Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Cottonwood's Mini-Cheerleaders

So our cute little girls got to do their dance/cheer thing, once again, at the best school around...Cottonwood! (Yea, I'm not biased at all! I'm nothing but a proud Alumni! :}). This time it for the halftime performance at the Basketball Game.
Maddy is just so fun to watch...she's got the moves! :}

We love having Megan cheering for them too! What cute girls they are! (I must say, all of us girls did well in that department! :})
Side note to the game: This was against West, of which Cottonwood was not expected to win. This is much to do with their star player, Tyrell Corbin (son of previous Jazz man, Tyrone Corbin). Colts played strong, winning 61-46. And we thought we were just there for the show; but, ending up watching a great game too! :} I realize this is not a good shot; but, I had to try & get a picture of Pops in the stands at least! :}
It was also a fun excuse to get together with the friends!

As a strong group of friends, it is sure fun watching our kids grow up together! :}

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Bradon turns 14!

Our Young Man is certainly growing fast! And we're not just talking about getting older..He's just gotten so tall this past year...where's did my cute little blond curly haired baby boy go?! :} The fact he grew taller than me this year, really made me realize how he's not my baby anymore! :( (and how does that happen if I'm not getting any older? Ha Ha :})
So, at least he makes planning a birthday party easy! A day to hang out with his buds, playing sports, and having LOTS of food..what more could you ask for?
Geez, you'd think the Saints just won the Superbowl or something! :}
Did I tell you that boys like to eat?! :}
It's fun to watch these boys grow together...many of them have been friends since they were little guys! :}
All Bradon asked for was Boxing Gloves. I reminded him we didn't really have a place to put a punching bag; but, he reminded me he has a brother. Ha Ha! OK, so we gave in...fun for all! :}
And, he even got a picture of a cell phone too! :}
(OK, so the real one just wasn't there yet...but, that was funner anyway :}).
Oh, and we can't forget the 1/2 eaten Hershey's Bar & drawings from Kaley! :} Parents...I apologize now if anyone may get injured in the fun!
(and hopefully they all stick to the rules! :}) And his brother even agreed to play along (SUCKA!! :}). What more could he ask for?!He's got his game face on for the next duel against MOM! He forgot who he's messing with! :} OK, so he actually admitted that I was an even match....not bad for an old lady! :}
And now, for the Finale...the match against Dad!
Who knew that would be so entertaining? (and exhausting!)

We got to finish off his birthday with time with Grandma & Grandpa Leach, his requested meal of meatloaf & mashed potatoes, and a game of Scrabble Slam.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRADON...WE HOPE YOU HAD A WONDERFUL BIRTHDAY!!

WE SURE DO LOVE YA BUDDY!! :}

XOXOXOXOXO

Finishing up the '09-'10 NFL Season

As the big football fans that we are, it's always fun to make some fun out of the games whenever possible, and then of course, the big final game itself. We couldn't miss the chance to watch Tina's team, The Vikings, verses our Cowboys. I have to admit, I've enjoyed watching Favre do his thing again this year (as much as it drives me crazy to see athletes retire, and come back, and so forth :}). As hard as it is to see him in anything but Green & Yellow, he definitely came back with the Vikings, in a strong way! So impressive!! And I was happy for Tina to get to claim him as a member of her team! :} Though I never thought I'd see Dennis in a Vikings shirt (what a good husband! :})
See how Doug & I are smiling?......
"Oh...oh.....c'mon...."
Halftime...now see those smiles change for us, and thiers are getting bigger? But, see, rivals CAN in fact get along & watch a game together...it's OK! :}
And they kept getting bigger! Tina was good though, didn't rub it in too much (maybe with Dennis' help; but, she didn't have to be so nice! :}). Needless to say, the Cowboys blew it; but, more so, thanks to Favre & his team, they played very well & got to move on!
Side note: look at Dylan....he's happier than anyone to see the Cowboys lose! My rebel child! :}

4th Quarter...the point when some of us were hiding, trying to accept the loss!
Then it was time for Superbowl XLIV...The Indianapolis Colts verses The New Orleans Saints. A game with two fabulous quarterbacks, Peyton Manning & Drew Brees (of course we know it's the whole team & how they play together; but, you know what I mean! :})

Kaley thought she'd surprise us with who she was going to root for. We had to wait until she was done drawing! And the fact she put a blue shirt on was a good clue too! (she is my daughter! :})

