Astrocamp...

H signed up for Young Astronauts at his school this year, he has to set a good example and work really hard in school in order to stay in this program. Today was one of the field trips and we went to Astrocamp. It was great fun, of course the picture on the left shows H on the bus ride up. I thought there was going to be a large number of kids heading up but there were only 15 kids on this trip. I took pity on one little girl that I know doesn't have a whole lot of friends and decided to sit next to her. Well then I think H got a little bored and decided to lay down, caught a picture.


We were in the electricity room first and I didn't get pictures in there because the teacher wanted the adults to be active participants so the remainder of the field trip pictures are in the machine room.

In the electricty room though it was really a whole lot of fun. We got "shocked" by running a current through our circle. H got a little "hurt" and at the end was crying, I know he was fine but I am not sure why he started crying but by the time of the last experiment he was a willing participant again. Given that he he was a little hurt and crying it made me feel like I needed to step up and show him that the remainder of the experiments were not going to hurt him.


The picture above though had them doing a pulley penny test, they had to determine how many pennies they had to put in the cup to make it lift off the ground. Of course my genius son got his right, it only took him 10 pennies. The one to the left show a complex machine (I tried to upload a video but I guess I don't know how to make them work from my blackberry), they had to guess which the ball would go, again my genius son cracked the code and was able to guess right on everyone so the assistant actually cheated on his turn to make him finally lose one. It was loads of fun still.

We had a special visit from the "Professor", really the teacher just dressed up and showed them a few more fun tricks and fun things. He was a hit with the kids. They all did such a great job that we were asked if we wanted to have our class name on Mars, when they send up the next rover machine it will have the class name on there with them, they are so happy they will be on Mars.


On Saturday we were going to eat at Tuscanos, but there were too many people and we had a movie to catch but we returned today for food. H LOVED the resturant. He was absolutely dumbfounded that not only did it have a salad bar but the meat dish was brought around, he totally had all the guys coming over to deliver him food, they loved him. He wishes we could eat there everyday, infact he gave it the Hunter Two Thumbs Up Award.

When asked what his favorite part of today was I am proud to say he said it was that I was able to go with him today on his trip. I know I have worked a lot lately and I know that he leaves on Friday but he always makes me cry when he can make me feel so loved. I don't always get to do what I know is important to him and he easily bows out knowing that I have to work, but I don't give him enough credit for being such a good kid. He has more love in his heart than anyone I know and I am absolutely blessed to have him be a part of me.

Walking advertisement...

I should get paid for my all too cute son to walk around and be a commercial for the brands we normally use. Take for example H knows we use Verizon, when AT&T commercials come on he shouts out that they are liars and because we use V it is so much better. When he sees Luke Wilson in a commercial or movie he likes to point out that is the liar from AT&T. I just laugh every time he does this, you think it would get old but it doesn't.

My favorite this past week was we decided to make spaghetti and meatballs and until I can make my own tomato sauce I am stuck buying our favorite Prego. While I was looking at their varieties H got tired and just laid down in the aisle, yes I do love my son and sometimes I need to remind myself when he does these types of things, he then looks up to me and tells me "you don't have to buy Prego". I look at him thinking that is odd, he is just as picky as I am about such things and I ask him why. "Because I eat my vegetables so you don't have to buy it unless you want."

Well then it hits me, he is saying this because of a commercial he has seen. I don't say we watch a lot of tv, but we do watch a good deal. In fact most of the week we are too busy with dinner, work and just taking care of the pets that we don't have time to, part of the reason why I got Tivo so I can be with H and watch the few shows that I do watch over time. But curse him and my baby sister for watching something once and they know it all so well inside and out. I wish I had their memory sometimes.

Just want to share one of my favorites as he has been growing up a few years ago Verizon had a monkey on the commercial while the guy walked around and asking "Can you hear me now? Good.", well that lives forever with me because H would walk around as a younger lad than he is today reenacting that commercial.

Which is bigger...

Well let's start with one magical night that I decided I would cook, while eating the food I did one of my favorite things and asked one handsome young lad to fetch me some water. He returned with a blue cup, being as thirsty as I was I decided to let him have that cup and asked that he return to the kitchen to return with a larger cup for me.

