March Music

Awww.....who doesn't love the song "Chicken In The Corn". Ben, Lizzy, and Kate have been working hard on preparing for piano federation and their piano recital. They start preparing months in advance, so I find myself humming their songs throughout the day without even noticing. They preformed well in their recital and recieved superior ratings in federation. I guess their hard work paid off.

Kate has been especially busy, not only preparing her piano piece, but her violin concerto as well. Her concerto was 5 minutes long. She received a superior on her violin concerto. It was so beautiful, I wish I could post it, but you know how older kids are about these kind of things. No posting allowed.

I have loved listening to all the wonderful music flowing through my home. Thanks kids!

Happy Birthday Katelyn!

Eighteen things I love about Katelyn: Her contagious smile; beautiful eyes; the way she squints when she smiles; she is gorgeous both inside and out; savvy smarts; her wittiness; loves to serve others; leadership abilities; her many talents; social skills; her compassion; loves all people and is non judgmental; spirituality; inclusiveness; fun loving; hard worker; high energy and is a FABULOUS DAUGHTER! Kate is great!

Happy 18th Kate!

Relative Party

Family Friends

It's Offical.......

Meagan and Quinn will be moving back to their fabulous condo on April 1st. It is interesting, how they were gone exactly one year. It was last April 1st that they announced that they were moving to Las Vegas. I am so excited for them to move back to Bountiful. They will arrive just in time to participate in the all wedding festivities.

I have really missed them. I thought that Las Vegas was only 6 hours away and that I would be visiting them often. However, life is very busy. We have not been able to visit them at all. We moved them down, and that was the first and the last visit. We are so excited to have them back!

Songs of the Heart

Music has a special place in my heart. There are particular hymns at church that touch my soul, and bring tears to my eyes. There were two hymns that were sung in church yesterday that melted my heart. I couldn't stop the tears from flowing as I listened to the wonderful messages. The words speak for themselves.I Know That My Redeemer Lives is a song that gives me great hope and knowledge that we will all live together again.

Another song that is not only beautiful, but has meaningful words to me is Be Still My Soul . It brought back emotional memories for me. This is the song that Katelyn and her violin teacher played at Steve’s funeral. We were all devastated by Steve’s sudden passing. Katelyn, at the young age of 15, was so brave to offer to play the violin at the service. Considering the difficult days that we had experienced, it was a true miracle that she was able to play this song so beautifully with her teacher.

"Music expresses feeling and thought, without language; it was below and before speech, and it is above and beyond all words." ~Robert G. Ingersoll

Which talent to share for the upcoming second grade talent show?

Jr. Jazz Basketball

The winter session for the Bountiful, Jr. Jazz teams has come to end. Wednesday night Ben played his last game for the season.

I have really missed Steve not being here to coach Ben's basketball teams. Steve loved coaching Mike, and was really good at it. His coaching was a little intense. He usually stacked his team, never missed a practice, expected 100% from the kids, and always liked to win. He taught the kids great basketball skills, and it usually paid off with a winning season. He wasn’t necessarily about equality (each kids plays the exact amount of time), he was fair, but competitive.

Our coach this season has been more about equal time than being competitive. Not a bad thing, just different than I am used to. Our team has come a long way from the beginning of the season. They have learned to play together as a team, and accentuate the positive attributes in each player. We rarely win a game, but the kids have a great time. Well, that is most of the time they have a great time. Sometimes they are a little frustrated with loosing most games.

Ben has been among the top scorers of the team, with great assists as well. I may be a little partial but he has been a great asset to his team. On occasion, Ben will score at the buzzer usually ending a quarter. He loves the roaring crowd and excitement that is generated from those shots.

In his last game his was able to pull off one of his buzzer beaters at the end of the 3rd quarter. His shot was all net from way beyond the 3 point shot line. The crowd was on their feet applauding, even the coaches from the opposing team were cheering him on. There was discussion among the referees on the floor, and those at the scores table as whether or not 3 pointers were allowed in Jr. Jazz. We were happy when the 3 points were added.

The game ended in a sad loss, as Ben and other able players spent most of the 4th quarter on the bench. Equal time or come to compete? I know which way I sway.

March Madness

Today was the first day I actually got to partake in March Madness (parental duties were calling). I must say it is very addicting, exciting, and difficult to decide which team to watch. I guess you need to have two TV’s blaring at the same time to take in all the madness.

I hesitate to discuss my views of March Madness, since it is such a sensitive subject. NCAA Tournament Brackets have been completed with either your favorite team advancing, or your best bet to win. Others have loyalty issues to players, colleges, or coaches. Whatever the case, it is a passionate season.

The night started with a double overtime between San Diego State and Temple, with San Diego State taking down Temple. There was even more excitement with the crazy finish between Butler and Pittsburg, with Butler upsetting Pittsburg.

