Basketball 2010

Well I will begin with Maddy. She played for her school Clear Creek Middle School on the 6th grade team. They had a great season. They won 9 games and lost 1 (by 2pts) Maddy's team had their end of season tournament on Saturday. They won their first game easily which put them in the championship game. This game was intense. they played Gordon Russell Middle School. This is the team they lost one game to during the season. With less than a minute to play we were down by 5. Maddy dribbled down and made an outside shot which put us within 3. Then we got the ball back and Maddy was fouled. She hit one of her baskets at the line. Now down by 2, we get the ball back and they foul one of our girls (also named Maddy) she makes one her baskets on the line. So now we are down by 1. The clock has run down to 11 seconds left. Gordon Rusell has the ball they take it down no basket.. we have it and they foul Maddy (Pearson) she goes to the line. She makes the first basket.. all tied up. She makes the second basket.. we are up by one. They get the ball and my Maddy steals the ball and the clock runs out! The team decided on Sweatshirts with their names on them instead of trophies!
I think that is an awesome trophy!!!

Here's Maddy going up for one of her many layups

layup...Again!
So here is the score board for the championship game. It was a low scoring game but Maddy made 25 of those points! I don't mean to brag but she is amazing! So fun to watch!

The whole team after their big win! They had the team party between games and the coaches said a little something about each of the girls. Maddy was named MVP and averaged 16 points per game. ( We had to send Maddy with a friend because Syd had a game at 10am and presley at 11am. The championship game was at 12pm. (Cole's game got cancelled because they had already set up the chairs for stake conference) Which was a blessing because his game was to be at 11am and Steven volunteered to give other boys rides so they would have enough players.

So Sierra has been one of our drivers to get all 4 of our basketball players to their games. I could not have managed the last 8 weeks without her! Thanks Sierra

She is silly.. I have about 2 dozen pictures of her making faces!

The photographer! Go Dad!!! Thanks for taking all of the action shots!

Presley brought her ball to Syd's Game and would not stop bouncing it.. Steve took care of that!
So we move on to Cole. He is playing for our ward team. I wish sierra was here helping me label these photos. She could describe this photo much better than me.

Cole has a great vertical leap. Too bad the rest of our ward choses to not show up for games. for the last 3 weeks we have had to forfeit and then play using boys from the other ward.

I am proud of you Cole for being dependable and committed to being there.
(Cole keeps telling me he will play for the school next year if I get him a dog) lol

Sydnee BrookeGo Syd! She did so good this year. Great hussle at getting the rebounds! Her team the Sharks had a great season. They only lost one game and it was only by a few points.

Presley aka P. Diddy

Presley had fun this year. She played on a 2nd/3rd grade girls team. The Cheetahs! Presley is quick to run back down the court, and great on defense. She made several baskets in their 9 games. She was so excited for saturdays game because their team party was right afterward and she got her trophy! All Smiles! Thanks Sierra for getting her to her game and taking her to her team Party! ILY

I love this picture.. it looks like she is palming the ball!

Fire And Blood.. (not necessarily in that order)

So Steven absolutely LOVES fires! To build fires, play with fires and the bigger the flame and the hotter the coals the Better! So for Family Home Evening Steven brought his firepit up on the deck and he built quite the fire! I seriously thought the 8 foot flames with an east wind were going to catch the house on fire. He brought it down a notch or two. I am certain the glares he received from me had nothing to do with that!

So a camp fire is cozy and fun to roast marshmallows and make smores but it comes with a price. The lovely camp fire smell absorbs in not only your clothes but your hair too! Now I am not opposed to sitting around a nice warm fire and chattin' but when I have just washed my hair and it actually turned out good for once I was relunctant to join the family by the fire. I did give in and went out and enjoyed Stevens oh so warm fire. I took a few photos to document the occassion. See his blue coals... the stick he is using to poke at the coals is about 2 feet shorter than when he started.
We all came in after a bit and I tell ya, that camp fire smell really takes hold of everything. Steven kept telling me how good I smelled and to get over it. Until morning...
Steven wakes up sniffing.. pokes me and asks if I smell that. I said smell what? He said it smells like something is burning. He sniffs me and says oh my it is you! I reminded him that just last night he was telling me how amazing I smelled and that he really liked it!!! ( ya know, well enough to use as perfume) Needless to say I had to rewash our bed linens too! Oh my, the things i do for love!!

