Running with the Leopards

This year Noah and Adam both set a goal to run in a 5K with Ben and I. We chose the running with the Leopards for 3 reasons. It was a family friendly registration (AKA- discount for kids), because it was mostly downhill, and I talked my friend into running with us for her first 5K and it was close to home so she would come. To say it was a VERY cold morning is an understatement. We were freezing and they started late. We were all very anxious to get moving so we could warm up. Finally, as the race began we all took off in good spirits. Noah quickly developed a bad cramp and had to pull off to the side and walk to recover. Ben stayed with him and I kept running with Adam. Adam had spent the 48 hours previous to the race complaining and saying that it would be too hard, and he was scared to try. I have to say that I had to really try to keep up with him. He just kept him pace, smile, and flew through the course. I was so proud of him and found myself wondering who's kid that was. We all finished the race and enjoyed some awesome spoils afterwards. It was a fun time for all of us. The race was the Saturday morning that we left for Disneyland. We finished and headed home to begin our trip. 

I wanted to post about the race because it was a big accomplishment for all of us. Especially, I think, for Adam. Here is his finishing stats...
5th place for under 11 male- His finishing time was 27:53.4, which gave him a pace of 8:59.8 minute miles.

Noah was 7th place for under 11 males. His finishing time was 29:46.2, his pace was 9:36.2 minute miles.

I was 8th place for woman 35-39 with a finishing time of 27:53, and a pace of 8:59.7 per mile.  My time was very similar to Adam because we were running together.

Ben was 7th place for Men 35-39. Ben's time was similar to Noah for the same reason as mine to Adam. I'm sure Ben could do better, but what a good dad to stay behind and help him through his cramp and get him to finish something hard.

Can you believe it?

Noah is 11. I am not ready, but it's true that he is 11. He got donuts and kickstart for breakfast. I know, I know, I'm an atrocious mom. 

He swindled me for a PS3 and a couple of games for it. Then had a late night party with some friends to play video games. We ate lots of snacks, And played lots of games. It was good times. 

His friends that joined us were Brayden, Jackson, Wyatt, Tanner, Colby, Hudson, and Gavin. 

He is still my favorite Noah in all the world. He's a great boy, uh I mean young man. He had a very happy birthday.

Skiing and boarding

Snow. I love watching it fall. How it glitters in the light. I hate how cold and wet it is. I have lived it Utah for 20 years and I've never participated in any outdoor sport that involves "The Greatest snow on Earth". It seems like a horrible way to spend the day. However, I am very blessed that my husband feels differently. He is such a good dad to get up early on Saturdays and take his boys up to the resort. He has been taking Noah up to learn snowboarding a few times. Today he took Adam up and got him a skiing lesson. They both really enjoy it. 

First things first

This week was filled with a lot of firsts that are worthy enough to mention. 

My adorably sweet baby, Faith, slept through the night. She is 8 weeks tomorrow. She is such a rock star baby. 

Josh is at the stage where he just wants to drink all the time. This week he decided that he loves chocolate milk. I had to invest in some Hershey's syrup in order to make him happy. This is noteworthy because none of my other kids drank milk of the chocolate persuasion. 

Seth is having a hard time lately laying off the video games. It has required some adult intervention. I am creating a mandatory cooking class for him. So far, every Tuesday because that's what day it is today. We made Dutch soft pretzels. I thought I'd have to drag him kicking and screaming into the kitchen, but after he finished his level he came willingly. See the issue we have here?

Folding the pretzel shapes

Brushing with egg

Eating the finished product! Yummy!

Adam took on the task of mowing the lawn. He's only 8, and it seemed like a very hard job for him, but he did well.

He even found time to be funny. That's just his style:)

Noah has always struggled with reading. He can do it, and he's really quite good at it, but unfortunately he follows after the likes of his mother and doesn't enjoy it very much. He finally found a book that he enjoys, and has consistently been reading every day without having to pull any hair out or bribing or reading to him. Hopefully when he's finished it, not if, we can find another one he can enjoy.

Me, I've started running again. I can only stand to be the chubby wife for so long before I have to take action. Everyone says I've got a good excuse with the baby and all, but why would I use it? I'd rather lose it.

(Sorry no photo available)

Then there is Ben. You better ask him. He's not around enough for me to know if he's tried something new this week.

Got my shoes tied tight

After a crazy busy summer we are at it again. School started this week. My kids both came home crying in June on the last day of school. Neither of them got the teacher they wanted and swore up and down that none of there friends were in their classes. Not a single one. So, last week I made them walk down to the school with me and look at the class lists posted on the front door. They both had a few boys they knew and could hang out with. They weren't their very best buddies, but kids they could handle. I think it put their minds at ease at least for the day.  

