Jaxon's Sports - Eighth Grade

WOW. Do I have a lot to catch up on. I'm not even sure how I'm going to go about this....it's been so long, but I want to add family pics that will otherwise get lost by the wayside.

Eighth grade was an awesome year for Jaxon. He started at an academically rigorous school called Arizona College Prep. Best thing I ever did for him! I only wish I'd signed him up a year prior when I first toured it. ACP is such a good match for him, he's challenged and surrounded by peers who take their studies as serious as he does. 

While it was a great year for him, it was also extremely challenging not just the academics, but he grew in many areas, and really pushed himself in athletics and socially. He quickly built a good name for himself and was recognized by teachers and coaches as being 'that kid you want to be like'. I know this sounds arrogant, but I'm very pleased with the way he conducted himself in several situations, and what started out as a rough couple of weeks with no friends and a lot of anxiety (for both of us), turned out to be his best year yet.

Besides doing wrestling, he also did cross-country and flag football. My parents made it to several of his cross-country meets which was fun, especially since Kimball was busy with school. 

 The temperature for fall sports was CRAZY as in, flag football in August was 110 + degrees and he handled it like a champ. 

Jaxon didn't make the team at first, but worked his tail off so much during practices, the coaches ended up playing him quite a bit and using him as an example time and time again. It was pretty cool to see. I can't tell you how much my heart sank that first game when I showed up and saw he didn't get to dress. I felt so bad for him, but because of his hard work and determination, he changed all of that! I'm so proud of him!! It is truly a privilege to be his mom.

xo,

Back To School 2012

Jaxon is on the flag football team and is loving it. He grew 9" last year and gained 25 lbs. No wonder he was passing out and having problems due to fast growth.

I felt better knowing Sophia had her big brother Kade to help her get to school and do the whole bus thing. They are too cute. Kade's in 5th grade...can't believe it.

After a week and a half of loving school, loving the bus, loving her teacher and saying she "wasn't doing weekends anymore because school is so fun", Sophia refused to get on the bus or go to school for about four days. Let's just say it was dramatic...there was a lot of yelling tears. She's a stubborn little thing.

After a week of this nonsense, I came up with the idea that she could bring the puppy to the bus stop. She totally went for it and has been fine ever since.

 

Last Day of School 2012

Originally this year Sophia was just going to do preschool at home, but after a few months, I could tell she was totally bored and needed some kids her own age to play with. Luckily Soph's little buddy asked if we wanted to carpool with them, his teacher happened to have an opening. I'm glad we took up on it because Soph (for once in her life) went willingly and loved every second of it.

Sophia was so excited to graduate from preschool, I on the other hand cried like a baby. Seriously, sitting at her graduation I over heard some moms next to me saying how excited they are that their kid would be moving on to all day kindergarten. I spoke up and said I was "totally sad"...followed by teary eyes and then got so embarrassed. So I sat there biting my lip and trying not to lose it. After the ceremony we went out front to take pictures with her teacher and it hit me that we wouldn't be seeing her wonderful sweet teacher any more. As soon as I turned and walked away I totally lost it. Yeah, so crazy...I was kind of emotional for a few days. Sophia's my youngest...the last one. It seems like just yesterday we were rushing to Vegas to pick her up. Our little 'Bundle of Joy'.

As for the boys, they were looking forward to sleeping in, but loved school and knew they'd miss seeing their friends every day. American Leadership Academy was a great school for them as far as friends and standards/morals go, but as for the quality of teachers and academics...not so much. The teachers were all nice and they bought quality curriculum, they just need to have higher standards for hiring teachers. I know some of them were pulled right out of the PTO to teach 7th graders. Or after only teaching a few years were made vice principal. Eeek! I don't say this to bash them, I actually like the administration and teachers, but I am always asked what I think of ALA from friends looking for a school for their kids and I have to be honest. We  gave them three years to get their crap together and it just never happened.  I really regret not pulling them out sooner. Beautiful new building, across from the new Gilbert temple and all that hype, but rather than putting all their money into four new locations, they should focus on the original school in Gilbert and get it up to par before they try growing fast. They also seemed to have no loyalty to their teachers or their parents. Time and time again I heard of teachers quiting due to being under paid and over worked. Kade had three teachers in a five month period. Sad. Seriously disappointed.


On a brighter note, this video is at Sophia's graduation with her class singing songs. She got SO shy as soon as she came in. I couldn't get her to smile or even sing for that matter. Poor girl was SO excited to perform all her songs and then just got too nervous. :)

Summer Camp 2011

And he's off...

to summer camp for three and a half weeks!

I can't believe I survived the goodbye.

Honestly.

