Stockton's Birthday

Our grandson, Stockton, turned 11 and we had a little, family get together to celebrate. Then, the next Saturday, he had a friend party at HangTime trampoline park. Reagan and Cole were thrilled to help Stockton celebrate :)

I've posted before about Cole at these trampoline parks. He heads right for the dodgeball area, no matter the age of the other competitors in that area. He doesn't back down, he plays hard and he taunts his competitors. He had a blast. Then, our SIL Andrew joined the kiddos and they put together a HUGE dodgeball game. They had a blast.

Reagan was thrilled to be on Kinsey-duty. She ADORES her niece and loves to play with her and watch her. Kinsey was in the baby area and so.... Reagan was in the baby area.

After jumping for a couple of hours, we had pizza and opened gifts. It was such a fun time. Happy Birthday Stockton!!!!

Carpet Cleaning

Our carpet warranty specifies that we need to have our carpets cleaned every two years. It was time so we moved almost every item of furniture off of the carpet and onto the tile. Crazy!

Most of the furniture went into the kitchen - you couldn't move where our kitchen table usually is. Then, we filled the mud room, the laundry room and the entry way. We were glad that we had the Ring doorbell to speak to anyone who came to our front door since we couldn't access it at all :)

Each bathroom was filled with stuff and furniture. Bathtubs, showers and sinks were full of stuff.

We didn't move beds or dressers, but almost everything else had to be moved out. Our storage rooms were packed full.

Reagan and Cole's playroom is usually a mess. I tell myself that I don't care because if their toys and books and stuff weren't in the playroom, they'd be all over the rest of the house. However, having all of their stuff OUT of the playroom made me love that room again. Now that the carpets are dry, we are trying to be very selective about what we put back in. I'm thinking this is a great time for some spring cleaning and giving items away (or throwing junk items away) and not having so much STUFF! For example, Reagan has two dollhouses that I believe haven't been played with in months. (Of course, when I say that, both Reagan and Cole insist that it has been less than a month since they played with it.) I'm not saying we have to get rid of them.... maybe we can move them to a mid-level disposal location (like the back of the storage room). If they don't ask for it or play with it for 6 months, then we can give it away. I tell them (as my sis Amber tells me when she is trying to get me to get rid of something) that some other, little girl will love to play with these. :) Same with Cole's toys. Pretty sure he isn't going to play with the HotWheels cars. But then, sometimes he surprises me and wants things we have given away. He gave a little boy in our ward all of his Toy Story tracks and cars and racing toys. Then, over a year later, he wanted the racer set - that lets 10 cars race at a time. It was gone, but he wanted it so badly. He was so sad that he had given it away. Of course, it was so old that they weren't sold in stores anymore. I found one on Ebay and gave it to him for his birthday. He was thrilled. So, I need to be careful that I don't force them to get rid of something they love, but on the other hand, do we really need over 100 stuffed animals lying around? Plus, the bane of my existence has been those HUGE bears that we got at Costco one Easter. They are enormous and can't just take up a little space. I think they are shoved in the closet under the stairs right now, but every time I ask Reagan and Cole if we should give them away, they look at me like I have three heads. "No Way!" they yell. Oh well - I'll have to find some balance..... at least until the next time we clean the carpets :)

Another Snow Storm

Well, it took Mother Nature a while to get herself in gear, but she continues with a fury. Like I said before, we hadn't received very much snow before we left for Hawaii. The temps were in the 50s. However, now that we are back, winter is in full swing.

This was Sunday morning. Normally Sunday is a day of rest around here and we love that. However, when it snows, you must act :)  Plus, our ward is in charge of shoveling the walks at the church for March. So, that means Steve (as the High Priest Group Leader) had to round up some men and head over there to salt and shovel the walks before the 9:00 ward had their church. He was sick this day, but insisted on going. Cole went with him and, I hear, was quite a little helper.

After they returned from the church, they shoveled our walks. We pay a guy to plow our circle and he pushes the snow off of the back of our driveway, so, we end up getting our driveway plowed as well.

Steve, Cole and our neighbor went over to shovel the driveway and walks of one of our other neighbors who has severe health issues. Then, the Bishop showed up with his plow and one of the relatives of the neighbor who is sick showed up as well. Many hands makes light work, right?

Once the storm had passed and the blue skies could be seen peeking through the clouds, it was such a beautiful sight. I love where we live!!!!

