Spirit Stick

For Spirit week at Hurricane High the students do what they call the "Battle of the Sexes".  This includes finding the spirit stick some of the faculty has taken from the school and hidden somewhere in the Hurricane Valley.   Austin and his friends could not let the girls find it this year and used their superior texting abilities to communicate with each other in finding the clues given to help find the stick, and eventually finding the stick.  Austin said they found it in only an hour and had the stick repainted and hiding in his Dad's shop before the girls had even finished half of the clues.  The boys were so proud!  They locked it in the shop so that the girls had no chance of stealing it during the night before the boys could take it to school and claim their victory the next day.  It is fun to see Austin so involved and having so much fun. 

This is the very long spirit stick that they are labeling with 2012
and painting in boy colors. 

This is Austin, Andy Ashcroft, Cody and Mady, and
others.

Putting their own flair on the stick.  Cowboy up! 

Happy Valentines Day!!

I love to celebrate Valentines Day.  Not only is it a day for the ones who love romantically, but also to express love and appreciation to those that you love all the time.  We have created a tradition in our family of the "Big Kiss".  I started it years ago when the Utah Dental Convention was on Valentines Day and I was in Salt Lake City on the special day.  I would leave oversize Hershies Kisses on the kids' pillows before I left and they would come home to a big kiss from me.  They thought that was pretty cool and so the tradition started.  This year I was home, but had to work on Valentines Day at the dental office and the kids all had their usual activities so we didn't get together until later that night and I nearly forgot to give them their kisses.  As it happened, we had our prayers and everyone was in bed before I remembers and delivered them to the kids with a real kiss.  They were all happy that I didn't forget, and I am too! 

Cami and Dalyon are the only two in elementary school where they still exchange Valentines as a class and they each made a box to collect their Valentines in.  They were pretty creative. 

Cami wrapped a box in X's and O's and put her opening under its flap.
She filled it with candy and Valentines.

When you lift the hood on the car, you can put the Valentines inside.

Dalyon used all of his creativity to create a care complete with headlights,
a side spotlight, and turbo boosts in the back.  Funny guy.

I was glad that Doug remembered and got me some
very pretty flowers.  They are my favorite thing to get from
him.  I love our family!  Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Birthday Dalyon!

February 2, 2012

After Dalyons' Arrow of Light came a monumental birthday.  He turned 11 and entered New Scouts.  He is very excited to finally go on camp outs and work on Merit Badges like his older brothers.  For his birthday we let him have a couple of friends over to play video games and have ice cream and cake.  He invited his friend Joshua Hall and AJ Sampson.  They played Austin's Xbox  for an hour or so then came upstairs for ice cream and cake and presents. 

Posing for a picture is Cami, Dalyon, AJ, and Josh.

Dalyon got the game "The Cheese Touch" from the book "Diary of a
Wimpy Kid", which he really likes.

He also received clothes and a Nintendo 3-DS and a game.  Little did
I know that the DS is Internet capable, so I spent most of the night putting
on parental blocks to protect him from unsuspected and unwanted "things"
from the Internet. 

He is all aglow with eleven candles on his cupcakes.
Happy Birthday Dalyon!!!