Lacrosse Update

Well, our jerseys are not in!  Yep, that is an never ending problem!  Well they got some old ones, and Ian was number 39.  The light blue 39!  We played Somerset and won!  1-12.  Crazy right?  They looked great.  Much more aggressive.

Hard To Say Good-Bye

When you are a teen-ager, the hardest thing to do is say good-bye to a good friend.  This week, Aubrey had to do this.  Her good friend Emma moved to Florida.  Her Dad is a pilot and took a job that is based in Florida.  Of course this is a great move for Emma and her family.  It is for the best, but when you are a teen-ager, you don't understand that!  All you know is that your friend is leaving you!  We went over to say good-bye and it totally broke my heart.  It broke my heart to see my daughter's heart breaking.  The good thing is with facebook and instagram they can keep in touch.  When we were young and a friend moved away, we didn't have all of these things to keep in touch.  I guess this is one good thing about social media.

Emma's mom is a wonderful person too.  She is a hair dresser and used to cut my hair, trim it, and color it while it was growing in.  She did this for free.  I really appreciated it.  She made me feel pretty, even though my hair was not looking too good.  It was such a sweet act of service!

Lacrosse!

Last minute we were sent an e-mail about a lacrosse tournament.  So quickly we threw together our team for the tournament!  Yes, we still didn't have our uniforms, but does that stop us??  No!  I don't think we were really ready this game.  We lost!  8-4.  Ian is still having fun and getting the hang of it.  Now the real season starts.  Lets see how it goes.

Dance Competition

Today we had our first high school dance competition with Dance Fusion.  We really didn't know what to expect, because we have never competed at this level. It takes a lot to get ready for a competition.  I absolutely hate doing a bump for dance hair, and of course that is what the team wanted.  I can do a bun perfectly, but I hate that bump!

When we got there we ran into Aubrey's friend Alexis.  For years they danced together at Bunker, competing on the same team.  This year they decided to dance for the high school and now they compete against each other.  In fact Alexis's team beat our team in lyrical.  It was so wonderful to visit with her mom.  I miss them so much!!!

It was interesting, this competition.  Some of it was really good, and some of it was not.  You can really tell the girls who have dance training.  Then there were the girls that did very inappropriate dances and wore very inappropriate clothes.  I am so grateful for Aubrey's dance teacher.  She keeps them dressed and they fill their routines with technique.  I really appreciate that.  It means that sometimes they don't win.  Unfortunately, technique is sometimes not rewarded.  The girls did very good.  Their lyrical came in 4th, their hip hop came in 4th (Aubrey is not in that one.), and they won jazz!!!

At the end of the day, they showed off their trophy!!  They didn't really like jazz, and that is the one they won!!  Funny huh?

Their lyrical number.  What were those judges thinking??  Aubrey is on the left towards the middle of the gym.

 

Valentine's Day!

 

Valentine's Day began by the kids getting their candy from their grandparents!  Oh happy day.  They were super excited to get some candy.  This time they didn't bug me all month about it.  Then one day when we were driving home from school they said, "Hey, did we get our candy yet?"  Sure enough, waiting at the door was their box!  It was a good day.

On Valentine's Day the kids didn't have school.  The teachers had a work day.  The weather was so warm, I took them to the park to play.  Aubrey was in California with her dance team dancing in Disneyland.  We had a great day in the park.  It was great to just have some time talking to Zach.  I really enjoyed it.  We snuck Aubrey's Valentine in her suitcase.  She was super excited to find her chocolate heart and Downton Abbey season 4!  We got Zach a CD that he wanted and Ian got Enders Game, the movie. They were excited.

Don gave me some roses for Valentine's Day.  Then we spent the night going to the temple and out to eat.  I got Don a new UConn flag.  The wind in Vegas destroyed our old one.  He also needed a new Alabama license plate cover.  The sun in Vegas destroyed that.  So I got him one of those .  It was a nice day.

 

Olympic Dreams...

Our family is obsessed with the Olympics.  It is hard for the kids to watch because they have to go to bed early for school.  We do love it.  Last night we watched the Team Figure Skating Event.  It was great to see our favorites out there skating!  We also gained a few new favorites, like the 15 year old Russian figure skater.  She is amazing!  After we watched the events, Zach and Aubrey decided to show me some of their moves!  Oh yeah, they think they are ready for the Olympics!  I was laughing so hard!!!  These two crack me up!  Maybe I should of put them on skates when they were younger.  Zach said, "We live in Vegas! Who are we kidding?"

What Are You Doing This Weekend?

