10

12/23/13 Derek is now 10.  For his Birthday all he wanted to do was invite friends over and play "Weeping Angels" in the dark.  Easy enough.  Since his birthday is so close to Christmas we usually do something after Christmas with his friends or something small with the family. We have never actually had a friend party on his true Birthday Because his Birthday fell on a Monday during Christmas Break I quickly polled at the parents to see if it was possible and it was.  Hooray.  It worked out well the timing of Christmas, just coming off a busy weekend.

It was the easiest party ever.  Boys are so simple.  I just bought Flashlights, and glow sticks at the dollar store for each boy, and fed them pizza, soda, and cupcakes. I kept throwing party ideas at Derk and kept saying, "all I want to do is play Weeping Angels with my friends."   They played games in the dark in our backyard, Weeping Angels, Tag, Hide and Go Seek, and Star Wars.  The weather was perfect, it gets dark early this time of year so we started early. His friends that came were, Dallin, Westin, Britton, Jacob V., Sean P., David S, and Nick from around the corner.  Once again No gifts and it was a huge success. Derek, his brothers, and his friends loved it.

Derek opening an additional controller for the WiiU

Smash Brother Brawl, is the most favorite gift received by all the brothers

The latest book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series

A mini Robot that Dax gave him

An Eagle, Birthday and Christmas 2013

Christmas Came and Went and we had a fabulous 10th Birthday for Derek.

We had made Gingerbread houses in the past, and I was surprised when the kids asked me to buy some for this year.  So we did. This is becoming a fun tradition for the boys.

Trey adding details to his roof

Derek working diligently  

A Gingerbread Village

Dax has reached the rank of Life Scout, which means he is on his way to Eagle.  He still has a few merit badges to earn and some other requirements but I wanted him to be thinking of an Eagle Project to do.  I asked him about some of his ideas and he said he would like to help homeless people or those in need.  A few days later we got an e-mail from the food bank where our family had previously volunteered.  The e-mail said they were running low for the Holidays and they would love it if people would help out by doing food drives.  I told Dax this fit with his ideas and that it was the perfect time of year to do it.  He jumped on it, although he is early in the game to work on his Eagle.  He set a goal of 1000 lbs of food and by some miracle he reached it.  We hit a few bumps in the road like putting up 40 flyers in a neighborhood only to have the HOA remove them all, so it was extremely difficult to collect in the neighborhood he planned on.  He had a few friends say they would try to put boxes up at their schools, but nothing came of that.  Then Jackpot- a lady from Curtis' office is an extreme coupon er.  Michelle Noel, came up to Curtis after he announced the food drive at an office meeting and said she wanted to help out.  At the last place she worked they did a food drive and her department alone collected 600lbs of food with minimal money.  She went to work and she was awesome.  She collected money from everyone, then bought coupons in bulk from somewhere online, then she scoured the ads and this is what she came up with.

WOW 798 lbs of food

Herman Schilling, our Home Teacher also took a box to work and helped with the collecting.  With all efforts, Dax was able to contribute 1268 lbs to the Chandler Christian Food Bank.  Hopefully, it made someone's Holiday a little easier.  We are proud of him.

Pre Christmas

The other day I was picking Dax up at school.  There is a little play ground, where we meet Dax near his school.  If we get there a few minutes early before school is released I let Trey get out and run around on the play ground.  There is this one area of the park, where I think the Sprinkler System is broken and there always seems to be a bunch of mud in this one corner of the playground.  Trey was playing, then Dax arrived.  I called Trey and told him it was time to leave.  He started running towards me and he ran right through the muddy patch.  It wasn't a horrible mess, but he did get mud all over his sandals. Trey was disgusted that he got mud all over his shoes he said "UGHH Why did Jesus make mud??  I just laughed.


Someone had given Curtis 4 Tickets to the Suns game a few months back.  Then I was asked to help with the food at the Ward Christmas party.  Curtis told me right away that he wouldn't be able to go to the Christmas party because of the Sun's tickets.  I was okay with it.  As time got closer we decided it may be a fun time and easier for me if Curtis just took all the boys to the Sun's game.  That way I wouldn't have to worry about them, while I was trying to feed the rest of the ward.   The tickets were in a suite, so it would be a fun night for all.  When the boys got home I asked them about the game, they said it was fun.  Dax and Derek has been in a suite before, but it was a first for Trey.  I asked Trey what he thought he was so impressed that they had seats like the movie theater.  I asked him if he saw the Gorilla (Sun's Mascott)?  He looked at me and said "How did you know"?  It was cute to hear him talk about it.