When Monday came and it was time to ride off to school they both seemed to have forgotten how upset they were just a few few months ago about which teacher they got. (I wasn't going to be the one to remind them.) They both came home after school and raved about their teachers and experiences. Hopefully it's the beginning of a very good year. 

As for me... I've got 3 at home and I'm starting in on a new adventure in babysitting. That's right, I'm opening up my home to babysitting some children this year. If anyone knows someone who lives around here and needs childcare let me know. I'll see if it will fit into the schedule. Oh yeah, and wish me luck.

Aren't the boys handsome?!

Feeling Nostalgic

This week Noah turned 10. I got a letter in the mail from my Stake President giving me Adam's baptism date. I  started teaching Seth how to read. I set up Joshies 2 year well child check...I am feeling nostalgic. I thought I would go one step further with Noah's birthday post and show some pictures of him as he has grown up. It took me 2 days, but I sifted through every picture I ever saved over his 10 years. "sigh" it really does go by so fast...

This is Noah's brand new baby picture at the hospital. He was an adorable baby who loved to eat and hated to sleep. Not much has changed today.

When Noah was 1 he loved to play with cars and trains. His 2 absolute favorite things in the whole world were his binky and his mom. He never left home without them.

I just like this picture. He is still 1 in this one.

This is his 2nd birthday. He really loved Thomas and Bob the Builder. He was speaking full sentences and singing a lot of basketball John. Anyone remember this song? From the Jazz? He loved it!

For his 3rd birthday he was already into soccer. I just can't get over how much hair he has! Still to this day he has so much. I don't hink he will ever go bald. This picture was taken before he bit through his lip so he has his beautiful mouth before the scar plagues him.

This is him at Christmas time at 4 years old. He was in pre-school doing so well. He loved to play legos, and still addicted to sports of any kind. He started playing on his first soccer team that spring.

This is his 5th birthday. He was into star wars and video games at this point in life. I want to apologize for the hair do, but i can't. If you know Noah at all you know that he did his hair (and everything else in his life) the way he wanted to. I have no say. This hair-do is all his!

For his 6th birthday we went to chuck-e-cheese. Noah still loves food, star wars, video games, soccer and is starting to get into baseball, but can't play yet.

He is 7. I can't believe it. He is into hot wheels, and Utah Football!

He finally turned 8 and got baptized this year. He is really getting good at soccer and getting awesome grades in school. We moved to our brand new house in Centerville and he is making a lot of new friends.

His 9th birthday pictures kind of stink, you can probably tell by the one I chose. Noah played on his first baseball team this year and made all-stars. He won multiple awards and trophies for playing chess in tournaments on the chess club.

Here he is the big 10. He is such a handsome boy. I wonder what the next 10 years hold for him.

Trophy time!

This past weekend was the 2012 State K-12 Chess Tournament. Most people didn't even realize that this was happening because, well, let's be honest, it's chess. However, our family was keenly aware of it happenings. Noah was registered months ago and it has been the talk of the chess club for a while. It was at the University of Utah Union Building. There were 6 rounds. Noahs' record went like this:
Round 1-win (1point)Great way to start the day.
Round 2-win (1 point)It just keeps getting better.
Round 3-loss (0 points) Lost to a NEWMAN!! UGH!! That's the school everyone tries to beat.
Round 4-loss (0 points) uh oh, was it a fluke?
Round 5-win (1 point) Yeah! He beat a Newman!
Round 6-win (1 point) Really, he did awesome!
He ended up with a 4/2 record, and 18th overall in the 3rd grade. There were 111 3rd graders in the state who competed. He has a lot of potential and just enough of a competitive nature that he was able to do well. His teacher, and coach are both so excited and proud of him. Noah measured his trophy and proudly states, "it is 3 feet 7 inches tall!" We (Ben and I) have never earned a trophy as big as Noah's. "SIGH" I guess there is something to say about hoping that your kids are better than you, but it still hurts a little...Congrats Noah, you smarty pants! 

NOTE: Next time you see Noah, he may challenge you to a chess game. Be ready!

Smarty pants, farty pants

When school started last fall Noah brought home a flier that announced some spots were open for the school chess club. He has always liked to play chess with Ben, but I never thought it would go beyond that. He was interested and they only met once a week after school for an hour, so I thought it would be okay.

