Vocab

Britton was making muffins on Monday morning and Korinne was obviously annoying him.  I walked into the kitchen just as Britton was saying, "Korinne, stop criticizing me!"  He said it again but it was not having the effect he was hoping for.  I said, "Britton, she probably doesn't know what the word criticize means."  His facial expression let me know that this was something he hadn't considered.  He decided to try again.

"Korinne, stop making snide remarks!"

Oh yeah, that will stop her. Sometimes it's hard having such a large vocabulary.

May Days

Guess who had a birthday this week? I'll give you a hint, it wasn't Jameson.

 

Adam turned the big 37.  We celebrated by eating dinner at the Pizza Pie Café and going swimming at the Sports Academy.  I would post pictures but, I didn't take any. Yeah, I'm cool like that sometimes. I was so worried about getting all the swimming gear and making sure we were all ready for our spontaneous Tuesday night family party I didn't even think about the camera.  In true Adam fashion he didn't mind one bit.  Surprisingly Jameson did not like swimming.  He loved it over spring break so we aren't sure what happened.  Maybe being out in the warm sun is more fun to him than indoor swimming at night.  We'll see how he does this summer.

This rocking horse in one of Jameson's favorite toys.  He can really get it moving.

 

He isn't talking, but he has a great wave and smile.

I remember Adam holding Britton while mowing the lawn. Here it is 10 years later and he is doing it all over again, what a guy.

 

 

 

 

Jenna had her 4th grade Utah program this week at school. She had a speaking part and did a great job.  All of the 4th graders had to make a float for their specific counties and then parade them through the hall and into the gym for the program.  Last year Britton had to do a big board with all sorts of information about the county he was assigned, but this year Jenna's teacher didn't make them do the additional big board.  I almost hugged her when I saw her.  She is teaching a 4th/5th split and they already do so many really cool things in her classroom she didn't feel the need to assign her 4th graders extra stuff.  Considering I found out about the float at 8:30 p.m. the night before it was due I was very thankful there wasn't additional "stuff" to be done.

I think Jenna's teacher this year has been my favorite teacher for my kids so far.  I have never seen a teacher go above and beyond like Mrs. Anderson.  She runs her classroom like a city and every month they have elections to decide the Mayor and city council for that month and then the other students apply for jobs like, zookeeper, librarian, law enforcement, etc. and the council assigns out the responsibilities.  Every one in the classroom has a responsibility and they all get to do several jobs throughout the year.  Lest you think they don't have any responsibility let me show you a picture of the classroom "zoo".

They have 15 classroom pets and have 4 zookeepers to take care of them.  I've never seen anything like it and the kids absolutely love it.

She is also the teacher that heads up the Panda Power Club (A student service and leadership club), and does The Stock Market Game.  It's all hands on and gives the kids real life, practical knowledge and she doesn't get paid to do any of it!  My kids have definitely benefited from her dedication.  We love Mrs. Anderson.

Going the Extra Mile

On Tuesday, May 14th, approx. 1,200 4th and 5th graders gathered together for the famous Wellsville Mile.  There were 12 heats with around 100 kids in each heat and it was one HOT day.  As luck would have it Jenna was in the first heat of the day and Britton was in the very last heat of the day. 

Our Millville Milers

Jenna's fastest mile time going into the race was over 10 min., but the race atmosphere and having a high school runner run beside her gave her the boost she needed to run her fastest time.

 

She finished 8th out of 118 girls in her heat and ran a 8:27 mile.  It was her fastest time by almost 2 minutes.  She was very happy with it.

 

 

Britton and Collin ready for a day of races.

This year Britton qualified to be in the fastest heat of the 5th grade boys.  Leading up to the race he had been having a lot of problems with pain in his heals so he was pretty nervous to run.

He was the only boy running in a polo shirt. That's Britton for you.

He had a great race and was glad to have it over. A lot of boys in the fastest heat feel a little pressure to run fast because no one wants to come in last. Britton was able to finish right in the middle of the pack so he was happy about that.  Collin was only 3 places behind him. They were happy to finish so close to each other.

