Halloween 2010

Here area  few memories from our Halloween this year.  More to come in the next few days.

A little update.

So much has been going on lately... but I have a few minutes so I want to update the blog.

Ethan started preschool with a neighborhood friend. He screamed and cried the first 10 minutes the first week, and then today when I took him he said, " Mom, I'm not gonna cry". And guess what... he walked right in and never cried! It was a completely different story today then it was last time.

This last weekend Chris and I were fortunate enough to do a double date with an old roommate of mine and her husband. We met at Souper Salad up in ..wherever that place is, and had a nice time catching up. ( I love Souper salad by the way and there isn't one down here in Utah County where I live)

Afterward, we headed back to their place, and watched the new Karate Kid with Jackie Chan - It was a cute movie ... but man I can't believe they would have a kid with an on screen kiss who's like 12!! Oh my gosh... it was crazy.

But we had lots of fun, and were definitely in need of it.

I've been busy like crazy trying to get people willing to let me take pictures of them just so I can get some "practice" time in. But I've managed to get four families of varying sizes to agree to let me put them through that kind of torture! But it's okay I'm expecting a new lens and want time to practice using it.

I'm still working on the yearbook this year... and then I'm FINISHED with it. No more ever again. Too many people like to complain, and then we get too many people trying to get us pictures that "STINK" and don't look very good, so it isn't helpful at all.

This year, we're venturing away from doing the Lifetouch way of doing yearbooks, and preparing them on our own using Photoshop and such programs. Really, I don't think it'll be that hard, except when others try to tell you how to do it, when they themselves don't have any experience doing such a thing. Besides, if I have to get volunteer hours in at the school every year, I'd much rather spend it, doing something I enjoy ...such as coaching sports !! I've agreed to do this again next year, so that hopefully the team will actually have a schedule and be a part of the league. Oh well, about another week and half left with this, and then Volleyball will be over. So I need to make sure that a picture gets taken of the team before much longer.

Can we say Team picture Tuesday or Wednesday??? Yeah, one of those might work.

But the more I'm involved with the school, the more I feel like I'm doing something good!!

Anyway... here's a sample of the High School Senior that I did a few weeks ago... I'm looking for a few more so if you live near Utah County in Utah.. and know someone who wants a relatively cheap session... just the cost of prints, give me a call or send me an email.

I'm having lots of fun!!  Developing my talents.  

Hear Ye. Hear Ye....

Just trying to get a few cute "costume" sessions in !!  These are always so fun, and way cute!! 

Contact me NOW, to reserve your spot.  This will be somewhere near Provo/Orem Utah location. Hey, I'll let adults be the subjects also.  So it doesn't have to be just kids!!  Spread the word!!

Email :  wizzardmom@gmail.com    

New Adventures

Wow!! Seems like I've been waiting for this time in my life forever. But yet here it is right NOW!! That's right, I said I've finally arrived to the point I've always dreamed about.

Don't ask. Okay I'll answer anyways. I've finally found an outlet of sorts and a way to kind of reconnect to the "life of sports" I once had. And a time in my life where I can develop some of my talents more fully.

Okay so in case you haven't heard, I've VOLUNTEERED to be the head volleyball coach at the school my kids attend. Remember it's called Freedom Academy. Well this team consists of 7th and 8th grade boys and girls.

The long and short of it all.... last week we held tryouts. Wasn't quite sure what to do but I had lots of help and support from some of the faculty that have been coaches before but couldn't do it this year.

Day 1 : There were 39 kids that showed up, and they were either in 7th or 8th grade. Lots of boys and girls, and some of the kids really wanted to make the team, but just have fully developed the skills necessary yet, like SERVING. These poor little kids look so fragile that I was afraid they would break. But they really had some heart, so I hope that they practice throughout this year and try out again next year for those that are in 7th grade this year. It was so NOISY. But with the magic power of a whistle, I was able to quickly gain control over these kids. It feels GREAT!! I know I'm lame, but I really am enjoying this.

Day 2: We dropped to 32 kids, and I had a few faculty members help for the first half hour and then I was on my own. YIKES... It was kind of scary, but exciting at the same time.

Day 3: We were up to 33 kids. By this day I had narrowed down my list of choices and had grade reports run on them and discussed the choices and options with a few of the teachers. They gave suggestions, and I really liked their advice. Because they really know these kids more then I do since they have them in class nearly every day. We also announced the TEAM at the conclusion of the practice.

