McCall Skiing

On February 19th Kefford and Ryker went skiing up in McCall with Bob, Bailey and Kelsey. They have been trying to go for a couple of weeks with it not working out and so when they planned this day I couldn't argue against them going even if it meant them missing Kenedy's birthday party. I was sad they were not going to be at the party but I thought it was good for them to be able to go skiing with their Dad, brother and cousin plus they got to be with each other and that is lots of fun. Bob taught Ryker and Bailey some ski lessons and they both did really good and had a lot of fun.

 Kefford and Ryker

 Ryker

 Bailey and Ryker

 Bob, Kelsey and Kelsey's friend

 This has been a pretty mild winter and spring is already in the air so it was good for them to go and get some skiing in before all the snow melts.

Kenedy turns 16!

Kenedy turned Sweet 16 on Thursday the 18th but we were not having her party until Friday so we kept her actual day pretty low-key. I made her pancakes for breakfast and she got to eat on the special plate before she had to leave for school. I was planning on having a night of just hanging out and watching a movie together but her party prep had other plans. We were working on making a Jeopardy game about Kenedy through Power Point. Ryker was really proficient with the program since he used it at school and he helped design and put the game together for us. When we tried to test it out that night it was having some issues that we could not figure out and I went over to Steve and Mikell's so that Steve could help me with the program. He was able to get it set up in a way that would be helpful but by the time I got done at their house it was rather late and ruined any plans we might have had that night. I felt bad that Kenedy's actual birthday was a let down but knew we had a great party planned for the next night so I tried to not let it bother me. 

I have had Kenedy's birthday planned for a while and one of the first things I did was reserve the gym at the church. She was planning on inviting a lot of people, about 30 kids on her invite list, and I knew our little house was not big enough to fit the masses and all she wanted to do. When I went to make the reservation I saw that it was reserved every friday night by some friends of mine for no walls soccer. I called them up and asked if it would be ok if they let us have that night for our party since they have every friday night taken. They were agreeable and let me have it and I put a reservation down to hold the night. Thursday morning I was at Wal-Mart getting some last minute party items when I had the thought that I should check on my reservation. I pulled it up on my phone and discovered that my reservation was gone and the Stake Relief Society had the night taken. I was in shock and immediately called the name on the RS reservation. I was told that they needed that Friday to get the gym set up for a luncheon the Stake was doing on Saturday. I asked how they felt it was OK to wipe away my reservation and they said that it was under Linder Ward RS and all I put was Birthday Party so they called the RS president of our ward and she had no clue what it was and said they could have it. Apparently when I made the reservation I was in the RS presidency and the reservation came up under the RS instead of my name. Recently our Presidency was released and a new one put in and the new President had no idea about my reservation and assumed it was something the previous presidency had planned and she didn't need it so she let them have it. I explained what was going on and how this was not OK and I needed that reservation. They were in a dilemma because they needed to have all the tables set up and the decor done the night before seeing as how they would not have time the next day. I was in Wal-Mart listening to all of this in tears not knowing what to do, it was a  mess. I called Lana who had been helping me with the party and we thought of a compromise. I called them back and told them they could have half the gym to set up and we would take the other half for our party. When we were done Friday night we would set up the rest of the tables and chairs for them so then all they had to do the next morning was decorate that half. Luckily they were fine with this and I could tell they felt really bad for the misunderstanding. What a mess. The tender mercy from the Lord was in prompting me to check on my reservation the day before. I cannot imagine the horror of us showing up unaware to find the gym completely taken over with their stuff. 

With all of that taken care of, Friday morning we were free to go over to the church and get the gym decorated. Lana and Cristal were my happy helpers that day. They are such good friends and put aside most of the day to help me out. Since we had to give up half of the gym we set up the volleyball net and used it as the divider with food and tables on one side and chairs set up with the projector on the other. I had made pom pons out of tissue paper and we used those for table decor and on the walls and we also clipped childhood pictures of Kenedy all around the room. It turned out really cute and looked really fun. 

I had planned on getting pizza and told Lana and Cristal I was getting 5. They were adamant that was not enough to feed everyone and talked me into doubling the amount. I bought 10 pizzas, we had chips, cookies, cake and soda. I planned the party to be from 6-11, originally I wanted 6-10 but again I was talked into going till 11. I forgot to include on the invitations that dinner would be served and a lot of the kids showed up having already eaten. At the end of the night I was left with 5 pizzas and I knew I should have never listened to my friends because the 5 I was going to buy in the first place would have been plenty. My friend Heidi did the cake for us and it turned out perfect. I wanted it to be a surprise for Kenedy so after finding out her favorite colors I left her out of the planning other then she did pick the flavor which was Oreo. I thought the cake turned out so cute, Heidi made a white cheer bow out of edible cake stuff to put on it along with a silver Aurora crown, Kenedy's favorite princess.

I loved it and Kenedy loved it as well!

