November Pack Meeting

Colton had pack meeting on Wednesday. Usually pack meeting is NOT a fun night of the month for me. It always seems so chaotic and loud and out of control. But, this one was amazing. Colton and his entire den were awarded with the citizenship award. Then, a chief in the army came. He talked a little bit about his amazing experience serving our country. Then, he talked about why we retire a flag, how it's done, who does it, etc. He was so emotional and in turn, so was the audience. The boys were awe struck, respectful, and quiet. Then, we walked outside and he burned the flag. It was, again, very emotional. A young man played his trumpet while the flag burned. Then, a new flag was raised and saluted. It was a great night, and one that I'm so glad we didn't miss! Also, I need to state how grateful I am for my boys' scout leaders. There is a reason why I have never been a scout leader!!! These scout leaders dedicate so much time, effort, patience, and even money for my boys. They have made such a difference in their lives!!

Gunner Turns 4

Gunner Bo turned 4 years old on November 13. This dog is something else! He is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but the boys love him to pieces and that's what matters. We got him some treats to celebrate his birthday and the humans ate FatBoys!

Article of Faith Fun

Kaydon was in charge of FHE last night. He wanted to do something about the Articles of Faith. We had to guess what number the Article of Faith was that he read to us. He even read us the instructions he came up with. Clearly, we are not the best Mormons because we sucked!! It was a super fun game and everyone was happy!

Kaydon wrestling part two

Dress and Appearance

It was Braxton's turn to do Family Home Evening on Monday night. He wasn't too thrilled about it, but he gave a fabulous lesson. He chose to speak on dress and appearance from the Strength for Youth packet. I always thought of dress and appearance being more of a topic for girls. When I hear the word "modest" I think of girls and short shorts and short skirts and tight everything and see-through everything and low-cut fronts and backs of everything, etc. I work on a college campus, after all. We see it ALL! But, Braxton really made it meaningful for the boys. He talked about the importance of cleanliness, appropriate church dress, especially when they are passing/blessing the Sacrament. He talked about low-hanging pants and inappropriate shirts. Then, we talked about the importance of supporting girls their age who are modest, who choose to dress with dignity. I was so proud of this boy!

Because I Can

I really smile when I look at these people... because I can.

A Baby Shower & Picnic

I did hosted a baby shower for a co-worker on Saturday. She is having twins. She is about to pop!! I would have taken a picture of her, but I wanted to remain friends so I didn't. While Josh was helping me to get everything ready, Jackson was Brooklyn's right-hand-man. He was so helpful. At about 2:00, we remembered that we probably ought to feed the children lunch. Josh ran to KFC and set up a picnic for them in the family room while we continued to get things ready. I love to host parties. I am a bit of a perfectionist, though, and I feel like I stress out way to much about these things. Really, the poor girl just needed diapers and wipes.

BOY of BOY

This will be a sort of brag-a-thon.com, so prepare yourselves! My darling boys amaze me each and everyday. They are so resilient, despite their mother! Jackson has a large group of friends. He is the only member of the Church in this large group of friends. It's no biggie to him, which is part of the reason why he is so awesome! He just chooses to be around good kids, no matter what they believe in! However, he is great at inviting them to campouts, activities, and neighborhood socials. No takers yet, but you never know when that one person will say "yes." Jackson told me last week that he is the "man of the house." Uh, okay. Although I felt awful that he puts that much pressure on him. I am so proud of him and his example to his brothers. He checks on me every single night before he goes to bed. He honors his Aaronic Priesthood. He reminds his brothers every single Sunday to wear their white shirts and church shoes. ;) He is just a joy. **** Braxton. Oh, Braxton. When Braxton was ordained a Deacon in August, he became the ONLY Deacon in our ward for a couple of weeks. Two weeks later, another young man was ordained. This other young man, R, comes from a formerly very active family. They have sadly stopped coming to church, and all related activities. Braxton was challenged to go by his house on the first Sunday after he was ordained to invite him to church. He did so. And, he hasn't stopped. Every Sunday morning, Braxton reminds either Josh or I that we need to go by R's house. And we do. Braxton goes up to the door. The father answers the door every single Sunday and isn't exactly nice to Braxton. Not one time has R come to church. This past Sunday, when Braxton got back in the car, I told him how proud I was of him and how hard I knew it must be to be rejected not by R, but by his dad every single week. Braxton's reaction was, "I'll be back next Sunday." The courage, the strength, the example. I cried. Two weeks ago, Nana forgot to give Colton his morning medicine and Braxton was running late to school. Braxton grabbed a cup of water and the pill and RAN to the school. All of the kids were still in the school yard waiting for doors to be opened. Braxton found Colton and quietly gave him his medicine, then turned and ran back home and then off to school. That little act of service was HUGE for our family. He is so kind-hearted. ****** Kaydon. The Buddha Boy. Those who know Kaydon know that he isn't particularly fond of human beings in general. On Halloween, Kaydon invited Colton to go trick-or-treating with him and his friends. HUGE. Last week, Colton went to the school yard to play. As is common with Colton, he didn't wear his shoes. Kaydon yelled through our backyard fence that it was time to come home. Colton couldn't hop the fence because he was barefoot. Kaydon took off his own shoes, threw them over the fence, and then helped Colton get home. Blessing. ***** We have an awesome home teacher. He is great with my kids. Last month's lesson was on missionary work. He challenged my boys to invite friends to activities, etc. The night of our Neighborhood Halloween Party, each of the boys told me that they invited multiple friends to come to the activity, but that not one said "yes." I hadn't even reminded them or prompted them to do that. They did it on their own. Colton had his Native American project due on Monday. We all worked on it. If you asked me, I think it turned out pretty dang cool! ****** I am so proud of my boys! They are a blessing to me! They lead ME by example each and every day.

Successful FHE!

We had our first ever FHE last night. Pretty sure I suck, so you all don't need to tell me that I do. Anywho, I have been feeling strongly that I need to start doing this with the quorum, so last night Jackson gave the lesson. It's amazing how mature he is. Because of the new format in the Church, my two older boys give lessons pretty often in Sunday School and in Young Men's. This was nothing but a thing to him! He taught us about feeling the Lord's Spirit, about how just because we might not get the answer to our prayers that we wanted, it doesn't mean that our prayers weren't answered. It was fantastic! Braxton is up next week! Start praying now!

Halloween

This is the first year that none of my boys have wanted me to take them trick-or-treating. It was weird, and heartbreaking. I took them all to Papa and Grandma's house when I got home from work. Grandma wasn't home yet, but Papa did his traditional "guess the year on the silver dollar and you get it" Halloween activity with them and gave them bags of candy. Then I dropped Braxton off to a friend's house for a party and sleepover, dropped Kaydon and Colton off at a friend's house to go trick-or-treating, and then watched Jackson leave to go with friends. It was just me and my workout video! I've never been a huge fan of Halloween, but I'm becoming even less of a fan now that my kids are good to go without me!!!