Jaron is 11

Jaron is becoming a very grown up kid.  He is really responsible and able to do a lot around the house. He doesn’t enjoy doing housework though.  This past year he read the Harry Potter series of books and loved them.  He is onto the Wings of Fire series now.  He enjoys school and learning very much.  He likes math and science most.  Jaron continues to develop his talents in basketball and soccer.  He continues to like to play the piano and practices his songs often. He has really good rhythm and is good with singing. He likes the outdoors and hiking.  Favorite dinners are still tomato based Italian dishes. I feel like it’s common knowledge by now but I should still write that his favorite color is red.

He likes to watch sports with his dad.  In fact the other day he was told to go to bed before the game was over, which he did.  But the next day when he say Don he started talking about what he heard and what he thought might be going on on the TV.  Don then told him what really had happened.  He just couldn’t go to sleep knowing a game he wanted to watch was on, so he listened through the wall. He has a favorite team for every sport and honestly I don’t know what they all are. He does like the Utes, Jazz, RSL . . .

He does struggle to make friends but only because he doesn’t compromise well which is both good and bad.  This big kid is close to as tall as I am and has the same size of feet as me.

Jaron got his Webol, Arrow or Light, and Religious Knot

 For his birthday he chose to go to Dartside with a few friends!

Cute Things

Today I came up to see what Kayla was doing in her room. She was changing her babies diaper. She had out the wipes and everything. Girls are so different than boys.

Don made me a CD for Valentine's because he is awesome like that. One of the song talks about Superman. The first time Landon heard it he was really excited about Superman being mentioned in a song. I just briefly told him what the song was saying and that Daddy is our Superman. Now every time he hears the song he says, "It's talking about Dad!" and then proceeds to sing at the top of his lungs. He now requests Superman in addition to Melynda's favorite song (Human). It's nice to have some variety.

Eldon's cute thing? If I only choose one it would be his dancing. He has done awesome moves, and I don't mean that sarcastically. When asked a question he sometimes will answer me with a side step and jazz hands.

Bryson is the most tender hearted of the boys towards me. He is always trying hard to help me with cooking, deep cleaning, or just by being empathetic when I talk.

I think it is really cute when a brother tells a story about something that made them feel sad and he responds, "I know just how you feel," he then continues to tell how he can relate to them. He is growing up too much. He can carry on adult conversations and while that is awesome it makes me a little sad.

Don is the cutest of them all. He always kisses me before he leaves in the morning, if it wakes me I even get an I love you. It's the little things that make life great.

Jaron is 10

We had lots of fun celebrating Jaron.  This year we are allowing the children a certain amount of money to use for their birthday.  I also asked for no large friend parties.  With the restrictions given Jaron decided to purchase the Good Dinosaur, candy, and a book series that he wanted.  

The day started with room decorations. Don was on a business trip so he wasn't able to help me with the room decorations.  I think I did okay without him.  The boys love the surprise of waking up to decorations.  Don had taken Jaron to get the things for his birthday before he left so that he could be a part of the day. In the evening Jaron invited his best friend Wyatt from school to come join us for dinner and the movie.  Of course there was cake which he designed and loved.  The cake was wedding cake which is more dense. It uses almond extract and vanilla extract.  This is his favorite kind of cake I would say.  I added sprinkles to the batter to make it confetti.  The movie he actually didn't love.  He said it was too sad. But aside from that I think the day was a real success.

Jaron loves rigatoni and other tomato and pasta based dinners.

Jaron loves all things sports.  He loves to play video games and play actual sports.  The sport he is practicing most right now is soccer.  He plays it every day at recess.

Jaron is very responsible and able to take care of himself pretty much.  It's kind of odd to have children that are able to do this.

Jaron still has his young side though.  I notice in comparison to other children his age he is still really young at heart.  He doesn't like sad or suspenseful movies, but is able to handle them better than when he was young. He calls me mommy still and isn't embarrassed to give me a huge hug in front of others.

