Growing Up

This was a pretty exciting moment for Josh and the boys! Josh has been waiting patiently for 8-years for someone to take over this job.
Although, it won't be this one for a few more years. The lawn mower weighs more than him.

But atleast he tried.

J.D. thought this was the coolest thing.

When he has to mow it on his own, he probably won't think it's very cool.

He's a pretty big kid!

Raingutter Regatta

When Josh and I first were getting J.D. ready for scouts, Josh looks at me and say's, "You know, we have to go to Pack Meeting now." See, we've been in cub scouts before. Once a long, long time ago. Long before we knew what to do with little boys and loved the craziness of it all. I wasn't sure how I felt about that.

Last night was our very first pack meeting. It was the Raingutter Regatta. J.D. and Josh worked so hard to make this awesome Pirate Ship. And they were so proud.

Of course there were silly games.

He's so happy. He was throwing a water balloon back and forth with Kyle and they kept breaking it. He's running to get another one.

It was a very cool night. We are so proud of you J.D.!!

J.D.'s Baptism

How quickly time does fly! It's hard to believe that J.D. is old enough to be baptized. And at the same time I am so proud of him and so excited for him to begin this part of his journey!
These pictures are in the wrong order, but here we are after the luncheon. I wanted to get a family photo, but by this time, Piper had spilled sloppy joe all down the front of her desk and Tyson had on his shorts and cowboy boots.

Grandpa Scott got to confirm J.D. and his daddy baptized him.

J.D. was baptized in Marysvale, which was very cool. It's where the entire side of my family have been baptized. Brannigan and J.D. thought it was awesome to do it together. It was defiently a feat to get everyone there, but we did it! Even Grandma Doty came, which was so cool. We didn't even know to expect her. What a great surprise.

J.D. we are so proud of you and your choices. You are defiently a choice spirit and you will do so much good with your life. We love you buddy. Congratulations!

Kachings

This morning, Tyson came into the bathroom to tell me that J.D. had hit him in the privates. I said, "Oh, I'm sorry. He hit you in the....", trying to choose which terminolgy to use for my 5-year-old.

And J.D. hollers, "The Kachings mom, I hit him in the Kachings!"

Not knowing that, Kachings was a word, I asked him, "Where did you hear them called that?"

He replied. "I got kicked there once by a teenager and he called them Kachings."

"Really, a teenager, J.D?", I said.

And he was dead serious when he replied, "Yep, he was like 10!"

Oh my goodness. Well I guess Kachings is better than some words we could call it!!! Isn't it funny the things that kids come up with.

Sprinkles

Last night, J.D. asked me to make a square out of a piece of paper. So I of course obliged. Our neighbor had given us some cupcakes last night and he said he needed to make something for each of the cupcakes. So Josh walked into the kitchen late last night and found this note on top of the cupcakes. Obviously, he didn't want anyone to eat that sprinkle cupcake but him. I don't think this really helps, considering the fact that Tyson and Piper can't read. It was hilarious!

Zumba Night at Red Mountain

It's no secret, I LOVE Zumba. I think it is an awesome way to work out and have fun! Our awesome school has a Zumba program for the kids after school. It's free and the kids love it. Tonight was Zumba night for the kids and parents. It was a blast.
J.D. is one one of the main guys. Only a few boys do it, but they got right up in front and helped to lead everyone.

J.D. and this little blond guy seem to be the two who are leading it.

Piper loved it! I have got to get her into dance.

She was right under Christy and Julie's feet of course.

The Roof is on fire!!!

This is J.D. doing the Roman candle.

It was so much fun to see the kids do some of the same dances we do!! What an awesome school!! There are no pictures of Tyson because he wanted no part of the dancing. He's so his fathers child!

Baptism Fireside

Seriously?? Where did the past eight years go? Last night we went to the Baptism fireside for our stake. In six short months, J.D. will be baptized. It blows my mind. Time flies by much to quickly!
Of course, it is very cool to have your very best-friend live just up the street from you. It also helps that your mom's are best-friends too!

