Ballroom -- Spring Recital

Last weekend Sam and Conner had their spring ballroom recital. For Sam this event was a culmination of everything he has learned this year in ballroom. For Conner it was what he had learned in a six week pee-wee ballroom class. Their feelings about ballroom couldn't be more opposite. Sam loves ballroom. He has since he started about four years ago. He often tells me if he had to quit everything but one extra curricular activity, he would choose to stick with ballroom. Conner on the other hand HATES it! I signed him up last year for it and he didn't enjoy it. This year I had him do it again because they were short on boys. Conner got out of school every Monday about 20 minutes early so he could go to class. Even getting out of school early was not incentive enough for him to kind of enjoy the class. All the way to ballroom every Monday, he would inform me that it is child abuse to force him to do such things.

Last Saturday the spring recital was literally an all day event. They had dress rehearsal starting at 11:00. Because they were unable to secure a larger venue, it was decided they would do two recitals, one at 4:00 and the other at 7:00. Some of the older groups, like Sam's had learned three songs throughout the year. In order to cut down on time, it was decided that they would perform one number the same at both recitals but then one different song. I was torn which performance to go to because I really liked both of Sam's numbers. I decided that I would attend both performances. My mom said she would go to both of them with me.

Dress rehearsal started at 11:00. I knew they wouldn't finish by 2:00 but by 2:45 when I still hadn't heard from them, I decided to drive to the college to see if they were done. They weren't. My mom and I went to a couple of stores in order to kill some time. When we got back, I got the perfect parking spot. Sam and Conner were just walking out. It was 3:20 p.m. The doors for the first recital opened at 3:30 p.m. Sam and Conner were starving. Bryon, my dad, Logan and Natalie were on their way. We decided that my mom, dad, Logan, Natalie and I would get in line and go in and save seats. Meanwhile, Bryon would run home and grab my mom's camera and glasses as well as run Sam and Conner to get something off the dollar menu somewhere. The recital was beautiful. Conner danced to Inspector Gadget. Sam danced to Splish Splash and Thriller. Thriller was a number that his class and another ballroom class worked on together. They really had a fun time practicing and getting it ready to perform.

I figured that their performance should be about 1 1/2 hours. I had made a couple of salads that morning with the plan of grabbing some fried chicken on the way home, in between performances so we could eat dinner. The performance went just over 2 hours! I enjoyed every minute of it. However, it left no time at all to go home and grab something to eat. There is no way my dad, Bryon or the little kids will sit through one more performance. They go and buy Sam, Conner, my mom and I a hamburger off a dollar menu so it will hold us over until we can have dinner.

The second performance was just as spectacular. Sam the second performance danced to "I Won't Say I'm In Love" from Tarzan and Thriller. Conner, again, danced to Inspector Gadget. The little kids could sit with their parents after the performance. Conner came down and sat by me. He got so sick. I am not sure exactly what it was. He had to wear a felt coat for his costume. I tend to think it was a combination of being too hot in his costume and with all the stage lights and being overly tired.

I am so thankful to live in a community that supports the fine arts. There were 325 kids that performed. It is just amazing to me. I am so proud of Sam and Conner and for the hard work they put in this year and all they learned. I am so thankful to their instructors, Janie and Joy, who spend countless hours teaching them dances and routines.

Conner's First Pinewood Derby

Conner had his first Pinewood Derby on Thursday night. He and Bryon (and the neighbor) have been working on this car for about the past month. Conner was so excited!

Bryon found some Pinewood Derby templates online. He and Conner went through them and chose one. They then sanded the car down. A couple of weeks ago it came time to paint it. Conner wanted to paint it his favorite colors: yellow and blue. He also
wanted somehow to tie his favorite past time of reading into it. Bryon and I racked our brains trying to come up with something. We got an idea of Modge Podging the comics onto the car rather than painting the car. Conner loved the idea. He and Sam had a blast picking out some comics to put on it. The outcome was very cute. (Can you say that about Pinewood Derby cars?)

Our ward meets with another ward for Pack Night. There were probably 15 boys there to race. Conner won his first race by a landslide. Bryon and the neighbor were pretty excited! Conner then lost the rest of the races. Conner has the best attitude. They awarded prizes to the winners. After Pack Night, Bryon took Conner to the grocery store so Conner could pick out his favorite candy bar for a prize. I was so touched that Bryon thought of doing that to celebrate Conner's efforts.

