the cooper five's week in review

some weeks i have to pull something out of nowhere to blog about. yes, i know it's a gift to go on bloviating like i do, but some weeks things just happen that are meant to be put on the internet for all the world to read. the posts relating to these types of weeks generally have a little more substance to them. this last week was one such week. prepare to be edified and uplifted.

jameson gets published and finds his sandwich

jameson's name in print arrived earlier this week, or maybe it was last. kudos to our boy... he has now done something at the tender age of nine that it has only taken me thirty-three years to accomplish: jamebo got published. not bad for the cooper five's version of ol' bill shakespear minus the flaming renaissance garb and the sweet pointy zorro stache.

i'm not jealous.... it's an accomplishment. boy wonder published before he learned to tie his shoes, he's a prodigy, a maravilla, ingenious! but, hey, let's not get carried away... i mean it's not like the kid's a semi-professional blogger or anything.

moreover, this just goes to the show that the affable lad may yet have a tinge of his dad in him. so, here it is appearing for the first time ever on the world wide web (i'm probably committing some kind of copyright violation here... but, those are the kinds of things that jameson has to look out for now that he's a big time, published author. i wonder what that's like).

the huggable, kissable, baby

the huggable, kissable baby is the
funiest baby
you've ever seen
he can be hugged at any time.
he is so cute
you will not believe your eyes.
he is so cute, you will love him so much.
he will do the most
funniest things you've ever seen.
you will love him right before
your eyes.
he's the most huggable,
kissable baby.
if you squeeze him, he will laugh.
he is so ticklish.
he is so cute.
you won't believe your eyes.
he's really funny when he's asleep.
(reprinted with author's permission as originally published in a celebration of poets. lower case added.)

jameson finds his sandwich

a couple days a go aimee was unpacking jameson's lunch bag after a long day at school only to find that he hadn't eaten his sandwich. as a mom, that can be frustrating on at least two levels (so, i'm told): for starters, is his mom's sandwich not good enough for him? secondly, the kid's always starving when he gets home... go figure.

anyway, the funny thing is that when aim asked him why he didn't eat his sandwich, he replied:

"i couldn't find it." and he didn't mean the lunch bag, he meant he couldn't find the sandwich within the lunch bag. i can't help but laugh again upon typing it. what makes it even more funny is that he was dead serious.

he followed up by asking in a very sincere, yet quizzical tone, "i mean, where did you put it (the sandwich), was it on the side or the bottom or something??? because, i couldn't see it (again, completely serious)." i laughed out loud some more. that was the funniest thing i'd heard in a while.

seriously, we're talking about a very normal and very open batman lunch bag... no secret zippers or pockets, no hocus pocus, just one big bag in which it would be virtually impossible to hide a sandwich... as a matter fact, i pointed this out to jameson, declaring, as i stuck my hand in the bag, "it would be impossible to not be able to find a sandwich in this bag."

jameson's reply: "it would be if you were blind."

my reply to jameson's reply: "even then, if you stuck your hand in the bag you would feel it."

sorry, jameson, you may be a poet, but you just lost the sandwich argument and you didn't even know it. actually, you lost the argument because i made it abundantly clear that there is no possible way that any person not incapacitated could not have found that sandwich. law school teaches you strong analytical reasoning skills and how to use triple negatives without getting confused.

caleb recites his scripture

caleb had the scripture again during sharing time in primary. he nailed it, or at least that's what i heard. i had to substitute jameson's class so i missed caleb's recitation of the scripture, but aim said he did really well. we got another video of him practicing which i'll be sure to post soon. way to go, little man.

colston's head is in the 90th percentile

i couldn't leave colston out of this post since that could create sibling rivalry issues of fair treatment someday, so i thought i would let everyone know that colston had his physical about a month ago and he came back as having his weight in the 25th percentile, his height in the 75th percentile and, last but not least, his head came in in the 90th percentile. that's what i call top heavy. he is his father's son. big heads run in the family and, apparently, colston's big melon didn't fall too far from the cooper melon tree.

