Your first preschool graduation was today. One year down, and only one more to go. You were in Miss Amy's preschool like your older brothers and sister, but I have decided that you and Miss Amy are not doing as well together as I would have liked, and I am putting you in another preschool next year. It is a preschool that will push you a bit harder, and I am excited for this change. You are a very smart boy, and just need the right people or environment to pull you out of your stubbornness.
Recently, I went on your field trip with your class to see the Santaquin Fire Department, and it was a lot of fun. The best part was that your birthday was coming up in just a few days and so you got special treatment. You were the one who got to pick a buddy with you to sit in the front seat when the class took a fire engine for a little ride, and turn on the siren. I loved to see how happy that small thing made you feel. Of course you picked Christian (your best friend), to ride with you. You guys are so cute.
Every single day you ask to play with Christian, and I am happy to hear from his mom that he asks the same thing about you. Even though he is one year older, you two are two peas in a pod and play so well. It will be sad to see Christian go to Kindergarten next year without you, and I really haven't told you that quite yet.
I love your age right now. You are excited about everything, but especially birthdays and holidays. You talked about your birthday for quite a while beforehand, and I knew exactly what to get you. You love to play with superhero action figures and we found some really fun ones that are really big and easy for you to tote and play with, and surprised you with a new Batman bike. You didn't even seem to mind that Emmi's birthday was the day before and so part of your celebration happened one day early.
You have learned the fun of hiding, and like to hide when me or your dad call for you. Luckily for us you can't stop giggling when we are getting close and so we haven't missed a hiding spot yet. The bigger problem is that you know your way down to Christian's house at the end of the street and have gone down there to hide without asking or telling me a few times. I have also found evidence of you going pee in the empty tub instead of the toilet on two separate occasions, which didn't make me happy.
Usually on most occasions, I love how you will tell me you have to go potty and run down the hall. Then without fail I will hear, "I will flush and wash hands, mom"... being called out since you have heard my reminders oodles of times. I love how I will tell you thank you for something and you will respond back with "thank you, mom!" as if it was expected for you to say that. I love how you are so stubborn, especially with clothing and have meltdown after meltdown if I but mention that your pants are dirty and you might have to wear shorts. Seriously, you are quite the character. Oh, how I love you.
Love,
Mom
Just after my last post on you, we had decided that you were doing awesome, and your sessions with Dr. Williams were not needed for now. We talked to Dr. Williams and he agreed. He was so proud of you, saying, "We are going to graduate you?.. Awesome!!" It has been about a month since we have stopped our visits, and you are still going to school really well. I have not seen any more big bouts of anxiety, which makes me really happy. I know Dr. Willliams will always have a special place in both of our hearts and he said that he will be there if ever you need to talk to him again.
You are the only child in the family that got a friend birthday party this year and so your Dad drove you and six of your closest friends to Classic Skating one afternoon. Your Dad came back exhausted, and your head hurt from falling at the rink being that it was your first time, but I think overall you boys had a great time.
Also this last month you had to say goodbye to Mr. Crippen, your school teacher. He got hired at BYU and was needed right away. You formed a special bond with him and I know how much you looked up to him in everything. I was not surprised at your tears when you relayed to me the news, or your sadness. I am glad they threw a party in his honor just before he left, and gave us another chance to be with him. School and life has gone on and you have adjusted well to your new teacher, Mrs. Gregson, although it is just not the same.
I have written before about your tender heart, and how kind you are. You truly do have a big measure of our Savior's influence inside you, because you can't stand to see anybody being left out or being picked on. I find it funny that although this is true, you are also the usual culprit to pick on your siblings.:) You are a tease sometimes like your Dad, I guess.
You have to read so many books off the school reading list and a few weeks ago I found some on your list at the library and brought them home. I hadn't read any of them before, so I wasn't too surprised when one of them named "Crow Boy" made you sad. It was a very old book about a Japanese boy that was more or less shunned and looked down upon by his Japanese classmates. At the end of the story, the kids are sad to learn about his history and finally befriend him. You were reading the book to me, but I heard you were getting choked up and I had to take over. I reassured you that he ended up having friends in the end, but when I tucked you in bed just a few minutes later, the tears were falling freely from your eyes and you readily admitted that the story was the reason.
