more art and more ASU

Last week during art class my camera went crazy and I couldn't take any pictures!! This week it was still acting a little weird, but I finally got it going.

I thought these fake palm tree benches were really cool. If you're just driving by, the look pretty real.













The Fulton family has put a LOT of money into ASU. Here's a picture of the engineering building with a plane flying just above it.










ASU football's home opener was last weekend. But since my camera wasn't working I couldn't get any of the football game day preparations....still doesn't beat gameday in the south though! :)
























Harrison (his buddy, Ethan, is in the background) is putting some detail work on his clay creation from art. He must have been taking a slight break because if he were truly concentrating, his tongue would be out.















Mrs. Jenny had Elijah's class 'sculpting' using that green foam stuff that is used with plants sometimes. He was using different tools to make a cupcake.....then his table decided all the green powder created from this foam was fun to play with. One girl's hair ended up pretty green! :)














Zachary created a sarcophagus and mummy. i don't think his created mummy was true to life. He took a little creative license and had his mummy's eyeball popping out! You can see it at the top of the inside of the sarcophagus. Boys' creativity is so much fun!!














Harrison's dojo had an inter-dojo tournament. Here, Harrison is performing his bo kata. While he was the only one in his age group, his sensei made a point to congratulate him in front of everybody and emphasize how young he is to be doing it!














Just a goofy shot of us while we were watching other competitors.












Sensei Shannon. Harrison got a 1st place medal for his bo and a 2nd place medal for his regular kata. they had to compete head to head. He lost his first match, but won his next 3 to get 2nd place!

He is so proud of his medals. As we were leaving Sensei Jeremy and Sensei Clint both told congratulated Harrison on how well he had done.

...we're going to miss this dojo

a few more details

So our current plan is to have us stay here through Halloween. We usually go to a friend's neighborhood for trick-or-treating, but Zachary said he wanted to stay in ours this year. I can't say no to that. I don't think we've stayed home once since being in this house in Gilbert! His best bud is going to have a haunted house too! So once Halloween passes, we are tentatively scheduled to start the big drive the following morning, November 1.....strategically planned, also, to miss Daylight Savings! :) I don't yet know who will be driving with me. Brian may and then fly back out to AZ - as he will stay here for a while, possibly until our house rents.

Brian's been packing a lot still. Our house is starting to look bare as there are few things left on the wall. I've already gone through and packed all of mine and the boys 'colder' weather clothes to take with us to Amanda's. Amazingly, I think the only things we will have to buy are a few pairs of pants for Harrison and maybe a pair of shoes or two.

My emotions are still fluctuating daily. Most of the time, I'm ok....but then I'll hear something, see a certain place, think of a certain good time with friends......and my sadness has returned. Zachary and I have been reading through the books of James and Proverbs. Sometimes I don't like to hear what James has to say to me, but it is always reassuring to hear how God uses these trials, that WILL happen, will strengthen us.

A Polen Life update

Our lives are an ever changing big ball of chaos! I am having a hard time, as I personally like to have a plan....and we cannot make anything definite right now. Once again, I'm thinking God is reminding me to rely on Him.

Our mortgage company has been very gracious to us and put our payments on hold. But we have to start paying it again in November. Without a job, that's kinda hard. SO, with the current economy we figure the best option is to try and rent. To properly 'show' our house, we need to get out. Since I homeschool the boys, we are home ALL the time and running around creating messes. :) We are currently planning on me taking the boys to live with my sister, Amanda (in Hampton, VA), after October. Brian's thoughts are to stay here and take care of the house until it rents.

He had a potential job offer in DC. That offer is still there, but has been delayed. He's never stopped looking, however. He's too smart for that. :)

I've been able to emotionally detach myself from this because the BIG change is not here yet. Arizona has become home to me. The friends I have here have been such a blessing and are more like family to me in some ways than my real family (since we live so far from them). ...and the boys...this will be the first move I've had to make as an adult with children who understand what is going on...have friends they have to leave....

Another big change is that we are also considering putting Harrison and Elijah in public school while we are with my sister. This will be a significant change for both them AND me.


.....but from the mouths of babes......

Zachary told me the other week, that family is more important than friends! :)

Art classes at ASU

My friend, Jenny, is a graduate student in the art department at ASU. This Fall the students are leading different kinds of art classes for kids. Jenny also hooked me up with how to get these classes for F-R-E-E!!!! This is a big blessing. My boys enjoy taking art classes, and I am not the best at supplementing when we can't send them to one. This past week I decided to start strolling the campus during class. I haven't spent much time here at all during our time in AZ and figure I should now that that time is almost up!