it's not easy having a big head. most people want one, some are blessed to be born with one. some people flaunt them as if they have no dignity and get artificial head augmentations to make up for a lack of self-esteem. not me, i try to be modest about my big head. i'm still a person. there's more to me than my big head. i would just appreciate it if everyone would stop staring at my head so much... my eyes are up here, people!

jeremy uses aim's deodorant

that's right, i wore women's deodorant the other day... and it's not the first time. does that make me cross dresser? not in the least... clearly not the same thing. besides, i am the one raising all the ruckus when my mom's doing the annual grandkids nativity scene Christmas card picture and she wants to have the newest granddaughter portray baby Jesus in the photo. i'm not sexist or anything, but, i mean, c'mon... do i really need to explain that one?

i digress. i only wear aim's deodorant when mine's all out, which was the case this week. well, mine wasn't actually all gone, but it was in my gym bag which i left in my car for a few days all the way out in the garage. this was problematic for a few reasons:

1) it has been hot this week, especially in my car which means that the deodrant stick likely melted (i still haven't checked) rendering it less effective.

2) my car finds its home in the garage which is a long ways away from my bathroom which is the place where i generally put on my deodorant in the morning. too much effort and too much time to go downstairs just to get melted deodorant.

3) even if the deodarant stick had re-solidified, which it probably did, it probably reformed into stalagmite-like formations that hurt my delicate under armpit areas and don't give me the full coverage i need.

besides, i kind of like smelling all fruity and flowery for a time. it can, however, be a bit distracting as the fumes are somewhat entrancing. i oft times find myself stopping whatever it is i'm doing to focus on enjoying the odor emanating from my armpits. i think aim gets little bugged when i use her deodarant. i don't know if it's because of the little armpit hairs that all of a sudden start showing up on the stick or if it's 'cause she wants to maintain her monopoly of smelling all fruity and flowery. i just wan't to smell good for the sake of those around me, so i try to take care of myself.

aim just told me my posts are too long, so i'll call it a day with that. besides, i need a minute to focus on the perfect blend of my body odor and aim's deodorant.

the flight of the coopers: 11 years and counting

i thought i should get a jump on this my latest post before tomorrow rolls around seeing as how tomorrow is my and aim's 11th anniversary as a married man and woman. that's right, eleven... and we still haven't had our first argument except that we have had lots of arguments with each other and other people over the course of our blissful marriage (we argue with people indisciminately, not just each other). we like to argue, we'll i do... aim just plays along 'cause she loves me.

generally, i would prefer to drop a post like this on the day of, but since i will be whisking aim off on some wildly romantic dream date for two people who have been married for eleven years tomorrow night, i thought i better get the post out of the way while i still have the strength and stamina.

let me just say that our marriage has been a bit like an experience we had a few years ago while traveling to orlando, florida to see aim's dad put in as the president of this service organization he is a part of. i will recount the experience in three acts, each representing three significant stages of our married life together. i'm not in the mood to draw out the symbolism, so you'll just have to do that on your own. why should i have to do all the work here, blog zombies? i will allow you to make your own inferences. best of luck divining.

act one: the flight of the coopers

when aim's parents informed us that they would be flying us out to orlando for a few days to attend kimbo's inauguration, we got excited. for starters, this was during my first or second of law school (who can remember anymore since they're all a hazy blur in my mind) and when we were living with my parents. i seem to remember us having the entire upstairs all to ourselves, but i also seem to remember there being these two little people always sleeping in our room and following us around. could have been jameson and caleb, but, honestly, who knows anymore?

my point is that privacy was at a premium around the cooper household and even though my parents rarely made it to the nether regions of their house, read: the upstairs (i have literally only seen my dad in the upstairs of his house once in the last ten years and when i did i nearly called national geographic to photograph the event since it felt like a yeti sighting), it still felt like someone was always watching us. put succinctly, one does not realize the importance of privacy until it is hard to come by. needless to say, the thought of spending some time in florida mano y womano sans childreno sounded about as good as _______________ (insert your ultimate guilty pleasure here).