But isn't it a most awesome fire?

He has asked to build one everynight.. I told him I didn't mind but I wouldn't be joining him. He hasn't built one since.

So I had to throw this in... when I was taking my sister Chelle to the airport 3 1/2 weeks ago I was wearing sandals and tore my toenail back lifting her luggage up on the curb. I quickly flipped the nail back and wrapped it in some tissue I had in my car and drove home. In the 12 minute drive home my sandal and gas pedal were soaked with blood and the throbbing pain was near unbearable. I mean what do you even do for an injury like this?

For 3 weeks it hung on strong to the cuticle..

Finally... it came off! yay!!! I seriously never realized how sensitive a nail bed could be! I walked around with a limp for a couple weeks. I couldn't wear any shoes.. the pressure hurt too bad. But I would do it all again if my sister came to visit again! :)

Really I would!!!!

The Effect of soda pop on Teeth Science Project

So back before Christmas Break Cole and 2 classmates, Josh and Randy, started a science project for their Honors Science class. Originally Cole took the idea of what happens to a nail if it sits in a can of Coca Cola. Well his teacher declined that and said to use teeth. So these boys began by asking me for any teeth I might just happen to have laying around. Thank goodness the Tooth Fairy had left a few behind. They carefully measured out the exact amount of each of the sodas. They took pictures to document every step. They measured each tooth then put the teeth in. 24 hours later they took the teeth out and took more pictures and measurements. They as I was very alarmed at the discoloring after just one day. Here is a picture of the Mt. Dew tooth before

After... look how yellow the root of the tooth is already!
Here is the A&W Tooth ( ok I hit back space and the before picture disappeared? Has this ever happened to you? I have no idea how to get the picture back without starting all over and yeah... that is not going to happen) Sorry

It is not so bad after one day.

The Squirt Tooth Before...

After... it actually appears to be brighter.

The Coke tooth before.....

After... yikes!!

Pepsi before....

After...

for those of you who know me I LOVE Pepsi! I had no idea that if left sitting on the teeth it did this!
The boys continued this process for 8 days. The Coca Cola tooth is the darkest brown and decay is evident in the root of the tooth. The Pepsi tooth is also a dark brown but slightly less decay. The Mt. Dew tooth is completely bright yellow and decay starting in the root. The A&W tooth was a light brown with little decay and the Squirt tooth remained white and showed no sign of decay. Well this is good news for all of you Squirt and A&W drinkers. As for us Pepsi and coke lovers.... Brushing your teeth immediately after consuming is a marvelous idea!

Oh, back to what I was saying at the beginning. Their Teacher shot down the nail in Coke Thesis and gave them the tooth one. Guess What? Now they can not enter the Science Fair because they used the Human teeth. The Fair would have allowed the nail project. To make things even more frustrating since they cannot be in the Science Fair the best grade they can get and did get is a "B"! This Teacher has really hit some nerves this year! I tell you what... I am finding that Some High School Teachers are on a power trip! It is extremely frustrating. These boys put in several hours and time doing this project and their final Tri-Fold poster board was amazing! They deserve an A on this project!

Sierra's Like Totally Rad 80's Sweet Sixteen Birthday Party!

So The Theme for Sierra's Sweet 16 Party was A Totally 80's Flashback! I was really impressed that all of her friends came dressed in the Era! I am sure it helped that most of their parents were teens in the 80's! She invited, wait... back up, her friend Savanah handed out the invites for her party! Sierra is a silly girl. She felt awkward handing out her own invites.

