A Rare Possession

Somehow, I managed to get a picture, even a smiling picture, of Lance yesterday before he ran away or put his hand went up to block my view. Love my boy! Isn't he handsome?!
Another Facebook tag.....My First Born

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? No
2. WERE YOU PLANNING ON A PREGNANCY AT THE TIME? No, but I was starting to think about it.
3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? A lot of excitement and little bit of nervousness.
4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? No and never was!
5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 23 yrs old
6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? I missed a period and took a test at the dr's office.
7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? My husband, Todd, or course.
8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? Yes, we are big cheaters so that we can plan ahead.
9. DUE DATE? Mar.2nd.
10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? Yes, some, for the 2nd and 3rd months of my pregnancy.
11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? Nothing out of the ordinary.
12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? same answer as above.
13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? Male
14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT YOU WERE HAVING? No not really. I had a big brother so I was excited for my children to have a big brother also.
15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? 25-30? lbs.
16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? Yes.
17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? No.
18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY?Just a little....I started to dialate early and have some very minor contractions but they were worried that the baby would come early. So, I was put on meds and watched closely. I was supposed to sit at work as much as I could (I was teaching kindergarten at the time).
19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? Mesa, AZ
20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? An EXTREMELY fast couple of hours....thanks for my mother's great genes. My water broke about 2:30 am and my contractions didn't even start for a while after that. Lance was born at 5:15 am.
21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? Todd.
22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? Todd & my mother, Geneen. (along with the Dr. & nurses:)
23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? Natural
24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? I believe that they put some tylenol in my IV, but I didn't have an epidural. I wasn't againest having an epidural, but I knew that my mother delivered her babies too fast to have one. And, sure enough, when it started to hurt and I began to think about having one...it was TOO LATE and the baby was coming! It hurts A LOT, but only as I am actually delivering, so I figure that I can grin and bear it.
25. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH?6 lbs 11 oz.
26.WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN? February 13, 1995
27. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Lance Keith. Lance was a name we liked a lot and Keith was after his Dad's middle name and his great granfather's first name.
28. DID YOU EXPERIENCE ANY POST-PARTUM DEPRESSION OR BABY BLUES? No.
29. BREAST OR BOTTLE? Breast.
30. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST-BORN TODAY? He just turned 14 and he is becoming such a great young man, but he will always be my baby.

Aim Well, Lance

Grandpa took Lance out to the desert for a morning of target shooting this week. When I asked him if he had a good time, he replied "yea, it was cool." A typical teenager reply. Thanks Grandpa for spending some time with our boy. Thanks for being so "cool."

Piano Calvacade

After playing at the carnival all day, we got to come home and go to a piano calvacade that Lance and Sierra were playing in. They did a great job. Todd and I were so proud of them. Above, is Sierra's group but she is hidden in the back. Below, is Lance's group. He is in the black shirt. Sorry the pic. quality is horrible. It was pitch black since I was so far back, and so I tried to lighten it in Photoshop. Well, even if we don't have good pics, I wanted to post about it to let my kids know that they are AWESOME!!!

Sierra had gone to a sleepover the night before. After she played, she crashed in her chair. Poor girl. Too much playing....must be a rough life.

Radical Rocket

This is Lance's bottle rocket that he built for science class which happened to earn him a 100%. woo hoo. He was pretty proud of it.....and rightfully so. He did a great job. Nice finishing touches too....with the man on top. He took my little camera to school to get a movie clip of the blast off. Unfortunately, he left it on after the blast and I don't know how to edit it. But, look carefully cause it's GONE before you know it. Don't blink:). It was a great launch. Way to go Lance! (He wouldn't get in the picture with the rocket though....so maybe he wasn't that proud of it. ???)

Fabulous Fourteen!

So, my first baby turned fourteen on February 13th. Yes, I am getting old, but it's soooo exciting to see my baby growing up into such a wonderful young man. I am so proud of Lance!
At 6lbs, 11oz, he was my smallest baby. He was a good first baby to take care of. He made "learning the ropes" easy. He was born with two of the cutest dimples ever. He used to hate his blond hair and wanted to dye it dark. But, now, I think he is starting to realize that the girls love his dimples, blonde hair, and blue eyes. I know I am biased, but he's pretty dang cute.

At the age of two, he became a big brother. (and, yes this photo must have been taked during the Brooke Shields era:)

We bought this quad for him when he was four and he loved it! He was so nice to give his sister rides. If Sierra started to let go of his side, he would stop his quad and have her hold on tighter before he would proceed. And, yes it's the same quad that Weston drives now.

