Track Update

Yesterday was a horrible day to run. The wind was so bad here in Vegas. It is always bad when season's change. Anyway, I felt bad for Zach's track team having to run on such a windy day. Yesterday they ran against Legacy. Once again, they won. Zach ran the mile and the dreaded two mile. He is like me, he just gets bored going around, and around, and around forever! He says he did good in the mile, he even got his personal best. That is great! In the two mile, he just died. He will miss the Palo Relays this weekend, because he has to take the ACT's.

Flag Football Update

Ian didn't have a game yesterday. Austin did, and once again they lost! They just looked so defeated. So sad. Austin did have a great game. He did a great job on defence, so good that the quarterback on the other team was so mad at him! Oh well!

Our Date With Ian And Aubrey

We had some company in town (Niece and roommates) and we helped them get some tickets to see Blue Man Group. So we had to go down to the strip to help them get their tickets. While we were there we took Aubrey and Ian with us and we went to see the butterflies at the Bellagio gardens. They bring in butterflies during this time of the year and it is so much fun to go and see them. So once again, another post about the gardens! Here is Don, Aubrey, and Ian.

The greenhouse is where the butterflies are.

Butterflies! O.k., maybe some of them are moths. I don't know! Hey, they are all pretty to me.

Where is the butterfly?

We also took them to see the chocolate fountain. Ian says, this is his dream!

This is all made of chocolate!

Track Update

Centennial ran against Shadow Ridge this week. Zach ran the 1600 and the 800. He got about a 5:18 in the mile, and that is really good for him. I don't know what he got in the 800. The boys did win the meet! Way to go!

Even though the race is about to start, Zach is always a social guy!

Got to love distance runners!

Ian's Creations

I was talking to my cousin Scott the other day and I was telling him about Ian, and how he loves to build things with Dixie cups. My cousin said, "Kel, you have to take a picture of this and put it on the blog!" So here is just one of many of the Dixie cup creations that Ian makes. I buy my Dixie cups at Costco, so I have a ton of them. I will go in the shower in the morning and sure enough when I come out and I am all ready for the day I will find one of Ian's Dixie cup creations somewhere in the house. We have had some company here with us this week (our niece and her roommates), and one day we found one of Ian's creations in his bathroom. It was the coolest thing, and I was so mad I didn't get a picture. This one was circular. They can be anywhere too. I find them in the kitchen, bathroom, by the front door, and on the piano! He loves it!

The Things Kids Will Say

Today I was driving my kids to school and Aubrey had her iPod on. We were listening to "Wake Me Up" by Wham. It is the song Aubrey is doing her tap dance to in the recital. Anyway, this is how the conversation went during this song:

Aubrey: When did this song come out?
Me: I don't remember, I know it came out when I was in high school.
Ian to Aubrey: That means it is really old.

At first I was offended! Old, yah right! But he is right! It is an old song!!!! Over 20 years old!

Ward Talent Show

This weekend we also had our Ward Talent show. A couple of our family members showed off their talents. It was so much fun to watch them perform and learn more about the members of our ward and their talents. This is Aubrey playing the piano!

Austin did a jazz piece.
Don shocked us all. Yes, we all know he can play the accordion, but he rarely does so in public. He does not like to let anyone know he can play the accordion. Every time he takes it out he asks the same question, "What was my mother thinking???" He was a very obedient son, and when his mother told him he would learn to play this, he did. Our good friend Jodi Y. loves when Don plays the accordion, so she was excited. Don dedicated a song to me, "My Wild Irish Rose." Hmmmm, how should I take that? Zach's friends were so impressed, they are trying to work it into their prom night! Maybe we can get him to bring it to the Hill Cumorah! We love you Don!

Cooking Club

Aubrey had cooking club this weekend. They met at Leslie D.'s house. She taught them how to make pizza dough and they made their own pizzas. She loves going to cooking club. They are learning some great things there!

