Aggie Soccer Game

We had a fun night at Rio Tinto Stadium watching the USU vs UTAH Women's Soccer game on Thursday night. The Aggies pulled out the 2-1 win in overtime.
When we arrived back at the car we found this:
Upon closer inspection it looked like this:
Then we remembered that before we got out of the car Kim had...ummm...in an attempt to "be more comfortable" at the game, opted to remove a binding portion of her...umm...underclothing...and it had escaped out of the car and spent the evening lying on the ground in the parking lot!!! Ha, ha, ha....we all had a good laugh over the incident.
Luckily she was a good sport, and so was the "sports bra!!"

YAY SCHOOL IS STARTING!!!

The kids are psyched about going to junior high school as 7th graders this year. At school they will be targeted as "Sevies" but I'm sure they will be able to overcome that title--in a year or so, anyway.
Katie got her braces off last week and Zhi Wei is all set with his designer school clothes. Life is good for these kids. Hopefully they will do well in school this year and be successful in whatever they choose to pursue.















Braces on.
Braces off.

FORE!!!

We had the best day ever at Nibley Golf Course today. We decided to spend the day with Vicki and go golfing. Even Zhi Wei decided to come along. It was BIG FUN!!!

The best part was driving the golf cart. Katie is getting good at it and Zhi Wei definitely needs a little more practice.

Zhi showing off his form.

Katie showing off her form.


Checking out the fish and ducks in the pond on #9.


Two happy kids in the shade of the golf cart. This is definitely something we are going to do again!!

AT THE OLD SWIMMING HOLE

It was a GREAT DAY to go swimming today. After the kids spent a couple of nights with Grandma they came home ready to hook up with friends and play. They each grabbed a friend and went to their favorite swimming pool to cool off.




The boys couldn't help themselves with the water guns...it was a good time!

The Dog Days of Summer

(Do I detect a hint of a peach-fuzz shadow on that upper lip?)























Ahhh...all the softball/baseball games are completed and we no longer have games or practices every day of the week except Sunday...life has slipped back into the usual chaos. This summer will be a busy one with girls camps, scout camps, golf camps, football camps---do you get the impression we're camping all summer?!?!? If only there was a "mommy camp" to escape for a while.
Things are busy and the kids(and dogs) are healthy and happy...what more could a girl ask for?

Take Me Out to the Ballgames...

Here's our evening schedule for the next several weeks: Monday softball, Tuesday baseball, Wednesday softball, Thursday baseball, Friday softball practice, Saturday mornings baseball & softball practice. Sunday is truly our only "day of rest" but it has been so much fun to spend the evenings watching the kids play. It is amazing how their skills have progressed in such a short time. Katie (keep in mind that I am not predjudiced in the least) is one of the most consistent fielders and has the best throwing arm in the outfield. Our Rookie, Zhi has really enjoyed being on a team with "the guys" and is much more confident in the batters box. Last game he hit a sacrifice/fielders choice to 1st base and knocked in the go-ahead run. You should have heard the crowd go wild and cheer him on as they recognized his accomplishment. Good times...

SHE has A League of Her Own!!!

Katie with some of the girls on her team. So far the team remains "nameless" but we're working on it.


Katie demonstrating her awesome batting form and fighting off a foul ball. Look carefully in the bleachers and you'll see Mom, Zhi and special guest, in the yellow, Mr. Butcher--her 6th grade teacher who came because Katie invited him. What a great guy!!


Going for the long fly ball in center field. It was a GORGEOUS CATCH! Good job, Katie!!! (ok, really this was taken during warm-ups, but it was good nonetheless.)

Spring In Utah----ya gotta love it!!!

Yes folks, this is correct. It is April 15th. Officially SEVERAL WEEKS into the spring of 2009 and this was the weather when the kids got out of school today at 1:30 PM. They had to make a mad-dash to the car in an effort to avoid gettting soaked from the snow that was falling. Needless to say, Katie's softball game scheduled for tonight was "snow delayed" and they spent the afternoon watching a movie on the big screen and munching on popcorn. Honestly, will it EVER be spring???

PLAY BALL!!!

The Boys of Summer have hit the ball fields and this is the first year Zhi is playing baseball. He's excited to be a "Met" and is loving playing with his teammates and coaches.

