried to take him out yesterday he sort of freaked out. So it looks like this year’s bunnies will be fine, but next year’s probably won’t be as lucky.

 Looking for Sonic under the crib

Feeding the hyper-aggressive ducks

Speaking of Sonic, that cat is crazy! He is a lot of fun and we really enjoy having him around, but he is a kitten and has lots of energy and seems to enjoy the taste of human flesh, particularly hands and feet. He is an excellent pouncer and practices every chance he gets. Jenna has studied him in great detail and can sometimes be found stalking and/or pouncing on others. Bo loves Sonic, but Sonic is a little scared of Bo because he isn’t always the softest with the cat. He is going through training right now, which consists of getting sprayed in the face with water any time he misbehaves. He knows to stay off the couch and the table, and he knows not to play too rough with certain people. He also knows that he should not climb into the dishwasher, although he really likes that and will persist in that behavior until he is quite drenched.

 This kid eats his body weight per day

 In his new big boy bed

 Seriously, he never stops eating

The weather is warming up, which meant it was time to have a bonfire and roast some mallows. The temperature cooperated, staying cool but not freezing. The precipitation wasn’t as accommodating, with a heavy downpour coming shortly after the food was cooked. But everyone sat under the tin roof and pretended they could hear each other and the kids played in the rain and had a great time. The family also took Opa with them to the Zoo on Saturday morning, which is always a treat. It is even more fun now that Bo is talking more. His vocab seems to grow by a dozen words a day, and Jarom is constantly surprised at the phrases and sentences that he is able to put together. It is especially cute when putting the kids to bed. Bo has been banished from his crib and now occupies the first floor of Jenna’s housebed in preparation for the arrival of Emily Brooke. He seems to enjoy the larger space, and Jenna seems to enjoy having an audience for her nightly performances. Jenna will ask Bo what song they should sing, Bo will choose one, and then Jenna will sing it, often omitting the final word of each line so that Bo can participate. It is very fun to listen to. Jarom and Lix are very glad that the kids seem to be such good buds and are able to keep each other occupied for long stretches. They are working with Bo to keep him from hitting, and with Jenna to keep her from tattling so much, but these are minor concerns. Overall things are going pretty well, which is appropriate because soon there will be an addition and everything will be chaos once again.

 Chomper, chomper

 Animal rides at the zoo: Turtles, Dads, and Opas

Best of luck with your brackets!