Helping Out in Science Class

Since I am the room mother (or AST) for Reagan's class, I get to help out a lot. Reagan's teacher texted and asked me to help with a science project they were doing. I needed to get graham crackers and frosting and bring them in and help.

I was curious what they would be learning with graham crackers and frosting. Turned out they were learning about tectonic plates. They had several different scenarios where they would put the crackers on the frosting and push in the direction the teacher told them. They would see the crackers buckle when pushed together or slide on top of each other. These were examples of how the tectonic plates interact with each other. So cool!!!!

They were also filling out a worksheet about the different ways the plates interact and the different results they would get. They also had fruit roll ups, but I don't remember what that was supposed to represent in their experiment.

As usual, I went over to see Cole. He had recently moved lockers and wanted to show me his new locker. Silly boy!

Reagan still has her same locker and it is all girl. Pink all around. Love it!

The Beginning of a New Era

So many of our friends are getting braces that we thought we should have a consultation to see what's up with Reagan and Cole's teeth. We met with two different orthodontists and clearly favored one of them. Reagan needs braces right away (she has a canine tooth that needs to come down). She has lost all of her baby teeth and is ready to go for top braces with bottom braces coming soon. Cole, on the other hand, still has 12 baby teeth (apparently, he is a late bloomer - tooth wise), so, he won't be ready for braces for about two years.

While our consults were after school, they only put braces on during the morning hours. So, we went during the first part of school. Luckily, Reagan wasn't in too much pain and she could go to school right after.

She was hurting for the first few days, but did really well. She has quickly learned how to floss, brush and care for her braces and teeth. Yay!

We think she looks great with her new braces. Hang in there Reagan - and keep up the good work!

Cole's Primary Talk

Cole was assigned to give a Primary talk and - weird - it was the same subject as Reagan's last talk. Being the Primary President, I know how the topics are assigned and that duplicate subjects in different months shouldn't have happened, but ..... we rolled with it. I helped Cole find a conference talk and a scripture. I asked him to think of a personal experience, which he did and he wanted to add a few things he had learned in school. That's great - 

Steve was home sick that week and so I filmed it for him, but something went wrong and I didn't get the whole thing. I thought it was taping, but it wasn't. So, I ended up only getting the last 90 seconds or so. Oh well - he did a great job.

Here is the text of his talk:

The earth was created for Heavenly Father’s children. 

Jesus created this earth – under Heavenly Father’s direction – so that we could receive bodies, come to earth, live in families and be tested. If we learn and follow Heavenly Father’s commandments here on earth, we can return to live with him and with our families for eternity. 

Heavenly Father’s plan was to create the earth in six periods or days (these aren’t necessarily the time frame we know as days, but are according to Heavenly Father’s time frame). We read about these in Genesis in the Bible and in Moses in the Pearl of Great Price. 

1^st day - Jesus divided the light from the darkness. He called the light “day” and the darkness “night”. 

2^nd day - Jesus divided the waters from the land. He called the waters “seas” and the land “earth”.

3^rd day - Jesus made grass and trees and flowers and plants and commanded the trees and plants to bring forth fruit.

4^th day - Jesus puts lights in the skies. The greater light was for the day – the sun. The lesser light was for the night – the moon. He created the stars and all that we see in the sky.

5^th day - Jesus created all the animals on the earth, the birds in the air and the fishes in the seas.

6^th day - Heavenly Father and Jesus created man and woman – Adam and Eve.

Then, on the seventh day, they rested – like we do on Sundays. 

Heavenly Father made this earth with everything that we would need to live here and grow and learn. We have all the food and water that we need. We have trees to give us shade and to build things with. We have fruit and vegetables that grow to feed us and we have sunlight so we can see. 

We went to Hawaii last week and we were able to visit the Polynesian Cultural Center. We learned about the island of Samoa and the people and cultures there. They use the coconut tree there and they use every part of the coconut and the tree. They use it to make skirts, to make baskets, to provide juice and coconut to eat and drink. They use the husks for their huts and for their mats. I love that they don’t waste anything – that they use everything. Heavenly Father provided everything that they need in nature. 

Some people say that there is not enough food on earth to take care of all the people on earth, but Heavenly Father has said that there is enough and more to spare for his people on this earth. We just need to take care of the earth and to be grateful for Heavenly Father for this beautiful earth that he and Jesus made for us to live in. We are so lucky because we have enough food and resources for us. 

