Ben turns 11

Here's our traditional kissing picture. 

Ben requested Chuck-a-Rama for his birthday dinner, and he ate all his favorites.

On his birthday, Millie and I took treats to his class, where his 5th grade teacher helped him lead the others in his birthday song. He's taller than her.

Tonight he invited some friends over for a late-over. These kids are fun together and good boys.

He was with these same boys for weeks after school for practice for the school musical, the Grunch. Their performances were last week.

Ben played a reporter and he had a line: "Excuse me, what can you tell me about being in the school musical?"

The night before his birthday, he got his Arrow of Light award at scouts.

Last month, he earned his Webelos badge, and requested that I paint his face a certain way.

For his birthday, JB and I accidentally gave him a Lego Star Wars set he already had (he bought it with his own savings). We felt bad, and he felt bad -- but seemed to be more worried about how WE felt about the mistake. What a kind heart.  He got online and chose a replacement that should be here soon. He also got new athletic tights and sweatshirt, his preferred clothing.

Ben is sensitive, kind, funny, creative (you should see all the cardboard inventions and engineering doo-dads he builds). He recently made a stuffed shark with my help.

(James took the paper pattern and colored an eye for himself)

He loves the Cougars and was very sad when they lost to the Utes a couple weeks ago. We watched together while Max and JB were at the game. We needed cheering up, so we watched Studio C together after and I taught him how to snap a towel. Then when the car pulled up outside, we quickly turned off the lights and ran giggling to our rooms to throw the covers over our heads and pretend we were asleep so we wouldn't have to face them.

Family pictures part three

We took individual shots first, so these young kids wouldn't melt down later when being urged to SMILE!

Millie Grace at almost two years old. 

She is spunky, squeally, sassy, sweet, opinionated and girly. She loves pink, Pinkalicious, her baby dolls, her silkies, and lately refuses to wear clothes. She wants the boys to all do her bidding, and insists on her favorite books being read to her on repeat. She has started pulling out her pigtails and bows but her front hair is still short enough to not get into her eyes. Uses a binkie still. Must have certain things placed in her crib a certain way.

James Byron at 5 years old

James is still obsessed with dinosaurs. He pretends to be a TRex when sad/angry/shy. He is quick to anger but craves tight hugs. He would only eat chicken nuggets, bananas, yogurt and cereal if allowed. He is so close to reading! His favorite way to spend time with me lately is by having me draw for him. Cartooning 4 Kids YouTube channel has a lot of superheros and dinosaurs to draw. He lately likes Kong on Netflix and The Land Before Time.

  

Andrew Rockwell at 7 1/2

His teeth have grown back in now, but I feel like James could be taller than him soon. He still loves Star Wars, but we are really enjoying reading Harry Potter together at night. He has a good memory for all the characters and details. He often gets out of bed at night to build Legos or read Diary of a Wimpy Kid by the nightlight. He and James love/hate each other, and we have long talks about how they are meant to be friends for life.

Benjamin John at 10 1/2

He loves playing basketball and watching basketball. He cheers for BYU with me. He sang a duet for the primary program and felt sheepish until the compliments rolled in all day, then he felt super proud. He is big on making sure he has lots of friends. He is involved in the school play and walking a dog every day and learning the violin but tries to get some time at the end of the day for a Studio C skit or two to escape.

Maxwell David at almost 13

His braces should be off in just a few months. He is growing taller every day. He is busy with two basketball teams (and learning how to handle nerves). He wanted to do the school musical but it will take too much time. He is getting all As in Honors/ELP classes and learning how to handle stress. He had two bad migraines recently and it was super sad for the whole family. He is such an example to the younger kids.

Family pictures part two

We tucked these kids onto the hillsides and on rocks and among the trees and asked them to smile like it was a natural thing for them to just hang out in nature together.

Then they were able to get goofy.

Here are the boys.

And the girls.

She is looking at her dad in those pictures.

Family Pictures part one

What better day than our 15th anniversary to finally share the photo shoot we had over the summer?




That's right, 15 years ago we got married. I think we look the same as we ever did, but then I see the pictures of us on that day, and we looked like babies getting married.


Valeri got the edits to us in September, but I think it took me so long to post these because I knew JB had them downloaded on his laptop and I didn't want to repeat, but I kept forgetting. Needless to say, I love them. Love love them.

