Ben's Spiderman Backpack

Ben and his new backpack

Oh, Ben has this obsession with Spider man anything! He told us Sun. that he wants Spiderman scriptures! He is so funny and cute! This is his new Spiderman backpack from Grammy and Grampy!

I'm a NERD

Aug, 2009
Brookly and I went for Nerd Day at Achievement Days and she won "Best Dressed Nerd." It's so fun to do crazy things with my girl. She would have won more relay races if Dad had been here instead of CA but we managed quite well.:)
Love you my girl!

Dallin is 15!

Like Father, Like Son!

What a great son! I won't be taller much longer:)

Sweet Ben with Dallin on his birthday


August 28th, 2009 did bring lots of fun things. What do you do when the main gift he wanted was a hunting license? We did also take him to dinner at Serranos with us and bring donuts to Seminary.

Dallin and Jarom in CA in summer of 2005. Legoland-what a sweet smile Dallin!

My little ham even when small!

You are so much like your Uncle Jeff:)

Dallin in a sweet moment with Aunt Julie.

OK, for his actual birthday he was doing what he loves by being at his first Marching Band performance for the football game so we didn't see him AT ALL that day! Wow! How time has flown by with this teenager of mine! I can't believe he is 15! Really, 15! I don't feel older and yet I see him growing and learning so quickly I am amazed! I'm not sure where to start! Dallin is such an incredible child! He has been a blessing from the time we first found out I was pregnant, after a heartbreaking 1st pregnancy resulted in miscarriage, and it took another 2 years for that test to say positive! We knew he was our precious miracle baby and definitely spoiled him accordingly. Now he would tell you that the baby in our family (Ben) is always spoiled and yet we feel Dallin is just as cute now as he was then! We lived in our little apartment at 38 N Santa Barbara #2 and he loved our walks across Broadway to a bigger complex that had huge koi to watch. I babysat and he played inside because our yard was literally only 6 feet around our building. So he has adapted well since he was born!

This has been a blessing because we have always felt we wanted the best schools for our children and Dallin has attended Superstition Mtn. Elem, Eagles Aerie Charter School, Legacy Charter School, Superstition Mtn again for 3-5th Grade, Desert Shadown for a horrible 9 weeks of 6th grade, Brinton Elem. for the remainder of 6th, Smith Jr High and now Skyline High. I can truly say he had the best teachers ever and we feel he was well educated in each experience.

He has always been an Honors student and was 5th Grade Student of the Year! He went on to excell in National Jr. Honor Society and is continually doing his Service Learning hours for scholarships.

Dallin has always loved the trumpet and playing has come naturally. So naturally, that he didn't practice much in Jr. High and was almost always the 1st chair. He practices every day now that he's in Marching Band and has loved this experience. I have watched him grow in ways I don't think he would have if he didn't have the discipline to get himself up every morning at 5am and leave by 6am when I am still in bed. He wakes me as he leaves. He excells at trumpet!

Dallin enjoys Scouts and is a Life Scout with goal of Eagle and we are proud of all he has accomplished there as well!

OK so I'm going to try to narrow down the 15 things I love most about Dallin:

1. His energy for life!
2. His love of family.

3. He is an amazing trumpeter!

4. His humor in every situation.

5. His joy in being good.

6. His flexibility.

7. His faith in Heavenly Father as his testimony grows.

8. His love of reading!

9. His strength to lean on when Wes is gone.
10. His sensitivity to siblings.

11. He cleans toilets!
12. He loves hunting and fishing.
13. He is outgoing.
14. He keeps trying.

15. He helps me with electronic gadgets.

My eldest son, you are amazing! I love you and feel honored to be your Mom. I know you feel like we endlessly bug you about texting, studying, and getting to bed sooner but we love you and want what's best for you! Thank you for your goodness and example to your younger brothers and sister. Thank you for your desire to go on a mission and provide for your future family. Thank you for the light you bring to our home. Hang in there! I know it's tough to be a teenager and in just a few months you'll begin a whole new adventure in driving and soon after dating. It truly was yesterday I held you in my arms all night for those earaches. In a blink you have become such a wonderful young man. I love your kind heart and hope you live up to all of your dreams! I wish you the best year ever for this 15th! Happy Birthday Dallin!

