Alden

Alden continues to be a pleasure to be
around.  I hope that his whole life he will be this way. He's just such a pleasant, happy, good-natured kid. He is so helpful with his brothers and is always willing to help me with them, especially with Jacob. Alden is also just losing his teeth. It's fun to hear his perspectives about the tooth fairy. It seems that our tooth fairy has much of the forgetfulness that his mom and dad have. We recently learned that even the tooth fairy keeps the Sabbath Day holy. She doesn't collect her teeth on Sunday. Unfortunately on that go round she didn't collect the tooth the following Monday or Tuesday either. Fortunately, on Wednesday, she stopped by and paid Alden for his tooth. What a forgetful tooth fairy!!! I don't remember her being so forgetful when I was younger.

Alden continues to impress me. A while back, his teacher told him that he could do a report on a famous person. He decided that he wanted to do his report on Joseph Smith. He worked really hard on it and did a phenomenal job. He got 57 out of 50.

Alden has also done really well with music. He had a music performance with the second graders and was chosen as a dancer. This was something Alden was not thrilled about, however. I kept prodding him about what he was going to do, and he kept dodging the question. Finally on the day before the performance he told me that he would have to dance with a girl. I told him that I didn't think that was so bad. Then he said in an embarrassed and quiet voice, "But Mom.... (extended studder and pause)...I (insert painful sigh) have (insert another painful pause) to hold (insert a paralyzing grimace and sigh) her haaaaand." He told Michael on their way there that he was really hoping that he'd be sick the day of the performance.

The thing I'm most pleased about with Alden musically is all that he's done on the piano as of late. He started lessons in September, but his piano teacher moved in November. He was really getting into it, so I was really hopeful that I would be able to find someone quickly. I talked to his school teacher, Mrs. Hempleman, who recommended a couple people that she had heard of. I called one and she said she'd take him that week. She is incredible! In March, she told us that she was going to do a piano recital in May and gave Alden two difficult pieces for a beginning pianist. She said that she wanted to push him a little. With some dedicated practice, Alden has memorized both pieces and plays them beautifully. He auditioned for his school talent show with one of the pieces about two weeks ago (he'd only had the pieces for three weeks at that point). I meant to send the music with him to school, but being the forgetful mom that I am, I totally spaced it. I didn't realize it until he got home, and I felt terrible. I really wanted him to audition and figured that he wouldn't be able to without the music. He told me that it wasn't a big deal and that he still auditioned. I asked him what he played, and he told me that he played his piece that he'd been practicing. I was really puzzled and told him that he didn't have the music. He said, "I know, Mom. I played it from memory." I was shocked and a little embarrassed. I figured it must have been pretty bad and asked him to play it for me. That crazy kid sat down and played the song from start to finish without hardly a mistake. I couldn't believe it. When he has his recital, I'll post a video of it here--I'm going to be a better blogger.

Anyway,  Alden is in a good groove right now. I'm really proud of who he is. He's smart, he's funny, and he tries so hard to do what is right. I couldn't be more blessed to have him as my oldest son.