Cousins and Concert

We had a week full of cousins!  I have always felt so lucky to live near my family.  My  mom makes dinner for us every Sunday.  My kids look forward to this all week!  When my mom got called as the Stake Young Women’s President one of the ways we helped “lighten her load” was by taking turns cooking one Sunday per month for her.  Last Sunday it was our turn.  I am never sure what exactly goes on when the kids are playing together!  Our presentation this week was hilarious!

Again, not exactly sure but I love it!!  Please take not of Samantha’s face!!!

During the week we were able to have Reagan and Hunter on Tuesday night, Wednesday and Thursday morning while Samantha went on her “one on one” with her parents!  I absolutely loved having the Watrins over.  Reagan is my cohort in crime when it comes to watching endless hours of the Food Network.  Needless to say, after spending two nights staying up late they kids were pooped!

On Friday night Mountain Crest played in the State Championship game.  Taylor has been part of the “pre-teen” crowd that walks that track during football games!  Those of you who went to MC know exactly what I am talking about.  Anyway, my cousin Troy is one of their best players and Taylor truly feels like a super star and brags often about being related.  She came home the day before the State Championship game and said one boy in her fifth grade class asked her if “Troy is really as tall in real life as he looks when he is playing football.”  HOW FUNNY!!   We have went to several games this year and I have really enjoyed it. 

On Friday, Taylor and I (Jord opted to stay with her dad), Grandma and Grandpa and the Watrin family headed to Salt Lake.  Unfortunately, Troy got a concussion on an incredible catch very early on in the game.  Unfortunately, he was never able to return to play in the State Championship game.  Unfortunately, Mountain Crest lost in over time. Fortunately, despite all of that it was an incredible evening!  Fortunately Mountain Crest showed incredible class!  Fortunately, not one player from Mountain Crest did anything that wasn’t absolutely admirable! Fortunately, we were able to remind our kids the lesson of close family.  When Troy was hurt he kept looking in the stands for his family.  On several occasions the coaches pointed out his mom and he would wave and she would wave back.  By the end of the game his brother Brian had left the stands and was standing on the side line next to him.  When your are down you need your family even more!

  

Taylor and Hunter during over time.  They had a blast!  We also got to watch the Caprielle’s dance which was an added bonus!  My sister in law is the coach and puts in countless hours to make them look SO good!

On Saturday Taylor had a violin/piano recital.  She has been taking from Rachelle Cook Jones and we love her!  With Rachelle’s help Taylor has improved on the violin SO much!  Taylor sounded great and I love the “young lady” she is turning into.   Thank you to Grandma, Jeff, Jord and Mitchy for coming! 

 

Oh and P.S. about Taylor growing up..  She shaved her legs the other day… Without my knowing.  She is such a rule driven girl she told her before she even got out of the tub!  Good thing to because they were patchy..  to say the least!!!  Where does time go?

Youth 2000 Leadership Conference

Last Monday Taylor and her Youth 2000 group went to a leadership conference in Provo.  I reluctantly offered to drive thinking it was a chance for me so spend time with Taylor.  I think it is SO important for me to get to know all of her friends and I felt like this was a way I could do so.  However, it turned out to be one of the most powerful, fun experiences in memory.  20 of her classmates went down and the conference was excellent.  We left Mendon at 6:00 a.m. and go back to Wellsville around 6:00 p.m. and I loved the entire time. 

The overall message  was so powerful.  Here are a few ideas that stuck with me the most:

Popularity ends on yearbook day, respect goes on forever.

Do the right thing, even when it’s hard and other don’t respect you for it.

Your first priority it to be nice.

Life is hard!  Get used to disappointment and if you make it a point to learn from disappointment you will become a better person.  Love others through their disappointment.

Learn to let go of things.

You are your own magic wand. 

Resist temptation and don’t give into “illusions.”   They told the story of a deadly snake who deceived his master into picking him up promising worldy reward.  When the master picked up the snake the deadly snake bit him.  The snake  then said to the master “you knew what I was when you picked me up.”

Don’t EVER get involved with drugs or alcohol. 

I could go on and on.  I truly wanted to stay longer to soak up the good feeling!!

