(Gasp!) Freshman Registration

This week Josh came home with registration for 9th grade. How could my baby be registering for his freshman year so soon? Wasn't it only a couple of years ago that I gave birth to him?

9th grade is still in junior high in Utah, but it still seems crazy that his grades will now go on his permanent record. He is already talking about colleges and scholarships. We have been fortunate that he has self been motivated to get very good grades. The last two terms he has earned a 4.0 GPA. This is especially impressive since he has four advanced classes including honors science and honors english. The two previous years he earned no less than a 3.97 GPA. We really hope that he will continue to be motivated.

He will have released time seminary (a blessing of living in Utah - no early morning seminary) but he wants to do marching band at the high school. This means getting a ride to the High School by 7 am everyday and then catch a school bus back to the Jr High. If he does that he would drop Jazz band. It will be interesting to see what he decides.

Josh we are proud of you. You are an amazing young man. It will be fun to watch you over the next four years. We love you!

A Lesson Learned

Several women and their kids from church came over today for lunch. After everyone but one friend had left, Kate and a 4 yr old boy were playing outside for a little longer. They didn't stay too much longer before they left. Later that day I stopped at my friends house where I learned that Kate told the boy it was time for him to go home because she was going to have another friend come over to play. (This was not part of the plan). She even told his mom they should go home. Back in the car I had a discussion with Kate. This is how it went:

Me: Kate, I am sad. You were not nice to "boy" telling him he needed to go home. If you have a problem with him or you are tired of playing with him you need to quietly tell me. It's not nice to tell "boy" or his mom that he needs to go home.

Kate: (Pause) My eyes have water in them.

(Looking in the rearview mirror seeing tears well up.)

Me: Oh honey, it's okay. It's just a lesson that you need to learn.

Kate: (still tearing up) Oh mom, I learn a lot of lessons at preschool but I have never learned that one.

Me: Well, now you know and I know you will be nice.

My heart just melted listening to her. She was so sincere in her remorse. If only all lessons could be learned so quickly.

I love you Kate, thank you for being such a sweet girl!

Zoo, Dog, and Hair

Zoo Trip

Kate, Micah, and I dropped off Bruce at the airport for his Washington D.C. trip bright and early (6:30 am). Since we were already up in Salt Lake I wanted to make it a day trip. We stopped at Paradise Bakery for breakfast then off to the zoo. We were the very first and only people at the zoo for at least 15 minutes. We had a great time. These two turkeys were guarding the ramp to the elephants. It was pretty funny. They seriously wouldn't let us pass.

Our New Dog

On the way home from the zoo we stopped to look at this cute little puppy. I had been considering getting a dog since Bruce is traveling more. We weren't planning on taking her home but I felt a little pressured (there were two other families that would take her today if we didn't). Her name was Fanny. I really didn't want to name my dog after someones backside, so the kids and I re-named her Lady.

So, Bruce came home from our nations capital to a new family member. I was a little worried that Lady would bark at him. But, she came to him like he had been here all along.

She has been fun to have. She is only 5 mos so she still has some training. Sometimes I love having her, other times I question my decision. For example, she loves to chase the cat. I know, cats and dogs, blah blah blah. But we have the sweetest kitty who loves to be with the family and cuddle with you on the couch. Now she is stuck in my bedroom all the time. It makes me kind of sad. Oh well, we will see how it goes.

Valentine Hair

I found a fun blog that shows you how to do very cute hairstyles for girls called hair4myprincess.blogspot.com. So I did this heart in Kate's hair for Valentines day. We tied a red ribbon at the bottom but I forgot to take a pic of the completed style. It is too much fun to have a girl.

Pizza Night

Last friday night we decided to make homemade pizza. I know it may be hard to believe since I enjoy cooking, but I have never made homemade pizza crust. I have fought this for sometime because it is more expensive to make pizza from scratch. You can't beat $5 pizza from Little Ceasars. I was glad we did it. We had so much fun. We don't do things as a family often enough. I forgot to get pics of the finished products because we were just so hungry. They turned out very tasty.

Micah laughed hysterically when I would toss the pizza dough.

Micah couldn't handle all the fun.

Why I broke down and started a blog

The other day I was watching my baby Micah put together an animal puzzle when it struck me, my baby isn't a baby anymore. Then I remembered, with a fuzzy memory that Josh, Seth, and Kate were once babies too. What happened? How did they grow up so fast? I am a little sad because I know in just a blink of an eye they will be on missions, married, and having children of their own. I know I should be happy for them, but it's hard to leave their childhood behind. All those cute things they said that I swore I could never forget...I have now forgotten. Sigh! Well, I am hoping that having a blog will remind me to take time to document their childhood so they are not forgotten like last weeks chicken in the back of my fridge. So here's hoping!
The first pic was from fall of 2007 and the one below is from fall of 2008.