State Science Fair

Remember all those eggs?  Remember that post awhile back about district science fair?  Yup, Caleb is awesome and was able to advance to State Science Fair!  He was so happy, and he told me that all week the only thing that helped him be excited for school was looking forward to state at the end of the week.  He is a great kid.

 It started out early in the morning.  But he popped right out of bed and got ready.  I even made him a new robot bow tie for the occasion.  Everyone deserves nice things sometimes.

 He was at school bright and early for them to bus him down to BYU.  He worked hard on getting his presentation right and trying to remember everything.  We even redid his poster and journal, just to make it better.  It is weird sending your child off somewhere, without you, and hoping that all goes good for him.

 Haley and I were going to go see him at lunch time.  They were feeding the students pizza for lunch, but I knew Caleb had soccer practice that night and might need something on the trip home.  So, me (being a crazy, dork mom) came up with this "brilliant" lunch idea!  Put all his foods in plastic easter eggs.  Get it?  Eggs, egg science fair project....I am cheesy and cool.

 We got down there and he was happy.  He said he had been nervous and forgot a few things, but overall felt good with his judging.  He got a lot of time to read his book because he was judged last of all in his group.  But he did not mind that.  He also did not mind going on the mini ropes course 4 times.  He loves stuff like that.  He was also very happy that he won one of the door prizes, this cool puzzle that you work with marbles and stuff.  Very brainy and fun.

 None of this could have been done without terrific teachers to help and support and teach.  Mrs. Wilson has never taught Caleb but was there at the science fair.  However, Señor Bertoch taught Caleb last year and he is AMAZING!  Senor Bertoch is such a fun teacher that really engages the kids.  But he also cares about them and really tries to help each student succeed.  Such a great experience for Caleb to go through.  Although he did not advance, sadly, he was happy with what he did accomplish.  Another thing that Caleb was happy about is that his project can really apply to everyday life and has already helped his dad.  Grandpa Terry even tried it out and it worked for him too.

So, even though he did not advance, he still got his favorite dinner.  What is even cooler about this picture.  Look.  One very tired kid, after a really long day, with his favorite dinner, doing his homework for the next day.  He is AWESOME!

Moving up in Scouts

Last night was a very cool night for Peter and William.  We had pack meeting for scouts and each of the boys were given some important advancements.

Peter received his Arrow of Light!!!  Such a great accomplishment!  It takes a lot of work and time to learn everything to advance from Cubs Scouts to Boy Scouts.  With the help of terrific leaders and time on our part, he accomplished everything he needed.  In fact, he earned more electives that are required, just because he is that cool.  Sister Kuene, his den leader said she always enjoyed having Peter in her den because he was so "easy going and helpful."  He is such a great kid.  Not only that, but the transition into Boy Scouts (so far) has not been too bad.  Peter has really stepped up to the plate and show responsibility in getting his scout homework done and having a pretty good attitude about it all.  Yeah!

Here we are with Sister Kuene.  She has such a great personality that really helped Peter feel welcomed in the troop and also helped Peter want to go to scouts.  

 William also received a rank advancement, he earned his Wolf.  Love this boy!  And he really enjoys scouts.  He also has some great leaders that plan fun activities.  Plus, William has a broad range of interests, so it helps him learn a lot of things in scouts.

 We had lots of family support there at pack meeting.  All 3 sets of grandparents came to support the boys.  What a great feeling of love and support they have around them.

We cannot forget the terrific leaders they have to back them up.  The man with the walking stick is the Cub Scout leader, he has such a great love and dedication to each of the boys. The two other men are Peter's Boy Scout leaders, and they will help him learn a lot.  On ward and upward, for new things to learn and a lot of time and work ahead.

Remembering blessings

So, the last couple of weeks have been filled with prayers and thankfully, those prayers were answered and they really helped our family.
First off, Rob.  No photo of him but he has had some prayers answered over the past few weeks.  I cannot speak personally if the prayers we have offered have helped him in work, I hope so though.  But I do know that our prayers for him to get better when he was sick worked out.