The Struggles of a Utah Ute fan

Jaron has turned into his father. Meaning he is a super Utah University fan.  The boys each get to do a special outing with Dad once a school year.  Jaron wanted to go to a Utah football game again this year.  Don thought that the game on the 11th would be a good one and told Jaron he would take him.  Then he started looking into tickets.  The tickets were more than we wanted to spend.  This created a huge problem.  The day before the game Jaron sat to breakfast and said,"I can't wait until tomorrow! I am soo excited to go to the game."  I felt it was best to break the bad news to him so I said, "Jaron, I have bad news.  Try and not get upset, but the tickets are too much and Dad won't be able to take you.  He is still looking, but it isn't looking good. I am so sorry son."  The look on his face broke my heart.  I hate the moments when I have to tell our kids something they don't want to hear. He tried to be brave but then ended up having to cover his face so he could cry.  Oh man, it was bad.  He kept trying to think of solutions, "How about we buy one ticket and I sit on Dad's lap."  Jaron continued to ask every time he saw me or Don if we had found any tickets yet.  He tried to explain to Don how you can go online and find tickets.  I told Jaron he could go to another game and that we would work something out another time.  His reply, "But it won't be Utah State playing them and I really wanted to see Utah State play football, I haven't ever seem them play before."
This story does have a happy ending.  Someone Don works with had an extra ticket and Aunt Lisa was nice enough to give up her seat this game so the boys could go. But I write this down because as a mother it was just one of those moments that I didn't want to forget.

Jaron is 9, WHAT?!

So there is this little boy that captured my heart 9 years ago.  I am so glad he chose to come to my family. 
Jaron is very good at following procedures and they rules.  Just this last new years he informed his brothers that "they would go to Hell" if they said that word again.  If he were president he would also make some very harsh laws regarding families and they way we treat each other.
Jaron is really good at math and reading, but he loves to learn about new things.  The books he reads must either be funny or informational.  He isn't really into the intense situations that come up in a lot of books.  He has always been very sensitive to conflict. 
Jaron is very talented with the piano.  Both teachers he has had have commented on how well he learns. He however does not like to play for others.  Along the same lines as this he is awesome at sports, but really doesn't like the pressure that comes with games. 
Jaron loves to play the Wii.  That is the one thing that if he looses his life is over as far as he knows.
Jaron loves Italian food.  He also loves McDonald's cheeseburgers.  His favorite meal that I cook is Rigatoni. 
Jaron's favorite candy bar is Twix. He likes ice cream more than cake. He also really likes suckers and gum.
Jaron's favorite primary song is "A Child's Prayer" and he likes all scripture stories.
Jaron loves scouts.  Especially when Dad works on it with him.
Jaron is very responsible and kind with his younger siblings.  He does a great job of making sure they stay safe when they play outside.
I am sure there is so much more I could tell about this amazing young man, but for now this will do.  We sure love him!

Jaron the Story Writer

One day my mom was making cookies and then suddenly robbers broke into our house and stole my mom and ran away. My dad was at work all day so my dad found a babysitter for us all day. Her name was Carly and she was really nice. We had some cousins at her house our cousins names where Max and Ellie. Me and Bryson had fun with Max while Eldon and Landon had fun with Ellie. Tell our dad came and got us from there house. We did not want to go so dad had to trick us to go home. The tricks never worked. THE END

Sunday Stories

The boys are loving computers and loving learning to type.  They wanted to practice typing Sunday and this is what they wrote.

Story

by Jaron Hughes

As dad ran away he got attacked by a cougar. Dad got killed by the cougar. Then mom came to see why dad was not coming back. Then mom discovered why dad was not coming back. Dad was dead. The cougar came out and attacked mom. Luckily mom had a soared. Mom cut the cougar in the heart. She got a car that was red. Then she dragged it back to the car. Then mom drove the cougar to the house. Then mom cooked the cougar and we ate the cougar.

                                  THE    END     

Story

by Bryson Hughes

Mom had 5 kids 1 was named jaron  2 was named Bryson 3 was named eldon  4 was named landon  5 was named Kayla .dad and mom both  care for us. We help our friends. Our family is a group of God.  I never will hit or kick.  We never drink alcohol.  My family loves everybody in the world.  We make people happy. 

