Aiden is 12!

 surprise!

 pumpkin pie and 12 candles on his birthday which he put out in one blow

 we had pizza and cake at Classic Monday

 Elias, Aiden, Caed, Shelton, Isaiah

Happy Birthday to Aiden today! Time has flown by. He didn't sleep much last night because he was so excited. He was up bright and early this morning just dying to open his present. At 7 we finally let him wake everyone so he could open it. Boy was he surprised to get Lego Mindstorm NXT 2.0 robot kit. It is a very pricey gift so that was all he got but I do believe it is money well spent because it is very educational and the building possibilities many.Cory and I are getting educated too and then trying to teach him all about it. I think Aiden is slightly disappointed that you have to learn to use it instead of just building it and flipping a switch like a robot toy. He has to be creative and program it. We had pumpkin pie per his request, my kids don't like cake much, and we went to the summer movie and this afternoon I let them play the wii for the first time all summer. We rented a new transformers wii game from red box, good idea by the way, and he didn't play it very long before he declared it too hard and turned it off and played a Lego video game instead. Fine with me! From now on we will rent any new game and if they don't just love it I will never buy it. This evening he went for his priesthood interview and he just didn't really understand the things the bishop was asking him about or he didn't know how to articulate himself so the bishop told Cory to talk with him about it more and bring him back next Wed. night. I thought Cory had discussed it with him but he hadn't, oops. Aiden gets very stressed easily and just freezes up when he doesnt know what to do so I think a big part of it was just that we didn't sit him down and run through exactly what would be happening. Oops, I know that about him. So I hope we didn't ruin his day. We will be talking a lot about the priesthood this week. On Monday night we took him and four of his friends to classic fun center to play for several hours. They had lots of fun. On Tuesday we went to Boondocks with our friends and my kids were being so lazy. It was a total waste of my money. I guess two fun days back to back is too much and they don't want to do outdoor activities other than swimming when it's hot. Aiden came to me recently and told me how he thinks he is different because of some things he does that other kids don't do and he can't really control it. I explained to him in very simple terms how many kids are on the autism spectrum and some have it very badly like his cousin Morgan and some only have it a little bit like his friend that is ADHD and that I could take him to be tested but there is a waiting list. He got very excited and said he wants to be tested and know about himself better. I was happy that he thought of it that way. I have him on the wait list at the BYU comprehensive clinic but it will likely be September or so before he is seen. Aiden has some struggles but he is a really good kid and he is kind hearted and compassionate and maybe even a bit too sensitive at times. He loves his family but is kind of a momma's boy. He tends to doubt his abilities but with time and thought will keep trying at things and then improves and becomes so astonished and proud of himself when he is successful. He doesn't sleep as much as my other kids. He can hardly sleep at all when he is excited about anything. He likes to draw and he especially likes to be funny. He makes comics and reads them and memorizes funny poems like Shel Silverstein and songs like Weird Al. He is good at impersonating voices. He is a good helper around the house, helps me clean up quite a bit. He also does a good job cutting the lawn. He can dance and likes to. He has style, cares more about his appearance than any of my other kids. He is very smart and would do a lot better in school if he just believed it. He has a great imagination and makes up stories and characters that all his siblings have become fans of. He is definitely a visual learner and expresses himself better on paper. He is a bit frugal. He will only spend a bit of his own money but would let me spend all of mine. So giving him his own money is great because he is hesitant to spend it when it is his. He hates anything carbonated, wish I did. He doesn't love sweets. He loves noodles and Chinese food. He is not very picky and likes healthy stuff except he has something against lettuce lately, especially on a sandwich. He has an interest in growing a mustache and getting bigger muscles lately. He likes cute nice girls but doesn't talk to them because he says he doesn't know what to say. He loves hugs even if he acts like they may not be cool.

OK I better stop and go to bed now.

We love you so much Aiden!

Retraction

Aiden is not getting the priesthood THIS Sunday, maybe next. I know nothing about getting the priesthood and such and apparently Aiden doesn't either so we are going to have some lessons and better prepare him.

