Boys Skate at the Grizzlies Game...

John, our good friend and one of Wyatt's coaches has some connections with the Utah Grizzlies.  So, Monday night he scheduled for Colt's and Wyatt's hockey teams to play a little mock game during the 5 minute break between the 2nd and 3rd periods of the Grizzlies/Idaho game.  He also arranged for his daughter, Sadie, to sing the National Anthem, which was incredible!  But, that's not all...Garrett, John and another coach, Doug, had the opportunity to win a new car by shooting a puck into a tiny hole three quarters of the length of the rink and also had the chance to win an oil change by hitting the puck into a bigger hole. 

Garrett was at work getting sicker and sicker about this...he didn't want to shank it and totally miss it.  A few minutes before it was his turn to go onto the ice, he looked like he wanted to throw up.  I got the best picture of Wyatt as dad went to shoot the puck...it looks as if he's praying for dad to win.  G was the first to shoot the puck.  He totally missed the oil change hole, but then shot his puck to win the car and came about 1 inch from he hole.  It was amazing!  I though it had gone in!  John was the only one to win the free oil chance, but they all ended up getting a free oil change, just because. 

It was a fun night at the game and the boys had a great time playing in front of the crowd and with their mad dancing skills they even made it onto the Jumbotron.  About ten minutes before the end of the game, a cute boy came over to McKenna and asked if he could sit by her, she smiled and said "Sure".  He sat down and they began talking.  He asked her how old she was and when she said "13" he smiled and said "I wanted to ask you out on a date, but I guess you're not old enough."  Kenna smiled and he got up and went back to sit with his family.  Garrett and I died!!  What??  Everywhere we go people always think she's older than 13.  She is beautiful!

A Priesthood Blessing...

Friday night while shopping the outlet malls in Vegas, Kenna's shoulder began to hurt and through out the rest of the evening it got worse.  Before going to bed, she could barely lift her arm above her head without it hurting her. I thought maybe she had a pinched nerve, so we iced it, I massaged it and I gave her ibuprofen to dull the pain.  She slept well but woke with it still hurting.  I called my dad and asked him if we could stop by and he and Steve could give her a blessing so she could get through her games without any pain.  Grandpa said they would be happy to do this for Kenna.  Uncle Steve anointed her head with the consecrated oil and grandpa gave her a beautiful blessing.  In the blessing he blessed her that she would be able to play her games and not feel any pain and that if the pain did come back later that night that when we got home the doctors would know how to help her.

We hugged and drove back to the hotel to get ready for her first game.  She kept heat on it until warm-ups and she seemed ready to go.  We talked about having the faith needed for a miracle to happen.  I told her that I knew Heavenly Father could take the pain away and He did.  She played the first game and she didn't even think about her shoulder once.  She played like a pro.  We went to lunch before the second game began and she never once mentioned anything about her shoulder.  The second game ended and still nothing about her shoulder.  We went to the team dinner that night and as we walked out of the restaurant at 9:00 that night, she put her right hand on her shoulder and said "Mom, my shoulder hurts.  But it didn't hurt all day long, Heavenly Father answered my prayer!"  I hugged her and we talked about the importance of priesthood blessings and having the faith needed for them to come to fruition.  When we got back to Steve and Mandy's, we knelt in family prayer with them and then after family prayer I had Kenna tell her cousins and grandma and grandpa and aunt and uncle what she told me as we left the restaurant.  It was a powerful moment.  I hope she will remember this experience with the priesthood.

Las Vegas Premier Tournament...

Friday morning Kenna and I loaded up dad's Audi and drove to Vegas for the Las Vegas Premier Tournament.  We were excited to have some one-on-one time together for the drive and excited that grandma and grandpa Nichol had decided to fly to Vegas for the weekend to watch her play.  Grandma and grandpa Nichol are always up for an adventure and getting to stay with Steve and Many and the grandkids is always an extra bonus for them. 

