Obedience

Charlie has had his hair a little on the long side for over a year now.  At a Teacher's Quorum presidency meeting last month, Bishop Stephens complimented the boys on their nice white shirts and ties, and then asked them to get nice, short haircuts to complete the look.  I was proud of Charlie that he was willing to give up his preferred look at the request of the Bishop, and I gave him a haircut.  I was surprised at how much different he looks without the long locks.  You can see his face much better, so he's more handsome.  :)  Plus, I think it makes him look younger (more his true age of 14), and of course he looks more clean-cut.  Maybe he'll feel cooler in the summer (temperature-wise) too.  Have I mentioned that I'm proud of this kid?  :)

Charlie Basketball

 Charlie has been growing like a weed still!  He averages about 1 inch every two months.  He's now almost 6'1".  Even when I wear my high heels, he's still taller than me now.  CRAZY!!  The bad thing about him growing that fast is that his bones are growing faster than his tendons.  His tendons in his legs are getting stretched, and he has had really bad knee and ankle pain as a result.  His doctor said it is basically tendonitis of the knee.  The good thing about him growing is that his basketball career is looking good.  :)  He made the 8th grade team at Smith Jr. High.  His two friends, Chris and Ryland, made the team too, and they had a lot of fun playing together. 

 Playing basketball has given Charlie an outlet for his energy, a focus for his free time, a confidence in his abilities, and a bond with his dad.  He has had so much fun, and just loves playing basketball.  Chuck loves watching him play, and has gotten so much enjoyment out of tracking the team's success, talking to the coach and other parents, and cheering Charlie on.  The only downside of Charlie playing is that the more he runs on his knees, the sorer they get.  He ices them after every practice and game, and takes ibuprofin when the pain is really bad.  He wears knee and ankle braces when he practices and plays, and that helps a little too.  The doctor said it is just something he'll have to endure until his growth starts to slow down.  For now, he's learning to live with the pain.  I feel bad for Charlie on nights after he's played really hard, and he is hobbling around so sore.  But he thinks playing basketball is worth the pain, so we're sticking with it. 

These pics are of Charlie in his Smith Sidewinders uniforms.  The Smith season is now over, but his coach (who also coaches the JV team at Skyline High School) coaches a competitive league during the off seasons, which has started already.  They practice 3 times a week and play games every Saturday.  So the basketball continues, and Charlie is serious about improving his skills and being a competitive player.  Some of the boys he's playing with have been playing on the league team with his coach for a couple of years now, and they are really great players.  Charlie is aiming to hone his skills and be a great player soon.  As Chuck's dad said the other day, "You can teach skills, but you can't teach height."  Charlie's lucky he has the height (and is still growing), and with hard work, he's determined to improve his skills too.  It is a lot of fun watching him play, and it has been a really good focus for Charlie this fall. 

Charlie's scout trip

 Charlie's new Young Men's/Scout leader, Brother Stan Roberts, is great to take pictures of all the campouts and activities that he takes the Deacon's Quorum on.  They go camping once a month, and get to do lots of fun stuff--fishing, boating, swimming, and hiking.  Here are some pictures that Stan has taken recently of Charlie on campouts.

Taller

Here's the proof that Charlie is officially taller than me now.  At age 13, this kid is already 5'9" tall, and wears a size 13 shoe. 

Charlie loves to stand right next to me, and look down into my face and remind me that he's taller.  He's still my baby though.  No matter how tall he gets, he'll always be my son. 

Teenager in the house

I can hardly believe that Charlie is a teenager now!  He turned 13 on March 6, and that seems impossible.  I remember so clearly being pregnant with him.  The last couple of weeks before his birth, Chuck and I walked around our apartment complex every night hoping to get labor going because I was so uncomfortable with such a big baby in there!  I remember pacing up and down the walkway in front of our apartment trying to keep him calm when he was a fussy 3 week old.  It seems like yesterday that he was a toddler, getting into everything--making messes all over the house.  Then I blinked and now he's a teenager, and he's listening to his iPod, e-mailing his friends, tormenting his siblings, and telling me NO and WHY whenever I ask him to do something.  :) Charlie is 5'9" tall now, and he wears size 13 shoes.  He's still a great kid, and love him so much.  I am so proud of all the good things he does, and of the young man he is.   

It is a weird feeling to have a child that is taller than me.  Looking up into his eyes--especially when I'm scolding him--is kinda crazy.   I feel like I didn't sign up for this--teenager years.  I wanted a cute little newborn.  But they don't stay newborn, so what can you do?  You adapt, so that's what I'm working on.  I hate that I'm not all-powerful and all-wonderful anymore in his eyes.  I hate that I can't pick him up and hold him anymore.  But I can give him hugs, and I can give him advice, and I can talk to him every day and ask him about his life, and try to figure out how to be a parent of a teenager.  I'm so scared for the challenges ahead, but I know I gotta just love each day and be so thankful that I have been  blessed with this amazing child.  I love being his mother, and if it means being the mother of a teenager--I'll take it. 

