Emily's Junior Prom

It was literally the first day guys were asking for prom.   Around dinner time Emily started having a melt down so worried no one was going to ask her out to prom.   All of us just rolled our eyes reminding little miss impatient that it was day 1 and maybe it would be a good experience for her to feel what so many girls who don't get asked out feel like.  

What would you know later that night we found this on the porch.  

Liam Dubois a.k.a (the white boy with treads and the not so secret admirer) hid his name under one of the cereal boxes but Emily knew just where to look.   

Here is Emily's clever response.  

Emily really had her heart set on a dress she found online at Lucy in the Sky.  We ordered it the end of January with an expected delivery date the end of February.   

Then end of February came and no dress.   I emailed the company and got some hubbab response like due to unforeseen circumstances the dress will not arrive until the end of March.   In Emily's words Bruh......    

 Back to square one.  Both of us scouted the internet and took a couple of trips to Dillards, one of the only store fronts that carry prom dresses.    Nothing seemed to spark Emily's interest and discouragement set in.   

I don't know about Emily but I for one said a couple of prayers that we would find a dress that met Emily's expectations and would be elegant and classy. 

With only a week or so to go Emily texted me a picture of a dress she found online at David's Bridal.  We quickly ordered it and crossed our fingers it would fit.

I feel like it was a tender mercy it came just in time, fit like a glove, Emily loved the color and felt "extra" in it and didn't make her look like a "hoochy mama" (I had to explain to Emily what that old time phrase meant.) 

Emily went all out for this dance and professionally got her nails done and an updoo on her hair.  As Emily was getting her luscious curly hair done the stylist commented that everyone sends the same pictures Emily sent her but not many of them have hair like hers to even come close to looking as gorgeous as Emily's came out. 

Emily put her boutonniere/corsage lessons she got from Nona's friends last year to good use and advertised boutonniere for $7.   She got a good response and made 9 or 10.     The night before prom she turned on some Taylor Swift, put some St. Patty's glasses on and danced her way through making the boutonnieres. 

The date started off with breakfast at Henry S.'s house and then Paintball in Lehi.  She usually doesn't take any pictures of the day date but I was lucky to snag this one off her camera roll of the girls from the group date.  

The boys chose to take pictures at the Capitol Building which is where the dance was held.   What a fun group of kids she went with.  

 After pictures they ate at Bucca Di Beppos.  Then back to the Capitol Building and they ended their night as a group hanging out at some overlook near Sandy. 

 

I'm so happy she had the perfect night with the perfect dress, date and friends!

Pace's Brian Head ski weekend

Brain head with the cousins was one for the memory books.   

Here are some highlights:

Bart couldn't come with us for the extended weekend and because I don't/can't ski I opted to put Spencer is ski lessons for the first morning.   Anytime I mentioned to Spencer that he was going to take lessons he would get so mad and proclaim, I don't need lessons I'll be able to ski.   I just ignored his protests.  I wasn't about to have him up on the mountain with only Ally, his sisters and the cousins having to tend a beginner skier.   Once Spencer found out Bergun was in his class that made him happier and he willingly went off with her to the class.  Here are few pictures of them going up and down the magic carpet as a class.    

After seeing Spencer was happy and taken care of I went into the Lodge and hung with my sisters for a while.  Half way through his scheduled lesson time I got a text that said "Spencer wants to leave and is very unhappy."   I went down to this break area and saw Spencer with angry tears and thought Oh boy, here it comes.  Sure enough I got an earful from Spencer about how he has learned all he needs to learn from these lessons and he doesn't need to stay with the class staying on the stupid magic carpet hill.   I said OK show me what you've got.  So I walked out with him and watched him french fries and pizza his way down the hill.   I asked the instructor if they do or teach them anything else like riding the lift and he said no this is it for the new beginners class.  Just then Jane was skiing by and I asked her if she could take Spencer on the lift and see how he does going down the bigger hill with a promise to Spencer that I would check him out of the lesson if he showed me he could do it without help.   I didn't expect him to fearlessly jump on the lift with her and speed down the hill like a pro.   I had to keep my promise at that point and Spencer zoomed away with the big kids and had no problem keeping up with the bigger and experienced skiers for the day.   

Meanwhile Aaron had an opposite type of day.    He had gone skiing with his dad a year or so ago and wanted to try out snow boarding.  He over confidently took off with his cousin thinking snow boarding was going to be a breeze but soon found out he was spending a lot of time face planting in the snow.   Dayson being a typical teenage boy lost his patience with Aaron slowing him down after a while and left him to fend for himself.   Aaron after struggling to get up got disoriented and called me in a hysteria and  I couldn't understand anything he was saying.   As I was attempting and failing to get him to calm down I heard him talking to someone and he hung up.   I anxiously waiting and was so relieved when I saw him walk towards us in the lodge but he was still visibly upset about the whole ordeal.   We got him some hot chocolate and I sat by him while he cried and told me he couldn't breathe, he had a horrible headache and he was never, ever going snowboarding again.    After a while he did calm down but I could tell he was spent and he kept complaining about having a hard time breathing.  Allyson suggested he may be having high altitude sickness so I checked his gear in and we went back to the airbnb early so I could prep dinner for the crew.   He instantly fell asleep on the couch and the quiet nap was almost like a total body and spirit reset and he woke up happy and ready to a fun night with cousins. 

The Airbnb was pretty ghetto that we stayed at but we compromised on space and luxury because it had a pool.   The kids enjoyed the pool and us adults enjoyed the hot tub next to it. 