Diedre; well, I can definitely say, I am grateful for the body I have been given that is able to bounce back and deal with pain.  Last week sometime, we were passing out flyers for Scouting for Food.  Dangerous business, people.  I was merely walking up some cement stairs to hang a flyer on the door, I guess I misjudged the height of the step because before I knew it, I rolled my ankle on the stair and you could tell it had a bump.  There was more work to be done, and I could still walk on it, so William and I finished the route and when I got home I grabbed some ice and started elevating it.  OH, I also said a few dozen prayers that my foot would not be broken.  Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers.  By the next day my foot was still tender, only a tiny bit swollen but I could get around on it.  No break, only a minor sprain.  I have had friends and family go through the same thing recently.  Only their ankle/foot was broken.  I am sure they were praying for only a sprain, no major injury.  I cannot say why sometimes things work out for only minor problems/inconveniences and other times Father in Heaven wants us to go through a bit more.  I can say that I am so thankful for the blessing of having a foot I can walk on, and being able to recognize the blessing of prayer and faith in our life.

Caleb; cool awesome man.  Two weeks ago he woke up at 3am with MAJOR stomach pains!  He could not sleep, he could not find rest or relief.  We prayed, he threw up, we tried to rest as best we could.  Did I mention prayer?  The entire 2 and half hours he was in pain I did not stop praying.  Finally, call it an idea or inspiration, I thought to go grab some Alka Seltzer and see if it would help.  He was tough and drank it, even though it was "nasty."  About 20 minutes later, he was able to sleep. Ahh, blessed sleep.  He woke up the next morning, he still felt exhausted and icky, but the pains were gone.  Turns out, he passed something on to Haley, Peter, William and Rob....but we survived.  One other blessing to mention, his good attitude and never giving up.  Soccer has been different this season, maybe not as much keeper. But he is still giving it his all and doing so good out there on the field.  Not to mention the fact that he has pulled straight A's for the 3rd term this year!  Wow, a lot of work on his part, patience on parent's part, and terrific teachers to help him along the way.  Those teachers are definite blessings.

 Peter, man this boy has a good heart!  Like I mentioned, Peter got Caleb's weird stomach thing.  No major cramps or pain, just throwing up and feeling yucky.  But he handled it like a champ.  He was back at school the next day and I am so thankful that I was able to rely on prayer and know that Father in Heaven would watch over him while I could not be with him.  Also, he is doing so good with this Boy Scout role.  He may not want to do it, may not want to go to the meetings, but he has stepped up and really been responsible.  He chose the chore of unloading the dishwasher, BLESSING!  Plus, he has randomly comes up to me and offers any help at dinner time, help with laundry, or help with Haley.

William, got the stomach bug, but with prayer and help from Rob, he made it through the rough part.

What else is an unknown blessing?  He fights me every single morning in getting ready for school, but somehow he gets up and is ready.  He has not been late to school once this year.  Also, he is working through his, "I do not like church" phase.  Slowly but surely, we are getting this sweet little boy back to happy when it comes to church.

Haley, got sick - but it was UGLY!  When she was sick, we are talking throw up every stinking half hour!  NOT EVEN KIDDING!  She and I were up all night long, and when her body finally said it did not have anymore, she was able to sleep for an hour at a time, before waking up to dry heave.  Ugly details, but the truth.  The blessing, she made it in the tupperware every time, no big messes to clean up.  The other thing I want to remember, at 11 pm, when I was downstairs getting a heat pack ready and just praying - I remember praying that it would just be taken away.  Just make her better instantly.  But at like 12:30am, I started realizing, it could be worse.  At least we were not in a hospital.  At least we were managing it ok.  At least there was nothing horribly wrong.  Sure, it was no fun!  But I just started holding her and asking that somehow, we would be able to get a little sleep and relief.  My prayers had changed, but I had also realized to look at things a little differently.  We made it through.  She got better.  The next night we went through this scary dream time, where I was just as worried about her as when she was throwing up.  But again, with a priesthood blessing and love, she was able to sleep and feel better.  Now she is back to princesses, soft cute stuffed animals and sleeping well.
So thankful for how life is rolling right now.  Not perfect, but trying to remember to be thankful for the moments that are good.

8th Grade Science Fair - Testing a Mother's Patience

No, really that was not the science fair project.  But, testing a mother's patience, should be remembered from this science fair.  However, the project did entail boiling eggs.....

 and seeing which additive would yield the best shelled egg.