Lance's Kindergarten Picture

In 2001, he became a big brother again. Being a big brother takes so much responsiblity. He has always been so helpful when his siblings were little. Of course, it changed to a little more teasing....okay, okay, A LOT more teasing, as his siblings got older:). I think that's where I got back what was coming to me. I remember my mom getting so frustrated when my siblings and I teased each other.

Lance, Sierra, and Zane on the day of Lance's baptism.

Wanting to imitate his dad, Lance learned to do the flip on the diving board.

And, maybe he imitated his dad too closely here:).....Lance was given tools for his birthday so that he could stop losing his dad's tools. Lance has become quite handy with fixing things. He now works at his Dad's shop when he has time and is learning a lot about engines.

As he grew older, he no longer wanted to be cute things for Halloween. He wanted to be SCARY! So, here's Lance in 2003 being some sort of a ghoul. (The mask was off so his mom could take a picture of his cute face:).

In 2005, Lance became a big brother again the the last time. He was 11 when Weston was born. The relationship between Wes and Lance was a special one....and it still is. Weston is Lance's little buddy.

We are so proud of Lance.

This past year or so, he really has blossomed. Hmmm, that's probably not a good guy word, but I can't think of another one. But, Lance has really grown up. He carries on adult-like conversations. He filled his responsibilty as a Deacon's Class President very well. His sense of humor has gotten to be quite fun to joke around with. We hope that he had a wonderful 14th birthday. We are to thankful to have him in our home. I know it's rough being the oldest. Life is harder. More is expected of him. He got to be the one that Mom made all her parenting mistakes on. Yet, he is still turning out so wonderfully despite my mistakes. Love you Lance!

**On a side, note. We went to dinner as a family for his birthday. I forgot my camera. :( He chose to go to the Texas Roadhouse. He didn't want to sit on the saddle for his bday song, but he stood by it and smiled. This was the year to have a party also. So, he and a bunch of friends went paintballing and had a bbq out in the desert. They had a lot of fun. And, again, the camera didn't go out with Todd. Sorry. Happy Birthday Lance!

Homemade Slide

For Christmas, Lance wanted his bunkbeds gone and a full size bed in it's place.

We got the bedding by Christmas, but we are just now getting around to getting the bunkbeds out and buying the new bed frame and mattress. Plus, we still have some painting to do. Can you say procrastination?:)

Of course, as the mattresses were coming out, they had to make a stop on the stairs. And, so the fun began. The three boys really enjoyed it. Cash tried it once, but apparently he wasn't too fond of it cause he didn't do it again....or he just never got the chance again cause the boys kind of hogged it.

Fun Video Clips from Up North

Our little desert dwellers don't know what to do in this below freezing temperature!

Way to fly Sierra! What a crazy, fun lovin' girl.

Lance and Todd racing down the hill!

Poor Wes does not get a good taste for sledding. I love how Sierra came to his rescue.

Here's what I meant about the men in our family never growing up. too fun. Hey, my man got 2nd! And I think Caleb (the 1st place guy) might have jumped the gun a bit anyways. :)

The snowball fight in the Pizza Hut parking lot. love it. How can a Mom not love any male bonding time that occurs between her husband and her boys?!

A Day with Grandpa Wayne

(This happened a couple weeks ago, but I just got these pictures.)

Grandpa Wayne took Lance out for an afternoon of driving the Thing on the Saturday of Fall Break. I think this is the 2nd time he has spent some time with Lance teaching him how to drive the stick shift, etc. Grandpa says he can't believe what a good driver Lance is and how easy it comes to him (must be in his genes, huh, gramps?!). Above is Uncle Josh, Lance, and Grandpa. They spent a whole afternoon driving off road for some fun. They were going to take one of Grandpa's dunebuggies, but unfortunately Lance was too short to reach the pedals on those. So, they headed out in the THING.

One of the coolest parts of the day was the hand-me-down shirt. And, you know that says a lot for a teenager to actually LOVE a hand-me-down:). Grandpa must have rummaged through his closet cause he came out with one of the old BAJA shirts from the good ol' days. (Grandpa Wayne used to take his boys driving dunebuggies or motorcycles down the Baja Pennisula in Mexico. They would camp along the way and go through all these small towns. Those trips are some of Todd's favorite memories). So, Lance was feeling pretty special to get such a cool shirt from Grandpa. I think Todd might have been jealous.

What a cool car...I mean, THING! Thanks Grandpa for taking time for Lance. He really enjoyed his day with you!

(okay, I know I'm just being too motherly here, but Lance looks WAAYYYYY too small to be driving:) I guess Esther (their dog) went along also.