These two are hilarious! It's alway's been a love/hate relationship. I think they've seen or talked to each other, just about every day of their lives. Tthey've got each others backs and they totally love each other most of the time. It's so much fun to see them get to do everything together. They are both pretty good kids and I love them both!

While J.D. turning eight, makes me sad and makes me feel really old. I can't wait to see him take this step and I am sure I will be bursting with happiness and lot's of pride. He is such a good kid. He is so kind and compassionate, which sometimes causes him problems, because most boys aren't so tender hearted. He is such a blessing and joy in my life!

Ice Skating in Dixie

St. George has a skating rink! Amazing, I know. For years, we've said what a great idea this would be. It truly is. My Young Women have been raving about it for weeks. It was so much fun. We left Piper at home with Grandma and Grandpa last night and took the boys for Family Home Evening.
My boys were so excited! The anticipation was killing them all day long!

When we first went out, we were slipping and sliding all over the place! In fact, Tyson kept saying that he wanted to go home. Then he told me that he wanted to play hockey and I told him that he couldn't play hockey unless he learned to skate. Then he gave it some serious effort.

Three of my darling Young Women were there and they loved playing with Tyson. Kim, Reagan and Cierra were helping him around the rink.

It was so sweet of the girls to help him out. He wouldn't hold my hand, but he wanted to hold the pretty girls hands! What a stud!

Oh my gosh, it was so much fun!

My boys were so soaked by the time we left. Tyson says he's not going back without snow pants. He hates to be cold.

Me and my cute boy! J.D. did so well. I was so proud of him for keeping at it, even though he kept falling down. He did hit his head once on the ice pretty hard, but he got up and kept going.

Just keep skating, just keep skating!!

Oh my gosh, I love him!

What a big show off! He thinks he needs to be an Olympic speed racer. He kept racing past me and slapping my butt! He tried to hold my hand and I wouldn't because I was afraid that he would drag me much faster than my balance could handle. He kept lapping me! I can skate, just not fast.

It's to bad it's so expensive, because we would go a bunch. It will be a special treat for our family!

The Volcanoes

It's hard to get many pictures when your one of the coaches. I was busy trying to watch Tyson and Piper and watch the boys play. They did amazing! We are definitely getting better. They passed and rebounded and did so well dribbling. It's been a fun experience coaching! I am so grateful that Neal is there to do most of it :). Poor guy, but the boys listen to a dad better than they do me.

J.D. made 2 baskets this game, which is awesome! He was so excited about that. Our boys made 11 baskets total according them, but I think they are pretty close. Even though it's non competitive, they still like to keep track. I don't blame them, I have that same competitive nature. I'm hoping to get J.D. into a few camps this summer, but we'll just have to wait and see.

Adventures in Basketball

I wonder about myself sometimes, and how the heck I get myself into things? I was so excited for basketball this year and of course, "I would love to coach, I know a bit about basketball." Aye, aye, aye! I must learn to keep my mouth shut.

Teaching basketball to a group of 10 little boys is not my forte. Thank heavens for the assistant coach, who is one of my friends, husband, who I immediately delegated to be the coach!! Thank you Neil! Did all of that make sense?

Well, our little team had their first game yesterday. We had one practice beforehand and this game was pretty much just a practice game.

This is what the boys were doing while they were standing in line to do lay ups. Actually J.D. is doing a left handed lay up. Note his right hand is the hand that shot the ball. Left handed lay ups are hard. Especially for 7-year-olds.

Watching Neil show them how to do a lay up. Now let me tell you about #4. Josh was getting mad, "tell that kid to pass the ball." The boy had the ball the entire game, but let me tell you something about #4, THE KID CAN PLAY. I mean, honest to goodness, dribble, shoot, and even do a left-hand lay up! It's amazing! I know he needs to pass, but the competitiveness in me is fighting with my sportsmanship. He went to a BYU summer camp last year. And the first thing I did when I got home was look up basketball camps for J.D. So this summer, I will be going up to either the BYU basketball camp or the Ute's ball camp.

