A Fresh Start

After 3 1/2 years of being taught at home - The Professor headed back to public school today.  This is HUGE!!!  He is very excited!

For me (the mom) I was home... a complete mess of emotions (excited, happy, proud, nervous).  But I want to do what is best for The Professor, the things that will help him be happy, the things that will help him accomplish what he came to this earth to do.

Two favorite quotes right now:

"God bless you goodly mothers and fathers in Zion.  He has entrusted to your care His eternal children.  As parents we partner, even join, with God in bringing to pass His work and glory among His children.  It is our sacred duty to do our very best."  -Elder L. Tom Perry (LDS General Conference October 2012)

" All that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  ... all things that are unfair in this life can and will be made right - even the deepest sorrows." - Sister Linda K Burton (LDS General Relief Society Meeting September 2012)

As a mother I am humbled, I'm not alone and the unfair will be made right.  Sometimes when I think of The Professor's life I am amazed at all he is willing to do.  Every day he tries his hardest to interact with the world in ways that don't come naturally at all.  He has to change everything about himself - to meet the expectations of the rest of our world.  It must be absolutely exhausting.  I cannot imagine having those same expectations placed on me - I don't think I could do it.  My son is amazing!

Summer

We had a really great summer!

- Swimming for All -

OTG Boy was on the water polo team.

The Professor earned his Swimming and Life Saving Merit Badges.

Bubba found his swimming groove - thanks to his fantastic teachers...

he's actually excited for swim team next year.

After his first week of swimming lessons Junior was pretty sure I was trying to kill him - but he spent the summer singing songs about rowing and kicking and loves being in the pool.

- Scout Camp at Camp Raymond -

Handsome Hubby, OTG Boy & The Professor Spent a Week at Scout Camp

OTG Boy earned Merit Badges for: Archery, Rifle Shooting, Leatherwork, Soil and Water Conservation, Weather, Forestry, Geology and Emergency Preparedness

OTG Boy's favorite memory:  Being the Master of Ceremonies for one of the nightly campfire programs.

The Professor earned Merit Badges for: Rifle Shooting, Weather, Soil and Water Conservation, Geology, Environmental Science, Leatherwork and Forestry

The Professor's favorite memory: Earning his Rifle Shooting Merit Badge.

Handsome Hubby's favorite memory:  Having the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend camp with his two oldest sons.

So, Bubba loved having everyone gone for the week... Junior not so much.  He woke up every morning between 5:30 and 6:00 am, walked into my room to see who was there and then yelled at the top of his lungs, "Where's my DADDY!?!"

We tried to have a little fun while the three of us were holding down the fort... we went to the movies, got happy meals from McDonald's, and went to Jambo (an indoor amusement park).

-15 Years of Marriage -

A lot has happened in the last 15 years!

5 Kids * 5 Homes * 3 Cars * 2 Vans * 1 Truck * 2 States (1 twice) * Handsome Hubby's worked for 5 different companies and I'm the Mom (the job I always wanted) I've had a few odd random jobs here and there... law offices, cell phone companies and insurance transcriptionist... even a paper route :) * We've gone on some great roadtrips and Vacations * Had a lot of Church Callings * Good Times * Hard Times * More Blessings than we can count!

 - Summer Vacation -

Our first full day in Utah was spent at Lagoon.  As a kid I remember going every summer for Stake Lagoon Day!  My siblings and I would plan for weeks which rides we'd try and in what order.  As a teenager I spent my summers working there as a ride operator.  Well our kids have never been to a real amusement park - and it was so much fun to take them to a place with so many great memories.  At the end of the day OTG Boy and The Professor were asking if we could move to Utah - they were thinking it might be fun to follow in my footsteps and get themselves some summer jobs :)

Junior's favorite ride - I can't even count how many times he drove the bumper cars!



OTG Boy & The Professor loved everything they tried - they loved spinning & flying through the air!



Day 2 was spent touring BYU, visiting with my Grandma and spending the evening visiting with my dad, brothers and their families!

Next came Handsome Hubby's graduation day!

He learned so much working on his MBA - the boy's and I are extremely proud!

Our last stop?  Grandpa and Grandma's farm.  The kids had so much fun visiting with family, riding horses, climbing haystacks and being around every kind of animal.  They also enjoyed shooting guns and trying out the bow and arrows... but, I think Handsome Hubby had the most fun - living in the city just isn't the same.

