Happy Sweet 16, LEXIS!

Memorial Day 2009

Each and every Memorial Day for the past number of years the kids and I visit the Orem Cemetary where Grandma and Granpa Thurston and Aunt Ann are buried. It has become a tradition of ours that after we've laid flowers on their grave markers first, Mama tells a story about each of them and next we wander the busy cemetary standing up the flowers and flags and wreaths that others have brought their own loved ones and have since been knocked over. I truely love watching my small children as they take the initiative to reverantly walk the rows bending to pick up each fallen container of mums and repositioning each garden gathered bouquet of flowers. It is a special day for remembering.

LEXIS' Sweet 16 Dance Party!

Noah's 11th Birthday Party!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Happy 11th Birthday, NOAH!

Noah's Soccer Team Wins 1st Place

Noah plays on a special Club team. They practice twice a week, play games once a week and work hard, hard, hard! He has been doing a great job this season and really enjoys it. Unfortunately, I have had very few opportunities to watch him play as I do not have help with Michael and he has been struggling. A soccer game outdoors is usually just way too much for him. Fortunately, Lexis agreed to stay with him this morning while I watched his final Championship game! "Thank you, Lexis!" Noah was Awesome! He is an outstanding defensive man and I have the video to prove it! His team won first place and afterwards his team's coach gave out medals to each player saying a little about each as he did so. Each boy had been given a nickname and Noah's was "Goofy." He said that Noah has a great left foot and is awesome at defense among other things. I was very proud of him! Now on to lacrosse...

Soccer player Grace

Grace got aggressive with another player on the soccer field during their game today and they ended up colliding-- Grace twisting her ankle. It really hurt and so I sat with her off the field. Her beautiful eyes turned bright green reflecting off the red of her cheeks and the green of her jersey and I snapped a picture of her to show her the own sweet loveliness.

She told me that she was basically body checking the girl on the other team and it made the other player mad. This player told Grace to stop as they fought for the ball and when Grace told her (quite adamantly direct, I am sure) that you could do "this" the other player fought back enough to step on the side of Grace's foot twisting her ankle and Grace went down. Little stinker is lucky there were others around cause this Mama knows how to body check too when one of my babies is involved :) Grace sat out for the last few minutes of the game and still their team won. The soccer season is now over and Grace did great! She plays hard and tough and can most often be found on the defensive side of the field. I am proud of her and her determination and spirit!

This was done as a History Class assignment...

A History Class assignment..if you can believe it! :) and yes! that is ALL Lexis' own hair! I told her people pay for all that hair but maybe not that particular styling-- people like Hanna Shamamah or something.