Kami......Who?

Tim and I were given a homework assignment from Kami's literacy teacher. I wanted to document the final paper.

Kami…Who?

Who is Kamryn Alexis Yantz (Kami) in one million words or less? This is truly a difficult parental assignment. It is inspiring to witness the growth and development of each individual child, but to put those observations into words can be a little challenging. I am confident that the words I share will fall short in capturing the true individual that will undoubtedly make you think, smile, laugh, and experience a true heart-felt love for others…and did I say laugh.

Kami is the 3rd installment of four children. She has been blessed with a large family. Peighton, her older sister, is a senior at East High. Coltin, her older brother, is a freshman at East High. And Nolan, her younger brother, is in 3rd grade at Nicholasville Elementary. Our family is not complete unless we also include Zoey, the family dog, and Kitty, well…the family cat. Kami is currently 10 years old. She started school early, but has always seemed to excel academically. Kami has lived all 10 years of her life in Nicholasville, so this is definitely home to her. Now that we have addressed all the statistical data surrounding Kami, we must press on to answering the real question.

Kami started pre-school as a shy little girl that would hide behind her mommie’s legs in hopes that no one would speak to her. She didn’t talk much outside of our home, in fact, she got her “clipped moved” in preschool for NOT saying Bingo. Her pre-school picture is a family favorite as it shows a sweet little girl with her hands in front of her face trying to hide. She has slowly developed into a confident young lady, who displays various strengths depending on her environment. I suspect as she enters middle school with new and unfamiliar faces that Kami feels the urge to take in her new surroundings…quietly observing her boundaries and yet searching for new adventures.

Kami has been blessed with a curious mind. She seldom accepts one answer without thinking of another question to ask. Kami loves a good challenge and can get excited about learning new things. She also has a great imagination that allows her to be creative and especially keeps things interesting.

Kami has been blessed with a contagious smile. Very seldom do you ever find Kami without a smile on her face. All it takes is one quick glance and you find yourself smiling back at her. It is truly one of her many gifts. Along with the smile, comes an uncontrollable urge to laugh. She can be very silly and quick witted, but that part of her personality only shines when she is very comfortable with her surroundings.

Kami has been blessed with a maternal instinct to love others. Kami is drawn toward toddlers, and especially babies. She has the desire and ability to entertain and care for children of all ages. Kami also displays this same love to students and peers with special needs. Kami is a helper and protector of these special spirits. She loves to celebrate their achievements and will spend countless hours to ensure she made just one special moment for friends.

Kami has been blessed with a competitive spirit. She often expects perfection in everything she does. Kami wants to win, but she also understands, to achieve her goals, she must be willing to practice and put forth extra effort to be successful. Kami loves soccer, practicing the piano, and singing. Kami can be her own worst critic, but also celebrates with a job well done.

I know the views I express are a little biased. But I challenge you to take the time to get to know her and watch her continue to grow and develop, right before your eyes. I promise you that there will be a moment when you think, smile, observe a true heart-felt love, and most of all laugh. Hope you have a great year with Kami.



Tim and Mariah Yantz

A Sweet note about a Sweet Girl

One of the blessings of staying in the same place for so long is, all your kids go to the same elementary school and you get to know all the teachers really well. They become not only your children's mentor's, but dear friends as well. You become to trust these wonderful people with your most precious gifts. Even though I didn't grow up here, I have a great love for this place we call home. Over the last 10 years, I have made many dear friends with the teachers and staff at Nicholasville Elementary. Some have retired or moved on, but they will forever be remembered by our family. I am friends with several teachers on FB and one of them took the time out of her very busy life, to send me a quick message that made my night. The message was this:

I just wanted to let you know how precious your daughter was at recess today. She was tossing a football with a boy who had obvious difficulty catching and throwing. When most kids would have walked away, she stayed there and kept playing with him. She didn't seem to care what anyone thought of her playing with this boy. She made his day I am sure. Just thought you should know. It's things like that that make parents proud...even more so than an A. Have a great night :)

It's moments like this that make me proud to be a mom. Make me know without a shadow of a doubt that I was put here on Earth to mold and teach my children. At times it is really difficult and we question ourselves as to if we are doing things right. We feel guilty about things that are out of our control but wish we could change or make better.

As I struggle with my sweet Kami on a daily basis about her attitude or tone of voice, or whatever it may be, things like this little note, help me to know that she is indeed a beautiful child inside and out. Her sweet, caring, and loving heart, sees no shame in being a friend to a child that may not be with the "in crowd", or may look or act a little different than others. In fact, she takes pride in calling them her friends. Makes me have the hope that the things I teach her, really DO stick, and are molding her into a beautiful young lady.

I Love you my dear Kami and am so very proud of you today,tomorrow, and always!

Integrity: defined by Peighton

It's the Integrity That Counts.
Integrity: The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness; so to break it down, being honest and always doing what is right. We all know that this is a lot easier said than done. Integrity is something we should all find important and strive to achieve. It’s something you have to work towards; most aren’t born with it. So in order to achieve this so called “integrity” you have to really want it, and be willing to work for it. Honesty has always been important to me throughout my entire life but that definitely doesn’t mean I haven’t told my share of lies, everyone has. But it takes a person with strong morals to actually own up to their lies and tell the truth.