Day 4: First day of practice with just the team which consisted of 14 players. Four kids weren't able to make it that day, because of prior commitments, and that was fine, they let me know.

Day 5: Monday the 20th of September I show up for practice to have one of my supposed players waiting to greet me and tell me that she couldn't be on the team. She had too many other things that she was committed to before the team. She quit. WHAT??!! Are you kidding me, why did you try out then. And I was informed that one of my 7th grade boys quit as well. Turns out he only tried out because his "girlfriend" was trying out and since she didn't make it, and practicing everyday was too much for him ... he threw in the towel as well. So now I'm down to 12 players.

Day 6: Tuesday the 21st of September -- was a great day and I can already see lots of improvement in the team. There are a few people however that I wish were a little more "into" the game. Maybe it'll happen with time. But I'm not counting on it. I know it sounds pretty full of doubt, huh?

The other great thing... I'm coming home in the evening and I'm BUSHED!! I'm so tired and can't stay awake ... it's really getting me worked out too, and I'm starting to lose some of this excess weight I've been meaning to get rid of, but for whatever reason I haven't.


And to end this entry I'd like to post a collage of a recent photo shoot that I did, and I had so much fun during the shoot, and then afterward playing with the photos I captured.

A brief history of high school.

SORRY IT'S a long one!!! 

NO PICTURES THIS TIME.

I came across a friend's blog today that triggered some of my own thoughts on high school.

It seems forever ago now, that I attended high school, but really it wasn't all that long ago.

You have to understand a few things here, I lived in Trona, California --- yeah go look that up see what you find. It is a podunk little desert town. With a "plant" as the main source of employment. They mine stuff from a dry lake bed, and la de da da.

The high school was SMALL. At least it's small compared to the high schools my kids will end up going to in a few more years.

I got teased in elementary because my parents kept having kids, and since I had a large family I got really teased. I just ignored it as best as I could.

I was the only member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints my age that was active in the church. There were others that participated here and there with coming to activities and doing other things like that. That isn't the point here, well a little bit it is, but I was fortunate enough to get involved with high school sports. It actually started with 7th and 8th grade. I was hooked!!

By 9th grade I was moved up to Varsity level and bypassed the JV level. I did have some great 'friendships' that started because of sports, and after the sports the friendships kind of died off. I had FUN playing on the teams I was a part of. Yeah, I wasn't perfect, and I wasn't the best, but I gave my all and worked really hard. I played Volleyball (7-12); Basketball (7-12); Softball (9-11); Cheer-leading 10-11 ( I know who would have thought me to be the cheerleader type)

Now, you could say I belonged to the "jock" group at school, but really I belonged to more than just that. I was also academically gifted and had practically straight A's. When I graduated I was #2 in my class. (Well actually I tied with another student) So I could have been classified as a NERD as well. And mostly I got along with those you would consider nerds. So I belonged to the "jocks", the "mormons", "nerd", "poor" (maybe no-one else really thought that but I did)

I was so surprised to find out every now and then that RUMORS, Nasty rumors were started about me. Like I was engaged in "sexual" activities over the weekend and such. Those rumors hurt and they hurt bad!!! I cried several times after hearing such things.

It really was quite sad to find people felt so bad about themselves they had to get creative and make something up to "RUIN" someone else.

I enjoyed most of my classes, but not necessarily everyone that was in them. There were "cheaters" and "liars" in some of my classes, but somehow they always got away with it. Don't ask me how, because I don't know. This made me feel pretty upset because I was always honest, never cheated, and worked hard for my grades. Whereas these others (not mentioning names) would just gab the copy of the test answers conveniently left out and write down what they wanted to know, and pass it around the whole class. I was devastated. I never touched the paper, for fear of being guilty just touching it. Plus I never wanted to condone such behavior and allow someone else to copy too.

I always got made fun of and told I was the "teacher's pet". Because I was a good two shoe!! Well, that was fine with me. I knew I was doing what was right.

I went through a phase in my sophomore year where I practiced "swearing". Call this my rebellious phase if you will. I thought I needed to talk like that in order to "FIT" in with the other girls on the team. It lasted a few months, and I felt horrible talking like that. So to those of you that heard me talk like that I APOLOGIZE for using such language. It wasn't right on my part, and to this day I still don't talk using those words. (Mostly)

If it wasn't for the high school sports and weekly attendance at the football games I think I would have died!! I didn't go and party on the weekends, because there was drinking and other such activities going on that I didn't want to participate in. I did feel left out now and again, but I'd never go back and just give in to the peer pressure.