It was up at Alta.

Years ago we did some red sweaters, but lately it is just easier to do blue and white. So it is kind of the last several years of family pictures.  

I always stress too much about what I should wear, and this time was no exception. But I am glad I found this dress at Old Navy, and glad for sisters and sisters-in-law helping with my modeling questions (also glad for 3 bras, I was still nursing Millie at the time).

We must narrow down which one(s) for the Christmas Card, and I'll post soon with some more individual and group shots of the kids.

A timely reminder

There are coincidences, then there are tender mercies.

Last week, both older boys were struggling with stresses, fears, sadness and questions about school and friends and things like that.

Ben has had some hurt feelings from teasing and exclusion. Max has felt the full force of middle school craziness and anxiety this year.

8th grade is hard, I told Max, it's ok.  I opened up about my terrible, awful, soul-crushing 8th grade year. I was new to the school and the whole area after my family moved. I was brutally teased over my appearance, sometimes my religion, and anything else girls and boys can pick on. I was quiet and shy and sad.

But I told Max that a good friend is key to surviving middle school. And I had two good friends who stuck by me and were always kind to me: Kathie and Faith.

The next day, I got a Facebook message from Kathie. I had not heard from her in 26 years, I hadn't even said her name out loud for years.

She wrote, "Is this the same Mary who once lived for a year in Basehor, Kansas? You came up as a suggested friend. I apologize if it is not the same one, but I remember her and she was a good person."

The tears came to my eyes as I quickly wrote back and we re-connected. We each expressed our belief that God had a part in bringing us together at this time. She then contacted Faith, who she knew still lived in the same town, and told her about finding me again.

Maybe some Facebook algorithm was at play here, but I have never been much at sharing locations on the site. I believe it was not a coincidence. It felt like a message from above:  "I knew you then, and I know you now."

Heavenly Father was aware of me at a time when I felt my absolute lowest.  He is aware of me now as I try to parent my sweet children through their own struggles. He is aware of my children and their hopes and dreams and struggles and fears -- and He will not leave them comfortless.

I told Max about all of this on a walk with just us around the neighborhood. And then repeated it to Ben that night when he and I took a special trip to the store just to walk and talk together.

Life is hard sometimes, but it gets better!

(me circa 1994)

Halloween 2018

We had a train conductor, a nerd, Darth Vader, the green dragon (again), and Tinkerbell.

Halloween night was fun! It was cold though, and I think I pushed the two youngest a little too far, but I kept seeing people to talk to. And so many people in the ward love our kids and told me to make sure to bring them by that night.

JB sent me cute video of our boys marching along in the school parade that morning, and this picture of Millie with, as she calls him, "Binny."

Millie has been wearing dress up clothes for a few weeks now, from friends of ours. She really has liked "Tinkobew" the most, but on Sunday wanted to wear her blue "Elsa dress" (it's really Cinderella).  She just got new Elsa shoes to go with it.  Nona asked the cousins to come dressed up so she could see everybody.

Millie carried her bucket everywhere  until last night, when she left it in the little boys room and James got out of bed and ate all her candy.

So I snuck some out of his big bag to give back to her. And he gave a contrite "Sowy. I'm sowy." But it's hard to believe that when you see the chocolate all over his face!

Andrew's ear!

I think we had a bit of a miracle this week.

I have written in the past about how we learned Andrew had a hole in his right eardrum from his tubes and it was affecting his hearing. We were expecting that he would need another surgery early next year to fix it, unless it fixed on its own, but I was under the impression that was rare.

Along the way I have had to pitch a bit of a fight to get teachers to use microphones in their classrooms for him.

At his recent parent-teacher conference, his 2nd grade teacher told me she doesn't use the microphone because she actually thought he was doing just fine -- she did the basic tones/beeps test and he passed that.

So JB took him to another appointment for a more nuanced hearing screening at the district level (pictured above) and, he came out to text me that Andrew passed with flying colors!

The audiologist looked into his ears and saw no hole.

No hole!

Our sweet Andrew still has the goopiest ears in the family (wax buildup like crazy) and he has a hard time getting them to pop if we change elevations on a plane or a drive up into the mountains. So we will still watch to make sure he doesn't get any other infections that lead to problems.

But, HOOORAY, no new surgery, no hearing problems!