suddenly, we were inspired and had something other than final exams to look forward to and we anxiously awaited the day we would take flight. at last it came, and despite my upbringing by jeff cooper, sr., we were running late to the airport and were checking in luggage.

father, i have failed you.

eventually we get there and start checking in our bags when aimee notices on my itinerary the words "first class." no way, i thought. there must be some mistake seeing as how kim and gaylin booked the flights for us. i mean, i'm a model son-in-law and all, but the forecast in hell wasn't predicting any snowfall that day so it was highly unlikely that they were sending me to orlando in style... especially since aim's ticket made no mention of any first class stuff.

oh, i forgot to mention, we were flying on separate flights because of frequent flyer points and other similar stuff well beyond the comprehension of my puny mind. bottom line, i thought the first class stuff just meant that i was going to be in the first boarding group (read: i generally only fly southwest).

boy was i wrong. to make matters worse, like i said, we were running late... dangerously late and the terrorist threat level must have been at fluorescent lime green because the security line was a mile long and moving at a snail's pace. this was unfortunate... for aimee, but not so much for me seeing as how i was able to bypass the commoners who were moseying along in the "normal" security line and take my rightful place in the first class security line. i felt right at home as i was expeditiously escorted through the first class security line and along to my gate. sad thing is, aim's flight left before mine and her line wasn't moving very quickly at all.

oh, i forgot to mention, aim was pregnant and she gets morning/afternoon/evening sickness really bad... emphasis on really bad. lots of vommiting at any given moment.

i had the decency to wait for aim at the top of some escalators on the other side of the security check, and then wait some more, and then wait some more. i actually started to get a little worried for her, especially when i heard the airline paige her name over the airport intercom. i'll spare you the suspense and tell you that she made it, but if i'm not mistaken, the plane's door was shut and she was probably seconds away from missing her flight by the time she got there (i guess i shouldn't have made her kneel down and kiss my rings upon passing through the commoner security line... would have saved some time). thank goodness that didn't happen since it probably would have screwed up my chances of flying first class. but she made it, and as her luck would have it, it was a full flight... meaning the only available seat was at the back of the plane (you know, the ones that don't recline) and better yet, it was right next to a couple of hung-over irishmen.

this was going to be a long flight.

as for me, i calmly made my way over to my gate and waited until they allowed the first class passengers to board before the common folk and comfortably rested myself in my oversized chair towards the front of the plane in the section that is separated from the coach people by a curtain (i mean, who really wants to have to look at those people anyway... i shouldn't be made to feel guilty for my indulgences) as the stewardess immediately came up to me and offered a drink.

jeremy: "why not? how about some cranberry raspberry juice?"

stewardess: "excellent choice. have you ever tried it with a twist of lime? you have got to try it!"

jeremy: "why no, i have not"

stewardess: "oh, it's fabulous. here, i'll get one for you, and if you don't like it, i'll make you another one."

well, she was right, it was fabulous. who would have thought a little twist of lime could make such a big difference? the stewardess. thing is, the plane hadn't even finished boarding yet and i already had a freshly prepared drink.

this was going to be a beautiful flight.

close scene.

act two: the flight, the arrival, the labyrinth

right now, some of you may be asking, "blogmaster, why did you not give up your first class ticket to your child-laden wife?" i would have, my blog zombies, except that security more than likely would have disallowed it. at least i'm pretty sure it would have since i didn't asked and saw no point in doing so since i am usually right about things like that. but i thought about it and that should be sufficient.

as you have probably guessed, it was a tale of two different flights for mrs. blogmaster and me.

on my end, i enjoyed comfortable and spacious privacy while the stewardess brought me warm moist towelettes to cleanse my hands just in case i had accidentally touched any of the peasants in coach before i snacked on my bowl of warm cashews.

conversely, aim enjoyed the confined and upright company of drunk irishmen who were spilling over into her seat. oh yeah, she probably got some roasted peanuts and a cup of ginger ail as well. of course, she didn't keep any of it down as she passed some of her time throwing up in the airplane lavatory (that means really small and gross bathroom where even the women miss the bowl and get it on the toilet seat).