Flag Football Update

The boys got their uniforms this week, so I took the opportunity to take some pictures at their games. Unfortunately, Austin's team lost again! The good news is that Austin is really finding his position now, and doing really good. He played most of the game, offence and defence. Austin had some great defensive plays, but made a couple of mistakes which cost his team some points. The good news is, that he made a touchdown!!!!! It was awesome, but I didn't get a picture of it!

Austin's coach tells us that what makes Austin a great player is that he is fast and has fast hands.

Here is a picture of his coach (Quincy) talking to the boys. Austin loves Quincy. He used to be Austin's young men's leader.

We have some better news for Ian's team. They won their game in overtime. They played really good. Ian is really learning the game and having fun. Here he is in the huddle with his coach.

Getting some flags. He got two this game!

Austin's Awesome Movie Review

This Saturday my friend Dallin and me went to "Knowing." It was a really good movie that kept you guessing to the end. It was suspenseful and riveting and kept on your feet. I must say though this movie was not a feel good movie. It's very sad and a sometimes pretty eerie. I wouldn't recommend it to little kids. This movie also had a couple religious references. This is an awesome movie that I recommend to any teenager or adult.

Track Update

Track season has begun! Their first meet was at Arbor View. It was against Arbor View, Cheyenne, Trinity-Agassi Prep. Zach ran the 4X800 and the 800. He said he did pretty good, but they didn't post the times, so I don't know what his time is. The good news is that the boys won their meet!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

It was a beautiful day in Vegas today. It was in the 80's, and just wonderful. Zachery didn't have school today because he has passed all of his "proficiency" exams. It pays to be proficient! So, Zachery and I had arts and crafts day! I am sure you can guess what he was working on. I will let you know how it goes! He even has a leprechaun to help him out!

Of course the kids all wore green today. It is a fun day and I like that I can teach them something about their heritage. They really get into it. We did eat our traditional Irish American meal, corned beef. We don't like cabbage, so I make carrots and potatoes instead. I don't believe in coloring our food green. Please! St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. He did not drive the snakes out of Ireland. He worked to convert the Irish to Christianity. St. Patrick's day is a religious feast and the anniversary of St. Patrick's death in the fifth century. Traditionally people attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. The first St. Patrick's Day was celebrated in America. It basically helps Irish people reconnect with their roots. Many people think of St. Patrick's Day as a time to drink, but in Ireland, Irish pubs were closed on St. Patrick's Day. It wasn't until 1995 that the Irish government opened the pubs on St. Patrick's Day to increase tourism. I am proud of my Irish heritage. On this day, my heart does turn to my family back home!

Check out Ian's shirt. It says, "Do Not Pinch."

Temples

There has been some controversy concerning our temples. This is a great video that explains why we build temples and how we (as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) feel about them. If you are interested, pause the music and watch the video.

Flag Football Season Begins!

I don't have any pictures of the first day of flag football. They didn't even have their uniforms in yet, so why bother taking some pictures. I will take some as soon as the shirts come in. Unfortunately is was a rough start to the football season. Austin's team lost. They played really good but they made some mistakes! Austin did pull a lot of flags and he even had an interception. Austin is really fast and has quick hands, so that comes in handy. Ian's team lost too. He doesn't really seem bothered by it. He is just learning. I love this age because the coaches are on the field and really just teaching them the game. Austin and Ian's team are all kind of coached by the same group of guys. There are so many boys that they have a team for each age level. Their coaches are great! We just love them. Maybe next week will be a better week.

Aubrey's Big Annoucement

I GOT CONTACTS!!!!!!!!!!! Hi this is Aubrey. Yes, I got contacts! I got them yesterday. When I was trying to put on my contacts for the first time I could tell the lady was getting frustrated deep inside. She was like ''Aaaahhhh! Your so close! Aaahhhh!'' I finally got them in. They felt a little weird and I kept blinking! I have them in right now and they don't feel as weird. The first two people I told were Dad and my BFF Alli Albright. I'm REALLY excited to have them.