Love, Mom

3 Strikes and Ben's Out!

This is from August 7th. I know I keep bouncing around but I can't find if I wrote this here or not and wanted to make sure that Ben is written in history!
OK, 3 strikes and Ben's out! Pushing the clothes cart and getting in trouble, running away and hiding in racks long enough I was ready to call police, and then pushing open the emergency door to sound the alarm. I will never take him to JCPenney shopping again! Ever. This was the text I sent Wes after our joyous experience today for Dallin shoes and shorts for back to school shopping. We had convinced Ben the stroller would be fun and as soon as we got there he jumped out and we had 2 flat tires( jogging stroller). So we were pushing the stroller and trying to keep up with Ben anyway when these antics happened. I told you he's a handful!

Hard To See You Go, My Love

I haven't finished journaling August and especially my tribute to my now 15 year old Dallin but I was just pondering and wanted to write down my thoughts before they are lost or I'm distracted. I don't even need to tell you the thousand things that distract around here.
Sometimes it can be so hard to have our lives so uncertain. Travel for Orbital Sciences is unlike anything I could have imagined up to now. I used to think that the hardest days for me were when Wes was away at night for Church callings 4 days a week and I had to do the bedtime routine myself, get kids ready for church and get less sleep to even have time to talk to him in a day. Now, I live for a few minutes at the end of his frazzled days in CA and my frustrating ones here to just connect before he's off to bed or homework because he gets up at 5:30am "in the field" and is so tired by the time I get to talk to him. It's hard to summarize the events of a single day in mere minutes. The adventures here are so many and so complex that often he comes home and I think he knows just what's happened and really he's missed so much. The hardest is the kids big events. Also when I talked in Sacrament for the first time in 7 1/2 years last week and he was in CA. Dallin took Ben for me or we wouldn't have made it! I already documented the first week of school and we know how that went with him gone.
I know it is so heart-wrenching, for him as well, to leave, and yesterday Josh told me he really misses his Dad. This was on the week that he's here. That's what makes this so hard. This is because Wes is in school and gone so much even when he's not in CA. I know he needs to finish school and feels that this is how we will finally get out of debt so this is the path we are on. Wes leaves again tomorrow Mon.-Sun. this week. I feel so lost when he's gone and it makes me feel so anxious just to think of how I'll survive without him each time he goes. The trips longer than a week seem the most difficult to handle but if it's during the school week it does go much faster. Weekends are miserable and drag on without him.
We are going through some tough personal struggles with our children and I don't have the strength on my own to get through this. So many Dr.s, appointments, insurance issues and daily challenges with this. I will have to be on my knees so much more this week. Sometimes I wonder if that is how my Heavenly Father teaches me. He gives me just more than I can handle alone, sends Wes away for a while and lets me struggle until I remember Him and turn to Him. Maybe I'll eventually get this right and remember He's there sooner.
So enough of my pity party, some days I just feel down and I wanted to write it down so I can see the difference of the good days. I know the Lord sustains me and I am blessed with an awesome circle of friends who I know I can turn to for anything I need, especially when he's gone. Girls Night Out is definitely sanity for me on those long trips. I am blessed with wonderful children and an amazing husband and we'll make it through these tough times together.

August Rush

Brennen and Mrs. Syme-5th GradeJarom and Mrs. James-2nd GradeBrookly and Mrs. Miller-4th Grade
Nicole and Brookly and Jarom at Meet Teacher Night
August 10th


August 12th-School Begins
Dallin off to his 1st day as a SOPHOMORE AT SKYLINE HIGH SCHOOL- Little did we know what lie ahead...
My Brinton Bears on their 1st day
Jarom-2nd Grade

Brookly-4th Grade

Brennen-5th Grade
Ben ready for school with Spiderman attire and folder-Grammy later sent him a Spiderman backpack full of supplies and he loves it!

Josh goes an hour later than the elementary kids so he came with Ben and I to wish them well on their first day!
Josh's 1st day as a SMITH SIDEWINDER-JR HIGH 7th GRADER
Dare I attempt the eventful weeks of getting Back To School? I hope I remember most of it. Wow it was a whirlwind! August began with Marching Band concert and parent meeting. Wes was in CA to start out the month as usual lately. He got home later that night.

Update on our family that I sent in email August 5th:

First, Wes was called as the new High Priest Group Leader on Sunday, August 2nd. Does that mean we have to attend the parties without our children that we've avoided for a few years now since his release as Bishop? That's usually our date night:) He commented that he'll have to gray his hair now but I told him the kids are doing it just fine on their own. :) The Stake Pres. said he hated to release Wes from scouting but he feels strongly about this and now Wes is always a Dad to go on outings and such. Brennen hasn't seen much of Wes for his Cub Scouts so this will be a nice change.