I've been dreading it for months...

and to think I managed it without any pills.

Our friend runs a boys service camp in Utah, where the boys work at a ranch and do service around the community, four hours each morning. Then they enjoy over night campouts, hiking, water activities and guest speakers. 

Jaxon's pretty excited about it, I was all kinds of clingy this week...

I may have gone a bit too far when I cautioned him on what to do if he gets an ingrown toe nail. 

Hey! You have to watch out for those things...they can get infected!

I'm pretty sure our friend is tired of my concerned emails and f.b. messages, he promised me he'd treat him like his own, (I know, I know, I'm one of those parents).

Seriously though, I'm excited for him and look forward to his letters and weekly phone calls. I think it's a great opportunity and I know he'll come back all manly and service oriented.

Little Kade also got teary.

It was so cute.

 Of course they had to wrestle it out.

xoxo, 

Drama Mama & Tween Talk

Don't let Little Mama's Sunday dress and smile fool you, she's all drama. She had ballet a few weeks back when we were moving. Between my trips back and forth I didn't have time to go back to the old house for her ballet clothes, so I thought she'd be fine in her cotton tank and shorts. Oh geez was I wrong! Seriously, she cried and cried about it. Who knew she was such a diva!?!? I've created a monster. :)

Then on this particular day, I pulled out her new ballet clothes thinking she'd be all smiles,

and she was until I told her she couldn't wear it with the straps in the front!! This having a daughter thing is kickin' my butt I tell ya! I've changed her nickname to 'Little Drama Mama'.

As for my tween, he had a blast throwing a surprise party for his best friend Thomas. Such a great group of kids...so sad Thomas has to move. :(

That brings us to Kade, he's about half way through his rehearsals for The Adventures of Pinocchio. It will be fun to see him on stage again, he absolutely loves doing plays. He's having a great time dancing, singing and making friends. Today he told me he should just get permanent make-up so he didn't have to bother with it every night. LOL. He has me laughing on a regular basis!

Other summer happenings: The boys and I are reading aloud The Hiding Place, hopefully it will be a good read. I'm also making a list of goals and things we can do to stay busy this summer.

What are you reading this summer?

xoxo,

Weekend Happenings...

First of all, thanks to everyone who's participating in the adoption linky party for Sophia. This weekend she had a birthday sleepover and loved every minute of it. She got a couple new purses, a cell phone and her very own camera...

so basically she's a mini me!!

This adorable shirt is from paperlili, cutest stuff ever.

Soph continues to pull it (and the adorable flame pants) out of the hamper and wear them day after day.

I guess I'll have to sneak a wash in while she's sleeping tonight.

Sophia also got a beautiful quilt from her aunt Amie

and this adorable embroidered animal print blanket from Megan Freeman...so sweet!

It's official...I'm a taxi driver! Who knew I'd spend the majority of my thirties in my Yukon, carting kids around to ortho & doctor appointments, sports and school. I guess it's a 'no brainer' but really until you're the one doing it, you can't fathom what it's like {insert cursing myself for getting rid of my XM radio}. Love the kids, and being a mom, but the amount of time in the car feels like such a waste of time...I can't help but think of all the great books I could be reading or the amount of calories I'm not burning.

So yesterday at church, Jaxon fainted while passing the sacrament. I think he liked it a little too much...all the attention; waking up with a doctor, dentist, a vet and fire fighter at his aide.

After a morning at the doctor's office, lab and pharmacy, I'm pretty certain it will be the asthema (that we thought he'd outgrown). Fingers crossed it's something minor. 

Now I'm off to throw in another load of this

and then head to swim lessons.

Happy Monday!!!

xoxo,

Winter Woes & Little Things

Kade's had a rough week...a really rough week. Monday started off at a 10 and by Tuesday he'd gone to a 1, maaayyybbbee 2.

He was SO excited to get his expander off and braces on....

he thought it'd be glorious.

All the attention,

the instant 'i'm a big kid' factor....

not.so.

Instead he had a LONG appointment and a LOT of pain.

This kid's mouth is so jacked up it requires all kinds of gear.

My favorite Kade quote this week was when he climbed into the car

after his appointment and threw 'said gear' into the car saying...

"Now I've gotta do all this crap!!!"

To make matters worse, he hates school.

Notsomuch hates school but he loves to homeschool.

For those of you that missed it,

as of 2011 the boys are back at their old school.

What's that? I never told you? Well, that's because I'm totally embarrassed that my tween

gets my panties in such a bunch that I refuse to teach him any longer. 

It's all I can do to mother this strong willed child.

