Eagle Scouts

We’re proud as can be to report that Trevor and Jaden were awarded their Eagle Scout – the highest rank Boy Scouting!

And the Eagle Scout Court of Honor went great.
When 6:00 rolled around there were only a handful of people (mostly those taking part in the program) plus our family and I thought that it would turn out to just be a quaint award ceremony after all. But then all of a sudden a ton of people started streaming in and more chairs were being set up. I don’t know how many people there were in all, but it filled the part of the cultural hall we were in very nicely. And I was told that the Eagle’s nest had about 35 men in it. What a great support for the boys!

And the awards ceremony went great! We had Ryan Marshall be the Master of Ceremonies and Cameron Stewart (YM Pres.), Denny Crockett, Pete Harmon, and Bishop Chris Call have a role in it. And they had great things to say. And when it came time for Trevor to award his Mentor pin, he got choked up giving it to Michelle. Jaden gave his to Ryan Marshall and he was flattered.

Then we showed the video I put together of the boys on their path from cubs to Eagle. I figure I spent about 15 hours putting it together. And when it concluded Trevor turned to me and gave me a big smile, a “knucks”, and a “good job dad”. Very nice.

Congratulations Trevor and Jaden!
- Love mom and Dad

Driver's License

Watch out world-- there's a new driver in town...
And I'm pretty sure he's never driven in snow (it's been that kind of winter).

Once spring comes again you should be safe.  :)

Congratulations, Trevor!

(Food for Thought:  If you get your license on Leap Year's Day, does that mean it doesn't expire for 25 years? Hmmm.....)

LHS Sweethearts Ball

 Last month, Trevor was asked out for a girls' choice dance by a friend of his named Kylie.  She brought over a giant bucket filled with sweedish fish and a note taped to the front. It read "Trevor, you are the Sweedish fish in the sea, will you go to Sweethearts with me?"  Inside the bucket were the letters to spell out her name.

(And although Trevor was excited, Brooke was downright giddy over the whole thing-- she's definitely a hopeless romantic. That's her hovering in the background looking over Trevor's shoulder.)

I love the creativity of teenagers!  Here is how he answered her:

Of course he chose to use a box of Raisin Bran (my cereal) instead of a box of Frosted Flakes or Fruit Loops.  Ah, the sacrifices we mothers make!

They went with a big group of friends on a "day date" prior to the dance.  This included a picnic at the park and ice blocking.  Then everyone went home to get ready for the dance.  Later that night, Kylie came to pick Trevor up and they headed out for the evening.  This time they had a three course dinner (provided by one of the girl's moms), went to the dance, and then it was back to a friend's house for a movie. 

Hopefully it was just the first of many fun evenings to come for this high schooler!  Thanks for a fun evening, Kylie!

Snapshot

The thing I love the very most about pictures and journals is that they remind me of a time I thought I would never forget.  I can't count the number of times I've failed to write something down because I was so entrenched in the moment I couldn't fathom a time when I wouldn't remember it.

Obviously I have a bad memory.

And so, in an effort to preserve some of those soon-to-be-forgotten memories, I thought it would would be fun to record a verbal snapshot of our family life as it is right now  (an idea inspired by one of my favorite bloggers).

So here we go.....

Trevor will be going on his first date this weekend-- with an adorable girl that he asked out during his priest quorum's "Eye of the Tiger" activity.  Next weekend will be his second date-- Sweethearts Dance (girls choice) at the high school.   Two weekends, two dates.  Not bad for a 16 year old.  It must be because he's so darn cute.


After almost 9 months of unemployment in 2011, Trent has been working full time now for a little over 3 months.  Although grateful for a job, he has learned how important it is to keep his eyes open at all times for other opportunities.  We've both learned that (what seems like) a large savings account balance can disappear very quickly when there's no money coming in.  I am much more reluctant to spend it than I was in the past.  That's a good thing.

Jaden recently celebrated his 14th birthday.  He grew 4 inches over the past year and we are thrilled!  He is just about as tall as me now and wears almost the same size shoe.  Yesterday was his first visit to the orthodontist to have his braces (bottom only) tightened  (hasn't even complained about it hurting).   The ortho says he needs to be better at brushing.

Caleb is a bookworm--  too much so at times!  About a year ago I had to remove all the books from his bedroom so that he would stay on task when asked to do something.  It worked for awhile (probably only until I returned the books).  Now he is back to poking his nose in a book anytime he is 1) bored, or 2) doesn't want to do what he's been asked to do.

Brooke is extremely social.  Unless she can find a friend to play with after school, her day just doesn't seem complete.  She is usually disappointed at having to come home for dinner as she would much rather play until bedtime.

Although Pebbles is a very good dog, I have realized that I am not as much a dog-lover as I thought I was.  I remind myself often that the reason we have her is for the kids, and it's just part of the stage of life we're in right now.

Two of our favorite family dinners are Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas and Pizza Rolls.  I usually don't hear a single complaint (well, maybe one) when I make them.

