Basketball...sort of!

There is basketball. Then there is girls basketball. Then there is girls CHURCH basketball. New low level of skill....haha! Miss Grace went into young women's in November and when they announced basketball was starting, she was excited! She played every Thursday for 5 weeks. She practiced at the community center when she could and she used it for one of her value projects. She did ok. She didn't even wear real tennis shoes, she wore Vans, what is up with that? She is not an athlete but she is athletic (she is a great tumbler and dancer). She had fun, she was committed to going for her ward. And when she invited my dad to come watch, I was horrified! But he was a good sport and all I can say is...it's over!

Old Friends...Good Times

Brad and I met in high school. We had great friends back in the day. Over the years, we have all gone in different directions, some went to dental school, law school, some went into law enforcement and there wasn't enough action in West Valley, and we have stayed here in Utah, less than 3 miles from where we both grew up! We have remained close with some of our friends but with kids and work etc...we let months and years go by without seeing each other. I always send Christmas cards but sometimes that is our only contact. But since Facebook (which I joined to keep my eye on my kids) we have reconnected with so many old friends and it has been fun to know what they are doing! Well..Andy Shavers was one of Brad's best friends growing up and he is a DEA agent currently in Afghanistan, he comes home (to Utah) once every 6 months. Last summer we had a bbq at our house and everyone came over and this time, we went out! Not everyone could come but we added a few others and we had a great time with friends, food and laughter! They are some of the best people we know!

More and more basketball

We have been so busy that I haven't blogged, it seems like forever, but it has been awhile. Why have we been so busy??? Well every Tuesday and Friday we are at CHS basketball games. Stockton is a sophomore and they play at 3:30 and then he gets to play some J.V. at 5:15 and then he dresses (the only sophomore) varsity at 7....So we are there for 5-6 hours on those nights. Well the varsity team is horrible, they have only won 1 game so far and it doesn't look like they will get many more...but they played Weber tonight and Stockton got in on the varsity in the 1st quarter!! He does get in at the very end when they are getting killed but I was excited when he got in when it was still the 1st quarter. He isn't a threat offensively, he WON'T shoot, but he is a great defender! So they used him! Next year we will only go to the JV and varsity games...

Snowboarding in 2011

Sara snowboards for about 2 hours then she likes to join me in the lodge for some quality computer time...

Snowboarding/skiing has been such a big part of my kids lives since they were 4. And since Stockton made the basketball team, he wasn't allowed to go (because of injury) but even before this...he had said he wasn't going to snowboard? I still can't figure that out...he has had season passes since the 5th grade and now he isn't going to go? WEIRD!

BUT the girls are in the 5th and 6th grade and in Utah they have passes in those grades to get the kids hooked! 5th graders can ski/snowboard at any Utah resort 3 times with a paying adult, the 6th graders can go to each resort once. So the girls hadn't been this year (Grace went once over Christmas break with friends) so finally I took them up on a Saturday to Snowbasin. We took Easton and they had a great time. The next week Kelly took them to Wolf Mountain and then Brad has taken them again while off track. It definately hasn't been the ski season we are used to...but it is still snowing so they will probably go a few more times before spring FINALLY gets here :)

Science Fair....LAME but Grace got 2nd place!

I. HATE. SCIENCE. FAIR. Do you understand? I think science fair projects are dumb. It becomes a project that the parents do and I don't think the kids learn a thing from them. BUT being the parents we are....we do it!

Sara's project was which finger nail polish stayed on the longest! Awesome, she picked it herself and we got polish at different price points and she and I wore them each for a week (it took all of December to do the project) and we decided that OPI was the best! Marla Call was interested in the result of the test, plus we used some of her purple polish, THANKS Mar...

Grace's project was which bubble gum blew the biggest bubbles. Stockton, Sydnie, Sara and I participated and Grace won 2nd place!! Great job....

But as you can see Brad and I put the boards together. I am so glad that I have a husband who helps with homework and thinks that it is as important as I do. He is the best husband EVER!

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

So as I reflect back on 2010, it was eventful. We had some good, we had some bad and then there was the ugly. The good, hopefully, always outweighs the bad and the ugly. But honestly, I am looking forward to a new year and new beginnings. So on new years eve, I told the kids they had to write down there favorite things about 2010 before they could leave and go their ways for the evening. I was hoping to make a list of the top 15 things for the Larsen's in 2010 but it seems we all had about the same list..... SO the favorite things in 2010

4. Brad: The last day of Trek. Brad, Stockton and I participated in Trek and my mom brought the girls to meet us and pick us up.

3. Kids/Myself: Birthdays

Sara turned 10 and she finally was double digits.

Grace turned 12 and now was in young women's.

Stockton turned 16 and got his drivers license.

I turned 40...it was all of the good, bad and the ugly :)

2. Family trip to Washington/Oregon. It was on every one's list. Brad and Sara specifically mentioned crapping in Netarts on our little steel boat...

1. And of course top of every one's list...HAWAII. Sara mentioned snorkeling and Brad mentioned the day we went to the North Shore and swam in the ocean.

It does make a parent feel good when the top things are when they spent the time and day with you. I know that friends are important to kids but by the looks of the list...its family that means the most and the time we spend together doing fun things.

