Grace's 4th Grade Program

Grandpa Dennis, Grandma Ethel,

Grandpa & Grandma Fickett all came to support her!

Grace had her end of year program. In 4th grade they have learned all about the state of Utah. This year they have worked hard on learning the songs and their teachers have done this program for so long, they have it perfected. Grace had to dress like a pioneer. She was adorable. She sang her guts out, was a sign holder and was the ending speaker! She did a great job. It was a blast watching Dean Garrett mouth the words to EVERY song. We got a kick out of watching him. Kasen is his 4th child, so he has seen it and looks forward to it EVERY TIME. It is the best program at the elementary. Luckily I will see it again next year when Sara comes through. Grace had to research Garfield county. She spent hours at school writing reports, making maps, brochures, and making floats on her county. She did a great job. I LOVE you Gracie!

BOWLING!!!

This was the 1st place team, The Ball Busters!

Angie, Lynette and Sandi

This is my team, The Pickup Chicks

Lori, Charlise and me.

Show me the money!!

Lori is asleep in all our pictures?!? She is working too hard!

The Gutter Girls and their awesome shirts!

Jenn, Marla, and Tonia.

Don't judge me! Yes, for the past 3 years, each Thursday morning, you can find me and some of my dearest friends at the bowling alley!! Sort of white trash, but we have so much fun. We bowl with ladies who have bowled for 40 years. I think they hate us because when we go we laugh and visit and "catch up" on each others lives, those ladies take it so serious and sometimes frankly, bowling gets in our way of chatting! Today was our last day and the big finale. We earned money for the games we win and it was pay day. After we went shopping to get some spring/summer shirts!

Way Too Much for ONE Day!

Here is a picture of the flip flops, that Stephanie and I made for the competition. I hope Steph doesn't care I stole her photo!! These are cute Ashlyn's feet. Stephanie found the cutest material. Yeah Stephanie!!

The After picture..it was really muddy.
Addison with his umbrella.

Stockton wasn't in the recital but he took from Fran for years so I wanted a picture with her...she is so good to my kids.

Grace and Fran, she is smiling now! She did great!

Syd trying to comfort her in the foyer, she said she messed up too, but of course we didn't get to hear her, we were too late...

Grandma DaNece giving her comfort!!

Working Hard.

Look at those beautiful girls and their coach..Thanks Michelle.

Sara and Grace at the Taylorville competition

This week has been absolutely CrAzY. I really don't remember a week like this week. But of course, one day at a time and sometimes it was literally one hour at a time. I am in the last week of class, FiNaLS, I had to take the MAT test on Wednesday to get into graduate school and plus just get all other responsibilities done too (the house work was what gave - so next week I'm all over that!). Brad is so busy with his work and doing the shut down project he is in charge of...plus he has 5 brick jobs to get done soon too (my mom's, a garage, a deck, and two mailboxes) He hasn't done a brick job for 8 months, so it just figures - he did get the deck almost done!! Stockton had 5 soccer games this week, a basketball game and his Eagle project, plus piano and homework, etc. The girls had dance, tumbling, piano, tutoring, 2 competitions, Activity Day tea party, a birthday party, plus school, and a piano recital - blah blah blah.

So Saturday was a big day Stockton got his project done. They had a father/son overnighter. He and Ryker took up 4 friends to help them - Addison, Bridger, Tanner and Tyler helped, Grandpa Dennis and Scott came up Saturday too!! They had a great time camping out, but it was an absolute down pour all night. So Brad looked in the their tent the next morning to get them up and working and this is what he saw... Addison with an umbrella up, because it rained through the tent and he was sick of the drips on his head, it was so funny. They worked hard and it is now complete!! Stockton will be an EAGLE SCOUT soon, what an accomplishment!

Grace and Sara had their second competition at Taylorville High School. Stephanie, Tammy and I were the team moms. So we prepared the gifts for each girl, we gave them a drink and a treat and Stephanie and I made flip/flops covered with material. They were so cute, thanks to Stephanie darling material!! So it was busy, they did all 3 dances in 35 minutes. We were changing costumes, headbands, putting on leg warmers and touching up lips. Yelling for them to smile BIG! They did another fabulous job. So they did their last dance at 12:45 PM, then we raced home to pick up Brad and Stockton at 1:30 and went to Grace's piano recital. We walked in the door and Lori was standing right next to the door and said, Grace is next and the boy played his last note! Grace was so nervous, she didn't even have 1 second to gather her thoughts, I pushed her to the piano, she did a great job for her first time. She had some mistakes, but she stopped and said "Sorry" and then tried again. I was so proud of her! It is scary and she has only been taking piano for 6 months, so she was already nervous then to be so rushed was horrible, then to mess up - she walked back to me and started to cry. It broke my heart, and I cried right with her. She was so upset but she should be PROUD of herself. We just about missed it and she probably wished we had, Grandma DaNece walked in when the boy right after her started, so she only saw her tears :(

So Many Mother/Daughter Activities

So I went to WICKED with my mom on Tuesday! It was just as incredible as it was the first time. We both just loved it! Luckily my mom didn't know ONE song, so she couldn't sing along. (When she goes to the dance recitals, she sings along with the songs and it is quite embarrassing. She doesn't know ALL of the words, so she just sings random words when she doesn't know the real ones.) Before the performance, just my mom and I went to eat at the Gateway and it was a lot of fun. It was a great evening. Thanks for going and HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!
Then the next Mother/Daughter activity was a tea party with MY daughters on Thursday. It was for Activity Days. We went to the Victorian and had a tour of that old, beautiful home. We all wore hats. We had a light luncheon and it was a lot of fun to be with my lovely girls! I loved being with them and they were so excited to be there! I forgot a camera, so no pictures, but I don't want to forget this fun time with them! I LOVE YOU TWO GIRLS!!

