Telephone Moments

The boys are in Montana spending time with their Dad for 5 weeks this summer.  My joys have come from hearing their voices several times a week.  It is incredible how just hearing them say "hello" can brighten my day.  Below are a few of our conversations.....

Stockton: "Mom, you forgot to pack my toothbrush.  I haven't brushed my teeth for 3 weeks and my teeth feel gross."

Me:  "What?  I am sorry I didn't pack your toothbrush, but do you think you could ask someone to buy you a toothbrush?"

Stockton:  "There aren't any stores around here.  We can't just go out and get a tooth brush."

(Denise said she would pick one up when she went into town....laugh!)

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Conner:  "Mom, I got to hold a lizard today.  I know you will say "No," but do you think we could get a pet lizard?"

Me:  "No!"

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Garrett:  "Today I passed level 6 on World of Warcraft.  I got to go mom, I love you."

(Gar would play video games all day and forgo food if we could.  I don't know that I have been on the phone with him for more then 2 minutes.)

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Zander:  "Are you at the Rodeo yet?  Are you at work yet?  Are you going to come sleep over?"

(Zander asks a million questions all at once.  He is so cute to talk to!  He wants to talk to anyone who is with me.)

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I miss the boys so very much!  I can't wait to see them.  We pick them up one week from today.  Niel commented this morning, "Sunday morning are just so quiet around here.  I just doesn't seem like Sunday without them here."

What do you want to be when you grow up?

I asked each of the boys what they want to be when they grow up. I found the responses to be extremely interesting....

Conner: "When I grow up I think I want to be an Astronaut. But I guess there isn't a lot of people looking for an Astronaut, so maybe I will be a Pilot. Or maybe I could be a High School Teacher and teach Math because I am good at math and I like it."

Stockton: "Well, I really like McDonald's, so maybe I will work at McDonald's doing something. I want to be rich though, so I want to be whatever Jackson's dad does. They have all the money they want, so that is what I want to do. I want my wife to do something too. Then we can have lots of money."

Garrett: "When I grow up I want to be in the Military. My friend at school has a dad who is in the Military. He came to our school and it was really cool. He is protecting us and making us safe. I also want to be a runner. I want to run in the Olympics and win a medal."

Zander: "I want to watch a movie. Can we watch Spirit?" I asked Zander again what he wanted to be and suggested a few things. "Mom, I just want to watch a movie.... PLEASE!"

Happy Birthday Miss Grandstaff

Conner called me at work with much delight.  "Mom, it is Miss Grandstaff's birthday.  Me and my friend Joseph would like to do something very special for her tomorrow.  Could you take me to the store tonight?"

Later that night Conner and I went shopping.  Now shopping for Conner is a BIG deal.  He is his least favorite way to spend his time.  I knew this must be a pretty important event for him if he wanted to go shopping.  We purchased some sour patch kids and a beautiful pink plant/flower thing.  He was a good sport too and did a little grocery shopping with me.  It was a very pleasant evening.

Conner very kindly asked Niel to take him and his friend to school at 7:30 in the morning.  This was just the time Miss Grandstaff would be coming into the school to start her day.  Conner and Joseph were so excited to surprised her.... and that they did.  She was overjoyed to see them early in the morning.  She was beaming with happiness as they gave her their gifts and wished her a Happy Birthday.  Both Conner and Joseph were beaming too.  They were both giddy with delight as Niel took them back home.  Conner commented on the fact that we was so happy he went shopping and got up so early to make someone's day so special.

I was so proud of him for taking the extra time to do something he wouldn't normally do for his teacher.  It reminded me to do those little extra things.  What a great example!

Family Basketball

It is a Monday night.... family night! The weather is finally good outside. This winter has seemed to last FOREVER! We haven't gotten to play too much outside, but tonight we decide to have a family basketball game. This will our first family basketball game ever.... a moment to remember for years to come.
We split up in teams. Niel, Stockton, and Zander make up one team. Amy, Conner, and Garrett make up the second team. The game is off to a good start. We are all very competitive so the game is getting interesting. Zander makes a few lay-ups (Niel picking him up and raising him to the basket). Of course, we all cheer. Zander is loving th game. We are all enjoying ourselves. But Zander soon becomes anxious and wants the ball ALL the time. Each of us are trying to give him his turn, but he grows very impatient. Amy gets the ball and begins to dribble. Zander, with very pleading eyes and with such desire says, "Mom, I love you!!! NOW GIVE ME THE BALL!"

It was a great game. One we will all remember for years to come!

The Jazz Game

I had looked forward to the day when the boys would be old enough to actually appreciate and enjoy a Jazz game. Well, the day arrived and it was more fun then I could have imagined! The Jazz played an awesome game! They killed the Wizards with the final score 129 Jazz - 87 Wizards. We were sitting pretty high up but it was a perfect spot for us. The crowd cheered loud! The stands were full of high energy. Niel and I didn't watch the game like we usually do. We spent a lot of time going up and down the stairs. We took trips for hot dogs, bathroom breaks, drinks, popcorn, and more trips to the bathrooms. I think we both got our exercise for the night. But to see the smiles on the boys faces was priceless. They cheered loudly with the crowd. They stood up and danced to the ACDC songs. They clapped with the cheerleaders. They had such a great time!! As we were walking back to the car the boys were jumping around and expressing what fun they had. Stockton told me it was the best day of his life.... he says that often, but I love it when he says it. I think Stockton was just excited to give some of his money to the homeless guy playing church hymns on his accordion outside of the Arena. Or maybe he is just so easily entertained. It was just so fun for me to enjoy their good time. It was a perfect night. I think a trip to the Jazz game could become a just valued family tradition.

Conner's Basketball

We have had a lot of fun watching Conner play basketball this year. He has improved so much over last year and has really had a good time. I, personally, can't get enough of watching him play and watching how much fun he is having.

His coach was very unusual for a group of 10 year olds. He was extremely intense, and he taught them several plays. He was very focused on trying to get them to play basketball "the right way". At first we were concerned it would be to intense for Conner who tends to put a lot of pressure on himself anyway. But as it turns out, the coach was great. He did expect a lot, but he was heavy on the praise and Conner really liked the structure.

Conner has turned into a great rebounder. He's not the tallest or biggest kid on the court, but he plays with intensity and goes after every basketball. The team had an award for most rebounds and I think he won it all but one game. It was great to see him play so hard and just enjoy the game. He never got frustrated with himself, he was just happy when he succeeded, and determined to do better when he didn't.

We were both very proud of him for how hard he worked and dedicated he was. And it was a lot of fun to watch him and the team progress.

Now he is harassing me daily to get the cement pored so we can have a basketball court right here at home.

Joesph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

We haven't been seeing too much of Megan the past few months. We sure do miss her but there is good reason why her absence is missed. She has been performing in the Play, "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." The Play has been at the Center Street Musical Theatre in downtown Provo. Megan is sometimes a little shy, but you would never believe it if you saw her perform. She is in the children's choir and man can she belt out a tune.... and dance for that matter as well!
We went to the performance and enjoyed ourselves immensely. She was very animated and I could tell she was having a great time. She has been working so hard with practices and is very dedicated to the performance. Watching her up on the stage was one of those parent moments when I get all giddy and overly proud of one of our children. It was one of those moment when I smile so big my lips feel like they just can't stretch big enough. She looked so beautiful up on stage and a real natural. It was a great event to attend and I look forward to many more of them.

http://www.csmtc.com/