There is a crazy story about this chapel. About 100 yds East is a gym where Zachary has had several gymnastics competitions. His first year of competition, I had taken Harrison and Elijah out for a walk during some down time. Apparently there was a college group filming a short movie here. One of the 'producers' approached me about being in it. I decided to listen to him for a minute. He told me, ME, that he wanted me to portray the Pope in his film. I said absolutley 'no', that would be completely distasteful. He tried to re-assure me that it would in fact be tasteful. I don't think so....but still, an interesting story.

This is the entrance to the gym where Zachary has had competitions.

This is just a short walk from the gym. I think it's called 'Palm Way'. I thought it was pretty.

Though they have 'McAlister' spelled wrong :), I still wanted to take a picture. This is on the main drag of campus...or one of them anyway, just off of University Ave

This is the top of the library. You actually walk down steps to get into it, so it's really underground.

Zachary is taking a pottery/ceramics class. They get to use both the pottery wheel and create something from a clay slab. Again, Zachary being a 'doer' really enjoys this kind of art class the most. He still approaches from a logical way, so it's really cool to see some of his creations.

Elijah's teacher is my friend, Jenny. Here, they had just made their own stamps with cardboard and aluminum foil and were getting ready to roll paint on it and stamps away. Elijah loves to draw and create anything. It's an odd day that goes by that he has not made me something. Right now his favorite drawing is of the two of us, with a heart and rainbow!

Harrison concentrates a lot when drawing. I think he likes the emotional release from drawing, and he is always so proud of his work. On this day, his class was drawing an underwater scene. Harrison created a few, new, undiscovered fish!

It's been a while, so this is a long update :)

Sorry it has been a little longer than I'd like for a Polen update. We've been very busy. I can't believe that I am now the mom of a 10 year old!!!! Zachary has put up with me well the past few days. I kept kissing him last night saying saying it was the last time I would tuck him in as a 9 year old....and I was doing it all day today too. (and he is not a touchy feely kinda kid)

So here is a brief overview of our recent happenings:

Here is Harrison on the morning of September 1, opening his present from me and Brian. Brian, as always, found an awesome deal on a little mp3 player. He was very excited......and still wearing his beloved AZ Cardinals jersey!









Later that day I brought cookies for Harrison to share with his friends at his enrichment program in Mesa. Here, his teacher, Mrs. Roland. is getting the class ready to sing to him. Harrison loves having attention on him. When they were singing, he was just kind of dancing around there at the front of the class with a big ol' grin on his face!













Zachary and I are working hard to keep practicing his guitar. The dining room has become the music room (Harrison has his keyboard set up here too). He's a perfectionist and a kid - so he wants it perfect RIGHT NOW!! I can see him improving as he practices more.








In science, Zachary and I had been discussing fossils. Zachary is a doer, so I got some of his play dinosaurs and made them into fossils. This way, he was DOING something pertinent to the lesson while I was reading to him!















When I was going to bed late last week, I was looking in on Harrison and had to stop! Brian, smartly, suggested I take a picture. Yes - he is asleep with his water bottle sitting on his chest!










Zachary had a couple neighborhood buddies over before his birthday. Here is Zachary opening his card from his Wilkins cousins....I just love the face his friend, Jakob, is making behind him! :)















I sent the boys on a scavenger hunt through the neighborhood and then had clues hidden throughout the house. In this picture are Jakob, Zachary, and Nick. Jakob is getting ready to fish out the chlorine holder......and getting ready to fall in!!








On Labor Day, Chick-Fil-A was offering free sandwiches to all who wore something from their favorite sports' team. We proudly wore our Clemson finest (minus Harrison - still in his Cardinals jersey) and enjoyed our sandwiches! Elijah was sitting beside me when I took this picture and did not want to walk around to be in the picture.






My poor Boo-Bear. His eczema just seems to be getting worse. His outbreaks are covering more of his body and they are harder to control. The doctor has him on a pretty strong steroidal cream that stings. He used to cry a lot because of the stinging, but now we've worked on a pattern of blowing and him doing a chicken dance that seem to help! :)

This picture was after we'd gotten it under control and he'd had it for over a week.



Last, but not least, Zachary being just plain weird! He was lying like this on the floor on Tuesday while we were going over some schoolwork.