Dax-Eagle Scout Project collected 1067 lbs, fastened seat belt into his shirt on drive over.

Derek-Pre Christmas B-day best thing was having his friends over.  Helped clean up yard the day after. Wrote Grandpa Brent a Thank you note and called him Friend Owl

11/12/13=5

On November 12th, Trey Turned 5.  Hooray, Five is such a great age. On the other hand, I can't believe he's five.  He had a Fantastic Fifth.
Dax had somehow convinced Trey to ask for the Nintendo WiiU game system for his Birthday.  I don't think Trey would have asked for it on his own, but Dax sold him on the idea.  We thought it was a bit much for a five-year-old, so we talked to the kids and decided that it would be a combined Birthday gift to Trey and Derek for his December (so close to Christmas) birthday. They all agreed and were thrilled.  Curtis was also going to be out of town for Trey's birthday, so we bought the game system and celebrated a few days early. They played it for the next two days and loved it.  Then again on his real Birthday, he wanted Angry Birds cupcakes to take to school.  The Angry Birds cupcakes were only available at Sam's club in a box of 30.  His class only has 5 kids.  So we ate those two days later for my birthday and the rest of the week.  It kind of seemed like a never-ending Birthday week.

   Trey Eating his "Under the Sea" Birthday Dinner.  Fancy Hot Dogs/Mac and cheese. 

Trey opening his Model car to paint and build from Lowe's

                                                                             


A few days before Trey's Birthday he was telling me that he wanted a car that he could paint and put the wheels on.  I took him to Michael's thinking they would have something easy enough for a five-year-old to do.

Directions for this toy built for a future engineer

 We leave the store with this Shelby Mustang Model.  I knew it would be a bit complicated for his level, but I thought we could do it together.  Oh my Goodness was I wrong!!!  This thing had 200+ tiny pieces, and you literally had to build the entire car, the engine from all these little parts, then the interior, with mirrors and windshield wipers etc.  I couldn't believe my brothers used to put these things together. Extremely complicated for any kid.  It took a lot of patience, and a long time with tiny microscopic pieces.  Trey lost interest in building it right away.  He was excited about the finished product, but the super glue, tiny pieces and a five-year-old don't mix.

Finished Product..Sort of.

 So I get this car pretty much finished, it isn't ready for the county fair or anything.  The only problem is I couldn't figure out how to put the wheels on, it should be simple but like the rest of this car...IT WAS NOT.  Somehow between my interruptions of building this, I lost the 2 axles and so two wheels are not glued on.  The car is just setting on them.  All this work and Trey is disappointed that he can't even play with the car because the wheels don't move. Much less it isn't really something you play with.  Just sit on a shelf and admire. UGHH.  Then as soon as I get this finished I go to Lowe's and find this...

 Exactly what I had been looking for the entire time.  A block of wood you paint, then put stickers and wheels on.  About 1/4 of the price, minimal work, and Trey can actually play with it.  He loves it.

Fall Fun

Dax and Derek on Luigi's Flying Tires in Cars Land at California Adventure

Derek and; Trey on the tour bus in front of an "Air Plane Crash" set at Universal Studios

More Air Plane wreckage

Dax and Derek in front of the DeLorean Time Machine from Back to the Future

Trey is showing me his "smooth Moves" while the others were on a ride

Getting Ready for the "Foam Run"

Trey &; Curtis Running through Foam

We had a Fabulous Fall Break as usual.  We headed out to Disneyland, this is our favorite time of the year to hit that place.  The weather is beautiful, and the crowds are bearable.  We always have a great time as a family there.  This year we changed it up just a bit by heading over to Universal Studios for a day.  It was fun to see some of the movie sets, and they added some fun attractions.  The kids really enjoyed the Transformer ride.  The Studio tour was my favorite.  We drove around some old movie sets, saw the house from Psycho, saw some European and old west towns, and saw an earthquake take place while we were in a subway, with vehicles crashing in on us.  We also saw a plane crash and a flood.  They also took us into this tunnel, where they played a 3D clip from King Kong, and all kinds of dinosaurs were attacking.  I thought it might have been a bit scary for Trey but he loved it.  I think the kids were more disturbed by all the Zombie dolls around the Park.  It was right before Halloween and they had some special event for it, so they put Zombies everywhere. The kids also loved the Jurassic Park ride.  They warned us that we would get wet, and we saw people putting on raincoats, that was an understatement.  We got SOAKED, and we were not prepared or expecting the amount of water that was dumped on us.  It made for a good laugh.

