Our songbirds!

The girls had their musical performance last Saturday. They did Seuess! by their director, Corrie. It was so cute and the girls did a wonderful job! Amanda was a Cat in the Hat narrator and delivered her lines beautifully! We were so proud of her. She had a lot to memorize and we didn't get to help her much. Sydney was very cute as a Who and a Sneetch. We had great family and friend support and are grateful to all that could come on Saturday to support our girls. The grandparents, Rachel O & her girls, Holly H and her kids, Rog & Coze, and Syd's friend, Hannah, all came for the matinee. Sydney's friend, Justin, came for the night performance and after we shared shakes at 'Jakes'.

The girls together...Amanda in the green sunglasses and Sydney kneeling in front of her.

My camera's battery went dead and so I didn't get great pictures, but you get the gist of it! We are proud of you, girls!The whole cast!

We Love Pres. Hinckley

We, as a family, are so saddened by the passing of our beloved prophet,

President Gordon B. Hinckley

Yet, we know of the sweet reunion that is occuring on the other side of the veil.

We have had opportunities to see and hear President Hinckley in person. Our kids have been a few feet away from him and been able to wave and receive his return wave and smile. What a beautiful opportunity our children had to be so close the prophet. I even rode in an elevator with him once, and I was so surprised to see him there, that I was completely tongue-tied!

There are not words to describe what he has done for our faith. His life will not be able to be briefly summed up. He was an amazing man and servant of our Heavenly Father. Whenever I would hear him speak in Conference, he had a way of making you feel good about what you are and what you are doing. Our religion is strict and there are many times I feel guilty about the things I'm not doing, but I would always feel great and renewed after hearing from

President Hinckely.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.

He will be greatly missed by our family.

Life According to Sydney

Sydney: Mom, you know what I want for my birthday?

Mom: What, Syd?

Sydney: One of those machines that gives you money!

Mom: An ATM?

Sydney: Yep, an ATM!

Mom: Me, too!

Go Jazz!

Mikey called me on Thursday afternoon and said that he could get the girls into a Jazz clinic with Matt Harpring that afternoon. So, I got them out of school a little early and took them down to Mike's work. They were excited, even though they didn't quite know what they were getting themselves into. They got to play at the Jazz practice facility and were told that they have only let 2 other groups play on that floor.....no one but the Jazz gets to play on that floor! Pretty cool!

They had a great time and Amanda did great even though she hasn't played basketball before!

Sydney was Sydney and didn't play until the very end of the 2 hour event.

She did think Matt was cute, though.

The girls got their Jazz t-shirts signed by Matt and wore them to school the next day. Many of the boys were jealous! What a great show-n-tell! Thanks, Dad, for a fun afternoon!

My Baby Isn't a Baby Anymore!

Oh my goodness! The girls are at their singing practice and so Brandon decided that he wanted to go play with Taylor, who lives 2 houses down. I called my friend, Nicole, and asked if he could come play and also invited her kids down. It was all good, so I got Brandon's coat on and walked him to the door. He promptly turned around and said, 'You not help me, Mom' which meant I'm not supposed to walk him down to his friend's house! He stopped one more time on the front porch steps, told me the same thing...I told him I was going to watch him walk down....he said, 'Ok' and off he went!

He got to Nicole's front steps, stopped and yelled out, 'Nicole!' I yelled down to him, 'Go ring the doorbell' which he did and I could hear Taylor welcoming him to his house and saying, 'Let's go play!' Oh my.....we've reached another milestone! I'm sad! He's not a baby anymore!

I Won! I Won! I Won!

So, my girls saw the Tuesday Trivia prize on this show, which was ski package to Snowbasin Ski Resort, and said, "You have WIN that!" So, I went the computer and entered and

lo and behold....I WON!!!

The crazy thing was I had scheduled a group piano lesson for today at 10am! Nicea called at about 20 minutes to 10a, told me the question and told me to call them back at 9:59a! I'm thinking...I'm going to have a piano room full of kids by then! My students started showing up and I was calling into the station and it was ringing, and ringing, and ringing and ringing. Seriously for about 5 minutes and I thought I was going to lose my prize! I started my group lesson which was having each student play their recital pieces for their peers. Finally, the girl answered, transfered me to the 'sound guy' and I waited for the ladies to talk to me!

Now the really bad thing is my TV didn't record the show! I was so bummed! Of all the days...I really wanted to see if I sounded like a dork! I had some friends call me and say that they had heard me and I sounded great and they were so excited for me to win! Fun way to start the day!

Since the girls are out of school again today (some quality teaching day or something), we are going to take a little road trip to the city! Ciao!