Carvin' Away

We were invited to the park for a pumpkin carving party with some friends today. Sierra and Zane were so excited. Luckily, Wes was clueless so I didn't have to worry about him trying to carve a pumpkin with a knife in his hand. Cause you know he'd want to do it "ALL BY HIMSELF." Luckily, he was more than happy to swing and play at the park while the middle two kids carved away.

I was really surprised at how long Sierra worked on hers. She was one of the last ones done.


It took a lot of concentration for all the kids. They all seemed so intent and focused on what they were doing. Zane worked hard carving out the top of his pumpkin.

Then, he had some fun with the gooey insides.

But, then he got tired or bored. So, he skipped the carving of the features and put on some Mr. Potato Head features instead. Whalaa. He was done and off playing at the park.

Sierra stuck it through and did hers the ol' fashioned way. She was pretty proud of the fact that this was the FIRST pumpkin EVER that she carved all by herself.

Lance, being cool and mature, just hung out in the distance with his buddy, Brock.

We ended the afternoon with some junk food for dinner - chips, pizza, pop, and popsicles. Now, that was a great afternoon! We're sooo glad Kelly called and got us out there. I had hoped to get a big group shot with all the friends and their pumpkins, but I got too carried away eating my pizza and popsicle and forgot. ....Next year.

Speechless

So, Todd and I took a Love and Logic Parenting class over the past six weeks. We really enjoyed it and we think that it has some great concepts for parenting children. One of the main ones being that a child should have logical consequences for his or her wrong choices. Especially, that a child should be given choices to make, instead of the parents being drill sergeants making the child obey. And, then let the natural or logical consequences follow.

Todd and I actually took a mini-class a couple years ago so we were already somewhat familiar with the program. I think we were already using some parts of it, although there is always room for improvement....especially on my part:).

I have to admit that Todd and I sometimes say our one liners with a wink to each other...almost sarcastically, but in a fun way. Hey, you gotta have some fun with it!

Anyways. Tonight, Lance shocked me once again. I can't believe how much he has grown up in the past year. Proof that everyone should have hope:).

Here's the scoop. Lance called me today from school saying that he needed lunch money. Already??? I thought that it sounded too soon. So, I go check my checkbook after I get off of the phone with him. Sure enough, he had burned through his lunch money way too quickly. Later, I got to school and simply said something about XX amount being spent too quickly when I saw him in the hallway (he actually yelled out hi to Weston and I too...he didn't run the other way?!). Then, I proceeded to the cafeteria to talk to the manager there to get the whole story. She was able to pull up his account and print off what he had spent the money on over the past five weeks.

Later, I went to see Todd at his shop to pick up some checks and so I told him about the situation. We agreed that if Lance spent his lunch money irresponsibly, then he should pay for his lunch when the money runs out...or make PB&J sandwiches at home to take with him.

So, tonight after dinner, I approach Lance and show him his excessive spending totals for various days. And, before I can get my new plan out, HE COMES OUT WITH THE EXACT SAME PLAN. HE SUGGESTED IT!!! I was so speechless and so proud. WOW. Was this really my boy? He didn't complain... he didn't say it was unfair... he didn't say that so-and-so gets to spend whatever he wants. Lance thought that he should use his own money, if he spent too much too fast. Once again, my jaw hit the floor. He really is growing up into a responsible young man despite my shortcomings.

# 1 Reason to Have Your Child take the Life Skills Class

Lance is taking Life Skills (aka Home Ec) at the Junior High. So, the other day he brings home this Orange Julius recipe and makes some for everyone. Yummy! We just had to share this recipe with our family and friends. (We had the drink again this morning for breakfast:). We think it tastes just like the original drink, too.

Orange Julius

1/3 cup frozen orange juice concentrate

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup ice or as much as you want

**we like to add one banana and a few strawberries to this.**

**Then, my blender actually holds double this recipe - and you will need it, if you have a big family:).

Makes A Father Proud!

So, Lance worked at the shop with Todd the other day. After work, Todd, Lance, and the employees went to lunch. The men decided that they wanted pizza. Well, Lance saw the sub. place next door and decided he would prefer that. So, Todd handed him some money to go get a sub sandwich. Lance is gone for quite a while. Hmmmm. Finally, he came back and Todd questioned him why he was gone so long? Was the sub shop really busy? Lance said no....and proceeded to tell Todd that there was a hardware shop next door so he went in to browse and lost track of time.

Todd was grinning from ear to ear. He had to hold back the tears in front of his employees. You know you've done something right as a father when your son loves to browse the hardware store. Makes a father proud!....at least it does for Todd:) (And, Todd was still grinning as he told me the story - too cute.)