Finally, the game I was most interested in, the Cougs, verses the Zags. It is common knowledge how red our family is, and how loyal we are to our Ute’s. At our house if you are loyal to the U you cannot be allegiant to BYU.

However, I got a little consumed in the game watching Fredette, the fearless shooter, who leads the nation in scoring. I have to admit I gave a little shout out for Jimmer. My loyal children were disgusted, changed the channel and took out the batteries in the remote. Once the remote was recovered, and batteries re-installed, I quickly changed back to the game, keeping my eye on the Zag’s freshman David Stockton. I took a particular interest in him since his father John was my all time favorite Jazz player. No more remote battles, as long as I was interested in Gonzaga.

Let the madness continue!

Nike

The exact same red and grey Nike shirts.

Ben has a certain style for clothing. Every day he wears some sort of sporting clothing to school. While most of his clothing is not brand name, his favorite clothing is the brand name items. His "brand awareness"can get a little pricey, so I’m always looking for a deal. Last week a local department store had their nike, adadias, under armour and other brand name clothing on sale. The boys and I made a couple trips purchasing these “necessities”.

This morning when Ben was getting ready for school, he came downstairs in tears. “What is wrong?” I inquired. I was sure he’d fallen off his bed, knocked his head, sprained a wrist, or something of this nature with all the tears. “My nike shirt is ruined,” he sobbed. The seams were in tact, no noticeable holes, what could possibly be wrong with his shirt, I thought. The sobs subsided as he showed me where the nike logo used to be on his new shirt before it was laundered.

I didn’t know a simple check could mean so much. "Poor boy," I thought, he had to wear a shirt to school without advertising for Nike today. As he was running to the bus stop I noticed his one and only pair of nike socks peeking above his nike basketball shoes.

The Irish Blessing

For each petal on the shamrock
This brings a wish your way -
Good health, good luck, and happiness
For today and every day.
~Author Unknown

May your blessings outnumber
The shamrocks that grow,
And may trouble avoid you
Wherever you go.
~Irish Blessing

The leprechaun almost forgot to come to our house. Ben said he doesn't believe and hasn't believed in the leprechaun since kindergarten. He caught his teacher in the act hiding treasures from the leprechaun. Whether you believe or not, the green food, green clothing, green shamrocks, and green gifts are always appreciated. What's a holiday without some kind of celebration?

Daylight Savings

Clock confusion – or daylight savings time has really thrown us for a loop. My children had an infallible plan to insure that all clocks in our house (especially those that we use for alarm clocks) did not spring forward on Sunday morning. They thought they could trick me into sleeping in an extra hour. Unfortunately their plan failed, when I slept with my cell phone which happens to be my alarm clock.

By Monday the ramifications for daylight savings took a toll on us. When Mom sleeps in, the entire household sleeps in. It was utter chaos as the kids scrambled to leave for school within a 15 minute period of time.

Ben doesn’t do so well under pressure. He turned into a “sick” child really quickly. His throat hurt, his head hurt, his stomach hurt. Usually, I don’t fall for such tactics, but this morning I just didn’t care.

If you are “sick” at my house, and have to miss school, than you have to stay in bed. I kept checking on Ben throughout the morning to make sure he was following the rules. My first check found him snuggled in Mike’s bed with the covers securely wrapped around him while fake sleeping. That was the first sign he was up to mischief. As I pulled the covers down I found an electronic game device he had been hiding from me.

I was glad when the day was finally over and I could retire from Gestapo mom, and get some normalcy back in our lives.

Sugary Stuff

Grocery shopping is not my favorite thing to do. Many people love it, but I’m definitely not among them. After listening to the cries of my children that there was no food in the house for two weeks, I finally conceded. Katelyn, aka my personal grocery shopper, was too busy this weekend to help me, so I went on my own.

At my house, my children think we have no food when we are low on candy, sugared cereal, and crackers. Okay, maybe fruit, bread, and other essentials too, but mostly they think there is no food in the house when we are low on the sugary stuff.

I had to power shop since I had less than an hour before the teenagers were off to the school Dance. As I strolled up the cereal aisle with my cart, I heard a mom talking to her kids, “Oh no, we can’t buy that cereal it is only colored sugar, and very bad for you.” I reached over the mom to get my fruit loops, and got a crusty look from her kids. I just smiled.

The candy aisle was no better, with similar comments and criticisms of my grocery choices.

When I got home, I filled the candy dishes, the candy drawer, put away my sugary cereal, and rejoiced in the happy comments from my kids.

Bountiful High School Senate Dance 2011

This year's theme for the Girl's Choice Senate Dance was, "And the Award Goes To......."

Mike and Chandler Meyer's went as the Biggest Loser's. I tried to convince Mike to wear a fat suit under his Biggest Loser shirt, but he declined. I thought it would make him look a little more authentic.

