His 9th Birthday!

He's nine.

Yes, he is really nine.

In just one year (that I am sure will just fly by) my sweet, precious Edward will be TEN!

I just can't wrap my mind around how fast kids grow up.

I love him.

Today, we woke up super early and ate eggs for breakfast.

Then we headed out with some friends and sprayed each other with silly string in the Bosque. 

We came home and opened up presents.  Edward wanted lego's and nerf guns. He is all boy.  We planned a big party with 16 of his very closest friends at "All out zone" in the mall at 2:00.  We mostly just played around all morning until the party.  We picked up pizza at Dion's and brought some cupcakes for food to munch on at the party.  All the kids had a blast!  It was so fun to shoot each other with nerf guns, play Virtual Reality, and roll around in the big bubbles.  

Edward laughed and laughed.  He had so many great friends join him at his party.  He was so happy all day long.  He told me this was his favorite birthday yet!  

Edward is kind.

Edward is smart.

He loves nerf guns.

He loves minecraft.

He loves playing computer games.

He loves math.

He reads.  A lot.

He loves his brother. 

He is silly.

He is smart.

He has the most precious freckles.

He is on swim team and loves to run.

He is my heart and soul.

I love this kid to the moon and back.

My heart just bursts when I see him.

I love him.

He will eat any food you put in front of him.

He still loves fruit more than anything.

Edward is sweet.

I often describe him as my sweet little Edward because he really is sweet.

He is so so amazing.

I love watching him learn and grow and I can't believe that he is mine.

I love him.

Poop and farting: a song for boys

Just for laughs on this silly Friday.

Failing our Families

Here I stand, failing with beauty.  

For the record, I fail every single day.  

I never know the right thing to say.  I hear these people talk about things their parents said that was so profound that stuck with them that changed their lives.  

I have never once said anything profound to my children.  AND I certainly haven't said it enough for them to actually remember that I said it. 

Edward is seriously struggling at school.  

I would first like to state that Edward is a VERY good kid.  He always does what I ask him to do.  He is kind to his brother.  He makes friends easily.  He is extremely smart.  

Secondly, Edward is a kid. He is an 8 year old boy.  He moves, talks, and acts just like any other normal 8 year old boy.  He makes mistakes.  He gets upset.  He lies.  

I love every single part of him.  

EVERY SINGLE PART!

This is where I feel like society, teachers, parents, coaches, neighbors, and friends are all letting each other down.  When a child becomes "difficult" or "hard to love" we quickly search for some thing or someone to blame other than ourselves.  We stop seeing the child as a human and label him or her as "bad".  

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

There are NO BAD CHILDREN!

There are misunderstood children.  There are bad choices.  There are neglectful parents and teachers. Take a moment and really think about what you spend your time doing every single day.  

Did you figure it out?  Where do you spend your time?

I'll admit, I spend my time in various non essential places.  I look at instagram for 20 minutes in the morning when I should be reading the scriptures with my boys.  

I spend a little too much time exercising.

I rush through our bed time routine so I can get back to doing something I want to do.

I know my faults.

I want to change them. 

I want to WANT to spend more time with my children.

For the last three months, I have been going in to Edward's classroom and have been helping him get started with his day.  He needs a little one on one time to get him going in the right direction.  

WHY CAN'T HIS TEACHER DO THIS?

There are probably a million reasons why she can't, but mostly she WON'T! 

She has labeled him as a "bad kid".  

She doesn't even deal with him any more.  She sends him directly to the principals office.  No questions asked.  He is no longer afraid of the principal.  He now believes he is a "BAD KID"!  

MY KID!  My sweet, middle class American, boy! The same exact type of kid who is going off to high school and killing their classmates!

You ask me the problem?

I see it! I am watching it happen right now before my very eyes!

I limit screen time to just one hour on Saturday and one hour on Sunday.  He doesn't play violent video games.  He goes to church.  He is involved in sports.  He has lot's of friends.  He is well read and loves math.

BUT GUESS WHAT?! 

He is labeled the bad kid!!

Yeah!

I am guessing that most of these boys who have done some of the worst things any human can fathom have all been in the same shoes as my sweet Edward.

The question is:

How can I change his future?

Have I done enough?

Have I put aside my stupid selfish needs to take action now and help him know that he is ENOUGH!

He is smart enough!

He is good enough! 

He is LOVED!

Every time I help him take a step in the right direction, his teacher pulls him back 10 steps!

I am constantly fighting the principal and teacher.

THIS, AMERICA, IS THE PROBLEM!

We are failing. 

We are failing our children.

We are failing our children because we are selfish!

We are failing our families!

Yes, we need gun control.

Yes, we need more help with mental health.

BUT WE NEED MORE HELP IN THE HOME!

Pinewood Derby!

Last night was Edward (and Nolen's) first pinewood derby car race!  I had no idea what to expect.  They handed the cub scouts their cars in January and said that there would be two workshops set up to help the boys with their cars.  At first, I thought I could just help them make their cars, but then I thought better of that idea and took the boys to both the workshops to have their cars made.  They both came up with their own designs, helped cut the, paint them, but the wheels on, and graphite them.  There were so many steps!  We even filed the nails down on the wheels to help the car go faster.   The boys also polished their tires and super glued their wheels in place.  It was a lot of work.  We also added titanium weights to the bottom of the car.  

After all was said and done, the boys loved their cars.  They really did all the work.  I just asked all the questions and helped them cut a few things so they didn't cut off their fingers.  I am so grateful the Clark's allowed all the scouts to come to their home and use their tools.  It was the only way these cars would have been completed. 

Not only did they build their own cars, but their cars won!!!  It was so fun to see how excited they were when their cars won races!  Edward won all three races and Nolen won two out of the three races in the open race.  Edward came in second place in his den in the cub scout race and Nolen came in fourth over all in the open race.  Stephen came with us to the big race and we had so much fun.  They ran the races so professionally.  It was a real treat to be a part of something so fun!  I really can not wait until next year.  Edward already has a bunch of cool ideas for his car.