What a difference a year makes!

The picture in the blue dress was taken last May. The pictures with the hat were taken last Monday.

Hasn't Kaitlyn changed in a year? She looks so much older! One of the Young Women's leader is a photographer and gave each girl who completed a value a photoshoot. These are just two of many photos; her website is www.rightanglephoto.blogspot.com if you want to see more. I could probably do this with each of my kids but I won't because I think it would put me in tears with how fast they are growing. There is such mixed emotions watching your kids grow; pride, wonder, suprise, overwhelming, wonder and joy. What a blessing to be a mother!

Procrastination!

WHY, WHY, WHY do I do it???? It is 8:30 pm on Saturday night and I have an 8 page paper due tomorrow by midnight and what am I doing????? Changing my background on my blog! I am just soooo burned out! I am seriously going to have to gird up my loins, cowboy up, something about a grindstone and get this done!
This is what stops me when I think about getting my Masters...I really need to take a break when I am done with all of this so I will be excited to write about profound, needless things.

But did you see the game where Utah State lost by one point? OH, it was heartbreaking, I think they played in Boise where a lot of fans were there-so sad. Don't even mention the University of Utah game...it is funny, the kids know just to lay low until the next day, even though he is so much better than he used to be; the depression only lasts a day instead of a week!
But Spring is here! I love Spring! We are having some rain right now, which is why we high tailed it out of Tahoe this morning, to skip the storm. We need the rain so badly though, so I welcome it. Back to reading about the difference in personality traits that cause anorexia vs. bulimia...who knew?

Lake Tahoe

We are here at beautiful Lake Tahoe for spring break! We went to Sierra at Tahoe to go tubbing, it was great. They have a rope tow so we didn't have to walk back up the hill (how lazy are we!). Hollie was in heaven because one of the workers had an Australian accent! Of course, between our outings, March Madness is on the TV. Steve is in heaven!
For those of you waiting to see the tap performance, I can't get it uploaded! I have tried and tried and it keeps saying "error". If any of you know what that error could be, let me know!

Would you eat this?

Hardly any of my kids would eat this on Saturday night-do you blame them? It is homemade split pea soup and as Chase put it, "it is green, but it is good!" But no one else but Kaitlyn or Chase would try it and I asked them out of three things what they wanted to eat and they said soup. I just don't think they knew it would look like this. I even put bacon in it and the kids love bacon but then it kind of got burnt and they didn't buy it when I said the burnt bacon added a "smoky flavor" to the soup. Oh my heck, I am laughing as I write this, the things that come out of my mouth to try to get my kids to eat this horrible looking soup!

Steve ate it though and said it was delicious, do I love my husband or what- I truly, truly do!

Gee, I wonder where their dad wants them to go to college?

Yes, it was "college gear day" at the kids school last month. I am glad that we were able to put all the University of Utah stuff to use! When I dropped the kids off at school, there was Chasie in his red Utah hat holding hands with his friend Walker in his Blue BYU hat (in a truly platonic way, I assure you. Walker is a big brother who likes to "brother" and Chase is used to being "brothered" by all his older siblings). I thought to myself as they walked into school, miracles truly do happen. If you knew their fathers and how passionate they were about their teams, you would understand the miracle of it all.

Did you all realize that University of Utah won the conference today against San Diego State? They are going to the big dance baby!

Kudos to Kaitlyn and Hooray for Hollie!

I just have to write about my two little (who are both taller than me) girls.

Kaitlyn is a freshman this year and she gets up every school day for seminary on her own at 5:00 AM. She then wakes up her dad and he takes her to seminary (I am usually at the gym). Kaitlyn usually does not wake up easily and she is the last one up on the weekends, so I know this is hard for her to do but she does it anyway.

She has totally taken advantage of Ripon's policy not to cut freshman in sports and has gone out for volleyball and now tennis. She said to me, "why not try it? They can't cut me this year!" I just think that is so brave of her and she has a great attitude about it.

She has done great in her academic decathalon class and was brave enough to go to the competition where she had to write a speech, be interviewed and take tests on different subjects. On the day of the competition, she was running a fever and had a terrible cough but went anyway because she promised her team she would do it. I dare you to ask her a question about Darwin's finches, I double dog dare you! She will know it too! I am so proud of her and for the beautiful young woman that she is. Kaitlyn just advanced to the intermediate class in Hula and there is nothing more beautiful than to watch Kaitlyn dance hula. Well, she is just plain beautiful!

Hollie has had quite a year. Her Uncle Dave, our stake president told us at the beginning of the year that this would be a big, deciding year for her and it really has been. She is trying out for cheerleading in a few weeks and is also getting ready for the swim team and non of her friends are doing it with her and that is a big step for Hollie. She has grown so much from the medical problems she has had to endure the last few weeks. I was so proud of her when she stood up this last week at our New Beginnings Program and talked about Faith. She was able to use this experience to strengthen her testimony of our Heavenly Father 's love for her and that He answers prayers and that the Priesthood is a power used to bless his children. Hollie has developed some great spiritual depth which I was worried about for awhile. To add this to her other qualities, well, she is unstoppable as well as beautiful. One of the speakers at new beginnings talked about how his brother is teased at school and how Hollie has stepped in numerous times to his defense and told the others to lay off. What a beautiful girl, inside and out.

So, sorry to totally gush about my two oldest, I just wanted to share with you how great they are because I know you know it isn't bragging, just celebrating! I will be happy to "celebrate" about your children too, anytime!

Chase vs. Chase Manhattan Bank

I should be writing my final papers right now-one comparing and contrasting different pyschologist theories that develop personalities and another one on disordered eating BUT I have to share with you all about an incident with our Chasie boy.

The other night after a great New Beginnings program for Young Womens, we stopped at our beloved Washington Mutual Bank that is being switched to a Chase bank. Chasie and Maren were with us because McKay, our resident baby sitter as of late, is at science camp this week. We pull into the parking lot and see that they have gutted the place and workers are trying to set up for the new bank. I turn to Steve and say, "I hate Chase, I miss WaMu." Steve said, "yep, it might be time to change banks." and he gets out to go to the ATM.
Chasie says to me, "Mom, I heard you" and I just kind of say, "Oh, ok" because I was sooo brain dead from getting up so early to go running that morning and I don't think anything of it. Then, he said,"I heard what you said" and it finally clicks and said, "Oh, Chasie did you think I was talking about you?" He thought that when I said, "I hate Chase" he thought I was talking about him! It broke my heart! I said, "Chase, I wasn't talking about you, I was talking about the bank that is now going to be called Chase Manhattan Bank or JP Morgan Chase bank" I would never say anything like that about you. Then Kaitlyn and Hollie started cooing and telling him that not only could we not say that but no one could EVER say that about our Chase because we all love him so. So, needless to say, we made sure that we love him ever so much but I still felt so bad about it! I even asked him the next morning, "Chase you understand that we weren't talking about you, right?" He nodded his head and I added, "Chase, you know that I love you tons right?" I swear he couldv'e asked asked for the impossible and I would have done it so he would be sure he knew that I loved him! Talk about mother guilt!
I think we really need to change banks now!

P.S. I will download our tap performance soon! I know there is an audience waiting for it!