Chase's Senior Soccer Season

 Chase had his last basketball game on Friday and then went straight into the soccer season the next week. (March 8th).  He made the soccer team!  There were 6 seniors on the team:  Izzy, Gabe, Enoch, Keyjun, Josh and Chase.  Jesse E was the head coach.  It was a brutal season!  They lost every game!  Three games went into over time.  They just couldn't pull it off.  I was so proud of our boys for not giving up.  Chase played every game with all of his heart!  He fought so hard even when they were getting blown away.  I had a couple of parents comment on how even in the last three minutes when they're losing, Chase still gives it 100%.  This was a really tough season to keep their heads up.  Four out of the six schools in our region are in the top 10 in the state for 4A.  We have a really hard region.  I'm hoping that one day our school will be able to have a good program.  The other schools have 100 boys trying out for 30 spots.  We have 30 kids trying out and everyone makes it.  The other schools also play soccer year round and it's the only sport they focus on.  That makes it really hard to compete against.  But I was so proud of our boys and how hard they fought at every game.  Jesse did a great job of communicating with the seniors and valuing their input.  Chase has fought so hard to come back to sports after two torn ACL surgeries.  We didn't know if he'd every be able to play sports again.  We're so proud of his dedication.  We're so thankful that he was able to play basketball and soccer without any major injuries.  

Another fabulous cake!

 Cake by C posted a strawberry Biscoff cake.  It called to me because I finally broke down and decided to try to make it.  The cake was a Biscoff cake that you cut in half so you have four layers.  I did two layers of cookie butter/Biscoff frosting and then the middle layer was strawberry frosting with small pieces of strawberries.  The outside frosting was a strawberry buttercream that was amazing!  I thought it was too thick at first so I thinned it down.  But then when I frosted the cake it was too thin and wouldn't stay up in some places.  Then I crushed some Biscoff cookies for the top.  The cake was amazing!!  I shared some with Jen and she was impressed.  The cake was a lot of work but it was delicious!

Matt's Knee Scope

 Matt started having knee pain in his left knee.  It got to the point that he couldn't do any activity without the pain really bothering him.  He had a MRI which showed a meniscus tear.  Dr. Bitner did a knee scope at BR hospital to clear up the tear.  He scheduled it so he could recover during his week off.  He recovered really quickly.  His knee stayed swollen for awhile but Dr. Bitner said that's common.  Hopefully this will help Matt feel better.  

School Projects

 The second semester has ended.  Chase finished up his last art class.  He brought home some of his projects and showed them to us.  He did a great job on his projects.  I had no idea he is such a great artist.  He really has some talent.  

Tanner wrote his first Spanish paper.  "Me gusta pizza.  Me gusta casa.  No me gusta bananas."  He read it to me.  "I like pizza.  I like house. I don't like bananas."  He is loving the dual immersion program.  His teacher has been wonderful.  It was a rocky start but I feel like they're finally making some progress.  

Ardell and Charlene sweet moments

 Charlene's Alzheimer has been progressing steadily.  Her stoke unfortunately exacerbated the Alzheimer.  We've been trying to spend as much time with them as possible.  We invited them to come up and eat dinner with us.  After dinner, Matt and Chase asked Grandma and Grandpa A some questions about their childhood.  Matt recorded it.  It was such a sweet moment hearing about their childhoods.  Chase asked them how they met.  Matt took the sweetest picture of them sitting on the couch together.  Afterwards, Tanner brought in one of his books and read to Charlene.  She loves to listen to him read.  

Skiing at CP

 When we went skiing with the W's last time, I realized that I had lost my skis at CP when we went the first time.  I was giving Tanner a piggy back to the car and set my skis next to the van.  I totally forgot about them and drove off and didn't realize it until the next morning when we were at NV.  I called CP and they said that they didn't have them and most likely they were stolen.  I was so sad!!!  A couple of weeks later, we went back to CP and my skis were in the lost and found!!!  My prayers were answered!  

Our Saturdays have been so busy with games that the boys talked me into pulling them out of school again to go skiing.  I asked Nick's mom how she felt about Nick missing school to go with us.  She was great with it.  So Bridger invited his friend Nick to come with us.  Nick went with us one time last year and he was improved so much!  Bridger and Nick went off on the harder trails while Tanner and I skied together. We met up for lunch and ate our sandwiches in the car.  At lunch time, we took off half of our clothes off because we were sweating.  We stayed together after lunch because Tanner had improved so much.  He was able to stay on the blues.  We love having Nick with us.  He's such a great kid and a great friend to Bridger and Tanner.  The weather was beautiful.  It was a perfect day of spring skiing.  (The resorts could use more snow is my only complaint).  