My favorite part of nature is animals. I love all kinds of animals. I love to see animals in nature and to see them in the world that Heavenly Father created for them. About three years ago, my dad and I hiked up to Lake Blanche in Big Cottonwood Canyon. I caught over 40 fish – but I just let them go. Then, when I was walking around, I saw a baby bat just sitting under a rock. I had never seen a bat before in nature – only at the zoo. It was so cool. We left so that we wouldn’t disturb it, but I love that there are so many cool things in nature. 

I also love to watch the show Planet Earth on TV. It shows such cool things in nature and how the animals or fish live and survive and interact with each other. Their cameras go places I could never go – like the bottom of the ocean or the tip of the south pole. Heavenly Father made so much for us. Only 1% of the ocean has been explored. It seems like Heavenly Father made so many animals and fish and insects perfectly. They can camouflage themselves to keep themselves safe or they have the perfect claws they need to capture their food or they have symbiotic relationships with other animals to help each other survive. For example, the chameleon can change color to anything it touches. 

Elder M. Russell Ballard said “ When we look to see the evidence of creation all around us, from a grain of sand to the majestic planets, we begin to realize that we are the greatest of all God’s creations; we are created in his image.” 

I’m so grateful for this beautiful earth that Heavenly Father has given us. He created us in His image. He knows us perfectly and knows exactly what we need to live and learn and grow together on this earth. We should make sure to thank Him in our prayers. I say these things…..

On another note, our chorister in Primary is so cute. She always has some fun game for the children to play as they learn their songs. Since we just had Valentine's Day, she had her hubby dress up as a huge heart. She borrowed our nerf bow and arrow and had the children aim for one of the little hearts on the big heart. The child who shot closest to the heart (bullseye) got to choose the next song. So cute!!!!

The Primary children LOVED shooting at this guy in the heart costume. The little ones were so cute!

Maybe because it was Reagan's bow and arrow, she killed it - she shot most accurately of any of the children. Go Reagan!!!!

Lots of Snow!!!

As I posted about before, when we left for Hawaii, I think it was 50 degrees outside. Not wintery at all. Well, during our trip, our friends and family kept texting us saying what a huge storm Utah had and how much snow was accumulating. Many of our neighbors said 2 feet. What?!?

Well, they were not exaggerating. We had over 24 inches of snow at home when we returned. Luckily, our plow guy pushes the snow from our circle off the back of our driveway, so, our circle and our driveway was plowed clear, but the rest of everything was covered.

I love it, though. Like I always say, when you've been relaxing in Hawaii for 10 days, the snow is just a winter wonderland. It is beautiful and we are grateful to be home and warm. Let it snow!

 On that note (of enjoying the snow), Cole has been obsessed with the ice cycles hanging from our house. He loves to see how big they can get and how close to the roof he can get before breaking them off. Silly boy!

One day, he found one that looked like a gun (it actually looks like one of Cole's Nerf guns - the Mastadon!).

He was thrilled with himself. He cracks me up.

Musical Theater Workshop

Our piano (and guitar) lesson studio had a Musical Theater workshop on the Saturday after we returned from Hawaii. Reagan and Cole haven't really expressed an interest in musical theater, but they do public speaking and performing in church and Steve thought it would be a good experience for them. When I told them about it and asked about their interest, they were both excited to go. So, we signed up and then went on Saturday.



The workshop was put on by two ladies who have performed on Broadway. Nikki Bohne is actually the daughter in law of our friend, neighbor and home teacher. She taught with her roommate at BYU - Shayla Osborn Beck. They were both in Young Ambassadors at BYU and then both went to New York. Shayla toured with the show Oklahoma and then played the Dolly Parton role in the show 9 to 5. She played Frenchie in Grease, Fantine in Les Miserables and then she and Nikki were both in the touring company for Wicked. Before Wicked, Nikki played Elle Woods in the Legally Blonde touring company as well as Sandy in Grease and she was in Bring it On, Annie Get Your Gun, Aida and Footloose.



Reagan and Cole were in the front row and so they had an up close view of these performers (Reagan is in a white hoodie with a ponytail). The ladies talked about their own histories and how they got into the business. They talked about auditions and resumes and agents. They warmed the kiddos up and then had a song for the girls (from Hairspray) and a song for the boys (from Hercules). Cole was one of only two boys here, so, it was a small group for the boys. Then, they started to sing - they would stop and give them tips and then sing again.



