Let The Silliness Begin!!!!

Summer is officially here.  On Friday, June 7th, I was the only parent at the bus stop who was really excited for the summer and having the kids home.  We have so much planned and we cannot wait to get it started.  Jeremy only had a half day the last two days of school so we were all waiting for Naomi to get home on Friday to start playing.

Wait!  I am getting ahead of myself.  So many fun things happened the last week of school.  Naomi had a watermelon day, an ice cream day, an end of school party day, field day, beach day, and game day.  The first grade team kept every day the last week interesting so the kids wouldn't have time to go too crazy.  I got to help out with the watermelon day and field day.  Nick came with me and we had a blast with the kids.

 Watermelon anyone!?  Front row l to r:  Brandon, Riley and Trey  Back row l to r:  Macy, Madeline, Naomi (with Nick doing moose antlers), Julia and Lorena.  

 Field Day.  I was in charge of the traveling task relay.  This is Naomi's class.  

 Naomi bouncing the basketball before racing back to tag the next person.

Naomi had a great year!  She loved her teacher, Mrs. Stinson, and made several really great friends whom we will get to see all summer long at the pools and for play dates.  It was a great experience for her and she is excited to go back next year!  

The kids were excited because our spring planting of carrots were finally ready for harvest on the last day of school.  These are the best carrots we have ever grown.  Naomi KNOWS it is because she planted them this year.  Whatever the reason they are big and yummy.  

 This moth took refuge on our tomato garden net (so the birds don't eat all of our tomatoes) while tropical storm Andrea came through.  He was huge and absolutely gorgeous.  Maybe he had something to do with our carrots growing so big.  He scared away the bugs and birds and ...

All of Naomi's friends have been getting their hair cut into a bob.  Naomi resisted quite a while until we went to her friend's baptism and Bella had gotten her hair cut.  That did it!  We went straight from the baptism to the hair salon and got her hair "whacked off" as she says.  She loves her new look and an added bonus is that she is not as hot.  

The silliness of summer is already setting in.  

It is going to be a good one this year!!!

A Mother's Day Poem

I was cleaning off my desk the other day, filing away some papers I wanted to keep nice, and found this poem Jeremy wrote me for Mother's Day.  This young man never ceases to amaze me. But don't just take my word for it.  Read on.

Potential

By: Jeremy Cannon

The world is filled

With countless people

But few find potential

Then grace the stage

Instead of stumble

You are amazing

You are a mother

You raise the stage-gracers

So you are

More than capable

More than amazing

Little eyes look to you

As man's eyes look to God

Though behind the curtain

You grace the stage

Your love withstanding

From age to age

Though feeling unseen

Alone in the dark

Just know someone loves you

From the depths of their heart

Onward and Upward

On Saturday, June 1st, 2013, Jeremy attended his Moving On Ceremony at Ridge Road Middle School.  We are really proud of him.  This year has been full of challenges.  Middle school is not an easy time for almost everyone, but Jeremy came in as the "new" kid and was thrown into a whole new world of attitude, offensive language and posturing.  He survived the year and is excited to move on to high school (YIKES!!! Am I that old?)  Not only did he receive his diploma, but he also got a medal for A/B Honor Roll (one B the whole year!  The rest were A's.  Don't get me started on that one!!)  The best surprise of all was when Mr. Williams announced the award for the top math student for the Seahawks team - JEREMY CANNON!  Oh yeah!  I stood and yelled like the proud mama I am. Afterwards we chatted with friends and teachers.  His science teacher, Ms. Newton, told me that Jeremy scored the highest she has ever had in any of her classes before.  He has a 98.98% in her class.  She said he was a hard worker, very bright and had good things in his future.  Ms. Baker, his language arts teacher, is leaving CMS this year to teach at a charter school.  She will be amazing with her energy and creativity.  Jeremy really enjoyed having her as a teacher this year - Fun and challenging all in one.  After saying goodbye to his friends we all went to Rita's Ice to celebrate.  Jeremy said that the day was great and winning the awards felt amazing, but the highlight of the day was the peanut butter fudge icee!!  That's my boy!

 Getting his diploma from Mr. Williams and shaking Dr. Menand's hand. 

