The James Report

It's high time for a report on all the boys.  James is first.

EXTREME CLOSE-UP!!!!

i.e. what happens when James gets ahold of Spencer's iPod.

And below. 

James came downstairs in this dark outfit one day for school.  Mark asked him why he was dressed in all black.  "I'm going goth," he responds.  I'd better hide my eyeliner.

Every six months we watch the LDS General Conference in which the prophet and other leaders of the church speak.  The boys are good to sit and listen, but they are even better when we dump every lego we have in the house in front of them while listening.  This is James's creation.

James's class went to the State Capital for a tour to help them with their 4th grade Utah studies.  We were able to see the opening of a session of congress, learn about the symbols in the capital building and see the rollers beneath the building which will help it survive an earthquake.

James received his bear badge for scouts in January 2015 and I received by bear pin. Hooray for us! 

In the Spring, well snowy March, James's scout troop help the Raingutter Regatta.  Previous to this event I was sure that with all his hot air, he would be a frontrunner for the event, but alas, there were more tip overs than "steady as she goes."  All scouts had fun though and enjoyed a dessert of Swedish Fish.

One of the Sunday traditions is to read the comics.  If you are lucky and sneaky, you get to read them before anyone else.  James is usually both, but being an early riser helps.  In the picture above, he is displaying his multi-tasking capabilities by reading the comics AND balancing a notebook on his head, most likely placed there by his father.

While we are on the subject of reading in uncomfortable situations, James and Spencer are reading together on the stairs.  I would just like the viewing audience to know that there are 2 banana chairs, 3 foldable styrofoam mini couches, a large couch that comfortably fits 7, 2 sitting chairs, one extra large chair, 2 office chairs, four barstools and six dining chairs in our house.

They choose the high-traffic stairs to read on.

James's school holds an annual Shamrock Shuffle 5K and James was intent on running the whole way.  Last year he hardly ran at all, so I figured I could keep up with him, but he left me in the dust. Roxy was my running/walking buddy though and James cheered me on as I neared the finish line.

James told me in the winter that he wanted to try baseball. He figures if he tries all the sports now, he can see which one he really likes and then stick with it.  Fine by me!  He is really enjoying baseball with Centerville City, being on the Blue Jays team.

Excitement on the field!  He has a great coach and gives each team mate a turn in each position.

It's interesting to watch James because, while he writes with his right hand, and hits the ball with his right, he throws with his left.

One game, James was able to make two runs because the pitcher hit his thumb the first time and then his side the second time.  He was happy about making two runs, but was not happy about being hit.  The above picture is the hit in his side.  Thankfully it didn't get any darker than this or more tender.

Since Mark is the Scoutmaster, James gets to go on a few camp outs with the older scouts once in a while.  He was invited to go to the Spring Camporee, and begrudgingly, he went.  But he returned a happy camper, full of enthusiasm for throwing hatchets and climbing walls.

Spring Break 2015

When Spring Break rolls around, we toss around different ideas for vacations, but we always seem to decide on a visit to Nevada.  Ryan and Wendy decided to visit Grandpa and Grandma Wheeler in South Africa that week and invited us to stay in their house while they were gone.  It worked out perfectly except that Mark was not able to come with us due to a very heavy work load.  While we missed him, we are grateful for his dedication and integrity.

The trip down and back were pretty quiet as all four of us had some sort of electronic to listen to. Earphones all the way.  This is also the first trip where Spencer did not read all the way, but slept most of the time. Diagnosis: teenager.

Jed and Joshlyn decided to bless their new son, Renn, the Sunday before the week of Spring Break, so we left for Nevada on Saturday to go to church with them that Sunday. Renn is around six weeks old and is still not as big as my boys were at birth. It was fun to hold a baby again!

Much of the time at the Wheeler household was occupied with bump out, swimming, board games or MythBusters.

Mason and Sam stayed with us two of the nights and most of the days we were there, with Miles and Wade making intermittent appearances.

Jara made sure she was lathered up well for the first swim of the year!

Spencer was not shy is showing me his hard-earned wrestling six-pack, nor was he shy in wanting to view pictures of the said six-pack.

We were happy to be in Nevada for Sam's 11th birthday!  I made him pancakes (no jam or syrup, thank you) in the morning and then we packed up with Grandma and Grandpa Leavitt and his cousin Logan for a birthday picnic in Red Rock.

These red rocks do my soul good.

Children hiking to the highest height, do not.

I didn't get to spend much time with little Morgan, which was probably just as well, since we were all worried she would have a hard time without her mommy.  She did great with Grandma Leavitt so we left it that way.  But it was sure fun to see her!

Grandma Leavitt brought a birthday cake and a present for Sam.  Grandpa Leavitt brought his Razor and gave me and the big boys a ride through the silky soft sand dunes he knew so well.

We also picked up an alien along the way.

Jed and Joshlyn were so good to help us with meals, providing Elk burgers and pizza from Carley's.  We had a great time at their house with the trampoline, puzzles and their dog Ruby.

James and Mason played a many-hour game of Monopoly. More power to them.

D.J. helped Sam set up his birthday K'nex roller coaster while Spencer read and rested.

One last time for swimming in the 90 degree weather before heading back to Utah to 50 degree weather.

Thanks to Jed and Joshlyn for being great hosts and company.  Thanks to Ryan and Wendy for letting us stay in their beautiful home.  Thanks to the horse and the cow for not having their babies while I was there, because although I would have liked to see the babies, I wouldn't have a clue as what to do!

A Successful Season; Wrestling 2015

After two busy months, wrestling season has come to a close.  Both boys had a great season!  D.J. had a great season because he wrestled in eight matches, which is really great for a first year.  His record is 5-3.  Spencer had a great season because he wrestled 12 matches, with a record of 10-2. Not only did they get good experience with all of their matches, but they wrestled in shorts and a shirt instead of singlets, which according to Spencer is what really makes wrestling great.  The new singlets finally came in for the last two meets:

 The Centerville Jr. High team as a whole had a great season, achieving the high score for district competition.  Spencer and D.J. did not wrestle in the district tournament because they were on the 1st string, not JV or Varsity.  Maybe next year.  But we went to the district tournament to support those who did qualify and followed it up with a celebratory late night dinner at a Chinese buffet wherein all sorts of concoctions were created and consumed upon many dares.  It was just riveting.  I hung out at the "parent table."

All in all, wrestling was a great experience for Spencer and D.J.! Here's to many more meets!