Fun on Spring Break

We completed another school term, collected our report cards (all As and A+s again) and had a week off for Spring Break and decided not to head out of town. We just wanted to relax and play and read. We also needed to do a fair amount of karate as the pre-test for our 2nd degree black belts is only a few weeks away. 

So, we read (the kiddos are SO into Harry Potter lately) and we practiced karate and we practiced our music and then.... we played!

We hit Airborne with the Kearl kiddos and had a great time. I still don't think Cole can meet the height requirement, but he wore a hat and I think he pushed it up high on his head in order to look taller. Whatever he did, it worked - not one of the employees booted him out of the obstacle course :)

Cole is getting pretty good at this - he may become a Ninja Warrior after all!

Reagan had no interest in the obstacle course this time - she and Madi just jumped and jumped and jumped.

We played for hours at Airborne and then were sweaty and tired and worn out - perfect to go home, have a shower and chill.

The next day, we hit Boondocks with the Kearl kiddos. We arrived just before it opened and had the place to ourselves for a good 20 minutes. Reagan and Cole were the only ones on the racetrack for a couple of races. Love it!!!!

We raced cars, played mini golf, floated in water bumper boats, hit the arcade and then stopped for lunch.

After lunch, it was more mini golf, more arcade, laser tag and more race cars :)

Cole was in the arcade and I was looking for him so that we could all head outside. I couldn't find him at all. Finally, I saw a Star Wars game and figured I'd check there. He was INSIDE. Seriously, he was inside a pod and playing games where he races a pod - there were screens all around him - I could barely see inside, but when I put my phone up to the pod and turned on the flash, I could get a pic of him inside, playing. Love that!

I love that we get a week off at the end of each school term. It's such a nice break where we can leave town or stay home and recharge our batteries.

Now that Spring Break is over, we head back to class for our last term of the year. Whoa! This school year has FLOWN by - even the kiddos were saying that they can't believe it is almost summer. We love our new school and are looking forward to finishing strong and having a great summer!!!!

Alexis and Caleb's Sealing Day

My niece, Alexis, and her hubby, Caleb, were married in December, 2016. They have been working toward going to the temple and being sealed. When they went for the first time, I watched their baby Jude. We had so much fun!

Then, it was time for them to be sealed in the temple. Jude would be sealed to them, but not until they were first sealed to each other. So, I volunteered to be with Jude in the nursery of the temple until it was time for Jude to join his parents (and everyone else) in the sealing room.

I've never been in the nursery of the temple before, but they had white clothes for Jude to change into and they had toys and apple juice and a nursing room. It was great. We hung out with the sisters in the nursery and played with toys until it was time to go upstairs for the sealing.

Jude looked so cute - I had to snap a pic. 

Steve was sweet enough to take these pics for us. So many people showed up to support Alexis and Caleb. We are so happy for them and their forever family.

A Steve Young Fundraiser

Our friends, the Shapiros, invited us to join them at Snowbird Ski Resort for a dinner, auction and fundraiser held by Snowbird and the Steve Young Forever Young Foundation to raise money for Adaptive Sports.

Adaptive Sports raises money to pay for "scholarships" for those with disabilities or special needs to ski. I guess they had a ski race earlier today on the slopes, but they had examples of the expensive equipment they use to help those in wheelchairs or with disabilities to ski.

It was fun. We bid on a few of the items, but weren't too excited about anything. Our friends each won auctions - skis, helmets and a tripod. We ended up just making a donation.

It was a fun night to be in the mountains with our friends for a good cause :)

An Easter Activity Days

I forgot to post about this, but Reagan went to Activity Days a couple of weeks before Easter. They colored eggs. They had a great time. They also wrote notes. One of the other girls wrote a note to Reagan. Other girls wrote notes to their friends. Reagan wrote her note to me and it was so sweet.

She is so kind and thoughtful and it just made my day to receive this from her. What a sweetheart! She is a "short timer" at Activity Days now as she will be turning 12 soon and moving on from Primary to Young Women. I can hardly believe it. 

Happy Easter/Conference Weekend!!!!

Well, Easter weekend started out on Friday when Reagan and Cole were able to wear jeans, spirit wear and tennis shoes to school, rather than their usual uniform. That made it a great start to a great weekend. After school, Reagan and Cole brought home their report cards (since it is the end to another school term). Once again, they had all As and A+s. Way to go!!!!! I celebrated by letting them choose where to have dinner - they chose AstroBurger - love that place! Steve didn't join us for reasons I will explain later :)

Then, Friday night, Steve's daughter, Shannon, and her hubby were watching Steve's daughter Rachel's children. Rachel and her hubby went for an anniversary weekend and it seems like each year that they do this, Shannon is watching their kiddos (she's so sweet). So, we decided to try to get the kiddos together. We headed down to Rachel's house to meet up. We played games, chatted, walked over to the grocery store to get some dinner items and just hung out. Reagan was with Kinsey almost the entire time. She SO wants to be a good auntie.

