April 2018

CONFERENCE WEEKEND IS MY FAVORITE WEEKEND OF THE SEASON!!!  I love listening to what the prophet and apostles and general authorities of the Church have to say.   I always learn something new about the gospel, myself and my family when I watch.

April 2nd I had a whole day to get the garden cleaned out and ready to move.  It was a brilliant day.  I love being able to spend the whole day outside with my  hands in the dirt.  It makes me happy.

April 3rd I spent the morning with my good friend, Sandra.  She had fallen while walking and broken her shoulder over the weekend and needed a ride to the orthopedist to find out what needed to be done in order for her shoulder to heal properly.  She was pleased to hear that it did not need surgery and would heal on its own.   Back at home I straightened the house, went shopping for a new pair of long denim ($5 Rock-n-Republics - 90% off!!), got my hair cut and went out to dinner with Steve.  It was a productive day.

April 4th Nick was back at the dentist to have his spacer put in.  Remember, last month he lost his last baby tooth, but there was no adult tooth to take it's place.  Today was the spacer day.    That night we had a surprise birthday party for Steve Wilson at our house.  I love being surrounded by good friends.

April 5th I moved the garden while Steve and Nick did some more work on Nick's Eagle project.  As if working all day on the Eagle project wasn't enough, Nick needed to finish up some requirements for his Home and Family merit badge.  He built a permanant, stone firepit in the back yard.  It is gorgeous.  I love it.

I love the scouting program.  They teach so many wonderful things and I get a new firepit.  WIN-WIN!!

Nick got to go to the Smith's house and help split logs as part of a service project for the ward.  Brother Smith supplies some of the ward members with logs for their fires when the weather turns colder.  The Young Men love to help out.  

Naomi and the Licastris kept sending pictures of their week at the beach.  Naomi had such a good time with their family.  She fit right in and wants to be adopted.  A family of only girls is her dream.  It was quite nice only having sisters growing up, although I really wanted a brother.

The view from their back deck!

Playing in the waves.  

Bella and Naomi

Out to dinner. 

They took their sketch books everywhere and drew pictures the whole week.  Two peas in one pod!!

April 7th was Nick's long-awaited paintball party for his 16th birthday.  He wanted to wait until it was warmer.  Several of his parties almost got snowed out.  He did not want that to happen to this party.  Everyone met at the house and we headed down to Glory Road Paintball to have some fun.  The day was rather cold and rainy, but that didn't stop the boys.  They had a great time.  

Nick and Blake all ready for some paintball action.  

Instructions before heading to the playing field. 

After a few rounds they were all wet, but having a blast.  Josh and Steve refilling their guns.

The whole crew - (Left to Right)  Nick in the front with Josh, Isaac, Blake, Braydon, Matt, Jeremy, Steve and David.  

After shooting at each other for about two hours, we headed back to the house to have deli sandwiches and homemade oreo cookies.  Once everyone was dry, thawed out and fed the boys just hung out and talked until it was time to go.  Nick said it was one of his best birthday parties.    Afterwards, Matt invited Nick to spend the rest of the day at his house.  We didn't see him until they dropped him back off about 9:30.  Meanwhile, Naomi was back from her adventure at the beach and was full of fun stories and adventures.  I missed her while she was gone.  Also that night, Steve and Jeremy went to an opera performance on the CPCC campus for Jeremy's music appreciation class.  They both really liked it.  WHEW!!!  Busy day.  

This tree was so cool.  Instead of having blossoms at the end of branches...

...it had blossoms all over the truck AND down the branches.  

April 10th Jeff Maughan came to stay with us for a few days.  He was back in town to finish up some business.  We loved having him at our house.  I really miss their family and was so sad when they moved.

April 11th Jeff and Steve spent some time in the garage doing some woodworking and getting further ahead on Nick's Eagle project.  It felt like old times.  If either myself or Cari could not find out husbands, we would call each other and check the garage.  They were there 99% of the time.

April 12th we took quite a few of the signs to Hinds Feet Farm and got them placed.  It is so nice to see this project finally coming together visually.  I think it helped keep Nick motivated.  The signs look amazing.

Naomi helped dig the holes since she is using this as her service project for school as well.  She is a good little worker.  

The first sign is in place!!!

Jeff giving the kids some advice on how to hold the shovel to make digging a hole easier.  

