National Dance Competition '15

It's time again for our National Dance Competition! Yay!! This is what we work so hard for year after year! And it was another incredible year for both Oakley and Laiklie! Other than the miserable weather.....:(

 Friday Oakley danced all her individual stuff.  This year she danced 3 long duets (One in Champ and two in Pro), 2 short duets, an acapella duet, freestyle, acappella and her 5 solos (plus the 3 group dances she danced Saturday).  She also danced most of her individual events off again Friday night at the "Dance Off."  Friday the sun was shining and the girls danced great.  They don't do any awards till Saturday night so Oakley danced and danced and danced and then went back to the hotel knowing that she had done all she could do and then she just had to wait.

 Laiklie on the other hand did all of her dancing on Saturday.  She danced 2 group dances, 5 solos and a short duet. It was SOOOO COLD! And hard to even take off her jacket, but once she got on stage she put on her smile and danced great! Her short duet was my favorite!

 Laiklie (skinny legs on top picture and Left of the teacher on bottom picture)

 After dancing we hit the extremely cold, extremely wet rides! Once we were all good and wet and cold we ran back to the hotel.  We left the 3 little kids there to swim with grandma and cousins and Ryan, Oakley and I ran back over for the awards ceremony.

America Onstage puts on a great show that night.  They have a Pro Dance Off so you see the very best of the best and then they announce awards for Friday's dance off.  I prayed and prayed and prayed that Oakley's name would be announced with the All-American Dancers again this year.  She has worked harder this year than ever before.  She has spent HOURS at the dance studio trying to get ready.  She deserved an All-American Award and I knew it! So......when they announced her name I CRIED! I was beyond excited for my girl!

Oakley and Brooklyn LOVE to dance.  Oakley told me the other day that Brooklyn makes her want to be a better dancer.  Those are the kind of people I was my daughter surrounded by.  The kind that make her want to be better! These girls teach at the dance studio together so during down time they work their guts out! They both got All-American awards this year on top of several firsts, seconds and even a high gold! Soooo proud!

Laiklie came home with 3 firsts and 3 seconds this year too! She is turning into an amazing dancer just like her big sis! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE watching my girls dance!

Laiklie's 2nd Grade Program

The Second Grade classes put on a program this year.  It was on the Friday I knew I would be at Lagoon with Oakley dancing, so lucky for me I was still subbing in the office as the secretary on Thursday while they were practicing so I snuck in to watch my girl and take a few quick pictures. 

 Oh I love this little 8 year old! She is so full of sunshine!

 She had a main part in one of the skits.  She had to ask all the different animals for ideas of what to give her mom for her birthday and in the end the bear tells her to give her mom a big bear hug!

 I was so excited Laiklie got to practice one time when I was there so I got to get the bear hug.  Grandma Hawkins had to sit in for the real bear hug while I was gone.  Thankful for amazing grandma's!!  Love this little girl!

Dance Recital Prep

 We went straight from a volleyball tournament in Provo, UT to a dance Recital at home in 4 hours.  That meant getting ready IN THE CAR! These two were hilarious in the back seat as they changed into costumes, did hair and make-up and helped each other out.  I loved listening to them work together to get ready to dance.  Love these two girls!

Club Ball 2015

Our Club Volleyball team finished strong this year! Oakley loves these girls and had a great school season with them and then a great club season with them this spring.  (Naya, Katie, Lauren, Oakley, Paige, Kayla, Megan, Kasey) They are so fun to watch! I am so proud of them for working hard at every tournament.  We won some and we lost some and we came out a better team because of both!

When you look at my girl next to these other girls you would never know Oakley is different...

 but when you look at her between games with this insulin pump hanging off her spandex it is a bold reminder that she lives a different life than these other girls.  A more complicated life with a never ending battle.  Oakley struggled with her diabetes through this club season more than at any other time when she has played volleyball. 

 Game after gam, tournament after tournament at the end of the season we fought low blood.  The first time it happened Oakley kept rubbing her eyes and head.  A mom sitting by me (a nurse) leaned over and asked me if Oakley was ok.  I had been watching her close too and told her I was worried as well.  We were just finishing a match and I figured she had high blood (that is what we usually fight during tournaments with long hours without her pump on) and so I ran down with her meter to check.  As I got down there her coach had asked Oakley if she was ok and was worried when Oakley said "she was fine, but just couldn't see." :) Hahaha! My funny girl! That only freaked her coach out a little! :) Her blood sugar surprised me and was LOW.....like 50's low! So she downed an apple juice and headed out to play again.  I went back up to watch and as the match started her coach subbed her out.  She immediately sat down and motioned for me to come back down. I grabbed two more juices and the meter again. 

