So Much Fun!

(If you click on this picture to make it bigger you can see the ball he hit)

We went out of town for a junior golf tournament this past weekend and I just have to blog about it. Jace played SO well. I have to brag about him a little.

There were ten kids in his age group and he took FIRST PLACE! He's always placed when he's played in tournaments but usually there are a lot less kids in his age group. And not only did he win, but he won by a lot! For those who don't know golf, when golfing 9 holes of golf a score of 36 is par, or a perfect score. Jace scored a 35! and the next closest kid in his age group scored a 45. Also, he was the only one in the whole tournament to come in under par. He blew us away!

It was the perfect start to the golf season. I never thought I would get excited about golf, but now I can't get enough.

Jace and Casey reading the course. I love when they do this.

This was after he made his last putt and he knew his sore was 35. His first under par round ever!

The three winners! Congratulations boys!

What Was I Thinking?

After all of our summer fun was over, it was time for school to start. Since I knew we would be moving near the beginning of the school year, I thought it might be an easier transition for Jace if I home-schooled him for a while, rather than having him switch schools and learn a new routine, lunch number, teacher, and classroom full of kids.

I also thought that if it went well, we could continue with it after our move. Notice this is all past-tense? Yeah, between that and the title of this post, it's pretty obvious that it didn't last.

I was in way over my head. Don't get me wrong, Jace is a good student and loves to learn but he's also a VERY social kid. So for that reason alone, home-schooling wasn't a good fit for us. It was also quite difficult to get through his lessons with Camden and Alek around. Despite the fact that I was using fantastic program that provided me with curriculum and materials, my preparation wasn't what it should have been and I ended up trying to become familiar with the program as I went.

Here's one of Jace's assignments near the end of our one (and only) week of homeschooling. He was supposed to summarize what he had learned in his science lesson, and I wrote what he said word-for-word: "I learned about all the continents, and the animals that live there. My favorite part was when we put the stickers on and stuff. I just want to go to real school." Yes, he put that last sentence on there without so much as a pause, as if it was part of his lesson.

That actually was our last lesson. The next day, we found out we were selected as renters on a house we really liked and we would be moving in a week. Having only a week to pack for our move made homeschooling impossible, so I enrolled Jace in the school he would be attending after our move and drove him to and from school for that first week.

Here he is on his real first day of first grade.


He has loved school so far and adjusted really well to first grade despite starting a week later than his peers. He brought a note home from school after his 2nd week. This is what it said (Not putting this on here to brag, but I want to save this and if I put it on the blog I'll always have it): Jace is adjusting well to first grade! He is a fantastic reader and loves math! He is a very active learner always asking questions and giving comments! Jace is a good listener and follows directions! He is a joy to have in class.

I'm so glad to have Jace in school since that's where he wants to be, I love to see him happy. I also love not having to prepare his lesson plans.

Jace's Birthday

I feel terrible that this post is so late. I usually try to get at least a little something on the blog right on the actual Birthday of each of my kids, but this summer has just been flying by.

Jace turned 6 on June 21st. Not only is his birthday on the first day of summer, but he also shared his birthday with Father's Day this year.

This was the first time he had a friend party instead of just a family party. We had planned a party at the park around the corner from our house. That way, if we ran out of activities, the kids could just play at the playground. But as luck would have it, it rained the day of his party. So we partied at home and the kids seemed to have lots of fun. There were lots of the typical party games and of course a pinata followed by cake and ice cream.

We also celebrated with my family right on Father's day. We sang Happy Birthday to Jace and had cake and ice cream again, but my dad and Casey also got presents. It was so fun to have so much to celebrate. It really made for a fun day.

Here are a few things about Jace at 6 years old.