Elyse, Jeremy and Gable - award winning friends as well.

Jeremy showing off his diploma, A/B Honor Roll medal and trophy for "Best Math Student".  

One Down! Two to Go!

Nicholas's last week of school was extra fun-packed.  Over the weekend he went to see the Iron Man 3 movie with his dad and brother.  They thought it was a good movie, but the highlight of the night was the field of giant marshmallows.  It was like a scene out of "Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs".  We have the pictures to prove it.

 Hot chocolate anyone?

On Tuesday, May 28th, the entire 5th grade went bowling as their end-of-year activity.  I got to chaprone and it was tons of fun.  The kids had a great time bowling as many games as they could fit into the time, eating pizza and pasta and taking a behind-the-scenes tour of how the bowling lanes work.  It was a blast!

 Check out Nick's impeccable form.

 Tyler, one of his best buddies, and Nick.

 Ms. Idol and Mrs. Hammond, "the best teachers EVER!!"

Nick and his other best buddy, Matthew

 The whole bowling crew.  (L to R) Julian, Nolan B. Tyler, Jake, Jamari, Nolan G, Jarrett and Nick.

 The tour was really cool.  It was fun to watch how the pins get back into position. 

Wednesday was Field Day and the kids got to do relays on the football field, have snow cones, play ping pong and dunk the teachers in the dunking tank.  They had a great time and Nick slept well that night. 

Thursday was the surprise bridal shower for Ms. Idol.  Mrs. Hammond told the kids that if they leaked the secret they would get an after school detention.  They took her seriously and did not say a word to Ms. Idol.  She was very surprised.    Mrs. Hammond had each of the kids fill out a card for Ms. Idol and she put them all in a book that was presented to Ms. Idol at the beginning of the shower.  We ate food and watched Ms. Idol open all her presents.  The kids played a game called "How Well Do You Know Ms. Idol?" and had a great time seeing who got the highest score.  They also unscrambled wedding words. The best part was hanging out together.  

 Ms. Idol and her fancy BRIDE glass (a Dixie cup glued on a candlestick)

 Nick with Ms. Idol and Ms. Harrison (the principal)

 Feeling wacky!

On Friday it was only a half day.   Nicholas got in the truck and told me he LOVED his school and was excited for 6th grade.  I was so glad to hear this from the boy who was threatening to drop out of school in the first grade because he hated school so much.  We went to lunch at Cook Out to celebrate the last day.  Nicholas ordered a corn dog, chicken strips, french fries, a large drink and a caramel fudge shake.  If you are going to celebrate you  might as well do it in style!

Only five more days for the other two and then we can officially start the summer fun!!!!!

In Like A Lion - Out Like A Lamb

I know the title to this blog usually applies to March, but this year we have had a rather tumultuous and adventurous April into May.  My last blog was all about frustration and all the things that were going wrong with a light at the end of the tunnel.  That light is almost here and it is called "summer"!!!  We are all so excited for school to be out so we can play for three months.  We have tons of things planned and it should be a great summer.  But first, here is what has been happening in the last couple of weeks.

Nick does not lose his baby teeth on his own.  All except for the front 8 incisors have had to be pulled by the dentist.  His top eye teeth were no exception to this rule.  The only difference is that these hurt a lot more than the others.  His adult eye teeth were already growing in, underneath and in front of the two baby teeth.  The dentist had a tough time getting them out.  He had to dig out the root that was refusing to let go.  Nick was a champ through the whole process although he was really sore afterwards.  Hopefully these are the last teeth that have to be pulled.

Naomi finished up another fun season of soccer.    She has typically played in defensive positions and has loved it - especially being goalie!!  This season the coaches really relied on her offensive skills.  She was the most seasoned player on the team and had the strongest kick.  Although she still prefers to play defense, she learned to enjoy playing up front and getting goals.  Her favorite part is getting the trophy at the end of the season.

 April 30th was a Court of Honor and the boys each earned a rank advancement.  Nick is now a Tenderfoot  and was made the Assistant Patrol Leader.  Jeremy is a Life Scout and also earned his Duty to God award.

 Next step is Eagle!!!