After the students had practiced their songs, they had individual students come up and "audition" with their songs. Then, they would give them tips and have them try again, implementing the tips. Neither Reagan or Cole volunteered, although each of them told me that they were going to volunteer when the teachers stopped that part of the class.

After the students went, Nikki sang a song and the students were supposed to watch for the things that they had taught them that day. Then, they held a question and answer period and we were done. A quick two hours for sure.

Both Reagan and Cole said how much fun they had at the workshop and asked when the next one would be. I was surprised, but encouraged. I think the more comfortable they can become in front of a crowd, the better it is. Who knows, we could have in our midst a singer, an actor, a politician, an attorney, a teacher..... the possibilities are endless :)

O'ahu - Days 8 and 9

We were up early this morning to get ready to go. Steve picked up breakfast and the rental car and came to get us. We headed for Pearl Harbor. We were there over an hour before we needed to be, but it was perfect. We rented headsets and listened to information about Pearl Harbor as we walked around the grounds and in the buildings.

They had so many cool pictures and exhibits. The headsets were awesome because we could hear the voices of those who were there - they would recount their experiences or tell what they were thinking. It was really neat!

When it was time for our tour, we headed over to the theater, watched a movie about Pearl Harbor and then boarded the boat to go out to the memorial. It was really cool. Reagan and Cole enjoyed it even more than I thought they would.

We had a couple more things to listen to on our headsets when we returned from the memorial and then we were done. It was a great couple of hours to learn more about that day and that place.

Then, we were going to drive around the island, but figured that we already had been up by Laie - when we went to the PCC, so, we decided to drive to Poly Lookout. For some reason, we've never taken Reagan and Cole there before. Every time I have been there, it has been raining or windy and it has usually been cold. No surprise, it was rainy, windy and cold. However, it was kind of a nice break to be cold, having been in the hot sun for days now. After that, we were all starving, so, we headed into a nearby town for lunch.

We hit a McDonalds and, while we were there, I got a migraine. I took some meds and we were thinking about doing more, but decided to go back to the hotel. I decided to lay down for a while and Steve took Reagan and Cole to the pool for a while. Then, I packed up a couple of our bags and the kiddos and Steve returned from the pool.

Since we leave tomorrow, they wanted to get some gifts for their friends and chocolates for their teachers. Steve stayed in the room while I took them down to the ABC Store. While we were there, we heard from the Solomon family wanting to meet up for a "goodbye". I thought it would be just 5 minutes or so, but we met up and then they wanted to sit and talk and then Marc wanted to show Cole these light up things that you shoot in the air and they float to the ground. So, we headed out to the beach to see those. After a while, we weren't heading back to the room as I thought, so, Steve came down to meet us. Another half hour later, we were finally saying our goodbyes and heading back to the room. We were getting to bed WAY later than we wanted to, given our travel schedule the next day. Oh well - whatever works, right?

We got up early the next morning, finished packing and checked out of our hotel. We were at the airport a full 2 hours early. We got on the plane and headed to LA. Then, our flight in LA was over an hour late leaving for SLC. Sweet Shannon had taken us to the airport at 4 am when we came to Hawaii and now sweet Benton was picking us up at almost midnight. We were so grateful. There was SO much snow at our house when we arrived home. Our neighbors had said 2 feet of snow had fallen in the last couple of days. Well, we love it. Having been in the sun and surf for 9 days, we were ready to get home to the beautiful winter wonderland that Utah is.

Yep - we had a great trip. Hawaii doesn't disappoint. We had a couple of rainy days, but it was totally fine. This was perfect!

We arrived home to over 2 feet of snow in our yards and decks. Crazy!!! Oh well, when you've been away in Hawaii for 10 days, it is just a beautiful, winter wonderland :)

O'ahu - Day 7

We had talked about joining the Solomon family for a hike up Diamondhead today, but we decided last night to just stay with our family. We thought we may take a cab to the trailhead and do the hike ourselves. I stayed in the room, rather than heading for the fitness center so that I could - again - try to get Pearl Harbor tickets for the next day. I tried to cancel the ones we had for today, but they don't give refunds. I don't really care about the $6 service fee - I just wanted someone to be able to use them since they are sold out every day. I let them know that we wouldn't be there and wanted someone to have them. Don't know what will happen with those. The good news is that I was able to get tickets for tomorrow at 11. That's a much better time anyway.