• He loves to learn and is always asking questions about how things work or what things mean.
• He is such a friendly, happy kid. He makes friends easily and even strikes up conversations with complete strangers everywhere we go.
• He's also a generous friend. I have watched him give away hot wheels and or money from his piggy bank several times this summer. And he is so happy when he does it.
• He's a good big brother. He's especially good at watching out for Alek.
• He loves the Bible and Book of Mormon stories. He asks for me to read him a story out of the illustrated children's versions almost every night for his bedtime story.
• Jace really loves math and gets the concepts pretty easily. Between counting his money in his piggy bank and figuring out golf scores, he is really good at simple math concepts like adding and subtracting. It's fun to watch him figure things out.
• I love watching him golf. He never ceases to amaze me with that sport. I've had so much fun watching him compete in tournaments this summer.
• He has such a great relaxed way of talking about golf with others like it's a sport every kid plays. He knows he's good but he doesn't know how great he really is which is probably a good thing.

I love Jace so much and I'm both proud and honored to be his mom. He's such an amazing kid and I hope I can raise him accordingly. Happy (late) birthday Jace! I hope you have a wonderful year!

Golf Tournament in Vegas

Jace did such a great job when he competed in a golf tournament in Las Vegas. He had so much fun and it was great for me to see him compete. Usually Casey takes him golfing so I don't get to see how much he's improving through the year. I can't believe the progress he's made since last year's tournament. He can drive the ball about 100 yards and his chipping and putting skills are so sharp. It's really fun to watch him golf. I just love it.

Casey was his caddy. They are such a cute father-son pair.

I love the intense expression on his face in this one. you may have to click on the picture to make it bigger.

Watching where the ball went. I think this was the first hole.

His arms are so strong from all of his golfing. Look at those muscles!

He was stuck in this bunker for a couple of strokes but he was determined to get out of it. Again, he has such a look of determination on his face.

And it worked! He got out of the bunker.

Making a nice putt. Look at that beautiful course.

Here are the kids he golfed with. There were only three of them in this age group

There was some down-time between holes. But they're all ready with their drivers.

A nice, easy putt at the end.

And there they are at the end of the game. Jake, with the blue ribbon won 1st place, Jace took second, and Dillon, the boy with the green ribbon, took 3rd. Jace scored a 48 in the 9 hole round. He was only trailing the leader by 3 strokes. We are so proud of him.

The "S" Word

Jace and I had the following conversation over lunch yesterday:

Jace: Mom, do you know the "S" word?
Me: (surprised) Um, is it a bad word?
Jace: Yes.
Me: Does it start with a sshh sound?
Jace: (confused) No?
Me: (very relieved) Oh...then I don't know. What is it?
Jace: (whispers) Stupid
Me: Oh yeah. That is a bad word.

And since we're on the subject of words, here's Camden's favorite new phrase: Holy moly what the macaroni cheese! It makes me laugh every time.

Something's Missing

My little Jace is growing up. I can't believe he's already losing his baby teeth. He lost both of his front bottom teeth on the same day (the 12th of this month). He was pretty excited but also a little bit afraid of getting his teeth pulled at first. After Casey got the first one out, Jace wasn't so sure he wanted the other one pulled, but both of his teeth were ready to come out. Jace really surprised us a couple of hours after the first one came out, when he was ready to try it again.

I just love watching him talk with those teeth gone and I love the subtle difference in how he pronounces his s and sh sounds.

Kid Talk

I love the things my kids say. They are so funny and creative. I had to put these on here so I wouldn't forget.

I was stirring some ground beef in a hot skillet while preparing dinner one evening, and Jace walked up next to me and looked into the pan. Suddenly he said, "Golly, that looks hot." I could barely reply. But I did manage to ask him where that word came from. He said it was on The Fox and the Hound.

Apparently that movie has some good lines because this next one was courtesy of that movie as well. Thank you Disney.

I was driving home from the store with all of the kids in the car and I had to stop at a red light a little faster than I anticipated. (But I didn't exactly slam on the breaks either.) Anyway, as I was trying to slow down in time, Jace cautioned me by saying, " Whoa...Easy there old girl." He sounded just like an old farmer trying to soothe a nervous horse.

This next one is a Jace original.

