Girls Camp

Girls camp was amazing this year. We had good leaders, great cooks and amazing girls! We chopped wood, shot guns, zip lined, archery, watched cows being branded, skits, bracelet making for women's shelter, swam in a very cold river and ate tons of good food.

4th year hikers

On our geo cache/ hike/nature walk...

Making bracelets for service

rounding up the calves to brand

Kelsie Turns 18

In June Kelsie turned 18, she is now considered an adult. That's a little scary to me knowing I only have one more left in High School. The last 18 years has flown by and as I look back to the time that she was born and the colicky baby that she was I am amazed at the young woman she is turning into. She is a hard worker and knows what she wants, she is loving and would do anything to help someone in need. She has good friends that love her and she is very loyal. Kels, Hope the next 18 years plus bring you happiness and lots of laughs!

My Little Gangster Girl...When being Gangster wasn't cool!

Kelsie is a little dare devil when it comes to four wheeling. She has no

fear and loves to go fast. When the rest are worried about the trail Kelsie

is ready to go, full speed ahead!

2nd Annual Extreme Sports

So I have been a really, really bad blogger lately and missed some pretty important milestones. The girls have been bugging me to blog and so tonight I was looking through pictures and decided it was time...so here it goes... I love it when the girls play together, last year they got the scooter, pogo stick, sidewalk chalk and the hula hoop out and had their own little extreme sports. SOOOO..they decided that it should be an annual event so out came the equipment and they were on their way...they even let me get involved.

Mothers Weekend at BYU-I

I had a great weekend visiting Kayla at BYU-I. We drove up to Yellowstone and went to the Playmill theatre to see Foot Loose. It was really a cute play and we had fun walking around, playing at the park and we even found some choke cherry syrup. We went to the mall and laughed really hard when she hated the clothes she was trying on. At one point even the man waiting for his wife was laughing so hard he had to walk away. Kayla has such a great sense of humor and can always make me laugh! We went to Red Robin and had a great lunch we ordered the same thing we always have...teriyaki chicken sandwich-YUM! We made quesadillas with her cool quesadilla maker and impress all her roommates with my mad skills. We stayed up way too late, ate way too much and had an amazing weekend. I look forward to going to going back next semester. Thanks for all the fun Kayla D! I love you tons!

Kayla and her roomate Jillian dancing in the park

Graduation..she finally made it!

CHS Class of 2009

I look back on my graduation and think about how hard I thought school was and how it would be so nice to be an adult....hmmmm....I think I would go back to my parents paying for rent and food and most everything. When my biggest cares consisted of what I would do on the weekend, if I would have a date and what college I would go to. I really didn't know what it was or would be like to care for another human being. I had no idea the worry that my parents felt as I started driving and watching me pull out of the driveway praying that I would be safe. I had no idea what they went through when I came home late or went out with a boy they didn't approve of. I remember living for me and only me, don't get me wrong, I was a pretty good kid that actually got along with my parents. But until you have a child of your own you just have no idea. Now number 2 is graduated and thinking she is ready to leave and be on her own. Oh the things she will learn, the eye opening experiences she will have. Now she will learn to appreciate her family, her parents, even her little annoying sister. She will have to make her own meals, buy her own groceries and make sure she makes it to all her classes. On the other hand how exciting to fly, to experience life, to test the waters and find out who she really is. Kelsie has always had a mind of her own...she isn't afraid trying new things, she is a hard worker and is very determined. Hopefully the things she has been taught will be remembered and she will soar! As a mother it is so hard to let go but so fun to watch as they turn into adults and achieve their goals.

GOOD LUCK KELS....I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE YOU!

Kayla, Kelsie & Kilee

First EVER Pedicure

Thursday I went with my good friend Julie to get my very first pedicure. I can't believe I'm almost 42 and have never had one. I probably should have never had one because...I really loved it! It was so relaxing, so nice to have some one rub my feet, so nice to have them painted by someone else, so nice to sit and visit with Julie. I think I might have to have a lot more pedicures in the future!

Kelsie's last dance...