Nauvoo

Has it really been 8 years since we were in Nauvoo? Boy has the time flown. My kids were so young and remember very little, well Tristan was only 1 so he doesn't remember a thing. William and Samantha got married there and now G&G are serving a mission there. We were considering going there for two weeks next summer to see them on their mission and be in the pageant as a family. Cory was less than thrilled about that idea and as I read more details thought that the boys are not quite mature enough for that yet. Then Cory's siblings said they were going out next summer too so now we are all planning to go for a week mid July 2012. Should be fun and I am also excited to see other historic sites in the area and along the drive out and back. Last time we were in Nauvoo we stayed in a two bedroom apartment at the family inn and suites in town but that was in August. Those are reserved for pageant families in July so I am happy that we still found a two bedroom apartment just outside of town. It can be hard to find a hotel room to accommodate our family of six, especially in a small town. Getting two hotel rooms really stinks, that's what we had to do in Hong Kong. Lots of people have more than two kids so there should be lots of suites. They do seem to be more common than several years ago at least. We have especially enjoyed Marriott suites and embassy suites. So I guess we are gonna have a road trip next summer. Woo hoo!

Maybe I will make pioneer dolls for all the cousins, like Holly Hobby type dolls that have the same hair and eye color as the kids. My boys have been asking me to make them one.

Priesthood

Aiden turns 12 tomorrow and gets the priesthood Sunday. If anyone in the area wants to be there our church is at 11. It really feels like a major milestone for my son to get the priesthood. He's really growing up. It's great to watch the kids grow up but then you also feel like your time with them at home is so short. Aiden is a good kid and takes these responsibilities seriously. He is a bit nervous about passing the sacrament. I am a bit nervous for him. We will make sure he gets some good instruction before he starts passing. It's all new to me. I had moved away by the time my brother turned 12 and I never attended anyone else getting it either. All this boy stuff is new to me. I am learning a lot about scouts, ym , priesthood etc. I also didn't grow up in Utah and things are a bit different here. Well I think every area has it's way of doing things even though the gospel part is the same. Cory has to teach us all this boy stuff. He has taught Aiden how to tie his tie and iron his dress shirt. It's sweet. He wants to take him to the shooting range to shoot handguns on his birthday. That is not sweet to me. I'm ok with rifles at scout camp but I don't want my boys playing with hand guns just yet, or ever.

Happy Pioneer Day!

Today is Pioneer Day and to celebrate we watched Legacy and then went to visit our Folkman pioneer graves at the Plain City cemetery which isn't too far from our home. There were several other pioneer graves there too. My kids like going to cemeteries and looking at all the headstones. They are always sad to see all the children graves. Avery also likes to play with the "toys" that some people leave there like pinwheels and such. He tried to take one but we made him put it back. We took a picture of all the Folkman graves we found there. Here are the two that we know are directly related.

Oh and here is the wagon company the Newmans came in http://lds.org/churchhistory/library/pioneercompany/1,15797,4017-1-284,00.html

Lidia is happy to see that she has a relative that pulled a handcart out west and so she feels more like a real pioneer. Read about this handcart company http://lds.org/churchhistory/library/pioneercompany/0,15797,4017-1-88,00.html

I'm gonna read it to the kids. Lidia will get to experience it a bit first hand next summer at Trek.

Jens and Matilda were also in the 7th Scandinavian handcart company

Quinoa is not my friend

Cory made quinoa tacos. I liked them. I ate two. Quinoa is a grain that is supposed to be really good for you. This was the first time I ate very much of it. Cory did not read the instructions which state that you are supposed to soak it and rinse it throughly before cooking so he skipped that step. I felt sick within minutes of eating them. Extreme bloating and pain for 48 hrs and I had head congestion and itchy feet. I read about it and some people are allergic to it, especially if it's not rinsed thoroughly. I could try eating it rinsed but I won't be risking it. That was a horrible two days and now my sleeping schedule is so messed up. I stayed up till 5 am last night and woke up at 10 am and hope that maybe I will be sleepy by midnight tonight and get back to a good schedule. I was still getting up at 7 everyday until a few weeks ago.