There was one ride that Trey wasn't quite big enough to ride on.  So I took him over to this little play area they had for kids.  Trey had a great time running around and checking it out.  At one point he said "Mom watch me and my smooth moves" as he went through an obstacle course and punched some punching bags.  It was cute and made me laugh.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
 FOAM RUN-  I thought it would be a fun family activity to do the Foam Fun Run.  It was a 3K fun run starting at Tumbleweed Park.  It seemed to be a good way to spend some time outdoors, get some exercise, and have a fun family activity.  The description made it sound like we would be running through an extreme amount of foam and going through obstacles like blowup bounce slides etc. The instructions were; to be prepared to be wet, your clothes could get stained, don't take any electronics you care about, etc.   It was a run, and good family activity, the weather was beautiful but the foam was few and far between, still glad we did it but the lack of foam was disappointing to the kids.  I registered everyone but Trey because it wasn't necessary for kids under 7.  Since I didn't register him he didn't get a Foam Fun Run shirt or a bib (your number)  which he cared more about than anyone else.  I gave my shirt to Dax (which I didn't care about and would probably never wear), Dax's shirt to Derek, and Derek's shirt to Trey.  He was happy, and he asked if he could do it again next year so he could get a "bib"  cute.    

Halloween

The Cutest "Darth Vader" Trey

 Grandpa Brent, his wife Marilyn, and their Grandkids Ashley and Mia came to visit us for a few days.  They went to Trunk or Treat with us at the Church.  The kids always get a load of candy way too fast and too easily.  They don't understand what real Trick or Treating is like.  Trunk or Treat is usually a few days before Halloween so by the time real Trick or Treating rolls around they already have a ton of candy they walk to three houses and they say are done.

Dax Dressed up like Dracula which I wish I got a picture of him with his cool fake fangs.  He actually did go out Trick or Treating on Halloween night with his friend Matt Layden. He went Trick or Treating in Matt's neighborhood Fox Crossing and had a great time. They got a ton of candy to add to the candy from the previous festivities.  I'm glad he went, I'm happy when he's social, and I'm glad he had the experience of walking a neighborhood and earning candy.  His costume was easy, a White shirt, and dress pants, and I reversed his Harry Potter Cape, along with fake fangs, and called it good.

Derek dressed up like a Union Soldier from the Civil war.  Easy costume.  We already had the costume from when Dax dressed up like John Wesley Powell for a school project, and he had the civil war hat from last year's Cub Scout, Blue, and Gold Banquet when they discussed the Civil war.

Trey's costume was one that I think Derek wore a few years ago.  Easiest Halloween ever.  I think I spent $5 total for Dax's fangs.  The rest of the stuff we already had.

Trey as Darth Vader

Derek and a Union Soldier

Derek and Grandpa Brent

Ashely, Mia, Dax, Derek,& Trey before Trunk or Treat

                              

Utah Trip

A few weeks ago Curtis and Trey traveled up to Utah for Curtis' sister's wedding.  While they were they went to the BYU vs  Middle Tennessee Football Game.

Trey with some Cheerleaders making the boys jealous

Lavelle Edwards Stadium

They showed up to the stadium early and had a great time. Trey was pretty cute during the game.

It was very cold up there so they stocked up on some BYU Cold Weather gear.  Curtis bought Trey the stocking cap (see the pics).  Then Curtis was looking for a hat for himself.  He tried one on and asked Trey how he looked  Trey responded "Oh yea Dad get that one, you wear it like a Boss"   Everyone around them that heard it got a good laugh.

  A little background story.  A few months back all the flags around the country were flying at half mast for several days (19 days I think) because of the Yarnell Fire tragedy up in Prescott.  Trey noticed that the flags were down and he asked why.  I explained that we are sad because something bad happened, so we lower the flags to show we are sad.  Ever since then when he sees a flag at half mast he says "oh why are we sad".

After the first quarter of the game, BYU was losing a bit.  Trey asked Curtis " Are they going to have to lower the flags because we are sad if BYU Loses?" Very Cute what goes through their little minds.  Fortunately, BYU won, so no flags at half-mast.