Kelsie and her BFF's Laura and Lauren

Kelsie doing her solo for the last time

Me and my friend Julie Matthews

Kelsie's last performance as a Sweet Liberty dancer was the first of the month. I had very mixed feelings about it being over. I love to watch her dance but I hate sitting all day on bleachers! It has been a long 3 years with a lot of emotions, times she loved it and times she was ready to quit. I am so proud of her for sticking with it and refining her talent. Oh the stories she will have to tell her children. For the last 3 years she has been to school at 5:45 and even when she was very sick she rarely missed. She has won 2 National titles and 1 Grand National title. She has been a State Champion all three years and swept all Idaho competitions as well as Regional Competitions. Sweet Liberty is a winning team with a winning tradition and Kelsie has had an amazing opportunity to be a part of it. At the spring show they do a parents dance to show everyone that the talents the girls have do not always come from the parents. It was fun doing it but it was pretty much a joke, because we really CAN'T dance! But I am the mom of a Grand National Champion!

End of soccer...at least for this spring!

Kilee's brusied hand

One of my Russian players, Ben

We had a great soccer season this year, we added some new players to our team and everyone seemed to play great together. Kilee hurt her arm halfway through the season by getting smashed between two girls as she was heading for the goal. We had x-rays and an MRI but they both turn up negative. In the end it was just a really bad sprain, which after having 5 broken arms we were very happy with until it took forever to heal. One of the highlights for me was our little Russian players. Ben and Pete are adopted from Russia, Pete has been here 3 years and Ben just over 3 months when I met him. There was quite an language barrier when we started but by the end he was speaking much more english and understanding what I was telling him to do. They had wonderful skills but had never played on a soccer team. It was fun to watch them evolve into team players. In our last game we were so far ahead that we had to pull players off as we scored so I told the boys that the only one allowed to score was one of the girls, Kat. Ben worked so hard to get the ball to her to score when he really wanted just to shoot. With a few minutes left in the game I yelled at him to SHOOT, he turned around with a puzzled look on his face and said "you say no!" I told him "now I say yes!" he looked so confused turned around and shot the ball. Over all it was a really fun season!

Prom 09

Kelsie went to prom with her boyfriend Zach Parkinson. They had a great time and also looked great together. We borrowed the dress which saved us a lot of money and she still looked beautiful. For their day date they went to Zach's house and made lemon souffle pancakes with raspberry syrup. They had plans to go to the Cheesecake Factory with 15 other couples and called a few hours ahead but when they got there they said the wait would be about 2 hours! So they went to Panda Express for dinner then to the dance at Steuckle Sky Club at BSU. They had a great time, and in the end it was a very inexpensive date!

Kayla's gone AGAIN!

So you would think that it would get easier each time one of your children leaves for school. Especially after being gone for almost 3 years! BUT, I have found that it never gets easy! Kayla has been such a great daughter and as she grows into an adult we have become such good friends. It seems harder and harder to say good bye knowing that soon she will have a family of her own and probably won't call me everyday. I am so proud of her and the amazing person she is turning out to be because of the good choices she is making with her life. Kayla has always had an obedient spirit and is willing to serve others. This year she was called as a counselor in the Relief Society in her student ward. She is loving her calling and the young ladies that she is working with. I think it is wonderful for her to be involved and what a blessing for her to be in a leadership role. I know it will prepare her for not only future callings but also help her be a better wife and mother.

Wisdom Teeth

Friday Kelsie got her wisdom teeth out. Everything went great and on the way home she was saying all sorts of funny things. She asked me if they brought her to the car in a wheel chair and I told her they had then she asked if they thought she was quadriplegic. She asked if she watched Barney when she was little, I told her she did, she said AWESOME! She kept asking who put her sweatshirt on and I told her it was the nurse, her response 3 times "What's her name" I told her Melissa she says " she's nice I like her." When I pulled up to Albertsons to get her scripts I told her to stay in the car she got out as soon as I stopped. I had to run around and hold her up. While we were waiting for her drugs she told me they had cut her tongue out and that's why she had so much gauze in her mouth. I told her they didn't, she wouldn't believe me. Through all of this conversation her mouth was full of gauze and I couldn't understand her very well so she was repeating herself over and over. Finally I told her to quit talking...she DIDN'T.