I love this about you Sam. This is the third time in the last year that you have cried over a movie or a book around the same storyline. I am certain that you are kind in school and I know you are to your friends, because I hear you. I know that you will be an excellent husband and father because of your big heart. I am so proud to be your mom, and to get big hugs and lots of love notes quite often. Even though you like to tease your siblings like I have mentioned earlier, you are always very respectful to me and your father, and I honestly do not know what I did to deserve such a great kid. All I know is that I am grateful. You help me want to be a better person. I love you lots.
Love,
Mom
Every year you get more and more handsome, and I am so excited about the good young man that you are becoming. All of a sudden you are now out of cub scouts, and preparing to be a deacon next February, wow! A couple of weeks ago, for your 11th birthday, you asked only for Xbox games, another sign of getting older. You are easy to please, and I love that about you.
A few days after your birthday, we went to The Brick Oven and to the Lego Movie with the Thomson side, which also made you really happy.
You are getting very independent and responsible when it comes to homework, and I have learned I can trust you when you say that you are finished. You love school, and it makes me smile to watch how you are especially loving science and PE at APA, which you didn't care much for before.
You love to read at night in bed, usually one of the last of the kids to fall asleep, but you are one that I never have to tell to get back to bed. You mind me and your Dad very well in general, only occasionally do you protest. I love it when your chore is dishes, because you do them quick, and without complaint or help from me.
I love how you want the same home lunch every day (peanut butter and jelly/Nutella sandwich and cookies) for lunch, and how little it is that you ask for in comparison to your siblings. I love how you have to give me a hug before leaving for school, but even want a hug as you leave sacrament meeting and go to Sunday school. You are the most upset of all the kids whenever I have to go to dance or a church meeting at night, even though I leave you in your father's care. I can see how much you love me, and I hope that I show you how much I love you just as clear, because I really do.
Love,
Mom
This last week you turned 6. It still feels like yesterday that I found out I was finally getting a baby girl, and I was over the moon! I was starting to worry that I would never get one. Your Dad always wanted a daughter too, and I think he was hoping your big brothers were girls. We wouldn't trade them of course, but it just shows how much we really wanted you in our family and how happy we were that day. Your Dad is the one who named you too. We had some friends just after we were married and living in Cedar City that had the cutest little baby girl named Emmy. After that, he wanted an Emmi too. I think your name fits you perfectly.
You are just finishing up Kindergarten, and are quite the little social bee. All I hear from Mrs. McFarland is that she sees "the back of your cute curlies" quite a bit. You love to talk to friends and have many in your class. You did struggle a little bit with your reading at the beginning of the year and you had me and Dad worried. However, it clicked about halfway through the year, and I am amazed at all the words you know. You also got your Dad's and big brother Keaton's math gene too, and have surprised your teacher at how well you are picking up addition.
Like I said, you are a little social bee. You are blessed to have 2 friends live super close, Mary across the street and and Rylee next door. Every day after lunch, even before I am finished eating you say, "Bye Mom, I am going to Mary's!" I have had to start to cut back on days you can play with friends because you would play every day if I let you, and while I work in the next room, you make a huge mess. I am glad you play so well with friends though, and I love listening to you and the girls play dolls in your little voices.
For your birthday, you wanted an "American Girl" doll, but really what you wanted a Target doll, and I was very excited to buy one for you. I always wanted an American Girl doll when I was a little girl. You had to go to school on your birthday and I let you play with friends after lunch. Later that night we celebrated both you and Jack's birthday at the Brick Oven.
Then, just yesterday, we had your first friend birthday party, a little "tea" party for girls in the neighborhood. We had your Capri Sun "tea, little heart sandwiches, played Bingo, had a scavenger hunt, and a few other games. I think it was a success.
Emmi, you are my little sweetheart and like I said, I am so grateful to have you as a daughter.
Love,
Mom
Our Sam turned 8 yesterday! This morning, Sam had his Baptism interview with the bishop, he will be baptized next month, he has already been to cub scouts once, and he complains every night that his legs are hurting. Yep, he is growing up! What a fun age 8 is; I am so excited for him!
He is all about video games, and asked for a Nintendo 3DS with Super Mario Bros 2 game. I think he was happy that he got it. We couldn't get him anything else, but we got it.
I myself have hated to wait for electronics and phones to do that initial charge to play with them, so I had the good idea to open the 3DS and charge it the night before and then wrap it. Consequently, he got to turn it on and play right away.
