Alex Drives - oops

Alex and the Tazers. A little bit of Alex on defense, then he drives for a fast break. I think he thought that he was fouled, but oh no, it was just turned over. Alex is so good at this and so quick, I think we were all surprised at the official's call. Better luck next time Alex.

Flag Football

Keaton decided that this year he would try flag football with his basketball friend Christian. Keat was a natural, he could run, punt, throw, catch, and scored often this season. I think Keaton would say that this is his new favorite sport - not ready for tackle yet - he says. I was looking forward to an outdoor sport for me to put my legs out for a little sunning. Not so fast. In Salt Lake, it was winter nearly every other game, and never got above 50 degrees. So I bundled in the winter blankets and coats and joined the sideline parents. Keaton said that he and Christian have a "signature" play wherein they always score. And, no doubt, they have not only done well on the basketball court together as "stockton & malone", but they are now making good plays on the grid iron, maybe they should be called "steve young & the refridgerator"!

A Girl And Her Jumprope

Sadie has gone to over 100 basketball games this season with the boys. Believe me, she knows basketball. She has been a great sport and has been determined to master the skill of the Jump rope. She was given a new jump rope, and you can often see her at time-outs & half-time jumping her heart out at center court! Once, one of the referees asked to try out her jump rope, and he couldn't do it nearly as good as Sadie could. She will run the parameter of the court now, even being able to negotiate the turns with the rope, and make it back to the seats before the time-out is over. What a babe!

Blake takes me out.

A couple of weeks ago Blake was traveling through to California for work, and on the way back to Tennessee he stopped into Utah to see the folks. I don't know what they did up there, but I think he got to see most everyone that was there. On his final day, he came down early to take me to lunch. He told me he was coming the day before and asked to get some of the Glaus bakery rum cakes - a well worn Green Family tradition - plus they are really really good. He doesn't know this, but because I know he likes these so much, I would've gotten them for him regardless if he would've asked. He doesn't get these very often and so it is a traditional treat. He drove up in a nice rental car and we stopped into my neighbors house to get some new candle fragrances for Cindy. He is always thinking about her and how to keep her happy. I love that! So, after our noses were done sniffing the scents, we chose some, got a good referral for a mexician joint for lunch, and we were off. Blake bought lunch for us, it was very nice - lot's of food - but the company and conversation was invaluable. I don't remember just sitting and talking with Blake alone for a long time. Sure, he always remembers birthdays, holidays, and phone calls on mother's day, but it was a special treat to be there together. He didn't eat all of his lunch and so we packed it up and I took it home - it wouldn't fly well. We talked some more over rum cakes - several rum cakes later, the kids came home from school and Blake was off for the airport. The next day, I ate the leftovers- and the rum cakes he left - and remembered the priceless hours that I got to spend with my "little" brother.

Remodel Begins!

Okay, so phase one of the remodel is to tear out the bay window in the kitchen and replace it with the sliding door. This was harder than it looked. Seriously, hard for me included listening to Glen and our friend Lee for 4 hours as they painstakingly took good care to not damage more than necessary while they removed the large picture window and siding. Whew! Thank heavens that it was a beautiful day and the sun was warm. They spent the remainder of the day negotiating the sliding glass door, and putting it in place. After 2, maybe even 3 trips to Home Depot - who's counting - they put it in, re-sheet-rocked and mudded the inside of the kitchen and as far as I can tell, from the inside at least, we are good to go. We need to be careful now because if we walk out the sliding door we will have a good 5 1/2 foot drop to the grass. Never fear, we solved that problem for now. We just placed the trampoline there and presto, we have a quick fire exit. The kids, and dogs, had a blast jumping out of the window onto the tramp, I tried it and nearly had a panic attack - maybe that's just old age. The deck - well, we hope to start that next week. Alex made a lego model of what the house and deck will look like. I really think he'll be a talented archechet (did I spell that right)? I'll keep you posted. Enjoy the photos.

Toothfairy to visit.

Finally, the day that we all have been waiting for. Sadie has officially lost her first tooth. She has been worried about it daily for a few weeks now and during her daily bowl of ice cream after a long day at school, it came out. She was so excited she almost cried . . . maybe she did cry. She is my sweety. I am not so happy about it though, it means that my baby is growing up even more! How much do teeth go for these days? Keaton says $5, Alex says $2, Glen just grumbled ;)

It's about time.

Glen and I were finally able to find some time to get away for a weekend to visit Grandma and Grandpa Anderson in Chandler, Arizona. We had a great time with them in the sun. It was wonderful to be together after a long basketball winter season. We golfed, sunned, shopped, hot tubbed, relaxed, and enjoyed ourselves very much. For our first golfing of the season we were not to good, but we "kept up" with the pros in the other golf cart! We went to the Swap Meet and into Old Town Scotsdale for some culture. We even had a chance at seeing a flying saucer, but, oh well, Grandpa was the only one that got to see that. It was hot and sunny every day. We rented a mini cooper convertable car to spin around in. Having your hair down in a convertable in the hot Arizona sun was unforgetable. We were fortunate to have Grandma Ruth stay with the kids and orchestrate their comings and goings during the weekend. She looked exhausted, but she did a fine job. I am glad the kids got to have her 100% during that time. They will always remember that. I was glad to be there, but also glad to get home to see the kids and smell their smells. . . I never get tired of that.

Brace Face

If we weren't in the poor house before, we are now! Alex is on the down hill side of having braces. And Keaton just got his braces on today. He was actually very excited about getting them. I think that being checked out of school was an incentive. After his appointment we went to get our favorite strawberries and creme at the local bookstore before returning to school. Alex is a great example of how to eat chewy, sticky gums and candy and get away with no cavities . . . yet! Keaton, so far, has not been so lucky, but he seems excited to keep his braces nice. They are so good looking, I can't believe that they are growing and changing so much these days. What great kids and great smiles . . . in the making!

Tazers take STATE!

It has been long in coming, but Alex's 7th grade Tazer team has won the state Championship! Last week was the tournament, they played tough and consistently. Their final game was against a team called Pump N Run. This is a well known team that is mean and tough. Our team came out with a 9 point lead in about 2 minutes, and they never looked back. They did an awesome job and as ateam and as individual players. Alex hit his shots and a couple of 3 pointers. The fans and families were out of this world. I think lost my voice from screaming and whistling. The Tazers should be very proud of themselves and the coaches. They really came from a humble beginning and now are a team to "be reckoned with". I am very proud of Glen for sticking with this team and seeing them through to a great season and ultimately a championship. He has made some great relationships with the boys and families. And to my knowledge, he has only gotten kicked out of the game once in two years! Pretty good Glen. Alex has improved and gained some self confidence in his game. He is a fun player to watch, and I sit on the edge of my seat each game! WAY TO GO TAZERS!

Cheer & Tumbling

Sadie has taken cheer & tumbling lessons for about a year now. She goes only once a week. She is doing so well and loves to go to this fun class. The coaches are so positive and helps them to know that they are doing great and working hard to be just like the big cheerleaders. Not just the high school version, but the really big competitive ones. She has stars in her eyes when she watches the "big" girls practice their tumbling passes. They really are amazing! She is not competing just yet, and may try another year at just the beginner non-competition level since she is still just 7. I took these pictures this week at class. She knows some "real" cheers, her cartwheel, round off, front walkover, and standing back handspring. These pictures don't show all she can do, but she is very proud of herself, and she deserves to be proud, she has come a long way. Way to go Sadie!!