Basketball Season has begun...

They have to dress up on game days...so handsome.


The Legacy starters.
Brock getting ready for the big game.

Time out.

His friend, Brent Page, came to the game, he left the next day to go on his mission to

New Mexico. He has been a good friend to Stockton and takes good care of him.

Stockton will miss him.

Stockton and Brock going head to head...

Nice pic.

After the game Brock was smiling, Stockton not so much.

Win or Lose they still love each other.

Against West Point...oh NO..

Lets get some control boys.

It wasn't really that bad, it just felt like it.

Stockton started a new jr high this year, he has been looking forward to basketball season, since last years season ended. But this year he has a new school, a new uniform and a new team. Wow, it could be a llllooonnnggg year. Stockton is having a BLAST! He was voted to be the captain of the team, which he was thrilled about. He really is a leader on the court. He has never played with these boys before, and he is the only one that has played in any jr high game, so it has been hard, but he loves it. They don't know how he passes the ball, or how he plays so hopefully they will win a game. The first game was against Syracuse and it was hard because that is the team Brock is on...they have NEVER played against each other, they have always been on the same team. It was a great game. We lost by 2 points. Stockton fouled out. I saw the two boys talking at times and laughing. They played hard against each other. The entire gym knew they were cousins, and on this court they were rivals, it was a bitter-sweet. Syracuse had played 1 game and they weren't as nervous, but it was a fun game to watch. The next game was against West Point and they are such a great team they have been playing together since the 4th grade. They are a well oiled machine. We actually lost by 20...YUCK! The scoreboard had a problem, and their score showed 162, it only seemed that way, it was really 62 -41. Our team had a record 40 turnovers...UNBELIEVABLE. The West Point coach came up to Stockton after the game and told him, that he was a great player and then told the coach we should win the rest of our games, that we were the best team they had played so far...so we are hoping!! Well, ya can't win 'em all..

Stockton got all A's (ok 2 A-'s) so a 3.9, WAY TO GO. All honors classes!!

Friends for Life

Lori, Jennifer, and Donna Pratt
Lori had her eyes closed...too bad beautiful! We were missing Donna Lake, Caleb was sick. But she is a part of this group too.

Many times I have said that I have the very best friends around...and I truly believe it. Since I moved to this home in 1997, 12 years ago on Dec 8. (wow times flies) I have made the life long friends. All of these ladies lived here before I did, but even when the Ence family moved 3 or 4 years ago, we have remained close friends. We all celebrate birthdays fairly close, 2 in September, mine in October and Donna's in November, so we went to lunch. Jennifer was recently diagnosed with leukemia, it has been a scary time for us and a time of great concern. She is taking chemo and she will be on it for the rest of her life, its a fairly new treatment but it seems to be working so far. When we first became friends our families were young and we talked about having children, nursing babies, and we would sit outside with our children playing for hours, now all these years later, we are discussing missions, drivers licenses, the heartache of teenagers and the joy of families... I love these ladies and they have been there for me through good, bad and the ugly. I hope to be there for them too. I think we will be life long friends no matter where our lives take us!

Halloween 2009

Grace had a birthday party in the afternoon, she had to wear crazy socks and be a witch. She just got her hair done and she is so beautiful..

Stockton got a new hair cut, because he just made his school basketball team and he needs to "look the part", now that he is the captain! Way to go!

Grace was a Homecoming Queen, Emma - Raggedy Ann, Sara - Witch. They are so cute :)

She wanted to be a dead Queen, but I talked her out of that..

Brad, just being scary on Halloween.

Stockton and his friends cheering the others on.. Kennedy, Katelyn, Savannah, Kendra, Amanda, Nikko, and Stockton

Grandma and Grandpa Fickett

Lynette and Angie

The team warming up!!

Wow, I time flies by when you are having fun. I love Halloween and we have so many traditions. Homemade soup, party at the Jardine's before the kids go out, donuts, hot chocolate, dressing up the kids, Brad freezing and taking the girls around, me passing out candy...the normal, but this year....NOT! It was on a Saturday and it was the mini-bowl games for all the city football teams. So we went to the 3 O'clock game and watched a friends son, Caleb Vest and his team won. We had so much fun. But the big game was a 7:30 so after the early game we rushed home and quickly got the girls ready, then we headed back up to WSU to watch Brock, Ryker and all of Stockton's other friends play. The girls went trick or treating, alone - well with the Call family, then they went to the Jardine's and had a little party. They didn't want anything to do with the football game, so we left them home alone to go?!? What kind of parents are we? Well, we love a good football game, so we off we went! We went with the Jardine's, we met the McKenize's, the Garrett's and their entire family and my whole family, minus my girls. We cheered so loud and danced, well me and Erin danced. It was a great game but they good guys of Syracuse came up a little short. 7-0 Farmington won :(

I laughed so hard...

