School Update

Yesterday was parent/teacher conferences.  They went well and I was so proud of the boys that I stopped and got donut holes for them on the way home. 

Mrs. Wiggins loves Levi.  Teachers like her always make me feel like I am sending them to a safe place when they head off to school each morning.  Not a lot to report because he always does good in school.  So I thought I would share how tender he is.  Mrs. Wiggins loves this about him.

Last week, Levi pulled me into his room to tell me about a classmate of his.  He was worried he didn't have enough food and wanted to know if we could invite his family over for dinner one night.  I asked him why he was worried about this boy.  He told me how the boy had made a comment in class about wanting to take the snacks that were given that day (Roosevelt Elementary is a part of a program where fruit/vegetables are brought everyday inside the classroom.  I really love it because it gets them to try new things) home so he could feed his family.  So I talked to Mrs. Wiggins about it and long story short, there were conversations with this boy to dig deep to make sure he was being fed well at home. 

I am so proud of my Levi and his tender heart.  

Brigham is on a 6th grade (he is in 4th grade) reading level, which I am so happy about!  I have often said that I think Brigham thinks of school more socially than academically so I worry about him.  He also has to be reminded about everything, which can be frustrating but to see his work, yesterday, was such a relief that he is doing just fine in school.  

One of the things Mrs. Davies and I talked about was him and the kids he hangs out with.  There are 2 boys in his class that I just love.  They are crazy, like Brigham, but are good boys and I love knowing that he has good influences around him.  However, there is another boy in class that isn't the nicest, I'll just say.  I volunteer often in the boy's classrooms so I get a good feel of the personalities of each child.  So it didn't surprise me when Brigham and one of his friends came up to me a week or so ago and asked if they could stop hanging out with this certain kid.  They told me how he says the "F" word a lot.  The mommy in me wanted to protect and tell them to stay away but the compassionate side of me made sure that I told them they were to alway be kind to him instead.  I told them how they could choose what ever they liked but that they always needed to try to give him chances.  

Obviously it didn't get across to them because Mrs. Davies told me that this child had approached her and told her that I had said that Brigham couldn't play with him anymore.  At first I was irritated that he would say that.  But then I calmed down as the spirit whispered to me that I used to be just like that!  I can remember using my parents as my scapegoat so I didn't have to offend others when really I was the one uncomfortable with what they were doing.  So I had another talk with Brigham last night how he really needs to give this boy a chance.  He comes from a home where obviously he hears the "F" word.  School just might be the only place he will find the influences he needs to be a better person.  At the same time, I don't want him to be around this boy if he continues to act this way.  All in all, I just want him to be kind to this boy. But I have to admit I am super proud of Brigham for wanting to do what is right.  He has always been a leader and not a follower and I love him for that.  

As always, one of the compliments given to Hyrum was that he is super cute.  Mrs. Ballingham is always so busy that I don't get a lot of time with her but I do get one on one time with all her students as I do timed reading with them.  So I already knew Hyrum was a good reader but to see the numbers last night was great.  He should be reading 40 words per minute to be average but he reads 70 (this is for books that he has never read before).  My only challenge with him and his education is that he always wants the easy way out.  Mrs. Ballingham wants his homework done in complete sentences.  When I encourage him to do this he almost always says, "But it's too l-o-n-g!"

So yeah, they are doing great :)

Ogden Mustangs

The boys seem to come home, from school, with free tickets to games a lot.  This time it was for the Ogden Mustangs.  The team is a part of the Western States Hockey League.  

It makes sense that I would like this sport only because it is cold there in the rink but other than that, well, hockey does not describe Alisa Adams.  I am not that sporty of a person and I really don't like to see fighting or blood or poor sportsmanship. 

I can't believe I am going to write this but...

I really like Hockey!

I loved how fast the game is.  That puck is just constantly on the move and fast!  So you have to pay attention, which made the time fly by.  And I really don't like admitting this but it was actually entertaining watching them fight over the puck.  Maybe I should wait till I actually see blood before I say I like the "fighting" part, though :)

So I will start off with a picture of a fight that happened right in front of us!  We were on the second row so we couldn't have gotten a better view!

One of the favorite parts for all of us, though, was that the Mustangs were playing against the Oilers...from TULSA OKLAHOMA!  It made for a hard game of knowing who to root for.  The boys loved that on the Utah side there was a player with the last name of Moore and on the Oklahoma side their was a player with the last name of Beck. 

