Utah Jazz

Every year during the summer a Jazz player comes down to our school and the kids get to go meet him and play a game of lighting against him and he does some other things with them while he is here.  The kids all get a shirt for going too.

This year we had Demarcus Williams.

The kids really do have a good time with him.  They got to ask him questions.

The kids all did a group picture with him this year.

He signed Mason and Tyler's shirts for them this year.

Tyler and Mason with Damarcus Williams, I think that was his name.  That is a mom for you, I can't even remember if that was his name or not.  The boys had fun even though they didn't really want to go.

Helping in the Garden

We decided since having a garden last year was so much fun we should do it again.  We didn't get it planted very early, but we will still have enough time to get plenty from it.  Most of the kids are really good to help plant the garden but when it come to weeding it that is whole other story.  I called the kids out to help me do some weeding today and they weren't very happy even when I told them we weren't doing the whole thing just a couple of rows today and then a couple another day.  After lots of grumbling and some working we finally got the weeds out and can finally see that we actually have plants growing in our garden.

This is actually a fun way to spend sometime with your kids after they decide to stop arguing about it and just get it done.  They end up telling me funny stories and just talking to me about all kinds of things.  It really was a good day with my kids. 

Drake was out with us but wondered off when I decided to take a picture and send it to Grandpa Teichert so he could see how our garden was doing.

Father's Day!

This year we spent Father's Day weekend with my Dad.  My kids love going to see Grandpa Teichert.  He loves to tease them, especially the boys about a little girl their class.  My boys take it really well and just laugh and him and think he is funny.  My Dad really tries hard to get Mason to say more than a few words to him and he is actually getting him to talk more and more to him.

After church we went out and spent some time with my dad.  He talked with all of us that were there about a lot of different things.  I think he really had something he wanted to say to us but couldn't find the right words.  At this point in our lives it is hard to find those words.  We are trying to have faith that all will be okay with my dad and that we are going to have him with us for years to come.  There is just no way that he won't get better and beat this stinking cancer! 

We have tried to spend more time with my dad over the last few months.  Sometimes it is hard with my kids playing ball all the time.  I have told Jay sports will always be here and maybe we should do this next year and not this year.  Well the kids have done their sports and we have just tried to adjust around that so we can still make time to get up to see my dad.

After visiting with us I decided to take a picture of each of my kids and me with my Dad!

Tyler had been crying during this visit so he looks a little sad but I still wanted to have one of him with Grandpa Teichert.

Elly loves Grandpa Teichert!  She is always wanting to tell him stories and wants him to watch her do anything she can think of.

Drake is finally starting to know Grandpa.  He loves to go there and see all of them at the house.  He has started talking a lot which has been fun to see when he does it with my Dad.  Drake love Grandpa!

My Dad has always been the one I can talk to about anything.  I can cry and it's okay.  He has always seemed to understand me and has always known what to say to help me.  He can always make me laugh.  He has always given the best hugs that let you know how much he loves you.  He is the best Dad!  He has always been the best example. I want to be like my dad!

Mason was named after Grandpa Teichert.  Mason actually thought his name was Mason David Teichert up until a few months ago when I had to break the sad news to him that that wasn't his last name.  I have wished many times one of my kids could have my last name.  Mason has loves teasing my dad.  He tries not to smile when Grandpa talks to him and he can keep a pretty straight face but he normally gives in and smile especially if he or Tyler are being harassed about some girl.  My Dad has always tried to get Mason to talk and has finally succeeded in getting him to say more than a few words. 

This picture is a little better of Tyler but my Dad isn't looking so I don't like it as much.

Grandpa is always excited to hear how the kids did in their sports and asks them about how they are doing each time we come, sometimes he even calls and talks to them after.

Swimming Lessons



We look forward to the first two weeks of June every year because my sister and her kids come and spend that time with us.  My sister brings her kids down so they can have swimming lessons and I put mine also so they can go together.  The kids love it! They have so much fun together over these few days.  This year I only had two kids in lessons and my sister had three.  

 This year we had Hudson, Mason, Gracie, Elly and Ainslie in swimming lessons and Tyler and Drake would just go outside and swim or watch the kids lessons while they waited for them to finish.

Elly and Ainslie got to be in the same class.  They really liked that and had a lot of fun.  The day I brought my camera happened to be the same day Ainslie woke up with a spider bite on her eye. 

Elly loved getting her own goggles!

Mason got to have Gracie in his class.  These two were little fish!  They had a lot of fun together.  If the teacher wasn't working with them they were playing together on the side waiting for their turn.

I love how funny kids look in goggles!

Drake was so good to sit through an hour of swimming lessons for two weeks.  He loved watching the kids.  Sometimes Tyler would take him outside to swim in the outdoor pool while we waited.

This kid has decided he doesn't like me to take his picture and so he thinks if he is weird I won't take it and use it, but I will.  Even when he is being weird he is still cute!