   The next morning Aaron persisted he was ready for another go.   I was hesitant of a looming disaster but also proud that he didn't let a hard day get him down.    I made both of the boys promise to stay only on the hills where it was obvious how to get down to the lodge and sent them on their way.   My nerves were soon settled when I got a couple of pictures and texts from Dayson saying Aaron is doing so awesome he is even landing the jumps.  

Meanwhile Emily & Jane took Hazel, Clara and Spencer on the tubing Hill right next to the ski lift.  

Clara and Spencer only made it down the tubing hill once and they both decided they hated getting snow in their faces.   I got a call from Emily to come get them because she wasn't going to be around a couple of unhappy kids.  After I walked over and picked them up the others had a fun time tubing. 

Clara and Spencer did not like my idea of waiting for the tubers to finish before going out on the slopes.  Ally was off skiing by herself and they were confident they could handle the lifts by themselves.   I cautiously let them go alone up the lift closest to the lodge where I could keep them in site.   I was too far away to take a decent picture but trust me it was so adorable watching them navigate getting on the lift with no problems and seeing their cute bodies proceed up the lift together. 

Unfortunately, our last day of skiing was cut short when Hazel broke her leg coming down the hill.  Luckily a family doctor was near and heard Hazel's distress and called the paramedics and they came skiing up to them and put her on a make shift gurney and rescued her.   While Ally was with Hazel being cared for at the first aid room Raquel and I gathered up the people and their gear, watched Hazel get loaded into the van and made our way home.  Because the doctor put it in a good splint Ally was able to make it home to California before taking Hazel into the ER.   Poor thing she was such a trooper.  Ally told me after they informed Hazel she was going to need a bigger cast to keep her knee from moving that positive Hazel said that's ok it will give my friends more space to sign their names. 

Born ready

 I was ready to leave somewhere with Aaron and yelled "Aaron are you ready?"  Spencer hearing this came running and said "ready?   I was born ready."    

Spencer continues to always keep us on our toes and entertained.     He is quite the loved youngest child who is quick to smile, laugh, hug and love all of us.   With the constant stream of snow storms and random days off we've spent more than usual being cooped up inside.   One day while he was playing hide and seek around the house with his friends, he discovered he can get up on the standing freezer and hide.  He also decided it was quite cozy up there.   He showed me his new "spot" and declared that "tomorrow I am going to spend the entire day up here."     When I woke up the next morning I found him like this....

    

    Forts are always best with lots of pillows and blankets and this was no exception.  He thoroughly enjoyed being up by the stock of chips and other than occasionally coming down for water he spent most of the morning snuggling with pillows, blankets and an Ipad for entertainment.

        Spencer speaks his mind.  I wonder if everything that enters his head comes out his mouth.  He has been a handful at school lately.   At parent teacher conference I was informed that he is good about completing his work each day but he is disruptive because he shouts out how boring he thinks the work is and how he hates doing it.   I got a call one day from the Principal saying Spencer was in a para educators group and told her that he doesn't have to do anything she says because she is not the boss of him. He is the boss of himself.   She marched him right down to the Principals office and she told me she had a good discussion with him about how a leader is a person who is an example of positivity in speech and doing hard things even when that person doesn't want to.  She set some goals with him to stop whistling at the rug and keeping the negative thoughts to himself so he doesn't disrupt others wanting to work.     

He's the same outspoken self in primary.  While I was subbing I got first hand experience of this.   The song leader announced they would sing the song "When we are helping we are happy."  Spencer blurts out I'm not happy when I'm helping.   He also likes to inform his primary teachers each week about how boring primary is.   Interesting enough he is the same kid who at home during come follow me lessons retells in detail everything he learned in primary.   After church on the day he announced he is not happy when he helps he kept singing and whistling that song the rest of the day.   When I tucked him in he asked to sing it and said I've had this song in my head all day.   He then surprised me by saying I love helping you mama.   It makes me so happy.   I don't know why he seeks the negative attention in big groups he gets plenty of attention from us.   Prayers for extra patience for all his teachers in his life and prayers that the constant talks we give him about finding the positive instead of the boring or at least keeping it to yourself will sink in.  

    One day last week Bart and I were on our way out the door to work.  Spencer came down and planted himself on the couch and proceeded to scream and cry about how much he hates school and how he doesn't want to go.  Bart replied I don't want to drive up to a tow yard and work today either but we all have to do things we don't want to do.    That statement didn't help and Spencer just kept on crying and I was more than a little bit happy I was leaving and didn't have to deal with his emotions. He's better if left alone about them anyway.   Fast forward later that afternoon.  Emily and I were in the kitchen after work and school and Jane walked in from being dropped off by carpool.   She immediately noticed Emily was wearing her shoes and said "I knew you took them this morning even though you texted me that is was a don't wear shoes to school day".      She then said that after you left I went downstairs to Emily's room to find her shoes and after I gave up I came up the stairs crying.  Spencer was still on the couch whimpering about having to go to school and looked at her and stopped and said "Why are you crying?"   Jane said she replied because I can't find my shoes and I don't have any to wear.  Spencer forgetting his woes jumped off the couch and declared I can find you some shoes and promptly found her 2 different pairs of she and Emily's converse shoes.  Jane told him she really wanted to wear her white vans but she's mad because Emily took them to wear to school.  Spencer replied "You should hide them.  I can help you hide them I have a box."

Jane and Spencer playing the don't let the balloon drop game

Oh Spencer how can we not love you!