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Z's first ever "at bat." He ended up getting hit by the pitch and was credited with his first ever RBI because the bases were loaded!!! Pretty good stats for a rookie...


His first experience as a "baserunner." He made it to second on a base hit by the next batter, then was forced out on a fielders choice on the next play. His team ended up winning 11-0 with the mercy rule after 5 innings. It's gonna be a fun summer!!!

Zhi becomes a TEENAGER!!!

It has finally happened...there is a FOR REAL TEENAGER living in our home!!!
Zhi Wei celebrated his birthday for as long as he could--stretching it out a couple of weeks-- and he is now 13 years old.
He had a big party with the family and a kite-flying party with some friends.


Katie made him a "poster birthday card" and taped it to his ceiling, filled with confetti. When he pulled it down...well, look what happened.







He had his heart set on getting a new bike for his birthday, and guess what??
HE GOT IT!!

We hope you had a WONDERFUL birthday, Zhi. We Love You!!!

Dual Gotcha Day Celebration

Today we celebrated dual gotcha day--or family birthday. Katie's gotcha day was 11 years ago on Feb 19th. Zhi Wei's was 5 years ago on Feb 20th. The kids chose the Golden China all you can eat buffet---surprise. We ate all we could eat. Katie and Zhi Wei tried the crab legs. I can't believe all that's happened in the last 11 years. We've come a long way as a family. It's taken a lot of hard work--I feel I'm aging in dog years! I had a "tender mercy" moment last Wednesday when I dropped them both off at the church for YW/YM activities. It's all been worth it just to see them grow, gain testimonies of the gospel, make friends, have dreams and goals, and to share their lives.




They're not just little kids anymore...pretty soon Zhi will be taller than me!!

St. George Trip

The kids in their "We're 12 Years Old" picture. For just about 2 months every year my kids are the same age. Katie turned 12 the end of January and Zhi Wei will be 13 the first part of March. We try to get one picture each year that is the designated "same age" photo...this is it for the 12's.



This past weekend we made the 2nd annual trip to St. George for the BYU Invitational Softball Tournament. It was a lot different weather-wise than it was last year. This year we were bundled up with jackets and blankets. Luckily, the rain stayed away during all the BYU games, but made an appearance several times during the weekend. We watched a 10-inning nailbiter between BYU and Tennessee's Lady Vols--who ended up 2nd in the nation last year. It was scoreless until the top of the 10th when there was a very questionable call at the plate allowing Tennessee to score the first run of the game--I still think she was out, but the umpire thought otherwise. The kids opted to visit our friends, the Millett's, so they spent the day with Katrina and Sarah watching TV and playing games. We loved the getaway and had a wonderful time seeing our friends and enjoying the fresh air, even if it was cloudy and rainy. It makes us all look forward to spring when we can get out of the house and ride our bikes and ripsticks and take the dogs to the park.

Boys vs. Girls

Everyone has different roles in life...some are meant to entertain, some to work and some just to play. The other day it occurred to me that the kids are in the same boat. Zhi Wei is a good worker. He got the opportunity to learn the "man job" of running the snow blower when we got a dousing of snow. Katie, on the other hand, is obsessed (in a good way) with golf. She loves it and is motivated to get better as she loves to hit a bucket of balls. She loves it so much she talked Vicki into taking her on New Year's Day to the heated driving range--most of you know that didn't take much persuasion!


Katie's target was the old BMW car that was sitting in the middle of the range.

HAPPY 12th BIRTHDAY, KATIE!!!

Here's just a few pictures of the dang cutest 12-year-old out there!!! We LOVE you, Kates, and hope you have the best day ever....

It's Good to be Out of School

We decided that Katie's 12th birthday celebrations were going to last for many days...today was the first activity. We took her friend, Katrina, and headed up to Park City to go outdoor ice skating. The weather in the SL valley was smoggy and cold, but the weather up the canyon was perfectly sunny and warm.
The skating rink was at the Resort Center up at Park City. In the background we watched the snowboarders on the half-pipe and going off the jumps. It was amazing to see.
After we skated we headed back down the canyon and went to the Porcupine Grill for a late lunch of salad and a gigantic plate of nachos.
Yeah, it was a great day to be out of school.




Brad Pitt, eat your heart out!

Future Olympians for sure....