seventh day of 7th grade

The middle of the middle. Sandwiched between 6th and 8th grade. Middle school!

It is a perfect place for Jack to be! Not much drama here-If there is a problem he's got a solution, and he is not going to take long to fix it. Homework? Either got it finished or is working on it. Diligent is a great word to describe Jack right now. 
If I were to ask Jack what he thought was great about school he would probably say he loves finally having a locker. If I asked him what was not so great he would probably say he missed his friend that moved away.(I'll check with him later today and see if I am right!)

Survey says ... back to school edition 2012-2013

I love the survey's we do on the first and last day of school. I just went through all of them- It is so fun to see how each child has changed over such a short period of time. Even their penmanship!
Here are just a highlights from the first day of school 2012 surveys.

Savanna-10th grade

What did you wear today? 

My red pleated dress from the Trunk Hippie road show. My dad really likes it. 

(I do too, it is like it was made for her!)

If I could change one thing about my first day it would be:

I would like to have had a longer lunch period. I wish I had more classes with certain friends.

My favorite thing about summer was:

I LOVED  getting to go so many places! I stayed really busy!

My least favorite thing from summer was:

I didn't finish my summer reading list or my summer bucket list.

When I grow up I really want to:

Be a music teacher and a photographer.

What do we need more of in the world and what do we need less of?

More friendly, outgoing people. More color! Less awkward silences. Less homework.

Jack- 7th grade

What is great about being in 7th grade?

Having a locker.

I think my favorite class will be:

Art.

If I could change one thing about my first day it would be:

Keaton being here.

(I'm sad for you too.)

My favorite thing from summer was:

Photos.

My least favorite thing was:

Chores.

When I grow up I really want to:

Be some form of artist.

What do we need more of in the world and what do we need less of?

Kinds of art          war

(I love how all of Jack's answers are very to-the-point-one-word answers.)

Luke- 4th grade

I think my favorite subject will be:

Science

I am not looking forward to:

Math

One goal I am setting for myself this year is:

More A.R. points.

(that is going to be tough- but I am sure you will succeed!)

My favorite thing from summer was:

Swimming

My least favorite thing from summer was:

Heat

What do we need more of in the world and what do we need less of?

More happiness, less unhappiness

Anything else?

I'm upstairs this year!

(I am so glad this is exciting for you- moving up!)

Tucker- Kindergarten

What did you get to do on your first day of school?

Got to have a tiny party and stay in school all day. We had lunch in the cafeteria.

What was great about your new classroom?

Our cubbies were hidden! (where were they?) I can't tell you.

I think this year I will learn:

When we get in our room we start playing.

(hmm- I think there will be some adjustments!)

Something I am looking forward to this year is:

Getting the playground in

If I could change one thing about my first day it would be:

Having the playground in

My favorite thing about summer was:

swimming

My least favorite thing was:

the hotness

What do we need more of in the world and what do we need less of?

I don't want any floods.

Anything else?

My teacher was going to call you. I was sort of mad in the middle of school. The helper was giving me a lot of orderings. My teacher should be the one to do it. 

(Oh boy.)

End of the year 6th grade choir concert

This is Jack's last year with his choir teacher. Because our elementary and middle and high school are so close together the 6th grade choir is still taught by the same teacher as the elementary. She has done a fabulous job. I feel so thankful that she has given our kids such a wonderful music education.
She has passed on her love of music to them as well.

The last song that the kids sang was the Hallelujah chorus. I love hearing it sung. I love it even more hearing a group of 6th graders sing it. I love that every time Jack sings it from now on he will sing his part instead of just the melody. I love when this song is sung that everyone rises to their feet. I love the chills it brings me. I love how I can hear those around me singing, and that I just can't help but join in too.

Easter

Our Easter was memorable- We did the things we normally do to celebrate Easter, and added some new things. Some things went just fine, and others didn't go so well.

This (and the following instructions on her blog) is what one of our added things was supposed to look like. But instead it grew mold. I didn't even bother with the pictures of that.

I tested gravity to make sure all laws still applied.


They do.

This is a resurrection cookie that we make every year. I had a hard time finding the recipe. So I got off to a rough start. I added everything in the wrong order- and started mixing at the wrong time. But after the kids went up stairs I did a quick re-do of the dough and we put them in the oven overnight just like we were supposed to.

The idea is that in the morning when you open the oven, the tomb- the cookies are supposed to be hollow, empty inside. But not this year!

So after that- we all just laughed and finished our Easter prep ... our family was speaking and doing some of the music in Sacrament meeting. I don't think I have ever been so thankful for late 2:00 church. We enjoyed a simple Easter brunch with my Mom and then finished our preparations.

Savanna sang All Creatures of Our God and King and it was beautiful. I don't say that just because I am her mother. It really was beautiful. I just sat and took it all in- afraid to blink or shed a tear for fear I would miss a note.

Jack gave a most heartfelt talk and testimony about Christ. I love that he took it so seriously and had it prepared a head of time. I am thankful for his devotion.

Luke played his own version of As I have loved You on the piano. He sat down that week and taught himself by ear chords to go along with the melody in his mind. I am thankful he agreed to play and when it was time he willingly got up and played.