Chase's Basketball Season

 It has been an honor and a privilege for Chase to be on the BRHS basketball team.  He worked so hard just to make the team and then continued to fight hard for playing time.  He continued working with Coach Jeff once a week.  He ate, slept and played basketball and managed to get incredible grades.  Chase gave every game 100%!  He was so dedicated to the team and the sport.  He pushed himself to be better with each game.  His highlight game was the Box Elder game.  He had the winning shot and had 17 points.  He ended the season as the top third scorer for their team (Kase 1st, and Jace 2nd).  They lost in the second round of play offs to Dixie High School.  He was invited to play on a region All Star team.   The season had some ups but some really low lows!  While we were in those moments, it was really challenging.  But I'm so grateful that Chase never gave up.  We appreciated the coaching staff and all that they did for Chase.  

Skiing with the W's

The W's were out of school on Tuesday also.  They couldn't go yesterday so they wanted to go on Tuesday.  I decided to pull Tanner and Bridger out of school and go skiing with the W's at NV.  I had a really scary experience driving up the Ben Lomond pass.  It was snowing really bad!!!  My van couldn't make it up the hill anymore.  There happened to be a pull out and no cars behind me right as my van gave out and started to slide backwards.  I have never been so scared of driving in my life.  I didn't know how I was going to get us back down the mountain because I was worried I would slide down.  I sat in the car and cried for a little bit.  I called Mylissa and told her to say a prayer for us.  Then we said a prayer.  We waited on the mountain about 45 minutes.  I told Heavenly Father the only way I could get back down was if a snow plow came by and I could follow it.  Within 5 minutes, a snow plow came down and there were no cars behind it or coming up the hill.  I was able to turn around and follow it down.  We were so grateful to be off that mountain pass.  I know that the Lord was watching over us and protected us.  He was definitely in the details of our life during that time!  

We drove up Trapper Mountain instead.  By the time we got there, it was three hours from when we had left our home.  But we finally made it.  We had such a fun time skiing with the W's.  Maddie even came with us!  We went down the bunny hill a couple of times.  Caleb was having a hard time so Mylissa just worked with him.  She was so patient with him!  Julie and Maddie came skiing with me and the boys.  We traded off with each other on the ski lift.  Maddie and Julie did great staying up with us.  We tried one black and it was really hard because there was over a foot of powder.  We stuck with blues and greens.  The kids giggled and joked.  For the last run of the day, we met up with Mylissa and Caleb.  Tanner stayed with Caleb and they talked the whole way down as they skied.  The weather was super cold, snowy and windy which made for a really cold day!!!  But we still had so much fun!  

Skiing on President's Day

 Chase is unable to go skiing because of basketball.  So I took Bridger and Tanner skiing.  We were worried about it being really busy at the big resorts because of the holiday, so we went CP.  It showed up about 15 minutes before the resort opened and we parked on the second row.  We never waited more than 5 minutes to get on the lift.  It snowed off and on all day long but the boys never complained until the last run.  We stayed almost until closing at 4:00.  I had to rent skis for Tanner.  Tanner only went one time last year but he picked it right up.  We went down the bunny hill one time and then he said he was ready for the big lift.  He even went down a black!  We skied mostly blues and some greens in the beginning.  Taner has caught on so quickly!  He needs a little help getting off of the lift but then he turns into a speed demon.  He doesn't like to turn so he goes straight down.  We had such a fun day being together! 

Happy Valentine's Day

 Valentine's was celebrated on Friday in school because it falls on a Sunday.  Tanner loves his Viking's jersey that he got for Christmas.  So for his Valentine's Day box, he wanted to do a Vikings Stadium theme.  He painted his box purple and then we printed off a picture of the stadium floor.  Tanner painted some tongue depressors and we turned them into goal posts.  He was very happy with how his box turned out.  

Bridger dressed up for school today because they were having a Valentine's dance.  Then Chase was dressed up also because the basketball team had a home basketball game.  They looked so handsome all dressed up.  

The boys got a little something for Valentine's Day.  Mom was always so sweet to make sure we opened a little gift on Valentine's Day.  Bridger and Chase got long sleeve t-shirts.  Tanner got a classic lego set.  Matt bought me some beautiful flowers.  They were pink roses.  The boys and Matt gave me sweet cards.  I gave Matt a box of Ding Dongs and some macadamia chocolate truffles.  

Chase MORP dance

 Chase was invited to MORP (sweet hearts dance) by Jenna Oxborrow.  She's a junior and a cheerleader.  She was darling.  For their day date, they went to "Smash it!"  They bought an old TV and geared up in protective wear.  Then they went crazy and smashed the TV with hammers.  He said it was a fun date activity.  Their group went to Kabuki's for dinner.  It's a Japanese Hibachi restaurant.  It was really fancy.  The chef came out and prepared and cooked their food in front of them.  It was expensive but Chase loved the food and the experience.  Chase had a really fun time at the dance.  He enjoyed the group he was in.  

Tanner's Basketball Season

 Tanner participated in the Junior Jazz basketball recreation program.  His games were Saturday mornings for 6 weeks.  His team struggled because Tanner and one other kid were the only ones that could dribble and make baskets.  So it was a rough season for him but he still loved it.  Tanner loved having his brothers come and watch him.  Matt and I each had to coach a game because the regular coach was out of town.  It made us appreciate these sweet parents that coach these crazy kids.  Tanner has been blessed with some athletic ability.  He loves to play basketball especially when it's with his older brothers.  