Friday night about half the team and some of us parents shopped the Outlet mall and had dinner.  While we were in Claire's, Kenna told me she wanted to find something special for Ash.  Then she told me that as she hugged Ashlyn that morning before leaving, Ashlyn handed her fifteen dollars and told her to buy herself something in Vegas.  Wow, what a great little sister!  I looked at Kenna and smiled....here one sister has given her older sister money to buy herself something and the older sister is wanting to spend that money on something for her little sister.  I stood in amazement at the friendship and relationship my girls have...I hope they remain this close forever.  Kenna found the cutest zebra striped eye cover for Ash...she knew she would love it!  Then in the Nike outlet we found some pink and grey basketball shorts we knew Ashlyn would love.  Kenna did buy herself a few slurpees on the trip with the money Ashlyn gave her :)

The girls were pretty chill that night and seemed to be in a good frame of mind to get ready for their Saturday games.  Saturday morning was pretty layed back with the first game starting at 12:40 and the second at 4:40.  I was sick to my stomach and so nervous for McKenna.  She was pretty anxious and nervous, too.  More so than usual.  I think she feels so much pressure as the keeper, but I also think she was thinking a lot about letting some of her teammates down with not playing on Sunday.  This year, one of their scheduled games was planned for Sunday morning with finals that night.  Usually only finals are held on Sunday.  Saturday as she ate breakfast with her team, a few of the girls kept asking her why she wouldn't play on Sunday or how come her parents won't let her just play.  She quickly quieted the girls by telling them, over and over, that it's not her parents' choice, but she is the one who has decided to keep the Sabbath day holy and not play sports on Sunday.  She's getting more pressure from her teammates, her coach and we are feeling it from the parents more, too, for her to give in and just play on Sunday.  But she has informed me that she is steadfast and immovable in her decision to not play on Sunday and according to her, there is no need for her to ever play on a Sunday because she plans to go to BYU on an academic scholarship and play soccer there and BYU players don't play soccer on Sunday.  So that's the plan and I know she will be blessed for her decision. I don't know when that blessing will be realized or in what way it will be given to her, but I know she will be blessed for keeping a commandment of the Lord.

Along with grandma and grandpa Nichol, uncle Steve, aunt Mandy, Jacob, Lily, Kali and baby Isaac came to watch McKenna's games.  Their first game was against an Arizona team and they tied them 2-2.  The second game was against a California team ranked #2.  It was a pretty tough game, but we maintained a lead at 1-0 until the last 10 minutes when one of Kenna's defenders made an own goal.  Oh, it was so sad!  We ended that game 1-1 and had a good chance of going to finals if the girls won Sunday morning. 

After Saturday's games, the team met for dinner at Buca de Beppo and the girls had a great time.  After dinner, Kenna and I headed to Steve and Mandy's to spend the night with them and get a good nights rest before driving home Sunday morning.  At Steve and Mandy's, we made a bed out of the love seat, an ottoman and an over sized chair and it was the comfiest thing ever.  Even at the hotel room where we had two queen beds, Kenna and I still shared a bed and snuggled all night...so this was perfect.  Uncle Steve thought we were crazy to sleep so close together.  

Sunday, while driving home, we got the news her team had lost 3-1...that was a tough text to see.  Kenna and I had been prayerful that her team would do well without her and Amanda, Lauren and Savanna,the other three girls that don't play on Sunday, but without any guest players at this tournament there were no subs and that's always hard.  Her team comes down again in February for another tournament and I'm sure Ray will be bringing guest players and probably a guest keeper...if he can find one.  If that's the case, Kenna may not even go to the tournament because she would only play one game on Saturday with the other Saturday game going to the guest keeper and that's really not worth it. Kenna's been spoiled, being the only keeper on the team.  Next year at try-outs I know Ray will look for another keeper to add to the team and cover Sunday play...Kenna's fine with that and actually welcomes the challenge to prove she's the best!  She's got more guts, courage and faith than I ever did at her age...she amazes us!

Earning Money for NYC...

Ashlyn has some pretty awesome grandmas and grandpas that are so willing to help her earn some spending money for her upcoming trip to NYC with her dance company. With the kids off track, Ashlyn, Colt, Wyatt and I got an early start on the day. We dropped Ashlyn off to grandma and grandpa Nichol's house so she could begin her list of jobs...she spent the morning dusting her curio cabinet, vacuuming the house, cleaning the toy room, correcting papers, cutting out laminated footprints and doing other odd jobs.