So, then, I went to work out and then showered while Steve worked out. The kiddos and I didn't head to the pool since we were maybe going to go on that hike. We waited for Steve to get back, but both Reagan and Cole just wanted to hit the pool. Steve said he didn't care what we did as long as we were together. So, the kiddos and I hit the pool while Steve showered up. Again, we were late getting to the pool, but we scored two chairs at the far end of the area I like to be in. Yep - that will work.

We were at the pool most of the day - and at the lagoon. They left the crocodile at the lagoon while they came to us to get the Go Pro charged back up. Bad idea since someone grabbed it and was using it. I beat the kiddos back to the lagoon and tried to get it from the Asian family that was using it. An old man next to us said "I'm pretty sure that's theirs - they've been using it for a long time." Ugh - I wasn't completely sure where Reagan and Cole had left it, so, I didn't protest. Then, Reagan and Cole showed up and said "Hey - that's our crocodile." The Asian family gave it back and Reagan and Cole went about filming whatever was under the water there. They floated all around the lagoon and then headed back my way. Steve and I decided they had been in the sun long enough and we mandated that they had to be back in the shaded part of the pool.

Steve headed up to the room to shower up and the kiddos and I stayed at the pool. Then, Marc and his mom came down to the pool. I guess their daughter, Kaylee, had been sick earlier in the day. Only Marc and his dad went on the Diamondhead hike while the mom stayed with Kaylee. Now, the dad stayed with Kaylee while the mom came to the pool with Marc. Reagan, Cole and Marc had a pool-wide game of tag going on. Cole and Marc may have been working as a team because I swear that Reagan was "it" almost all of the time.

After they had been there for a couple of hours, we headed back to the room to shower up and have dinner. We are trying to eat whatever food we have left from the grocery store since we will be gone tomorrow to Peal Harbor and we leave the next day. We watched some Olympics and hit the sack. I did want to include a pic of the view from our room - right down the city with the mountains in the background. If we stretch to look around to the right, we can see the ocean. Love it!

O'ahu - Day 6

Up early (not as early as before) and I delayed working out so I could try to get Pearl Harbor tickets. They are sold out (they are free, but they are taken) for this whole week. I guess they release some additional tickets each day for the day after that. Otherwise, you have to get there early and wait in line for same day tickets. Score - I was able to get some for tomorrow, but it is at 1pm. That's pretty much the worst time because we would want to go there and then around the island or go around the island and finish up there. Oh well - we will work it out. We still have to see if we can get a rental car for tomorrow.

I went to work out and then showered while Steve went to work out. The kiddos and I headed to the pool. I guess since we were so much later than usual, we had a hard time finding chairs. We found 3 single chairs at 3 different locations. We figured we would scout out locations or try to consolidate, if possible. I picked the chair I liked the best (in the best location to see the kiddos and to be out of the sun) and we were lucky enough to eventually snag 3 chairs right there. So, we gathered our things from the other two chairs and just decided to stay put. We texted Marc's family, but they were doing something else, so, Reagan and Cole just decided to swim and play. Eventually, Steve came down and he and Reagan took a walk up the beach. They ended up by the Sheraton Waikiki (where we stayed for a couple of days in November) and hit the Subway there. They brought back lunch and we ate by the pool.

They grabbed the Go Pro camera and wanted to swim and then to snorkel in the lagoon. They had a great time. They wanted to blow up the huge crocodile we have. We knew they wouldn't let us put it in the pool, but the lagoon seemed like a possibility, so, they had it blown up and then floated on it for a while.

Eventually, Marc and his family came down to the pool. By then, I had four chairs right together. We gave them 2 and we let the kiddos play for a while. We tried to rent a car for the next day, but they were all sold out. Steve thought if he walked over to the place that he could arrange something for the day after, if not the next day. He found out what we learned online - there were no cars for the next day. So, he just went with the day after and we made the reservation.

The Solomon family had friends who were also staying at this hotel and they showed up. They introduced us and then were talking with them. I had been at the pool all day long and was done. So, we turned in our towels and headed back to the room, huge crocodile in hand :)

We showered up, watched some olympics, ate dinner and hit the sack. I had to include a pic of the islander guy lighting the torches. Every resort has a different take on this ceremony (on Maui - at the Sheraton at Black Rock, after the guy lights all the torches, he climbs up Black Rock, throws his lei into the water and dives into the lei. So cool!). Anyway, my kiddos love to see whomever coming around to light the torches. It just is a nightly tradition that adds to the spirit of the islands :)