Look at that sprint to the finish!

I watched Jenna's race and then went home for a little while before returning to watch Britton's race.  Fortunately I timed it perfectly and Jameson was able to nap at home while I went back to watch Britton. I love it when a plan comes together. . .

What's a week in May without a few recitals and an art show?

Jenna singing a solo at a mini-recital

Jenna's violin/piano teacher has the kids learning violin, piano, recorder, theory and vocal performance.  Both Jenna and Korinne sang a solo and played the piano at this mini-recital and then played violin and recorder at another mini-recital a few weeks ago.  Last night they had a big group recital where all of the students played recorders and violins in a group.

 

 

Wednesday night was the 5th Grade Art Show at the school.  I hadn't heard Britton say anything about it so when I saw the announcement I asked him if he had something in the art show.  "Oh yes, I painted a volcano." Really? Wow. The things you find out when you ask a question. So, off we went to the art show. The students who had demonstrated all of the things they had been learning in art for the past 5 years received a purple ribbon and Britton was one of the students who received one.

I thought his volcano looked great.

Friday night was the Father and Son's campout. Adam and Britton got packed and headed out for their adventure. Later that night when I got in bed all I could hear was the pouring rain. It rained ALL NIGHT LONG.  There was still a steady downpour when they got back around 10 a.m. the next morning. They said they were just fine and only got wet when they put their tent away.  It's funny, Adam always considered the Father and Son's campout as "winter" camping because it still gets quite cool at night in May, but after all of his winter campouts this year his perspective has changed completely.  Compared to January sub-zero camping, May camping with rain is AWESOME.

Today was one of those days where we experienced the weather for all 4 seasons in one day.  Hot, cold, sun, rain, wind, calm. Yeah, just one of the perks of living where we live.

A Mother's Day Miracle

For the past 10 months Jameson has been a handful at church.  He is much too active to sit through much so we have spent a lot of time in the halls switching off so at least one of us can attend class, or teach, or do what we need to do.  It was my turn to have him during the 3rd hour and I took him into Relief Society where I always sit in the back by the door so I can leave when he has decided he has had enough.  As the meeting started I held him across me with his head on my chest and he stayed very still.  After a minute I looked down and realized he had fallen asleep!  I thought to myself, "It's a Mother's Day Miracle!!" He slept for all of Relief Society.  Thanks, Jameson, what a thoughtful gift. 

The day before Mother's Day is recognized as "Birth Mother's Day" so we would like to thank Jameson's birthmom, Marquita. This is the only picture we have of all of us together but we are so thankful for her and her decision to go through a tough pregnancy to give Jameson life.

 

We can't imagine our lives without Jameson.

 

 

He keeps our floor super clean when he eats.

 

 

But no worries, we start them cleaning pretty young around here.

 

 

This video from Adam's cell phone shows Jameson being Jameson.  Dancing, running around, laughing and being the center of attention.  It's all in a day's work.

 

 

 

For mother's day Britton and Jenna decided to use their gift card to the Elements restaurant and take me to dinner last night.  As the 3 of us were leaving Korinne sensed she was missing out on something big and cried until her compassionate father said, "You can go, too".  So, the 4 of us went off to the fancy restaurant where the kids learned that there is a lot of waiting involved at fancy restaurants on a Saturday night. It was busy and everything was especially slow.  Despite how long it took (we were there for almost 2 hours) we really had a great time. Korinne was on her best behavior and surprised us all with her good manners.

 

 

 

 

The girls ordered off of the kids menu and Britton and I ordered from the regular menu. Britton really wanted steak but was worried about the cost.  I told him he had practiced his cello 31 hours and could get whatever he wanted because he had earned it.  He went with the $21.00 Fillet Mignon and declared it the best food EVER!  Every bite he took was followed with some kind of a reaction both verbal and non-verbal.  He will probably talk about this particular steak for years to come.  "This was sooo worth the practicing!"