Jace: Mom, why are dreams called dreams?
Me: I don't know
Jace: They should be called night wishes....or sleeping wishes.
Me: Oooh I like that. I think that's a good name for them too.

Here's a couple from Camden

Jace was talking about how if he fell, he could break his arm. Camden's reply was, " If Jace broke his arm off he would go to the hospital...and get a new one!"

Every night this conversation takes place:

Me: Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite. (He likes me to say this to him because I say it to Jace.)
Camden; Don't let the bugs bite. But the bugs [are] outside. Hiding under the snow. In the mud. They won't get me.
Me: No sweetie, they won't get you. Good night
Camden: Good night

Any time Camden gets in trouble and goes to time-out he tells me this, "I not your best son. I only Daddy's best son." But when Casey puts him in time-out, then he's my best son and not Casey's

Even Alek has some good timing. He doesn't take enough to have a quote on here yet but he loves to nod his head yes. He usually does this when I'm telling him not to do something. But he also nods with me in agreement occasionally. For example; today I changed his diaper and told him it was so stinky. He wholeheartedly agreed with me by nodding emphatically with a very serious look on his face.

No Wonder All The Girls Like Him

Ever since we moved into our house, Jace has been quite popular with all the little neighbor girls. They are always knocking on our door and asking if he can play. He even got a love note from one little girl in his kindergarten class. It says: I love you Jace, love Anna. Then she drew a boy and a girl holding hands. She even labeled them Jace and Anna. It was so cute. (Maybe I'll scan it and add it to this post later.)

I always though it was because he's such a cutie. Jace is also a pretty well mannered kid and he's happy to play with anyone. While that may be the case, we recently discovered that there may be more to it than that. This is how the conversation went when we discovered another reason the girls all seem to love our little Jace.

Jace: Dad, I have something I should tell you...But I don't want to...But I should.
Casey: What's that?
Jace: I kissed Olivia.
Casey: You did!? (totally shocked and laughing a little)
Jace: Yes. (A little embarrassed)
Casey: Where did you kiss her?
Jace: On the mouth. (Now even more embarrassed, and suddenly shy; very uncharacteristic for Jace)
Me: Why did you kiss her?
Jace: She told me to...She said she was the princess and she was asleep and wouldn't wake up until I kissed her.
Casey: Have you kissed any other girls?
Jace: Yes...I've kissed Isabel too.
Me: On the mouth?
Jace: No, just on the cheek.
Casey: How did you like it.
Jace: I didn't really like it very much.

Well hopefully it stays that way for a while. A long while. And just to make sure that no more kissing is taking place, Casey ended the conversation like this

Casey: Jace, do you know what happens when you kiss little girls?
Jace: What?
Casey: It makes their dad's really mad.
Me: (Laughing)

I don't know if Casey's last comment had any effect on Jace or not. But I do know that I'm going to have to keep an eye on Jace when he's playing with those little girls.

And I haven't done a smiley list in a long time so here's a new one:
-It snowed!
-The way our Christmas tree looks now that it has lights on it.
-I actually got to pick up a shift at work this week (a rarity lately)
-Jace told me that he still believes in Santa even though some of the other kids in his class don't.
-Camden can sing the ABC song, well most of it. He leaves out E and WXYZ.
-Alek tries to chew his food with his two little front teeth.

Things the Kids Say

My kids have said some pretty funny things lately and I need to blog about them before I forget.

Jace:

We were at the store and walked past a display of Halloween items. Jace saw a garland of skulls and said, "Look mom, bone heads!" Then he added, "But don't worry, they're not real" I was so glad he said something else because I was working so hard to stifle a laugh I couldn't say anything.

Jace gets a nature magazine geared toward kids every month. He loves looking at it and having me tell him about all of the animals in it. One of the pictures was a bright yellow slug, called a banana slug. He remembered the name the first time I told him but after that he started calling it a banana thug instead.