 Did we mention, lots of eggs were used in the project?  Lots

Well, it was judged at the school level.  He did so well that he went to District Science Fair!!  Woohoo!  Go Caleb!  So, yesterday began part 2 of the science fair project.  Title:

Testing A Mother's Patience

Hypothesis; A mother has unending love and patience for her children

Materials; lots of eggs, lots of time, patience, children and science fair board

Procedure:  The test of patience began in doing the project.  Realizing that the teacher bumped up the due date for the project by a week and we had to get supplies sooner that expected.  Patiently encouraging Caleb to stay on top of all this with all the other homework and soccer was another test in a Mother's Patience.  But the eggs got boiled and shelled.  The board got done and turned in on time.  Whew!

This is where it gets fun.  You see, Caleb was notified last week (before the soccer tournament) that his project (the eggs) was moving on to district.  So awesome!  He would have a meeting on Tuesday after school about what to do.  Tuesday came, meeting happened, Caleb came home saying that district was tomorrow (Wednesday) and we were to go to South Jordan Middle (10200 S.) at 4pm to be judged.  He said that his science teacher would take the board to the school for him and all he had to do was show up with his presentation ready.  Great!

Wednesday.....round 2x25 of a Mother's Patience.  We showed up at the school, on time.  Whew!  But there was no board.  Caleb and I were starting to worry.  But another teacher informed us that Señor B. had gone back to the school to get more board.  Ok.  Did I mention that the school is on 7500 S. and the district science fair is on 10200 S.  That is 10 miles to go back and forth.  But we patiently waited for Caleb's board to show up.  We are getting worried.  At 4:25pm Señor B. shows up, WITHOUT Caleb's board!  AUGH!!!  Señor B. said he did not know he was supposed to bring the board, as he was taking off his lanyard to give me the keys to the school and his room, so that I could go pick up the board.  Really?  Haley and I dashed to the truck, judging had begun and Caleb did not have his board.  It was up to Haley and I to go back to the school, get in the school, find the board in the teacher's closet and dash back to the science fair in time for Caleb to be judged!  We did it!  I found the board, jammed in the teacher's closet with a bunch of other cardboard boxes.  We hurried back to 10200 S. to get Caleb his board so that he could present and judge.  WHEW!  What a test of Haley's patience.  She sweetly helped the whole time, without too much complaining.  After all was said and done we had driven 30 miles round trip (3 trips back and forth from the school) and Caleb was successful.  The judge did have to tell him to breath during his presentation (he was really nervous as first, a rocky way to start district).  The judge however did tell him that she learned a lot and he had done a great job!

Results and Conclusion:  A Mother's Love never ends.  Her children can push her to a breaking point, but the love keeps coming.  A Mother's Patience can be tested, and pushed past breaking point.  Trust me people, there were a few ugly moments along the way.  Moments where I broke, and showed the "psycho" mom side of me.  But we all succeeded!  Caleb got his science fair board, he went to district and he came out with a smile.  Haley was a supportive and patient sister.  Mom pulled through and is willing to help with anything.  Finally, A Mother's Patience will always be tested, hopefully I learn to have more as we go along.

St. George; Fun and Wet

So, this past weekend our family took a trip down to St. George for the Icebreakers Tournament, a soccer tournament for Caleb (round trip: 770 miles!).  But, as with any vacation, we had other stuff on the side.  Different things that should be remembered.  I would say, 4 different chapters to our mini-vacay.  But before we get to that, our trip there was is worth remembering.  Haley and Peter were recognized at school as being the top readers of their grade for the reading contest.  They were very excited!  As we drove to St. George everyone did pretty well. But it was a long trip and Haley at one point lost patience and needed some sleep.  Fortunately, we got past that and arrived happily in St. George.

Chapter 1, plants:

With any vacation we have my kids look for any plants to play with on our down time.  This trip was no different. Soon after we arrived at our motel in St. George the kids went to explore the area close by and soon came back with different plants and berries, got out paper plates and started their games.  It sounds funny, but give them some plants and pipe cleaners and they can have a great time together.

This is what keeps Peter happy away from home.

Chapter 2, St. George Temple:

We figured it would be a good chance for Caleb to visit the St. George Temple while we were so close.  He went with Rob, the evening that we arrived, before all the games began.  It was a good experience for him, a nice time to focus on what matters.

