Memorial Weekend

Grandma Alaina and Grandpa Dennis love the tradition they have set to spend this ONE weekend together with their 6 kids and all the grand kids. But of course it really never works that EVERYone actually comes... Well we all do our best to come and they always have fun things planned and activities for each day. Saturday we were going to go to their house and play in the yard and have a water fight and water games...but Mother Nature ruined that plan, so instead we went to Eric and Barb's church and played games, EVEN grandpa played - I got pictures, but they are not good because they were taken with my phone. We played soccer, kick ball and basketball. We had a lot of fun, but Egan and his family didn't make it to Saturday's activities (he had just gotten home from Afghanistan) - neither did Stockton, he was out of town with a friend, and Brock was playing in a tournament. Then we went to Barnes park and fed the ducks and played at the park, then went to their house and ate and played there for a while. Then Sunday we have dinner together and watched a movie, the kids just play and have a great time. They never are all together, so it is nice to see them be with cousins. Grandma had gift bags with yo-yo's and all kinds of fun things and they LOVED it. Monday they all went to the Bountiful pool, but our family went out on the boat- we just HAD to. Sara went with grandpa and the other kids to the pool - it was a great weekend too bad the weather wasn't great, OH WELL - we are looking forward to SUMMER!

Stockton Working Hard to Get A's

Holy crap or Holy Hell (which ever)! That is all I can say about school for Stockton this year. He has done really well in school through out his jr high years. He has only gotten a few B's and the rest have been A's (many have been A-'s). Now that he is a freshman, his grades actually COUNT! So the poor kid has been drilled over and over again how important his grades are and that he needs to get excellent grades, he has been told "you have to provide for a family" so much, he may NEVER get married! He has had to work his butt off, each term he had oral presentations and project after project (I was overwhelmed, but he did GREAT). He took all honors classes: English, Geography, Earth Systems, Chinese 2, Geometry, all of these are the highest level you can take at his school and he has had so many projects EVERY term. The final term he had to do 5 major projects in JUST English (dang Mr. Carter-just kidding, we love him)- when he had to choose, he thought it would be easier to make a Shakespearean dress than to write a 4 page research paper? I am SURE that Grandma Alaina would disagree. Since I do NOT sew, we had to have grandma come, she had to show him how to do EVERYTHING. He cut out the material and then zig zagged around the edges, so it would fray. He worked on that for a couple of days, then grandma came back and they started to piece it together. She was so patient and he was a good student. It took hours and hours and hours and over $100! But he got an A and lots of extra credit for doing such a great job! He got a 4.0 his last term and I was so proud of him and all the work he did to get it!

Thee GREATEST Place in Utah

Crazy thing....I went on vacation alone AGAIN! I know, it is starting to become a habit. But at least the last trip was a girls trip, NOT this one! Brad and I were invited by the Garrett's to go to Lake Powell with couples, but Brad is on a huge project with work and he was not able to get off, so I told Angie that we couldn't go :( A few weeks later, she came and said she wanted to invite Lynette, but she knew that Lynette wouldn't go as a single person, so she thought I should go and Lynette and I would be a couple, so I ran it past Brad and he said, "Sure, go for it!" Have I said that I have the sweetest, best husband EVER? So I went! The plan was that Brad would come down for the weekend but that didn't happen either, too many things going on with the kids. So he stayed home and I went and played. We had so much fun. The Garrett's, Jardine's, Vest's, Searle's, Lynette and I! The weather was B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L. 80 degrees, sunny-not a cloud in the sky and on an occasion a slight breeze, until Friday and then we thought the houseboat would tip over?!? The water was freezing but I couldn't get in anyways. We had a lot of fun, just hanging out and we relaxed. Thanks - once again to the Garrett's!

My friend, Lori, SHE DID IT!

Lori, is my neighbor and one of my BFFs! She was a track star in high school and got a full scholarship to college running track. She brags: she was in the paper weekly, she was the state champion, BLAH BLAH BLAH! She is also the sweetest and doesn't like attention, so when she says this it is too funny!! She was talked into running the Ogden Marathon by Stacy Strong, and she has been training for 5 months. She complained the entire time. She said it was like a part-time job! When the date started to get closer, she would say, "it makes me sick to my stomach to think about"....BUT SHE DID IT! I have never even been to a marathon, but it was awesome! The people who run those?- WOW! It was inspiring! I sat by the 25 mile mark and cheered for people I didn't even know! And then when I saw my friend...IT WAS SO EXCITING! Her kids ran the last mile with her and it was fun to go to the finish line and see them! It was so great! WAY TO GO LORI!

Sometimes I Just Could BEAT the Kid and Then??

Stockton said he was going to give me the thumbs up so I was ready, so was the school photographer, it was in the school newletter too!

He and Dr. Hadlock

Stockton has a lot of pressure on him being the oldest child in the family. Not only because Brad and I are dumb parents and we don't know what we are doing -(he is the experiment) but he also places pressure on himself (which we often tell him to loosen up). We have a few things that are required and expected at our house...1. Always trying your hardest at EVERY thing you do. 2. You must take some kind of music lesson. With rule #1 comes lots of great things, Stockton excels in school (taking all honors classes), he got his Eagle at an early age, etc.... rule #2 is the difficult thing for him at this point in life! He has taken piano lesson since he was 8, he has gone through 3 teachers - now when I say through - I mean, he doesn't like it and he basically makes their life HELL! But we feel that piano is important (he could have chosen another instrument?), we just keep paying and he REALLY is good, he learns so fast and each teacher says "if he would practice, he could be so good" over and over we have heard this, but he does JUST enough to get by. SO I got this e-mail from the piano teacher, I have already told everyone about it so as embarrassed as I am...I am still posting it!

Hey Kim....

Hope you are feeling better! Stockton, is not doing well with lessons right now. He seemed to be doing ok right before Festival and I'm not sure what is going on but private lessons have taken a dive and Theory class yesterday and also last month have been problems with his behavior. He is a bit disrespectful to me, heckles my comments under his breath, and doesn't want to participate, and clearly doesn't want to be here. That makes the positive and upbeat mood I am trying to set with the rest of the 10 students (including your cute girls...who really are trying to learn difficult. He has not had his class materials at any of his lessons since Festival, and I feel badly taking your money. Talking with him might do some good, but I'm not sure....I just think maybe a break? I don't know?
Let me know what you think ok! I'll do whatever you you want me too! Thanks for all you do!

HOLY CRAP! So can you take him to boarding school for me?

I tell people about the e-mail and they LAUGH because it goes so much against his nature!

And then the same day I get the invitation to the Awards night at the school. Stockton has been on the high honor roll, every term throughout jr. high except 2....and the one was last term, he was on it when we left for Hawaii and when we got home after the term ended 1 grade went down and he missed it by .2! He has been on the citizenship honor roll almost every term too. 8th grade hurt him, he had a horrible science teacher! We went to the awards night and he was not only honored for academics but for athletics also.

So sometimes I feel so proud and other times....I could knock him upside the head?

He also ran track this year at the jr. high for the first time. He had a lot of fun, he did well. He went to district and he fell on the hurdles, so he got last and he did great in the 400 meters! But he went in 2 events and he had a great time.