Would you dance...if I asked you to DANCE?

work it...

very "steelish"

Spring is also busy for the girls! Their competition season has began or begun?! Since they made their dance team, they have only performed at the Christmas recital but NOW it gets busier. All the practice they have been doing finally pays off for them. I wish they would perform more often, but I love to watch them and they are both improving so much! They usually do 3 competitions, and they are spread out alittle but this year, they have back to back Saturday competitions! The first one was at Bonneville High School. They did so good. It was so hot in the gym so we spent some time in the hall. Grandma DaNece came and brought Easton and Erin, and Grandpa Dennis came to support us too! Stockton came after his game and wanted to know how Easton and Erin "got roped into coming?" He was playing on my phone and I took his picture and he turned away and I called him some horrible name then he looked at me and then he started posing. He said they were his "S.Steele" photos! (rude, he was making fun of someone) He really knows how to work the camera!

Spring has sprung!!!

Spring soccer season has OFFICIALLY began or begun?! Winter is the slow time for Stockton and the soccer season, which means he only plays 2 times per week (futsol and indoor, which is great because he plays basketball too), but when spring comes around he is back 4+ times a week, between playing and practicing! It has been so wet that each game so far has been cancelled. They league was supposed to start 4/4 but finally TODAY they played their first game. They played Rampage, who is their biggest competition. We have played on their home field for the past 7 match ups?? What's up with that? Anyway, no excuses, we lost:( They got a goal on a PK! Dang that stinks, Rampage has been able to get one game in (before us) and they were our first so it wasn't the best way to start the season. We shouldn't lose anymore though, so that's the great news! This week we are making up some of the games so he has 5 games in 7 days!! BUSY! I love to go and listen to Pancho, some favorite sayings are: 1 V 1 (or 1 B 1) I really don't know what he is saying with his THICK Chilean accent, What are you doing bro?, Mr. Referee listen to me, push up!, I know there are more and I can't remember, so I will post more after the next game.

Our awesome Stake president has asked us to get a family creed or motto. As a family we have done this in the past but it was time to update our creed. So for FHE, we have got a new one. As a family we looked up each highlighted word and discussed it. So I am sharing this great scripture with all of you. I am posting this the same day I flipped my son off...

LARSEN FAMILY MOTTO

Alma 7:23-24 And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive.
And see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works.

Just keepin' it real!!!

OK, you saw Stockton's room, because Brad had the camera, on Easter morning, while he was sleeping. What a pig hole! I clean the whole house, the kids are responsible for their rooms (and the basement). Stock comes straight home from school to the bathroom. The bathrooms in the jr. high are disgusting so he basically runs to the bathroom, I tell him I could set a clock to him. I find dance paws, golf gloves and all kinds of other things in the KITCHEN, (gross - that's not sanitary). Today while cleaning, there was the "glove" again. So I placed it strategically in the bathroom with a note for Stock when he runs through the door. Tired, tired mom :) He thinks I am terrible because of my sometimes vulgar mouth, he wouldn't be my friend if I was his age....so I can't wait for him to come home and see it. Funny but maybe not appropriate.

You know you've all wanted to flip them off at one point or another.

**Reaction: Disappointed voice: "You think your funny, don't cha?"

I SCORED AT CHURCH OF ALL PLACES....

When our family went to California, last April, we ALL went to see WICKED with Brad's brother, Brian and his wife, Karen. We ALL loved it. It was funny and has such a great message!! SO...when it was announced Wicked was coming to Utah, Brad thought we should go again. First, it was more expensive, and secondly, we had no "connections" to get tickets and as everyone knows it sold out in 7 minutes. So recently Brad has been hinting that he was going to get us (just the two of us) tickets from a broker or off Craig's List. I told him, NO (because I'm cheap and proud of it - not easy, just cheap) for about $200/ticket. NO WAY! So we just said when we go on another trip to NYC or LA, we would just go again. So, I'm sitting in church and a friend of mine, that I don't see often anymore, (we no longer serve together) asked if I wanted her 2 WICKED tickets for next Tuesday night????? I asked why she wasn't going and she is going to California. So OF COURSE, I just about peed my pants and quickly wrote her a check for the meager price of the 2 tickets (155.00). But--I knew Brad had to coach Stockton's basketball game that night, I couldn't take one daughter without the other, sooo I am taking my mama, DaNece. I told her it was her Mother's Day gift, which is perfect because I never know what to get her, she has EVERYTHING, and really all she wants to spend time with her favorite daughter (have I mentioned that I only have a brother??) I am very excited!! I am now on a count down, 8 days baby, 8 days.

EASTER WEEK

The kids different eggs.

Grandpa bought the deluxe egg dying kit!!

They turned out GREAT!

Stockton doesn't want to get up, he thinks he is too big, but I don't think so :(

The Egg Hunt at Grandma Ethel's.

We love EASTER. It is great, because we LOVE spring, and we LOVE spiritual holidays. We started the week with Brad giving a fabulous FHE on why we celebrate EASTER. The kids are so smart, they are eager to learn about the gospel and they know alot more than I did at their ages. It was a great beginning to the week. On Saturday, we colored eggs at Grandpa & Grandma Fickett's. Then Sunday morning we continued with our family traditions:

THINGS WE DO

The Easter bunny gives each child a different kind of egg, Grace's -multi colored, Stockton's - sports, Sara's -clear. Each one finds their own eggs and inside...$. (Just quarters and $1 bills in some) they usually get an outfit, swimsuit and sometimes dresses. Then later that afternoon, we go to Grandma Ethel's and have another egg hunt with our cousins and have a great dinner.

Today was a beautiful sunny day, which was a pleasant change. It was a GREAT day!