If you look close I am in the stripes and Oakley next to me.  (My friend snapped a few pictures) She drank both juices and cried....which made me cry! I HATE diabetes! Within a few minutes she felt well enough to head back in.

Poor little worried coach!

 This same thing happened over and over again at the last 3 tournaments Oakley played in.  We just couldn't keep her blood sugar up! It was scary for her, her coach, the team and of course her mom!! One game was crazy enough we were downing juices one minute with low blood and then doing a shot in her thigh the next with high blood.  Diabetes is such a guessing game!

At the last game of the season she was able to play at we had to leave early to get home for the dance recital and she was dealing with low blood again right before we needed to leave.  Standing on the sidelines with her in tears because "she just wanted to play" and  a blood sugar in the 50's I told the coach to put her in.  It is one of those times when my heart won in the battle between my heart and mind.  I knew better.....but wasn't about to stop her from what she loves! She played the last 10 minutes she could before we had to leave, low blood and all and played her guts out.  She loves volleyball and is so good at it.  This was a tricky season....one I am glad to have over.  Fingers crossed we don't have to deal with this again next fall!

And here is a couple pictures of the little volleyball fans. Laiklie and Bridger were troopers to sit through a 2 day volleyball tournament! Glad they had each other to stay entertained! 

Rhett's Webelos Badge

Rhett earned his Webelos badge April 23rd at Pack Meeting! SO PROUD of him! The program is changing in a month and so he worked very hard to earn his badge before it changes.  Now we are trying like crazy to get his Arrow of Light finished before the change happens too. 

The "Little" Volleyball Players

This year Laiklie and her friends did the mini volleyball camp again.  It is once a week for two months.  They liked being together more than anything!

 Kayia, (Preslie too little to play, not too little to carpool though!), Kylie, Laiklie, Ava, Emily and Gentry 

 Laiklie in the middle next to the girl in yellow

Ava, Emily, Kylie, Kaiya and Laiklie

It is SO MUCH fun watching these girls grow-up together! Great friends make life great!

Dallin's Deer

I got this picture from my Uncle Blair one night letting me know Dallin's deer mount was finished. It turned out beautiful! I didn't get to see it before they took it to the taxidermy so I was just going off of pictures.  I had no idea it was such a nice buck!

 The next day I was subbing at the school and the kids beat me home and Dallin sent me THIS picture!

Ryan and Dale had ran up to the taxidermy while we were at school and picked up the deer and when they got it to the house they took down Dallin's picture and hung the deer up in its place.  Dallin was so surprised and I was annoyed! Of course the deer did not stay there! It doesn't matter how much I like his deer mount it won't replace him on the wall of pictures, much to his and his dads dismay.  Love my little hunters!

Elementary Happenings...

In April all 3 kids participated in the Science Fair at the elementary.  Laiklie did The Bendable Bone.

 She was able to get a chicken leg to bend with vinegar!

 Dallin's teacher required then to do an experiment....but she also REALLY wanted it to be on something that they were interested in.  So her and Dallin did some brainstorming and he decided to do an experiment with his pigs.  His experiment was to see which feed they ate best.  Of course it was table scraps. :)

Rhett did two experiments.  He did Geode Eggs and it worked kindaish.....so when his best friend Raegan asked him to do a project with her he jumped on it.  They did an experiment on the difference between diet and regular soda.  They got a second place ribbon for their age group! Yay!

Dallin and Rhett also got to compete in a Chess Tournament the principal at the school put on during lunch for a few weeks.  They both did great! It was single elimination so once you lost you were out.  Rhett eliminated several other players before getting beat himself and Dallin ended up in the 3rd place spot!! Losing out just before the championship game. They both loved it.  We love our new principal Mr. Page.  He has brought a lot of fun to our school. Dallin and Rhett are taking a Spanish class every Friday after school right now as well thanks to Mr. Page.  This has been a great school year!