I did not take as many pictures as I wanted and completely forgot to take at least one big group picture. Major fail on the picture taking and can not stop kicking myself over it. Kenedy's friends liked looking at all of the pictures and we had music going from a playlist Kenedy created so the atmosphere was great. The kids socialized for a while and then we decided to play the Jeopardy game. Of course the program was acting up and wouldn't work so since the kids were already gathered together we played the Sweet 16 DVD Lana and I made with Kenedys pictures set to music while I tried to figure out the game. Kefford came in during the DVD playing and was able to figure out the game and help me out with it. The DVD was a hit and so sweet and the game was a lot of fun. All of the kids enjoyed playing it. Success!

After Kenedy opened her presents we sat back out of the way and let the kids do what they wanted. Kenedy and her friends played games and volleyball with a big medicine ball and had a lot of fun just hanging out. 

It was a great night with some small hiccups and a fantastic Sweet 16 for my oldest!

Kenedy's Favorite's

Food: Chicken Alfredo

Dessert: Ice Cream

Candy: Reeses Peanut Butter Cups

Book: Harry Potter: the Goblet of Fire

Movie: Music and Lyrics

Church Song: Nearer My God to Thee

Friend: Lauryn and Shelby 

Scripture Story: Helaman and the 2000 Stripling Warriors

Color: Turquoise

Thing to do: Cheer

School Subject: History

5 things I love about Kenedy

1. She is a great cheerleader and so fun to watch. I love how much she loves her sport and how hard she works at it and how dedicated she is. She is also involved in choir and loves doing that as well. I think it is great that she has the opportunity to do the stuff that she loves to do.

2. Kenedy has a testimony of the Gospel that she is constantly working at to strengthen. She has a lot of Faith in her Heavenly Father and knows the power of prayer. She enjoys going to church and is active in Seminary and never complains about going to mutual.

3. Kenedy wants to go to college and major in childhood education, she has dreams of being a teacher and I think she will be an amazing teacher. She has a desire to go on a mission and has a lot of plans for her life that she wants to achieve. I admire her goals and know she can do anything she sets her mind to. 

4. I love when Kenedy comes to me with questions or needing advice. She is good about including me in her life and I like hearing all the things she has to say.

5. Kenedy is beautiful and kind and generous and fun. She has been a great oldest daughter and I look forward to watching her life unfold. She is going to do great and amazing things.

Valentines Weekend

Valentines day was a little crazy this year. Alison took Kenedy and Avy home with her for the weekend for their birthdays after the cheer competition, so they were gone for Valentines day. Luckily I had enough candy to make their Valentines before they left and was able to give them in a bag along with treats from Grandma Bonnie to Alison so she could give them to them on Valentines Day. Because Valentines Day was on a Sunday Kefford and I went out to dinner Saturday night. Catching Fire part two was finally in the cheap theater and I told Kefford I wanted to go and see it that night. We got tickets for the 7:10 show and then went over to Outback for dinner. I figured it would not be so busy because people would wait to go out the next day for Valentines day. I was wrong. It was really busy and we were waiting and getting nervous about making it to the theater in time for our show. We were debating just leaving and going to grab some fast food somewhere when finally our names were called. We were still a little unsure what to do, if we should stay or go. When our waitress found out our dilemma she told us no problem she could get us in and out and she did. She was awesome and got our orders and our food so fast. We ate a lovely dinner and then made it in time to watch the movie.

 After the movie I told Kefford we needed to stop at a store and get some more candy so I could make Ryker and Rylee's Valentines. I needed rolos to make a cute Valentine idea I saw on Pinterest but the two stores we went to did not have what I needed. I called it quits after that because I was tired and just wanted to go home so I grabbed some chips to go with a different idea for the two R's.

Ryker and Rylee each got a bag of chips that said "you're all that and a bag of chips because..." and then on another heart I wrote a reason that I loved them. They were simple, cute and heartfelt and the two of them really liked them.

While Kefford and I were out on our Love Date I left my phone with Ryker in case of emergency. I found a couple of photos I did not take when I got home.

The bag was a Valentine from Alison, the chips from me and the loose candy from Grandma Bonnie. All of my kids felt the love this year!

Avy and Kenedy got rolos packaged up to look like a bomb with a tag that said, "You're the bomb because..." and on the back a reason that I loved them. Another simple, cute and heartfelt idea. They did not get their Valentine from Alison until they got back because she left them at our house.

I made our traditional heart shaped meatloaf dinner for the four of us that were home on the 14th. I did not have any red food coloring so I could not dye anything pink. Such a disappointment. I also did not think to take pictures, booo. I was making a cake to turn it into a heart shape for dessert but after I baked it I realized I messed up and made two rounds instead of a round and a square. I could not make a heart easily with two rounds so I stacked them, frosted them and then decorated with conversation hearts. Done and done

Treasure Valley Invitational Cheer Competition

Last Saturday was Kenedy's one and only cheer competition. This year they had a Varsity and a JV competition team and Kenedy made the JV team. This means they don't go to Districts or State or Nationals. She was Ok with that because it also meant she could do the school play which she would not have had time for otherwise. It all works out. The JV team has been working hard to get ready for this competition with lots of early morning, 5am, practices and saturday morning practices. 