 

 

Earlier in the week Britton received an award at the banquet his soccer club puts on at the end of each year. Each team in the club gives out awards to the Offensive and Defensive players of the year and then a Most Valuable Player from the team. Britton was surprised to receive the MVP award from his team.  He really enjoys soccer and tells us he's ready to sign up for another year.

 

 

Thursday night was Britton and Jenna's orchestra concert in the Kent Concert Hall.

 

 

Britton wants to continue playing the cello at his middle school next year.  He keeps asking for private cello lessons this summer. (You know, because he doesn't have anything else going on.)  Jenna hopes to be a part of the Ambassadors next school year.  The orchestra Ambassadors are 2nd year students who commit to going to extra rehearsals on Saturdays, are required to have private teachers to help them with the more difficult music, have additional performances and get to travel to SLC to listen to and play with the Orchestra at Temple Square in the spring.  She is excited to be a part of it next year.

 

As you can see we keep pretty busy around here.  I never feel like we get everything done that we need to get done, but we try our best and for now that will have to be enough.  Our kids have no intention of slowing down and want to be a part of everything so who are we to stand in their way?  As I write this Britton is busy making Adam's famous chocolate chip cookies (seriously, they are that good) to give to all of the teachers at the elementary school just to say "Thank You". That is Britton being Britton.  I told him there are a lot of teachers so they would only get like 1 or 2 each, but he said that is fine. He will put 1 or 2 in baggy with a ribbon and then put them in the teacher's lounge and have the secretary announce it to the teachers.  He's thoughtful like that. In fact he is just like his father, and that is about the best compliment he could receive.

 

 

The Stock Market Game

In January of this year a note was sent home from school saying that any 5th grade student interested in playing the "Stock Market Game" was invited to do so. The game would go for 11 weeks and the students would need to go to school early on Thursday mornings to participate.  Oh, and there was a $10 fee to do it. Now, if I have learned anything it's that if you offer Britton an extra activity outside of school (especially if it's educational) he will want to do it. End of story. I didn't know very much about The Stock Market Game but if it taught kids about the stock market and investing than I was all for it.  Jenna is only in 4th grade, but because she is in a 4th/5th split class and her teacher was the Stock Market Game advisor she allowed the 4th graders in her own class to participate. This meant both Jenna and Britton got to play.

Ok, first of all let me say this, the Stock Market Game is cool.  The kids broke up into teams and each team got $100,000 of fake money to invest.  They selected their own stocks and then bought and sold in real time meaning they followed the actual stock market during those 11 weeks.  I found out later there were 787 teams across the State of Utah all participating in this simulation.  At dinner Britton and Jenna would sometimes talk about the stock market and how their investments were doing. If a company ever came up in conversation one of them would run to the computer to see if it was a publicly traded company and would look it over to see if it was a company they were willing to invest in. It was awesome.  Before too long, it was over. I was happy to get our normal Thursday mornings back and that was that.

Or so I thought.

Britton came home with a paper a few weeks ago that said he and his teammate Collin had placed 5th overall in the Elementary School Division of the Stock Market Game in the State of Utah. There was an awards banquet at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building at noon on Friday, May 3rd. and he was allowed to bring 2 guests.

What? I didn't even know this was a thing! Now, all of the sudden we are traveling to SLC on a school day for a banquet?

"And Mom, it's an excused absence!" he cheerfully stated.  Apparently his elementary school won the whole competition and several students were also being honored. So, less than 24 hours after their brilliant debate debut Britton and Collin were back together again sporting their latest award.

We were on the 9th floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and the room was full.

 

Britton and Collin gave a short speech when they accepted their award and did a great job.

 

 

It was pretty fancy and I wondered who was paying for it. The Director of the Utah Division of Securities got up and told us we should thank the crooks for paying for our lunch.  Apparently some of the money they collect from criminals when they find investment fraud in the state of Utah goes to education and "The Stock Market Game" is an outlet of that.  So, I would like to thank the latest Ponzi scammer to get caught for my yummy lunch!

