Orem Rec Basketball Champions~Katie's 12th Birthday Party

Joshua was on a basketball team made up of his best friends.  Most are skinny cross country guys but they had quite the season.  They only lost one game (55-103), in the regular season, to a team made up of all the guys who just missed the cut for the High School team.  In the playoffs, they beat that team (75-55) and made it to the championship game.  In the final game, they played a team that had bad sportmanship and had plenty of flagrant fouls against our boys even though we beat them in the playoffs.  Because we had no losses in the playoffs, we only had to beat them once.  Well, they came back and beat us.  The rematch was set a few days later.  The parents were angry from the treatment of our boys and we had a huge crowd show up.  Our boys used their best tool: running.  These athletes have the most amazing lung capacity.  They ran the other team ragged.  A few minutes left in the game, with a comfortable lead, one of Josh's closest friends, Bryce, hurt his knee.  He had to hobble of the court and it looked bad.  We ended up winning the game and it felt great.  These boys were only supposed to finish somewhere in the top 1/3 of the teams and they worked so hard.  (And their coach was top notch, if you ask me.) 

The bad news is that Bryce ended up with 3 ligaments torn.  He had to have surgery a week later and will miss out on his entire senior year tennis season.  It was devastating to him and his parents.  It was quite sobering for these young boys who always feel invincible.  After that week, Josh said he wishes they could go back and take Bryce out of the game.  He said winning wasn't that important and they'd give back the title if they could give Bryce back his health.  

Katie got to have her "friend" birthday party because she turned 12.  We had 15 girls over for pizza, soda, making bracelets, and watching "Wonder".

Freezer-Bean Museum-Airforce Museum

Josh's bathroom outlet kept tripping the fuse.  We thought it might be his blowdryer.  After a few days, we thought it might be the outlet, itself.  One day Jeff decided to replace the outlet.  He realized that the freezer was on the same "breaker".  I went to check the freezer and I could tell it was getting warmer.  I plugged it into a different breaker outlet.  After another day, it still wasn't getting colder.  

Realization=the freezer is the problem.  

We called a repairman who found the compressor was dead.  Time to buy a new freezer becuase the repair would be as much as a used freezer.  

The repair man told me to pack it full of free ice: SNOW.  (See picture below.)

I did research on classifieds.  I found a great option in Payson but the seller decided to shut off all contact right before we were supposed to pick it up.  It was now late Saturday afternoon.  I knew the contents wouldn't last until Monday.  We got back on the classifieds and started messaging all my other options.  There were 3 and they were all in the Salt Lake Valley.  We decided to drive until one messaged us that we could get it immediately.  We ended up getting a lady in Kearns to be available.  She asked if we had a hand truck because we would need to take it up 9 stairs.  Uhhhhh....We don't own one and it's too late to borrow from a neighbor.  We stopped at a Home Depot and bought one.  (It's a useful purchase which helped take the sting out of spending more money that we didn't plan on.)

We got to her house at 7 pm.  The freezer was in her basement and required us to remove to of her doors.  After we got the freezer in our van and reinstalled her doors, we headed home.  We had to leave it upright through the night because we had to lay it down in our van to transport it.  

Sunday morning we were able to transfer all the food.  We had to throw away the bottom layer which had defrosted too much.  

We now have a bigger and upright freezer.  I am happy about both of those upgrades.

We took the kids to the Bean Museum (free animal museum on BYU campus) for FHE.  They had a temporary exhibition about a snake from the dinosaur times.  They had a model that represented the size of the snake.  Blake was super cautious about being close to it. 

The animal in it's mouth is a full size crocodile.  

They had a real snake that the kids could touch.  Caleb touched it right away.  Blake was outside the exhibit, with me.  When he found out that Caleb touched it, he decided he could try.  

Here was a wall with the cutout of the snake's open jaws where you could take pictures.  Blake had to keep an eye on the teeth to make sure it wasn't alive.

I was meeting my sister in Ogden for a lunch date.  She was later than she expected.  Blake and I took a detour to the Hill Air Force Base Museum.  I could tell that the airplanes made him very nervous.  He still struggles with being anxious over a handful of things.  I showed him that I could touch the planes and after I did a few planes, he decided that he had to touch every single plane that was outside.  

Special Olympics, Preference, and Blake Haircut

We signed Caleb up for Special Olympics.  Right now, they are only doing basketball.  We knew it would be a sport that he wouldn't like.  However, this is an important part of therapy that our psychologist recommends.  Later in the year, they offer track, softball, bowling, bocce, and soccer.  He was very excited about bowling.  We told him that to do bowling, he would need to do all of the sports.

He spent the first day sitting on the bench asking to go home.  I told Caleb that he had to try for 5 minutes before I'd take him home.  I got a volunteer to come over and engage with him.    

Caleb walked to the end of the bleachers, bounced the ball once off the floor, and turned to me expecting to go home.

I told him that I wouldn't accept that.  He needed to participate for 5 minutes.  The volunteer got him to play follow the leader while he dribbled around the perimeter of the court.

 He even laughed a few times when the ball would bounce away from him.  

This look is, "Mom, that better be enough!"  We called it a day and went home.  Sadly, the next week they started a tournament.  That isn't going to help him participate.  We will have to wait for the next sport to start practicing.

Josh got asked to Preference by a girl on Cross Country.  This time he let her come in while they did corsages and boutonnieres.  We were happy to meet his date.

 I have always cut Blake's hair.  Josh asked that we do the sides shorter and leave the top long.  I wasn't feeling confident about doing it myself.  So, we took him to Great Clips with Kyle.  Blake was shy but did very well.

What a waste of $12.  I asked her to keep the top long and it was as short as I usually cut it.  Bummer.



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A Photo Shoot Story

I was sitting on the couch when Blake came up to me and starting talking.  I noticed how blue his eyes looked with the sunlight pouring in the window.  I started taking a bunch...err....100s of photos.  (iPhones aren't the best and I am a terrible photographer).  

After a while, he wanted to make silly faces.

Caleb got off the bus and wanted to take some photos, too.

Blake decided it was his turn and that he could take funnier pictures.

They had a great time taking turns trying to make silly faces.

Eventually, Blake got sick of sharing the spotlight.  

I told him that he could have one more turn and then we were done........ 
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Pieces of February

Blake helped me make some Valentine's sugar cookies.  He loves to help out in the kitchen.  He wishes that we would make brownies every time, however.

 Josh called me from school and said that he cut his finger while manipulating a lawn mower engine, in his class.  He said that they bandaged it up and didn't think he'd need stitches.  When he got home I made him take of the bandage.  I took one look at his finger and called the dr.  He was annoyed because he thought I was over reacting. 

Seven stitches. 😏 

Most of the girls in our neighborhood are younger than Katie.  Its a good thing that she's so much fun.  She's pretty popular.

 Katie was challenged by her piano teacher to play a hymn in Primary.  She played "Come Follow Me" without missing a beat.  I was so proud of her.  Accompanying is very hard.

Caleb turned 9.  He got some more books from a series that he has just found.  "Dogman"  

He has flipped over to the level of reading where he can read chapter books all by himself.  It's such a sweet tender mercy to see it.  I am so grateful for his patient and talented teachers who know how to reach him.

This lego set was another of his presents.  It is from the "Lego Ninjago Movie."

 Caleb tried to blow out all of his candles.  When he got a little frustrated, Blake was completely willing to step in and help.

 Grandma Clark got a new puppy.  She came by and let the kids meet her.  Our kids were enamored with her.  

(I didn't have to stage this photo.  They stayed like this for over 10 minutes.)