me: after i'd had my fill of warm cashews and juice, i dined on a succulent meal of chicken and pasta with a brownie for desert. i also think i had another cranberry raspberry with a twist of lime.

aim had some more peanuts and ice chips.

and that's how it went all the way from vegas to dallas to orlando. for those of you who were wondering, it turns out i wasn't supposed to have gotten a first class ticket. it was a mistake made by my sister-in-law, t-cakes. best mistake you've ever made, aunt tami.

no big deal though. aim wasn't bitter. none of this matter to us since we were just happy to be going on a vacation alone, for the first time in a long time... and the privacy, that elusive, yet enticing reward of privacy was but hours away. true, we would only have the privacy we so longed for for one night before aim's other sister and her husband got in from kansas, but one night was worth every minute of the five hours we spent in our respective planes... especially mine.

eventually we arrived and even though aim's plane left before mine i got there first. accordingly, and as planned, i headed to the rental car desk and made the arrangements to get our car so we would be ready to roll as soon as aim strolled into town. there i stood, with keys in hand, hardly able to contain myself at the thought of cruising off to the hotel room with aim so we could play some cards together.

my phone rang...

aimee: "where are you?"

jeremy: "i'm standing right in front of the rental car desk. where are you?"

aimee: "i just landed, i'll be there in a second."

a second passed and the phone rang again.

aimee: "ok, i'm here, where are you?"

jeremy: "what are you talking about? i'm standing right here and i don't see you."

aimee" "avis rental car, right?"

jeremy: "right."

aimee: "well, i don't see you and i'm here."

jeremy: "that doesn't seem possible because i am standing right here and i was tanding her first. you're in orlando, right? is there an hispanic person at the front desk?"

aimee: "no, there is an african american woman (and, yes, we are that politically correct), hold on a second..."

(aimee talks to person at desk and discovers that there are actually two terminals in orlando and she was on the opposite side of the airport).

figures. obviously, some unseen force was trying to keep aim and i from having the hours of deep conversation in the comfort and privacy of our own hotel room we had planned to have upon arriving in orlando, but that force's efforts were futile. we would have that heart to heart if it was the last thing we ever did and we were going to be happy about. nothing, and i mean nothing, was going to dim our spirits. we were going to make this work and be happy about it regardless of the obstacles placed before us.

eventually, aim made it to the other side of the airport and we hopped in the car and drove off but not before i grabbed the mapquest directions from the luggage we threw in the trunk. aim suggested that maybe we get the google map directions that she also printed out just in case the mapquest ones weren't clear.

"are you kidding, i'm a man. i don't need directions. besides, they're in the trunk and i don't want to waste another second getting out of the car, opening the trunk and getting out the directions... there are so many things i want to talk to you about when we get to the hotel that i can't stand to lose another second getting another set of directions out (paraphrased)"

...

2 hours later, at an early one in the morning, we still hadn't found the hotel. orlando's freeway system can be a bit confusing in the dark. and those dang disney people own so much land. but, we weren't discouraged. we were excited and happy and determined to continue our excitement and happiness for the remainder of our lovers' get away... well, lovers plus aim's family get away.

at last we arrived. safe and sound, giddy as all get out, and ready to watch "a walk to remember" as soon as we got into the room.

we made it.

scene fades to black.

act three: aim really likes candles

there we were at the front desk, ready to check in and get the show on the road. i look at my phone... only 2 am, that's 11 pm pacific standard time... i'm not tired... i don't even go to bed until midnight in vegas. that means i've got 2 hours until i even start getting tired. i'm pretty sure aime felt the same 'cause she kept smiling at me and giving me that "look." you know the one. the "i can't wait to read scriptures and say family prayers with you" look.

this night's only just begun, yes, yes, oh yea.

life was good. we were minutes away. you could taste the anticipation it was so thick.

where's that key dang it!

front desk person: "we don't have a reservation under your name, mrs cooper. could it be under another name (aim's parents were getting the room for us)?"

aim: "can you try kim hodges?"