Brad: He once again worked hundreds of hours of overtime. He did 3 projects at work that kept him on the day shift for the year. That was AWESOME. He went on Trek and we were the Ward Trek coordinators for the youth and he still serves in the young men's with his church calling.He suffered some sickness but hopefully is on the road to recovery soon. He always puts family first and we always know that we are the most important in his life.
Kim: I went back to work after being home for 15-16 years. And I love it! I work part-time only when the kids are in school. I still bowl on Thursday's and have this day off to get thing caught up. I had a hysterectomy/bladder repair this year. I have exercised regularly. I went on Trek, still serving in young women's but moved to the Mia-maids and went to my first girls camp EVER, and turned 40.

Stockton: Made tough choices, about friends and school. Got 4.0 on report card and always gets all A's. Played high school football again after taking 4 years off due to soccer. Made the high basketball team. Turned 16 and now he is driving where ever he wants. Still the moral compass of the family.

Grace: Trying to make independent choices: quit dance and after 2 months, cried and we got her back on the team, so proof, she isn't quite old enough to do that :) Great student, working hard at piano, dance and tumbling. Currently taking a break from tumbling though. Went into young women's and for her first activity, she went to the temple to do baptisms. Wears her emotions on her sleeve.

Sara: Reading on grade level :) Works hard at school, piano, and dance. She is getting to be more social with friends but still would rather be home with mom and dad. Learned to snowboard and is excited to go again this winter.

We have watched others suffer greater than our family. But when it is someone you know, love and care about its hard not to suffer with them. My mom has suffered with illness this year and it hasn't gone away yet, so we hope that she gets better in 2011. We had a family and friends suffer things that I hope we never have to go through, but through their strength, I have realized that you do what you have to do to get by. We've seen people serve time, go through divorce and get diagnosised with terminal cancer. We have seen people suffer with financial difficulties and lose homes and other worldly things. So when I feel sorry for myself or circumstance, I try to remember that we are healthy, I have my family and we have jobs, and really does anything else matter? SO...so long to 2010 and we are looking forward to a better 2011.

New Years Eve Celebration

Angie getting warm in the warming drawer...I wish I had one to put my blanket in every night?

This year for New Years Eve we went with our neighbors/friends... Instead of the Jardine's having us over for the whole night, we decided to do a progressive dinner for the adults and the kids would go to the Jardine's and play and we would meet up with them. We served the salads at our house, the Vest hosted the dinner and the Garrett's helped with the main dish...and then we went to the Jardine's for dessert. We had a great time. We had great conversation, laughed and enjoyed each other's company. We got to the Jardine's about 11:30 and the kids were waiting for us, they had a blast for 3 1/2 hours. We rang in the new year and then we stayed and visited longer...we are getting big now! The kids had silly string, horns and we all had sparkling cider. We wished Brad a happy birthday! Good times. Stockton, he doesn't hang out with us on new years eve anymore. We tried to talk him into going to the church dance, but he wasn't interested in that either...he went with friends to a party.

Brad's turn for some surgery!

Brad has had a hacking cough since March. Finally, I told him I wasn't going to kiss him until he went to the dr. So he came home from work and went and he was given some antibiotics. Then within a month, he was coughing again, but by this time we were busy getting ready for Trek, our family vacation and summer in general, so finally in September, he went back to the dr...more antibiotics. Then October came, coughing AGAIN- it was on the school 5K that we were all suppose to run, but I made Brad go back to the dr. and told him to make them do a chest x-ray, by this time I was nervous! They did the chest x-ray and then sent him for further test for asthma, they told him that he didn't have asthma and we thought we were in the clear. Then a week later we got a letter? That said, he didn't have asthma but there were spots that 'uncertain significance' and he needed to go back in and for further tests. HOLY CRAP! He happened to be off that day, so he called and went in that very day. The dr told him he needed to have a CT scan, he said if they can fit me in today, I will go. So they did. We went and met with the dr and he referred us to the pulmonary specialist. They believe he has sarcoidosis but they wanted to do a mediastenoscopy to rule out lymphoma, TB or a fungus. So Brad had the procedure 2 days after Christmas. They told him, it would be easy and he should have no problems and if he wasn't on vacation, he would have been able to go back to work the next day? Well they were wrong!! It has been painful and Brad is NOT a baby, he has walked around very sore and in a lot of pain. But when they rule out those other "diseases" we will have a great Christmas present but until then we still have a little bit of doubt. Sarcoidosis is a rare disease that is treated with long term steroid use. It can/will go into remission and Brad should feel pretty good. We should know the first week in January, after everyone gets back to work.

Christmas Day...not what was expected!

I can't write about Christmas...yet. I only took 3 pictures. It was before the first present was opened and then....I made Brad turn off the camcorder and no other pictures were taken. Some day I will write about it but I just can't now :) Let's just say...there are always a first for things! It wasn't joy, happiness and gratitude while opening gifts...haha to say the least!

We did have my family over for breakfast, no pictures though... and later that night the Larsen's all came over for dinner...no pictures!

Christmas Eve Traditions- and something new!

We have done Christmas Eve the same since we have been married. We go to my mom's and Scott's with all 6 kids together and their kids. This year the Anderson's went to Vegas, so they weren't with us. Everyone else came and we started earlier at 3 so some of the girls could go to their in-laws, etc... We had dinner and opened presents. Laughed and made fun of each other and then Jenn and her family, me and my family, Jaime and Mom and Scott rode the Trax down to Temple Square and saw the lights and wandered Temple Square and had hot chocolate. We had fun and continued laughing (mostly at Kate)....then it was time for bed so Santa could come!!