Strenghth in Prayer

 While watching General Conference both Don and I were impressed by the following talk:
Parents: The Prime Gospel Teachers of the Children by Tad R. Callister

In the talk it talks about prayer being a strength.  The spirit prompted me, telling me that our family needed to improve on prayer.  We pray at meal time and do family prayer at night.  But I felt I was in fact sending my children to battle every morning without their armor.  That one was easily fixed.  We have started family prayer before the boys march off to school every morning.  But the second thing I felt I needed to teach our boys the strength that comes through prayer.  I talked with Don about how to do this.  He suggested that when the boys come to me with a problem I tell them to pray about it.  Simple enough.
Only a day or so later Jaron came to me because Smally, his very small bear, was lost.  Here it was the moment we had been waiting for.  I told Jaron that he should pray to Heavenly Father to help him find his bear.  He was a little nervous to do it himself so I prayed.  After, I told him to just sit still a minute and wait for an answer.  I was saying a little prayer that it would work, because I knew this was a crucial moment for Jaron. Would Heavenly Father answer his prayer? I explained that answers usually come to my mind in forms of pictures, showing me where the thing is I need to find.  He said, "No Mom, he is telling my heart."  I told him that is great and asked where his heart said it was.  He shrugged as if it was still a question and replied, "Under the bed?" I said if that is where he said it was we should look there.  So we pulled things out and looked.  Sure enough THERE IT WAS!! We then thanked Heavenly Father for helping us. The other boys were there and witnessed our little family miracle.  I could tell they were just impressed with Heavenly Father as Jaron was.
This is a great story in and of itself. But a few days later Don and I left the kids with his sister Stacie.  When we came back she had a cute story.  The remote to the TV was lost and we all know how important the remote is. The boys suggested that they pray to find the remote because it had worked to find Smally.  So Bryson knelt and prayed and then listened.  Sure enough he found it.
So friends I testify that God hears and answers prayers.  Even those of little boys looking for stuffed animals or remotes.
 

Jaron is 8

Jaron turned 8 on February 23^rd.  As I put in our family post this was hard one for me.  At this point he is accountable, all his mistakes are no longer on me and that really is a big step.  I hope I did good enough with the years I had to teach him.  I realize I will still be very influential but there is something about it being on his head that really gets to me. Sorry for the post coming so many days after his birthday, but it has been a rough few weeks at our house.

His birthday fell on a Sunday this year so the day before was the big celebration.  He chose to go see the Lego movie.  Max (my nephew) came with us so we had the 5 boys.  The movie was really cute and all seemed entertained by it.  Then we went to McDonald's for an early dinner.  They boys love playing there and had lots of fun.  The family fun days that they get to choose where to eat and an activity are something that they look forward to, along with designing their own cakes.   Jaron was really hands on with his cake this year and had a very specific idea in mind.  I love that I can do this for them and let them feel special.We ate his cake on his birthday while celebrating Olive and Jared's (Don's niece and brother) birthdays as well.

Jaron is 4’3.5” and weighs 50lb. about.  He is REALLY into sports.  He loves to watch all types and if he has to go to bed before a game is over he asks me to record it.  He likes to play them and as of right now wants to be a basketball player.  Sports is about 50% of what he talks to me about.  What he played at recess, what happened in a game . . . Besides sports he likes to play the Wii, Legos, and play outside.  He likes to sing and is really doing well at the piano.  His teacher is impressed with how fast he catches onto things.  In school he is good at math.  He is faster at solving the problems than I am. He has a quick mind and is very rule oriented (a little of both Dad and Mom). We sure love Jaron and I am so glad he came to our family.

Jaron's Baptism

 
Jaron Don Hughes was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on March 1st, 2014 by his father Don Eldon Hughes.The witnesses to his baptism were Tyson Barlow and David Hughes.

