Dear Sam,

 

I just got called a couple of weeks ago to be your primary teacher.  I have never been called as a primary teacher, just substituted here and there, so this is my very first class.  I am so excited that it is your class.  I have loved being with you in class and sharing time the last couple of weeks.  You are pretty reverent for the most part, unless I am sitting by you and then you are constantly trying to ask me questions that are not at all related to what the person up front is teaching us.  You are such a good kid and I tell how hard you are trying to pay attention and learn.  

The day before school was let out, Birdie reached on top of your glasses when you were asleep, and you found them all chewed up without the lens that next morning.  They were actually to small for you anyway, so you and your Dad went into the doc and got a new prescription and ordered some new glasses.  You picked out some good ones.  I love how excited you were to show Grandma B when they arrived, and how I had to almost wake you up to take this pic after you had already gone to bed because she wanted to see them too.  You are such a handsome boy.  You remind me so much of my brother, that it is not even funny.  You are both built the same way and have a lot of the same interests.  I love that.  You know by now how great of person your Uncle J is, and how much I admire him. 

Speaking of being built like Uncle J, you are so solid.  When you were swimming the last couple of weeks at swimming lessons, I couldn't believe how buff you are.  I know that you don't like being heavier and bigger than your big brother, but most of that really is muscle.  You could be quite the athlete if you ever wanted to go that route.  Right now you are not interested, and that is okay.  There will always be time for sports if you want to do them.

I love how you are still obsessed with Minecraft, and playing as much as possible with your buddy named Ethan down the street.  You would get wet every day with the hose if I would let you and are constantly begging to go swimming.  You will eat and love everything I make for dinner, (the only one of your siblings to do so), the only exception being Jalepeno cheese soup, (which I haven't really figured out yet).  I love how every knock on the door in the afternoon is usually for you, and it seems like you are favorite of all the boys here around us.  You get along with everyone, except maybe for Emmi and her friends, who you like to tease.  Your excitement of life is contagious and I hope you will always be that way.  I love you so much.

Love, 

Mom

 

Dear Emmi

You are my little fishy.  You love the water and are really good at it too.  Last year you passed off two levels during the one session and we will find out here in the next few days if you passed off two levels this session.  All I know is that you like to be the first in line during class so you get to go first and have so far done just that.  I love to watch you swim and see how happy it makes you.

I also loved to watch your first musical theatre recital.  Your group's theme was "All Around the World" and your class performed five different songs (sung them with dance moves).  You are quite the performer on stage and your grin was huge.  Musical theatre seems like a really good fit for you, being the ham that you are.  After the recital I asked if you want to do it again next year and you said, "Well, that was quite a lot of fun"..  Ha ha.  I think that was a yes.

You love to play with friends and like to try to skip out on chores and be out there finding someone to play with at the crack of dawn.  You just recently starting riding your new bike that you got for Christmas and love to ride up and down the street.  When you are inside, you and your friends are usually in your room playing with your "American Girl" dolls or Ever After High barbie dolls.

I love that you wanted to learn how to clean the bathrooms and have now helped me clean our three bathrooms for the past two weeks. You favorite part is cleaning the toilet, and I still haven't figured that one out yet. It is fun to be in there with you, cleaning, chatting and listening to the music.  In the past you haven't been the most helpful, your brothers usually cleaning more than you have done on Saturdays, but you have done more than your share recently.  Now if we can just get you to be excited about cleaning your room.;)  I love you Mouse!

Love,
Mom

Dear Jack,

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

Dear Keaton,

I am definitely hoping that you will love your teacher next year as much as you have loved your teacher this year.  Ms. Whiting (now Mrs. Hubble) has been a really good teacher for you for many different reasons.  I have also loved working with her and I hope that she will be a teacher for your other siblings some day.

Me and Jack were able to tag along on your class field trip into Provo to see a couple different museums and to BYU campus.  It ended up being a very long, tiring day, but I very much enjoyed being with you and your classmates.  I noticed that you really are not one to walk up to another kid and start up a conversation, but will listen politely if someone is speaking to you.  That day you seemed content just being around the other kids, and didn't have to stand next to a certain friend, and was not pushy in the slightest.  You have a very calming influence about you, and I love that.