When I looked at my phone later, it appears that Reagan and Kinsey were having fun with the MSQRD app as well - so cute!

We stayed fairly late, but that was mostly to give Steve time to work on his "project". As I alluded to earlier, Steve didn't join us to go to Rachel's. I think I posted about this before, but .....  When we all were together on Christmas Eve, Shannon suggested we each set goals. Steve's goal was to lose 20 lbs by April 1st. Rachel's hubby, Andrew, decided to match that goal. What I didn't know at the time was that these two had entered into a little wager. Basically a $100 bet. If they both lost the weight by April 1 (or if neither of them lost the weight by then), no one paid anyone anything. If one lost the weight and the other did not, the one who didn't owed the one who did $100. 

So, here we were on April 30 and Steve had 7 lbs to go. "Who cares, I said? It's $100." He replied "No way! I set a goal for myself and I HAVE to meet it." I questioned whether it was even possible for a human being to lose 7 lbs in a day. He reminded me of a time when he was in high school that his wrestling coach needed him to drop weight to a different weight class. He lost 18 lbs in one day. Well, that was a little while ago, no? So, he worked out all day and ate only chicken broth. He continued to work out and then, by the afternoon, he was a bit worried. He said he was going to need to "step it up". I'll admit that scared me because I didn't know what else he could possibly do. Turns out, he put on his thermals that he skies with, he put on shorts and a shirt and a hoodie over that. He was going to work out for hours while we were gone. As we were with Shannon, I would get periodic texts from him. First, he had added his ski coat to the mix. Then, he added his ski gloves. I replied that he had lost it :) When we arrived home, the house thermostat was set to 80 degrees - it was SO stinkin' hot in that house - UGH!!!! 

He was still fearful that he wouldn't make it by the next day (the last day of the month). I made some comment about how he shouldn't care whether he beats Andrew or not. He said that beating Andrew was just frosting on the cake - he was really doing it for himself. He had set a goal and he HAD to meet that goal. I must admit that he is the most goal oriented person I've ever met. He makes a goal in whatever area of his life and he HAS to meet it. He said he treats his goals like life or death. It's as if someone will die if he doesn't meet that goal.

On Saturday (the 31st), he got up, took a itty bitty sip of water and headed back downstairs to work out. By mid day, he called me into the bathroom to verify the number on the scale. He had done it. He said that he acknowledged that a lot of it was "fake" in the sense that it was water weight, but that was no different than making weight for wrestling in high school and college. If the number on the scale says it, you weigh it. He was thrilled to have met his goal. Turned out that Andrew had lost only 7 lbs, so, Steve was going to win, but... again, it had less to do with Andrew and more to do with his own goals. Still - he'll get $100 from Andrew and be happy with himself for meeting his goals. I love that man!

Saturday was also the start of our church's semi-annual General Conference. Twice a year, rather than attending our regular, church meetings, we watch the General Authorities of our church speak. It is broadcast on our local, NBC station. We have a morning session and an afternoon session on Saturday and again on Sunday. Well, Shannon was going to bring Rachel's kiddos up to the park by our house and we were all going to go on a little hike. However, things were a bit messed up and Shannon arrived much later than she had anticipated. So, we were not able to take the hike with them - we had to get back to watch conference. However, we were able to play at the park with them for a while until we returned home. The boys climbed a tree, Anistyn hung out and Reagan ran after Kinsey who loved the playground equipment. 

The next morning was Easter. Just like I posted about St. Patrick's Day, even though Reagan and Cole know that we put out their Easter baskets and gifts, they wanted to make sure that there would be baskets and candy and gifts, even though the Easter Bunny per se wasn't the one placing it. UGH! So, yes - we had lots of candy (with Reagan having different candy now that her braces prohibit some items), toys and gifts. They each received an Amazon Echo which they were SO excited about. I'm SO excited about it too because I can call them on their Echo, rather than yelling downstairs or having to run down there to track them down. They were also thrilled with the lava lamps that they got (that we bought from our friend Jackson Kearl). Not sure why these were so loved, but they were.

We had cinnamon rolls and a big breakfast and then watched conference. It was a bit weird to not be going to church on Easter, but it was perfect as many of the talks referenced Easter and it was a great time to learn. We, as a Primary Presidency, had given the children Conference Packets and promised them treats if they took notes on at least 5 talks of conference. Reagan and Cole took notes on all 26 talks that we watched. Way to go guys!!!! They scored for the treats.

