This is a whole new phase of parenting!

So on Tuesday night we had pack meeting at the church for scouts. Jaxson stayed after pack meeting with some friends to play basketball. Apparently Jaxson and one of his friends from our neighborhood (actually they just live a couple of houses away from us) got in a fist fight...
So the story that I got from Jaxson is that they were playing and he was playing tough D (ha ha I liked this part of the story) He is so into basketball right now. He blocked the shot and the other kid got mad and punched him in the stomach so Jaxson said that he got mad and starting punching the other kid back. Ya I said punching. I am not sure how many times he punched but I do know it was more than one. Then he got mad and walked home from the church.
So I have to say that in a way I am proud of my Jaxson. He has always been my timid meek little man who would not stick up for himself. Jared has been trying to get a little competitiveness and aggression out of him. I know that fighting is not ever good but I was glad that he stuck up for himself. I have always told him that if he does not start it and he is sticking up for himself, his brother, or his sister that he will not ever be in trouble for fighting back.
So then the next day at school I told him that if he wanted to try and talk to his friend he should. I told him that he did not have to take the blame for it if he did not start it but that he should apologize for his part in it too. He did try and talk to his friend which did not go so well (maybe it was to soon) but that is ok. And Jaxson said that it is ok too. He said that he felt better about it after he tried to apologize. Then he held his own when they were all playing football at recess and the kids told him to leave and Jaxson said no. He was playing football and having fun and did not want to leave.
I can not tell you how proud I was of him that he held his own.
So I have been worried about this since Tuesday because I want them to be friends. I hate confrontation. I am a girl and Jaxson is my oldest so this is all new to me. But I am staying out of it and decided that they will have to take care of it on their own. But I am a little worried about this new stage we are moving into and I heard that it only gets worse from here. I am so excited! HA HA!

Fighting

Guilty Gingerbread Houses

So this Christmas season has been going by way too fast and I feel like I can not get everything done. Every year since Jaxson started school I make gingerbread houses for the teacher. Which is actually a tradition that my mother-in-law inspired. She made one for all of her kids elementary school teachers. Well with 13 kids she became really good at gingerbread houses. So when Jaxson started elementary school at the same school that his Dad attended growing up I thought what I fun idea to keep the Harward tradition and make the gingerbread houses. The first year I made one I went down to my mother -in-laws house and she helped me and I used all of the stuff and got her recipe. ( I am talking making the gingerbread from scratch and cutting out the pattern and then finding all the fun candy) I had no idea what work went into these. I made Jaxsons house and we took it to school and walking in the hall I saw an older teacher that was not Jaxsons teacher but she stopped me and said what is your name? I told the cute lady who we were and she admired my little house that I was so proud of. Then she told me about a mom who used to make gingerbread houses for all her kids teachers and how all the teachers knew if they had a Harward in their class they were going to get a gingerbread house for Christmas and that they all wanted one in their class so they could get one. Well I laughed and me and Jaxson took the little house to his teacher. You can imagine how excited he was to give it to his teacher after that. The teacher said thank you but did not act as enthused as I might have hoped...maybe she was not a candy fan. Then about two weeks later when I was at the school again she stopped me and said thanks for the gingerbread house it was so good...I went home and we ate the whole thing! I was devastated. Ha Ha!

I have gotten better at making them but I still can not hold a candle to my mother-in-law...and if that takes having 13 kids I am just going to have to let her keep the crown. But it is a tradition in my home now as well and we love it. This year I had to make 3 houses. I started them about two weeks ago put them aside and then I have not toughed them. I decided over the weekend that I just did not have time to finish them this year. So today I got home from work and saw them still sitting on my counter and decided that I needed to finish them. It just would not be Christmas without them.

Izak's Darling Teacher

Izak has the most amazing teacher. So he came home today with this cute pillow that his teacher made for him. She has been out because she had surgery and she came back to watch the kids practice their singing program and brought the kids these pillows. I have no idea how she had the time or energy or ability for that matter (I can not sew at all) to do one for each of the kids in her class. I am so impressed! Thank you Mrs Warnick.

Christmas Dance

One of my favorite things about this time of the year is all of the FUN Christmas programs that the kids have. I love going to them and watching the kids. Here is some of Payton's dance class. She is having so much fun and learning so much!

I am very Thankful

So with another Thanksgiving come and gone I had to take a minute to say what I am thankful for...there is so much! I never imagined that life could be so good. I have a wonderful family. Jaxson is getting so grown up and fun (his feet are bigger than mine and he is getting pretty close to as tall as me) Ike is hilarious and says the funniest things all the time. Sometimes I wish that I would record everything he says cause I have no idea where he comes up with half the things he says. Payton is just the cutest. She is all girl. I love it!
I have the best husband in the world. We have been married almost 10 years and it still amazes me that the longer we are married the more I love him. I could not ask for a better friend.
We live in a nice area with nice people, my kids go to a good school, I have lots extended family around, I have a job I like, my husband has a good job, we have a lot of wonderful friends, and we have a lot of fun! Who could ask for anything MORE?