Everyone who knows me, knows that when I laugh I pee my pants. I know its pathetic, I really try to hold it in, Brad knows when I stop make noise and bend over, then its really bad. So I usually laugh hard at Lake Powell, because Jared is so damn funny. And I laughed when I was little because Teresa Vigil was my friend, and she could have been a comedian, Nate Chandler, funny guy. So this is an ongoing problem. I have done this my entire life, it was NOT brought on by giving birth. People tell me all the time that I should get it fixed, well I have been tested by the doctor and my bladder is fine. I just can not control it when I laugh. I think its getting worse, or this week was extra funny, because I peed my pants, 5 times, in one week, it has to be a record, (except Lake Powell) what the crap? Now I will not embarrass Lori by telling why, but she and I both know, I did twice because of her. And Angie, I did it twice because of her, once at Wal-mart and I had to wait outside for her and the other was in my driveway. SERIOUSLY, I need help!!

My birthday week...

Yes I do celebrate for an entire week!!! There is just so much to do and fun to have... I went to lunch with my grandma, dad, Brad, Stockton, and Grace on Thursday. Then that day was full of things to do. I went bowling, then Stockton and Grace had doctor appts so right after we all met for lunch, then Stockton had a State Cup game in Provo for the semi-finals (which we lost in OT, it was a heartbreaker), then that night I went to the witches party. Friday, I helped do wedding stuff with the Hill family. We had so much fun, we worked and got ready for Tasha and Cameron's big wedding. Then that night we went to the Syracuse High football game. Then on my actual birthday we went to Brock's playoff football game, then we went to lunch with my mom and to the pumpkin patch, then we came home and got ready for the wedding, then we went with the Adams' to Tepanyaki's. It was such a fun day. Sunday we had family over for dinner and carved pumpkins, then Monday I went to lunch with Angie, Marla, Tonia, Char and Lori, later after my "dance class" we went to dinner with more friends, Pleshette, KyAnn and Theresa and Pleshette's mom. Then Tuesday I went to lunch with Angie, Jill, and Lynette. WOW it is over for another year but it was so fun. I have such a wonderful family and great friends. I love every one of them for making me feel special and just being in my life!!

More Birthday Pictures..

I just love his GUTS, as he cleans out everyones guts in their pumpkins.. Grace and Baby Jake

Brad & I did a jack-o-lantern, Sara did a peace sign, Stockton did Nike, and Grace did M&M's.

Why I Blog???

When Stockton was a baby, I was much more energetic and I, frankly, was a better mother, now, not so much... By the time Stockton was 2, I had filled an entire scrapbook. And I have 2 full scrapbooks for him. Then Grace came along 4 years later, and she has 1 scrapbook full, and poor Sara...she has about 10 pages. I have always loved taking pictures, and I got them developed and the pictures are in baggies with each kids name on them. Then the guilt got to me for not doing anything with them and I stopped taking pictures. Then I found blogging, I don't do it for others, I do it for my kids, for my family, for my pictures and for me. BUT the BEST part, is you can get them made into a book!! Yes, I know I am slow, but I recently ordered my book for 2008 and they came!! Believe it or not I don't publish all of my postings, but I did put them all in the book. I got 3 copies, for each of the kids. They won't get them until they are older and until then...they are ours to look at and enjoy and I am so happy that blogging gives me a way to scrapbook, journal and just have a place to write thoughts and feelings about my life and the lives of my kids!!