Nick has been working really hard.  He is only 2 and a half months into scouts and has already earned his Tenderfoot!!  Way to go, Nick!

The whole suspension thing came to a resolution with great results.  Jeremy's records do not show any absences since he attended the in-school suspension program thanks to an amazing registrar who had all the right answers and advice.   His grades are still sitting at all A's (his teachers were incredible in helping me keep him up to date on his assignments!)  He is back in school and is showing the teachers what he can really do when he puts his mind to it.  He still has moments of apathy and belligerence but he quickly turns it around once the behavior is brought to his attention.  I am proud of him for not backing down and for taking the rest of the school year in stride.  He will finish up strong.

On a funnier note, if you can look at it that way, Nicholas has been very upset about what happened to his brother.  He keeps telling me that would never happen at his school.  I guess he decided to test it out and said a curse word at recess.  He promptly got an after school detention.  When he handed me the paper to sign he was upset about the ASD but was relieved to know the system worked.  He has promised not to do it again.  :)

May 7th we went to an art exhibit at the Wells Fargo Art Hall in Spirit Square.  Each school in the district was allowed one entry per grade.  Naomi's was chosen from the first grade for Highland Creek Elementary.  She was so excited.  She can now say that she has had her art on display at an official, sponsored art exhibit

 Here she is proudly pointing out her artwork.

 Close-up.

 Receiving her award from the district art director.

 Mr. Maranchello (the most amazing art teacher EVER!!!), Naomi and three other winners from Highland Creek Elementary.

Naomi wanted a picture with Mr. Maranchello and her brothers.  

Mother's Day was really fun.  We went to church, Steve and the kids fixed dinner and did dishes, and I got to read my book and relax.  AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!

 I couldn't have said it any better myself! 

Naomi made me this book at school.   

 There is never a serious moment with Nick around!

May 14-16 Nicholas took the EOGs for the first time and felt really good about them.  A couple of months ago he was invited to join a study group that focused on HOW to take the EOGs rather than the content of the test.  He was confident that he would remember the information, but taking the actual test was terrifying to him.  This class made all the difference for him.  I love that his teacher was insightful enough to realize that the content was not going to be the problem for several of her students, but rather the actual taking of the test.  She designed a tutoring course that helped the kids gain confidence in their test-taking skills.  Every night he told me he "aced" the day.  For a kid who couldn't sleep the night before the first test, this is saying a lot.  

Friday, May 17th, I spent the morning at Ridge Road Middle School helping decorate for the dance that night and then spent the rest of the day getting Nicholas to the doctor to have some tests done to find out why he is having joint pain.  For months, the pain changed location every few days, but has recently settled into his left knee.  So far the x-ray, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and rheumatoid factor are all normal.  We are just waiting on one more allergy test to see if that might be the culprit.  We will get to the bottom of this soon.  

Friday night I got to chaperon the 8th Grade Prom.  It was so much fun.  Jeremy got all dressed up in his finest clothes.  We picked up two of his friends on the way to the dance and had a great time.  The front entry way was all done up like the red carpet at a Hollywood event.  Jeremy came walking down the carpet with Justice and Kaycee and his friends gave him high-fives for coming with two girls.  They weren't his dates, but they were with him on the carpet and that is all it took.   It was a typical middle-school dance and the kids had a blast.  The decorations, refreshments, everyone dressed in their best and friends made the night complete.  It was fun to see Jeremy hanging out with kids he went to kindergarten with only now they are all grown up.  It happened WAAAY too fast.  

 Kaycee, Jeremy and Justice

Jeremy, Kaycee, Justice, Abby and Nassan

Now that Jeremy is 14 he can go to the Stake dances as well.  Apparently he didn't get enough dancing in on Friday night because he went to the stake dance in Hickory on Saturday night.  He said that of the two dances, the stake dance was more fun because everybody danced with each other and he felt more a part of the group.  

That about wraps it up.  The countdown to summer has begun in earnest.  Nicholas only has 7 days left and Naomi and Jeremy have 12 days until summer vacation.  The school year has flown by and I will be so excited to have the kids at home for the summer.  More adventures are in our future!!!

No More Excuses!!!