And Bradon....that would be a C, for Colts!
And no question who Dylan was rooting for!
We got to spend the game with Greg & Angie, and finally get to see their new home! And always fun to see our cute little niece, Jazzy, too!
I believe Angie is in shock how much Bradon has sprouted! Is he really that much taller than her now? (trust me, I know...I'm feelin' it too!)
...and even taller than Uncle Greg now too! Dylan was glad to have someone else rooting for his side..they wore their jerseys proud! :}
Is there any doubt she is Daddy's girl?!
This was hilarious..this little girl had a thing for Dylan. She kept chasing him around, or found him when he went to hide in the other room. Here she was trying to get his attention by dancing around him! :}
He's so cute...I just luv our Dyl Pickle!
Such a Lil' Ms. Diva! :}
Don't let Kaley get a hold of the camera...or you may have a whole bunch of these self poses!
It was quite the game..everything you hope for in the final game of the season!
The Saints win 31-17

You have to be happy for their town! They've certainly been through a lot since Hurricane Katrina! It's time they get the chance to celebrate! :}

And now, let me enjoy a bit of NO football for a few months before it starts all over again! Don't get me wrong, I love the game...just always good to get a little break! (though the boys still throw the ball almost every day, so I am still usually tripping over the football! :})

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

If I had a million dollars....

We've all asked ourselves that question numerous times, right? And I'm sure the answer has changed over the years. Of course, a million dollars was a whole lot different when I was a kid, than it is now. Don't get me wrong....I'd take it still! Just saying, life's expensive these days! So, really...what would you do? And why do I ask? Well, I just happened to hear one of my favorite songs recently by the Barenaked Ladies, 'If I Had A Million Dollars' (are you singing it in your head now? If not their version, the older versions. C'mon, yes you are! :}). I also happened to see one of my favorite movies of all time, Office Space, recently. (You know it's great when there's so many catchy lines that people quote for hours....and trust me, if you've been in any of those conversations, you know what I mean :}). Which, that show brings up the discussion as well. After all, their plan was simple & made sense! :}

So, anyways, back to the question......where do you start? What dream would be your 1st reality? I would say just taking care of your own debts, smart investments & coming up with a good plan is a great place to start. That's a must! But, what else?......
  • Of course you'd want to take care of your family/good friends as much as possible. But, how do you decide that? Does everyone get the same, do you see who could use it most? Who would be smart with it? Would that be for me to say how they use it? Who needs help with medical care/bills? Hummm..
  • You can't forget to take a % to give back, in however you see fit. It's not like there's not enough charities to go around!! Giving would truly be the biggest gift...as it pays back your heart & soul tenfold!
  • Being able to not work & just be able to go back to school would be nice (and keep my same plan I had when I attended the U.....always having 1 fun class each semester! :}). Besides, I've never taken tennis or guitar lessons! :}
  • Being able to travel the world would sure be nice too. And being able to send my loved ones somewhere they always wanted to go (& have one heck of a family reunion there :}). Again, that in itself could soak up a million dollars all too fast (back to the smart investments 1st)
  • Having a cabin on some fabulous mountain property has always been high on the list. I'd say in Utah somewhere; but, I certainly wouldn't mind having one in Lake Tahoe either! :} Of course this would have to include toys such as snowmobiles, ATV's, etc. (a million dollars would go real quick on that one!)
  • To put my crazy dreams in action, without worrying about the costs involved and whether I was going to make a big profit; but, in building a fun center for both kids/adults, the kind of place that would make a difference in people's lives. It would have all kinds of dance/arts/cultures, it would be a place kids felt safe & could learn how to have fun being active. It's funny, I look at this old run down building by my neighborhood & think what a great spot it would be to build a new place...and then vision what it would look like. Not just "any old rec center"; but, putting all these thoughts in my head together & knowing how to do that exactly is a whole different story! But, having a million dollars would sure help I think! :}
  • Just being able to take time to work on "The Bucket List" (since many may involve $ somehow, to make them happen). Of course, everything above is essentially on the bucket list.
  • I read a friend's post on her bucket list, and being able to leave a breakfast waitress a huge tip. That would be awesome. As a waitress for many years, I always dreamed of that magical rich customer coming in leaving me big $! :} So, to just randomly pick people, whether strangers or ones you know, to give a $100, or whatever, to would be fun! Don't you think? Just knowing you could make so many people's day with a simple act! Do we really need $ for this? No, not really; but, who wouldn't like to just have some extra cash! :}
  • I would hope that, with a million dollars, I wouldn't feel limited to pursue my children's interests...whatever schools, programs, etc. it would take to let them live out thier passions. Yea, that would be cool!

Well, I'm sure I could go on; but, it's always a fun discussion...and since it was on my mind, why not discuss amongst ourselves? :} (and this is called distracting my mind from all the business of the household, restoring computer files, taxes & things that have consumed much of my time lately! :}). And hopefully I can get this song out of my head now so I can get much needed sleep, instead of nonstop thinking of how I could really use a million dollars! :}