Love him to death but paybacks are a (you know what)! :)

Anyhow, it wasn't easy for me to make the decision of sending Kade back too because,

1. He wants to homeschool

and 

2. I want him to homeschool

but after him going it alone last year,

I know how lonely he gets.

It was rough on him especially when we would dropoff/pickup Jaxon

and Kade would see his bff or "only the best aide in the whole entire

WORLD!"

So I sent him back,

against his will.

He's sad about it and I'm sad about it...

so I'm just praying I made the right decision

because I'm well aware this bouncing back and forth

is no good.

Being a parent seems to be kicking my butt this week.

Jaxon tested up 2 levels in math to Algebra.

How that happened I'll never know,

he's super smart but math's never been his best subject.

Anyway, his homework's a beast and he's struggling,

 yet the teacher insists he stay at that level.

Thanks to Big Papa for tutoring him

every.night.

So even with the tears this week,

and the power struggles (with every kid),

I'm reading this

and learning to find joy and happiness in the little things like

family scripture study and

Miss Sophia learning to tie her own robe....

saving me from doing it fifty-seven times a day.

Feel free to give me  a tongue lashing some advice

on how to parent because frankly, I'm not feeling so hot about it!!

Twenty-Ten...A Year In Pictures

Twenty-Ten was a big year for us,

we moved, we traveled, we home schooled, we read a lot of great books together, 

went on many fun hikes and made great memories with family and friends.

We experienced growth...both physical and spiritual.

Sophia was potty trained, learned to write her name, ABC'S, numbers and peddle her bike. She saw the ocean for the first time and survived being away from mom and dad for a whole week.

Kade was baptized, became a scout, a better swimmer and a great reader.

 He played flag football, learned to ride his bike and discovered he loves to hike and cook, Kade excelled in

his studies and completed his second year of home schooling.

Jaxon had a big year too; he turned twelve and became a deacon, read a ton of books on

'how to become an author', worked hard on his math skills, he played flag football, got braces,

was elected mayor at school and along with Kade,  acted in his first play 

The Best Christmas Pagent Ever.

I'm so grateful for all that we've learned and accomplished this year,

I'm off to write down my goals and resolutions for

2011

My Little Pre-Teen

Jaxon at 4 years old                                                                             Jaxon at 12 years old

Where does the time go?

Today Jaxon asked me to teach him how to clip his own fingernails.

I realize they have to grow up some time, but it doesn't make it any easier.

Next he'll want to pick out his own clothes and comb his own hair...OK so I'm

kind of a control freak but I like taking care of them.

FYI: he does shave his own mustache. LOL!

Man Child

Jaxon was very excited to become a Deacon, pass the sacrament, go on monthly camp outs 

and attend the youth activities. Being twleve seems to have opened up a whole new life for him.

Kimball was a stud and went along on his first over nighter to make sure I didn't die of worry. : )

They hiked to Fossil Springs and had a blast staying up until four in the morning.

It was a little difficult and he was sore but he slept under the stars and survived to tell about it.

Twelve Years Old

Twelve short years ago we were given the biggest surprise ever.

You have been such a sweet blessing,

thanks for choosing us

and most of all Jaxon,

thanks for being

YOU.

Happy 12th Birthday!!

Time Marches On...

                                                                   Jaxon fishing with Grandpa 2003

Soon Jaxon turns twelve,

next spring my dad turns seventy,

and so

time marches on...

without my permission.

Join Black and White Wednesday

Creepy Crawlers!

Jaxon with a gecko.

If I survive motherhood with two boys

obsessed with all things creepy...

it will be nothing short of a miracle.

Lately at night, Kimball and the boys go outside to do some scorpion hunting with the black light....YUCK!
It seems that withouth realizing it, I've managed to pass my serious fear of them on to Soph. I wish I'd  read How Children Learn before I wigged out so bad in front of her. I'm not sure I could have stayed calm, but maybe I'd have toned it down a bit. Kimball, Jax and Kade are always trying to get a reaction out of me and they always succeed.

Missing them.

I've been without my boys for nine days and nine nights.

I miss them so much tonight I feel as though my heart will burst.

My only comfort is knowing they are having a blast with their cousins...

in "Terabithia",

building tree houses

and staying up 'till one.

Discussing books and playing far too much Xbox.

I can't believe I agreed to this,

no wonder I had a panic attack the night before we left!

Soph's on the phone with them.

She totally misses them too...

Two more days to go.

Catching my breath!

Well I've been kind of wishy washy in the blog department. I've decided to take a blogging break and focus on more important things for awhile...spend less time on the computer. Life is currently too crazy for me to be rambeling on, so this will be it for a while.