“Kids will be kids”, is an excuse used by adults who don’t want to address the real issues.  Adults are underestimating the potential in each one of these children as well.  Given the opportunity kids will rise to whatever standard you set for them.  They are eager to please and craving rules that help them feel safe and secure in a stressful situation.  Rules give them guidelines as to how to handle the world around them.  Rules provide security and strength.  Where is all this coming from you might ask?   Recently, Jeremy had the unique “opportunity” to experience this first hand.  In his regular school he found himself in a situation of weakness that resulted in completely uncharacteristic behavior which led to an out of school suspension.  As he said, “My fight or flight response kicked in.”  He had tried flight before and it didn’t work out so….   At every step along the way to this incident there were opportunities for the adults in charge to put a stop to the harassment and mounting frustrations of all involved; however, the fear, exhaustion and low morale that is running rampant in our public school system prevented any of them from stepping in.  I was initially very hurt and frustrated by the whole situation.  Although the administration listened to my concerns, I am confident that my concerns were not heard.  I kept getting the answer (excuse!) “Kids will be kids!”  I told them I was deeply troubled by that answer because if this was the expected behavior for the kids as teens I didn’t want to see what they would be like as adults.  By saying “Kids will be kids” they are in essence giving these kids permission to act as they please because it is “normal”.  Ifelt unsafe in this environment.  I can’t imagine what the kids who actually have to remain in this situation feel like all the time.  It was a feeling of hopelessness and weakness.  We were fortunate to get Jeremy into an off-site,, in-school suspension program so as to reduce the appearance of the severity of the suspension on his school records.  The school is in a lower-income area of the city.  The kids in the program with him are there because of drugs, pornography, fighting, etc.  It is a rough crowd, but, ironically, Jeremy feels safer there than he does at his own school.  The difference is the adults running the program.  The kids know these adults care about them,  but don’t put up with anything.  The adults take the time to learn something positive about each one of the kids and use this information frequently to remind them they are good kids who happen to have made a bad decision.  The rules are strict and if you don’t follow them you are removed from the program.  The kids behave because it is what is expected.  They have risen to the standards set by the adults in charge. Everyone is in a position of strength and they are happier for it.  

Although I am exhausted from dealing with administration and getting needed answers, I am grateful for this whole thing.  God does not just let things occur.  They happen for a purpose.  Jeremy is learning that words should never be used as a weapon to tear someone down  Words need to be used as tools to build people up and help them be better.  He is learning that less is more and that kind words go a lot farther in making friends than trying to impress peers with mean comments to prove how tough you are.  He is learning that rules are there to protect him and help him feel secure.  I am learning that it is okay to step in at the first sign of trouble.  Don't assume that the administration will handle it.  It is okay to be vocal when you don’t agree with how something is being handled.   Teachers appreciate parents who are involved in their kids’ education.  Teachers are not being heard by administration either and love it when parents are willing to listen to their concerns and give assistance when smoothing over issues involving their kids.  Most importantly we have all learned, as a family, that when the Lord gives you a direction to go and you decide not to listen, He will find a way to get your attention and refocus you on what is important.  I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who listens and hears us when we talk to Him.  He is there to help us with whatever our struggles might be at the time.  He is also there to celebrate with us when we are happy.  He is the ultimate example of unconditional love.  I am grateful He has set high standards for me.  I am happier when I stick to those standards and do not deviate from the goal - eternal life and the Celestial Kingdom.  I am placed in a position of strength knowing I am doing what He wants me to do and that is all that really matters in this life. 

Thanks for listening!  Now go out and take on today with the confidence that He is at the helm and everything is going to be okay.  No more excuses!  Be the best you you can be! 

Volunteer Brunch

Every year the staff at Highland Creek thanks those who have volunteered throughout the year with a brunch.   It is a lot of fun.  This year was especially exciting because Naomi's class has been working on a surprise for all the volunteers and they were practically bursting to tell me the secret every time I was in the classroom.  But they all made it - WHEW!!!  It was one of the best surprises I have received in a long time. You can hear by the laughter and cheering that it was a pleasant surprise for everyone in the room.  Check it out!  Naomi is in the bright pink dress in the middle.