As you may know Obama cutting our missile defense in Europe directly affects Wes's company. About a month ago the layoffs started and we began worrying and praying. Yesterday Orbital called a meeting for the company and announced that there have been 100 contractor layoffs and 35 permanent employees. Wes has been there 7 years and his program still has contractors who would go before he does. They also announced that there will be more layoffs in September so we aren't out of the woods yet but we are hopeful and have fiath that it will work out for the best for us. Wes has already formulated a backup plan to go to work quickly and figure things out in case. He would get 3 months serverance pay so we feel blessed. Prayers are always appreciated.I guess this has given me a whole new perspective on work because when Wes called yesterday to tell me he'd be traveling again for 2 weeks starting Monday (1st week of school and over a weekend is always fun) I really was glad he had a job and knew somehow I'd make it here. Wes has also decided to go back to school.

He is in his 2nd Semester at Ottowa for his Masters in Business and is amazed at the online class workload. Apparently the teachers feel you have more time when you don't have time to sit in a classroom. Because of Wes's travel schedule he had to take online and was able to do 2 classes last semester but the course work doubled this semester and he had to drop one. He was so bummed it will take longer to graduate. He was hoping by the time he turns 40 to be done.

I had a little surgery last week to remove tissue that could form skin melanoma later and that was just a joy! 10 stitches on outside and a few deeper. The biopsy a month ago still hadn't healed so I was a little nervous. Not fun when you go to the Dr. for one problem and they discover another scary one. I didn't know it would hurt so bad and Wes stayed home the next day to help me around here when I couldn't move. He was surprised when he didn't find any time being home to do a little homework. Was I? Not at all:)

The kids are up to their antics as usual.Dallin is busy with Marching Band and getting to be a Sophomore at Skyline. Up early and lots of homework here we come. Eagle still needs to happen somewhere in there. Any ideas for project?Josh is an excellent drummer and just helped me reupholster the kitchen chairs. Brennen just refinished a dresser for Ben and gets to go to Pinetop for the second time this summer while I stay here in the heat and am jealous. We are going as a family for Winter Break in October though. Wish we could have made it up as a family this summer.Brookly has quit Brownies and hopes to have voice lessons soon. (Depends on my piano schedule) She loves Acheivement days and stays busy with lots of friends.Jarom is a fireball and still is so mischeivous. He has a very energetic teacher this year to keep up with him. I think he taught Ben everything he knows. They share a room now and often I find Jarom asleep and Ben with the light on reading. HMMM... where is that from? Dallin and Josh and Brennen maybe? Ben is into everything. He climbs on or into anything he desires and nothing is out of reach. Potty training is so fun now that he picked up the proper terms for his body. I think it's backwards that he goes #2 on toilet but wets every pair of Cars, Speedracer or Spiderman underwear we got him. He loves to show them off and he puts them on backwards. Some people have not appreciated this very much. Oh the joy of boys!

August5-7 Josh and Brennen got to go to Pinetop with their cousin Samuel and had a blast!