Hudson had to be in his own swimming class.  He did really good and had fun on his own.  He is so cute and sure has some big muscles!

Elly and Ainslie getting ready to do some swimming for their teacher.

Mason and Gracie learning how to float with their teachers.

These two played and played together during their lessons.  They really do have a lot of fun together.

Mason doing a three-sixty off the diving board.  This kid has lots of cool tricks he can do off of here.  He has no fear with anything in life so far.  I wonder what it will be that will make him stop and think before just going and doing?

Elly loves the diving board.  She has actually been jumping off it since she was two.  She loved it the first time when I was thinking let her jump and then she won't want to do it again, that didn't work.  She loved it and thinks she needs to do tricks now too!

NBA Finals!!

My little Mason is a very big fan of all sports so there was no surprise about his excitement when it came down to the NBA Finals.  He always had to wear his black Miami Heat jersey.  He wouldn't wear his white one because the Heat lost a game when he wore it so he thought it was bad luck.  

Mason was almost more fun to watch than the game because he would jump up and down on our bed every time the Heat did something good.  He  was a very excited little boy when they got the win!

Mason's favorite player for the Heat is Wade! 

Beaver Bash

Tyler's team went to play in a tournament in Beaver the next weekend.  The first day was just pool play to put them into the brackets for the next day.  Since they had lost a game the first day they ended up having to play at eight the next morning.  They lost the first game which put them in the loser side of the bracket and since it was a double elimination bracket they were still in but had to win to stay in it.  These boys played so hard the rest of the day.  They played one game after another.  They would get the win every time in the last inning of the game.  They didn't get a break for lunch either.  One of the moms ran and grabbed them some burgers to eat when they were in the dug out and they would run to the bathroom between games. 

It was a very long day, but the kids had fun.

Tyler had some really good plays on first base and it was really fun to watch these boys.

Their was a play ground out in the out field so the little kids were fine staying at the ball field all day too.

These boys ended up making it all the way back to the championship game!  By this time the boys had been playing since eight in the morning and this last game was about six  that night.  If they won it they would have to play the same team again since that team hadn't lost yet.  Mason got to be a sub for Tyler's team this week since they ended up having a boy on the team leave during these games. 

Drake had a great time!  As long as he had a ball and his bat he was happy! He had all the snakes a kid could want too.  Plus he had his cousins there to play with.

Drake and Titus

Since Camille was staying down at my house for swimming lessons they came down with us to Beaver to watch the boys.  Camille stayed the night at Brittny and Eric's house in Minersville, which is right close to Beaver.  Brittny and her kids came and watched the boys games both days also.  The kids all had a lot of fun together playing and watching some baseball.

Tyler's team ended up losing the Championship game, which we all decided was okay because they were so tired from playing all day long without a break and they had played so hard all day.  They did a really good job and all had a lot of fun!

Tyler's team from left to right: Ryker Jensen, Kavery Kilpack, Mason, coach Cody Jensen, Jordan, Byron Christiansen, Jaxs Jewks, Jace Mangum, Tyler, Oakley Alton, and Jess Christiansen

Genevieve!

It is a very good thing my sister has a little baby because my kids have just loved her.  Elly and Drake can never get enough of her.  They have to always be holding her or be right there in her face.

Thank goodness Genevieve was pretty good with it most of the time.  She did get sick of it though.  The kids never seemed to mind when she was crying because they wouldn't back off. 

Drake loved holding her too.

Tyler's Baseball team in Kanab

This year Tyler is playing on a traveling team.  Their first tournament was down at Kanab.  We had to get up and leave early Friday morning.  They played a couple of games Friday and then a couple on Saturday.  It was really hot but the kids had a lot of fun playing ball.  The kids on his team are really nice and Tyler gets along with them really well.  Tyler likes the coaches too.

Mason had fun watching Tyler play baseball because some of his friends were there watching their brothers play too.  This is Mason with his friend Monty.  These two have become friends because of wrestling.  They have fun together.

After a long day playing out in the sun and watching baseball all day Drake was very tired by the time we got to our room that night.  Drake had so much fun throwing rocks and balls all day.

The boys played a few more games on Saturday and did really well.  The boys ended up taking second place down here.  They had fun and did very well for their first tournament of the year.

They got shirts for taking second place.

This is Tyler's team and coaches.

By the baseball fields they had a park that had this fun little water place for the kids to play.  We let the kids play here for a little while after Tyler was done with his baseball games before we had to get on the road and head home.

They had friends that stayed a played for a little while too.  They had so much fun.  Elly and her friend, Gentry, had so much fun chasing and running from their brothers.  They were trying to throw water on each other and just had so much fun.

It really was a fun weekend to just go hang out and watch Tyler and his team play baseball.  Watching baseball is pretty much we are going to be doing this summer because both of the boys are on different traveling teams.  It a good thing we like baseball!