Naomi loved feeding the horses and they loved her feeding them. 

Putting in the last big post for the day. 

The horses followed Naomi...

...and she loved it.  

Naomi needed some pictures for her project.  This is one of the signs that she helped with all along the way from sanding, to painting to placing.  

The whole work crew.  

April 14th was picture day for soccer.  I always take my camera and get a picture of the kids but this time I had left the SD card in the computer because I had been working on Nick's Eagle pictures.  Oh well.  Thank goodness AYSO posted the pictures on their Facebook page and I was able to get a copy from there. 

After soccer Naomi and I went home to pull weeds and mow the lawn.  Nick and Steve were helping with an Eagle project and Jeremy was with some friends hiking in the Pisgah National Forest.  That evening I met Jeremy on the CPCC campus to attend a musical performance for his music appreciation class.  It was a fun night.  

April 15th Naomi spoke in sacrament meeting.  She did a really good job and said she wasn't really that nervous.  That night we had a new family over for dinner.  Thomas and Christi Sewell were out here house hunting before their big move from Arizona.  They have four children, three of which are roughly the same ages as our children.  It was a fun night getting to know them a little better.  

April 18th Nick had an interview with Metrolina Greenhouse.  He was so excited because it was his first real interview for a job he really wanted.  He did well in the interview, but they weren't hiring for the hours he could work and told him to call back during the summer to see that might be available then.  

April 20th I got to sub in the library.  That is my dream job!!!  I should have listened to my hygienist back in high school and gone into library science.  At the time the thought of being a librarian was depressing (only homely, single women were librarians).  Times have changed.   After school we packed up and headed out to Knoxville for the weekend.  After dinner, Steve, Bradden and the older kids went to see Black Panther.  Sunny and I stayed home and got the younger ones to bed and then prepped for the next day.  

April 21st we got up and headed straight to a double-header of soccer.  Hyrums' game was first and then Olivia's.  Both of them scored a goal.  It was fun to watch them.  During the second game Nick got a little antsy so he and I went for a walk around the park and found a basketball hoop.  He dunked a few and then felt better.  The antsiness was gone and we headed back to Olivia's game.  

Olivia, Maddie, Naomi, Nick and Jeremy playing their own soccer game during Hyrum's game.  

Naomi and Maddie made this tent for some shade during Olivia's game. 

Me and Nick going for a little walk.

Naomi kept both Hyrum and Maddie busy during the second game.  

 Back at the house Naomi and Nick wanted to go for another walk.  Sunny took us down to the historic district by their house.  It was so much fun.  There was a small art gallery we toured and then the kids walked down the track and threw rocks into the lake.  Naomi found some old rail nails and brought them back as a souvenir.  We also found some shiny rocks.   It was nice and relaxing  Knoxville is such a beautiful place.

Naomi, Sunny and Nick walking down the train tracks.  

When we got back to the house the smaller kids were so excited about the rocks and nail they wanted to go on their own walk by the tracks.  Sunny and I stayed at the house to get cleaned up so we could go to dinner that night.   The walk/treasure hunt was a huge success.  They came back with a dozen nails and even more rocks.

Jeremy playing tag with Maddie while on their walk.  

We went to Blaze Pizza that night for dinner and had a great time chatting at the restaurant.  Everyone found something they liked for dinner and the conversation was on point.  Back at the house we all fell into bed after such an active day.

The next morning we helped Sunny get the kids ready for church and then left for home.  We stopped for lunch at Zaxby's in Asheville and then came straight home to get ready for the next day.

April 23rd Naomi and I went to the dentist.  Her check up was great.  Mine... not so much.  I need a crown.  YUCK!!!!

April 24th was a rare day where I had a whole day to get some cleaning done.  Weird, but nice.

April 27th was a pep rally at the middle school.  I was lucky enough to be subbing that day so I got to watch all the fun.  Pep rallies are really loud, but I love all the energy in the room.  Naomi and her friends had joined the lip sync contest and they did a great job. 

April 30th Nick had an interview at Tiajuana Flats.  They ended up hiring someone else, but this interviewing experience will pay off in the long run.

Nick was tired from all the shopping and wanted to ride.  He is almost too big for the cart.  