I didn't even know it was supposed to snow!

Or, I would have been nervous when Mike left this morning at 5am to go to the airport. Turns out, he sat on the runway (why do they always load the plane and then make you sit? I actually think it has to do with 'on-time' stats and they are on-time if they leave the gate) for 2 HOURS because of the snow! Not a fun start to your Monday morning!

The girls and neighbor, Larsen, sledding down Larsen's front steps, onto a skateboard ramp, and eventually on top of each other!

The kids and I had a better start! NO SCHOOL! And then, it SNOWED! We got about 4 inches and it's still snowing. Not too bad, unless your snowblower runs out of gas (we have gas, it's just not mixed) and you have to shovel the rest of the driveway. Mike felt so bad that I had to do that, but it's actually theraputic. The kids have been out sledding, playing Amazing Race (love that show), and I shoveled until I had to rescue Brandon from the deep and bring him in to warm up! We've had a great snow year and I'm just glad we didn't have to be anywhere today.

I am sorry Mike had to!
An update on our skiing weekend. The girls and Mike skied again Saturday and loved it! Mike and Sydney just skied together. After a minor adjustment with the 'edgy wedgy' (a band that goes on the tips of the skis to keep them together and has nothing to do with underwear), and Mike having to ski fast to catch Sydney when she 'skied outta control' on the bunny hill, they had a great day! The girls never want to leave! I'm so glad they are loving it!

You know it's a bad week when....

I have a close friend who is going through a miscarriage right now. In addition, her hubby had taken her oldest skiing and left her with their 3 year old who is having a 'clean-out your colon' time because she was sooooo constipated. Not a good picture, huh. So, I thought I would make her some soup for dinner.

As you know, we have had an interesting week with the dog, stitches, girls missing school, Mikey business trip, sickness and then the normal stuff. Yesterday, both girls had gone to school all day (finally), and after they got home I had Amanda help me get Brandon down for a nap by laying on my bed with them and having him watch Amanda play the DS (it was early out Friday, so still a good napping hour). Within minutes he was snoozing and since Brando and I are sharing a terrible cold, I relaxed for a minute. Well, it was too long of a minute and my soup on the stove had boiled over! This is what I saw when I came back into the kitchen. Please witness my worst cooking mess ever. Look closely and see the burnt soup around the pot. Who knows how long it had been this way. And the smell! UGH! I hope the soup tasted better than the burnt smell we had in the house!



Thanks to my wonderful husband for cleaning the stovetop. He had gone skiing with some guys in the ward and when he got home, it looked like a bomb had exploded at our house! (And not just because of the soup disaster). We were lucky enough to leave the mess for the night and go out with the kids and Westenskows and we had a great time! We went to Iggy's for dinner and then watched the funniest movie at their house while the kids played with Eva's ginormous doll house! I was so grateful that Mikey stayed up with me after we got home to clean up a bit!

So, now that he's skiing with the girls this morning, Brando and I are on a cleaning mission! I'm ready to put this week in the books and start a fresh one! Soup anyone?

Bye-bye Mater - We love you!

We've had an interesting last 12 hours. Last night, Brandon wouldn't go to sleep. So, Mike and I were in our room watching DVR'd American Idol and Brandon was in his room playing. About 10pm, the dog left our room and soon we heard a terrible growl that made Mike and I jump to run into Brandon's room. As soon as we were on our feet, the screams from Brandon started! I guess Mater had scratched him, but it was bad enough for stitches. Mater has always picked on Brandon, nipping him, drawing a little blood sometimes, but this was bad....and the last straw. As soon as we saw the wound, Mike said, 'This dog may have to go.' Ditto from the Mommy.

We knew this would devastate Amanda and upset Sydney. But, because Brandon required medical attention, the triage nurse told me that they had to contact Animal Control. Then, if Mater becomes a repeat offender (something we feel might happen to Brandon), they would put him down.


Now, if you ever want to sell something or in this case give something away free, put it on KSL Classifieds! We had a call within an hour from a gal in W. Jordan wanting to come up right now to see him.(This happens everytime we sell something there). This started the hysteria from our kids and so I called Mike home for back-up. The little family is darling. Three kids who couldn't get a dog unless it was free according to their Dad's rules. Everytime they would call on the free dogs, they would already be gone. We kind of felt that they were just needing to wait for Mater. We showed the gal Brandon's neck and warned her that he's not all potty-trained. Then, Mike asked them to wait in their car while we said good-bye. Although it was a tear-fest, I feel like it was the right thing to do. We have to protect our kids. Amanda also said she knows it's the right thing, but she's sad. Sydney wanted to go get a new dog 2 minutes after Mater was gone.