(Me holding up an "O" for Oklahoma and David holding up our Ogden Mustang ticket...and of course Levi photo bombing us.  My kids sure love to do that!)

Hyrum was pretty bored with the whole thing but I was able to keep him somewhat entertained with some chips that we bought there.  During the game I asked him how he rated hockey.  He gave it a thumbs down.  He then asked me how I rated it.  I gave it a thumbs up with a plus sign.  But he kept asking me over and over what I liked about it.  I thought I was giving good reasons with how fast the game was and how fun the fans were but finally he let me know he didn't want to hear any of those answers by asking me, "You don't even care about the chips?!"  Apparently, all he cared about were the chips.  He is so cute!

 (But he did seem to like the mascot:)

 One of the best parts for the boys was after the first period ended.  The referee came over to us and threw over the puck that was just used in the game.  Brigham was a good brother and gave the puck to Levi because he knew how much he wanted it, even though Brigham had been the one to actually catch it.

And of course it is always a must to get the player's autographs and a picture with a player after the game.  It was a late but really fun night!

 

Mini Family Reunions

Rob and Erin live in Texas now so when they fly in, it is always a priority to make sure we spend time with them.  Since 2 out of the 3 brothers live in Utah, when Rob and Erin are here it is like having a little mini family reunion.  And it almost always takes place at Stephen and Holly's home.  But this time it was a new home (they moved in to a new home in Spanish Fork around Christmas).

(Hyrum with Erin...and of course his stuffed cats had to join them :)

I love this picture because it captures a perfect mommy moment.  Erin is on the floor entertaining the little ones (mainly Bridger, Abby, and Hyrum).  But just as all mommies of babies know, they pretty much can't do anything without the babies crawling all over them while trying to do something else.  Watching Erin tonight was a sweet reminder of just how special a baby/mommy bond is.  For a small part of a child's life they are totally dependent on their mommy.  Watching Mason and Hesston freaking out when Erin left the room wasn't annoying at all.  It was that sweet reminder that for just a small moment, a mother is everything to their baby.  I wanted to whisper to Erin to soak it up and love it because my "babies" don't freak out anymore when Mommy isn't around.

(Helen and Bridger)
Grandma almost always has these prescription paper bags to give to the kids when she is around.  They love to blow air into them and POP them with their little hands.

(Chloe, Alisa, and Keiran)
 As always, my favorite part of the night were the girls.  They took wonderful care of my nails.  I know I say it a lot when I am around all my nieces but I really do love my time with them.  I can't help but feel the different energy that little girls put out and honestly feel just a little bit more feminine around them.

(Rob, David, Stephen, and Helen)

At the end of the night we took a few pictures together.  Unfortunately my picture with Grandma and all her grandchildren didn't turn out but I do love this one of her with her boys.  I truly am so grateful for her raising my husband in the circumstances that she did.  All of her boys are such good men and I will forever love her for that.

(Rob, Erin, David, Alisa, Stephen, and Holly)

I didn't realize just how short all the wives were until this picture!   That's ok though.  We all go well together, right? :)

Good Boys

Last night David and I lay in bed talking about a lot of things but what sticks out most to me this morning was how blessed we are to have such good boys.  Hyrum is so stinkin' cute in his little voice and physical nature.  Brigham is so funny with his facial expressions and comments.  Levi is so dedicated to getting things done and doing what is right.  David and I are truly blessed.

(Here's a cute picture of Hyrum with his new stuffed cats.  We went to Seagull Book the other day to get Levi a journal.  Hyrum found these 2 cats that looked like Neve and Nico.  He has had them "watch" him just about everywhere.  I even caught him sneaking them into his backpack the other day :)

Crazy Date Night

Peggy Stevenson texted me earlier in the week wanting to know if David and I wanted to go on a group date on Friday (yesterday) night.  I was excited because I knew it would be creative with Peggy in charge but a little hesitant, I have to admit.  I just have never liked getting babysitters for the boys.  We just never seem to be in a place long enough to really get to know someone that I feel comfortable with leaving them for hours.  Luckily there is a neighbor family here that I trust and even though I didn't want to ask (she has 3 little ones of her own), I did it!  And it turned out great because I trust her and the boys did real well.

David and I meet at Scott and Peggy's house, loaded up in their van and then went to pick up Shane and Jessica.  We knew Shane and Jessica briefly when we lived in Sunset.  From there we went to Savers.  It is a resale shop in Layton.  We were instructed that we each had $10.00 to spend on our spouses to wear as we went bowling next.  I was sooooo looking forward to this part!  It may seem mean to another but I know David's personality and I knew he would go for it.  But before I put the picture up of David's "after" here is my "before."

