Meditation

A few weeks ago, Cole came home from school, burst through the door, and said, "Mom, today during health we meditated.

It was the most beautiful

30 minutes of my life".

Easter Eggs!

Jazz Band Concert

"Cole"... just Cole

Connor & Cole

Josh & Cole

The group and Mr. Voght

We enjoyed a great concert last evening featuring the Eastmont Concert & Jazz Bands. Cole's Jazz Band group played "La Bamba" and "Birdland". The kids did a great job!

5th Grade Maturation

Can it be that time already? I'm not sure I'm ready for my baby to go through puberty and grow up even more. The Maturation program was held today. The presentation was informative and the girls kept the giggles to a minimum. Morgan and I have already had many talks on the subject, but she had even more questions when she came home with her sample bag in hand. I am so grateful that my kids come to me with ANY question. My favorite line in the whole maturation presentation was this...

Vicky was discussing puberty and that it means that your body is physically mature enough to have a baby. She asked, "what isn't mature enough at this point, to have a baby?". A girl named Anna raised her hand and said, "the opposite sex". That was the part of the presentation where the moms could not keep their giggles in!

Parent Day at Eastmont

The Eastmont PTA hosts Parent Day each year. It is a fun opportunity for parents of all students to come and spend the day attending classes and remembering what the life of a middle school student looks like. My 8th grade experience was quite different, as I only had 10 kids in my class, and there were only about 50 roaming the halls of the entire school!

Cole's school has 900 students.

The day started at home with Cole reminding me not to embarrass him. "Don't dance in the hallway or anything, Mom.". But the best line was, "Mom, please don't wear anything that would make a 9th grader think you are hot". Priceless!

The day started off fantastic, I even saw a Snooki look alike in the hall! (no, I don't watch that show, have just seen pictures). Cole and I went from class to class. The teachers instructed their classes as though there were no parents there. We could just sit back and observe. I was very impressed with the teachers. They engaged the students, had fun, and made learning interesting. Then, I went to his TA period.

This is a 25 minute study hall, basically. Cole was attempting to do some homework from earlier classes, as were others. There were 3 students in there that spent the ENTIRE time disrupting what everyone else was doing. One student went and squatted over the garbage as though he were using the restroom, then proceeded to blow his nose over and over in an obnoxious manner. It just continued...

I don't blame the teacher at all for this situation. She did everything she could, while maintaining professionalism, but it was clear that respect was not taught in those students' homes. It is frustrating to me that teachers are asked to parent kids, as well as teach them. If you ever thought a teacher was overpaid, go visit a middle school for a day.

Disney on Ice, Toy Story 3

Jessie & Woody

Ken & Barbie

CHFSC skaters with Woody and Buzz

Kelli & Morgan

Kylee & Morgan

We ventured for a fun evening with Disney on Ice. The evening started out with a meet and greet before the show. A few of the CHFSC skaters got to meet Buzz and Woody and of, course, hang out with Kylee Nielsen. The show was incredible, probably the best Disney on Ice Show we've seen. For our family, Barbie and Ken were the clear favorites, but the whole show was fantastic and we had a great evening!

Traveling for work

Atlanta from the "W"

Alcatraz

SF

Devil's Punchbowl, on the way to Boise

For the last half of February and first week of March, I think I saw Rich less than 30 waking hours. That is truly not enough. He traveled to Boise twice, to San Francisco, and to Atlanta, with short stops at home in between to wash socks and underwear! Here are some of his non-work highlights from his trips.

Thank you, Rich, for working so hard to provide for our family. Love you!

Morgan's weekend in Park City

Morgan spent a couple nights up in Park City with her good friend, Kamrie, and her family. They had the best time just hanging out in the cabin and sledding at Soldier Hollow. Some of the highlights were "the orange pit", the juke box, exploring all the little hiding places in the cabin, and the yummy sourdough pancakes! Thanks, Bonni, for taking her along!

She had a blast!

What the future holds...

We had a meeting with the school counselor several days ago to discuss Cole's planning for high school and beyond. The school has the kids take the Explore ACT in 8th grade, and Cole's score was incredible. He is still thinking of becoming an orthodontist, and, Lord knows, he will need good grades to get in to dental school, but, before that, good grades for scholarships!! We also had his mid-term teachers conference this week. He is still getting a 4.0, while taking 3 honors classes, and 10th grade Geometry. To say that we are proud of his academic achievement would be an understatement. We are happy that he understands the importance of education and that he is already planning for the future.

If you asked him today, he will say he wants to go to dental school at LSU, get married at age 27 or 28, have 2 kids, and maybe 2 dogs, "but not 3, because that's a lot of work".

Love that kid!