Brooke and Caleb are both taking piano lessons from our amazing neighbor, Anne Robinson.  I am so grateful for her and her ability to make it fun for them.  They are both working in the level 3 books-- Brooke almost out of them and Caleb just starting. 

Each night when I go into Jaden's room to say "good night" to him, he is listening to Weird Al Yankovic music and intently reading a book.  I have no idea how he can concentrate.
 
I'm accepting the fact that there is rarely a month when we are out of "sports season" and the resulting Saturday games.  Right now it's indoor soccer for Brooke and basketball for Caleb.  In another 2 or 3 months, we'll be back to 4 soccer games each Saturday.  Maybe I can talk Brooke into giving up soccer for clogging...

Trent is a night owl.  Sometimes Trevor and Jaden join him in a late-night movie or watching an episode of "Psych".  I love that they have that time together for some father-son bonding.

We will soon be planning an Eagle Court of Honor for both Trevor and Jaden.  Trevor earned his Eagle last summer, and Jaden only needs to have his board of review.  Then we'll do a joint celebration!  (My thoughts: Two down, one to go.  Phew!!)

I have been serving as the stake primary president for just over a year and a half.  I am grateful for the opportunity to work with so many amazing ladies in our stake.  Seriously-- they are impressive!

Trevor is in his second year of early morning seminary.  He is awesome about getting up and being ready on time.  I think I've only ever had to wake him up once.

Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I wake up at 5:15 a.m. to go running with 3 of the best running partners EVER (Kristen, Cari, and Sue).  We run 4 or 5 miles each time.  They are better than therapy and literally the reason I get out of bed in the morning. 

The other night I was gone for dinner and hadn't planned ahead, so Brooke made soup for everyone to eat.  Seriously!  She got out a cookbook, found a recipe that looked good, and made it all by herself!  She even texted me to find out where the bouillon was.  I think I could get used to this!

Trevor is usually at a friend's house each Friday and Saturday night.  When 11:00 rolls around, I drive to pick him up from wherever he is.  I am grateful he has such a good group of friends to hang out with, but I'd like to figure out how to draw the crowd over to our house more often. 

Caleb has been going to speech therapy 2x/week during school to work on his "r" sounds this year.  Progress is not coming as fast as I hoped, but maybe that will change once his missing front tooth grows back in.

Technology seems to be taking over our life.  Trying to convince the kids not to let "screen time" dominate every free moment is a constant battle.  It makes me extremely weary.

Chauffeuring my kids and their friends is one of my favorite things to to.  I relish the opportunity to be a "fly on the wall" as I listen to their conversations and observe their interactions.  It makes me smile.

Trent is the scoutmaster in our ward.  I love his talent for working with boys that age.  He is an extremely good sport about camping in horrible weather. 

Jaden is the fastest reader I have ever met.   He can easily read two (if not more) novels in a single day.

Brooke is amazingly detail oriented.  This is a quality she has had since she was little, but I continue to be amazed at all the things she notices.  Nuances in body language, tone of voice, new items of clothing I might be wearing, or changes in where I normally keeps things.  She notices it all!



So there you go.  Definitely not an exhaustive list, but at least a record of some of the things going on around here right now.

Conversations with a Teenager

Life is never dull with teenagers around the house!  Case in point:  here is how one of our conversations went yesterday:

Trevor:  Mom, can I go to the park tonight?
Me:  What's happening at the park tonight?
Trevor: Just going to meet up with some friends.
Me:  What are you planning on doing?
Trevor: Oh, we're just going to light ourselves on fire.
Me: What did you say?
Trevor:  It's not what you think!
Me:  OK-- why don't you explain a little further then...
Trevor:  It's not our whole bodies.  Just our hands-- then you can throw the fire and it's really cool!
Me:  Excuse me?!
Trevor:  Oh, and can I take the video camera too?

At this point, I was at a total loss for words.  I mean, as a mother my job is to keep my kids safe and teach them to be wise, right?  Let's just say I was feeling like a total failure at this point...

Me:  Why would you want to take the video camera?  Are you wanting to document your death?
Trevor:  I'm not going to die!
Me: Have you ever heard of 2nd and 3rd degree burns?
Trevor:  Mom,  Johnny does this all the time!
Jaden:  COOL!  Can I come too?!
Trevor: Look, if I don't come home you can have all the money in my account to pay for the funeral.
Me: And if you come home burned to a crisp?
Trevor: That's not going to happen, Mom (inset eye roll).  You just don't know what it's like to be a boy! 
Jaden:  I want to come too!  Can I, mom?!
Trevor: You can come supervise if you want to.  Johnny said he'll bring water-- just in case.

How do I even begin respond to this kind of question from my (normally) very intelligent son?  I mean, teenagers aren't exactly known for their common sense....

In the end I let him go and prayed he wouldn't burn down the pavilion.

(Miraculously, he came back unscathed)