A picture of the funeral!
We feel so bad that we had to give him away, but what can you do? We've had a quiet, sad day, but tomorrow will be better (I purposely didn't say the sun will come out tomorrow!)

Find your personal DNA

This was kinda fun!

http://www.personaldna.com/

I'm an Encouraging Designer

Snowbunnies!

Snowbunny, Sydney on her first day skiing!

Since Amanda is completely loving her ski school, Sydney decided she wanted to go (that or the fact her current crush, Justin, is also taking ski lessons). So, Mike took her up yesterday (Saturday) and put her in the beginner class. First, she had a meltdown. This is pretty typical Sydney. You have to talk her down from her hysteria and tell her it's her last chance to go. Most people say, you should just leave her (at ski lessons, school, dance or getting her ears pierced), but that does not work with this child. The trick is having patience long enough to get her to go and 'try' the new thing. Anyway, Mike got her to stay in the class and guess what? SHE LOVED IT! We always knew she would be able to do it. She's very coordinated and athletic, it's just whether she WILL do it. Mike stayed and watched her today instead of skiing with his buddies and he said she was the best skier in her class! He was really impressed! Sydney even went on a lift today!

Pizza..
French fries......

Amanda is loving skiing! We tell her it's because she has Norwegian blood on both sides! She loves the story that her great-grandfather was in the first group of Norwegian skiers, which included Alf Engen, that brought skiing to Utah. Anyway, when her lesson was over, she and her friend wanted to ski more and so Mike let them up on the lift a couple more times by themselves! Then, her friend was tired and Amanda wanted to go again, so she did all by herself! She like to go in the trees and do jumps. I told her I always liked that, too. The funny part is that Mike doesn't like to ski in the trees and he is an awesome skier! Our sledding dog. He was actually trying to stay 'afloat' since the snow is so deep!

Even though they were tired when they got home, they wanted to go sledding. We live in the flatlands and so we decided to build a little hill in the backyard! This was fun for awhile and then we decided to get their skis on and let them practice their balancing. This went on for a good long time until I got tired of 'helping' them up the ski hill (helping means lifting or pushing them up!). We had a great time until Sydney lost it. I forget that if she doesn't eat at regular intervals, she gets crazy. She was throwing the biggest fit that I was sure the neighbors would call the cops. When we figured out the problem, we all came in to warm up and get some food in Sydney.

I was really grateful for the time to spend with the girls just playing. It seems I'm the one that has to keep the schedules going, nag them to get their chores done, get dressed, feed the dog, etc. that sometimes I forget to just play. Even though the dry cleaning didn't get picked up, dinner didn't get made, the dishes weren't done and Brandon didn't get a nap until 4pm, it was worth every minute! I love you, girlies

On another note, I played the piano in Sacrament meeting today! This is the first solo I have done in probably 20 years! I was really nervous and shaky, but I made it through and I was grateful for the members that sought me out to thank me for playing. I was so nervous about this today, that when I was passing the water tray back to the Deacon, I hit the bench in front of me and spilled a bunch of water in the aisle! What a day! I'm just glad it's done!
One more note, my friend, Sharon's mom died this week. I was fortunate to be able to go to the funeral and hear her speak (thanks to Elise for tending Brandon). Then, the Jeni's and I were also fortunate to take she and her family dinner today. I was grateful for the fact that I felt we were doing something useful and helpful for them. They are such wonderful people and are raising such great boys! I feel grateful today for getting to have her as my friend.

HSM Sing It!

We have 3 little ones practicing to become Pop Stars! Our HSM Sing It game came in the mail and the kids couldn't wait to take a try! Mike joined in the fun. They kept telling me I had to try, but I couldn't ever get the mic away from them!
Amanda and Sydney's kept getting "A's" for their scores!

Brandon singing his favorite song! "Getcha Head in the Game!" It was very fun to watch our sweet kids belt it out!

Ok, and this next picture may seem weird, but I wanted to remember this when our kids are bigger. After I get the kids out of the bath, they always leave these little footprints on the towel I set them on. I love going back in to straighten the bathroom and have these sweet little feet remind me how fun and cute our kids are!

Photo Shoot

Brandon, Sydney, Amanda and cousin, McKenzie

Here are a couple pictures of the kids that my Mom took when we were at the photogs studio getting the family picture taken (that was a terribly long sentence).
Now, add Carsyn to the mix of cuties!

I thought they were cute and may be better than the family picture!

My thoughts exactly!