Kate and Matt Daly went as Kate and Sawyer off of the mini series Lost. For those of you that have been living in a cave, Lost is about survivors of a plane crash that are forced to live with each other on a remote island. The Island becomes a dangerous new world that poses unique threats of its own.

Madi and Coulter Crowell went as Chris Brown and Rihanna (thus the fake fist fighting).

What a fun night had by all!

Romeo & Juliet

Lizzy - The beautiful Blue Iris

Tonight The Creative Dance Academy, where Lizzy dances, staged a fabulous performance of the ballet Romeo & Juliet. Dancers’ skills ranged from the dazzling 3 year old budding roses, to the highly skilled company dancers. I was so impressed with the high level of dance skills, as well as the dancer’s emotion and artistry. The scenery was striking, and the costumes were not only stunning, but they depicted the characters in the play as well.

It's Never Easy

Tonight I went to the viewing of Heather Burdette Hulbert, the little sister of my sister-in-law Connie. She was only in her early 40’s when she lost the battle with cancer. She leaves behind a husband, and 3 children 10, 13, and 18. My heart breaks for this family. I truly know how difficult it is too lose a spouse, and try to find peace of comfort for you and your children.

At the viewing someone had said how difficult it was to watch her suffer, to say good-bye time and time again. I guess there is just no easy way to leave this mortal life. Whether it is sudden death or a more expected passing, it is never easy.

Viewings and funerals are still difficult for me. They bring back so many emotional memories. Time has been my friend. It hasn’t healed my broken heart, but it has eased the pain.

My heart goes out to this family, both immediate and extended. I hope somehow they can find peace. There is a scripture in John 14:27 that reads “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

Spring Storm

Last night we got dumped on. We got about a foot of snow over night. We are all getting a little tired of the pretty white stuff, but some chose to see the cup half full rather than the cup half empty.

Jake Parry, Sellas Siveretts, and Kate skied to Bountiful High School this morning. They skied over the rivers of slush, through the snow covered street, parking lots, glistening soccer fields, and down the fresh powdered hills.

On their journey, they were asked by onlookers, “Why are you skiing to school?” to which Jake quickly replied, “My mom ran out of gas.” To others with a similar questions Jake responded, “You know, gas is expensive these days.”

They created quite a spectacle, and aroused a stirring curiosity among the Bountiful-ites. Some ran into their house to get their camera to take pictures of these clever kids.

There is nothing better than embracing the weather, whatever it may be.
This is the Bountiful High baseball field today. Mike has his first game this Friday.

Turning 16

On his birthday!
Lots of food and fun, 16 red balloons (his favorite color).
Saturday night festivities!

Happy Birthday to my favorite oldest son! Mike turned 16 today. Sixteen is such a milestone for teenagers at our house. Mike will become a legitimate driver; launch into the dating pool (Senate Dance is this Saturday); and advance in the priesthood.

Mike is such a great kid; I am sure these older teenage years will be just as great as the younger ones have been. What a complete delight he has been and continues to be.

To begin the birthday festivities we attempted to have a surprise party for him Saturday night. He has told me several times this past week, “Whatever you do for my birthday, I do not want a party, especially a surprise party.” I think I have become hard of hearing, or have simply learned how to tune my children out. Whatever the case, Katelyn and I planned a “surprise” party for him Saturday night. It ended up not being much of a surprise, but was a great party!

Sunday I made one of his favorite dinners, barbecued ribs., and his favorite peanut butter rice crispy bars for dessert.

Today is his actual birthday. After baseball practice we ventured out the the treacherous snow to enjoy a meal at one of his favorite restaurants, Texas Road House. We ended the celebrations with of course the traditional decorating his room, and lots of presents.

There’s nothing like 3 days of celebration!

High School Basketball State Play Offs

Mike Brown #5

I have become a basketball junky these days. With basketball state playoffs beginning, I could literally spend the entire week at the Dee Event Center watching basketball. Unfortunately, my job won’t allow me to take that much time off, so instead I definitely watch all the Bountiful games, and sneak in a few others.

Steve's family are die-hards as well. His brother, sisters, and parents attended several games each day. They all love a good basketball game. We even having them rooting for Bountiful now that Mike is on the team. Now I know where Steve got his passion for the game. He loved basketball and looked forward to the State Play offs every year.

The Bountiful Braves Varsity Basketball team began the Basketball State Playoffs on Monday, upsetting the Timpeview Thunderbirds. They moved onto another bracket conquering the Springville Red Devils. The semi-finals were tonight where the Braves swept their rivals the Woods Cross Wildcats. Tomorrow are the finals, a run for the state championship for the Braves.

Mike has enjoyed suiting up and being a part of the team for the play-offs. It’s every sophomore basketball enthuses dream to be part of such a successful year.

The air is filled with excitement tonight as the Braves begin their final preparations for the Championship game tomorrow night against Highland.