Hoopin' it Up!

I love basketball. It's my favorite sport to play and watch. This summer we wanted to give the boys a chance to play sports because we know that once I head back to school this fall, things will be hectic, and we probably won't be able to fit any sports into our schedule for a while. Outdoor sports in AZ in the summer aren't a good idea, so we went with basketball. All the boys have played basketball before (but never all three at the same time!) In the past, none of the boys have had two practices during the week (ALWAYS just one), but this summer, ALL THREE boys' teams had practices twice a week (Aaaaaaaah!) It made for a really hectic summer--six practices and three games a week (that's on top of two piano lessons, Cub Scouts, and Boy Scouts). But we survived, and the kids had fun, got lots of great exercise, and improved their hoops skills a ton. Charlie's team name was the CRUSADERS, and most of the boys had never played before, so they weren't very good. They practiced and played hard, but they got killed at every game. UNTIL the last Saturday of season. They finally played a team whose skills were evenly matched to their own, and it was actually a really close game. The opposing team got a small lead towards the end of the game, but the Crusaders came back, and Charlie hit a long bucket to bring the score to a tie, sending the game into overtime. The Crusaders pulled out a win 27-26, and Charlie scored 10 out of his team's 27 points. Charlie played hard this season. He learned how to live with the frustration of losing badly to another team (week after week). He learned that most of basketball is in your head--your attitude, wanting the ball, and confidence that you will succeed. And he really improved his skills and had fun.

Carson's team name was the DRAGONS. Most of the kids on his team had never played before either, so they didn't have a lot of success against the other teams that all seemed to be much more experienced. Carson really worked hard, and hustled. He always wanted that ball, and went after it with gusto. He learned to be a great ball handler this year, as he played guard, and ran plays to get the ball into the taller guys. The last game of the year, Carson's coach kept him in the whole game, and he got a couple of buckets, several steals, and lots of rebounds. Carson's coaches gave him the best hustler award, and he really deserved it.

Cade's team name was the BULLDOGS. Cade enjoys sports, but he kind of lacks that competitive drive that some kids have. I think he's more there for the social interaction. :) Whenever he wasn't in the game, he was talking or playing with his teammates--oblivious to what was happening on the court. And while he was playing, his main concern was helping up other kids who had fallen down. If he got a hold of the ball, he'd dribble it down, and shoot, but if the ball didn't come his way, he was content without it too. He scored his team's first bucket of the season, and scored a few points here and there, but he was happy just to talk and play with his friends on the team. I think he had a lot of fun, and it was good for him to play.

My three sons: the basketball trio. Basketball kept us busy this summer, but it was a great experience for the boys. Plus, when it was really hot out, and they just wanted to lie around inside, it forced them to get out and get some exercise. Chuck and I had fun watching them practice, and play their games. The last Saturday of the season both Charlie and Cade had two games, so we watched 5 games that day, but we wouldn't have traded that experience for anything. That morning, Chuck said, someday we won't have three little boys at home to watch play, and we'll miss it, so let's enjoy every minute of today. And we did.

Charlie survived Scout Camp

Charlie had a great time at his first Scout Camp. I forgot to take my camera with me to the sendoff, so I snapped this picture the minute he got home. He was exhausted, very tan, and craving a hot shower. Charlie earned six merit badges, and completed two rank advancements at camp, so he made good progress in scouting. He also got to try rowing, rifle shooting, and eating all kinds of foreign cuisine. It was a missionary themed camp (see all the flag pins on his shirt?), and Charlie said the testimony meeting was a really spiritual experience. I'm so thankful for all the great leaders we have in our ward and stake that sacrificed their vacation time, a week with their families, and the comforts of home in order to take these young men up to the mountains for a great week!

When Charlie got home he asked if there was more or less fighting while he was gone, and he was disappointed when I told him, "MUCH LESS!" Charlie is a great kid, and I missed him like crazy, but I must admit, it was much more peaceful around here that week. But I'll trade the peace for his company any day. Each person adds a neat dimension to the family, and makes us into who we are as a family. None of us would be the same without him. :)

Attacked!