My boss at work drives Corvettes. She and her husband have a couple of Corvettes. Conner went into work Friday to show my boss his Pinewood Derby car. Bryon was giving her a hard time and told her that next year she is in charge of helping Conner make a Corvette for the Pinewood Derby. She told Conner that she was not going to help him make one, she would just let him drive hers when he is old enough. Now Conner is counting down the days until he gets his driver's license.

Boys State Gymnastics Meet

Last summer Conner was asked by his gymnastics coaches if he would like to compete for gymnastics. He would be a Level 4. This would mean that he would travel throughout the state competing in gymnastics. It was a one year commitment. The gymnastics season starts in January. His first meet was here in Rexburg. In February, we traveled to Boise to watch him compete at Gem State. Last weekend was the culmination of the whole season.

I felt like we and Conner had done all that was possible to get ready for the state competition. Conner put in some extra time in the gym working on getting ready. We paid for three private lessons, in order to help him better prepare. Conner has six elements he competes on: the high bar, the rings, the parallel bars, the floor, the mushroom and pommel horse, and the vault. He is pretty strong on all of the events except the pommel horse/mushroom. This is really two different apparatus but it is scored as one. Conner does really well on the pommel horse but struggles with the mushroom. The mushroom literally is just that: a round apparatus that is about two feet high.
The goal of Level 4 is to spin around the top of the mushroom three and a half turns without touching down. This is a very difficult task to master. The reason for learning this skill is so that they can prepare to do actual turns on the pommel horse. Most of the Level 4 boys will do one turn touch down, one turn touch down, one turn touch down and then a half a turn. There is a full point deduction every time they touch down. When Conner was doing his private lessons, I talked to the coach about spending most of the time working on fine tuning his other routines and just leaving the mushroom alone. The coach explained it that most of these boys skill wise are all about the same. They will usually only win an event by the smallest margin. The place where they can really pick up points is on the mushroom doing their three and a half turns. He really worked Conner on the mushroom. We even brought the mushroom home one night for Conner to practice on. Conner even took the mushroom to school one day to practice on during recesses. It wasn't very often that Conner could do more than one turn without touching down. When he did, it wasn't pretty. He would really struggle after his first turn to not touch down. We left for Coeur D'Alene knowing we had done all we could do.

Conner's competition was set for Saturday, March 19 at 8:00 a.m. The gym they competed at was a newer gym. However, their equipment wasn't new and was actually pretty rickety and wobbly.

Before I go into his individual scoring, let me just say that the total possible on any apparatus is 16.0.

Conner's first rotation was the rings. He scored at 14.4. This was a pretty good score for him. His second rotation was the floor. The floor tends to be one of his strongest. I don't know what happened, but Conner started off in the middle of his routine and his coach had to call him back to start over. He then tipped over on what is called a "candlestick". It is a very easy element. He ended up with a score of 13.2. The next rotation was the mushroom and pommel horse. I wanted to hold my breath.


He did the most beautiful mushroom routine that he has done all season! He went around beautifully twice without stopping. Then he went on and did his one and a half times around. It was beautiful! He pulled off the second highest score on the team and his personal high on this apparatus with a score of 12.1. Their next rotation was the high bar. Conner did a beautiful but ended up sitting down on the landing. His score on the high bar was 13.7. It was then time to vault. He scored a 15.2 on the vault! I would have to look but I also think that is a season high for him. The final rotation was the parallel bars. He did a nice job on those and scored a 13.8.

Conner ended up placing third in the state overall. His team also took first place in the team division.


We are so proud of you, Conner!

Connerism

On Friday I was frantically finishing last minute details for Conner's birthday party. I noticed that his hair was sticking up. I asked him to go in the bathroom and comb it. He said, "Mom! It's not like I am going on a date or anything. I am just having some friends over for my party!" I about died laughing! That's a typical boy for you!

Conner's Birthday

Conner had a great birthday. We decided the Sunday before his birthday that we would let him have a friend party this year. Conner was so excited. We decided on seven friends for him to invite. I was a little nervous about how it was going to work out. He had decided on two friends from the neighborhood, one friend that has been his best friend for forever, and then four friends from school. I worried that where all of his friends didn't know each other if it would be a problem. They all got along wonderfully! I had been working out at the school that week and so I was unable to put as much time as I would like to have put into planning the party. On Thursday, I still didn't have any real great ideas for a party. Thanks so much to my friend Gina, she suggested a winter themed party. It was a great idea!