His baptism was just for him at the Stake Center in Santaquin,UT.  The service was held in the Chapel.  It was a very spiritual meeting.  The program went as follows:

Presiding:Bishop Wilson
Conducting: Brother Todd Heaps
Chorister: Dani Hughes
Pianist: Lynnette Hughes
Opening Song: "When I Am Baptized"
Opening Prayer: Lynnette Hughes
Talk on Baptism: Tyson Barlow
Musical Number: Melynda, Ericka, and Carlie Hughes
Talk on the Holy Ghost: David Hughes
Baptism and Confirmation
Closing Remarks: Wilson
Closing Song: "A Child's Prayer"
Closing Prayer: Melynda Hughes

We had talked with Jaron a lot about baptism the whole year leading up to the big choice.  The few weeks before his baptism we had him read scriptures and pray about the choice he was making and make sure that he felt right about what he was doing.  Jaron was so excited for his special day.  The whole time he was attentive and very energetic.  He says that going under the water was scary but he feels right about the choice that he made. 

Jaron's Testimony:
"I'd like to bear my testimony. I know the Church is true. I love family and know they love me.  I know Heavenly Father is real.  I know Thomas S. Monson is a prophet.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

Kid Sayings

So this last week we had a shooting in Santaquin.  The shooter was at large and later caught in Nephi.  When I told the boys Eldon responded, "The Nephites caught the bad guy?"  I told him no he was caught in the city of Nephi.  To which he went running away shouting, "Nephi caught the bad guys!"  A little confused but it made the sad day have a little humor.

While sitting at the table eating Landon was being extremely crazy.  I often ask the boys when they are really silly, "Where did you come from?" and the response is usually, "From heaven."  Answered with the attitude of that is a really dumb questions, we all know the answer.  But today it was answered by Jaron for Landon with, "From heaven. But probably the crazy side."  Really made me laugh.

Landon is 2

Landon Wenzel Hughes is 2!  For the first time I do not have a baby when one of my children turned 2.  The reason I say this I think it has played a key role in him having a terrible case of the terrible two’s.  Our baby who is very much not a baby is still treated like a baby in many ways.  He must have his way!  If he doesn’t get his way then there is some major temper tantrums ahead.  He is very fond of hitting, biting, and the latest . . . . pulling hair. Poor Eldon often takes the blunt of the abuse. With his childish flaws stated there is still much to be said for his cuteness and strengths.

Landon is very friendly usually.  He loves his Dad and uncles the most.  He loves to veg. on the couch with his Dad or Uncle Tyson and Aunt Karlee. 

Landon likes to do puzzles, dance, and sing.  He often combines dancing and singing.  I love to hear him try to sing.  His favorite songs are “I Am a Child of God,” “Twinkly, Twinkly Little Star,”  “The Itsy Bitsy Spider,” and “We Are a Happy Family.”

                 Landon is very skilled in climbing.  He uses his little mind to figure out how to get to what he wants then starts scooting chairs, boxes, and anything else he needs to reach his goal. Landon has successfully climbed over the side of his crib, but then doesn’t know what to do so he climbs back in. A big boy bed might be in the close future for him.

                 Landon loves sugar.  He will take candy over almost anything.  He doesn’t like meat and uncooked vegetables. He does eat both of those sometimes and likes cucumbers. He loves dairy but because he has a dairy intolerance we have to limit how much dairy he can have.  He loves most pasta dishes and doesn’t mind a little spice or sour flavor.  He will drink soda, but doesn’t like it too much.  The carbonation is too much for him. Favorite foods would include: Grapes, dried cherries, raisins, candy, pasta, cheese, and milk.

                 Landon likes sports.  He likes to watch, which is always accompanied by loud cheering, or play them.  He is very good at sports for his age.  He can catch, throw, and kick a ball fairly well.  This is good because he has a lot of energy that he needs to run off.  He very rarely walks anywhere.  He runs most of the time. Because of his activity level he doesn’t usually sit and watch anything for more than 30 min.

                 Landon likes animals a lot.  When he sees one he gets very excited and makes sure that we see them too.

                 Landon weighs 28 pounds and is 2’11” inches tall, which puts in him the 70% for weight and 60% for height. In addition to his dairy intolerance Landon also has eczema.  His speech is just were it should be. All in all he is a healthy guy.

                 Landon is such a cute little thing and we all love him to pieces.  We can’t imagine our family without this little guy to keep us on our toes and give us kisses.