Later, Curtis, Trey, and Aunt Alisa went to dinner after all the festivities.  When the hostess asked how many and they said three, Trey let them know that although there were three of them Alisa, was not really with them. He is a cute kid.

Trey and Aunt Alisa Zoccoli

Two cute boys, Curtis and Trey

Johnson Side Family-Curtis, Grandpa Brent, Trey, Grandma Shauna

Manwaring Side Family-Grandma Shauna, Curtis, Grandma Eva Manwaring, Trey

1st Shave

Yesterday was Dax's first shave.  We have noticed for about a month he was starting to grow a little "stache"  Curtis decided yesterday was the day.

Here are some pics

Gold Rush...aka Yellowstone

 Back in May, one of Curtis' cousins from his Dad's side, Kevin Beck, contacted Curtis to see if he would be interested in doing a 5-day 30+ mile backpacking trip through Southwest Yellowstone.  This isn't just going to "Old Faithful" and seeing the main attractions of Yellowstone.  This would be deep in the backwoods, where very few people actually get that far to experience it.  Curtis had done this as a kid a few times with his Dad's (Johnson) side of the family, he knew what a great adventure it was.  Curtis isn't much of a camper but also knew the sights of Yellowstone were well worth the sacrifice of sleeping in the dirt for a few nights.  Curtis has always talked about these trips and I knew he wanted to go back again someday.  He felt like this was his opportunity and wanted his kids to experience it as well.  We knew it would be a tough week of enduring the outdoors, without the comforts of home as well as a lot of hiking.

Dax and Derek, early in their adventure with a Geyser behind them.

 Dax and Derek would have to miss a week of school.  The conditions of Yellowstone are only optimum a few weeks out of the year to do this type of excursion.  Since we do year-round school, they would likely have to miss school no matter when they did it.  The kids seemed excited to do this.  We tried to explain to them it would not be easy, but they still wanted to go.  We did our best to prepare them for it.  We went on long walks, carrying backpacks with weights in them.  During the summer while it was hot, hot, hot outside.  I had them put some miles on the treadmill down in the basement. Through the months of planning and preparing for Yellowstone, Trey picked up on what was going on.  Sometimes he would get confused or forget what Yellowstone was actually called and he referred to it as "Gold Rush"  I thought it was cute and made us laugh.

Finally, August 15th came, when they flew to Idaho Falls to meet Curtis' Dad.  He would drive them to Yellowstone and hike a few miles in with them.  Then head back out, drive his 5th wheel around to the other end of Yellowstone and meet them at the end of their adventure.  I think Curtis was excited to be away from work, his phone, and daily distractions for a week.  They were a little nervous about seeing bears.  I was worried about Curtis and his compromised back enduring the physical beating of carrying a 30 lb pack crossing the wilderness for a week. I was also concerned about Derek.  This was a BIG hike, for anyone much less a 9-year-old that doesn't have much experience with any of this.  He talks tough, but when things get tough he isn't.  Dax was really the only one I wasn't too concerned about.  He had been on a lot of hikes/ campouts with Scouts and I knew he would do well.  When this adventure was first initiated it started as a 30-mile hike, then by the time they were leaving it was 50 miles...read on.

 On Saturday, their second-day hiking, they were able to get a cell phone signal and they called me as they were crossing the continental divide.  WOW, That sounds big. They said it was tough, but they were making it. They put in 17+ miles that day alone. They saw tons of geysers and thermal pools along the way.  They did enjoy swimming in the rivers with freezing cold water, running into a thermal pool of hot water, making it the perfect temperature to swim.

 It was quite an adventure.  Their group started out with 24 and they ended with 5.  Curtis, Dax, Derek, Kevin (Curtis' cousin who initiated and organized the entire trip), and Kevin's 11-year-old daughter Sarah.  The entire group was made up of Curtis' aunts, uncles, and cousins.  After a few tough days they all gradually dropped out, except the Final FIVE.  Kevin had done this before and knew what was ahead.  Curtis had not seen these exact same areas of Yellowstone, but he didn't want to quit.

Dax, Curtis, and Derek at one of the waterfalls.

When they finally got near the end they saw some of the most amazing sights.  A waterfall that was 200' high.  Breathtaking.