I'm 36!

the boys were "belly fighting" today

Friday was my birthday. I turned 36. Just another number. I stayed up late the night before finishing watching all the Harry Potter movies and then at 10 am we all went to see the last one. It was good, I got teary eyed. The movies just can't quite live up to the books though and I always watch feeling like I've already seen it before. There were some parts that I vividly remember seeing before but it was in my imagination while reading it. Avery got bored and wanted to leave during the movie but we managed to convince him to sit and wait for it to be over. After that we went home and I left Cory and the kids at home and went and got my hair cut. Cory made me a cake which is good but so sugary and rich I can't eat much of it. Next time we will have to cut the sugar in half. We went to cracker barrel for dinner. It is always good to me and kind of comforting since it's the kind of food I grew up eating. Cory even got turnip greens. They were pretty good. I never ate them much or collards growing up but other people did. I should have tried them, I usually like most any vegetable. Maybe I'll get some next time too. I always enjoy the dumplings and okra. Cory and I got the kids to bed and the younger two went to sleep and the older two quietly watched movies while Cory and I went to the 18th annual Antelope by Moonlight bike ride. It is a fun ride, not competitive, 11 miles to the ranch and back. Of course it includes major hills, not the flat area where I live. If you make it to the ranch by midnight they have entertainment and refreshments I guess but we were not going to make it by then and my pelvis bones were killing me so we turned back at about 8.5 miles so rode about 17 total. It was cool looking at the full moon over the water and all and kind of neat riding in the dark with headlamps and glow sticks on the bike for a while but then the reality of not seeing where you are going very well and not being able to see the scenery and the abundance of bugs made it not so cool anymore. The ride seemed like forever, so boring when you can't see much. I made horrible time compared to normal. I also stopped to drink some and enjoy the view and walked some to relieve my sore seat bones. I am going to check my measurements to see if my seat is a good size for me and also try a pad to go over it and see if that helps. I was also afraid to go fast in the dark fearing that if there was a rock or something in the road I wouldn't see it until it was too late and I went flying in the air. I was much more hesitant in the dark. I am not the least bit sore other than my crotch bones so if I get used to that I could go much further. It was a neat thing to do and we have our t-shirts and memories but I think I will stick to riding in the daylight. Bugs in your eyes are not fun. In the day I wear sunglasses but I didn't have a clear face shield for night riding. We got a few mosquito bites but mostly just bugs in the face. Yuck. Also when riding at night we couldn't see the other participants well so who knows if they were people we knew or not. We didn't start riding until 10:30 or later and left the island around 1 am. When we got home we got Lidia and Aiden to bed and then took a bath and I think I was asleep around 3 am and slept until 1 the next afternoon. Ginger and her kids stopped by on my birthday and brought me cards and a gift card to Mrs Cavenaughs, mmm. She ran a moonlight race half marathon on Legacy trail at the same time that we rode and she did very well, just under two hours. Lidia and Aiden made me cute cards too and Cory was nice and took the day off. It was also nice of him to ride slower than he usually does and stay with me the whole time. He usually rides 16 miles to work in one hour. I bought myself some new sandals that came in the mail earlier this week and I am enjoying wearing them. I also got a new set of circulon pots and pans. Our old ones are warped and no good. Yesterday we got ceiling fans so now all the bedrooms upstairs have them and we got swing arm wall sconces to put by our bed. Home improvement projects truly never end. I want to put ceiling fans in the living room too and we need to get the sandbox portion of the fort done. I think maybe I'll go get my chocolates tomorrow and go to lunch with Carrie one day this week. I got my figerprints taken for the background check so I can substitute teach at our school. It's all electronic now, no messy ink. I feel kind of old seeing all these technologies change.

Visitors!

My sister Amber and her family drove out from Alabama and spent a week with us. I was so happy to have them come out for a visit. They have never been out west before and I rarely get any visitors so it was fun for me. We went and did a lot of fun things but I didn't take many pictures, just enjoyed the company. I'll enjoy looking at all of their pics. The kids had lots of fun with their cousins. Lidia was a nice big sister to Lillian and was very nice to Morgan and Jackson too. The boys loved playing with Jackson and even enjoyed the girls as well. Aiden and Tristan find Morgan quite interesting I think and funny but Avery doesn't quite understand why she can't talk. Lol She did learn to close the door while here and she enjoyed walking around stomping the floor and she puts away the vacuum when you leave it out. Jackson was explaining to Tristan how everyone's brain is different and he asked Tristan how his was different and Tristan replied, "I don't have an accent" hee hee! We made Micah give up his bedroom and bathroom for the Byrd family and he slept in Aiden's room and Aiden slept on the extra bed in Lidia's room. I enjoyed having my sister around to talk to and Lee and the kids too. The kids were all good. Now Mel and her family need to come out for a visit and then everyone will have at least visited me once. Micah and Lisa rode back to AL with them and are flying back here Friday. It will be fun to hear about their trip when they get back.