Avynlea wanted to go to the competition with me and she wanted her two best friends to go also. Rose we picked up on our way to the school and then Hallie was dropped off by her Mom a  little later and met us there.

JV won first place in their division and category which sounds really great until you realize they were the only JV team competing. I thought they did a good job. Kenedy especially was really great and I always love watching her perform. Kefford came to watch since Kenedy asked him to and got there in time for their performance and then left right after. Alison also came along with Trista and her boyfriend Austin. 

After the competition was over we waited for Kenedy so we could take some pictures and while Kenedy and I were getting our picture together an older guy walked by, touched her on the arm and said good job. Kenedy started squealing and saying that was the older guy that her and Shelby have been crushing on and how jealous Shelby was going to be that he touched her. I thought the guy was funny looking and laughing at Kenedy and Trista took this picture of us as this was happening

Trista, Kenedy, Avynlea and Grandma Alison

I really appreciate all of the support and love that comes from Keffords Mom for my kids. She always tries her hardest to be at any of my kids events that she can get to. I know my Mom would do the same thing if she could be here and also the rest of my family.

Hallie, Avynlea, Kenedy and Rose

I found a link online to pictures from the competition on the KTVB website. I could not figure out how to copy and paste them into my files so I had to just take a picture of the two I found.

Idaho State Capital Building Field Trip

On Thursday I got to go with Avynlea on her field trip to Idaho's Sate Capital Building. Her class was split up into two groups with one going in the morning and the other going after lunch. Luckily Avy was going with the morning group, I would not have been able to go if she was going with the other group since I teach a dance class at 1. Her friend Hallie was also going in the morning and that was fun for the two of them to be able to be with each other.

This door was originally a safe where they kept all the States important documents, marriage certificates, land deeds, birth certificates. But once they remodeled and now that everything is digital these rooms are now used as offices but they kept the door safes because its cool and also for the sake of history.

An original elevator that is no longer in use

The guide had the kids lay down on the floor to be able to look to the top of the capital building. 

We went into Governor Otters Ceremonial office.

We got to listen in on the House of Representatives do a presentation for each other on President Abraham Lincoln. Basically it was different Representatives getting up and reading Lincoln quotes or telling stories on his life. It was interesting and done because of Presidents day.

After the class picture everyone was getting on the bus and since I did not think the other class had arrived yet I held Avy back so we could get a picture together. After the picture she got on the bus and I stopped to thank our guide and chat for a couple of seconds. I was super embarrassed when I finally got on the bus and saw that everyone was already there and they were waiting on me. Oops

Some of the kids were taking pictures of Mr Ceniga while on the bus and he was making funny faces for al of them. I got the great idea that we should use one of the pictures to make Avy's valentines for her class party. Avy was too embarrassed to do it on her own so we recruited Hallie to see if she would want to do it with Avy. She thought that was a great idea and even took the picture of him with my phone. I asked Brit if she could design something for me and she did it fast and perfectly. I am really impressed with her skills and need her to teach me how to do cool editing. The girls loved the way they turned out and were really excited to give them to their class. 

What a fun field trip and I am so glad I was able to go with Avynlea!

The Piano Guys

For our Birthdays in November Ryker and I got tickets to see The Piano Guys. We love listening to their music and have been so excited to see them in concert. The day of the concert arrived and I had bought tickets for the matinee show which I kept thinking was at 2:30. We got there about 45 minutes early only to discover the time to start was really 3:00. I do this quite often, mix up times, I had it right in my calendar and the tickets showed the right time, I just got 2:30 stuck in my head for some reason and never bothered to check. So we waited a little bit before the doors opened and we got our seats, it wasn't that big of a deal to wait, I had my Kindle and Ryker wandered around the Morrison Center.

We had such a good time listening to The Piano Guys and their music, they are truly talented men and great entertainers. I really could have listened to them all day. As we were walking out I asked Ryker if listening to them motivated him to want to be better at practicing piano. He said it did a little but he would never be as good as they are. I told him he didn't have to be as good as The Piano Guys that he only has to be the best piano player that Ryker can be. 

At intermission I bought Ryker a pair of The Piano Guys sunglasses and sometime during the rest of the show I decided I wanted a pair also so I had Ryker fight the crowd after the show ended and had him get me a pair as well.

I love this boy of mine and had a really fun one on one date with him! 

When we got home we found that our door was heart attacked by Avynlea's former primary teachers. About 4 years ago boundaries were realigned in our stake and our Ward ended up with a good chunk of Bridgtowers ward. We have love getting to know these families and have developed some really great friendships. I think we were all devastated when boundaries were again realigned and we lost that chunk we had gained and were given a chunk of Sunnybrook. Avynlea was especially sad to lose her awesome primary teachers, Sister Thibadeau and Sister Olsen. They were equally as sad and heart attacked all of the girls doors from their primary class. They are the best and made Avy feel so loved.