Jaron's 7th Birthday

Jaron turned 7.  I can hardly believe that we have a kid that old.  Jaron’s birthday was a busy day but he had a lot of fun.  I decorate the house the night before while they are asleep so when they wake up there are balloons to play with.  So we start the day with that. I made waffles for breakfast & did his chores for him.  It is no fun to clean on your birthday!  Then I let them take a bath in the jet tub with the jets going. It really is like a swimming pool for them and they love to do it.  Only on special occasions though can I bring myself to let them use that much water.

There are a lot of February birthdays and we were happy to be a part of Olive’s 1^st birthday celebration.  But Jaron kept commenting that he couldn’t wait for it to be over so he could start his day.  Kind of rude, but it is hard to wait for things at that age. 

Then we were off to miniature golf with the Hughes/Gray clan right behind us.  Jaron was a little sad he didn’t get a whole in one this time, but still had fun.  It was a black light course so it was hard to get a good picture. The arcade games were really fun too and Jaron, Bryson, and Eldon all had their moments of glory when they got jackpots or really high wins, ticket wise. Jaron also got a higher score in the double shoot than Don, he was really proud of that.

McDonalds was for dinner and Jaron had cheeseburgers ONLY.  So super healthy.  We found a McDonalds with a play place and did that for a little bit. 

Last but not least was the party with cake, ice cream, and gifts.  He is a Lego builder right now and so that is what he asked for and got.  Aunt Stacie bought him a new basketball and shirt which was also a big hit because as of now he wants to be a basketball player when he grows up.

A word about the cake.  It is a big deal for them to choose what flavor and how it is decorated.  This year the request came that there had to be a standing basketball hoop.  I set out to make it eatable as well.  It is made of chocolate, life save, and bubble tape for the hoop.  

Jaron does well in school and likes math and social studies best.  He is an excellent reader.  Jaron is good at sports and extremely rule oriented. He enjoys building Legos and playing sports.  He is average height for his age and a healthy weight.  He is getting good a retelling scriptures stories and reads them very well on his own.

Jaron - 1st Grade

My little boy is growing up.  It is time for real school now.  He wanted me/Brittney Smith to walk him in for the first week but after that he was good to go.  His teacher just loves him and he is getting purple every day for above good behavior.  He says he always knows the answers and is paying attention so she has him move his clip up.  He is already making new friends while not forgetting the old ones. 
Jaron is kind of sad about the big move for one reason only, Jorja.  She is the sweetest little girl that was in his class last year.  He really got attached to her.  He wrote Jorja Flake a note today that he is going to give to her it says, "I will mis you Jorja.  I am so sorry that I have to moov.  I will nevr forget you Jorja."  Kind of makes me sad to read it, but he is excited to be close to family.  Let's hope he transitions to a new school ok.

Local Vacation

Landon loved the water!

Eldon spent his time at the splash pad trying to get other people wet.

Bryson is almost crying.  The pressure of diving was just too much for him. Poor thing.

Sometimes I just have to laugh when I look at the awesome pictures that we always come up with.

Don had the week of our anniversary off.  We decided to just stay around East Texas and do some things.  We had lots of fun on the day that we went to the splash pad, had a picnic lunch, went to Lego land, then to McDonald's for dinner with Kathleen's family.  It was a good day.

8 Year Anniversary

This year was no different than any other.  Don did all the right things.  He bought me a necklace that is the infinity sign but also . . . and 8.  We went to lunch and he bought me flowers.  That evening we played games together and laughed together. It was a good day.  
This year I did something kind of fun for me and I think Don enjoyed it too.  When I left home for college I stopped writing my daily life happenings and journaled only spiritual insights and that sort of thing.  So I didn't record meeting and marrying Don.  So this year I wrote about what I remember from the time that I left home until now.  It was a lot of work, but something that will be good to have in the future. Some of the days had a little gift.  The first day is pictured above with the sentence, "In the first year of marriage my true love gave to me . . . " and then the gift represented something from that first year.  So it was kind of like the days of Christmas starting 7 days before our anniversary.  The first year was divinity as a gift.  We have a picture of all of our children eating divinity the first time, that is why Landon is pictured. 
So 8 years has come and gone.  We have had our hard times but are really glad that we have each other.  True love is great!

