Laila at Cheer Nationals

 Laila spent the weekend in California participating in Cheer Nationals.  They took 3rd in Time Out Dance.  This is a big group of cheerleaders...and they mostly get along. 

 Along with Cheer competition, she got to spend two days at Disneyland! 

 We are so happy Laila has best friend Katelyn Patteson ( KP) to cheer with.  They are so good together.

Cheering at the Hunstman Center at the U of U  for State Basketball Quarterfinals.  Bountiful beat Skyline!

Alex Birthday

 Alex turned 35 and we gathered to celebrate.  We had SUSHI and cake and family time.  Alex is a great addition to our family.  He is kind and a champion of the underdog.  He goes along with most of my zany plans and he continues to love our Landon.  All good things.

We were just pulling some faces and entertaining ourselves, while Joseph and baby Jesus photobomb.

Sophia thinks her boy doll looks like Poppa Wayne... I agree...Sophia has braces now and is growing up nicely.

Little Lady is growing and doing better after her rough start.  the Hole in her lung has healed and her numbers for her red blood cell are slowly going up.  She is a good little eater ad just needs to remember to breathe while she eats.

And the Pop Star is 4 months old.  She is getting two teeth already.  Alfie said when coming to our house the other day, "Hey Poppa we brought the little Pop."   He loves calling her "Popstar."

Winter retreat

We gathered on Thursday night in this really FUN house.   We prepared cafe rio type salads and did 2 truths and a lie ice breaker to begin getting to know each other.   Then we gathered for Story time where everyone gets to share a story from their life.  What ever they want to talk about for 7 minutes.  We learned about adoption, how I met my husband, one of my funny kisses,  how kids say the darndest thing, gay kids, kids in jail, moving a lot,  chicken capers....you name it we shared about it.  

In attendance  were some of my old friends,  two ladies that came together from Mountain Green but didn't know anyone else there, another lady that my friend brought down from her work, and another lady that came who didn't know anyone.  She just wanted an adventure!  I'm always to impressed with the courage it takes to jump into a fairly intimate situation with strangers.  BUT  I know that within a few minutes, personal barriers are brought down and we see that we have more in common that we do different.  It's a beautiful thing to witness.

So Many lovely women came to play.. Back row:  Becky Farley - our Mindfulness and Meditation teacher, Laureen Carlsen- Miss Personality, Jacki Taylor- who tells it like it is, Darlene House- full of energy and love, Kimi Farley- my right hand and all around great gal, Me.  Front Row:  Tammy Siebert- so kind and caring, Danine Davis- Fit and ready for adventure, Annett Pond- Miss WOW and Laura Belnap-- who knows everyone...or made some kind of connection.

 Day two brought an early morning walk in the frigid sunshine, learning about whole hearted living and then jumping in with both hands in to a painting project to get everyone out of their comfort zones and to practice creativity and not living in comparison. 

 THE SNOW came back.   It was beautiful to watch out out deck.  We stayed inside and learned about Mindfulness and Meditation from a wonderful teacher- Becky Farley.  She has a gift and is so engaging and supporting to everyone as we all tried to wrap our minds and spirits around the art of mediation.  She put us all through a guided meditation at the end, that put some of us to sleep-- it was that relaxing.  We all promised to at least practice the breathing part of this mindfulness at red stop lights!

That night Debbie Zockoll came and spoke to us.  She  has run 268 marathons in the past 4 decades.  She has run every single St. George Marathon  sometimes pregnant, sometimes in the middle of chemo...she has also beat cancer twice... in 2005 and 2016-- and ran marathons those years as well.  She really is inspiring and not intimidating.  Such a beautiful soul.

We laughed and cried and shared and supported and ate and laughed some more.     The Sun came up and it was time to head out.  Lots of hugs and we all drove off into the  cold SUNSHINE.

The Gather house left a polaroid camera for our use... by the time I figured it out I didn't get a picture of Every lady... we are missing two.... of the pictures but they are not missing in our hearts and memories.  Yay for Soul Sisters.

Temple times

We had a speaker in church today retell some times in his family's lives when the Temple was such a blessing to them...and really a sacred, special place. 

 I started to  think and recount in my own life when I felt the power and specialness of the Temple.

1.  I loved going to the Salt Lake Temple when Grandma and Grandpa Butters were temple workers there.  One time Grandpa took me through the veil, one time they were Adam and Eve and one time Grandpa played Satan.  It was extraordinary! 

2.  We took Addison through a session at the Salt Lake Temple and he was given a Chinese name to do, and as we were waiting for him in the Celestial room…he came in very emotional and said it was so real, he could see a small, black haired man going through the veil with him.

 3.  It was such a sacred day when we were sealed as a family to baby Laila Nov. 2002…it was a joyous occasion.  It was the one time all of my children were in the temple together.  

4.  I felt so privileged to be the "Bride's mom" when Lexi took out her endowments and got married. It was special being in the Bride's room with her at the Bountiful Temple.

5.  I love sitting by Wanee in the temple...we always giggle about something.

6.  I loved going when Bre took her endowments out... I finally felt connected to her in a very sacred way.

7.  I loved seeing my Dad dressed in his temple whites when he was a temple worker.  He was so jolly when he greeted people. 