And Tucker helped by being semi-reverent. He sat part of the time down in the pews with my Mom, and part of the time with us up on the stand.


I cried through most of my talk- and Jay spoke with ease. We all felt relieved to have it over, but also very thankful to have been able to speak on Easter. We were asked a few weeks ago, and it gave us ample time to ponder what we felt like we needed to study and speak about.

We subbed out a traditional Easter dinner for simple appetizers. It was a great end to a beautiful day.

6th day of 6th grade

Jack the Scout

Jack received his Tenderfoot in Scouts and then I received my pin!


I so appreciate all the work that Scout leaders do. Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. A lot of the leaders don't have sons in Scouts and they show up prepared to teach the boys. I am thankful for that.

I am thankful for the older boys setting an example for the younger boys. Tucker loves to watch Jack and Luke at scouts and wants to do what they do!

I am thankful for the work that Jack puts into his scouting. He is diligent. He works at the things he needs to do. I am thankful that he is helping us learn about the Boy Scout program. By the time Tucker is in Boy Scouts I just might have things figured out!

Huggage

There are those moments that make you melt. A moment that makes you forget all the other rotten, terrible, no good moments of the day. Moments that you are so thankful that you have a camera ready. Because seriously. You can't pose this stuff.

A few of my favorite things..

Yesterday was our kids Primary Program. I had the fun of being a Mom watching my kids, and helping all the kids sing their songs. It is always an anticipated Sunday. The Primary kids are so cute, and you never are sure what is actually going to happen.

Here are a few of my favorite things from yesterday ...
Some have photos, some don't.

I watched with admiration as Luke stood up with his class and said his part without any problem. I wasn't worried that he couldn't do it. It was more of a matter of IF he would do it. Anytime this last year that he is asked to get up in front of a group he is too scared. Like really scared. Yesterday he did it.

Having Jay take Tucker down from the stand (to avoid a train wreck about to happen) and corralling, wrestling, whispering and struggling with him for the rest of the meeting. I made a mental note to enjoy his help.

Getting to lead the kids in a song that Jack accompanied on the piano. It all went so smoothly that I forget Jack was the one playing! Afterward I told him how proud I was and he said, "I prayed."
I found this from a friends blog. She turned to offer him a word of encouragement and this is what she saw ...
"His eyes were closed, his hands were clasped, and his lips were forming the words of a silent prayer. I was so touched. Here, a ten year old knew the power of prayer and that he could ask for help to play his song. Suffice it to say, I turned around and walked away without saying anything, realizing that he was getting more help from God than I would have been able to offer."

Listening to each child stand up and say that they knew that they were loved by the Savior. I felt of their love.

Watching kids that just joined us over the last few months and weeks, and how they just fit right in.

Singing our hearts out all day!

Then the anticipated cutting off the Bishoprics ties!

We did this last year with the Primary and told the kids we would do it again. At the very end of Primary we had the Bishopric come in and all the kids got to take a turn to cut off a piece of their ties. (great cutting ties purchased off of ebay-by a member of the Bishopric!)

The men have just as much fun as the kids! It is almost a tradition ...

Then the last little sweet thing for the day ...

There had been a surprise of cupcakes for all the kids. It was a fun surprise! Except for Luke who has been off of sugar for the last week and a half and still has about another week to go.

(That deserves it own blog post probably!)

Anytime that we know there is going to be food handed out somewhere (school or church) we have been able to help him by offering alternatives of either a snack of some kind or a non edible treat, like a date with dad, or a trip to the library, or getting his legos back, etc. While the kids ate their cupcakes I took Luke out in the hall and we worked out a good alternative.

I had a few people apologize, and really there was no fault or blame. How is everyone supposed to keep up with the dietary restrictions of one child? That is my job. I just wasn't prepared for it.

But after church a darling teenager called. Her Mom had been telling her Dad about Luke. She overheard and gave us a call and wanted to make Luke his own special treat. She just happens to be off of sugar and had been compiling recipes of desserts. She also wants to go into the culinary arts. A win for us! She made and delivered the sweetest treat for Luke. We were so touched by her thoughtfulness and Luke thought it was pretty cool too!

5th day of 5th grade (yesterday

What We did on Spring Break-2

While Grandma and Savanna went shopping ...

The boys and I headed to the mountains.

We took Grandpa along.

Luke was so excited to try and climb a mountain.

The kids put that coon skin hat to good use!

Silly Mom did not think to bring Luke a coat.

All the boys tried to climb the mountain.
When we got home, Tucker would tell people how he tried to climb a mountain but couldn't.

Between Jay and I, we took lots of photos.
Funny thing: we thought my lens was broken. I could only manually adjust the lens, and even then it was really hard to turn.

A few days later I was adjusting it and all of a sudden the lens made a cracking sound, and it worked again! (Maybe I had a piece of food stuck in it- a dried piece of dough perhaps?)

This sounds so ordinary to write, but it was beautiful.
I think the sky in Colorado is such a brilliant blue. Even more so the higher we got.

I loved sharing it with all the boys.
Tucker tried and tried to climb that mountain (as well as Luke) but just could not. I wish we had recorded all the cute things he said about being up there. Even though I can't remember the words I can still feel how cool it was to share his excitement and wonder. It makes my smile.