  

Now... the Kids have all been back in school for almost a month!



The High School Student





The Middle School Student



The Elementary School Student



3-Year-Old Student of Life

Time is flying by!!!



Barely Smiling

It's official - OTG Boy has his braces!

So far he's not a fan... his mouth is very, very sore : (

March Madness

I keep putting this off - most of our March photos are on Handsome Hubby's phone and I keep forgetting to get them from him...

So, here's a rundown for the month of March - I began the month with a cold and ended it with a different one... the 30 degree temperature changes were killing me!!!  Anyway, back to what we've been doing :)

OTG Boy started us off on March 1st by being chosen to participate in the science fair.  No awards - but, good experience.  He and his partner wanted to see if they could reverse polarity of magnets by exposing them to an electromagnet.

This first weekend of the month Handsome Hubby, OTG Boy and The Professor had a scout campout.  Bubba was invited to a birthday party.  Junior and I had a little mommy-son time - very rare!  Handsome Hubby and OTG Boy arrived home just in time to clean-up and head out the door for the Stake Conference Priesthood Leadership Meeting - they were part of the special musical number.

We had a great weekend of Stake Conference... and then back to real life... all the lessons... all the school... all the scouts... and OTG Boy made it into the Junior High Festival Orchestra and practices started that Monday.  The younger kids liked it, because that meant instead of Bubba riding the bus home - I'd pick him up and take everyone to the park while we waited for OTG Boy to get out of school.  Then we'd drive to rehearsals as quickly as possible.

Off to a great start, until Tuesday morning.   Before school had even started the school nurse called.  Bubba had been hit in the head by a flying rock out on the playground.  The nurse said the bump was about the size of a quarter and assured me Bubba was fine.  Around noon I received a second phone call - Bubba was not feeling fine.  Long story short - if that bump was the size of a quarter - that's the hugest quarter I've ever seen!!!  And by the time I had Bubba home - I could tell he was not ok - so, off to the doctor we went... and discovered Bubba had a mild concussion.  The doctor wanted to help Bubba understand why he would need to be careful for the next couple of weeks and not play too rough - he did a good job explaining why injuries to the brain can be serious.  So good in fact, that when Bubba woke up the next day, he just looked at me and said, "Mom, don't you even love me?!?"  I was a little confused.  "Yes, why don't you think I love you?"  "The doctor told you to wake me up and check on me during the night... and YOU DIDN'T...  I could have died!"  I was shocked.  You see, Handsome Hubby and I took turns faithfully getting up every two hours during the night.  We'd wake Bubba up - he'd even talk with us.  We thought he was doing just fine.  Apparently, it turns out - he didn't remember any of it.

The next night our Bishop stopped by.  He released me from my calling as the Primary President.  Honestly kind of happy - kind of sad... but I was running on very little sleep - so it was kind of a blow to realize I wouldn't be working with the kids and leaders anymore.  Of course, you don't have to wait long for your next growing experience - I am now the ward music chairman and music director.

So... here we are and the week's not over yet.  The next day Handsome Hubby took the final test to complete that MBA he's been working on... and you guessed it, he PASSED!!!  MBA is done, oh yeah!  He is so smart and such a hard worker - I am very, very proud of him.  His graduation ceremony will be in July... but he's already received his diploma and transcripts so everything is official.  It's great to have him around again!

Next came Spring Break - and we sprung... we spent a night in Flagstaff and then headed to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.  We hiked along the rim... it was so beautiful - and the kids even found a few piles of snow to play in.  So, even if it was just for a day - our get-a-way was wonderful - the perfect break from our crazy life.

We finished off the month with the JHFO concert for OTG Boy.  Pack Meeting for Bubba.  Karate Graduation for The Professor.

Whew!!!  I'm glad we made it... now for April!

It's Quiet... too Quiet

Last Friday morning I was helping The Professor with his math. It was pretty intense. After about 20 minutes of working hard, I realized I hadn't heard even the tiniest "peep" from Junior. Any mom will tell you, that's just not good.

So the hunt began... after checking a couple of rooms my heart sank and I new exactly where he was - the forbidden "Big Boy Room."