But all in all, it's a great group of kids. They had a lot of fun and I am excited to continue on this little journey. I am so glad my boys are into sports. J.D. told me he wants to play basketball and football. I am good with whatever, but it's sad you have to limit it, because he really is athletic. Football might be a little more his sport, though.

Gasoline

I just have to share this story somewhere, so we never forget it. Although, I am sure JD would like us to erase it from our memories.

Last night we were going to Mesquite to see my Uncle John. We haven't' seen him in 2 years and he was in Mesquite on business. So we thought we'd go and have dinner with him. So I got all the kids ready and when Josh got home we headed into town so we could get gas at Albertsons before we left. J.D. has a new obsession with helping pump the gas. He hopped out and went to help Josh. I am sitting in the front seat of the yukon and I see Josh go around the front and head into the store. I realize that J.D. is pumping gas by himself, so I hop out and go around the back and J.D. was holding the nozzle with one hand and looking at his finger on the other hand. He had pinched it when he had undone the stop. I told him to put the stop back down and was trying to help him, when all of the sudden he jerks the nozzle out of the tank and gas is squirting everywhere. All over the car, all over me, and all over J.D. I tried to grab the nozzle out of his hand, but he is jerking backwards, because gas is shooting back at us. We were soaked.

Josh comes back and starts SCREAMING at the top of his lungs at J.D. and J.D. is crying, of course. Josh had told him not to touch the nozzle, but of course, what is a 7-year-old boy going to do? It was not a good moment in the Doty family. Josh screaming, J.D. crying, and me trying to be the mediator in the ordeal. It was so embarrassing. We had to come home and change all of our clothes and I am washing them yet again, trying to get the smell out of them. I am sure to the onlookers, it was quite comical.

Well, we eventually made it to Mesquite, but without our children. My sweet father-in-law kept our kids because by the time we had everything all cleaned up and ready to go, it was quite late in the evening. Oh, the joy's of being a parent!

J.D.'s First Football Game

Oh my heavens! Worst game ever! Not because of our kids, but the other team!! J.D. is usually the biggest kid, wherever he goes, and he was a little worried because these kids were bigger than him!!! They were all 8 almost 9 and a good 6 inches taller than J.D.!!! They actually have taken this team out of our bracket, because I think it was a mistake. Anyway, we lost horribly. Didn't make any touch downs, in fact we hardly touched the ball and J.D. got punched in the mouth in the last play of the game!!

Last nights game went much better. I didn't get to see it, but J.D. made a touch down and he got the flag off of several kids! His coaches are AMAZING! They've even taught the kids some plays and they really know what they are doing!

I don't know how J.D. is going to choose his sport. He's way athletic and so far has excelled at every sport. I'm not trying to be a bragging mom, but he has. I've had other people tell me how good he's going to be when he gets older. I want to try out basketball and I am hoping and praying that atleast one of my kids wants to play :).... That's a sport I can sink my teeth into. I told J.D. one more year of all the sports and then he has to pick 2, that he can concentrate on. He'll be old enough next year to start going to summer camps!! Yeah, I just don't want to become a crazed mom and push him, but I also want him to excell and he is really good. Oh, the things we do to and for our kids!!

Football Practice

J.D. had his first football practice today. It was interesting. I am so glad that a couple of dad's are coaching. They actually know what they are doing. They were even teaching them plays!! One of the coach's wives and I were laughing, they are only 6 and 7! They loved it though!

Lining up for some sprints. J.D. is the one in red. The coaches wanted to see who had speed.

That is my boy, kicking butt! He won both sprints!

Oh, dang it! Missed that one. Good try, though!

These little guys are going to love Glen. He'll be a great coach. I love that the guy's don't put up with crap. I saw J.D. get put in his place a time or two. I love it. I got walked all over when I was the Soccer coach this year. Kid's need to learn respect and how to listen and play as a team! I love that there are so many options for them to be involved in. I'll post pictures next week from our games!!!