When they were all done they hiked 69.5 miles.  WOW, that is a lot of ground to cover in 5 days.  I think that will qualify Dax for his Hiking merit badge.  When I picked them up at the airport Curtis said it was "very hard, but worth it".  On a scale of 1-10, Dax gave it an 8 Derek gave it a 6.5 which is good.  Considering at the beginning of the trip it was negative 1,000,000.
I know this was extremely hard, but Derek was a bit overwhelmed by it all.  Now that they have been home a few days, the horror of all that camping and hiking is starting to fade and I'm starting to hear the funny stories like the chipmunk who was attacking them and throwing nuts at them, and Dax's favorite part about fording through a river. I'm glad they did it, it was an amazing experience for them in so many ways.  Their Fall break is coming up soon and we were talking about what to do over their break.  Curtis mentioned maybe we go back up to Yellowstone so Trey and I could see it, but we would be in a car and stay in the main visitor areas.  When we brought it up to Dax and Derek, they both said "No" Derek just hung his head in disgust.  Even in a car, it is still too soon.  I hope they will one day want to go back.  Maybe with the next generation.

One Liners...

The kids went back to school a few weeks ago, it was pretty uneventful.  Derek is in 4th grade with a new teacher to Hancock, Mrs. Ortega.  Dax is in 8th grade at his same middle school ACP-O.  Treyson is in Pre-K. He is continuing with Miss Angela again.  She upgraded her program to Pre-K, 5 days a week, so we will continue on until he is old enough for kindergarten.

This last week, we went to curriculum night at Dax's school.  We follow the kid's daily schedule and meet all of their teachers.  I didn't go last year, but I did like meeting the teachers, so now I actually know who he is talking about when Dax tells me stories of his classes.

The first teacher we met was Ms. Schmidt, Dax's science teacher.  Dax had said he really liked her, and I liked her too.  We were the first ones in the class and she told us she really enjoyed Dax and then told us a little story about Dax.  She said the other day they were having a lab and they were looking at a small clip of a newspaper through the microscope, Dax looked at it and said, "ugh that is filthy and gross, no wonder tabloids are so dirty".  She thought it was pretty witty, and I have to admit that was one of Dax's better jokes.  The rest of the night was uneventful except for Dax's Spanish teacher Mrs. Betlach. She obviously thinks very highly of herself and spent the first few minutes talking about how great she was, on and on and on about herself.  She eventually went on to explain the curriculum, which I was grateful for.  I started thinking it was going to be 10 minutes of
 "I wanna talk about me
Wanna talk about I, Wanna talk about number one, Oh my me my"

We asked Dax what he thought of her, and he seemed to think she was OK, although I do think he is a bit intimidated by her.

Dax had the same math teacher as he did last year.  It was a rough year last year in Algebra, we got many e-mails from Candy Rife, her being so concerned because Dax wasn't taking notes, although he had a B in the class.    Dax made a lot of progress and actually was taking good notes by the end of the year.  Dax always felt she picked on him.  He often referred to her as "not so sweet as Candy [Rife]"  I thought they actually ended the year on good terms.  He got her again for Geometry this year.  It didn't take long for her to start sending us e-mails again.  Long story short, she said Dax was lying about taking notes when she didn't think he was.  She wrote him up and sent him to the office for Lying.  This upset us because Dax does not lie.  He would not even go to a PG-13 movie when he was 12.  She could have said other things about Dax and I wouldn't have disagreed, but he is NOT a liar.  After a few meetings with the principal and discussing it.  Dax has moved back to Algebra.  Mrs. Rife was the only Geometry teacher, and everyone agreed it wouldn't hurt to redo Algebra and get an A instead of a B- because Algebra is so important for advanced math classes.  Dax is just thrilled to be out of "Not so sweet as Candy's" class and he really likes his new math teacher, Mrs. Williams.  It is a win-win situation.
 My friend who is an Algebra teacher said she thinks everyone should take Algebra until they get an A, she said it is actually a "blessing in disguise".  We're moving forward, the rest of the school year looks bright now that he has a fresh start and he doesn't have Candy Rife on his back.  Dax also said Mrs. Rife could be a contestant on "The Biggest Loser" which is a lot of weight for him to carry on his back.

First Day of School

Another First Day of School.

 3 Very Cute Boys excited to start their day and new adventures

A rare glimpse of Dax in his contacts.  He didn't love them.