I pushed on the door - it hardly moved. I pushed a little harder, cracked it open enough to see that a chair and scriptures had been stacked against the door to block it shut. Pushed a little harder and caught Junior's face of panic sitting in the middle of a giant mess. He had pulled out every game, every basket of stuff, clothes out of drawers... you get the picture. He had trashed his brothers room. Without blinking, or looking away, he solemnly said,...

"Mama, don't look at any of this."

Anything Happening at HaHa's House?

I never thought I would say it, but I was talking with Handsome Hubby the other day and all of the sudden I found myself saying how much I missed the good 'ole days of having only one car and two kids under the age of two.

Did I just say that?!?

Yeah, I did... WOW.

For me, life seems to cycle. Sometimes I feel like everything is amazing and then I feel like everything is insane. Lately, I've been feeling overwhelmed - you can tell by the lack of blog posts :) Professional blogging is definitely not my thing - but keeping in touch with friends and family - I thought that should be pretty do-able... I thought.

So, I thought I better get posting so you'd know what was going in HaHa Land!

Handsome Hubby

New calling in the church, Scout Master! With the new calling a new something to drive. Our little old Saturn was having problems right & left... so he got to get a little something he's been wanting for years!!!

The Professor, Handsome Hubby & OTG Boy

Headed off to the Stake Camporee Last Fall

He loves his new toy!

He's studying like crazy to finish-up the MBA - he's doing great - and we are ALL looking forward to graduation! With all of his extra-curricular, life at work is pretty crazy, too... new owners, new bosses, new responsibilities - if you're curious give him a call - he'll tell you all about his adventures.

OTG Boy

On the Go, as usual. Biggest changes - he just registered for high school and I am in total denial! In the meantime, he's doing great with school he's in orchestra and choir and also decided to learn the mandolin for Fiddle Club. And just for fun decided to be part of the Year Book Club, too. He has his eye on engineering, but I have to say he's pretty good with graphic design - yearbook club has brought that out. Summer is over, but he's still volunteering at the library - good kid - works hard.

He also loves to play goalie and took weight training as an elective this year.
It's official - he's a teenager!

The Professor

Absolutely loves his classes for school! Online schooling has been a huge blessing in this kid's life. However, he likes to get out of the house sometimes, too. He has so much fun going to his scout activities and tells me everyday about his amazing leaders. He's worked up to a blue belt in his martial arts class and can make one of the best "intense" faces you have ever seen. The Professor's biggest change?

Braces!

I tried and tried - but no matter how many pictures I took - he still came out looking like a teenager. I guess this little boy is growing-up, too.

Bubba

Bubba loves to have fun! His favorite subject in school is recess and his second favorite is lunch :) You get this kid together with his friends and he does not stop talking! He's been working hard at school and making definite progress with reading & spelling... and the kid is a math whiz! The only day of the week he actually enjoys homework is math day - any other day I think he'd actually prefer having a tooth pulled... if he just didn't have to do homework!

Bubba's biggest news is that he was baptized this past year and it was so fun to have family in town! We were lucky to have both sets of grandparents, a couple of aunts, a couple of uncles and a lot of cousins come by for the happy day... it was really great to see everyone!

Junior

Well, what's not constantly changing about this little man? The one constant? He's still a daddy's boy! A day without Daddy is just wrong! He loves playing High Ho Cherri-o and Candyland. His biggest accomplishment since Christmas - Potty Training! No more diapers at HaHa's House!!!

HaHa

Now you can see why I miss the no car - toddler days. Back then I spent my time, all day - pretty much everyday - at home. No commitments. No craziness. No needing to be four places at the same time while Handsome Hubby is out of town. Just walks to the park with my double stroller and playing in the backyard.

These days I'm driving kids everywhere and trying to organize schedules. I spend my days helping The Professor with school. Reading and singing with Junior. Working on spelling lists with Bubba and trying to keep up with OTG Boy.

Junior, HaHa & The Professor the park in Fountain Hills

It's hard to find a picture of myself - I'm always behind the camera :)

Life is definitely crazy... but... definitely good!

And I am thankful, every day, for the boys who make my life amazing!

I'm a Mormon

I recently updated my profile at Mormon.org - if you'd like to take a look just scroll down my blog and click on the button that says "I'm a Mormon"... or click here.