I found these Bumblebee glasses while shopping one day and bought some for Nick.  Our little buddy, Clark, who had just moved away, LOVES Bumblebee as much as Nick so we sent him a pair as well.  His mom sent us this picture of Clark in his glasses.  The smile says it all.  These two boys are the best.

March 2018

March started off with Steve giving birth to a 6mm kidney stone.  He has been dealing with these since last June when we ended up in the emergency room and through two medical procedures to break up and get rid of kidney stones.  Hopefully, we are almost done.  The up side is that this one didn't hurt nearly as much as the first one.   

I think we decided on the name "Thor" for this one.
Thor is next to a Tic Tac for reference as to size.

March 2, Nick auditioned for choir at the high school and made it.  Junior year is shaping up to be both challenging and fun.

March 3 - Prom dinner.  Every year Bishop Beckworth takes the kids to a local Italian restaurant for dinner before church prom.  Nick was excited to get to go this year.  They always have so much fun.

The whole group before dinner.

Just the boys - (left to right) Josh, Hunter, Bro. Kelly, Ezra, Nick T and Nick C.

The whole group out by the lake.
front row:  (left to right)  Autumn, Kaylee, Mary, Celeste, Naloni
back row: (left to right) Bro. Kelly, Ezra, Hunter, Nick T., Bishop Beckworth, Nick, Josh, Sister Kelly

Nick and his buddy, Josh.  Don't they look handsome!!!

March 4, Nick blessed the sacrament for the first time.  He was so nervous and practiced quite a bit for the big event.  He did a brilliant job!  Since it was Nick's first time he got to have Steve and Jeremy up there with him.  It was a mama's payday to see all three of my men blessing the sacrament.  So cool.  

My three handsome men. 

March 6th, Steve was back in the doctor's office with bronchitis.  Thankfully we caught it early this time and he got  better quickly.

March 7th I took Nick to the dentist to have another baby tooth pulled.  Now that Nick's baby teeth are almost all gone we have finally figured out the signs of a baby tooth getting ready to explode.  Remember, Nick's baby teeth don't get loose and fall out on their own.  The adult tooth starts to push up under the baby tooth and force all the gums into the inside of the baby tooth to the point of the baby tooth exploding from the pressure.  Yup, fun times!!  This tooth was a little different in that there is no adult tooth under it and so we have to wait for the gum swelling to go down so he can get a spacer put in to maintain the space until he is old enough to have a dental implant done.

March 11th, Nick got his patriarchal blessing today.   It was really cool to listen to the blessings Heavenly Father has in store for Nick if he will stay close to the Lord and follow the gospel teachings in his life.  I love my patriarchal blessing and the way it has guided me throughout my life when I have had big decisions to make.  I am excited to see what kind of amazing man Nick will be.

March 15th, Naomi had her first oboe lesson.  Mr. Scarengelli, her band teacher from school, is encouraging her to try to oboe.  He thinks she needs a challenge.  She is actually quite excited about it.  His big push is that if you play the oboe well enough you will always have a scholarship to college.  I like the sound of that. 

March 16th, UTI (Universal Technical Institute) visited LNC and Nick got to talk to them about pursuing a career in auto mechanics.  FINALLY someone he could talk to that understands all the passion and vocabulary he has surrounding cars.  He was in heaven and knows what path his life is going to take post high school. 

March 17th Naomi played a great soccer game, but the other team was one goal better.  It was a hard loss, but her team is playing together so much better now than at the beginning of the season.  Steve spent the day with Kev and Jo working on a project for their house. 

March 19-21 I got to be Mrs. Tedder, 7th grade English.  I was in heaven.  The students were in the middle of a poetry unit and I love poetry.  We had a lot of fun for three days exploring different types of poetry.  It was a very rewarding three days to see the kids start to understand and appreciate poetry.  It was also rewarding to have the kids tell me "You are a really good teacher."  It makes all the hard days as a sub worth it. 

March 23rd we all went to Hinds Feet Farm to cut down trees for Nick's Eagle project.  Naomi was excited to help because she is using her participation in Nick's project as part of a school assignment.  The motto for the 6th grade is "Be the kind of change you would like to see in the world."  Each student has to pick a way to serve in the community, do a project and then create a presentation about their project.  It is a win-win for everyone.  Nick and Steve had already started working on getting the signs routed and sanded.  Naomi stepped in to help paint the routed letters so they would be easier to see.  Cutting down trees was the next step toward completion.  We had a blast working together to get the trees cut and gathered.  Nothing like some good, hard, family work. 