This is how Charlie's face looked when he came home from school after being attacked by a fellow sixth grade student a couple of weeks ago. A group of kids were tossing a girl's hat around, and when Charlie picked the hat up off the ground, she lunged and him, and scratched the heck out of his face. The girl ended up in the Principal's office. Her mom even called to apologize. It is really frustrating to see your kids get hurt, or treated unfairly. Fortunately, Charlie has learned that when you are unfairly attacked, it is better to walk away than to try to retaliate. He has had a few conflicts with kids at school this year, and I guess that is a normal part of growing up. He loves to play sports, and he is pretty competitive, and I think a lot of the conflicts stem from sports at structured activity time. If he can learn from those experiences, and incorporate lessons learned into his core value system for the rest of his life, he'll be so much better off. I think it is human nature to strike back when you are hurt or offended. But Jesus taught that it is better to turn away, and when you get a chance to experiment with his teachings and apply them, you see that it really is the better way to handle things. Charlie is so much bigger and stronger than a lot of his classmates, that if he hits or pushes back, the other kid gets a lot more hurt that he does, and he ends up in the most trouble. When he has walked away, he has avoided getting into trouble himself, and most of the time, that is the end of the conflict. A lot of time, it doesn't feel fair, but in the end, when you take the higher road, you are happier. That is my two cents about the issue, and here is documentation of his injuries for when we press charges, and sue her family for damages (just kidding!)

Charlie's Oceanography Field Trip

Charlie went on an Oceanography Field Trip in March with his sixth grade class. They went to the San Diego bay, Sea World, and the Aquarium of the Pacific in L.A. They got to go deep sea fishing and dragged up a bunch of cool sea critters. They had fun viewing sea life, shows, and riding roller coasters at Sea World. After spending the night at a hotel in L.A., they went to the Aquarium where they saw all sorts of animals. They got to ride to and from CA in style in nice chartered buses, and on the way home, they played "bus Idol" where the kids had to change the lyrics to any song they wanted into a song about their field trip. Charlie and his friend, Alek, won the competition with a song titled "Dry and Soaked" to the tune of "Hot and Cold". His Science teacher videotaped it, and if I can get a hold of it, I'll post in on here. Here's Charlie's group: Mark, Sophie, Maria, Logan, and Charlie. Here they are petting a sea urchin. Charlie's on the far end.

Here's an ice wall near the polar bears and penguins.

Shamu!

Here's Charlie holding a sting ray that has had it's stinger removed. This is one of the critters that they dragged up on the deep sea fishing expedition. They also saw a pod of dolphins swimming right next to the boat. It was hard to get a good picture of that, but that was Charlie's favorite part of the trip.

Here's a Beluga Whale from Sea World.

Here's the roller coaster, Atlantis. Charlie lost his hat on this ride, but luckily at the end of the ride, he discovered it had landed in his chaperone's lap (good thing he was sitting in the front)!

This is a tiger shark. Look at those teeth!

Here's a cute sea lion that Charlie saw at Sea World. Awwwww!

This is a Leopard Shark at Sea World.

Here's a bat ray that Charlie saw at the Aquarium of the Pacific.

Here is the group that rode on Charlie's bus. He's in the back row, 4th from the left.

Charlie came home from the Field Trip exhausted, but happy. They all had a really great time!

Charlie's Pix

Since Charlie had a special birthday this year, we decided to have some special pix taken. Instead of going to JcPenny's like we do every Birthday, we had Chris Paxman take Charlie's 12-year-old pictures. Chris did such a great job, and it was so fun to have so many really good pictures and poses to choose from. I think Charlie looks so handsome all dressed up in his suit! This one is my favorite.

I jumped in a couple of pictures, and this is my favorite one of the two of us.

This one is Charlie's favorite pose (although he made sure to say he doesn't ever like any pictures of himself--this is the one he dislikes the least). He gave me permission to use this one for the wall by our front door.

Will Charlie be taller than me next year? It's bound to happen soon!

Love this kid!!!!

It was so fun for Charlie to be the star at his own photo shoot. Chris did a fantastic job, and I know he also does weddings, engagement, graduation, etc. You can check out his photography blog at http://paxmanphoto.blogspot.com/

Charlie's Ordination

Charlie had a really special day yesterday! In our church, when boys turn twelve, they can receive the Priesthood. So this Birthday was a really special one for Charlie, and he was so excited to be ordained to the Priesthood yesterday! Now he can pass the sacrament to the congregation each Sunday, and he can collect Fast Offerings (donations church members make to the poor and needy once a month). Charlie looked so handsome in his new suit, and I couldn't be more proud of what a great young man he is! Charlie and his Dad

Charlie is a great example to his younger siblings.

Me and my firstborn son (sniff, sniff). Have I mentioned how much I love this kid? :)

Charlie with his Granny (Chuck's Mom). We lived in Tucson when Charlie was born, so Granny got to spend lots of time with Charlie when he was a fussy little (not so little) baby. :)

Charlie with his Granddad (Chuck's dad), who he is named after.

Family Picture

Here is our family picture, taken in November 2007.