My little nephew, Bryce, turned one on the 14th, and they had his birthday party on Sam's birthday. It was fun to go to their house and celebrate both boys. Bryce's mom, Misty, did a spectacular job planning Bryce's party. It was just adorable.
She even put 8 candles in Sam's cupcake and had everybody sing to Sam as well as to Bryce.
We then went up and met the Thomson's at the Church History Museum, and then headed to Chuck-a-Rama for a yummy dinner, (Sam's choice). We looked over at one point to find Sam's plate covered with chicken legs and another plate overflowing with fries. After multiple trips to the bathroom, Sam was complaining that his tummy hurt. Maybe he learned his lesson. Although, the ice cream sundae and everybody in the place signing to him seemed to make him feel a bit better.
First of all, I apologize if I have written these stories before, I am totally going to be one of those old lady's that repeats herself on every visist, and I mean like next year, but I think it is important to write this down our history. So anyway, I was thinking yesterday that I will never forget how Sam screamed coming out the birth canal, and continued to scream for a good 10 minutes or so, and nothing we tried to do was soothed him. I remember looking at my mom as if to say, "what is wrong with this kid?" Certainly, not like my easing going first born that we had to poke and prod to get even a squeal out of him. He was a healthy, round little guy with a good set of lungs, that is for sure. (I like to attribute it back to steroid shot that I was given when I was 30 weeks pregnant with him, and the doctor was scared he was going to come too early. She was scared his little lungs weren't going to be developed. Ha ha.. he ended up being full-term with extra-developed lungs).
The nurses at the hospital informed me that Sam was sure a cutie, but he had no medium. He was either content or irate. Then, as Chad and I brought Sam home from the hospital, we had to stop in the downstairs lobby of American Fork Hospital to make a payment or something. I had just fed and changed Sam, but he was irate about something, and he screamed the entire time we were in the lobby much to me and Chad's embarrassment, and then screamed in his car seat all the way home. We knew were in for a ride then, that this Samuel Hess had a look of spunk.
To this day, he is still my loudest child, the one we can hear throughout the house, even if he is downstairs, and the one that still does not know how to whisper in church. We wouldn't trade him for the world though, he is my tender little boy, and my buddy. We love you Sam.
I can't believe my oldest is 10! I am sure I will say that every year from now on (if I already do not), but it is true! My little man is growing up! Keaton is such a sweetie. I love how quiet and easy going he is. Most of the time I yell for him and he is already in the room, but he is too quiet that I don't notice. He is super smart and amazes me at how well he can play video games. I used to the be the best in the family, but I am not too sure of that now.
It hit me the other day how I used to do puzzles a lot when I was pregnant with him, being my first born, and I had time to do such things, and I also used to crave corn dogs from Winger's. I have always loved hot dogs and corn dogs, so that is not new, but when I was pregnant with him they especially tasted good. My co-workers at Winger's used to tease me about how much and how often I enjoyed them by saying, "Sara, you know you are going to turn into just one big corn dog!" It makes me smile in that he is my one child who loves puzzles, as much as I do, and can sit and do them for hours, and that his favorite food is hot dogs. Coincidence? I think not.
A couple of days before his birthday, we got together with the Thomson's, and he got to start celebrating a little early. Grandma and Grandpa B gave him some nice clothes, and shoes.
We had pizza and doughnuts from Dick's bakery... yum. Dick's Bakery tastes like home.
That night, we were all getting a chuckle at Mr. Jack. First of all, he insisted on wearing Sam's old Spider-man shirt that is about 3 sizes too big. Then, at Aunt Ab's, he latched onto Tanner's Thor helmet and pop gun. He kept saying "Me Four" (Me, Thor) and running around saying "Hi-ya, hi ya!" Oh, I don't want him to grow up. He is too much fun.
Keaton lucked out in that his birthday fell on President's Day, and there was no school. So, I decided to throw him a little friend party. We started early and had a pancake breakfast in our pajamas.
Opened presents, including the ones from me and his dad (Just Dance 4, a new suit, Lord of the Rings Lego set, and a puzzle of the US). He seemed pretty happy with all.
The boys promptly went downstairs and tried Just Dance 4 out. It was pretty cute to watch.
The party ended after a treasure hunt to find some treats. Later that night, our little family went to Subway (his choice) and then got an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen.
My hope (as is with all of the kids on their birthday), is that it was a fun day, showing Keaton how much we love him and are so glad he is in our family. I think we did just that. We love you Keaton!