J's last days of Kindergarten

Awards Day

Class splash day

Last Day of School 2012

So just like that his last day of school came and went.  It took me a half a year or so to adjust to my little guy being gone and I am so glad to have him home with us for the summer.  Jaron's report card was nothing but good news.  He had more than exceeded what needed to be done to go to 1st grade getting check pluses on everything.  His award this year was for "making the best choices" and being a good leader.  He really loves learning which is what I wanted him to come away with from kindergarten.  He loves math and science the most.  He is really good at both.  We were so blessed to have Nicole Parker as his teacher.  She really is so kind and patient.

Jaron is 6 years old

Birthday events:
Wake up to decorations
Donuts for breakfast
Dad takes McDonald's for lunch
Mom brings cupcakes for class
Go miniature golfing
Cici's pizza for dinner
Arcade games to follow dinner
Ice cream cake from Dairy Queen. Where he would live if he ran away.
Presents

All this = one super happy 6 year old! The boys really do look forward to planning their birthday all out what to eat, what to do, what kind of cake.



Who can believe I have a 6 year old? He has his fathers brain and skill in sports mixed with my emotions and motivation to be obedient. Watch out world that is one powerful mix!
He enjoys science, math, and social studies.
He is a very strong reader, but doesn't like it too much.
He is 3'11" almost.
Favorite food is pasta (pasta salad, spaghetti, Alfredo), defiantly likes Italian.
Likes to build with Legos.
He is a good hard worker.
Very good with Landon.
Tries super hard to keep rules and regulations.
Is a leader (this is what his teacher says)
He really is very talented in sports.
Favorite song is "I like to look for rainbows"
Favorite scripture story is Jonah and the whale. He can tell you what page it is on in the Bible reader for kids.
Favorite color is green, like Grandma Barlow. But on his birthday he said it was black and insisted the icing be black on his cupcakes for his class.

The more they grow the more you realize what great potential they will have. We are truly blessed to have him in our home.

I Can Be a Missionary Now

Another one of those moment that must be recorded happened the other night at scripture study. After we ready about the mist of darkness and the great and spacious building in 1 Nephi. The boys had questions about the "temptations of the devil." Our discussion lead to Jaron asking, "So who is going to win? Jesus or Satan?" To which I explained that Jesus was going to win the fight in the end. That if we kept hold of the iron rod and made good choices we too could be on the winning side. We talked about what the iron rod was. Jaron became very concerned, "But Mom, Logan is a baptist he doesn't have the Book of Mormon. I need to give him one so he can be on the winning side too." Logan is a friend at school. We are going to give Logan a Book of Mormon. We did talk about how not everyone might choose to join the church and all that.
I am proud of my little boy. It is moments like this that I think what I am doing day in and day out might not all be in vain. They are learning!

First Day of Kindergarten

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Jaron hanging out after school with Landon.

Bryson playing outside on Jaron's first day of school.

I can't believe our little boy is already going to school. The first week was really rough for both him and me. On the first day of school I walked him to class. When we got to his classroom I told him to go on in. He looks at me with panic in his eyes and said "But mom I just want you to come with me." I told him I couldn't and opened his hand and gave him a kiss to keep with him all day. The wait to be picked up also upset him. He would get in crying and say, "Mom it just takes too long." He would say he just wanted to stay home with me all day. By day 5 of school Jaron was totally fine with going and waiting to be picked up, but I still am having a hard time letting him be gone for so long. It will just take time for me to adjust to him being away all day. I look forward to weekends when my little boy can stay home with me.

Bryson had a rough first week too. He didn't have his best friend around to play with all day. Jaron and Bryson really are so close and fight very little. After school it is like a party every day, they just play until dinner. It is hard to get them to do their chores.
The second week of school I started school with Bryson and that has been helping a lot with him being so lonely. We do things most days to keep busy.

Eldon is doing okay with the change. He does ask where Jaron is a lot, but is not upset that he is gone.

Nothing is constant as change, too bad I don't deal with it too great.