front desk: "i'm sorry there's nothing under his name either."

aim: "ok, let me make a quick call."

no big deal, we'll have this resolved in no time at all, and then... couple's scrapbooking!!! alone, just the two of us... i was getting all silly just at the thought of it.

aim pulls out the phone and calls her mom. i sit there listening to one side of the conversation.

aim: "we're here... blah, blah, blah... they don't have the room for us?"

aim: "ok. we'll be up."

aim to me: "my mom's glad we're here. she said tyler is, too. (tyler is aim's little brother, he was probably 13 at the time) he's been waiting for us. in fact, he's asleep in our room and will be staying with us tonight."

silence. cricket chirping.

at that moment, something died inside me. gone was the heart to heart conversation i was hoping to have with aim, gone was the scripture study and family prayer i was looking forward to, no couple's scrapbooking, no "walk to remember," no painting aim's toenails...

gone.

gone.

gone.

figures. but, that's ok, i guess. we're still on vacation. aim's parents were nice enough to cover all costs of the trip. let's make the most of it. all those activities will just have to wait for some other moment when the kids are asleep in our room at my parent's place.

but wait, it doesn't end there...

we eventually made our way up to the room lacking the skip in our step we once had. we got inside and aim's mom came over to welcome us. aim and her mom got talking and i thought i would go ahead and do some unpacking so i threw the suitcase on the bed right in front of where aim and her mom were standing. i then unzipped the bag and threw open the top only to discover, unbeknownst to me, that aim had decided to pack some of her more saucy under garments right on top of everything. i guess she wanted to be able get to them rather quickly. there they were, in plane view for everyone to take a gander at and when mine eyes beheld the glory of this wondrous sight i couldn't help but smile.

aim, on the other hand, who, along with her mom, had a front row seat to the sultry collection of silks and the like was less amused as she hurriedly grabbed the flap and threw it shut. as if that didn't draw any attention to the suitcase's contents. obviously, it doesn't bother me as i'm blogging about it, but aim is a little more modest than i am. which is why she travels with lingerie.

... and candles, which also made a little bit of noise when she slammed the suitcase shut. yes, she brought some candles and they were also close to the top of the suitcase. she's a great planner. one thing she didn't plan for was her little brother, tyler. for instance, the following morning, when we were all getting ready and the suitcase was opened (the unmentionables were now hidden, but the candles were not), pre-pubescent tyler caught a glimpse of the candles and, being completely perplexed at the thought of bringing candles on vacation, the curious lad quizzically, and naively, inquired "you guys must really like candles or something?"

"why yes, tyler, as a matter of fact we do like candles."

end scene.

and that was how it all got started. the vacation, not our marriage. but like that trip, our marriage has been somewhat of a road less taken full of unexpected twists and turns. it hasn't always been easy, in fact some times it has been downright hard. thing is, i can't imagine having gone through these last eleven years without aim.. especially since i don't have much of an imagination. no, seriously, i have a great imagination... and there is no one i would rather navigate the ups and downs of life with than my little aim.

thanks, babe, for being the lifeblood of our family. happy anniversary. i love you (aim, that is, not you blog zombies... i love you, blog zombies, but i'm not in love with you).

there's a line and i crossed it: jeremy gets a pedicure

it's been too long. but my indefinite delay is being delayed to bring you yet another emasculating event in the life of jeremy cooper. the pedicure.

yes, i am the guy who got highlights in his hair on more than one occasion, but a lot of guys were doing that back in the nineties.

yes, i am the guys who does the majority of the decorating in our house, but i do it while i eat beef jerky.

yes, i am the guys who likes to go shopping for clothes, but, as i've mentioned in the past, that includes the lingerie department (for my wife, not me).

yes, to all of the above. i realize that these revelations may change some of my blog zombies' opinion of me... some for the worse, some for the better. as my son caleb would say: too bad, so sad... to both sides; for a pedicure doth not a man make. traditionally, a man and a woman doth a man make, although in today's world the same thing can be accomplished with ice cubes, test tubes, injections, etc. (but somewhere in the whole process i'm pretty sure you still need both sides to doth make it).