Scout Camp 2011 Aspen Ridge Idaho

yes, those are mosquitoes all over his head

the peak

headin out on the trail ride

Cory didn't shave all week, yuck

Cory and Aiden returned from scout camp a day early. I was surprised to get a call from Cory saying they were home on Friday afternoon when I was driving home from SLC. The other leader, Brother Jacobs, hurt his shoulder in tug o war and it wasn't getting better so he felt like he should get home and see a doctor. He is OK but going to physical therapy for a torn ligament. There were just four of them, two leaders and two scouts. There are just a handful of deacons and some were out of town so it was just Aiden and Trenton. They get along well and had fun. Aiden will tell you he hated it because of the mosquitoes. He doesn't understand why they have to be on earth. They were really bad at camp. They are kind of bad everywhere right now. I have several bites myself from being outside late for fireworks. Aiden was asking Cory to come home everyday, he said he likes indoor things. Cory told him not to ask again because they would not leave until Saturday. Aiden did have lots of fun even if he will not admit it. He enjoyed shooting guns, mountainboarding and horsebackriding the most. He was also pretty good at the camp games. He was kind of known as the kid that wins "steal the bacon". Those are the kind of games they play in PE in elementary school which Aiden says he likes. I guess that's why. He was nervous about riding horses but loved it. He was also hesitant about the mountainboarding but kept trying and got better. He also liked the hike and eating and playing in the tent with Trenton. I think they were about to knock it over horsing around but the tent survived. Aiden came home with about 30 something bites but he hasn't been scratching too much. He also enjoyed the hike to the peak and he wore his camelback the whole time, it's pretty dirty. On Friday when the boys were told they were leaving they wanted to stay and do more activities. Kids are just always contrary. Aiden is glad to be home though and enjoying his cousins being here. He was very happy to see me too. I think he was disappointed to come home to an empty house, we were all at temple square. I could hear him in the background asking how much further till we got here when I was on the phone with Cory. When we got home we all ran in and gave them big hugs and told them how much we missed them. I told Aiden I was confused all week looking for my missing kid.=) Cory says that after being around a bunch of 12-13 yr old boys all week that he is happy to be Aiden's dad and wouldn't trade him for anyone else. Maybe we are doing something right. hee hee

Happy 4th!

 our bountiful basket, definitely could not buy that much produce for $15 at the store

 Aiden trying out his hydration backpack

Let Freedom Ring!!! I love you America!

Also happy birthday to my brother Micah today! He is now 27. We are gonna have him a little birthday party tonight. My sister Amber and her crew are driving out to see us, should get here Wed night. She has never been out here, should be fun. Cory and Aiden left for a week of scout camp this morning. I hope they have a great time. Cory got some Merrell hiking shoes which look like they will last him forever and Aiden got a camelback type backpack to wear at camp. He was cute wearing it around the house before they left. I hope he ends up liking it for real.  They say there is no cell coverage up there so I will not get to talk to Cory all week I guess. I don't think I've not talked to him for that long since we were married. No news is good news right? So if I don't hear anything I must assume things are great.

Last night several of our neighbors did lots of big fireworks. We sat out in our back yard and watched them in every direction. It was like our own personal show. Then we took the kids out front and did lots of small fireworks. It was a nice night and the kids were looking at the stars and trying to find constellations so pretty soon Cory and the kids were all laying in the grass side by side eating popsicles and star gazing. I got them my ipad so they could use my starwalk app and then they were able to identify everything in the night sky. It's pretty neat. You hold up the ipad and it aligns with the sky and shows you what's there and you can even zoom in and read about the stars and such. Cory said a lot of cool stuff was beow the horizon. They were cute though. We had a good night and I have several mosquito bites to show for it. Duke did not enjoy the fireworks, he chose to stay inside in his crate.

Saturday I went and had my first professional massage. Carrie and I both went and had a one hour massage. It went by really fast. It was nice but it is very different than just having your hubby rub your back or something. It hurts a bit when they hit some pressure points. It's cool how you can feel exactly where those points are. I want Cory to learn how to massage my hands and feet like she did. The spa is nice. It's funny how tired we were after, and you are supposed to drink lots of water for the next 24 hrs. It does make you thirsty. It helps wash your toxins away. We went to lunch at Chili's and then the mall after and I bought some chaco sandals which I really like so far and then we went and saw Super 8. It was a fun movie, not for little kids though. Kind of like a new Goonies but more sci fi with aliens.