Conner's friends really were a cute group of boys. His good friends from school are: PortER, SpencER, CartER, and him (ConnER). It can be confusing at times!

Once the kids got here, we played Pin-The-Nose on the Snowman. It was a huge hit! Then we played a game where I put a package of cotton balls on a cookie sheet. I also had another cookie sheet. I blindfolded them one at a time and then they tried to move the "snowballs" from one cookie sheet to the other. The one with the most was the winner. We then opened presents, had cake, and broke the pinata.

That night once Grandpa Roskelley & Sam got home from skiing, we opened more presents and had more cake and ice cream. We gave him a Pocket V-Smile and two game cartridges for it. Grandpa & Grandma Roskelley gave him a gift certificate for McDonald's. They also gave him some money. I have him the choice if he wanted to buy more Magnetix or a new pair of snow boots. There was no hesitation. He wanted new snow boots. He has been wearing this pair of Pooh Bear snow boots. They are pretty juvenile. Conner hates them and has been begging for big boy boots all winter.

Saturday they went to Wal-Mart and picked out a pair of new snow boots. Saturday afternoon we drove down to Leo's in Idaho Falls. Leo's is a place that serves pizza, hamburgers, and salads. They also have a huge indoor climbing thing and an arcade. My kids love it there. Afterwards, we went to Grandpa & Grandma Kennedy's. They gave him a set of Tinker Toys. Conner was so excited. He loves to create things with his hands.

I will post pictures of his friend party.

Happy Birthday Conner

Dear Conner,

As I sit here at the computer tonight I find it so hard that tomorrow you will be turning six. Conner, you have brought more joy into our lives than you will ever know. I thank my Heavenly Father every day for blessing my life with you.

I cannot believe that just over six years ago your dad and I felt the urgency to put in our paperwork again to begin the adoption process a second time. We knew the wait would be short but we had no idea how short it would be. We found out in the middle of January that your birthmom was looking at files and was considering us. We found out that next week that she had selected us to be your parents. You weren't due be born for another ten days. You, however, had different plans. Once she selected us and we wrote back to her, she went into labor. Your birthmom and I both know that all you were waiting for was for her to decide on a family. Once she had done that, you didn't see the need to wait any longer and decided to make your grand appearance into the world.

The day you were placed in our arms was a day I will never forget. Your dad and I got up and got dressed in our Sunday best. We were so excited to finally see you. Aunt Michele watched Sam while we went and met you. Your birthmom, Brenda, brought you over from the hospital. One of your birthfather's sisters came along with her for moral support. Brenda walked into the room and immediately placed you in my arms. Michael McLean wrote a song that I think beautifully describes what everyone in that room felt that day.

There's an ache that's missing today
There's an emptiness that's been filled
There's a cloud that's lifting and drifting away
There's a raging storm that's been stilled
There's a joy that's real
There's a wound that's finally healed
There's a future replacing the past
This breath of new life in the cast
Something perfect is happening here
And this moment will bury the mountains of fears
And the countless tomorrows in a world disappears
Something that's perfect is happening here.
No one knows so no one can say
That tomorrow all will be well
Will the brightest promise that shines in today
shine tomorrow no one can tell
But one thing is sure and will be forever more
Such unselfish love has been giv'n
The world just made more room for Heaven
Something perfect is happening here
And this moment will bury the mountains of fears
And the countless tomorrows in a world disappears
Something that's perfect is happening here.

The Spirit was so strong in that room that day. There is not a doubt in my mind or Brenda's mind that this was all part of our Heavenly Father's great plan for you.

Little did we know when we left the agency that day, that Brenda would come back into our lives. As you know, Brenda eventually married your birthfather, Steve. Through the years, Brenda has become a very good friend of mine. I love her for not only being your angel birthmom but I also love her for becoming my eternal friend. I have felt many times in talking with her that she was my sister long before we came to this earth life.

As I have watched you through the years Conner, I can't help but think of what a beautiful combination of nature and nurture you are. You are so laid back and easy going. We all know you didn't get that from definitely didn't come from me or your dad! I know your laid back easy going spirit is a trait of Brenda. I love that about you. When I look at you I see so much of your physical traits are directly linked to Steve. You look so much like him. But I also see a lot of Steve's wittiness in you. I haven't quite figured out what you have of mine. Other than you are my little cuddle bug! I love you for that. I also see you do alot of your dad's expressions. People always comment how much you look like him too. Teachers at the school often remind me that you are so your father's son!

