The first and the last

Today was the boy's last day of school.

I thought it would be fun to take a look back at their first day of school pictures and compare them with the ones I took today of their last day.

Ian on his first day of 1st grade...

and on his last.
Isaac on his first day of 6th grade...
and his last.
I think they both look just a little bit older, and maybe a bit wiser too? I certainly hope so.

Here's to a fun summer ahead!

The end?

Almost every school day for the past 6 years, I have packed a lunch for Isaac. I can probably count on both hands the number of times in those years that he has chosen to eat a school lunch. He just never acquired a taste for them- unlike his little brother.

Today is the last school lunch of the year. As I packed it this morning, I got kind of excited thinking that this might be the last one I will ever have to make. He has told me that next year he is going to TRY to eat school lunch (is it too nerdy to carry a sack lunch in middle school?).

If not, at least I have 8 weeks off before I have to make sure we have enough bread, chips, drinks, and treats in the house to pack him a lunch.

Here's to 8 weeks off!

The Man Cave

Welcome to the Man Cave.

Isaac's birthday party this year was All Things Men.

There was a variety of 'manly' contests to entertain his guests....rootbeer chugging, best burp, push ups, pull ups, who could eat the most anchovies and sardines, just to name a few.

My favorite contest was who could make the best facial hair. The boys were given black paper, scissors and tape. I wish I could show the picture- it is SO funny! But I haven't asked the parent's permission....you'll just have to trust me. It was so great. There were side burns, unibrows, beards and mustaches of all shapes and sizes. Oh my!

And what were the prizes?.....Only the most manly things would do for these little men.
I can't believe my little man is 12! But he is. It says so right on his Chocolate Bunt cake. :)
A special thanks to Erik, the manliest of men, for running the show and for taking the pictures. I was at work and would have missed it all if he hadn't snapped all these great photos. Thanks hunny!

Twelve

I can't believe it. He's twelve years old.

He is now the proud owner of a cell phone.

And owner of an xbox game that he bought with his birthday money from his grandparents.
We picked it up tonight...... I only wish my camera had done a better job catching his little 'happy dance' as he came out of the store.
Here are twelve things I love about Isaac (in no particular order)

1. His dimples. I live to see those dimples!
2. He is so thoughtful. He will often give me a shoulder rub- just because.
3. His laugh! It is so contagious. I am going to miss his girly giggle when his voice changes. :)
4. I love that he still wants to be tucked in at night.
5. He is a great help in the kitchen.
6. He's a hand holder. I love that.
7. He will let me put my cold hands on the back of his neck.
8. He is a wonderful middle child. When he tries, he can be best friends with his big sister and his little brother.
9. He is so smart! I wish I could say his math skills came from me but....
10. He is so excited to receive the priesthood and to be able to pass the sacrament.
11. He is starting to like girls. For some reason I just adore this stage!
12. He reads books with me. He snuggles up right next to me and just lets me read and read to him. It's my favorite!

Happy Birthday my boy!

Thankful- day twenty two

This pile of clothes can only mean one thing..... Today, I am thankful for a clean boy.

The older he gets, the harder I have to beg.

Just wish I could get him to pick up after himself.

**Maybe posting this picture on my blog will do the trick. How mean is that?

thankful thoughts~ day three

Today I give thanks for the lovely park that entertained two boys who have been so terribly bored these past few weeks while they have been off track. Even though they fought like an old married couple the whole time we were there- at least it was a change of scenery for us all.

Money

Isaac is a determined boy. When he sets his mind to something- he stays focused on it until he has accomplished the task at hand.

Last week, he asked me what he could do to earn some money. Don't you love it when your kids ask you this question? Oh the possibilities!

I handed him a rag, a step stool, and the Windex and sent him off to clean six windows- inside and out!

When he was finished, I handed him a crisp $5 bill. He was thrilled!

I expected the next words out of his mouth to be, "Can we go to WalMart?"

Instead, he plopped himself down at the computer and logged on to a 'how to' video on YouTube. And what was it he wanted to learn?

How to do Money Origami.

And he has barely left the computer since. (I do send him off to school each day- just in case you are wondering.)

And since the day he discovered Money Origami, there is money laying around the house, folded into airplanes, animals, and many other shapes. Who knew dollar bills could be so entertaining to an 11 year old boy?

Yesterday, he expanded his use of raw product to include my printer paper- which I'm not as excited about.

But now he can create things like this.....and look! The original $5 bill! It has not been spent- (truly a miracle when it comes to Isaac) but it has been folded and refolded to the point that it will never lay flat again. Poor money.
But that's Isaac. He's mastered Money Origami and now it's off to something else. I'm only slightly afraid to see what it will be. :)

Have a great weekend!

Goodbye Summer

We have had to say goodbye to summer at our house.

It was hard for some, a bit easier for others (meaning me).

School started for the boys this week....one in 6th (at the top of the food chain) the other in 1st (at the very bottom).

This will be the last year that I will have any of my children together at the same school. And to add to the fun, next year I will have one at each of the three schools- yikes!

Both boys seem to have great teachers and both came home with the same smiles they left with in the morning....so we're off to a good start.

First day of school smiles!
Happy 2010-2011 school year!