Well, I guess I did get what I asked for. :)



On another eerie night while eating at our favorite Monday hang out, yes the staff there knows we come in all to often and we talk to each and everyone of them so Sizzler we love you. I was talking to the boy and I knew he was lying to me, straight to my face. I explained that my cell phone knows if someone is lying and it changes them colors. Well I being the sly mother that I am changed it to black and white and he tried to get out of the way of the picture, well it only added to the effect, but it looks rather eerie and he almost looks like a ghost.

After the "lying" photo was taken he didn't believe me, so I changed it back and took a picture of me just to prove to him the non liars look normal.

Oh what he does not know does not hurt him, at least yet, right?

And lastly, while shopping and getting a smaller grill for our already too small porch I found one and was trying to take a picture of it for some advice from my baby sister. I tend to use her for some of my major purchases because I don't really have another voice of reason in my house. You think the boy would be more helpful, but no, according to him we can just use the card and not wait for payday. I explained that the card must have money on it to use, he really didn't grasp that idea, he is learning my shopping habits.

The best part about this photo is he likes to be in photos with people not only to "ham" it up, but he loves to put bunny ears on them. Well low and behold he has bunny ears on the grill.

Only my boy.

Again I ask, what are they teaching them in school...

Maybe the focus was on Canada was because of the Olympics but really is that a good excuse. On our walk today the boy sang the whole way which really is not bothersome I find it cute, sometimes we make silly songs. On this wonderful walk though today he sang "O Canada", I asked him where he learned that, he said music class. I asked him do you know the "Star-Spangled Banner", I was then told he doesn't he was only told to sing it once but obviously they worked very hard for Canada.

I say if we are going to share in some of the spoils of Canada, they should be teaching them the right country's national anthem.

Maybe next year?

Funny kid thoughts...

So I had asked H what he wanted for dinner yesterday, he said hot dogs and we picked up a package of Nathan's hotdogs for dinner. While getting them cooked he says "These are Nathan's, that's not fair why do Nathan and Iggy have things named after them?" (Iggy's is a sports bar and grill), I turned to him and I say "you have something with your name too", he turns and looks at me and says "That's true but it's just furniture". I didn't realize there was a rank on what has your name, but to the boy there is.

While we were shopping at the store though of course the boy does what he does best and just is him, running around playing with all the toys possible and just putting , well while he was being him I had some lady walk up to me. I thought she was going to tell me that he said something or hit someone with a toy, but much to my surprise just kept complementing me on him. She said he had such personality. Usually I am very humble but when it comes to compliments about my son I just love it and I have even more pride him him than he could ever know. Of course when I told him what she had said he decided that the remainder of the shopping trip was going to be filled with more action, so what I roll my eyes to at times I guess other find a bubbling personality. I should learn to love it more.

Pictures together...

Okay, I know I have accepted my choice but one of the downfalls of being a single parent is there are very few times we are together in front of the camera together. I may not like a picture of me very well but I am willing to get over that just to have more shared memories of H and I together. Here are a few of my favorites that I have come across trying to clean up.

I am an admitted geek, I may not know it all but I know enough geeky things so when we were up at the Clearfield Boonaza one year and they had Star Wars characters running around for photo ops I just about died. It was one of the coolest things ever. I do think that H believes this is the real Darth Vader, but what he doesn't know won't hurt him right?

We went to Disneyland when H was 5, this was around the same time that H dad stepped back into his life and he was starting Kindergarten, it was a very eventful year. We took some time out to escape on vacation. I loved this trip, we rode on the Buzz Lightyear ride more times than I probably could count. He chickened out while standing in line for the Star Wars ride. He was so excited to drive a car around the track like a crazy driver.

And of course Tigger, Tigger almost got knocked out by me. My lovely sister Mary had to make mention before we left about blonde, blue eyed boys are the most popular for being kidnapped. I wanted to beat her up so bad but I was so super paranoid the whole trip. Well while leaving the Pooh Bear area we were walking and talking about meeting Pooh Bear and getting his and Tigger's autographs. While we were walking I notice out of the corner of my eye some one grabbing his other hand. I was ready to totally pound when I look over and it is Tigger. Then we all go skipping but we had to make it a short trip because H then announced that he needed to use the bathroom. Tigger escorted us to the bathroom. I watched H as we walked through with him and he was smiling so big and was so happy that everyone was looking at him.

We got to go to San Diego probably close to 3 years ago with Aunt Mary so she was there to help tak this picture. It was one of my favorite trips so far for a number of reasons but mainly because H LOVES sea life, in fact sharks are his favorite "animal", he has so many books about sharks and he knows a great deal about them. Granted there are not that many sharks at Sea World but he LOVED being there. He asked if he could have his birthday party there, if I had more money I totally would grant him that wish.

