We had our first basketball game last Saturday. 

Tori had agreed to be the coach of the team (we were kind of bummed she didn't want to play because she is surely the best player on the team)

Anyway, I ran around with the team roster to all the girls house to have their moms sign it.  It sounded like we were going to struggle to get enough girls to play...they wanted to, but had other things on Saturday that they had to do.  A few were out of town too with it being a long weekend.

 

I got there early and Tori showed up right after.  I realized I had forgotten the team roster so I had to run back home quick. I gave the jerseys to Tori so she could get the girls fixed up as they got there.  When I got back, Calle, Heather and Chantel were there.  It was almost 11:00 so we were thinking we would have to forfeit.  Tori said she would play if we could just get one more player.

They were going to just have us play for fun even if we didn't get enough players so we were having the theme and prayer.  Just as they finished the prayer, in walks Mary Elizabeth!  We were so happy to see her!

Tori was cool about playing, so we had a team!  They had several older girls on the other team, but we still ran circles around them. The girls all did really great...there was no one to sub, so they all had to play the whole time.  I called as many time outs as I could so they could rest and they did fine.  I was really happy with the way they played.  Tori scored most of the points, but passed it out to the other girls and they made baskets too.  I was just really proud of all of them!

Last night I had the girls over to watch Ephraim's Rescue for Young Women.  We had a meeting with our presidency and the yw presidency and the young men leaders to make some decisions about youth conference first though.  Everyone seemed good with the plan of going to the Reid Ranch (kind of up by Strawberry).  The 6th ward had gone there about 10 years ago and had a real good time so Bonnie suggested it.  She had checked into it and it's pretty expensive but the Bishop was all about it if we could do a fund raiser to help out.  It's a really neat place with a lake, swimming pools, horse back riding, archery, and canoeing.  Everyone was coming up with ideas for theme and activities to help unite the kids (that's kind of a problem right now) so I'm pretty excited about it. 

 Anyway, the girls loved the movie...it's a real tear jerker.  Fun night...love these girls.

Olivia got to go spend the weekend with Katie.  Alli was going to California for the long weekend, so it worked out just right to have her ride with her. 

 

I think they were both pretty much in heaven.  Olivia adores Aunt Kate and Katie loves Olivia like no other.

 Lots of spoiling going on here...why wouldn't you?  Liv is such a sweet grateful happy little girl, it makes you want to do nice things for her.

 Looks like they had a blast...so glad they could spend this time together.  (Thanks for sharing the pictures with me...I was dying to be there with you but since I couldn't,  second best is seeing you having a good time.

 

Yesterday was such a fun day.  We got up early and headed up to Strawberry to do some ice fishing.

I was going to just put on a bunch of layers, but then I remembered the awesome body suit i picked up at the yw yard sale last summer.  I dug it out of the basement and threw it in the truck.  It really saved the day!  I was warm and toasty all day... and it was reeeealy cold up there...like 10???

But Oh so beautiful!  We have been having a terrible inversion with no end in sight.  It's gotten so bad, you can just see it in the air. and wow, when you get above it, it's like looking down on a big brown cloud sitting over the valley. 

So to spend a few hours sitting out on the sparkling snow under the bright blue sky with the sun  beating down on me did my soul good.  It's amazing what a sunny day can do to lift your spirit.

 (big gloves I couldn't control)

We got out on the ice and Kelley got to work making some holes in the ice.  KC and Kelley had gone out to test our auger to make sure it was running the night before and said it wouldn't even start.  So Kelley asked Jerry if he could borrow his.  He had a hard time getting his going too, but it finally fired up and Kelley got two holes made in the ice.  Then it died and they couldn't get it started again.  Took off the gas cap and found it was completely out of gas!  Ha!  Kelley said he usually has a can of gas in the back of his truck, but he had  taken it out before we left.  Dang. 

So we were going to just fish out of those two holes, but I could see Kelley was dying to have his own hole so we suggested he go borrow the auger of some people that were fishing by us.    He finally went and got it from them.  It was a hand auger but it worked like a charm...Kelley said it was really sharp so it cut right through the ice. 

 He made it look so easy...just a couple twists and he was through the ice.  He made several holes (just in case there wasn't any action in one...you could switch to another)  Kelley was joking around and said something about how a self respecting fisherman would make his own hole so I thought 'Of course I can make my own hole!'  So I got the auger and found a good spot for a new hole. 