The boys and I spent the day with grandma B and then picked up Ashlyn and met grandma Nichol for lunch. After lunch, grandma Nichol took her back home so she could finish her chores.

We drove home, picked up Kenna from school so she could quickly get changed for her soccer carpool, dropped Ashlyn off to dance and then after dance, I took Ashlyn over to grandma and grandpa Sill's for the night and another full day of cleaning. They ate dinner with great grandma Sill, then went home and played UNO and watched the Jazz game.

Grandma told Ashlyn all about living in England and showed her some magazines full of English homes and decorating and Ashlyn fell in love with it...grandma loved that she was so enamored with the magazines. Grandma kept telling me how much she loved having Ashlyn with her and how she is the cutest girl! Lately, everyone has been telling me that...Ash is so much fun to be around. She is always happy and she is beautiful! The other night she babysat for the Prows family late into the evening. It's a double bonus when she babysits because she loves all the families that call her and shes earning money for NYC, too. Sunday morning as she got out her money for tithing, I questioned why she was paying so much. She told me how much she had earned the night before and I was amazed. I saw Billy and JaQuoy at church and told them they didn't need to pay her that much, but I know Ashlyn was grateful. Billy immediately said "She deserved it! She cleaned the house and had it perfect when we got home...I'm tired of babysitters not cleaning up after the kids have gone to bed and so we wanted to give Ashlyn a big tip because she deserved it!" Wow...she is an impressive girl!

I'm sure Ashlyn slept well that night and then grandma Sill put her to work cleaning all the baseboards in her house, dusting, vacuuming the whole house, doing the dishes, cleaning the fridge and then they enjoyed a delicious fish and chips lunch at 'Taste of Britton'...it was a fabulous day for the two of them! Ash earned quite a stash of cash and had a great time with her grandparents...she is pretty lucky!

Indoor Play-offs

This morning, half of Kenna's Forza team faced off for first in the play-offs.  They played the older Forza girls and it was a tough and aggressive game.  Kenna was diving all over the place, jumping to perry the ball over the top of the goal box, charging players one v one, saving balls all over the place and it was awesome...but a few got past her.  By the end of the game they were tied 4-4 and so they went into overtime with a golden goal...first to score, wins.  They were pumped and with a minute to go, a girl on the other team headed an amazing ball into the goal and Kenna's team lost...but to lose like that was okay. 

As Kenna walked off the field, the coach that was coaching for the other Forza team (a substitute coach who was just filling in for the other team, but who also coaches ODP and is one of the top coaches in England and here in Utah) stopped Kenna and said  "Good game, keeper...You are a phenomenal keeper!!  I haven't seen that kind of play from a keeper throughout the entire game in a long time.  Keep it up!"  Wow.  Kenna was thrilled and when her assistant coach asked what he had said to her, he told her to "remember what he said because that was golden to hear that from him."  Kenna is so fun to watch...I stress sometimes with her in the goal box because I'm worried she is going to get kicked in the face, again, or hit a goal post, but generally I trust her instincts.  She knows her position well, she takes it seriously, she knows how to play it, but most importantly she LOVES it!

More Ice Skating...

As I write this, I'm thinking this year we may have quite a few ice skating posts.  Who knew this would be something everyone in our family enjoys.  Garrett really wants us girls to get our own skates now, so the girls came home from this outing and began looking online for ice skates.  Kenna's found the pair she wants and Garrett can't wait for us all to have our own...who is he??? 

Since beginning hockey he is so much more relaxed and well, crazy!  I love it!  Skating around the rink I kept thinking 'just yesterday I was on a beautiful beach in the Caribbean and now I'm wearing two sweatshirts and gloves and I'm surrounded by ice and I'm cold...this is not fair', but I am with my family and that's better than any beach in the world.

U.S Virgin Islands...