back to the matter at hand...

in my mind, it is quite simple to straddle the realm of masculine and metro without dipping too far into the deep end of one side or the other while participating in the aforementioned activities. that being said, some activities definitely cross the line and when it came to pedicures, i had my doubts regarding the very being of its effeminate nature. still, in the spirit of tolerance, i decided to get myself some street-cred in the castro district sort of way by getting a pedicure.

this all transpired over the weekend while i was in california on an attorneys' retreat with my firm. we had finished our afternoon bike ride along the beach and were in need of some male sport and being the brooding pack of men that we are, we decided it might suit our fancy to pass our time getting pedicures. some of the guys immediately abstained as they would sooner be caught dead than get a pedicure.

i, on the other hand, like a good husband gave heed to the suggestions my wife had given on many occasions in which she implored me to get a pedicure for the sake of our marriage. i decided to put our relationship before my outdated notions of masculinity and resolved to get my toenails done (just for the record, i didn't get my toe nails painted... that's crossing a line far beyond the line i crossed). plus i didn't have to pay and my boss was going too, so what did i have to lose?

i must admit, that i lingered in the shopping center parking lot for a moment considering the consequences of my actions and even when i had to check my man-card at the door and swallow what little pride i had left in me, i quickly overcame my inhibitions and plunged down into one of the greatest inventions ever made: a mechanically operated massage chair with a mini-jacuzzi for your feet.

the experience was divine and funny all at the same time. i felt bad for the girl working on my feet, aim won't even touch them. i don't know how anyone could do that for a living, but she did a great job. i could hardly understand her, especially when she was speaking vietnamese to her colleagues. i'm not sure what the vietnamese word is for vomit, but i'm certain she used it while talking to her co-workers as i'm pretty sure she was close to losing it for the first 12 minutes or so.

i can't speak for her, but for me, it was a nirvana-like experience. the pedicure givers lure you in with these foot and leg massage things and then pull this "ten more minutes for ten extra dollars" line... how am i supposed to resist that? especially when i'm not paying for it?

it went on and on until finally the girl taking care of my feet and the other two girls taking care of my co-workers' feet realized that our boss was the one paying for everything. like any smart person, they followed the money. it wasn't long after that that they sent us packing and congregated around el jefe. one girl was working on his feet, one was giving him a back rub and one was chatting him up just to keep him distracted from the ever-growing bill he was accumulating. the rest of us then had to sit in the not-so-comfortable chairs while we waited for him to finish up. it was quite a sight.

like all good things, the pedicure finally ended and we were on are way. but as i walked away from my first pedicure, i held my head high. no walk os shame here. i was smiling on the outside, and although no one could see them, my toes were all sparkling and shiny on the inside.

now, i reluctantly admit that i think i'm addicted and will not be so bashful about getting another one as long as my dad's not there. and for those who would question my degree of manliness, all i have to say is...

really?

do you want to see what it feels like to get dropped kicked in the mouth by some silky smooth, asian waxed, hand polished (not painted) and buffed toe nails? so stealthy you won't even see it coming... like a ninja.

that's what i thought.

the oath

here are some pics from my swearing in as an attorney. before you can practice law, you must be sworn in as an officer of the court. generally, most people will wait until the state bar sanctioned mass swearing in. for those of us who don't want to wait, one can be sworn in by a notary public very easily by reciting a simple oath, signing a piece of paper and sending it in. i opted for the latter and made mention of my intentions to a co-worker of mine. this wo-worker of mine, tiny dave we'll call him, saw this as a perfect opportunity to embarrass me and proceeded to call my wife, my mom, and schedule a firm wide event that afternoon during which i would be sworn in by my boss in tiny dave's graduation robes with my left hand on a treatise on trusts and my right hand at a square. oh, and there was some sheet cakes from sam's club as well.

aim came with coles, my mom and dad came, and some of my other co-workers were in attendance as well. i think kenna jo missed the humor in the whole even and actually shed a tear or two as jeff, my boss, swore my in. it was fun for all. i think aim appreciated it as did my parents, so, thanks dave.