Derek at his desk in Mrs. Ortega's Class

Summer of '13

We have had a busy summer and the kids are headed back tomorrow- Monday.

As usual, our short 7-week summer was just the perfect amount of time off.

I signed the kids up for lots of activities and classes.  I can't stand when they sit around doing nothing or are constantly playing video games.  I signed them up for anything and everything I thought they would be interested in.  I knew everything I signed them up for, I was also signing myself up because I had to drive them around and wait during their activity.  It was totally worth it.  They were busy and happy, and for the most part video games were limited.
Dax did a Claymation class where they made a short movie out of clay characters.  He enjoyed it.  He also went to Scout Camp for a week up at Camp Raymond.  Same place as last year, up near Flagstaff.  Once again had a great time.  He is making a lot of progress in scouts and is on track for his Eagle within the year.

Derek did a sports camp, then a 2-week fast track swimming lessons.  He wants to do the swim team, but he needed to get his strokes down.  I took him the first time and he actually did better than I thought he would do.  He knew his strokes better than I thought.  The Butterfly was new, and when I saw the teacher showing him the butterfly with no arms, I thought "that looks hard with a lot of coordination".  Derek continued to go every day, by the second week I looked up to watch and I thought "wow that kid is good...WOW that kid is Derek"  I couldn't believe it, he was so smooth and fast in the water.  I couldn't believe a kid could swim it that well.  He looked like a true swimmer.  When his teacher came out to talk to the parents about the progress, she was very impressed with Derek's Butterfly, she kept saying "did you see his butterfly"  I was so proud of him.  I hope this is something he will continue because I feel like he finally found something he can excel in.  Derek told me it was his favorite stroke, and the teacher was kind of surprised because she said that is usually the hardest.
After lessons, one day as we were waiting for the kids to come out of the pool, one of the other moms came over to me and told me her daughter, Katie, had a crush on Derek.  We both laughed and thought it was funny.  She was a cute little blond 6 yr old.  Derek needs a little more practice on his Breaststroke, then he can join the team.  I really hope he continues, he made so much progress.  I hope this is his "thing".

Trey did a sports camp as well.  It was fun for him, mostly 4-year-olds running around the gym. He continued with preschool at Miss Angelas, but he is going to start PreK in a few weeks at a new school.  Miss Angela has been great for all 3 of my boys, but I feel Trey is ready to move to the next level.  He is excited to start a new school as well.

I think all 3 of the boy's favorite was "TNT" Trampoline and tumbling.  We don't have a trampoline but all the kid's friends do.  Of course what kid doesn't love a trampoline? I just thought it would be fun to know how to do flips etc.. Derek was excited from the beginning, but Dax wasn't so sure.  I told them just for the summer, then as soon as school starts you can quit.  They loved it and we will not be quitting.  I did see flips from Dax and Derek (Trey is at a different level).  I took the kids to Hamilton pool the other day and Dax did a flip off the diving board.  The skills are coming together.  Trey even went off the diving board, over and over.  It was a fun time.

Overall, it was a great summer, aside from their activities we spent a lot of time in the pool.  No trips except to Flagstaff a few times. Curtis is going to take Dax and Derek up to Yellowstone in a few weeks.  Unfortunately, because we do go back to school so soon, they will have to miss about a week.  More details on that to come.

Trey at his sports camp

 I LOVE MY BOYS.

A Great Day!!

Friday was Dax's 13th Birthday.  I think he enjoyed it. He is on the verge of many exciting things.

 In the past week, he broke his glasses, and I convinced him to at least consider contact lenses.  I think he is mature enough to take care of them, and when I made the switch I thought they were life-changing.  I absolutely loved contacts from the first minute they went into my eye.  He went for the exam and he went for it.  Putting them in is still a little tricky for him, but as he wears them he is starting to realize how much nicer they are than glasses.  He went to church today and many people said how nice he looked without glasses.  He still doesn't quite have the skill of putting them in yet, he is getting better, but he doesn't have much choice.  His new glasses won't be in for at least another week.  School starts tomorrow and he can't see very well out of his old/old prescription.

His Birthday was great.  He asked for a few games for his Nintendo 3-Ds, cash, and a pool party with his friends.  Then he apologized for asking for things because he felt greedy. Not at all,  I didn't think he asked for much, he is a great kid.  We still gave him what WE wanted too... We gave him a few books about comedy, and also creating comic strips since he seems to have an interest.  A Kindle e-reader( a little electronic gadget to download books etc.) some cash, and a small pool party with his friends.