I also didn't have the best home life either. We were a large family, not much money but enough for our needs. We lived in a small house, and I never had name brand clothes. In fact I finally owned my first pair of jeans in 7th grade and those were given to me. Crazy, I know.

I did have my "first" kiss while in high school. I had a boyfriend or two...but all of which I would probably never want to repeat. I wasn't ever on any of the "royalty" courts because I wasn't popular and never felt like I was that pretty either. But a lot of my friends did, and I was happy for them. Actually I'm kind of glad it wasn't ever me.

I am glad however that I made a lot of friends in the neighboring town that were members of the same church but attended in a different building. I had some great friends there!! And still keep in touch now. It's great.

I had a few jobs through high school, which would limit how many sports I could play in my Senior year. But I learned lessons then that totally helped me become who I am now.

Would I ever want to go back and do it again?? Probably not. Although the sports part was fun, and the good grades helped, the people there were just on a different life path then myself. We probably don't have much in common anymore, other than maybe having kids and talking about that. Otherwise, I don't know what we'd talk about.

Now college... well that is a WHOLE different and BETTER story. More on that later.

It's fun now, to check in on those I knew back then and see where life has taken them. But honestly, I do wish them well, and don't want to treat them the way I was treated, but really life is so much better for me now, with the wonderful people in my life that I don't want to go back and relive high school.

First toothless Smile for Heidi

Okay so you all have a child you know that has either lost their first tooth, or is about to. You know all those stages that lead up the tooth coming out.

• It gets a little wiggly. 
• After a time ( be it a few days or week or more) they start complaining. 
• They complain that it hurts when they eat.  Biting into something doesn't happen anymore. 
• You tell them to cut up or break up the food they want to eat. 
• Finally they CRY and WAIL over the pain this little object causes.  
• You try and convince them that it won't hurt if they just get it out. 
• They hesitate and may not let anyone touch it, and just keep complaining for days or weeks until the thing just falls out on it's own. 
• They might walk around chewing on a dry rag trying to loosen it some more. 
• They may or may not grab a pair of pliers to pull it out.  
• They may or may not let mom or dad have a stab at yanking it out.  

Well my youngest daughter Heidi who just turned 8 a few weeks ago lost her very first tooth last night (Sept , 2010)   She lost it with help from ME!! That's right the little kid was so different then her two older sisters and actually let me grab her tooth, and I PULLED it.  Yeah, she cried a little, and it bled a little.  But I didn't lie to her, I said it would hurt a little but then tomorrow (meaning today) it wouldn't hurt anymore.  And guess what ... I was RIGHT!!

And we'll have a little hiatus until the 5 - 6 teeth in her mouth that are starting to become loose all fall out. And then she'll complain of not being able to eat AGAIN.  But oh, how cute they are like that!! 

Heidi's Baptism ...

This is what we started our weekend off with....

I asked Heidi just as soon as she came out of the baptismal font how she felt and she replied, "Good" with a cute little smile!!

We followed up with visiting family and friends, and a HUGE BBQ at our house later that day.  We had so many people over it was GREAT.   Let's see we had the following....

• My childhood family (My Dad and Mom, My sister Nicole her husband Rob and their three kids, my niece Sierra) 
• My Family  (All 7 of us) 
• Amy and Richard and their family  (7 altogether here too) 
• Mary and Scott and their 2 kids 
• Ruth and Nick and their daughter
• Jared and Becky and their 4 kids
• Dan and Angela 
• Chris's Mom and Dad 
• Richard's Mom and Dad 
• John and Luma and their 2 boys 
• My neighbor Adam

Did you catch how many that was??? That's right.. .neither did I, but let me go back and add it all up...
8+7+7+4+3+6+2+2+2+4+1=    46 in my backyard or in my house watching the BYU football game that was on that night.  We had great food and good fun.  It went way too quick though.  Sometimes it almost seems like a dream, because my parents were only up for such a short time, and I really didn't get to see much of them at all. 

But we preceded this night with a trip to Seven Peaks and loved the time we got to spend there.  Great times all around.