Nick and Steve routing the signs. 

Painting the signs.

Naomi had to have a picture of herself standing in front of the sign of the place she was serving.  

Nick and Steve using the chainsaw and pushing the first tree down.  This was the biggest tree we had to fell and it was HEAVY!!!!

As the tree fell it got caught on another tree.  We had to put a rope around it and using good ol' elbow grease to get it down.  

HEAVE!  HO!  We finally go it to fall.  

Nick, the lumberjack!

Jeremy and Naomi with one of the smaller trees.  

Our stockpile of poles for all the signs.  

March 24th we all sat through a soccer game while it sleeted almost the whole time.  It was so cold, but a lot of fun.  Nick got to spend some time with Steve Wilson working on cars (which made him happy).  After soccer, Naomi and I went clothes shopping since she had grown out of all her shorts from last year. 

March 26-29 was DC at LNC.  While the majority of the 5th grade was on a field trip to Washington DC, myself and two other subs got to stay back and play with those who didn't/couldn't go on the trip.  We had a guy from Discovery Place come and do a demonstration on the physics of friction and drag.  We experimented with friction and drag while making balloon race cars and having races.  We learned a little about the history of several of the sites.  I put together a Break Out Box centered around the Constitution.  It was a fun week. 

Thank goodness Spring Break came when it did.  I was so exhausted from everything I had going on  and seminary was really getting hard to bear.  All of us needed a break from each other.  Don't get me wrong, these kids are amazing for getting up so early to be at my house from 5:50 a.m. to 6:40 a.m. to study the scriptures every morning, but we all needed a break from that part of the routine for a bit in order to appreciate it again. 

March 30th we all pitched in a worked in the yard weeding and mowing.  It really needed some TLC.  We also spent some time getting Naomi ready for her beach trip with the Licastris.  She spent a good portion of the day packing and practicing fixing stroganoff so it would be perfected when it was her turn to fix dinner at the beach.  YUMMY!!!

March 31st we dropped Naomi off at the Licastris for the beginning of her Spring Break Beach Adventure.  It was weird not having her with us as we ran errands on the way home.  We stopped at Target to get some Cadbury eggs for Nick and Jeremy and ran into Mrs. Herron and Mr. and Mrs. Blackman.  It was an LNC reunion at Target.  After that short diversion we hurried home to watch General Conference.    Steve and the boys went to lunch between sessions since Jeremy had to work that night and wouldn't be able to do the traditional pre-men's session dinner.  The went to Mr. Tokyo and I have a feeling a new bad habit has stated.  They LOVED it.  All-you-can-eat, fresh-made sushi.  Nuf said. 

February 2018

February 2nd we had a Seminary Superbowl.  It was so much fun.  The kids really got into it.  I like having fun ways to reinforce that they ARE learning something in seminary.  That night we fed the Elders.  With Jeremy getting so close to putting in his papers I love feeding the missionaries and having them get Jeremy excited about the whole process.  

January 4th was the greatest Superbowl EVER!!!!  The Patriots were favored to win in almost all the scenarios put out there, but the Eagles came back and stole the prize in the last few minutes of the game!!!!!  SO worth being exhausted on Monday.  41-33!!!

February 10th Bradden and Hyrum came and stayed with us to celebrate Nick's and Hy's birthdays and to get a really cool Pinewood Derby car put together for Hyrum.  We had birthday rootbeer floats and watched the opening ceremony of the Olympics.  

Birthday buddies sharing some rootbeer floats. 

February 11th, Nick turned 16 and was so sick.  He stayed home from church to recuperate and to enjoy some peace and quiet.  Poor kid.  He did get out of bed long enough to have some cheesecake and open presents.

A little book about cars.  

CHEESECAKE!!!  He is my kid. 

February 14th President Davis came to my seminary class to observe.  This made me really nervous.  As ironic luck would have it the chastity lesson (Alma 39) fell on Valentine's Day AND the day President Davis decided to visit.  It all turned out okay.  I was able to incorporate a good chunk of the talk Elder Christofferson  gave on moral relativism and how the world wants us to believe one thing about love and sex, but the Lord has a plan that has never, nor will ever change.  I used candy hearts to illustrate how the world feels about love and them refuted all that with scriptures from Alma 39.  It turned about really well and the kids loved having President Davis join us.