Occasionally they attend tournaments and he was finally able to go. His coach says that most kids when they compete in their first tournament leave without any points. They played 5 rounds with 1 point awarded each round. 1 point if you win, 0 if you lose, and 1/2 to each player for a stale mate. He ended up with 2 1/2 points and a medal at the end of the day. 

 It was amazing to me how many kids were at the tournament. The room in the picture held all the kids in grades 2-6 grades. It was a great experience for him to practice good sportsmanship and healthy competition. He is my little smarty pants!

 

Noah...my 9 year old

No one would ever believe that Noah is 9, but he is. He was so excited for his birthday party. Of course he chose to have his friends over and play football out in the freezing cold. If you can believe he asked me if he could play barefoot because he gets better traction. My answer was simply, "uh......NO!" Ben was a great sport and played with them. Then they ate pizza.

opened presents

played a trivia game to see how much his friends knew about him

had cake and ice-cream

Brock, Kelby, Cole in the back

Adam, Stanton, Noah, Jacob, and Ethan in the front

and played more football. The highlights of the evening were 3 of his friends gave him a football. 

It was funny to me that his friends all know what he needed. His old one was in pretty bad shape. I made a cake that looked like a pokeball. It was not my best work, but good enough for my gracious son. 
I am so grateful to have Noah as my son these past 9 years. I can remember when he was born. I love how kind and thoughtful he is. Especially towards me. He always observes my moods and is the first to ask, "are you okay mom?" He is an awesome student, a great friend, and a wonderful big brother. He just adores his little brothers. HAPPY BIRTHDAY NOAH! We love you so much!


p.s. sorry some of the pictures are fuzzy, it was really hard to get all these boys to hold still for a picture.

First day of school

Ready, Set, Go! Here it is again, first day of school. Adam is in 1st grade and Noah is in 3rd grade. I can't believe it at all. It is amazing to me how fast summer went by. They both rode their bikes to school and had a pretty good day. Hopefully the rest of the year can be good too.

Young Astronauts

This year at school Noah joined a group called Young Astronauts. They had lots of afterschool activities and meetings where they learned about NASA, outer space, rockets and stars. They took a few field trips to places like Hill Aerospace Museum, Hansen
Planetarium, and space camp. He really enjoyed it. To end the year they have an awards ceremony and give each student a certificate for completing all the requirements to be a jr. ranger. Then they shoot off the rockets they have been working hard to build. It was really fun.

Here is a video of his rocket launch...

Lunch with Grandma

Is there anything more nostalgic than walking into an Elementary School Cafeteria and being blanketed by the aroma of cafeteria food. I used to love lunch time at school. I usually brought a home lunch, but as a kid I loved to buy school lunch when I could. That may seem strange, but it was a real treat for me. The boys school hosted a Grandparents lunch day a few weeks ago and wanted to post it. Grandma Leta came and ate with us. Thanks for sharing this day in our lives with us.

What is wrong with my kids?

I love springtime! My kids haven't asked to turn on the TV all day. Its very odd for them. They love to watch TV. Instead we played basketball, baseball, jumped on the trampoline, and had just about every kid (who is a boy) in our neighborhood in our house. Today is so far, so good.
As an added bonus the dog who is normally following me around every second of the day is enjoying the warm sun too.

The seventh year of the reign of the Horsleys

We celebrated Noahs 7th birthday on Friday. We went to his school and spent the day with his class. His teacher had him stand up for his birthday and his classmates asked him questions about his favorite things to get to know him better. After that there was sledding with 12 cousins, drinking hot chocolate, eating soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, followed by cake and ice-cream bars, and opening presents. After all that we were all tuckered out! It was a great day and I hope Noah had a fun birthday. He is a wonderful son who is kind and loving to his brothers. He is very considerate of others. He is a little genious who can do anything he wants to in life. He Is my favorite Noah and I am so glad to have him as my son. Happy Birthday Noah!

Doing what suits you?

We have had a huge issue with Noah not tucking in his church shirt. He hates to tuck in any shirt especially his church shirt. He also likes to suck/chew on his tie claiming that he was hungry, or bored in primary. So, last month Ben challenged Noah to keep his shirt tucked in all through church and not eat his tie for a month. 4 weeks of church. Surprisingly he did it! So, Ben had to come through with his part of the deal, whcih was to buy Noah a suit for church. I don't know why he wanted a suit when he couldn't keep his jean shorts and shirt looking nice, but he did. Here is a picture of Adam wearing what Noah used to wear. Then a picture of Noah with the suit on, sorry it is kind of fuzzy! Good job Noah!