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.

Dance Competition Season

This year we did 4 competitions instead of 3. And since I am NOT a morning person and we had to be in Provo at 8 AM on a Saturday morning...we decided to go to Provo and stay in a hotel and play with friends and make a mini-vacation out of it. Lori, Brinley and Sam came with us and the Rice family. The kids swam and we had a fun time. The Adams' came to the dance competition and sat for 4-5 hours...that is true friendship!

Basketball with the FALCONS!

Wow it is hard to believe that Stockton will go to high school next year?!? What happened to the time? He will be going to the same high school Brad and I went to, which is funny (we didn't move far from home)! It is open enrollment and he thought about going to other high schools, Layton or Syracuse, but we said lots of prayers and Clearfield is where he is going. He has been playing basketball with kids that will all be going there. He went and didn't know 1 kid, and he has made new friends and they have done really well in the league. (Nikko is going to be on the team too but he didn't play because he had wrestling with the jr. high team) They were undefeated until the last game, and they had beat the team earlier in the league and only tried about the last minute and the other team made a buzzer beater shot to beat them. He was excited because -the coach after the game, asked him and one other kid to come and play some scrimmage game with the older team against some of the other schools. He is looking like his dad wearing the falcon jersey?

Another Bowling Year Gone

I have been bowling for the past 4 years and it is fun to go with friends. The first year, we were not very good, but the second year...it came down to the last game to see if we got first place or not (we didn't), 3rd year- we finished middle of the bowling league and THIS YEAR- DEAD LAST! Don't most people get better, the longer they play? NOT! But each week, we talk and try to solve our own problems and sometimes the world's problems....and we look forward to every Thursday morning 9:30. I love my team - Char and Lori, but I love all of our friends who we see each week and now the new friends we've made over the years.

I am Baaacccckkk!

I haven't blogged since Hawaii, which I got home exactly 1 month ago TODAY, and frankly I have been depressed since I have been home. I know its pathetic but I really have hated to be home. It has been snowing and raining here with just teases of sunny, warm days. But I am going on and I am going to get OVER it and be happy with Utah and mother natures idea of spring and I will go back and blog about the past month that has gone by and I haven't acknowledged yet?!? The past week has been a curse and a blessing. CURSE because I had surgery, and it was one that I don't want to talk too much about, a little sadness but a BLESSING because I have the best family and friends of any person on this EARTH! When you are down, people who REALLY love you - help you and let me tell you -I have had all the help I have needed! Dinners, treats, visits, and support of all kinds! On top of that Sara had to do a hero paper and this was it:

My Hero

My hero is Mom. My Mom, Kim is my hero because she's

loving, caring, and she helps me. Mom just had Surgery.

Everyday I went to see her. She can't walk very good.

Mom is my best friend.

Mom and me do everything together. We go to movies and

read together. We go get slurpies at 7-11. We bake cookies

together. She spends time with me and I know she loves

me.

She is my hero because she's my mom!

By: Sara Larsen

OOOOHHHH yeah! Its the simple things they love. She is right I do love her! How sweet is that? I love it and I hope I can always be her hero. Thank you to everyone who help us this week.

The joys of getting old.

Today I had surgery. I had a hysterectomy and a bladder repair. When I told my kids I was having my bladder fixed they were sad, because they find JOY in making my pee my pants. This isn't something I want to blog about but it is a HUGE part of my life that is now done and over. I had a few crazy things that happened, the worst part is when the breathing tube was put in, it must have pinched a nerve because my lower lip is completely numb. I asked a friend, who worked for an anesthesiologist and she said it just may take months to come back. WTHeck? It feels like I have been to the dentist and it is numb, it drives me CrAzY! The next weird thing is, where they put in the IV, it must have bled out I got a bruise and it lasted 2 weeks on my wrist. The recovery was good and I feel good. I know I will be happy when the full recovery is over :) Brad thought we needed a picture and we needed to blog and remember this time of life,(he could only give me 1 day because of his work schedule.) The thing that I do want to remember is the kindness that was shown to me and my family. I didn't want the ward to know because there are so many other families in need, and I didn't want to bother people. So even without the ward help, we had meals for 7 full nights! That is amazing! I have the very best friends and neighbors a person could ask for. I got gifts and baskets of goodies. It was humbling to receive such acts of service in my behalf. I have great people in my life.

The 4th Grade Program....

At the elementary school, each grade has does the same program based on what they have studied for that year, and when it comes to the 4th grade program, we LOVE it. It is the only program that I will be sad to never see again. I guess I will go when the younger neighbor kids perform it, because YES it is that good! In the 4th grade they learn about the state of Utah - so the program is about the explorers that came through and the pioneers. It gives me the chills each time I see it. The 4th grade teachers are the BEST! Mrs. Spencer is an excellent teacher, she is strict yet she builds their self esteem. She is the only teacher that I have had for all the kids and if I had more kids I would fight to get her again, SHE IS THAT GOOD! Sara learned all about Tooele county and she did lots of research, to build the float, make a map and an entire packet on this county. In the program, she was a pioneer. She did an awesome job! She sang her guts out. I was far away so the pictures aren't the best :(

Easter Weekend

Easter, this year is a bit bitter sweet...it was my grandma's 2nd favorite holiday. We used to go to her house on Easter Sunday with my cousins and their kids for dinner and an egg hunt, but this year was not quite the same :( This year on Saturday, we met my mom and Scott and the Anderson's at the Pizza Factory for a little lunch, then we went to Grandma and Grandpa's to color eggs. Stockton and Brock stuffed the plastic eggs with money (like Grandma Ethel used to do- she spent weeks getting things ready, she would put balloons, $ and candy in her eggs) while the little kids colored eggs. I did make Stockton color at least one egg. Then on Sunday morning, the kids found their eggs, baskets and dresses. We didn't have church because it was General Conference, but it was a nice way to spend Sunday. I love all the holiday's but the reason I love Easter is because my grandma taught me to love it too! (like Christmas) She made every holiday fun and made them all such a big deal.