February 16th Naomi scored a basket during her game.  She was ecstatic and surprised at the same time.  Nick was in bed by 6 that night!!???!!!  Growth spurt??!!!?? Not feeling well??!!??  It is anybody's guess at this point.  Poor kid.  It has been a tough month for him.

February 19, Jeremy is 19.  Where did the time go?  We had Justin and Sidney over for dinner on Sunday the 18th and celebrated with dinner and cheesecake a day early since Jeremy had class on his birthday night.

Cheesecake!!!!  He is my kid. 

Justin and Jeremy teased Naomi into doing a faceplant into her whipping cream. 

She loved every minute of it.  

Presents!

On the 19th Naomi and I got to go to one of Kaylee's concerts.  She had tried out for an area orchestra and was their star oboe player.  Naomi is really liking the idea of learning to play the oboe and this concert really lit a fire underneath her.

The Olympics have been really exciting this time.  I love that the world gets together and cheers for the world.  There have been several countries that have never gotten the gold before that were making a name for themselves this year.  I love sports and how they can bring people together.  So much fun to watch.

February 23rd Naomi and I got to go support Monica in her school play.  Quite a few of the Young Women were there.  I love this group of girls.

February 24th the Licastris came for dinner.  Bella and Naomi are really good friends from school.  Bella invited Naomi to go to the beach with her family over Spring Break this year, but Steve and I wanted to meet her parents before we said "yes.".  We had such a fun night getting to know them better and, of course, said YES by the end of the night.  Naomi and Bella were thrilled and excited and surprised and overjoyed and.....

February 25th, Nick was ordained to the office of a Priest in the Aaronic Priesthood.  My babies are growing up.

February 27th we had our taxes done.  It was a long day with seminary and work and taxes, but it was worth it.

February 28th was a big day as well.  I was substituting for Mrs. Hammond and we had just come in from recess.  I was watching the kids in the hallway as there were several 6th graders going to their lockers right outside my room and I wanted to make sure they didn't bother the 5th graders when I heard a commotion in the room.  I turned around to see one boy on the back of another pummeling his face.  I pulled them apart and escorted both of them out into the hallway to find out why.  They insisted on talking over each other and not letting the other one talk so I separated them further and got the team lead.  My class had to write down what they saw and turn it in to the vice principal.  I wrote down my account of the incident as well.  Neither boy returned to class that afternoon.

On a brighter note, Nick graduated from physical therapy and only has to go back if the problem resurfaces.  I am excited because I don't have to drive to almost South Carolina anymore in rush hour traffic.  Also, that night, Tanner Polera brought their new puppy over to visit.  Felix Polera is a dachshund/chiuaua mix and is the cutest little ball of fur!!!!

We also started on Nick's Eagle project!!!  Last Eagle project for our family.  I am a little excited, I won't lie about it.  So proud of these kids. 

January 2018

January was a very busy way to start 2018 so we decided to spend the first day sleeping in and taking it easy.  

January 2, Steve and I took Nick to see Dr. Bradberry.  Nick had been complaining about a sore shoulder for months and I just didn't have the head room to think about HIS shoulder while dealing with Steve's.  I know, bad mom!  Dr. Bradberry did an exam and took a couple of x-rays.  Nick has a shoulder structure abnormality that is cause part of the pain.  Where the ball of the humerus fits into the socket of the scapula should be rounded in order to fit as a ball and socket joint.  Nick's is flat.  Dr. Bradberry said that this has only recently become a problem because Nick has only been working his chest muscles and not paying as much attention to his back muscles.  Dr. Bradberry did some manipulation and then sent Nick to physical therapy to get some back exercises to correct the problem.  It is good to have an answer and such an easy solution to the problem.  

January 6th was the first basketball game for the young women.  They did as well as can be expected for a group of young ladies who really haven't played before and haven't had a lot of time to practice.  

January 9th I didn't have to work.  I had a long list of things that needed to get done, but I spent the morning talking with Jeremy instead.  Since he started working and going to college we don't see him as much.  He had a lot of questions about the gospel and the culture of the church.  His misconception was that they are one in the same.  We talked and I helped him separate out what is part of the gospel of Jesus Christ and what is Mormon culture.  He felt a lot better after clearing that up. 

