Sickies...

Also upon arrival - Jake ended up at instacare with what we thought was strep. Nope - just a virus.

Kyle also needed to go to the doctor - and I don't remember what he had - but he got put on an antibiotic, steroids for his lungs, and 2 other ones...forgetting now. I LOVE it when I got out of town and my kids health freaks out...

School Programs

Springtime is 'school program' time. I am glad Jake and Kristin are at different schools, because now I don't have to watch the exact same program 2 years in a row! Jake's program was about space. He was one of the rings of saturn. Part of the program was holding up photos of things on the Earth. I was in charge of printing these. The photo Jake is holding is classic...we laughed our heads off about it!
Haley went to Kindergarten kick off! She starts Kindergarten on August 2! She is so excited! I figure I am saving lots of money! No more preschool. I figured I've been paying about $80 per month for preschool for the past 11 years. (Well, Jake and Kristin overlapped - but I've paid for my kids to go to preschool for 11 years!) AND...I will save paying for the daycare at the gym. I am hoping I get morning Kindergarten - so I can exercise outside if I wish - or the gym - but no daycare fees! WAHOO!

Kristin had her 'buggy' program at school. She did great - and it was shorter than I remembered! These are her 2 friends, Sydney and Autumn. Kristin was a caterpillar - in case you were wondering.

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day was pretty un-eventful. I went to Jake's class to help with his party. Unfortunately - for his class - the lady in charge decided to do a 'vegetable valentine's day'. I thought it was sad. I get that kids get too much candy - but come on...it's Valentine's Day. Haley also conned me into painting her nails. I am definitely not a nail lady. She was happy - that's all that matters!

Hoops

Jake really wanted to play basketball this year, and Kyle didn't. So, we signed Jake up. He's really enjoyed it and is definitely getting better with each game. He even made his first basket. I got it on video - but it's short at the beginning. It was definitely Jake that made the shot!

Jake and scouts...

Jake loves scouts. Every part of it. Skits, pack meeting, applause. He's a crazy man. Here is doing a skit and playing minute to win it.

Jake turns 9!!!

I can't believe Jake is 9! He's always been a pretty laid back kid. This past year, we have noticed that he is a worrier and stresses out - a lot. Drives me crazy. He gets good grades, is very well behaved in class, but I tell you the kid is Jekyl&Hyde. I actually worry about what to do with him. I am contemplating taking him to a therapist. Any thoughts? This year, Jake has started with a speech therapist at school. He has always had speech issues, and we had him tested in preschool, but he wasn't bad enough to qualify for help. One of the reasons I chose to take him to the charter school this year, was because I wanted to get him help with his speech. His teacher had also started noticing that he was writing his words the way he was sounding them out. Now, he is working with a therapist once a week. Hopefully it will continue going well. I am grateful for the help he is getting. I do love Jake. When he is all alone with me, going to the store, or just hanging out, he is the most loveable greatest kid around. He's a ton of fun to be around. He wanted a skateboard for his birthday along with a skateboard cake! My friend, Natalie, made it. It's awesome, huh? He got a skateboard so we went as a family to classic skating and let him 'try' riding it around. He did okay, but it's hard, and he has a hard time not giving up. I took the skateboard around the loop a few times, and except for falling on my butt once, was the best skateboarder 'out of our family'. I am so grateful Jake is in our family! Hope he had a super special day!

Flag Football

The boys both played flag football this year. They LOVE it. Jake had a super great coach, and Kyle had a coach who started out the year by sending an email that said, "If your kid is going to win the superbowl, then you may want to find another team." Needless to say his coach didn't teach him anything, but Kyle is the type of kid who is just happy to play. He did well, caught a few passes, and scored a few times. Jake's coach loved every second. Taught them a ton of information. Jake is more timid on the playing field. He did great, and enjoyed it! Kyle's sad because after this season, he is too old for flag, but he has no desire to play tackle. I guess we will see what happens next year with him.

Random summer events...

Daxton and Jake were dressing up for the neighbor girls. Not sure why - but glad I caught it on camera! The two goof balls!

Troy and I found a Tepanyaki gift card and even though we knew it would be horribly expensive - we decided to take our kids to eat at Tepanyaki. First, I wanted to try an experiment. I told the kids we were going somewhere really nice for dinner, and they all needed to go get their very best clothes on. Well - unfortunately - this is what they came up with. Silly kids. This is the reason my kids have to get an 'okay' on outfits before they leave the house in the morning!

Jake goes to Cub Camp

This was Jake's first year at Cub Scout Camp. He loved it and came home completely filthy! Here is what he had to say about it: "At scout camp I did 4 pull ups. It was fun. I shot a BB gun, tied knots, and found gold. I went on a hike too. I hung out with my friend Daniel and the rest of my troop." Thanks to Steven who went to camp and took pictures!