We had a great day celebrating Easter, thinking of our Savior, listening to our leaders and being together as a family. Happy Easter everyone!!!!!!

Oh - and Reagan and Cole each made the High Honor Roll - not just Honor Roll, but High Honor Roll. I sort of laugh because I don't even know what the requirements are to make either Honor Roll or High Honor Roll. (Cole's teacher forgot to sign his certificate, so, I sent it back to school with him. I'll post it here when he brings it back.) We now have a week off for Spring Break and then we return and start our last term of the school year. This year has FLOWN by. It has been so great and gone so fast - I can hardly believe we are in our last term.

Keep up the great work Reagan and Cole!!!!!

Oh - and I forgot to post about Cole's Animal Project. Each student was assigned an animal that has its biome in Utah. Cole was assigned the Badger. He loved it. He had to write a report and make a trip-board with all sorts of required information about the Badger. Since he had to give an oral presentation, he begged for a stuffed animal badger to use as a "visual aid". I thought that it was a bit of a stretch, but considered it such a valiant effort on his part that I acquiesced :) Here is his tri-board:

Way to go Cole!!!!!

An Evening Snowshoeing

Steve's daughter Shannon is a complete outdoors enthusiast! She loves all things outside. Well, she's been snowshoeing a lot lately and invited Steve to join her for an evening hike. Her hubby Benton went along as well. 

They went up to Silver Lake by Brighton at around 7:30 pm and hiked up from there to Twin Lakes. I couldn't believe that they didn't use headlamps, but they said the moon was so bright that they didn't need it.

They had a great time and now Steve is hooked and totally excited about snowshoeing. Thanks Shan!

Open House of the Jordan River Temple

The moment we could get tickets to the Jordan River Temple Open House, I was online getting those tickets. We were super excited to be able to tour a temple that we see almost daily as we drive around town. Steve and I have been to this temple many, many times. When they decided to close and remodel it, we were excited to see what it looked like post-renovation AND to share it with Reagan and Cole. The Open House runs for a month or so and then, they will dedicate it. So, we wanted to make sure and take Reagan and Cole while it was still open to the general public.

It is just beautiful... I mean, of course it is - all temples are beautiful, but it was so pretty to see how they have re-done it. There was almost no line and we were able to go right in after watching an introductory video in the building next to the temple.

A nice surprise was when we walked into one of the endowment rooms, my old law partner - Doug McDougal - was standing in that room as a host. What fun to see him (of course, we only whispered, but it was a nice surprise to see him) and his wife who was standing and hosting in the Celestial Room. We haven't seen them since Reagan was a baby. Of course, we keep up with Christmas cards and on Facebook, but it was nice to see them :)

Sister missionaries were hosting in the area where we watched the video about temples before actually going in to tour the temple. One of them said "This is the House of the Lord and that is what is inscribed above the door of every temple. If you are reverent and listen to your heart, you will feel Jesus here." It is interesting because both Reagan and Cole mentioned to me - separately - that they felt such a spirit there. Cole said he almost felt like he would walk around the corner and see Jesus. I LOVE that they can feel the spirit here. That is what temples are all about - a place of refuge from the world. A place where we can learn and feel and a place where we make covenants with our Father in Heaven. I'm so glad that they feel the sacredness of this temple - even before it is rededicated.

I'm glad that we could come to this temple and see the beauty inside. As I've posted about before, I was only able to go inside one temple growing up - they remodeled and rededicated the Mesa, Arizona Temple when I was very young. That was my only chance until I was an adult. Reagan and Cole, on the other hand, have been able to visit 7 temples before their dedication or rededication. What a blessing! Thanks to all of the hosts and hostesses that made it possible for us to participate in this Open House today.

Just a side note since this is our own, personal, scrapbook: Presently, the Church pays for all of the temples and all of the work done on them, but back when this temple was originally announced (1978), the members of the Church in this area were asked to contribute to the building fund for this temple. Steve, growing up in a family with 11 children, was 15 at the time. He knew what a stretch it would be for his family to make their contribution, so, he volunteered to earn the money for their family's temple building fund. He found a lady in White City (I guess that is old Sandy) who would make these suckers and sell them to him for like $.05. He would buy a bunch of them and then sell them for $.25 at school. Well, he was doing great, but those candies were stuck to everything at the school. They were a mess and were everywhere, so, the school outlawed suckers. When Steve told me about this, I asked "So, that was the end of your little, business venture?" He replied "No way! That's when I learned about the black market. The price of those suckers went up to $.75 and I made more money than ever!" Ugh! I picture him in a trench coat with all flavors of suckers sewn into the linings of the coat :)  Well, the good news is that their family made their temple building contribution just fine. So, Steve feels like this temple is sort of "his" in a small part. Well, it is.... right? Way to go Steve - even at a young age, you were an entrepreneur. xoxoxo

Fun With the MSQRD App

I've posted before about this app that Reagan and Cole love to play with. It is MSQRD.