New Beginnings was that night.  The girls had a grand time presenting their skit and showing off what they had been working on all year long as well as welcoming in the new Beehives for the year. 

New Beginnings was a BOOT camp theme this year.  So much fun.  

 January 10th Steve started physical therapy.  Getting his range of motion back is going to be a challenge, but he is up for it.    Also of note, Naomi won her class Geography Bee. 

January 11th we found out that Jeremy made the Dean's List at CPCC.  Way to go, Jeremy!

January 15th there was no seminary and no school because of Martin Luther King Day.  We all got to sleep in!!!!  I went to lunch with Sandra, did  some grocery shopping and got a bunch of stuff done. 

January 16th - I thought it would be a good time to review the objectives of Seminary and get the kids refocused on what their role was in daily seminary.  I had them come up with goals for themselves for the second half of the year and even got some good insight about how to better teach the lessons.  Steve and I went to lunch at Mr. Tokyo that afternoon.  It was amazing.  About dinner time I got the message that school was being cancelled for the next day due to a huge snow storm that was heading straight for us.  AWESOME!!!!!!

January 17th it snowed ALL day long!!  No school again the 18th and 19th as well.  It really was a doozy of a storm.  I am not complaining at all.  It gave me a chance to regroup, recenter and get some much needed cleaning done.  We all took some time to play in the snow as well. 

My Gortex boots finally came apart. 

Jeremy is in heaven.  He LOVES the snow!

Naomi and I built a penguin army to guard our front walkway.

This is day 2 of the snow storm!  That is a long time for snow to stick around in the South.  We are not complaining.  

Sunny, but cold.  My penguin army loved the sun and did not melt.  

Warm soup ON the table.  She is definitely my kid.  

January 20th we had thawed out enough to get to the church for basketball.  It was a fun day of games. 

Naomi and Ashley running drills.  

Naomi is taking the ball down the court.  

Rebound

Foul shot. 

January 23rd I got to spend the better part of the day with my friend, Charlotte.  She and I found out early that we share of love of rubber stamps.  The day was glorious and filled with creativity, stamps and NO kids.  It was heavenly. 

January 24th Nick  had four cavities at his dentist appointment.  Thank you to Dr. Neidan for helping me FINALLY convince Nick that candy and Gatorade should be used sparingly. 

January 25th, Naomi was in the school Geography Bee.  She took second place!!! 

Meanwhile, Jeremy drove Nick to the Outdoor Club rock climbing activity.  They had a really good time.  As if that were not enough excitement for one day, Steve was officially cleared to not have to wear his sling 24/7 and it was the Daddy Daughter dance that night.  Steve and Naomi had a great time dancing and talking with friends. 

The dance had a tropical theme this year.  

January 26th Dr. Bradberry said that Nick's shoulder is doing much better and we can go to monthly appointments instead of twice a week.  He needs to keep up on his physical therapy exercises though.    That night was a seminary teacher dinner and fireside with Elder Christofferson.  He talked about moral relativism and how we are shifting away from the standards God has set for his people.  It was a great talk and gave all of us a lot to think about. 

January 27th Nick and Steve were finally able to start on Nick's Eagle project.  Nick has been chomping at the bit to get started but we had to wait for Steve's shoulder to heal a little bit before he could attempt this level of physical activity.  Both of them were happy campers!

Learning how to use the router.  

Going solo on the router.  Nick really liked learning how to use new tools.  

One sign down - 60 to go!

January 29th, Nick had two of his cavities filled.  We are going to have to go back and have the two on the other side done next week.  Dr. Neidan doesn't like to numb both sides unless it is an emergency.  Bummer, but I understand.  When we got home I crashed HARD on the couch.  By the time Steve got home that night I was so sick I couldn't get off the couch.  He called everyone in my seminary class and cancelled for the following day. 

January 30th I used as a recovery day to the max.  I didn't do anything but sleep and get feeling better, until that night when I was the photographer for the LNC winter band performance.  Kaylee came to support Naomi and to be a proud teacher when her pupil got to play with the 6th and 7th grade bands. 

Naomi is playing with the 7th grade band.  Mr. Scaringelli is so impressed with her ability to play the clarinet that he has challenged her to think about playing the oboe as well.