(gotta love this girl)

Thank you Savanah for handing them out:)

Sierra is HOT!!!! Move over 80's Madonna!

Cole is sporting his Dad's Mt. View Letterman's jacket and football jersey. "The 80's jock"

Love the "Top Gun" sunglasses!

Danielle put on the "Michael Jackson" Jacket and grabbed the boom box! HOT!!!!!!

Grant and Kadyn bringing the 80's "SHORTS" back! You go boys!!!

Cassie, Sierra, Charmaine, Celena & Nicole

Charmaine, Celena and Nicole Again!

Like totally for sure!!!

Mikayla, Taylor, Grant, Kadyn, Savanah, Cassie, Celena, Macie & Sierra

Michael Jackson AKA Brandon Fast and Madonna AKA Sierra
Seriously, Brandon threw it down on the dance floor.. MJ would have been proud! He won the guys dance off! Totally Awesome Brandon!

So here is Rachelle's posse!!!

Moo-Moo, Young flight, Young Swagg & Jiga-Boii

The Dream of wearing a Hot Guys Lettermans jacket finally came true 20 years later!!!

LOL

See what I mean! HOT!!!!

I know after holding the heavy boom box we are so appreciative of the I-Pod!

Can you believe back in the day we would carry those things around to have music?!

Seriously, I should have posted some of the pictures of the kids trying to hold it at Sierra's party, they were struggling. Not quite sure how to hold it either!

Okay it is well after midnight and the party guests have left... ahhhh.... what a night! Thanks again Rachelle for helping me transform my house into The 80's Party place!

I am still laughing at where we put the love seat.. balancing between the washing machine and the counter across from it! (we had to move the couches to make room for the dance floor!) Dang, I should have put that picture on here!

Well I think that about 40 came to her party. I will consider it a success! Thanks to my Sister Rachelle! I could not have done it with out you! I love you :)

The Dinner before the BIG Surprise!

So after Sierra passed her driver's test we took her to Red Robin to celebrate! Steven had been keeping a big secret from her for 2 WHOLE months. Well to be honest he told a few people and word got around, but thankfully not back to Sierra or any of the other kids. So to set up the surprise Steven was to meet us at Red Robin because he was in a meeting (believable because lately that seems to be a daily thing) So He drove her present there and parked it on the other side of our Excursion so it was hidden. Meantime we all enjoyed a delicious dinner. Our waitress was very generous and hooked Sierra up with alot of balloons. Maddy, Rachelle, Sierra and Presley
Sierra even let them sing to her! And she got her complimentary ice-cream Sundae.

So now it was time for her to open her present. Steven and I agonized over and over on how to give her her present. This is what we came up with. I found a little die cast convertible BMW at Target ( the night before, I had been looking every where and had no luck) We stuck the key to her car in the box and wrapped it up. I can just only imagine what was going thru her mind when she opened it up. HA Ha nice joke Mom and Dad! well then her Grandpa told her to take it out of the box and the key fell out. She seemed a little puzzled then. Steven tried to play it off that maybe Target was having a big HooRaa that who ever gets the box with a key wins a car. Nice try Dad.. not buying it. Well, I snuck out of the restaurant and put the Big pink Bow on her car and waited with the video camera for them to come out.

I Don't know who was more excited? Sierra or her Daddy?

Sierra I think was in shock! She asked, "When do I have to give it back?" (thinking we rented it for a joke)

I think the best reaction we got from her was when she realized it was a convertible!

Happy Sweet Sixteen Sierra! You deserve nothing but the best!

Then it was cake time! Thanks to everyone that kept the secret and made it an awesome surprise for Sierra!

Funny little side note: Cole got a twinkle in his eye, the sparkle of hope for a car when he turns 16! Rachelle turns to Steven and says so what are you gonna get Cole? Stevens reply, um I got a couple of years to think about that one! UH... no you DON"T! you have 15 months! Now that look on Steven's face was worth a million! lol