Time for a Change

Isaac has been begging for a change in his room. He wanted something a little more 'grown up' and something that was more his taste instead of mine.

Last Saturday, we went out shopping and this is what he decided on....

A new full size mattress- instead of the 'twin-bed-that-used-to-be-a-bunk-bed-that-still-had-the-foam-mattress-on-it' that he has been sleeping on for the past 10 years.

Complete with a new headboard and foot board.

The kiddie toys were all put away (except for the doggie you see in the corner- I'm so glad he still has a little boy in him somewhere).

A new comforter and pillows, nightstand and lamp.....
And hopefully that will do it for the next 7 or so years until he is officially an adult *gasp*!

Crumbs in my Bed

There are not too many things worse than climbing into your bed after a long day, only to be greeted by scratchy crumbs under your covers.

There is a good reason that our mothers told us not to eat in bed. (Or was mine the only one??)

Today that rule was broken.

As I sit here in my bed, typing away, there are a few crumbs under my legs. Oh, and there's one at my foot! It is going to be a long night unless I can find them all and brush them away, or even better, talk myself into changing the sheets before bedtime.

Why the crumbs?

Today was General Conference (or as we call it around here, Jammie Church). Erik and I were laying in bed- enjoying the slow paced morning, when the boys emerged with two trays of food in their hands.

Isaac had made us breakfast. Scrambled eggs, his specialty. Along with the eggs, we each enjoyed a slice of whole wheat toast, a poppy seed muffin, a sliced orange, and a glass of milk. The presentation was beautiful. The boys were so proud.

Erik and I were wowed, as were our taste buds! The look on our boys faces as we thanked them and the thoughtfulness of the act more than made up for the crumbs that we will be sleeping with tonight.

It's mornings like these that make you glad that you have children- and even more glad that they know how to cook. :)

It's About Time

This morning, before the sun was even up, Isaac had gotten himself dressed (a chore of mine), put his contacts in (another chore of mine), done his hair (yes, my job too), and had whipped up a batch of Sally Lund Bread (I PROMISE. I'm telling the truth!).

When I got home from dropping Nicole off at school, he was sitting at the counter eating a warm square of lemony goodness with a huge smile on his face. So proud!

It's nice to know your 11-year-old child really can make it without you- that he doesn't actually need his mother to pick out his clothes, dress him, do his hair, put his contacts in, and make his breakfast for him.

What will I do with all my new free time? Oh! That's right. Clean up the mess he made in the kitchen. :)

Eleven

The last thing he said to me last night before I turned out the light in his room was, "I can't believe that when I close my eyes and then open them again, it will be my birthday!"

I love this boy. I love the joy he finds in life. And I love that he shares it with me.

Happy birthday Isaac!

Sunday Morning Muffins

This morning Isaac came into my room with that look in his eye.

"What can I cook for breakfast?" he asked. I thought for a minute, and replied, "How about muffins?". A smile crossed his face as he said, "How do I make them?".

"From a box." I told him.

"That's too easy." he said, with a disappointed tone in his voice. He was looking for something a little more challenging. Like something from scratch.

Nevertheless, he hopped off my bed and the next thing I knew, these beautiful muffins were served.

"We should take a picture." he said. I thought so too.

Lemon poppy seed muffins, with a lemon glaze to boot! I can't think of a better way to greet a Sunday morning.

*smile*

He asked me this morning if Dad, Ian and Nicole had anywhere they needed to go tonight. I guess he had as much fun last night as I did.

Tonight

Through an unexpected turn of events, I ended up having a very memorable Monday night. I got to spend it a very cool young man- Isaac.

As soon as the rest of the bunch closed the door behind them as they left for a Jazz game, Isaac and I looked at each other and smiled. Then a list of things we wanted to do together flew from our mouths.

We spent some very entertaining minutes taking a few pictures on my laptop- here's our favorite one. We call it "puppy dog eyes". You like?

Then we made brownies. Isaac is a wonderful cook. I don't know if I have ever mentioned that before. He is always baking something up in the kitchen. For a boy who doesn't eat much, he sure loves food. I wish I had a better picture, but here is the creation we came up with...warm brownies with a scoop of chocolate ice cream, sprinkled with crushed peppermint candy canes. Yum! It was so good! As I was pouring the brown gooey mix into the pan to bake, Isaac said, "That looks like school lunch." He's a funny kid.
One of our new family favorites, thanks to Isaac, is Mancala. We played it over and over again tonight. It's seriously addicting. And lots of fun.
We even did a little painting project. We repainted my 'family' letters black. They needed a little updating. I love the way they turned out. But what I love the most, is that when I look at them from now on, I'll remember who helped me paint them and the great time we had together doing it!
So day 4 into my new year's resolution of being still (although it may appear that we were anything BUT still) is turning out to be such a blessing. Taking the time to be in the moment-not thinking about the million other things I could/should be doing- is such a great gift to myself. Just taking the time to BE- be a mother, be a friend, be a listener- I'm learning that it's priceless.

I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Up on the housetop!

What is it about building a house out of gingerbread, icing, and lots of lots of candy that makes two boys happy and cooperative? We should do this more often.