August 7th was Skyline Orientation and I went with Dallin. They had the parents separate and I think he really could have gone alone except that his schedule was wrong... Over the summer they sent his classes and on the list was Biology. He already took Biology last year so we mailed in registration and wrote that this needed fixed. They fixed it alright! They put him in College Prep Chemistry! This is an advanced class that requires previous year's teacher to sign for you to be in. Dallin got one of his only B's in Biology and wasn't thrilled with the workload that the CP Chemistry teachers are famous for. He is plenty busy with Marching Band and Scouts and keeping up with regular homework and babysitting for me. He knew he didn't want it and so we didn't request it. So this little surprise was unwelcome and I waited in line after Orientation only to be told that no schedule changes would happen until the second week of school! I put up a little fuss and they wrote down his schedule change because of computer error. I thought this was the end. Boy, was I wrong! When he went to school on the first day to get his Final schedule (which they don't allow you to get until 7:15am on the first day of school with school starting at 8am) he was still in CP Chemistry and now in Drivers Ed! He isn't old enough for Drivers Ed until next semester so this is technically illegal! Can you see him behind the wheel today? He was still 14 when he got this schedule! OK, so he goes to those classes on Wed. and I go back to Counseling Office on Thurs. trying to sort it out. I feel it's a waste of his and the teachers time for him to be sitting in 2 classes for 5 days of instruction that he isn't going to remain in! I knew each day he was missing the beginning lectures, discipline and how the teachers like things done. I was so frustrated when the Counselors told me that they were just too busy and his paperwork was on someones desk because they only had 4 counselors doing the work of 5 and had been cut a week of pay before school started. I felt bad for them but didn't agree that this could wait. They told me to call District to complain and I did! I called the Superintendent of Mesa School District and they referred me to the Assistant Super. in charge of Skyline. Mr. Pete Lesar's Secretary took my message and he called back while I was taking Josh to school. He said he'd contact the Principal and check back with me later that day. Sure enough at 2pm Mr. Lesar called back and Principal Green had not called me. I understood because on this second day of school I'm sure he was swamped with work but I also told Mr. Lesar my carpool runs started at 2:15pm and I'd have to leave again soon. So, Asst. Super. Mr. Lesar called Principal Green and by 2:15pm Mr. Green called me. He listened while I explained the computer errors and was sympathetic but advised that Dallin should stay in CPChemistry. I thanked him but still requested the change. He asked if I was attending the Open House that night that I had just learned of that day and I said Yes. He had me come a few minutes early and gave me Dallin's new schedule so I could walk the correct classes and I met Dallin's regular Chemistry teacher and his Automotive Tech teacher before he did. Wow! How much stress can one Mom take!?! All with Wes gone...let's move to Josh's experiences.

Josh gets nervous and has a hard time starting new things or changing old ones. He was very nervous about starting Jr. High and Dallin was very "helpful". Dallin told him the tricks of the trade like "Don't run to lunch or 9th graders will trip you." and "Don't put anything in your backpack pockets that you don't want stolen." Now while this may be true, he scared Josh to death. Josh put cable ties on his backpack pockets and was so stressed out he couldn't sleep until past 11pm the night before school even though we had walked his classes at his Orientation and he knew where to go. He was terrified he'd get lost or be tardy. The first day finally came and we were all pretty keyed up and exhausted! Josh had his water bottle stolen out of his backpack pocket but it was a large 7th grader who took it and he has since put the water bottles inside his backpack with a cloth to keep his books dry. He seemed to adjust fine until the next Monday-the 4th day of school when tardies count for detention. We got the kids off and picked up carpool kids when he said his stomach hurt so bad he thought he'd throw up. He was doubled in pain so I dropped him off at home and took the rest to school. When I got home I had him drink water and lay down and it took 2 hours for him to calm down enough to go back to school. He admitted on the way back that he was just too afraid he'd be late and get detention. I was very relieved when he made it through even the tricky hall classes in time and saw he could do it just fine. Again, where is my husband for all this stress that I daily live? He would love to be home I know and I do feel incredibly blessed we have a job and I'm able to handle these things but do you see why my anxiety seems to keep creeping back?

In the meantime Josh was put in as 2nd Assistant in Deacon's Quorum and set apart Sun. Aug. 9th. Wes was home for a week right before school and gave the kids their Back To School Blessings that Sunday as well. They were beautiful blessings and I'm sure things will calm down and I'll do all the things I imagined myself having time to do with only Ben at home now. So far, I literally have only had 1 morning that I've been home and that consisted of trying to maintain the 2 loads of dishes a day and the 2 loads of laundry a day which ends up being 7-8 loads on the days I can actually get to it. Any given time there are usually 2 loads clean on the table to fold and put away. Just life around here! The kids do have a day for dishes and are supposed to help with their laundry and clean their rooms but when I'm not on top of them it piles up in only a day! (And when I'm gone for a million meetings for 3 schools, Band, Enrichment, and Dr. visits it piles up quicker!)

Brennen, Brookly and Jarom had a great first week and love their teachers and are excited about school! Can't they stay little forever? Brookly has started violin and is so proud she's following in Aunt Adrian's footsteps. She keeps begging me to call her but I haven't had time home to give her my cell phone to do it yet. She is very excited about the whole Orchestra thing much to her brother's dismay. Why do they have to pick at each other and make things difficult? Dallin told her that all Orchestra does is take kids from Band because Band doesn't get to start until 5th grade. I told him she can try flute next year if she so desires but that doesn't change what she'd like to do now!