Beautiful Amaryllis

 Dad bought me an amaryllis in December.  He always gives one to Mom and Marilyn.  We have loved watching it grow.  We had about 6-8 flowers on it.  At first I kept it on my dinning room table but it wasn't getting enough sunshine so I moved it over by my family room windows.  It was very happy there because it started to really grow.  It's been fun to watch the process and see the beautiful flowers appear.  Dad and Mom are always doing such nice things for us.  Every time I see an amaryllis, I think of Dad.  

Sleepy Sophie

When I put Tanner to bed, I try to remember to turn my electric blanket on.  I love getting into a warm bed especially on a cold night.  I normally turn my electric blanket on high and then put my minky blanket on top.  By the time I come to bed, I can find Sophie sleeping on my minky blanket.  She loves my electric blanket and minky too.  She doesn't sleep on Matt's side because it's cold.  She likes the warm side.  She's such a smart dog.  It always makes me smile to find Sophie snuggled on my bed.  I know I'm crazy for letting my big, shedding dog on my bed!  

Watching Film

After every game, Chase pours over the basketball game film.  He watches the games several times to see how he can improve.  There was one time that I came into the family room to find this scene, Tanner was snuggled next to Chase and then Bridger was watching from behind.  Chase was pointing to something and was analyzing the film with his brothers.  It was such a sweet moment.  The whole family is supporting Chase.  I had to take the picture from behind so they didn't know I was spying on them.   

School Success

 The ground hog saw his shadow so since more weeks of winter.  Tanner filled out this paper at school saying that he wants six more weeks of winter so he can go skiing and go sledding.   Feb 3, 2021

Tanner was given an award for passing off all of his "Rainbow Words 1-60."  He told me that he was the last one to pass them off.  I was really puzzled because we've been working on these words at home and he's been passed off for a couple of months.  I emailed his teacher just to check on him and make sure he's not behind.  She said that she filled the papers out alphabetically and he was the first one and then she put it down and started a pile so he ended up on the bottom.  He thought he was behind because he was called last.  She said that she would clarify that with Tanner and let him know that he's doing a great job!  It gave us a little laugh.  Feb 4, 2021

Bridger's sweet Spanish Teacher, Señora Porras gave this certificate to him after one of his test.  I had the highest grade on the weather and time quiz.  He got 100% so she wanted to recognize him.  I thought it was really nice of her to go the extra mile to recognize Bridger on a job well done.  At the beginning of the school year, every person had to pick out a Spanish name and Bridger picked "Papi."  This sweet teacher has had to learn double the names.  We like to joke with him and call him Papi too.  Feb 5, 2021

Bridger tested positive

Bridger started feeling sick over the weekend.  At first he complained that his body just ached and he had a headache (no fever).  We just thought he was going into one of his PFAPA flareups.  He felt this way for a few days.  On Monday he started with a sore throat.  He had his typically cobble stones down the back of it.  This is what he does every couple of months.  On Wednesday, I picked him up from school and I could tell right away that he was sick. I could tell his lymph nodes were swollen because of his voice.  I cancelled his piano lesson for that afternoon.  We came home and I took a look in his throat.  It looked so much worse!  He still had the cobble stone road down his throat but now he had these canker ulcers all around his throat.  The cankers had a bloody ring around them and then he had tiny red dots along the roof of his mouth.  No wonder he couldn't swallow!  I was suspicious that it was strep throat.  He didn't have a fever or a cough so I didn't think it was COVID.  The next day we had a Telehealth visit.  She said she could tell his throat was red and swollen just from the video.  She ordered a strep test and a COVID test.  On Friday, the office called and said that his strep test came back negative.  Then I started worrying about COVID.   His test came back positive for COVID.  He was completely wiped out over the weekend.  He didn't get off the couch.  We quarantined him to the theater room.  On the few occasions that he came upstairs, he wore his mask and when we did Come Follow Me, all of us had masks on and we were socially distanced.  Bridger was such a good sport about it.  Chase had been around him since the previous weekend so we kept them separated and allowed Chase to still go to school.  We were really worried about him getting behind in his college classes.  Bridger struggled with his sore throat, headaches and body aches.  He never ran a fever, not even a low grade one.  It wasn't until the following Wednesday that he developed a cough. But luckily his other symptoms were improving by then.  We kept him home for 10 days.  We quarantined Tanner with him.  Luckily Tanner never got it.  I did an antibody test on him a couple of weeks later and he tested negative.  We were so shocked.  Tanner was glued to Bridger.  We thought for sure Tanner would be positive and just be an asymptomatic case.  Luckily I had been given both of my doses of the vaccine and Matt had received his first dose.  Bridger was the only one that got it.  We were very blessed because Bridger recovered from it with no complications.  

Reading Time

 I had asked Chase to help me put Tanner to bed.  Before I was running out the door, I came back to my bedroom to find this sweet picture of Chase reading to Tanner.  I had to capture it so I could remember this moment forever.  I love how Tanner is snuggled up to Chase.