Soooo, you hold the red handle on the top and turn the  middle twisty thing...easy peasy.  Well it wasn't that easy.  It was kind of like patting your head and rubbing your tummy at the same time.  I was probably quite a spectacle trying to wrangle that thing.  Kelley came over and asked if I wanted some help.  NO Way!  I was on a mission now.  I would make a hole if it took me all day!  So Kelley said "let me just show you how to hold it better."  So he got me going and I was doing pretty good.  The auger was about half way under the ice.  Then my arms got tired ...it really was pretty hard! But I didn't want to give up so I tried a new method where the auger stays still and I go around in circles.  I was beyond ridiculous looking at this point but I didn't care.  I was going to make a hole!  I could hear Kelley and KC over there snickering at me, but I was almost there!  A few more circles around the auger (getting dizzy) and the water came gushing out of the hole!  Ha! 

We got our lines all fixed up and when I say we, I mean Kelley and KC hooked up my lure and got a worm on there for me...now before you go judging, the gloves I was wearing were Kelley's (he was so sweet to give me his good gloves) and they were huge.  I had another pair of gloves on under them, and my fingers didn't even go down into the fingers of his gloves so they were just  for keeping warm....not for functioning. 

Anyway, we all got our lines in the holes and waited.  I got a bite right away but he stole my worm and got away.  Then it went completely dead.  After about an hour, we were getting pretty discouraged and were about ready to load up and go home.  Kelley said "Let's give it five more minutes"  He had no sooner said that than he got a good bite.  He caught a real big one.  Then KC got one right after that.  Then Kelley had one on both poles.  Him and KC were catching one after another..  Me, not so much.  I don't know what the deal was but they didn't like what I had  going on there. It was OK though...it was fun to see them catch so many!

Then as Kelley pulled in another one,  I looked over there and he was wrangling this huge fish!  I mean it was really big!  He was trying to get the hook out of its mouth but it was flopping all over the place.  Kelley said it was the biggest one he ever caught.

He finally got the hook out of it's mouth but then he couldn't get it to go back in the hole.  It kept flipping and jumped right out of his hands.  He pushed it into the hole, but it was facing the wrong direction so it couldn't swim down.  Kelley pushed it down in the hole to the bottom of the ice and it was on it's way

 It calmed down a bit after that but Kelley and KC were still catching.  Kelley changed my lure out for one like they had on their poles, but I still didn't get any more bites.  Oh well, I was fine with it...I had such a nice time just being there with those two.

 Thanks for letting me tag along!

This and that from this past week...

Saturday the stake held a basketball training day.  They had it well organized and taught the girls a lot.  I just wish more of our girls would have come to it.  Heaven knows we need the help!

It's kind of surprising  that Heather would enjoy playing.  She is the most timid, shy little gal, but when she's out on the court she really comes out of her shell.  It was fun to watch her and Calle  improve so much in just that two hour time.

We have been trying to think of someone who would coach the girls.  Mindy did it last year, but got put into the primary presidency and couldn't do it.  We talked about it and came up with a few names, but couldn't see any of them really working out.  Then Shauna told me that Tori didn't really want to play this year, but she might be interested in coaching.  So I talked to the bishop about it and he thought that would be great.  The team definitely needs her to play...I think last year she made about 90 percent of the points, but if she would rather coach, I am OK with that too.  She has become kind of disconnected from the girls since she's going to college now.

We have our first game this Saturday so I'm hoping the bishop can talk to her and get her on board to take on that calling.  Last year was pretty disastrous when I was trying to coach before we got Mindy.

 Lizzy has been acting very strange lately.  It seems like she is trying to tell me something but I can't figure out what it is.  She will practically climb right on my lap trying to get close to me.   Then she just stares at me with this really anxious look in her eyes.  I'll say "Lizzy do you need to go out?"  and she will tear off for the back door.  So I go let her out ( I don't know why I am the only one she will tell that she needs to go out...Kelley can be standing right by the back door and she will come tell me.)  Anyway, so many times right after I let her out, she wants to come right back in, so I don't think that's what she wanted.  Wish I could figure her out. She's getting pretty old and sleeps most of the time now, but when we go outside, she runs around with the energy of a puppy.  Won't let myself think about her not being with us anymore...I know I should be preparing myself but my heart just couldn't handle that right now.

 Just had to document the abuse my snowmen have to tolerate.  When I put away all the Christmas decorations I just didn't feel like putting away the snowmen yet....we are still in the dead of winter and they make me happy.  I guess Kelley is getting a little sick of them.  I'll put a bag on his head.

