Tag, You're It

I forgot I was supposed to tag other people after I'm tagged. Some of your blogs are getting pathetic and old so you'll need something to post. :) So, I tag...Becky, Heidi (you better do it), Jordon, Stephanie, Merridee, and Megan.

5 Things About Me

Rebecca Jones tagged me. So I guess I get to post 5 things that people may not know about me.

1. I physically cannot burp. Weird, huh.
2. I have to get out of bed on the same side I got in. Otherwise my day just won't go right.
3. I have recorded two songs in an actual recording studio.
4. I'm afraid of butterflies. They are too unpredictable.
5. I have lived in Henderson my whole life, except 6 months in St. Louis, MO.

In a Million words or less....

(Dallin's english teacher gave the parents an assignment today. We had to write an essay describing our child. I know its kind of long, but I wanted to post it for posterity. )

Dallin Harris Kephart is the oldest child in his family. He has 2 younger brothers and 1 younger sister. His parents were both born and raised in Henderson and graduated from Basic High School. His grandfather, Brent Cecil, recently just retired after 30 years at Basic High School as the Band Director and later, a counselor. His grandmother, Kathe Cecil, works at Thurman White Middle School as the registrar.

Dallin didn’t seem too nervous to start Middle School. He practiced opening combination locks for a few weeks before school started, just so he was comfortable with opening his locker. Last year, his 5th grade classes were departmentalized, which got him used to switching teachers and classrooms.

Dallin is very musical. He is excited about being in Beginning Band this year. He has chosen to play the French horn. Dallin is a good singer, and his aunt is teaching him piano lessons. Dallin is very athletic. He likes to play football, on a team and in the backyard. He is going to be starting golf lessons very soon. DK, as his dad calls him, likes to play video games and be on the computer. He just started a blog, which is somewhat of an online journal. If his mom has any technological questions about her cell phone or computer, Dallin can usually answer them.

Dallin is very strong-minded. In other words, he likes to argue about everything. His parents think he will make a great defense attorney when he grows up. He doesn’t like to be wrong, and when he is right he likes everyone to know. This has been a struggle for his parents as he has grown up. They are constantly trying to get him to see the good things in life and focus on the positive, instead of the negative. Away from his brothers and sister, Dallin is very considerate, helpful, and caring.

Dallin is a Boy Scout and enjoys camping and working on Merit Badges. This summer he attended Camp Kern in California for a whole week. He earned 6 Merit Badges and had an experience of a lifetime. Also this summer, Dallin broke his left arm in a 4-wheeling accident while at a family reunion in Utah. He was sad about not being able to swim all summer.

Dallin has always been fascinated by World War II. He loves to check out books from the library from that time period. He enjoys reading about planes, submarines and guns. He would like to visit Germany someday, to see the historical war sites.

Overall, Dallin is a fun 11 year old. He likes to tell jokes and wild stories that he dreams about. Every morning he has a new adventure to tell about. He likes to please his teachers, and given the right opportunities, he loves to be helpful. Thank you for devoting your time to teach Dallin Harris Kephart.

Preparing for the Future

When I say "future", I mean the next two weeks. Our ward has been doing freezer meal groups for the past few months. We didn't do it this month, so I decided to do it myself. Me, my husband, and 2 hours produced 9 meals. (2 Chicken Enchiladas, 1 Turkey Enchilada, 1 Lasagna, 3 Chicken Parmesan with Spaghetti, 2 Twice Baked Potatoes) That means 9 nights I don't have to cook. With sports season starting, it is always hard to fit in cooking dinner, eating dinner and getting to practice on time. So hopefully this will help out a ton this month. This just might be a monthly Sunday activity.

Children: An Investment

Brandon and I must have gotten lucky. We didn't have to experience the torture devices used to straighten teeth as teenangers. Dallin is well under way to a gorgeous smile. Several months ago, we were informed by the dentist that Dallin had just about everything wrong with his mouth that you can have wrong. Great!!! Bring on the upper expander...upper braces...pulling teeth...lower expander...jaw mover forward thingy...and coming soon...lower braces and night headgear. Sounds fun! If you would like your child to experience this, call Dr. Gibson at 564-1037. Check back in a few years for pictures of Dallin's million dollar smile.

End of School Pictures

I misplaced my camera for a few weeks, but found it and here are some pictures from the last day of school for Dallin and Cody. Cody only had 5 boys in his class and they all got along. Cody's classmates gave out awards to each other and Cody got "Most Musical" That's my boy!!!

Dallin had a 5th grade recognition program. They couldn't call it a graduation for some reason. He got his certificate of advancement and a Great American award for memorizing all Presidents, all 50 states and capitols, the Gettysburg Address, and the Bill of Rights. Way to go Dallin!!

Sorry Mason, I didn't get any pictures of your class. Maybe next year :)

Am I Really This Old?

Tonight was not a fun milestone in my life. I attended the Middle School Open House with Dallin. Do I really have a child old enough to be going to Middle School? With my 33rd birthday approaching soon, nights like tonight remind me that my mid 30's are coming and going way to fast.

If I remember correctly, I hated middle school. (Why do they call it middle school now instead of Jr. High?) Due to a few uncontrollable circumstances, 6th-8th grade was pretty much the worst years of my life. I would redo High School in a heartbeat, but never jr. high.

Dallin doesn't seem to be nervous, but he keeps saying " I can't believe I'm starting middle school in * days!!" The only thing he's concerned about is opening his locker. We bought him a combination lock to practice at home. But, lo and behold, the school lockers are different! We practiced at open house, and I hope he'll be able to open it on Monday.

Dallin is a good kid. He doesn't seem to care what others think about him or say about him. He makes friends easily and is friends with everyone. He can get a bit fired up and defensive, so Brandon is afraid he'll come home one day beat up from a fight. I hope not.

So, good luck, Dallin, on Monday. I hope your middle school years are a million times better than mine.

Dallin's first day of Kindergarten, oh so many years ago.