The Buddha Boy

Kaydon. KK. KAY KAY. Buddha. This little man is a hoot! He has so much personality. He is super shy around people outside of the family, but at home he is a crack up! He loves to do dance moves and tell us that he knows he is "hot" and "sexy." Then he just laughs his little heart out. He thinks he is hilarious. I do too. He loves to cook. He loves to play with action figures. He LOVES his DVD player and watching all of Nana's awesome movies. He loves to sing. He loves to snuggle with his Mama. His Mama loves that too! He also loves to practice his recorder. He has a little spot set up in the music room. He practices that thing three to four times a day. He loves it. He loves going to the Library with Nana. He loves cuddling with Brooklyn and taking care of her. He loves buy things for other people. He loves to serve. He has such a big heart.

Last night, he had a little break down and cried and went into the computer room and shut the door. He was very mad at me for going to school "every night." I only have class two nights a week, but homework most every night. He doesn't like that apparently. It broke my heart, but I know that when I graduate, he will be cheering the very loudest. Oh, I love my boys.

Fight Night with Durbin

Last Saturday night, the boys and I had to watch Durbin. It was fight night, too. So, we packed up some yummy food and headed to Farmington. The boys brought along their DVD players to watch their movies. I watched my fights, they watched their movies, and we all tried to control Durbin. He was SO naughty! He bit me. He ate Braxton's shoe. He kept trying to get on the counter to get real food. We were all exhausted when we left that night! Still, the boys love playing with him and I'm pretty sure the boys wear him out!

Celebrate Good Times!

School = stress for me. A lot of stress... like wishing death would befall me prior to having to go take my first History quiz last night-kind of stress. Bad, bad stress. Like Miss Birdie having to talk me down from the ledge-kind of stress. Like I was at a point where I would rather vomit up dog crap than take my first quiz-kind of stress. You get the point. I will have you know that I didn't do any of the aforementioned deeds. Self-control. I did go to class and take the quiz. I have no idea what I got on it... I don't even really care at this point. The fear from that moment is over. I made it. I did it. I lived. All is well. Therefore, on my way home, I stopped at Dairy Queen, purchased an ice cream cake, had them write "way to go" on it in pink frosting (they couldn't fit my name on there), and took it home to celebrate good times with the quorum and the Nana.

That's right... we celebrated NOT a grade, NOT the outcome of the aforementioned traumatizing quiz... we celebrated the fact that I prepared as well as I could, I went and took it without breaking out into shingles, I did my best, I didn't sit in the corner of the classroom in the fetal position rocking myself back and forth while I sucked my thumb... I did it. We celebrated that!

I would also like to mention that Jackson noted that he takes a test "like everyday at school" so we should totally celebrate "like everyday!" This is not about you JACKSON. This is about your slightly ill mother!!!! :)

The Little Peanut Man

I was looking through my camera last night and found these self-photographs of My Peanut Man. Braxton loves wearing hats and so I think that it's pretty cute that he took a bunch of pictures with different hats on!

Braxton has a bit of my heart and a bit of my brain in him. He is super sensitive and gets his feelings hurt easily. He is also very compassionate, very kind and very giving. He is always wanting to "help" everyone. Sometimes that gets him in trouble.

Braxton starts my car and scrapes the windows for me every morning. If there is snow on the hood of the car, he writes "I love you" in it. It makes my day!

Braxton is also a fantastic taco soup-maker. I love this kid!!!

Back to School

Yesterday was my first day back at school. I have been a nervous wreck... literally. Terrified. My anxiety has been out of control. My Braxton got decided to help me out and get me ready for my first week of school. He got the gym bag ready for Mondays and Wednesdays when I have Zumba. He got my back pack ready for Tuesdays and Thursdays when I have History. He laid everything out on the couches and organized. He even put my pens, pencils and highlighters in one of his pencil boxes. I MIGHT be the only College student in class with my very own pencil box. Every time I open it, I will think of Braxton who worked so hard to make my first week back the best possible.

I am so thankful for my mom who is getting home on Tuesday and Thursday nights to feed the quorum dinner. I am so thankful that she is trying to keep me calm... VERY difficult task right now! I am so thankful for Miss Birdie who keeps telling me over and over that I can do this... I can do this... I can do this. I am so thankful for my sweet B. Beck who text me last night to ask how my first day of school went. I am so thankful for my quorum who called me after school to ask how my first day went and to tell me how proud of me they are. I am so thankful for my love who keeps telling me that I'm going to do great. I am stronger than I think!!

January Service Project

We accomplished our January service project over the weekend. We made cookies, cake pops and peppermint bark. Then, we packaged them up and wrote a cute little note for my cousins, Shanna and Holly. They are college students and we thought they might need a little pick-me-up. Hopefully they will receive our "sweet" treats in the mail early this week.

My New Hobby

Cake pops! Josh bought me a cake pop maker. I love it. It's the easiest dang thing! I love decorating them. I need to get way more creative and have a lot of fun with it, but it's a really easy treat. I have a bunch of ziplock bags in the freezer with cake pops in them. I can pull them out and decorate them anytime and it's a super easy treat!!

Just Chillin'

Since Christmas, we have been a family full of chill! Besides the fact that the temperatures are crazy and bitter cold, the kids each got a DVD player for Christmas. Best gifts ever!!! It was a great gift for them, but a better gift for me and Nana! Kaydon watches a movie a day on "his spot" on the couch, just quiet and content. It has been a great calming device for Colton. When he is struggling, I can tell him to get a movie and quietly watch it on his bed and he will, and it really does calm him! Braxton watches a movie every night while he falls asleep and Jackson watches movies whenever he feels like it. Brooklyn switches back and forth between the boys' players. Whichever movie she feels like watching is the one she watches, sippy cup and all. And, what does the Mama do? Well, sometimes a fall asleep!

Admissions

I just paid my $40 admissions fee. I have talked to an Academic Advisor and I have applied for financial aid. Whoa! I am hoping to be able to take the placement test on Tuesday and be able to register for classes before classes start on the 14th. I am really so proud of myself. I am scared out of my mind because I am terrible at school. But, I'm a third of the way to getting my Associates Degree, so I need to finish!