Family Vacation to Utah

Ten years ago we embarked on a journey in our newly aquired used van, with 5 kids and number 6 in the hopper. We went to Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, up to the Grand Canyon, and up to Utah.

This picture is courtesy of Mark Skidmore taken in Phoenix. We visited the Banbury clan and Trey gave the kids a Vhs tape of Home Alone 2 which they watched about 20 times on the way back to Michigan and is burned into my audio memory for life.

Now we are leaving again, in the same van for Utah to visit friends and family, go to Gen. Conf. and pick up Taylor from BYU-Idaho. I think I may give the van a blessing before we go.

Kiri in The Wiz

Kiri's performance in "The Wiz"

Ypsilanti High School's presentation of "The Wiz" was really good. Kiri was awesome as Addaperle, the good witch of the north. The guy who played the scarecrow was equally good, as well as the Wiz, who was over the top with a pentecostal preacher routine that had us on the floor. Here's a couple pics and a link to Kiri's performance complete with Shana and Chloe's chuckles.

Catch up time

Taylor had a respectible state diving meet finishing 23rd. It was a nice trip to Holland, MI, thanks to our good friends Thayne and Jen Hansen who lent us his Ford company lease car a nifty new Fusion for the day. Kiri landed a role in the Ypsi High's spring musical "The Wiz". She is one of the "good" witches. Its a good part with a solo and show stealing opportunities!! Boone made the JV baseball team and has his first games on Saturday. Shana starts holding softball tryouts next week.
I just got back from a quick 2 day trip to Dayton to help roof my Grandma's duplex with my brother Adam and Uncle Rick. It is always fun to work with family. It was a pretty big job and we crushed it!!!

Off to the State Diving Meet

Taylor qualified for the Div. 2 state diving meet on Tuesday. He had to finish in the top 12 to make it. There were 27 divers and the competition was tough!! After his first 2 dives, Taylor was in 25th place. They were cutting down to 20 divers after 5 dives, and Shana and I were thinking it was going to be an early exit. He was hitting his dives decent, but getting no love from the judges. He hit his 4th and 5th dives real well, and moved up the 18th narrowly making the cut. The next cut was after the 8th dive, and the divers who had stacked their dive list in the first 5 dives started to falter, and Taylor stayed real consistent. He moved up to 13th, and with 3 dives left was 1 pt out of qualifying. Taylor hit dive 9 and 10 well, and a couple kids failed dives which put them behind, and Taylor just needed to put his last dive, a front 2 1/2 in the water without failing it to make it. Shana and I held our breath as he went for it and did get it in and finished 10th. WHEW!!!!!!!! Soooo we are heading to Holland for the State meet in the morning, which is on the western end of the state on Lake Michigan, a 4 hour drive. If Taylor was in Div 1 the state meet for them is at EMU, a 5 min. walk!!! Oh well, wish him luck!!

Youth on Broadway

Our stake put on a "Youth on Broadway" where all the wards youth chose a broadway number, and then performed it. Ypsilanti ward chose "We Go Together" from Grease. Here's the video. Also Kiri performed Matchmaker from Fiddler on the Roof with Liz Herring and Karen Dunstan. As soon as I get a copy of it I will post it, it was really good.

Latest from the Team Sly

Taylor and Boone completed the Conference championship last week in swimming and diving. Taylor finished 2nd in diving with a solid performance. He has one more meet this weekend, and then the regional dive meet next Tuesday. He'll need to finish in the top 12 to advance to the State meet. Taylor also made the finals in the 100 fly and finished 8th. Boone swam the 50 free, and the 100 fly and finished 16th in both. Not bad for a freshman. They swam together in the 200 free relay which finished 3rd. Taylor swam a 24.5 and Boone a 26.3, both PR's. Taylor also swam in the 400 free relay and posted a 55.9 also a PR. Boone is pretty fired up about baseball starting up, and has a shot at making varsity.

Kiri has auditioned for the high school spring musical which will be The Wiz. She got a call back, and looks like she'll get a main part, so she is pretty stoked. Soccer conditioning is on going.

Kyla is playing well for Coach Shana and the West Middle School Mustangs!! Shana is having fun with it. She has a BIG girl on the 7th grade team named Shawntia. She was ineligible for the first couple weeks. She came back and played her first game last week. Shana put her in the game and she got a defensive rebound. Instead of passing it to the point guard, Shawntia started dribbling down the court like a runaway freight train. While nobody in there right mind was going to try to stop her or get in front of her, Shawntia pulled up behind the 3 pt. line and just launched one. Son of a gun went in. Shana yelled to her to get the ball to the point guard, however on the next rebound off she went again, dribble, launch, swish. Another 3 and then Shawntia looked at the opposing coach and gave him a nod. Classic!!!! Later on the bench, Shawntia asked Coach Kerry "Hey coach, can we dunk?" Shana and Kerry just lost it almost falling off the bench, "Sure Shawntia go ahead, you dunk next time you're out there".