Maddie is 13

Eeeeek I have a Teenager......I don't think I am old enough for this. I have been thinking about this day for a long time. When Maddie was 2 everyone told me, pay attention to how she is acting now, because the two's are just like the teen's. I can see that...very emotional but able to pull it together when she needs to. But above all a joy and delight to be around. We love you Maddie!!!

I am going to take this picture trip down Memory Lane for her Birthday.
I hope you enjoy it with me.

Piano Recital

This year the girls have really progressed in their playing. It has been so great to have Kate playing too. I hope you enjoy this mini concert. Kate's Song is called Monster Truck and boy can she pound.....much to the delight of her Dad as you can imagine.

Water Park Fun

The kids had a day off from school a couple of weeks ago. One of those teacher work days. So we headed to the new Water Park of America. I had been dying to try it out and was hoping to pick a day when it was not packed. Well we picked a great day. The weather had been so bad outside, I needed to be able to pretend that it really was summer. We had a fun day with very few people there. One of the attractions is a "Wave Rider" I have included a few videos of this activity. Basically you jump on to your boogie board and the water acts like the real waves. It even tosses you around if you get thrown off the board like the real ocean would, but you do not come up with a mouth full of sand. Enjoy the pictures and don't laugh to hard or I will never include a picture of myself again. The first video is Maren (my Niece and than me. Don't laugh about how I beached myself, a lot of the riders were doing that) The second video is Abby. You get to see a pretty good wipe out. She also had a rough start so the guy helped her start from the bottom. That is what you see in the video

A visit from Elder Bednar

Elder Bednar came to our Stake Conference a few weeks ago. It was a real spiritual feast. By the end of the weekend I was so exhausted. I do not know how Apostles or Seventies do this every weekend. It truly took me a few days to recover. He did an adult session and a youth session that I was able to attend with Maddie. The you session was just questions and answers. He told the youth that since the growth of the church is what it is they will probably never get a chance again to sit at the foot of an apostle and ask questions. He also had with him a new member of the quorum of Seventy, Elder Watson. He was the icing on the cake. So humble and so in awe of his new responsibilities, he was great to listen to. The whole weekend was a blessing that I will not soon forget. And there must be something in the water here, because this coming weekend Elder D Todd Christofferson is giving a fireside here this weekend.

Kate Has Surgery

Well after having fluid in her ears for 4 months or more, the doctor decided to put tubes in her ears and take out her adenoids. This is the third time she has been through this procedure. It is unusual for a girl her age, they hope that they grow out of the need for them, but she did not. I have been through this twice with her and twice with Abby....it is a little different taking an 8 year old in than a three year old. She had a month to really physic herself out. She was so nervous about the I.V. and the "going to sleep" and had a bunch of other questions. The nurses at the Hospital were so good with her though. She came through it with flying colors.
Oh and she got her first Pedicure. I had to keep her busy in the morning because she couldn't eat.

Dance Competitions

So we have entered the world of competitive dance this year. Maddie's dance line competes in 3 different competitions and that is what has been keeping our weekends full. I have enjoyed watching her and seeing all the progress that she has made. I also enjoy watching the older lines at these competitions. It is really quite a talent and sport. She is not going to be a star dancer, but she does learn an awful lot of life lessons while participating in this activity. She has worked really hard this year and is proud of her accomplishments in this area. They usually do not let us take pictures at competitions, but this last one was an exception. I hope you enjoy this little slide show. If the spinning pictures are too much you can just click on view photos to see them without the spin.

Updating The Blog

The hard time I am having with blogging is that when there is something exciting enough in life to blog than I am too busy with the exciting things to have time to blog....Thanks for your patients and the few of you that have noticed that I have let it slide. I will try and be better. Especially since this is the only sense of journaling that I have and this mind of mine does not remember things like I use to. I thought loosing your memory was something that did not happen till much older....Oh well...There are somethings that will be a pleasure to forget so I should not complain.