Brennen has started trumpet and Dallin already made him so mad he wanted to quit and he threw the trumpet back into Dallin's room. They made up and I reminded Dallin of his early days of squeaking to get the notes. Brennen is doing great and loves when Wes or Dallin helps him. (Dallin can be very sweet and helpful:) Mrs. Syme is so excited that Wes is coming in to talk to the whole 5th grade about his rockets and in early Jan. they will study airplanes extensively and even go to fly simulators! Brennen, our future pilot is so thrilled! He did have an adventurous first week with having to go back to the Dr. for his asthma on the 2nd day of school since we couldn't find his recent inhaler to take the first day. We got that all figured out and after more appointments and prescriptions and running back to school Nurse we are all set.

Jarom is already Student of the Month! Mrs. James loves him and thinks he's wonderful just like we do! Jarom must be able to sit still a little better this year to already have her admiration. He still adores his 1st Grade teacher, Mrs. Calise and loves seeing her around school. He just has the cutest mischeivous grin! One of his best friends, Cam, is in his class so it was a great year from day 1!

Whew! Getting back into school is a ton of time and money, but we're flying now! I really didn't realize how much it would cost and can't believe the extra $100 every 2 weeks just for school lunches. There was tennis shoes (most expensive item times 5), a backpack, clothes, supplies, Band fees, PE clothes and fees, and then also growth spurts caused new Sunday pants and shoes for 3 boys at the same time! When this is all multiplied by 5 I don't know how we'll do it when Ben goes to school and it will be by 6! Maybe I'll just keep him home with me forever! All in all we feel so blessed and I know the Lord has sustained me so I can support Wes in his travel for work. I feel His hand daily and often am on my knees for strength. I don't know how it all gets done but I just do one thing at a time and He makes up the rest. I've learned to say No and it's OK. Hard, but OK. I wouldn't trade my life for anything else. I love being a Mom and I love my children and will continue to help them in their daily battles. I learned from my Mom the art of speeches to teachers and anyone who dares to cross my kids! Kill them with Kindness is still a motto I try to instill in my kids and hope it sinks in!

This was the first year that I was so stressed leading up to school that I actually looked forward to it! I am the kind who usually cries after they leave and can't believe how fast they are growing up! While I still felt that way, I must admit I was relieved that the bickering would be less and that they'd be doing productive things all day now! The time Wes is gone goes by much faster when they are in school. I am excited for my time alone with Ben and I'm sure I will miss the kids more when life slows down for us here. I look forward to more time to read and do things I love like blog and scrapbook! I have always said that every day in our life is an adventure!

So that, dear journal blog, is the story of getting the kids back into school!

In Trouble Again

Ben does this pose with his hands over his eyes whenever he's embarrassed or he knows he's done something he shouldn't. It makes it easy to know who the culprit is in our home of "Nobody did it". So hard to discipline him when he does so many cute things. We are in lots of trouble!

My Pillow's Not Working!

August 7, 2009

My darling Ben came out late at night and said, "My pillow is not working!" He couldn't fall asleep and blamed his pillow! No wonder we find him late with the light on still reading! If he wasn't so cute...

Daddy and Me

Ben loves to look through his Baby Book and see himself and he especially loves the pictures of him with his Daddy! He'll pull anyone aside that he can to come look at his book!

July 2009

July Pack Meeting

Brennen just keeps earning more and more activity badges. He's done with his Webelos and Arrow of Light and those ceremonies are up and coming! He has more badges than his brothers did! Thanks Sister Curtis!:)

FHE Game Night

We decided to play the flour game for our activity for Family Home Evening and it turned into the biggest mess! Brennen couldn't breathe for a while when he inhaled too much flour but they do look like they enjoyed the night right?! Sometimes we get crazy around here!

WICKED

July 25, 2009

For her birthday Brookly received Wicked tickets to go with Wes and I! We loved it! Toss-toss! She can quote so many lines and has only seen it once!

What a special date with our sweet girl!

I didn't like the ending or the fact that the Prince leaves Glinda for Euphaba but you can't win them all. It was fun to experience with my little girl!

Santa Barbara Mission

On the way home we stopped, since Wes was with us, to see the Santa Barbara Mission. It was so beautiful and the rose gardens were amazing! The kids were ancy but I could have stayed so much longer and enjoyed the cool breeze and the view!

Time to say Goodbye to CA

It was hard to say goodbye to the ocean and even with a very long trip ahead we had to stop one more time and play on the beach!

Best Buddies-Brothers!

Josh and Ben

They were just so cute and playful!
Josh was playing army men with Ben and

then they were tickling and laughing and I couldn't resist!

July 2009