Here are a few photos:

 

The bottom left photo is with John Bytheway!  He is an excellent speaker and I felt so blessed that the kids all got to hear him.  What an incredible day that I will not soon forget!!

The follow Monday the Youth 2000 did an assembly for the school.

Bands of America 2010

Taesha just finished her last high school marching band competition!  I cried yesterday both times she marched.  She is such a talented trumpet player and marching band has been such a rewarding experience!  Taesha has marched for Sky View for 3 years and this year, her Senior year, was phenomenal!  Sky View placed well all year.  They won the overall competition at ISU and ended this year by being Regional Qualifiers at BOA and took 5th in the regional finals.  That is the best placement by Sky View EVER! 

Yesterday we got to spend the day sitting in 75 degree sunny weather in St. George. 

I love band kids! I love that 100 silly teenagers can produce a show that brings adults to tears!  I love that they love music!  I love the positive influence they are one each other!  I love band parents.  They are down to earth, excellent individuals that I would choose to spend time with any day!  It is a rule that a band director can’t be on the playing field during the competition!  I love to see the band director walk his kids onto the field and then they take over.  The hope is they worked hard enough, learned enough and can perform well!  Much like life!

I am sad to see marching band come to an end and am grateful that I got to be the “mother figure” to Taesha as she would say.  Grateful that she has blessed my life and made me proud beyond words.  Grateful that she provided this example to the younger kids and I hope some day they too join marching band!  

Last night when Mr. Beach “dismissed” the kids he had the Seniors stand in the middle of the cheer.  Among other things they said were the words “with pride.”  T, I hope that you are so proud of your accomplishments with band over the past 3 years.  It is a culmination of 1000’s of hours of work.  Work in the hot sun, sleeping on gym floors with not enough to eat!  Proud that you so valiantly finished what you started!  Proud to be part of such an amazing group of kids!  T, I hope that you are proud that your work touched other people and certainly gave me memories and friendships I will never forget!

I love you Taesha Rain you are 1 in a million… NO 1 in a trillion!  Congratulations Taesha and Sky View!!

More Halloween…

Halloween NEVER ends.  By the time Saturday rolled around and it was time for the traditional “Trick-or-Treat” my kids were tired of putting on their costumes.  Good thing that only lasted for a second.  But before that… 

We spent Friday at school having parties.  Here is Taylor right before heading to school.

She seemed to have a great party!  I was in charge of Jordan’s class party so I didn’t get to see Taylor at her school party!

We had a great time in Mrs. White’s 1st grade class.  We ate spiders, drank witch’s brew, make ghosts that fly, heard fun stories and played great games and every child got a costume award.

I love 1st graders.  They are still so sweet and cute.  Check out AJ on the far right, his mom is SO into Halloween thus his incredible costume.   On the bottom left if Jordi’s incredible teacher Mrs. White.  We are so blessed that Jordan is able to spend 6 hours a day with her!  Also on the bottom right is little Cade.  His dad’s family was close family friends of ours and he just delights me!  He has all the fire of his dad and I love it!

On Saturday we made caramel apples.  There is a story behind that.  Samantha wandered over to me a few weeks ago during Sacrament meeting.  She sat on my lap and said “I sure wish I could have a caramel apple.  I have never been able to taste one.  Have you?”  Well from that ensued our plan to make caramel apples.  Mitchy was here and it turned out to be a really big, really fun project!

Hunter dipped apples with us but we never got him in a photo!  The kids had fun and the apples were delicious.  I definitely had a sugar hang over on Sunday.

We didn’t get many, OK any of Trick-or-Treating or the party at grandma’s house.  The kids had a great time going door to door and then we went to grandma and grandpa’s had pizza, ate more apples, worm desert, witch’s brew and had a fish pond.  I stole these photos straight from Kim’s blog.

Overall we had a great week! 

 

Mitchy:  Soldier

Jordan:  Bat or Witch depending on her mood!

Taylor:  Sumo 

When she got home she said:  Brytan and I have decided that next year we are going to be something cute and glitzy.  We are going to be girl pirates!  What a great friend!  Needless to say Taylor was done being,  well being…  a sumo.  She was ready to go back to pink, earrings and skinny jeans!!