Harry Potter

A photographer friend of mine, Kris Doman, is trying to start up a Costume Photography section of her business, and was looking for a boy to dress as Harry Potter for a photo shoot. Jake immediately came to mind. It was incredible how once he had the cloak, the scar, the tie, and the wand how instantly he transformed. It was amazing. She got some amazing photos of Dumbledore's Army - and I was there to help her haul some things, but I managed to snap a few of my own photos. Here is our little 'Potter'! Oh - if you want to see Kris' photos, go HERE.



Here are a few with the kid that played Ron. Since the boys were dressed up - they really acted as if they were BFF's - even though they have never met!

BRACES...off!

Jake got his braces off a few weeks ago! He was so excited. Jake is the kid who had every problem with the braces. Brackets breaking, wires coming off, everything. We actually went in the day we got home from Hawaii for him to get his braces off, but a bracket had fallen off, and his teeth were crooked, he had to wait another 10 weeks to get them off. On Halloween night, I had to text the ortho cause he broke something off with candy. So, we are all (I'm sure the orthodontist more than anything) glad they are off! It's funny, cause Troy and I think he has this huge mouth now. Hopefully he will grow into it!

Jake the Nerd

Jake had to dress up like a nerd for school. He came into our room bright and early to show us what he had picked, and we told him he looked good. He really did. His idea of a 'nerd' is just a cute looking kid. Troy and I both thought it was hilarious. He enjoyed his day at school as a nerd.

Pinewood Derby

A few weeks ago, we had the Pinewood Derby. It was Jake's first one. He was so excited! The problem was, we just don't own the tools in order to carve out a car. Troy tried all he could do with what we had, and finally - I told him to stop. I went and purchased 2 wooden pinewood derby cars (the day before the race)that were already carved. BEST MONEY I HAVE EVER SPENT! With most things - we just have our kids participate for fun. We don't expect our kids to win - and we make sure they know that it's just for fun. For some reason, we always seem to do well on the pinewood derby, no matter how little effort we put in. Maybe that's key? Kyle came in second place over all, and Jake came in second place out of is Wolf Den. It was a success.

Basketball Season

Jake played his second year of basketball this year. He loved it. It took a few games for him to really get agressive, but he turned out to be a great defender! He was on a team with 2 of his friends, Daniel and Ryan. The best part of the games is always giving high-fives and the snack! They don't keep score in Jake's age group but he did great and scored 1 basket!

Buggy Program

The second grade put on a 'Buggy Play' at school. All the kids had a speaking part and there was lots of singing! Jake's part was: We believe that every month of May should be a National Buggy Holiday!
It was a short, 30 minute program - the best kind - and Jake did really good!



Jake is a good kid. He struggles in reading, but otherwise does great in school. I am not worried about his reading, I know that at one point, it will just click with him. I spoke with Jake's teacher, Mrs. Craven, the other day. She told me what a great student Jake is. One day, during the middle of lunch, due to weather the school changed outside recess to an inside day. Jake's teacher was making copies, and didn't hear the announcement. When she realized it, she was worried to think that all of her kids were running wild in her classroom. She hurried to the classroom to find her whole class playing 'Heads up 7 up'. She asked who had gotten it started and organized it, and the class told her that Jake did it. I am so happy to know that he is a leader and he will do what he knows he is supposed to. I am so proud of him! I hope he continues to do well in school!

Jake gets baptised!

Along with turning 8, Jake was able to be baptised a member of our church. It is a fun and exciting moment in our family when a child turns 8. First of all, I make them a video slideshow of ALL (let's get real, some) of the photos of them from birth to age 8. This year, because I was crazy busy, Allisun helped me organize the order of the slideshow. I put a few finishing touches and some music, and there you have it, Jakes life summed up into 18 minutes. He LOVES it. I LOVE it. I play it on the TV while we had family over for a big brunch (this allows everyone to watch Jake, but does NOT allow TV watching). Second, family shows up for some food. I made a yummy breakfast, and thanks to friends and family who baked cinnamon rolls, casseroles, and chocolate milk! Later that day, we took in a BYU basketball game at Energy Solutions Arena, and saw the lights at temple square. It was a fun filled LONG day! (I also had a photo shoot this day as well.) Jake is the best kid. Really. He has his moments, but I know that it is because he needs/wants attention. I wish I could convey to him, that I would give him MORE attention if he would stop the pestering...too bad it doesn't work that way. Jake is a sweet kid. He is a big hugger, and likes to spend time with his family. Here are his baptism photos! Enjoy!