 A few "afters."

(Shane, Jessica, Peggy, and Scott)

Yes, that would be underwear outside of pants as well as a few bonus things like goggles and ear muffs.  There were so many laughs last night but one of my favorites were random people's reactions.  I think they got a kick out of it as much as we did.  The best was walking into a bowling alley just to find out that all the lanes were being used.  The look on people's faces as we walked in looking like this and then soon after leaving was priceless.

But we finally did get to go bowling in Syracuse.  You can't see it but I am wearing my jeans under my dress and a pair of toe socks under my bowling shoes.  I was a brat and gave my husband Batman underwear, a tropical shirt with dancing hula girls on it, as well as a shelled necklace to wear.  David, on the other hand got me a somewhat matching dress outfit with socks because he knew I wouldn't want to wear the bowling shoes that other people have worn.  Yep, I have a wonderful good sport of a husband that I don't deserve!  Man, I love him!

We didn't do regular bowling though.  Peggy had some M&Ms and each color represented a different way that we had to bowl that turn.

It was interesting trying to bowl backwards between your legs in a dress!  But believe it or not, I did the best.  I am not a good bowler...at all!  But for some reason, bowling in crazy odd positions made me get the most points of the night.  At the very last frame, the computer gave Peggy a strike even though she didn't even hit anything so technically she won...but I am not counting that because seriously, playing crazy bowling is the only way I would EVER win!

We had so much fun last night.  The back of my head hurt so bad by the end of the night.  That seems to be a common occurrence around Peggy though :)

David's Vacation

David had a lot of time that he didn't use for vacation this year.  Add Christmas and New Years Day and he got a whole 2 weeks off!  It has been lazy and wonderful!

Some of the things we have done:

We celebrated David's birthday with Dylan and Kortnee Grigg.  They brought over their dog and honestly, I felt a little sorry for the huge thing!  I really think the boys wore her out. 

David and I had a few lunches together while the kids were in school.  A little something about me...I love trying new restaurants but once I have eaten there and liked the food I ordered, I never get anything else when I return.  I guess I am afraid I won't like the next thing I order so I play it safe and have the same yummy thing I had before.

We were also able to go to the Brigham City temple for the first time.  It was beautiful inside.  Most of the time David and I go by ourselves to the temple, so the other parent can watch the kids.  This was a rare occasion for us to go together while the kids were in school.

David goes back to work on Monday...I guess we all have to go back to the real world eventually :(

New Years 2014

The Stevenson family invited us over for New Years Celebrations last night.  I really don't like to stay up so late with my kids (because of late night emotions) but it was really fun with Peggy.  She put a lot of work into the food and games to make it really enjoyable.

 She had balloons, that had different times marked on them, that the kids were allowed to pop to find out what the paper inside said we were going to do next. 

 One was making glow in the dark shirts.  Of course, Minecraft was my boys artwork of choice.

She had fun games for them to do as well as things to look back on in 2013.

But the last balloon was the activity that all little kids love...being as loud as possible once midnight strikes and it is officially 2014!

Some memorable things of the night was one of the dishes Peggy made.  She brought it out and started telling us that she made this just for her and David because of their "trailer trash" past.  They both grew up in trailers and so they tease each other about it often.  David and I got such a kick out of this because of different reasons.  I never thought it was a trailer thing, I just thought it was gross!  The first time I had it was with his family...in a trailer.  I remember eating it and trying my hardest to hide my thoughts which were, "Who puts cottage cheese with whip topping and fruit!"  I just couldn't get over the cottage cheese.  Even as I write this David is laughing at this picture because he can't believe how correct Peggy was on all the things she was saying about this "special" dish.  He grew up on this stuff and it was for special occasions.  Sorry, but I still say YUCK!

I got my gift for Christmas from Peggy last night as well.  I found this quote on Pinterest earlier in 2013 because I thought it was funny.  It is a big thing right now to put vinyl quotes directly on your walls or in frames.  I like the idea and think it is a good reminder of positive things to have in ones house but I don't have any.  Probably more because I am not really into decorating.  I don't know why I thought this was so funny when I saw it on Pinterest other than it is making fun of everyone who does this wall quote stuff.  But it looks like I am going to become that person because this is sooooooo going on a wall at home!