 

Every time I go to the doctor they ask me what I am doing this weekend.  (You know, small talk.)  I always say....nothing.  They never believe me.  As I sit there, I start going over our schedule for the weekend.  Let's see...Ian had his first camp out.  He was super excited about it.  When I picked him up from school he got in the car and said, "I have been thinking about it all day, I am so excited!"  This is the first one Don didn't go to with him.  I will have to admit.  I missed him all night.  But he had a blast!

Then I went to watch Aubrey dance for the Girl's Basketball Half-Time.  It was breast cancer night.  So there was a lot of pink.  Aubrey said to me, "We don't need to wear pink, we live it!"  I honestly didn't like the girls shirts.  On the back of them it said, "Fight Like A Dog!"  I guess because their school is the bulldogs, but I wasn't feeling that.  I like the sign, Fight Like A Girl.  I am not a dog!

I loved the girls basketball uniform.  Pretty neat!

Here is the dance Aubrey did.  She learned this dance in about an hour.  She is mostly in lyrical and contemporary pieces, but her teacher wanted her to learn this to perform at this game.  She is on the right, last girl in line.

Yes, we go to the basketball games for the half-time shows!

When we got home we watched the opening ceremonies of the Olympics.  That was fun to do with Zach.  He kind of explained things to us and how the Russians do things.  It was fun.  It was fun for him to hear Russian again.  He enjoyed that.

The next morning Ian went to play Church basketball.  Don was very surprise to learn that Ian can actually play.  He steals the ball a ton of times and even made a basket.  Don was very impressed.  Aubrey also had tap class today.  Their number is looking good!  Then tonight we are going to a move!  So, am I busy this weekend.  Uh...I guess you can say yes!  I am busy with all good things, so I don't mind!



Good Week, Stressful Week!

This year our Relief Society (The Relief Society is the oldest and largest women's organization in the world. Relief Society was established in 1842 for women 18 years of age and older. Its purpose is to build faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and help those in need.) decided to study chapter 6 of Preach My Gospel (To see that chapter, click here). It is a chapter that deals with developing Christlike Attributes.  So I looked at the chapter and divided up the attributes to take me through the year.  Every month I decided I would focus on a different attribute.  So I started the year off with faith.  I read the scriptures and studied that section.  Then I decided to go to Heavenly Father and ask him to help me work on faith and to develop more faith.  Ok, that might not have been the best thing!  (I am only kidding!) If you ask Heavenly Father for something and he feels it is good for you, you are going to get it.  Yes, your faith will be tried.  It is through that trial that you develop stronger faith!  The week before I went to the doctor to begin my expansion. (for the reconstruction of my chest.)  It went really well.  I didn't even feel any pain!  I was very grateful, because when I was being expanded before, I was very uncomfortable.  No fun.  So I was all excited.  Then I started to notice that same side getting red, then it got warm, and finally it was purple.  So I called my doctor.  I went back in.  I was worried that there was an infection and my doctor thought the same thing.  I was told to take antibiotics and see how it goes.  Then I got a call at the end of the day from his office telling me they were scheduling surgery on Monday.  Oh my gosh, are you kidding me.  They would be taking out the expander and waiting 6 months to try again.  I hate being laid up!!!  Hate it.  I hate not being able to take care of my family.  I hate not being able to run or do anything I want to do.  I wasn't so upset about waiting 6 months, just about having another surgery!  So I was frantic.  I thought about what I had been studying in Preach My Gospel and as I sat down and prayed I realized that I had to do all that I could do and then it was in the Lord's hands.  Really, my goal is to become healthy and get back to running marathons.  So it didn't matter how long it took, I just needed to focus on that goal.  I felt fine.  I went to work, brought in a meal to someone in our ward, and went to a party.  I was fine, just red.  My friend gave me some oils to use.  I am not a huge believer in that stuff, but heck I would of kissed a pig if it would of help!  I also have a friend that told me, "You are not having surgery on Monday and that's it!"  Well, ok.  After all of this and prayers that were said, I went to the doctor and the surgery was cancelled.  That is not to say that it is fine, it's not.  I just wanted time, time to see how things will work out.  I still might need surgery, but for now things look good. 

Also, last week I went to my oncologist.  Now this is not my first oncologist.  She retired.  This is the second one.  At first we didn't know if we liked him, he was kind of grouchy.  I think he kind of likes us now.  He jokes around with us and talks to us about our lives.  It is pretty funny.  He even calls me his happiest patient!  Well, the good news is after four months, I am still cancer free.  I am so grateful.  Things are looking good.  I just wish I didn't get stressed every time those four months come up!  I am a nut during that time.  Well, the week before!  I am just so grateful for my family and their support.  I am thankful for friends who have stood beside me.  I am especially grateful for a Heavenly Father who knows me and loves me.  He hears me and answers my prayers.  I am thankful for that, no matter what the answer is!