Well, we were driving the other day and I found these on my phone after that.

There are so many, different effects. 

I hadn't seen the underwater ones before. Crazy! 

I'll admit that some of them are creepy, but... oh well - most of them are awesome!

Oh - and they have videos!!!!

Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet

I haven't seen this in Cole's previous years of scouting, but I guess there is a Blue and Gold Banquet held annually to welcome in the prospective Cub Scouts - the boys who will be turning 8 this year. Our ward has 2 of them. So, they combined our Pack Meeting with a Blue and Gold Banquet.



They had dinner and introduced the new boys. Cole conducted the Flag Ceremony.

We had our usual awards given and an activity.

After dinner, they played Minute to Win it games. So fun! The first competition was to put an Oreo on your forehead and (within a minute), move it down to your mouth without touching it with your hands.  Cole Won!!!! (after 3 tries)



The second game was to get 6 ping pong balls out of a Kleenex box strapped to your bum. Cole did well, but did.. not... win.



All the families were there and the Cub Scouts each brought items representing their activities in scouts to display on a table.

Cole's Den passed off a requirement called "Art Explosion". They had to make self-portraits in three different mediums. They used modeling clay to make a bust of themselves. Cole was so unhappy with his that it went in the trash before I could get a pic of it. Then, they took a pic of themselves and traced it onto paper that they attached to a candle, letting the light glow through. He gave me this for Valentine's Day. Then, they painted self-portraits. Cole HATES his. He just didn't like how it came out. No matter - I caught a picture and want to remember it.

Thanks to his leaders for always helping him learn new skills, achieve his awards and badges and learn about scouting!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

I honestly thought that when we had the "Santa Clause" discussion with Reagan and Cole that life would be easier. In some ways, it has.... in others.... not so much. I mean.. yes, they know that it is me and Steve that bring them all the gifts, toys and candy, but they don't want any of it to stop... like none! They'll ask "So, what happens with Easter? I mean, we'll still get to have baskets and candy and toys and stuff, right? We'll still get to wake up Easter morning and find our stuff, right?" They aren't just asking about getting "stuff" - they want the magic and the surprise to continue. I sort of thought it wouldn't. So, yes, they know, but yes, I'm still shopping and hiding and playing the part with them. Maybe this is a transition year and next year, it will die down.... maybe not - ugh!

So, St. Patrick's Day landed on a Saturday this year. I really wasn't thinking about it. They ended up looking around for their gold coins. Ugh - so, when they went to a play date at a friend's house and had a scavenger hunt and a rainbow platter of fruit and "Leprechaun shakes", I figured I should get it together. Steve and I hit Harmons to buy the chocolate, gold coins. I put them in their rooms by their karate belt displays. I figured I could try to pose the idea that they just didn't see them when they got up that morning. I have no idea if they bought in or not, but they were thrilled to see the gold coins when they returned from the playdate. (Guess I'd better start shopping for Easter.)

Cole's Dragonfly Kick

I know I've posted about this on FB, but Cole had a great Dragonfly kick at karate last week. Both kiddos were working on it and our instructor moved one pair of students to put Cole right in front of me. He asked "Have you seen his Dragonfly?" I commented that I had, but from across the room. "Watch" he said. Cole proceeded to do his Dragonfly and he was literally parallel to the ground. That is total commitment to the kick because if he falls, he comes down on his face :)  Truth be told, he should probably have his head down lower and his feet up higher, but this is a solid, legit kick. Way to go Cole!!!

Both Reagan and Cole are doing so well in getting back to karate. We are very proud of them.

Their forms and self-defense techniques are looking great. They are getting back into the shape they were in before we took our break. (Both kiddos mentioned that they could feel that they were not as strong and not as flexible as they were before our break. They are trying to come back fully.)

They are doing well in their ground techniques.

They are getting better at their power karate.

Their sparring is coming back well.

Their weapons forms are coming back. 

They are doing great. The big question is whether they will be ready for their April 20th pre-test. The tournament where they will compete and test for their 2nd degree black belts is May 5th, but the pre-test is a couple of weeks before that. If they don't pass their pre-test, they can't test for their next belt at the tournament. Gulp! We will keep training and practicing and hoping to get ready in time. Keep your fingers crossed.... please.