When I think of integrity, the first person that comes to mind is my great grandmother. She actually passed away three years ago this thanksgiving, and I have yet to stop thinking about her. She will forever be my role model. I have so many memories of her and in all of them I never once remember her being dishonest or doing the wrong thing. But I do have one specific memory with her that I’ll never forget. One weekend, I was staying at her house and we were going to go grocery shopping. When we got there, I noticed a raggedy old man standing by the door holding a sign that read “Will Work for Food.” I, being pretty young at the time, pointed at him and before I noticed what i was doing my grandmother knocked my hand back down by my side and told me it wasn’t polite to point. We continued into the store and proceeded to shop for groceries. As we walked throughout the store, I noticed my grandmother was particularly quiet, which was a very rare thing. She always loved talking to strangers and giving me lifelong lectures. I always thought her lectures were long and boring back then, but what I wouldn't do to have her sit me down and lecture me today. As we were checking out as I asked her if she was okay. I can still remember her exact words, “I can’t stop thinking about that man. I’m sure he’s had a rough life and if he had the chance he’d do it all over again but differently.” I didn’t understand why back then, but when we walked back out of the store she walked over to the man handed him twenty dollars and said, “Use it like you know you should,” and simply walked to the car. When I think back to it now, I have never witnessed anyone besides my great grandmother giving a homeless person twenty dollars. Most people these days say “They deserve it; they got themselves into this mess,” which could be true. But do we really know that? And even if it is true, who are we to judge them? My great grandmother never did, and I don’t plan to. Why, because I want to be like her. She was a strong-willed woman with strong morals and was always honest.

To me, my grandmother was integrity.

Working Mom

I have taken on a long term subbing job at East Jessamine Middle School. I am now an official working mom. I now have a new found admiration for working moms. I am happy to have this unexpected income and opportunity BUT..........I AM EXAUSTED and MY HOUSE IS A WRECK!!

I am From...

I came across this saved poem that Peighton wrote when she was in the 4th grade. (Well I say 4th, but she argues that she was in the 6th!) I copied it on to my blog so that I can print it out in my book(that I WILL print out this year!!).

I am from kids screaming, dog barking, and mom’s home cooked meals.
Shopping for fun and finding great deals

I am from macaroni and cheese
And Chinese food if you please.

I am the oldest of the four
And to think, we might have more!!!

Wiggles and giggles and lots of laughs,
And every evening our daily baths!

I am from vacations in the sun
And a family that loves to have fun.

Family reunions with uncles and aunts,
Grandma’s and Grandpa’s in polyester pants.

Goals for the girls and home runs for the boys
Cheering for each other with lots of joy.

I am from strong family values and daily prayers
Reading my scriptures and parents who care.

People might say that I have it all
I would have to agree on that call.

The theme of this poem is my family and me
We support each other that is easy to see.

There is no other place I would rather be
2 brothers, a sister , and parents who love me.

by Peighton Yantz

Few quick things I need to document

So I have had this saved as a draft for a while now. Decided to publish even though it is incomplete. -I do NOT need to wear the same sweatshirt as my oldest daughter(even if it isn't the same color) it is "just embarrassing!" -This has been the coldest winter(that I can remember) since I have lived in KY.(20 yrs) Ok, so maybe I am just getting old, but ENOUGH already!! -My 12 year old 7th grader is VERY intelligent. He makes straight A's and still can maintain a social life! -My baby boy "loves me with a burning passion!" -Kami has decided at the young age of 9, that she wants to play soccer in college. -I only have 133 days until my oldest child will be 16 and driving! -After 17 years, I still know without a doubt, that I have the most AMAZING husband EVER!! -I may have "empty nest syndrome" now that my baby goes to school ALL day! -Nolan "Mom, I don't want a bun with my hotdog." Me-"You need to eat the bun because that's where all the vitamins are." Nolan-"What are the vitamins for?" Me- "to make you grow." Nolan-"I don't want to eat them then because it hurts my legs when I grow!'"

Christmas Eve 2010

We were blessed this year to have beautiful white snow fall on Christmas Eve!! I just stood outside for a few minutes and enjoyed the beauty and peacefulness of it.

Our Christmas Eve tradition is to have a family dinner and then the children get to open 2 gifts a piece. They are now at the age where they know that these consist of 1. Christmas pajamas and 2. an ornament. They then put on their jammies and hang their ornament on the tree while I take pictures.

This one if our "family" ornament for 2010!

The pictures aren't really clear but this year's ornament theme let the kids know who my "favorite" was!! :)

Zoey always enjoys laying under the tree and watching the kids unwrap!!

Nolan showing off his new jammies!

Grommie made our night even more special by spending it with us! She is watching as the kids set up our new Wii game "family game night". I have to say I was really excited about playing games like, Twister, Life, Yahtzee, and Mouse Trap until I realized playing them on the Wii is NOTHING like playing in real life. I definitely prefer the live versions!! But we still had a great time playing.

The biggest hit of the night was by far the Wii Glee Karaoke that Nolan and Kami picked out for their big sister! EVERYONE took a turn and LOVED it!!

Coltin really got into it!!

We also were able to do some service during the Holidays. We have a neighbor family whose youngest child has leukemia and has been in the hospital for several weeks. Her mom stays with her and that leaves Dad and the other 3 children at home to fend for themselves. We decided to take a meal to them to lighten their load.