Garrett and I were lucky enough to get away to the U.S. Virgin Islands for the week.  I spent a few weeks making sure everything would be okay at home while we were gone, that's definitely the hardest part about leaving...making sure someone can do my job as well as I can.  I know I have control issues, but I like routine and order.  I make lists and schedules and insurance release forms and directories of friends and family to call in case something goes wrong and then pray that all will go as planned.  Brooklyn, one of our favorite girls in the world, came over to spend a few nights with the kids and then my mom came up and took the kids for a night and then Whitney had them for the weekend...it all worked out perfectly!  Our kids, especially Kenna and Ashlyn, definitely step up their game when we are gone and I really appreciate that...they are growing into dependable and beautiful and amazing young women.  I'm so grateful G and I can get away and enjoy each other.

This vacation was amazing!  We stayed on St. Thomas, in a hotel right on the water.  As soon as we got to the hotel, we dropped off our luggage and headed to the beach.  We stopped for lunch at Coconut Joe's, a little beach cottage restaurant right on the beach...that's where I had my first virgin pina colada of the trip, something I look forward to when we travel.  

The next day we took a ferry to St. John to spend the day snorkeling.  That was probably my favorite part of the trip.  St. John was beautiful!  White sand beaches with water that was clear for 30 feet below...it was exactly what I was picturing in my mind.  Once on the island, we then took a taxi over to Trunk Bay where we spent the day snorkeling and laying on the beach...this is my heaven.  Garrett loved taking underwater pictures of all the fish and coral to show the kids.  We ate at the Iguana Grill on the patio and just watched the people passing by...while we ate, kids were just getting out school and that was fun to see.  What a different life they must live on St. John.  We found the perfect turtle for Wyatt in a little shop and then boarded the ferry back to St. Thomas.  Later that night we took a night kayak trip around the bay of Carolette Amalia.  It was the funnest thing ever!  We sat in a clear kayak with led lights around the lip of the kayak and paddled around the bay.  Our guides were awesome, telling us about the Islands and all the cruise ships that port there daily, about the million dollar homes on the hills and even fished out a sea urchin for me to hold...I loved this!

Garrett took his fly rod on the trip, hoping to get out on a boat, but everything was booked.  He scouted out a few different spots on the beach that worked well.  We woke early one morning to fish off the rocks and later that day came back to that same spot where he got a few on his line, then headed over to the dock and that's where he landed some yellow snapper and another tropical fish...I enjoy watching him fly fish and taking pictures.  It is definitely an art!

Thursday we could choose to either golf at Mahogany Run or take a catamaran out on a sailing/snorkeling adventure on the Island, Great St. James.  G loves to golf and even though I know he worries about me being alone, I knew that's where he wanted to be, so I made plans with some girlfriends I met last year on the Cabo trip and we spent the day together on the catamaran.  I met up with Jules and Kimberly and met a new friend this year, too, Kelly, that I plan to keep in touch with.  I have loved getting to know these women.  Julie and her husband, John, and Garrett and I hit it off last year the minute we met and have stayed in touch all year long, looking forward to seeing each other again in the Virgin Islands.  They have four boys and one little girl, they are active in their church and their community and everything is about their family...we've loved our friendship with them.  That afternoon G and I met up and hung out at the amazing pool and then ate appetizers at a little place on the beach called Havanna Blue...loved the atmosphere there.

We didn't do much shopping on this trip so ended up getting the kids their gifts just in the little beach shops and knowing we were stopping for a layover at JFK airport, we thought it would be fun to get Ashlyn a travel bag that says 'I love NYC' for her upcoming trip to New York City with her dance group.  Kenna loved her sea glass earrings, Ash loved her bag, Wyatt loved his turtle and Colt would have loved the seal I bought him, but dad thought he might be too old for stuffed animals, so at the last minute (as our shuttle was about to leave the hotel) I exchanged it for a t-shirt, which Garrett hated when I showed him while on the shuttle, so as we waited at the airport, we shopped for another t-shirt for Colt...Colt hated both when we gave them to him!!  He quietly cried because he was hoping for a stuffed animal.  It was the saddest thing ever. I want to keep our boys little and Garrett wants them to grow up and be prepared to leave their momma so they can go on scout overnighters and serve a mission...sometimes we see things differently, yet I understand and value his thinking. 

These trips are always a dream come true...we are blessed.