I hope you always remember just how loved you truly are. You have a huge birthfamily that loves you so much. Your dad and I love you more than you know. You have great grandparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins all who love you. The relationship I have loved watching through the years is that of you and Sam. Sam had prayed for a brother for years. You see Sam knew you were coming long before your dad and I knew you were coming. When we found out about you, we had just had a great Christmas. We had spent some of our adoption savings to have a huge Christmas. We figured we would have plenty of time to put it back in. So imagine my surprise when the agency called and said Brenda was considering us and one other family. I went to my room to pray that she would choose the other family. I wanted a baby so bad but didn't know how we would pay the adoption cost. I came downstairs from closing my prayer and Sam said, out of the blue, that he was getting a new baby brother. I hadn't said a word to him about there even being that possibility. I knew in that moment that you were coming. I went upstairs and offered a "please forgive me prayer" and vowed we would do whatever it took to get you here. I have to admit that it wasn't all roses. While Sam had prayed for a little brother, once he figured you were here to stay, he wasn't quite sure what he had prayed for! However, it didn't take you two long to become the best of friends. As I have watched you two play through the years, once again I have come to know that you two knew each other long ago. I love the way that you admire Sam. I thought it was so cute last week when you found out that Sam had ski school on Friday and wouldn't be home until after 8:00. You cried so hard that Sam wouldn't be home all day on Friday. It was cute how you waited all day long for him to get home. I hope you two always remain best friends.

Conner I love so much about you. I love your beautiful blue eyes. When you were born, Brenda was hoping that they would stay blue. They have and they are so pretty. I love looking into those pretty blue eyes. I love it that you are six and are still my little cuddle bug! Sam was such an active baby that I wanted the next baby to be more cuddly and that you were. There were days that I would curse that I couldn't put you down without you fussing. But I have come to love your hugs and kisses. I love it how you come and jump in my arms and cuddle with me. I know I already commented about how easy going you are. I love your easy going way. I often wish I could be more like that. I could talk to you all day. I love to hear your cute little voice. I love how witty you are. I always manage a good laugh when I talk to you. I know we joke about it but I think it is cute how your ears get red and glow whenever you are sick or tired. It is always a good indicator of when it's your bed time. You are so creative. I know I cuss the torn paper around the house and how my paper products are always disappearing but I love how you are always trying to create things. I love the sweet Spirit that you bring into our family. Our family would not be complete without you. I admire your desire to do what is right. I hope that will continue throughout your whole life. I as a mom, often think I learn more from my children than I will ever teach them. Most of all Conner, I consider myself most blessed for being chosen to be your mom.

My birthday letter to you wouldn't be complete without giving thanks to the one who gave you life. I think as an adoptive mom that is the hardest thing about birthdays for me. While they are always such an exciting day for us, it hurts me to know that somewhere out there someone is missing you a little more on your special day. I will forever be indebted to your birthmom, your birthfather, and our Heavenly Father for bringing you into our family. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't thank my Heavenly Father for the sacrifice that they made. I am often overwhelmed at the trust that they have placed in me to be your mother.

In a few short hours you will be six. We will awake to a day filled with festivities for your special day. We will celebrate with friends, family, cake, presents and balloons. I hope your day will be a great one!

Love,
Mom

Conner T-Ball Season

Conner has watched his brother, Sam, play ball since he was a baby. He always said he could not wait to play. This year he was finally old enough to play.

The first few games Conner played in, he had no idea where to run. I kept asking him, how many games of Sam's has he sat through?!? He would run to pitchers mound and then take off trying to get the ball.

Someone at one of the games commented that if you were having a bad day, you should go watch a kids t-ball game. They really are quite entertaining. It is funny that all the kids on the same team run after the ball and try to get it once it is hit. Conner is usually an easy going child. However, if he is not the one that comes up with the ball, he has this huge melt down in the middle of the baseball field.

Conner has a hard time waiting until it is his turn to bat. He also gets "bored" in the outfield. Before the game is over, I am usually out on the field trying to keep him motivated. He would much rather be drawing pictures in the dirt, climbing trees, playing with Logan or Natalie and has even been known to walk off the field in the middle of a play to tell me something. I have to keep reminding myself, that Sam was once the same way. Sam grew out of it and I am hoping Conner will too.

I really do hope that he has learned something this season and will be ready to play again when next season rolls around.