Monday night I went out to dinner with my girlfriends for my birthday.  I chose the cheesecake factory because I it's kind of in the middle for all of us.  It was such a fun night catching up with all these dear ladies.  So grateful for the many years of friendship we have enjoyed.  I've been thinking about the influence the people who come into your life can make and the big place in my heart that they fill and consider them a tender mercy from Heavenly Father.  This life has it's ups and downs, but it's sure a lot easier getting through it when you have good friends to share the joys and sorrows with.

Last night we went skating for our yw-ym combined activity.  The guys were in charge and decided to go to the Kearns Olympic Oval.  I had never been there before...just saw it on TV during the Olympics, so seeing it in person was pretty cool.  It is huge!

The kids were pretty excited about it...(mostly about chasing after and flirting with the boys (and girls) there.

Poor Heather was petrified to get on the ice.  Last year when we went skating, I spent most of the time trying to pry her off of the wall and get her to skate with me.  We ended up actually going around a few times without the aid of the wall.  The set up here was different so she couldn't really cling to the wall.  We tried to get her to hang onto several different people, but she wasn't having it.  Finally McKenzie came around and said she would help her.  They made it around once, then she was done for the night.  I was glad that she at least would give it a try.

 Tori had to come late because of school, so I met her by the front when she got there and helped her get set up.  While we were getting her skates, Jamie Larsen came and gave me a big hug.  She was there with her young women group too.  It was so good to talk to her.  She is such a sweet heart. She said Steve and Sherry are doing well.  She said Steve has several paintings in a few different gallery's and is selling a lot of them.  I miss her and her family terribly.  They are some of those special people that I was talking about that are a blessing in our lives.

 Bonnie is such a doll and just jumps right in and helps everyone put on their skates.

Chantel had told Elizabeth that she would skate with her but that she wanted to go around a few times herself before she did.  I could see that not going well, and tried to encourage Elizabeth to skate with some other kids but she said  that Chantel should be coming soon so she wanted to wait for her.  Well I saw Chantel zip by us about 3 times on the other side of the rink so I didn't think she was really going to come skate with Elizabeth.  A few minutes later, Chantel came hobbling in crying that she had fallen and broken a rib.  She could not be calmed down so Stacey called Laura and she said she would meet Stacey and her at the hospital.  It was about 8:30 by then so we rounded up all the girls and helped them get their skates taken back (that took longer than anything!  huge lines!)

Elizabeth had ridden with me but we decided  she would go home with Bonnie since her sister was in that car.  She told me before she left that she was going to go visit Chantel the next day and see how she was doing.  That girl is a pure spirit.  Even though Chantel left her in the dust, she has no bad feelings.  As I watch her the words "without guile" always come to mind.

Got a text from Stacey this morning saying Chantel was ok, just bruised up a bit.

Cute girls...love them!

 

My birthday was a bitter sweet day. Camille had to head for home that morning so that was really hard. We went out the night before and celebrated though so that was nice.

We went to Olive Garden (one of my favorite places!)  Curtis and his kids met us over there too.  Candice had made a reservation so we got right in.

After we came back to the house and had yummy mint Oreo ice cream cake (Kelley knows what I love!)  We had a good game of Racko and then Camille needed to get things together so they would be ready to leave in the morning.

 Candice had to say goodbye that night..that was a rough one.

 I stayed up that night and finished Olivia's little bed for her Julie doll.  Kelley had made it for Christmas and I got the mattress and bedspread done, but we were trying to make it look like the bed in the American Girl Doll magazine that had beads hanging down on the sides.  I have a lot of beads so I thought I could just string some up and that would work.  Well, it was a little more involved that that.  I started on them long before Christmas and they were super time consuming.  I recruited KC one night and he helped me till about 1 in the morning.  Then Katie helped me with some when she got here.  Each one was really pretty and when we got them all hung on the bed it looked pretty cool.  I had gotten a little distracted with it and spent time doing silk sheets and pillowcases  and cute pillows so I still needed to finish the top that last night.  It turned out pretty cute!

Saturday morning I got up early to make breakfast for the kids before they had to leave.  I thought they were going to leave around 8, but they didn't get on their way till about 10:30.

Man it was hard to say goodbye.

I just had to throw this one in cause I love Emily's face so much!

I think this was the sweetest gift I got for my birthday...Camille sent a picture of Olivia surprising her Julie doll with the new bed.  Had to sit and cry for a bit my heart was already missing them so much.