from the mouth of babes

sorry the posts have been few and far between lately. i started studying for the bar about a week and a half ago and life as i knew it ended abruptly. i had a few minutes to post tonight though, so i wanted to share a little bit about caleb so you all can understand why we have a video of him speaking in some unrecognizable language. the language is actually english and he is reciting a scripture he memorized and shared at church during primary open exercises.

for those of you who don't speak 'mormon', all the kids at church go to kid-oriented classes called primary. before they separate into classes based on their ages, all of the kids under age 7 or 8 meet together and have some group teaching take place. as part of the group teaching, kids are assigned different things to do to take part in the teachings. for example, caleb was assigned the week before to share a scripture of his choice with everyone.

caleb decided to share moses 1:39 because jameson had also memorized this scripture when he was younger and shared it during primary. so, with the scripture picked out, he, jameson, and mom started working on memorizing it. at times he would try and recite it to me during the week, but usually would not do so without aim's help and prompts. sunday finally rolled around and he was excited to share his scripture but i hadn't heard him recite once all by himself. i figured he could do it, but caleb can be shy and stubborn. these attributes do not make for a good combination when it comes to a child required to speak in public.

at any rate, caleb and i went into the primary room a little before primary started to practice with the microphone (he insisted that i call it a microphone and not a mic). true to form, caleb balked on the stand and would not recite the scripture as i coaxed him to practice. so, even though things weren't going quite as planned, i just figured when the time came, we'd have to prompt him along from the crowd as he shared his scripture.

with that primary started and we all sat down. caleb felt extra important that day as he got to sit in the scripture chair at the front of the room while he waited for his turn. finally it came and he walked up to the pulpit, stood on the step, and looked out at the group of kids and parents who sat anxiously awaiting his scripture. caleb paused for a minute, as though he were not entirely sure what to do without aim or i there to coax him along. we waited, and i thought after a second or two aim or i would have to start him off by saying the first couple of words out loud. but to our pleasant surprise, caleb rattled off moses 1:39 as clear and as accurate as could be:

for behold, this is my work and my glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. moses chapter one verse thirty-nine.

aim and i both got goose-bumps and our eyes teared up. it was a really neat moment for us as parents to see our little boy share the scripture so well. he exceeded our expectations. all you have to do is watch the video to see how good of a job he did. as you can tell from the video, he is very difficult to understand and that's take number 15 or so. that was as clear as we could get him to speak after constant cajoling and myriad bribes. so, you can imagine our surprise when on sunday, he actually spit it all out as eloquently and articulately as a stubborn, little three-year old boy can.

we are so proud of him, we just wanted everyone else to see why. hope it all makes sense now.

j

viva la graduacion!

graduation was over the weekend. it was great and by great i mean it was mostly uninspiring, although it did have its moments. i just wanted to post some pics we got for your viewing pleasure. in case you were wondering, some of the pics are from the celebratory lunch we had afterwards.

lastly, but not least, i just want to thank everyone who has supported us in any way over the last three years. we could not have done it without everyone's love and support. thank you!!!

j

Jameson's: a scholar and a gentleman

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Jameson received an award at school for academics and citizenship the other day. He was one of two in his class to receive the award. Caleb, Colston and I were all at the assembly when Jameson’s teacher presented the award to him. He was so excited he wanted to dress up as a Wrangler cowboy, his school mascot, to accept the award (see picture). That explains the neckerchief he has on in the pictures. His teacher made him take off his cowboy hat covered with 100 bottlecaps, minus the few that have fallen off, and the sunglasses.

I am so proud of Jameson and his academic achievement, but my proudest moment was hearing his teacher, Mr. C, as he was awarding Jameson say how Jameson is always caught doing the right thing and is quite the gentleman. Mr. C said Jameson always lets girls go first and is often holding the door for others. I can’t begin to tell you how good that felt. One concern I have being a mother of boys is raising gentlemen. So I was very, very happy to hear Jameson is making an effort.

a