In Loving Memory...Judith Symes Larsen

I can hardly believe that 21 years ago, Brad's mom died. It seems like forever since we saw her, yet I can remember the details of the week vividly!?! I am going to write some of the details down so my kids will know what occurred.
Brad's little brother, Bracken, was taking his mom to a doctors appointment in Ogden, it was a beautiful, sunny, fall day Thursday, October 13, 1988 at 2:00PM. Judy had recently had bunion surgery and it was a follow up appointment. Bracken had just gotten home from a meeting at the U of U for the baseball team, he was going to tryout, he was such a talented athlete. They were on the mountain road by the gravel pit and a dump truck made a left hand turn in front of them. It took the EMT's an hour to get Bracken out of the car. They got Judy out and took her Ogden Regional and did surgery immediately to try to stop the internal bleeding. Bracken was taken to McKay. He also had surgery immediately. They both had severe injuries, internal bleeding, Bracken's face was shattered, his leg was crushed, Judy had internal bleeding, broken ribs, arms, legs. Neither were wearing seat belts, because it was before they were enforced and no one really wore them back then.
Brad said he remembers when he got out of his car from work, he was working for Stan Rasmussen, doing brick, his dad came out and told him they needed to go to the hospital right now, that there had been a bad accident. He remembers the look on his dad's face and the worry and concern. He had been waiting for the other boys, Brian and Brad, to get home from work before he went, I am sure he didn't want to go alone. Brad quickly showered and they left. This was way before cell phones were invented, so it was harder to get a hold of people.
I was taking a night class at BYU, and I remember Cathy coming and peeking in the door and getting me out of class. We drove home from Provo as fast as her Pontiac Firebird would take us, which was fast! We went straight to McKay, Bracken was in ICU and I will never forget seeing him for the first time. WOW, he was hurt bad. Cathy was so strong and so worried, it was heartbreaking to see all the people you love go through this... Then we went to Ogden Regional, to see Judy. The Larsen family was split, Brian and Brad spent most of their time at McKay with Bracken along with Cathy. Jack and Brent spent most of their time with Judy, and this is where I was most of the time too. I couldn't go in to see Bracken, because I wasn't "family". But my mom was a part time nurse at Ogden Regional and they would let me in to see Judy. My mom would come every night after work and spend hours and get an update on Judy's condition, she then would explain things to Jack so he could make decisions. My mom was such a strength to Jack in his time of need and they are still very close today because of the time she spent with him. She did the same thing with Bracken too.
Bracken was in such good physical condition that he probably wouldn't have lived, if he hadn't been so fit. He was a fighter and after all the surgeries, he seemed to recover, it was slow and horrible but after a few weeks he was able to come home. He had his mouth wired shut for months, he had to eat everything from a blender. He literally starved. I remember after a while they blended roast, potatoes..it looked sick, but he was so hungry he loved it :)
Judy wasn't so lucky, on the following Wednesday, they were doing surgery to go back and set her broken bones, it took that long for her to get 'out of the woods' enough go back and do the surgeries. During the week, she got so good at communicating with us by pointing to letters to make words, and writing notes. She had her mouth wired shut too. But she would mouth words to us. She came out of the surgery OK, but then she got, ARDS, adult respiratory distress syndrome and by Friday afternoon she was in full distress. That afternoon, I was going back to BYU, to finish pledging for the sorority, and Brad and I went in so I could tell her good bye, and I think we were the last ones to see her conscious, I will never forget, she mouthed the words to me, "Take care of my boys".... then her eyes rolled in her head and I don't think she was conscious again. I left knowing that she wasn't good, but thought she would be OK, but after I left, when I got to Provo, I called and they said she was really bad so I drove back to Ogden, and got back at 9:00 PM. She got worse and they worked on her for hours, meaning they did CPR and pounded on her poor chest with her broken ribs, she was in pain and finally at 2:00 AM, she passed. While we were all at Ogden Regional with Judy, Bracken was in McKay. He had a coach, Brent Lund, his wife was a nurse, and she told the family that she would stay with Bracken, knowing what was going on at the other hospital. She sat with him for hours, he was very restless, she said and then at about 2:00 AM, she could feel the peace and could literally feel another person in the room, and she stepped out of the room. She told the family this as soon as she saw them, she knew exactly what time Judy had died. She could tell that she had come to see Bracken, she had a special place in her heart for Bracken, some would even say, he was the favorite, but no one cared because everyone loves Bracken. We teased him, saying he was the girl she never had...but he was just her baby.
Judy's funeral was October 26, and Bracken was obviously still in the hospital and I think Cathy stayed with him. Its funny how its been so long yet I have such memories. It was one of the most difficult weeks, but I think this is what changed my life. I will never forget and I am grateful I knew Brad's mom and I love his family. Tragedy does this to families, it makes you stronger and closer or not, I think the Larsen family was made stronger at the time. People always ask if Brad went on a mission, and he didn't, when this happened he was 19, almost 20, he didn't NOT go because he wasn't worthy, but he was afraid and I truly believe he was a huge strength for his family during this time. I have always felt it was 'his mission' to be there for his dad and his brothers. The only people who are active in the church today, in Brad's family, are Bracken and Brad. Bracken went on a full time mission just 1 year after the accident.