Our Life Scout

So, let me take this opportunity to brag about my boy. Last Wed. night he earned his Life Scout along with several merit badges. Todd and I are so proud of him for working so hard...and having so much fun (I always wanted to be in scouts! I was one of those girls jealous of the fun things they got to do in the name of merit badges:)
He is already talking about how quickly he can earn his Eagle. What a good boy!
And, since I am on a bragging kick (and it's good for my boy to know how proud I am of him...and how much I love him).....let me tell about another thing.

A couple months back he was called to be the Deacons Quorum President. When the Bishopric member came to our house, he asked Todd and I about it first. Hmmmm. Our son? The one that we have to DRAG to church and MAKE him go to scouts half of the time. Was he crazy? Think about all those meetings. I was stressing just thinking about trying to get Lance there. Well, we told Bro. Whitney when he asked Lance to do it to make sure that Lance was aware of all that it entailed. So, Todd and I nervously awaited the outcome as Bro. Whitney asked Lance to do it in another room.

So...he asked....and so Lance accepted.

And, a miracle happened. My boy is growing up. Every Sunday he has to leave an hour earlier for his presidency meeting. And, here's the kicker...HE GETS OUT OF BED AND INTO THE SHOWER WITHOUT ME EVEN ASKING. Every week!!! He never complains about it...well, almost never:). Last Sunday, he went TWO hours early for two different meetings. Then, he had the three hours of church. THEN, Lance went to several houses to deliver Fast Offerings. AND THEN....(yes, there's more)....he went to visit a boy at his house.

WOW! I am Shocked and Amazed and oh, so Proud. He's becoming quite the young man....until he reverts to his old habits of tormenting his sister. Have I told you about that one? Sierra can reach the highest pitch known to mankind when she shrieks his name. But, that's for another post.

Lance's Bike Repair

Like Father, Like Son. Lance is becoming quite the mechanic ....and bike repairman. In fact, on this particular day, we had FOUR bikes in our garage....three extra. He seems to be always working on his friends' bikes. Maybe instead of a Mow Power, he'll have a Pedal Power someday:).

Like Big Brother, Like Little Brother.

After watching Lance, Weston makes sure his bike is up to specs now.

What's for dinner, Lance?

Okay, so I am totalling ignoring my kids while I sit here at the computer and try to catch up on my blog. It's been a crazy week. So, Lance, now taking "Life Skills" (aka Home Ec) at the junior high, decides to start cooking. So, this is what we had for dinner tonight. YUMMY! His own version of a Skookie. (Lance must've missed the 5 food group lesson, but we don't have to tell him:)
I know the above picture isn't that great of Lance. I think he was in the middle of talking (saying something about not posting this:). But, you gotta love the little hand in the corner sneaking in. How cute is that?! Weston couldn't wait for his.
Zane and Sierra love to use cookie cutters on "flat eggs". Zane decides to use them on his cookie bar. Above, he is helping Weston cut out a bell. Below, Zane is showing off his Snowman.
Such a fun and tasty dinner! Thanks Lance!

Pick My Jaw Up Off The Floor

Last Monday night, I wasn't prepared with a Family Home Evening lesson. As we all gathered around, I asked who had a spur of the moment lesson to share, since I didn't have one. Todd shrugged his shoulders. Hmmm. I looked at Lance. "Lance, do you have a lesson you could share?" "Yea". (Jaw dropped to the floor). He popped up, ran to his room, and grabbed his scriptures. Todd and I exchanged looks of absolute amazement. What had we just witnessed here??? Lance came back and shared a thought from his Deacon's Presidency Planning Meeting that he had had the day before. WOW. He's really growing up! I'm so proud!!!

Jumpin' on Rollerblades

Lance and his friend, Aspen had some fun jumping the ramps on their rollerblades. Above, Lance is working on his 360.
They had a great time. The best thing was....no chipped teeth:).

What a life!

Oh, What do you do in the Summertime, Lance?

I cook the yummiest breakfast burritos for everyone....tortillas (the ones you have to cook yourself....yum), eggs, bacon, and spicy sausage...oh, and, you can't forget, the cholula. Of course, Mom makes it a little more fattening and adds sour cream to hers. (note from Mom - What a nice surprise to get out of the shower and find your son cooking breakfast for everyone. Thanks for breakkie, Lance. )
Also, I built a skate park for my tech deck (mini-skateboard). Yea, I still plays with "toys" at 13:). (another note from Mom - I told you he was still my baby. Just ask him if he likes mommy kisses.)