The Iron Chef

I've been meaning to post our new favorite family activity. We've become fans of the Food Network's show Iron Chef. We've created our own Kitchen Stadium and host regular Iron Chef competitions amongst the family members. We have some budding culinary prodigies at our house, as you'll see in these clips of a recent competition between Cat Cora (aka Trevian) and Bobby Flay (aka Terry).

Cat Cora took the floor first, with her brown-nosing strategies:

Not to be outdone by the kiss-up Cat Cora, Bobby presents his signature "soup" dish (which we've now had several variations of).

New Beginnings

Well now that it has been 6 months since my last blog post, I guess it is time for another! I keep telling myself I will get better at keeping a blog up to date, but then we go and do something like uproot the whole family and move. And I get sidetracked. So time for a Leonard family update.

In June we made the move to Eugene, Oregon, about an hour and 45 minutes south of our home in Beaverton (which we have the privilege of still owning thanks to the wonderful housing market right now). But we are grateful for a nice rental home in Eugene that is giving us the chance to get to know our new surroundings and determine where we would like to live long term before we buy a house and truly put down roots.

Trevian started 2nd grade this week. She was so excited to start! She has been a wee bit bored this summer, having left all of her cul-de-sac friends behind in Beaverton. One day as I was getting after her for watching TV for too long, she looked at me and said "well Mom, if we hadn't moved I would be outside playing with my friends all day!" And it's true...she would have been outside from 9 a.m til 9 p.m. with her pals (Mollie, Nathan, Cassie, CeCe, and Nick) pausing only for the bathroom and to grab snacks. She misses them all, but she is starting to make new friends through school, church, and soccer.

Zach just started 5th grade. He seems too young to be the big man at the Elementary school, and WAY TOO YOUNG to be headed to middle school next year. But he is growing up! He has also started his fall soccer season and is quickly working his way into playing goalie...not where he wanted to be, but he's shown he's probably the best man for the job. All that time in the goalie box at recess this past year has paid off.

Terry started 7th grade this week. Of all the kids, we worried most about Terry and the move, how it would impact him and finding new friends. We have so hoped that he could find some good friends in Eugene, and our prayers were quickly answered. Our arrival in the ward here in Eugene doubled the size of the Deacon's Quorum at church...from 1 to 2. But Michael, the other 12-year-old, has fast become a best friend to Terry. And this led to Terry trying out for a soccer team with Michael. It was Terry's first time of legitimate tryouts for a sport--but he worked hard, gave it his all, and made the team. (I had to use this photo of Terry to document his "long hair" phase he went through this year. I was so relieved the day he came home from school and told me to shave it off!)

As the kids went back to school this week, again, I had no worries for Zach and Trev. I knew they had great teachers (met them at a welcome back night) and I knew they would make friends quickly. They were so excited to get to ride the school bus as well. I know the teary-eyed moms the first day of school are usually crying over their little babies heading off to the elementary school. So I was a bit surprised when I dropped Terry off at the middle school, that it was then that the tears started to flow. He will deny it til his death, but I could see the look in his eyes as he sat there at the office waiting to be shown where to go. He was nervous...the anxiety of the unknown hanging over him. I couldn't help but think of how I would have felt sitting in his shoes. And I said a silent prayer for him on my way to the parking lot.

So much more to post and get caught up on. That will come with time (my pledge to stay more current on the blog). I think I have lived the past 2 months with a silent prayer in my heart for each one of my kids...for Doug...and for myself. It's interesting to compare each move we've made in our lives and the opportunities and challenges that each one has brought. Each move we've made I can remember how it took months to a year to have that feeling that we were "home." But for some reason as I drive around Eugene or when we arrive in Eugene after a trip to Portland (heaven knows how many of those we've made in the past 2 months!) I feel like we are home...even though we are just beginning to discover this place we call home. I have no doubt in my mind that we are where the Lord wants us to be. And I feel so blessed to have that knowledge.