We have sold our home and are moving about 15 minutes south, close to a piece of land we are purchasing. We really want more room to run around and well...breathe! I think we'll build a single story (w/ a basement) to help save on our A/C bill each month. We are also using block that way Kimball and his guys can do as much work as possible. This won't happen for a few years. For now we'll just save up and try and keep riding out this bad economy. I have been looking at the mediterranian/southwestern styles. Sure I love classic designs but I may as well embrace the desert life. I like the picture of the house above but would definitely add a little splash of color here and there.

Sophia has 2 favorite songs right now. Soul Sister by Train and No One by Alecia Keys. She is too funny going around singing in her sweet little soft (and cracky) voice. She makes us play it over and over for her on the car stereo. She is hanging with her new bff Adi nonstop and loves church now. Yay! No more crying at nursery every week.

Jaxon sang in the school talent show last week. He is a hoot! I can't believe how brave he was. He used to be too afraid to sing in public even though he really enjoys singing. His friend at school heard him in music class and told him he had a good voice, that's all he needed to build his confidence. I have to say, he did REALLY good!! By far the best one at the talent show and that's not just a biast mom's opinion, many teachers told him the same thing at school. He belted it out like nobody's business!

Kade has been a good little helper and patient with me on the homeschool front. I'm sneaking in as much as possible, but it will be good to get back to our routine.

Life is good, a little uncertain and stressful, but still good. I have so many blessings that I can't understand how I fell into such a great life. I hope I'll keep sight of what's important and remember to cherish these days with my sweet little ones.

The Results...

Woo Hoo!!

Way to go Jaxon.

You are such a fabulous son...we're so proud of you!

Don't Be A Sucker...

Vote For Jaxon!

Today Jaxon is running for Biz Town Mayor at school.

It's part of the Junior Achievment program.

He wrote a hilarious and smart speech...

entirely on his own.

He's sporting his 'power suit' as Kade calls it.

We assembled these cute bribes handouts

for the voters.

The chances are slim.

His running mate is a sixth grader...

so are 60 of the 72 voters!

No matter how it turns out,

I'm super proud of him.

The Silver Lining

The rain has been crazy this spring, (not the kind of crazy you're thinking of but for AZ standards it's a lot). I'm not complaining...I love it! We went on our 2nd hike and toughed it out in the rain, but had to cancel today's hike...it was just a little too wet. Instead, Kade and I are going on a date to see Diary Of A Wimpy Kid. We had another picnic scheduled for tonight, but it too will have to wait. It's so nice to get a dose of cooler weather before summer hits.

The other day just the boys and I went hiking. It was invasion of the senior citizens. Seriously, there were like 40 of them at the top. They use walking poles and go really slow and take lots of breaks. Being in the midst of that many elderly is like getting a GIANT hug from your favorite grandma. They were so dang cute...discussing fiber and such. Kade referred to them as 'cheek pinchers', he and Jax had me laughing my guts out! I love that my boys are old enough to do fun things with, I'd rather hang out with them than anyone.

Spring break has been fabulous. Having Jaxon around 24/7 has been so fun. The boys are bonding like the good old days and I am cherishing every second of it. They had their first flag football games of the season. Kade's team got creamed and he couldn't have cared less, Jaxon's team lost by one point and he was devastated. It's funny how different their personalities are and yet they get along so good.

I've been listening to The Secret a lot lately. I'm totally convinced our mind is a powerful thing. We can either choose to think positive and feel good, or think negative and slip into a funk...needless to say, I've decided to snap out of my 3 year funk!

We are very excited about our new property. For a few years we will be down sizing, then we'll build on it.

I'm anxious to move even though it's to a smaller home...sometimes less is more.

Dancing With The Stars is back, Celebrity Apprentice is back, the sun is rising earlier...life is good!

Intervention?

At some point I should probably intervene,

 but it is spring break

and you're only a kid once.

They'll eventually need food,

and water,

and sleep.

thinking out loud...kinda, sorta

i'm learning...

to worry less and breathe more.

i find...

blogging therapeutic.

i discovered...

my fifth grader held hands with a girl. 

i'm ok...

because it's shakespeare.

i'd worry...

if he liked it, & since he does (i practice breathing).

i've surrenedered...

to my battle with Soph.

i don't care...

if she wants to sleep in the hall.

i preferred...

to sleep in the hall as a child (funny huh)?

i'm finished...

with beth's book.

i'm saying...

so long insecurity.

i'm loving...

my new roxy flip flops.

i'm clinging...

to my comfy hoodies.

i have...

mixed feelings about the weather changing.

i'm annoyed...

with the olympics.

i'd rather...

we spend billions feeding the hungry.

i no longer...

feel guilty sneaking out for a run.

i don't just...

want 'me time' i need it.



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