You do have many friends, but right now you choose to spend most of your afternoons with Landon Binks playing Xbox or games on the iPod.  He has been a good friend and it seems like you get along really well, which I like.  

This last report card was not good, and it looks like APA is really trying to get the most out of you.  You are now in a grade that you are forced to learn how to study and retake tests if needed, because they do give you letter grades and your grades have slipped pretty badly in a few areas.  Thankfully, you are only in 5th grade and after some retaking, your grades have improved.  Me and your dad are very proud of how hard you have worked to get those grades and it is a good lesson to learn.

You have turned into a dog lover, and swoon and fawn all over any dog you meet, but especially your own.  You seem to have the most patience of any of us with Birdie, and you try to get her to follow you every time you go downstairs.  Yours is the only bed she will occasionally be found sleeping on at night, which is getting more frequent lately, and you are a huge help to me to get her water and food when needed.  Just yesterday, your love of dogs got you into trouble as you reached your hands into the fence to pet your piano teacher's dachshund named Chester (who is put intentionally in the backyard during lessons because he is known to bite strangers).  Chester decided to bite three of your fingers and did enough damage to make a run into the doctor for some antibiotics and a tetanus shot.  You were a trooper though, and really no harm done.  I am sure you will still love dogs and might even still want to pet Chester if the opportunity arises.

I had to get a picture of you making yourself a sandwich the other day.  Your favorite ingredients are mayo, pepperoni, mustard and BBQ sauce. (Yuck!)  You are so funny, and I really don't know how it tastes so good to you.  You have even made it a time or two to eat for breakfast (double yuck!).  However, I love to see your independence and your sweet personality.  You are truly such a good boy and I love you so much.

Love, 
Mom

 

Dear Sam,

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

 

Dear Emmi,

Last night as I went in to turn off your lamp for the night, I paused for a moment at your side, taking in your sweet angelic face as you slept.  I thought to myself how beautiful you were (the leftover eye makeup that we hadn't taken off yet didn't hurt), and being your mother, of course I would think that anyway.  But you really looked like a little angel, and I had to force myself not to wake you up and tell you how much I love you, and instead I said another quick prayer of gratitude for you and let you sleep. 

I was so anxious to watch you on stage yesterday at the Miss Payson Pageant, more so than I probably should have been, and my terrible shaky job recording it is proof.  However, I am so grateful you got the opportunity to do so, and that Kate asked you to be her Pageant Pal.  I thought you handled yourself so well and was proud at how beautifully you shone on the stage.  You and Kate were good sports about not winning, but I think you both had a wonderful time in the process.  Who knows, maybe it will not be your last time in a pageant, although I don't know if I am cut out to be a stage mom.

You sure do love to sing, and we frequently hear your brothers asking you to stop when you start belting it out in the car.  Your favorite is Let It Go off of Frozen, but will sing to any song that you hear on the radio.  Consequently, you are doing really well in your musical theatre class and we are excited for that recital here in a few months.

At school you are still getting A's and a few high B's and all your teachers have nothing but good things to say at parent teacher conferences.  I love how you come home from school almost every day telling me that you fell down.  I really don't peg you for a klutz at home, yet you have a new scrape at least once a week from recess.  It must be all the running you do, getting chased by the boys.  I also always hear tales about a particular boy named "Marlan" that likes to tease you.  If someone made you fall it seems to be him.  Honestly, I am thinking that he sees how cute you are.  

Already you are learning multiplication and have beautiful cursive, which is absolutely amazing for a 1st grader.  You are looking forward to your birthday so much, and seem to ask me every day how many days (or weeks) it is until then.  Me and your father have seen a few emotional outbursts that we would expect from a daughter, but really not very many, and let's hope that continues.  

All I know is that I am indeed so grateful for you, for the opportunity I have to have a mother-daughter relationship and to try to raise you to be a good wife and mother some day.  You have a lot of good examples of women on both sides of your family, and I hope that you will try to follow in their footsteps.  

Love,
Mom