On Sunday after church the other kids got to go walk around the temple as well.  Such good kids!

 Haley, as always, beautiful with the flowers.

Chapter 3, soccer - the main reason we came:

 Can you say WET?  Yes, it was wet.  2 out of our 3 games it rained.  The boys were soaked, and they were loving it!  They actually play pretty well in the rain.  The other game was just muddy.  Caleb played field for each of the games, but that was great!  He did so well, we were so proud to watch him.  He had some great clears, was where he needed to be, had a great header, even helped in the goal box to prevent a few goals.  It was a great experience for him.

 Unfortunately, our team did not win any of the games.  Game 1, we did not do too well.  The other team was just better.  Game 2, was incredible!  The boys were drenched before the game even began. They fought so hard to win.  They had it tied and then the other team scored and we lost 3-2.  But they played like winners.  Game 3, muddy and really early in the morning.  They tried so hard, wanting the win.  But we did not have enough shots on goal to be able to pull it off.  However, our defense and midfield (Caleb played defensive midfield each game) were terrific.  The last game ended 2-1, it was a hard loss but they gave it their best.

Chapter 4 - exploring:

 After the final game we went and checked out of the motel then went to explore a little.  We went to this beautiful red rock climbing area.  It was amazing to look at.  Almost like Arches in St. George.  Haley loved all the little caves and hidey holes.

Peter enjoyed being with Haley and exploring a little.  

  This was where we should have spent all of our down time in St. George.  It is Caleb's playground, Caleb's most perfect type of area to explore and climb and hike and get lost.  William was pretty happy too.  They only thing that made it a down moment was that Caleb had to stay with someone.  It slowed him down and prevented him from embracing the whole place like he wanted to.  But, I hope he still had some fun.  Before he got a bit unhappy, each of the boys climbed this point and were all happy together.

 This particular rocky area looked out over all of St. George.  Great place to explore.

Caleb being Caleb, climbing as high as he can and doing it on his own.  He loves exploring new places.  But it was time to go home.  We could have spent 2 more days there if it had not been for school and tired kids.  Caleb never gets tired of the adventure, but we headed home.  The journey home seemed MUCH LONGER than the one going there.  But we made it, making good memories and happy kids.

Moving on up

Thats right.  Peter graduated.  From Cub Scouts to

Boy Scouts

Look at the difference.  Not just talking in the bushy hair or the shirt color.  He has changed in a lot of ways.  And all for the better.  He will make an excellent scout.  He enjoys learning new things.  He will try his best.  He already has the trustworthy and obedient part down.  He is constantly working on the kind and helpful part.  I know that it will not be easy.  But I hope that with the right attitude and determination, we will succeed that this too.

Time Together + Legos = Love

So, Valentines Day was yesterday.  Fun times.  Lots of work here and there.  But it was all worth it.  For example, I decided to make Valentine swirl bread.  Take bread dough, mix some red in, mix it all around.  Tadah!  Fun Valentine bread for breakfast in the morning.  However, I had to get up at like 2am to mix the dye in with the dough so it would rise and be ready to cook in the morning.  All good, I also had to get up at that time to finish "heart-attacking" the boys' room.  You see, at like 10pm the West Jordan police squad decided to flash their lights in the circle across the street from us (for like 2 hours), which kept Caleb awake, which made it so I had to delay "heart-attacking" his room.  So, fast forward to the morning; Valentine swirl bread was cooked, rooms were properly decorated for them to wake up feeling loved and happy.  

 Haley came home with a huge stash of Valentines from her class.  Funny story. The day before we were getting all the Valentines ready.  Haley, being a sweet girl wanted to give each classmate 4 things.  I had to break her heart and tell her, we needed stuff for the other boy's and their classes.  I said, usually you just give one thing to each person.  Ok, she conceded.  Well, jokes on me.  These kindergarten parents went crazy, at least some of them.  At least a couple of the kids sent each friend home with a bag of goodies.  Stickers, stamp, candy, tattoo, more candy, eraser......  Yeah, Haley got a lot of stuff.

 Valentine Swirl Bread.  Yummy and fun!

LEGOS!  Ahh, the great unifier of families and fun.  They got some legos for Valentines and man, they had fun together.  Yeah!!!  Love my kids, love my family and LOVE IT when they are all happy together.