One of Jace's new friends since our move is a little girl named Isabel. I honestly love that he likes to play with her so much. When I was his age my best friend was a boy. He and I had so much fun together when we were little and we remained friends for many years. Anyway, one day, she had to go home; as she was running down the sidewalk in front of our house Jace called after her, "Bye Isabel, I love You!" Isabel called over her shoulder, "Bye Jace. I love you too!" SO CUTE

While I was getting Camden into his pajamas one night I could hear Jace talking to himself in his room. I didn't catch much of what he was saying but I did hear him say, "I'm going to marry Isabel."

I love when Jace says a prayer. He almost always says, "Bless that we can have a good day and a good eternity."


Camden

Not long ago I asked Camden why he was so cute. His answer was perfect. He said, "Tuz I want to."

When Camden said a prayer before dinner last week he said, "Thank for day, thank for day, thank for day..." he must have repeated it seven or eight times and he was saying it faster and faster. I couldn't hold back my laughter. It was too cute. Camden just stopped, looked at me, and said, "What?"

Camden was talking about his aunt Katie who was pregnant at the time with baby Sophie. He said, "Katie have a baby Sophie in his tummy."

If he needs help with something he says, "help you me"

Casey opened a can of Pepsi with earshot of Camden, which is always a mistake. Camden came running and asked for a drink. When Casey told him no Camden quickly said, "But I listen to you today" It worked because he had been listening, Jace was the one having problems with that because at the time, he was in time-out.

When he gets caught doing something he shouldn't he says he was just pretending to do that. I was reading to him when suddenly I felt his teeth on my arm. I said, "Don't you dare bite me." He said, "I dust betending to bite you." Then after a brief pause he added, " I tan bite you it will be funny."

It's so fun to hear the things they say. It gives me a chance to see the world the way they see it. I just love being their mom.

(Wow, This makes three blog entries for today. That's definitely a blogging record for me.)

So Many Choices, So Little Time

In previous years I have made the mistake of waiting until a week or two before Halloween to get costumes for the kids. To avoid doing that this year I asked the kids, a few days ago, what they want to be for Halloween. And this is what they have thought of so far.

During the past week, Jace has decided on several costumes. His list includes: Superman, Spiderman, Batman, a black Power Ranger, a cowboy or anything from Star Wars or Transformers. He even came up with the idea of being a volcano. But I'm not quite sure how to do that one.

Camden's list is a little smaller but has a running theme. So far he has asked to be a pink kitty, a pink doggy, and then he finally settled on pink Superman. He said, " I wanna be pink Superman... at Christmas." I assured him he would be the only one.

I have a couple of baby costumes I could use for Alek but I also found a dalmation costume that was cute, so I bought it. At least I would have some choices. Unfortunately when I put it on him, Casey guessed that he was a cow. So I guess we're back to square one. I guess if nothing else I could borrow something my sister got for her baby at a baby shower. We tried it on him for fun and it fits him pretty well. But I don't want to make Camden jealous

First Day Of School

Jace started kindergarten this year. Of course he's only two days into the school year but so far he loves it.

Camden thought he was going to start Kindergarten this year too. When we took Jace to the school for back to school night Camden followed him around and copied everything Jace did. Then when we saw a school bus a couple of days later Camden said, "I want to get on the bus too." So when Jace got ready on Monday, Camden put his backpack on too.

I took Jace to school and stayed (along with all of the other paparazzi parents) until he lined up with his class and went inside. He wasn't hesitant at all. In fact, he probably wondered why I was hanging around for so long. I didn't cry when I left but I did have tears in my eyes as I got into the car. He seems so grown up.
Once again, Camden though he was being left out. When I started to drive away he said in a pouty voice, "I'm big as Jace"

Jace came home on the bus home. He thought that was really fun.

Camden was glad to have Jace home.

It's weird to think that even though Jace seems so big now that he's starting school; someday I'll look back at these pictures and be amazed at how small he was when he was in kindergarten.

(Disclaimer: Jace's shirt isn't dirty. I smudged part of the picture because his shirt has the name of his school on it. Just a safety precaution since this isn't a private blog.)