All day she did very well, the pain was controllable and she was eating and sleeping. Then the trauma started! At 4 in the morning Kelsie woke me up asking for more meds. I got up to get them for her and something to eat with it. She walked to the bathroom and then walked into the kitchen. As I was putting Jello in a bowl she said I feel light headed then BAM she was face first on the floor. She hit the chair, that thankfully moved and missed the desk by an inch! I tried to turn her over which was so hard because it was dead weight finally she came to and started crying, we got her turned over and her mouth was full of blood. My blood pressure dropped and I sat down by her and yelled for Kilee who had been sleeping in the same room with us. She jumped up and ran in the kitchen and I was telling her to get me some gauze or paper towels while I felt like I was passing out. Kelsie said she felt like she was going to throw up, then Kilee said she felt like she was going to throw up. I told Kilee to run and get Kayla up then I passed out next to Kelsie. Kilee got to Kayla told her I needed her then proceeded to pass out on the bathroom floor. By the time Kayla came downstairs I had started throwing up, Kelsie was crying, and Kilee was green on the floor upstairs. Good thing Kayla was here we were all a mess. We got Kelsie back in her chair and I caught my breath I called my mom and dad and Ben and my Dad gave her a blessing. My mom is very calming in tramatic situations so was able to calm us all down. After it was all over Kelsie ate her Jello with a hole in her lip and a very sore chin and we all tried to get some rest. WHAT A NIGHT!! I am so thankful it wasn't worse than it was. I use to be able to handle trauma but I think with age and seeing my kids in pain is just too much!

Chubby Cheeks!

Hole in the lip...OUCH!!

Her favorite..Mashed Potatoes

Grand National Champions!!

My Little Elvis

So this has been an interesting year for Sweet Liberty. It's always a challenge for a new team to gel and work as a team but it's a bigger challenge when it's not just a new team but a new team with 2 new coaches. From learning dances late to changing dances right before competitions it has been a hard year. There were times Kelsie wanted to quit and times that I wanted her to quit, but she persevered and in the end she has grown and it has all been worth it.

Coming home with a National Grand Champion Trophy is the best way to end her high school dancing career. I will miss watching her dance, I will miss her tongue sticking out and her cute little winks and her beautiful smile. It has been a fun ride!

Laura Monroe, Lauren Matthews, Kelsie

Morgan Miller, Kelsie, Kirstie Parkinson

Kelsie kissing the National Grand Champion Trophy

Sweet Liberty #1

Spring Break 09

Las Vegas Strip: Mom, me, Kilee, Krystin, Beth, Dad, Krista

where's Kayla?

Kayla and Krystin Bateman Las Vegas

We had so much fun over spring break! Since we had to go to Anaheim for Dance Nationals we decided to take a road trip with Grandma and Grandpa in their motor home. We took 2 days to drive there including a stop in Las Vegas to spend some time with my niece. I believe that my dad is a very brave man, the only man in a motor home for a week with 6 females can be very scary. Kelsie had to stay home to practice more dancing so Kayla and Kilee were both able to take a friend. We loved Disneyland, we loved California Adventures, we loved the new Toy Story ride, we loved hanging around our friends, Molly, Adriano, Delia and Kaylee. We loved Soaring over California, and Splash Mountain, I hated Space Mountain but the girls loved it. We had beautiful weather between 70 and 80 degrees and loved the fireworks. We had such a great time we had a hard time coming back to reality.

Me and Kayla waiting for Toy Story

Krista, Kilee, Adriano and Kaylee

Catch up once again....Sweet Sweeps State

Well I guess you could say that all the hard work is paying off. These girls get up every morning to be at practice at 5:45, most school sports last 3 or 4 months dance goes from August to May with very few days off. During competition season they practice nights and sometimes on Saturdays. But when you see the results all the hard work and early mornings are worth it all!

SWEET LIBERTY SWEEPS STATE

Military 1st

Novelty 1st

Small Dance 1st

Large Dance 1st

Kick 1st

5A State Champions!

Kels with some of the trophies