This is just proof that his dad was around shortly after birth, it took a few years for him to get his stuff together and as tough as it is for him to be back I wouldn't change it. My parents put aside their differences (for the most part anyway, they still take jabs at each other every once in a while) and get together so we can all be a family during most of our funtions. I don't see H's dad and I getting that cozy with each other but I think we have come a long way. This picture was taken by his dad because he liked to watch us sleep, when he got up for the camera it woke me up. One beautiful sleeping baby though, of course many nights were not like this but I made it through, he is almost 9 now.

Our first swimming trip, Mary joined us out at Deseret Peak in Tooele. The first trip of many because the boy would live in the water if I would let him and he wouldn't freeze to death.

Fan Sanfrisco...

Okay, I am just adding this on because of a friend's blog and how she finds her kids saying wrong things so I am just pointing out that Hunter technically always corrects me when it comes to things and it is not some nice way of correcting either, he gets a snide little attitude behind him and I have to point out when he is being rude (not that I am the best example but I told him he can always call me out on things now too) but when he gets things wrong he doesn't realize in the least that he is saying things wrong. When I repeat them to him correctly he just says what he is saying and it is still wrong, I find them cute now. While working on his home work even while looking at the word he kept saying Fan Sanfrisco, but I wouldn't have him say it any other way.

Ever since he was a baby I have been trying to get him to call roast beef "roast beast", he looks at me and rolls his eyes and tells me that I say it wrong. I remind him of the Grinch Who Stole Christmas and he just gives me his look and tilts his head.

I also try to get him to understand that you can't win someone in a game, you can beat them because they are not a prize, you would think I have asked him to try to kill someone and we totally banter back and forth about that phrase.

I must say my friends kids are just adorable when they say it wrong and you can only have great memories when it comes to such words, love the "girl" cheese sandwich story.

I have to point out that my older sister's boys will say your name and if you don't answer back "what" it is like they don't know what to do, so now I just answer back with their names but they are starting to catch on and just carry on but I loved trying to confuse them.

Also H will tell me "but mom" and I turn to him and ask "I am a butt mom, does that make you a butt son", he gets annoyed every time I point it out, but I still love to do it.

I see alot of therapy coming to him for all the pain and suffering I put him through.

Things I love...

So recently I have been thinking of the things I love, this probably doesn't cover them all but just some that have come across my mind recently...

1. My son, of course that is the obvious one. I love him when he tries to make me happy only to come to find out he was doing things that he should not have done, but the intent behind it makes me love him even more and I just forget it.

2. My family. They are a handful and they drive me insane to the point where I just want to yell at them, but they are there for me and even if we have a full on fight we can still get together and just carry on with life. I have lost lots of friends in my life but my family has always been there for me.

3. My house. I may not be able to keep it clean and it is small and of course not the house that I want in the end but given that I am doing it on my own I am proud of it. I can only try to make it better. I only wish I could give my son his very own yard but we will make due with what we have and he does because he loves me (again one of the reasons why I love him so much).

4. A child's laughter. Yes, technically this goes along with #1 but it is not just my son's laughter that I love, I love just walking in a store hearing a child or at the park. It is the most sweet, innocent sound that I love and it always makes me feel better.

5. My sister's friends. I don't have a whole lot of my own friends, I have lost touch with many of them for a good number of reasons, mainly because my beliefs are different than theirs in many ways. I am also so shy even to this day (another reason why I love my son, he in a way always gets me to step out of my comfort zone and pretty sure he is why I am as social as I am now), but her friends have taken me in, I dare say they call me their friend too but I do look at them as a friend now so it helps. They help me want to help out my sister as much as I do at her work.

6. Freshly cut grass. Seriously I am so allergic to grass, but I love that smell. GAP use to have a perfurme that smelt exactly like it, I wish they still carried it and yes I did buy it and I did wear it, so I would walk around smelling like grass (what kind of weirdo does that and since I was the only one that is why they stopped selling it).

7. Fresh money bills. I am seriously a freak still (and if you look back to #5 they may not admit to calling me a friend now) like the smell of a fresh dollar bill. It can't be a gently used, brand spanking new only.

Again I said there could be tons more but I just thought of these real fast. Who knows I may have another some time in the future.