Conner's Fat Lip 05-28-08

I need to preface this by saying that Conner is my "dare-devil" child. Bryon and I gave him a bike for his birthday. He has waited all winter for spring to come so he can ride it. Now that the snow is gone, he is constantly riding it. Yesterday I was in the house and he came in from riding his bike. He was crying hysterically. He also had his hand covering his mouth and all I could see was blood. I am not the greatest with blood. Thankfully, Linda was still here and she got him cleaned up for me! The neighbor gal brought his bike home for him. She said he ran into a parked car. Conner said it bent the training wheel on his bike but I haven't been out to look. By the looks of his lip, I would have to say the car won!

Conner & Logan's Preschool Field Trip 05-13-08

Conner and Logan's preschool took a field trip this month. They were supposed to go on Monday the 12th. We woke up to terrible weather and it even snowed that day. The field trip was postponed until Tuesday. I was luck enough to be able to go with them. My friend, Linda, watched Natalie while I went. It was a full day. We left the school at 8:30 and traveled to Idaho Falls to Tautphaus Park Zoo in Idaho Falls. Because we had such a large group, they decided to let us just enjoy the zoo at our own pace and meet back at the buses at 11:00. One of the aides, Ms. Carol caught up with us just inside the gates. She wondered if I needed help. I actually felt like I could handle it but told her sure. She took Logan's hand and I took Conner's. I was so thankful at the end of the day to have had her help. We had a great time at the zoo. The peacock was Logan's favorite. I think the monkeys were Conner's. The weather was just perfect for the zoo, not too hot and not too cold. The animals were pretty active, so that was fun to watch. We also got to watch them feed the penguins. Once everyone got back to the buses, we found a spot to have our picnic lunches. Logan ate his pretty good but Conner would rather play than eat. After we let the kids run around for a bit, we then loaded the buses back up and headed back for Rexburg. Just outside of Rexburg, we stopped to ride the Beazer train. This is a great hidden treasure! Beazer train was built by a man who has since passed away. His son now runs it. The son has a full time job so you just call and schedule appointments when he is available. They have built this little train track that runs out through a pasture and even has a tunnel. It takes about five minutes. We had a blast riding the train, the rest of the afternoon. Conner rode every single time. I even took a couple of turns riding it! We made it back to school just in time to pick up Sam and head home for the day. I don't know who was more tired at the end of the day: Conner, Logan, or myself.

Happy Birthday Conner

This is a blog I have been thinking about and planning for the past several days. It's official! Conner turned five years old today. Birthdays bring on mixed emotions for me. I celebrate the day my childen were born and I revel in the memories of all their years to this point. Yet my heart aches for their amazing birthparents who not only gave them life but a loving family too. My heart aches a little more on each of my children's birthdays knowing that their birthparents are missing them just a little more that day than any normal day.

While I do enjoy writing poetry, I found this poem from a friend that I think conveys my feelings so much better than I ever could. However, I have tweaked it just a little to make it fit our situation. This poem goes out to my sweet birthday boy and his birthparents, Steve & Brenda.

I didn't even know you

the day we got the call.

We met five years ago,

inside the agency walls.

We did not know that day,

as we went our seperate ways

that our paths would cross again,

another time, another day.

Though time has passed

since we met again

you are no longer a stranger

but have become a dear friend.

And now today as we reflect

the day that we all met,

I can't help but contemplate

the gratitude -- the debt.

A loving Father let you leave

His loving, caring arms

to come down to this mortal world,

where I would be your mom.

But unlike others, your path here

would lead you to another.

One who would give birth to you;

she's your dear birthmother.

How I wish to tell her

the joy you bring each day.

How your family loves you

in all you do and say.

It doesn't matter how you came

though to some it may seem strange.

Both your mothers love you so

And that will never change!

Conner's Birthday Celebration with the Roskelley's

This past weekend my parents and my sister Alyson and her two children came up to attend the open house of the Rexburg Temple. While they were here, we celebrated Conner's fifth birthday. Since we did not celebrate it on Conner's official birthday, Conner said it was "his fake birthday." We went out to dinner at Bajio's. Then we came home for Spider-Man cake and ice cream. My parents gave him and a new outfit and two Nerf guns with balls. Alyson gave him a cute dinosaur. While the outfit fit him and is adorable, he has totally loved playing with his Nerf gun and dinosaur. There was no school yesterday because of Martin Luther King Day and no school again today because of the freezing temperatures, we have had three days of feeling like we are in a war zone because he is always chasing someone with his gun. For not being sure what toy to get him mom, you SCORED!