In addition to their plaques and a big trophy for the school they each got $50.00 to put in their 529 college savings account.

 

It was such a fun day.  The weather was gorgeous and the kids were absolutely thrilled with the recognition. 

 

Jameson got to know the hallway of the 9th floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Bldg very well.

 

 

Maybe some day he will be able to sit still long enough to enjoy lunch in a fancy place. Unfortunately, that day is not today.

 

This wasn't the only payout this week.  Remember that darn "practice-a-thon" for orchestra? The one where I had to ask Britton to STOP practicing?  Well, at the end of the 2 weeks Britton and Jenna logged in 30 hours of practice each.  30 HOURS! It will come as no surprise that they won the whole thing (I'm sure no one else in the valley even came close) and this week they got their rewards.  Between the 2 of them they received:

 

2 tickets to a Utah Festival Opera performance this summer (a $98.00 value)

A $40.00 gift card to the Elements Restaurant (The fanciest restaurant in town)

Free dessert at the Bluebird

Free passes to the Jump Zone trampoline park

Free crazy bread at Little Ceasers

 

Boo-yah! All of this requires a parent and I am more than willing to be that parent!  This definitely makes up for the 2 straight weeks of practice that would drive any parent crazy.  30 minutes of practice --good. 30 HOURS of practice--not so fun.  I do appreciate the competitive spirit that motivates Britton and Jenna to go above and beyond, however, even if it does drive me nuts at times.

Evening of Excellence

Britton and Jenna are both in involved with SEM at their elementary school.  SEM stands for Schoolwide Enrichment Model and is the equivalent of a gifted and talented program.  As a 5th grader Britton participated in a debate with his BFF and debate partner Collin.

They channeled their "inner Tiffany" and debated whether or not children ages 0 through 12th grade should be limited to one hour of non homework related screen time per day.  They prepared to debate the affirmative side and did an incredible job.  For the second round there was some shuffling after some kids had to leave early so after seeing a need Britton and Collin volunteered to debate the negative side with absolutely no preparation. Wow. They did such a great job and the fact that they did it with no preparation made it all the more impressive.

Collin moved here from Nevada at the beginning of the school year and he and Britton clicked right away.  They are best friends and have a great time together.  We found out not too long ago that Collin's family had actually looked at the house right next door to ours before buying their current house.  I told his mother just this week, "Um, I'm sure you like your house and all, but I'm really bummed you guys didn't move in next door." She agreed with me.  If only we had known! Collin is their oldest child, too, and is the oldest of 5 kids so we are in the same stage of life.  They love Britton as much as we love Collin.  Britton would have been in heaven to have Collin next door, but for now they'll have to settle for their arranged play time.

As a 4th grader Jenna participated in "Images of Greatness" where each student selected a historically noteworthy person and prepared a number of things about that individual.  Jenna picked Laura Ingells Wilder.  She wrote a poem about her and then gave it in front of the crowd. Afterwards each student stood by their displays in costume.

She did 100% of the research and work by herself. All I had to do was show up and smile--Loved it.  In true Jenna fashion she went above and beyond.  You can't tell from this picture but the Laura on the poster is made from small individual pictures of Laura Ingells Wilder that Jenna found on the internet and then arranged in such a way to make letters.  Jenna likes to pay attention to detail and isn't afraid to put in the work to get it just how she wants it.  Of course, Britton's debate and Jenna's "Images of Greatness" exhibition were going on simultaneously so Adam and I had to run back and forth to support both of them. Most families don't have 2 students in SEM only one grade apart so they don't feel a need to accommodate but we didn't mind going back and forth.

All of this work was done in addition to their normal schoolwork and is only a small sampling of what they have done this year. They both enjoyed their Evening of Excellence. Jameson, on the other hand, didn't enjoy the evening quite as much so I spent a lot of time in the back of the room or the hall. Shocking, I know.