Here's an article that I loved:
Better duck — if you're a Mormon
By Doug RobinsonDeseret Morning News
Published: Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2008 12:58 a.m. MST

I missed the memo that said it's A-OK to make disparaging and often erroneous statements about Mormons. Apparently, they are fair game.
Sure, these are hypersensitive times, when name-calling or perceived bias against any group will get you the Don Imus treatment, but you get a free shot with Mormons. You can say what you want about them with impunity.
If you denigrate a racial group, you're racist.
If you denigrate women, you're sexist.
If you denigrate Mormons, you're hip.
No one would openly suggest that you shouldn't vote for Hillary Clinton because a woman can't lead the country, especially an ornery one.
Nobody would dare say that you shouldn't vote for Barack Hussein Obama because he's black, or of Muslim descent, or because he has a name that sounds like a terrorist. One Clinton worker even apologized for alluding to Obama's use of drugs as a youth, so apparently it's wrong to disparage former drug users, too.
But nobody is shy about saying you shouldn't vote for Romney simply because he's a Mormon. It doesn't even register on the PC-O-Meter.
Just like that, 6 million Americans have been virtually disqualified from running for president. They've been rendered second-class citizens. They're foreigners living in America. They face a glass ceiling.
How un-American is that?
It would be one thing if most of those who oppose Romney did so because they disagreed with his politics or character. But Romney is one of the few candidates who has no character issues, a "squeaky clean" man who has a distinguished record of accomplishments, success and service, with no divorces, no affairs, no scandal. The only thing opponents can say about him is that he belongs to a church they don't understand.
A Harvard law professor called Romney the most qualified of all the candidates and "the perfect candidate for this moment in time." But there is his Mormonism, he noted.
Even the self-styled PC chief of police, Al Sharpton, once jumped in on the action, saying, "As for the one Mormon running for office, those who really believe in God will defeat him anyways."
Mormons don't believe in God?
For his penance, all Sharpton had to do was endure a family home evening in Utah.
It's open season on Mormons. A few days ago, Miami Herald columnist Dan Le Batard stated on ESPN and in the newspaper that part of the reason fired coach Cam Cameron failed was because he got stuck with a Mormon quarterback — not a rookie quarterback (which he is) but a Mormon quarterback.
"And you'll have a hard time finding a leader anywhere in sports who was as unlucky this year as Cameron," Le Batard said, noting that because of injuries, Cameron was forced to play "a United Nations huddle of a Mormon quarterback, Mexican receiver, Samoan fullback and some guy named Lekekekkkkerkker."
Now Mormons are foreigners?
Ignorance makes no difference. You can say Mormons have four wives or that they aren't Christian, and no one cares.
Imagine the uproar if Le Batard had written that the Dolphins suffered because they had to play a black quarterback for part of the season? Or a Catholic?
The Salt Lake Tribune has had a field day for more than a week since learning that Mike Leavitt and some of his like-minded cohorts met early in the morning to discuss Mormon theology and governance while he was Utah's governor. What if it had been a Bible study?
Nobody seems to mind when former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee says his religion "defines me." Or when Obama says his church guides "my own values and my own beliefs."
People worry that Romney will take his orders from his church leaders. They don't worry that Obama will take orders from his church, whose "10-point vision" includes two references to its "non-negotiable commitment to Africa," with no mention of America. Oh, and the church statement begins by noting on the Trinity United Church of Christ Web site, "We are a congregation which is Unashamedly Black."
It's a different set of rules for some out there. You can print newspaper cartoons disparaging Mormons. You can harass their families as they walk to their biannual conference with all sorts of foul language. When someone commits a crime, you can note the criminal's religion, but only if he's Mormon. You can make them a one-liner on Leno. Good luck reconciling all this with the paranoid political correctness that's so in vogue.
Meanwhile, the most politically correct presidential election field ever assembled — a woman, a black, a Mormon, a Baptist, etc. — has gone politically incorrect, but only when it comes to you know who.

Getcha Head in the Game

Get the right song.....
Brandon decided it would be fun to play with the games in the game cupboard today. He pulled out Perfection and was pretty good at matching the shapes and loved when it 'popped'! We played Connect 4 and then he pulled out the High School Musical Dance Mat....my favorite! He loves the basketball song (Getcha Head in the Game) and was showing me his moves (which included bouncing an air basketball!) He is so much fun!
Also, my possessed washing machine and dryer are history! I was having a conversation with my Dad awhile ago while watching some show. Someone on the show was freaking out about getting new appliances and he said he just couldn't understand that. But, I told him I would feel that excited about a new washer and dryer!

I'm doin' the happy dance!
(I'm a true housewife now, huh!) Aren't they pretty? Thanks, honey!