8.  I have had many sacred experiences with answers to prayers and putting people's names on the temple prayer roll for different reasons.

9.  When we were deciding to adopt, we went to the temple often and every time I would make a deal with the Lord..that if we were supposed to adopt we would be the witness couple on the session and EVERY TIME we were.

I haven't been that specific...because I can't put words to the sacredness of these occasions, but I hold them all dear to my heart. 

Laila's Sweethearts dance

Laila went to her first Sweetheart's dance with David Richter.  She had a wonderful time and it was so great to see her all dressed up and having fun.

Laila went with 7 other couples...mostly cheerleader friends.  

Taylor Newton, Laila , Hannah, ?,  Morgan, Kiersten Nielsen, Katelyn Pattison, Whitney

These lyrics from Mama Mia... and Abba say what I'm feeling as I look at my beautiful little girl growing up to be a beautiful woman.... Sometimes i just want time to stop so I can enjoy her a little bit longer. 

Slipping through my fingers all the time
I try to capture every minute
The feeling in it
Slipping through my fingers all the time
Do I really see what's in her mind
Each time I think I'm close to knowing
She keeps on growing
Slipping through my fingers all the time

Tru moves to Portland

 Tru got into town after driving 32 hours from NYC, crashed for a bit, then began repacking his car and packing my car so we could get his stuff to Portland on Wednesday.  We had a great family night ordering in Joy Luck - with most my kids here and the grands for Tru to play with.  I love hearing Alfie and Tayla call him “Chooch.”   Tru did some visiting and more packing..then headed to Portland. 

  I followed him in the morning.  I got to listen to two books on audible while I traveled which made up for not having room to take anyone with me.  The drive to Portland is actually very doable..and I hope to return soon. 
 
 I had to hit up Voodoo doughnut on my way home.  I love that maple and bacon one.  Delicious.  

 Truman is in a really nice two bedroom apartment living with his friend Mars.  She is in art school there and Tru will now be scrounging to find a job and start getting some money coming in.

BHS Cheer First in State!

by Catherine Garrett

Clipper sportswriter

SALT LAKE CITY–The Bountiful High cheerleading squad placed first in four routines at the 5A state cheerleading competition Jan. 26 at Salt Lake Community College. The Braves came out on top in Song Pom, Timeout Dance, Timeout Cheer and Fight Song, while also placing third in Show Cheer.

“This team performed so well,” head coach Heather Larsen said. “They competed in five routines and almost every routine was perfect! They had no falls and no deductions.”

The only real flaw for Bountiful at state was a bow falling off one of the dancers during the timeout dance, which resulted in a minor penalty that had no bearings on the outcome.        The week before state was busier than usual with athletic events, sophomore orientation and additional practices, and her girls worked particularly hard leading up to the competition. “It was crazy, but the girls were so determined to win,” Larsen said.      The 2017-18 Bountiful team included seniors Olivia Frasier, Rylee Sainsbury, Ellie White and Mykol Wray; juniors Katie Adams, Lindsay Black, Marissa Brewster, Megan Hendrickson, Annie Numbers, Abby Orchard, Emma Thomas and Sheyenne Watkins; and sophomores Hannah Anderson, Tegan Felt, Victoria Feo, Whitney Hendricks, Kiley Johnson, Taylor Newton, Kirsten Nielsen, Katelyn Pattison, Morgan Tidwell, Laila Welch and Sydney Yannotti.

_________________

This state championship was SOOO awesome for these girls.   They took 2nd place in Region behind WX and then beat WX in all areas at State.   4 first Places and 1 third place.  It was a wonderful day.

 Sophomore Cheerleaders.

Last week of January

 Adelaide is home and doing okay.  She got released after 9 days n the NICU. Her oxygen numbers are up and her heart rate is down.  Both good things.  She is eating like a champ and is just very sleepy all of the time.  Some of that is because of her low red blood count. Lady is darling and her big sister Tayla is doing great with her.   She is very protective already and goes around telling everyone to  "Shhhh....be quiet. Baby."

Mel Larsen, Angie, Lisa Titmus, Angela Moon, Annie Kuehne, Marin Thomasma, Lupe, Angie, Karen Smith, Me and Mel Evans.

 This has been a weird January.  So little snow and so much spring like weather.  It's amazing how many times I've been able to walk outside.    There was  a blue moon the end of the month.. two full moons in one month...so a group of ladies from the ward went on a night hike up the Wild Rose trail to see it.  We got to the top of the mountain and the moon was hiding behind the clouds so we didn't get to see that but the city lights were great and  it was good to do something just a little bit crazy.

There is a book  called "The Precious Present."  It's a simple read about someone searching high and low for a precious "present" he had been promised.  In the end he realizes that "present" is actually the "present"...what was happening right in front of him.  He had been so worried about looking for it elsewhere that he had forgotten to enjoy it while it was happening. 

I think that happens so much in life...we think when such-and-such happens then we will be happy.  But man alive, the present is such a present!  That's one of the reasons I chose "present" as my "one word" a few years ago.   I want to "be there" and not somewhere else.   It was really good to be on this hike and be in the present...I had to be because of the snow and mud and slippery situation..I had to keep my head in the present not to fall.