Taken from the balcony
Category Archives: Will
wish.
Will’s school participated again this year in the Run For A Wish 5K benefitting the Make A Wish foundation. Will chose, all on his own, to run the 5K. Most kids I know only did the 1-mile fun run. After doing the Kids’ Rock Marathon in December, he gained a new confidence in his ability to run and be active. It’s really been great for his asthma and I’m really proud of him. He raised nearly $250. Some of that was raised from a bake sale he held. The poor kid sat outside until nearly 8pm because he was determined to raise $50. He did it though! He really did great. Billy ran alongside him for the 5K to keep him company and timed him. They finished in about 18 minutes and he said Will never stopped for a breather
or anything. That’s great! Their school won two trophies because they were the team with the most members and because they also raised the most money. What a great cause! The PE teacher organized it and set goals. He told the kids that if they met those goals he would run the race in a clown costume. He is a tall tall guy and it was sure funny watching that clown run (clown shoes and all) but he did it and they all did great!
Filed under dreaming of family, school, Will
january hike in redrock.
Yes, I’m still attempting to get this caught up at some point. It will happen. We set a goal to hike once a month this year and I came up with a whole schedule based on my knowledge of hiking in the area and input from the guys in my life who are pros at it. Frankly, I think my dad and Billy were pretty proud that this was my idea and that I was doing it. January’s hike was our usual one in Red Rock- Lost Creek. Wouldn’t you know it, of course it snowed just before our planned hike. Not to be deterred, my friends and I resolved to go anyway. I don’t think we had any idea just how much snow there would be. I certainly didn’t expect our hike itself to be so covered! Poor Erin had her little Oliver strapped on her back and I’m sure that made balancing even more difficult. I only brought Will and Pammie so it was just a matter of keeping Pammie happy since Will would happily live in the snow but Pammie pretty much despises it and thinks it’s only good for making snow angels. They are so funny with their opposite tastes sometimes. The scenery was beautiful and it was fun to start the year with a hike in the snow- something new for the kids. They have really been enjoying this monthly activity. It was supposed to be something for me to do with my friends but it hasn’t always worked out that way. I had to miss the last month’s but Billy took them himself. If you are new to hiking the Vegas area and particularly if you have kids, I always recommend the Lost Creek/Children’s Discovery Trail at Red Rock. It’s a perfect beginner’s trail and there is a nice waterfall at the end to await you if you are lucky. It will give you a good feel of your childrens’ hiking abilities. Just don’t go when it’s snowy. Or if you do, be prepared to have to cross a flowing stream (Will ended up pulling me in and my feet were soaked for hours) and climb up snowy hills that are normally steps. It was a great time. Thanks for coming Morgan and Erin!
see some pretty lights.
While we were in Utah we wanted to also visit Billy’s sister Nikki and her family. In the end, just Billy ended up taking Will and Pammie to see the lights at Temple Square with her and her kids. Kyle had thrown up his Thanksgiving dinner and appeared to have an ear infection. I just didn’t want the Ks out in the cold and out so late. They had a lot of fun though and I don’t think anyone froze too much. I thought Billy took some great pictures though, as ordered. It worked out nicely as well because Tanner was at a Jazz game so Billy was able to get him and bring him back with him. It didn’t seem right to be in Utah when the lights were on at Temple Square but not be seeing them. I’m glad I stayed home though. I took the boys on a walk through my dad’s neighborhood to see their lights so that we weren’t missing out too much. Okay, I attempted to. More like Keller got bored and cold halfway through their double ended cul-de-sac and wanted to go home but Kyle took off running and ran all the way around most of it before I finally caught him.
sweet moments.
I had been practicing the piano one day when I went to check on the kids. As I glanced outside I saw these two cuties in the backyard. I had to sneak up and take a picture with my phone so that it’d be quiet. Will has been reading this book 365 Bible Stories that is the Bible broken up into a chapter a day sort of thing so that it is in the form of short stories. He’s been very into it and loving reading a chapter book.
taking one for the team.
So my brother-in-law plays for the BYU football team. This Saturday they played UNLV here in town. We had long ago promised the kids we would take them to a game and we were finally able to this weekend. They had a blast!!!! My brother Bobby came down with my sister Jill. The team had some free time during the day on Saturday (but they were unable to leave their hotel) so the three of us went to hang out with them Matt for a little bit (they were at the Ritz at Lake Las Vegas). Then between that and the game we roamed Lake Las Vegas and got some dinner. Meanwhile, at home, Will and Pammie made signs for the game. Keller and Kyle stayed home with a sitter so we could actually enjoy it. Thanks so much Matt for the tickets! Pammie had a crush on Cosmo. Will liked seeing the halftime show (the field was full of cheerleaders from throughout the valley). He kept going on and on about how the game was “way much better than watching it on tv.” Will would hold up one of his signs everytime we scored or a flag was called. Cosmo used one to get the crowd to yell, accidentally ripped it, couldn’t fix it, then gave it back when Will yelled “Cosmo! My dad can fix it!”. It was all pretty entertaining. (sorry about the crooked pictures. I realized it a little too late and it was too big a pain to go back and fix)
Filed under dreaming of family, Pammie, Will
5k.
Our ward put on a wonderful 5k for an activity. Billy is on the Activities Committee now and was really into it, as you can imagine. They did a great job and everyone had a really good time. Will and Pammie rode their bikes while I pushed Keller and Kyle in the stroller. Billy measured it out beforehand and one lap around the park was the equivalent of 1 mile so 3 laps was a 5K. I ended up far behind everyone after staying back to help a friend with her kids. Billy ran ahead with Will and Pammie. At some point Will lapped me and said he was on his 2nd lap. When I got back to the meeting placce and saw him there I reminded him that if he was going to do the full 5K he needed to do another lap to make it 3. He told me he had done 3 laps but since I had only seen him lap me once I told him he’d only done 2 and that he needed to do 1 more if he wanted to do the 5K. Billy was still out running it so off Will went for one more lap. It wasn’t until he got back that I learned from the timekeeper that he really had already done 3 laps so in the end he was the one person to go 4 laps, 4 miles, around the park…even if he was on a bike. He was really proud of his trophy he won and it has sparked a new found interest in sports. Afterward we were all so hot (102 high at the end of September!) that we played in the splash pad area at the park. You should have seen the surprise and excitement on the kids’ faces when I got in the water fully dressed as well.
first day of school.
We had a super fun summer where no one said “I’m bored” once. But it all still had to come to an end. We were super excited for our brand new school close to our house. Will was really nervous and apprehensive about going to school for a full day now that he would be in first grade. Pammie was beyond thrilled and excited about going to Kindergarten, particularly because her best friends would be in her class. I could hardly even get Pammie to say goodbye to me when I dropped her off. In the end, Will loved first grade and said it was “way more better than kindergarten.”
what a week of family fun looks like.
Filed under Aspen Grove, dreaming of family, Keller, Kyle, Pammie, summer, trips, Will
is it bedtime yet? 