He seemed quite happy with his gifts, he loves the Kindle (I totally went out on a limb with that, he has never shown any interest in one, I just thought he would like it), and he used the cash the get the games he wanted and he had a great time at his pool with friends Dallin Thomas, Brigham Andersen, Jordan Pyper, Matthew Layden (and little brothers Weston Thomas and Soren Andersen for Derek and Trey).  We had pizza, donuts, and some snacks.  Once again no gifts.  Simple, easy, and fun.  It just seems so weird to me to be having "teenage parties"

Happy #13 Birthday

Looking pleased with his gifts

The other day while I was taking Dax to pick out his glasses he noticed the restaurant "Lolo's Chicken and Waffles"  He loves waffles so he asked if we could go there for his birthday breakfast.  I had heard of this place, and I have always wanted to try chicken and waffles.  It sounds odd, but it is basically just southern food. I think it originated with the slaves eating whatever they had to eat. Anyway, Curtis couldn't fit it into his schedule to go with us on Friday, so we decided we go on Saturday for breakfast.  Derek initially wasn't too excited about "chicken and waffles" but we were convinced he would like it.  Lolo's didn't disappoint.  I love breakfast any time of day, and who can resist fried chicken.  I think my favorite was the cheese grits.  Curtis has always talked about cheese grits from his mission in Florida.  We have tried to re-create the southern version and it just wasn't true southern grits.  Now I know what Curtis was raving about. I think those were my favorites. Derek loved his waffles. We will have to go back.

Later in the day Derek and Dax went over to the Thomas'.  Dallin is creating another movie for them to film etc.  They were there most of the day.  While they were out Trey, Curtis, and I took our little Oreo dog for a walk.  It was a bit hot and humid, and Oreo did struggle a bit.  It was a good little time together. While we were out Trey picked up some 4 yr old "treasures"  pine cones.  He thought these were great.  I told him only three because that is all he could carry home.  He was telling us how great they were because they could be used as head scratchers, arm scratchers, etc.  Then he decided to name them. We came up with the names "Picky, Itchy, and Tricky".  He liked those clever names.

It was just a fun day as a family.  I'm excited for the kids to start school tomorrow, not so much because I want them out of the house. Mostly because I think it is exciting to see them grow and mature and find themselves.

Mayhem in Flagstaff

School got out on Wednesday.  Hooray, another year survived.  Derek struggled a bit this year, but he finished strong, got his grades up, got a 100% on his oral book report for Percy Jackson ( a first and a huge improvement), and also got a citizenship award/student of the month ( also a first). He made a lot of progress, especially in his attitude.
Dax did really well on all his finals and maintained his 3.0 GPA. He is disappointed his favorite social studies teacher, Ms. Craighead isn't returning, but he also made amends with his math teacher, Mrs. Rife, and ended on good terms.
On Friday we headed up to Flagstaff to visit Papa.  When we got into town Dax wanted to eat at Bun Huggers. He ate there once on a scouting trip and wanted to go back. I had not been there in about 30 years, but I remember it always being good. After we picked up our tasty burgers and fries we headed out to Pappa's house. As we were leaving we were behind a beat-up pickup truck trying to turn left.
He got impatient and tried to back out to go in another direction. The only problem is I was behind him and someone was behind me. He didn't look before he started to back up, so I laid on the horn, he didn't even flinch. He continued to back into me. As soon as he realized what he did, the passenger gave me a "sorry wave" I got out to check out the damage, but they didn't even bother to get out. They just drove off. I think I got his plate #, although I doubt he even had insurance and I suspect he had been drinking by the way he was acting/driving. I still reported it to Allstate, my insurance co.
When we got back home I had to go to the collision center to get an estimate for the damage. While we were there Trey saw a car with the Allstate logo of the two hands together. Trey said "look it's Mayhem's car"  I started laughing the kids love the Mr. Mayhem commercials. "You never know when mayhem will happen so you better have Allstate." Trey totally recognized it, the adjuster even laughed because he knew Trey couldn't read but he knew Mr. Mayhem.  Anyway, that little "mayhem" caused $1003 in damages to the front bumper. Hopefully, they find the guy to pay our $500 deductible.

Mr Mayhem struck