Sounds of the Season 2015

Saturday, December 5, 2015

M&M was able to participate in the Sounds of the Season concert again this year with me. It is fun being able to share this experience with her as well as with my parents!

BYU football game

Saturday, November 21, 2015

We have never taken our kids to a BYU football game so when I heard a deal on the radio for some discounted tickets for their last home football game, I talked DH into us going with Luke and M&M. It was a fun experience - although it got a little cold towards the end of the game! They also won which made it nice - although it would have been more exciting if the game had been a little closer! We also enjoyed watching the marching band!

Mt. Timpanogos Competition

Saturday, October 24, 2015

This was M&M's last local competition before the St. George trip and state competition. DH and I were both able to help at this one. This was DH's first and last time chaperoning for M&M's marching band - he usually stayed home to watch the younger kids while I chaperoned. Now that the kids are getting older though, we are able to leave them to watch each other which is nice!

This is one of the competitions that I have always chaperoned for. It is nice because it is fairly close and doesn't take up the whole day! Luke's band didn't compete at this competition because another band was doing the same show and they apparently had picked the show first so that excluded Luke's band from competing.

The lighting was horrible for trying to take pictures on the sidelines with my little point and shoot camera, so none of them turned out. This is one competition where they take a group picture afterwards. So here is my best attempt at the group shot:

M&M is on the back row - far right person

M&M as the band president got to stand in front of the band and call them to attention during the awards ceremony - since the drum majors were all on the field for the awards. If I remember correctly, M&M's band did not place at all at this competition. They ended up in 4th by just a fraction of a point...

Davis Cup Invitational

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

I went up to Kaysville to help with Luke's band for the Davis Cup Invitational. I met the band up there so that I could stay and watch M&M's performance later in the evening. Blondie went on a field trip for her orchestra class to shadow the marching band during the competition. They rode up on school buses and followed the band around and were able to go up into the stands to watch them perform. Afterwards they stayed and watched some of the other groups before they left. I was able to get permission to have Blondie stay with me instead of returning with the rest of the students. Unfortunately Blondie's nose started bleeding for some reason while we were in the stands and it just kept bleeding and bleeding... At one point I had to go back to our car to get a tissue box for her! Poor girl!

Luke's band got 2nd place and took the visual caption. M&M's band got 2nd place again too - which they were really excited about! They also took the percussion caption.

The props for Luke's band that we had to wheel around to the field and off again. They were very big and took several people to push/pull them. They looked really cool on the field.

Wasatch Front Invitational

Saturday, October 3, 2015

This competition was held at Luke's high school. Both Luke's and M&M's bands were competing. I volunteered to help with Luke's band and DH brought the younger kids over to watch both of their bands. My parents came as well. After I was done helping Luke's band I was able to go up into the stands to watch M&M's band. Apparently we didn't take any pictures of Luke's band at this competition. DH was video taping it and I was on the sidelines helping out the band. Luke's band was one of the few groups that it actually rained on! It was cloudy before they performed and then it rained during the first part of their show and then afterwards the sun came out and it was nice weather after that!

M&M's band got 2nd place (out of 2 bands). It was nice for them to actually place but it will be nicer to see if they are still able to place when there are more bands!

M&M had to carry on one of the side props this year.

M&M is just to the left of the person with the baritone that you can see.

M&M with her baritone - front and center!

The skies looked awesome after the storm that went thru during Luke's band.

M&M is the front person in the line just to the left of the 50 yd line.

M&M is the left-most person in this block.

Utah Natural History Museum

Monday, October 5, 2015

When MJ and I went to the Natural History Museum of Utah for her field trip we were given some free passes to come back again. So we decided to go with the other girls while they were off-track. We were able to spend a little more time on some of the exhibits and it wasn't as crowded as when we went for the field trip which was nice.

Dressing up as pigeons

This was an exhibit that simulated different earthquakes across the world. You had to try and build a structure that could withstand the different earthquakes.

Digging for dinosaur bones.

This was a puzzle that we pieced together.

Bean Museum

Friday, October 2, 2015

The Monte L Bean Life Sciences Museum at BYU has been closed for the last year or so for some remodeling. We decided to go and check out the changes. I think a lot of it is still under construction because we couldn't find some of the exhibits that were supposed to be there and it had a couple of sections that were blocked off. It was POURING rain when we got to the museum! Afterwards we went and ate lunch with DH at his work - the girls love doing that. Blondie came with us because she was also off of school - I think Luke came too but I don't have any pictures of him.

Nebo Competition

Saturday, September 26, 2015

I went with Luke's band to Payson for the Nebo marching band competition. (M&M's band did not compete at this one - they had an all day clean-up rehearsal instead.) Luke's band is competing at the 2A level this year (M&M's band is 4A). I thought they did really good for their first competition. I helped assemble some of their props and then with getting the band on and off the field. We then fed them before we left to return to the school. They didn't stay for awards because there was a school dance later that evening - which is unfortunate because they came is 1st place!! I think it was out of 7 bands! They were super excited! Apparently the band director dropped her phone when she was texted the results! The show is called Scheherazade and tells the story of a prince who selects a wife but she is in love with a commoner. At one point the prince and the commoner fight and the commoner is killed. I'll have to post a video of the show. Here are some pictures that I took from the sidelines:

Luke is just one of two clarinets in the marching band. If you zoom in on some of these pictures you can probably pick him out - he is the clarinet with glasses on and he is a little bit shorter than the section leader.

I loved these gold flags!

Field Trip - MJ

Thursday, September 24, 2015

MJ's class went on a field trip to the Natural History Museum of Utah up at the University of Utah campus. I was able to go as a chaperone. I was put in charge of MJ and two boys from her class. The kids had to answer some questions about a few of the exhibits and we also ate lunch there. It was a nice place - I had never been there before.

Weber Review

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Since we have two different kids in different marching bands, I will be splitting my time volunteering between the two. The Weber Review is held each year on a Tuesday just before the competition season begins. It is the first performance before judges and then they give feedback on ways to improve the show. There are no place awards or scores given out.

I haven't volunteered at this one before because Tuesdays are hard when you have young kids and your husband is working. This year though I was able to go because the younger kids are getting older and able to watch each other. Luke's band was performing during the daytime so I went with M&M's band that was performing in the evening. M&M's show is entitled Dead Men Tell No Tales and is a pirate theme.

M&M is in the line on the left (to the right of the flags) - second person back.

Ovarian Cancer Run

Saturday, September 12, 2015

September is Ovarian Cancer awareness month. Every year there is a 5K fundraiser that is held in Salt Lake during the month. I heard about it the first year after I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer but it has always ended up being on a Saturday that I have had something else going on and I haven't been able to attend. This year I was able to go and I took Kitty, Kay and MJ along with me - DH and the older kids all had something else going on.

The race takes place at Sugar House Park and you basically just walk/run around the loop of the park. It isn't really a 5K unless you do the whole thing twice - which most people don't do. It was pretty chilly when we first got there and the girls all stood around freezing, waiting for the sun to come out. We got these nice free shirts (although you have to pay to register for the run). And unfortunately the smallest size they had was an adult XS - which drowned the girls!

There were quite a few people there and I even ran into my doctor and the psychologist/social worker from the office. They were both there with their kids.

When it was finally time to start the run we went up to the starting line and they sounded the gun to start and MJ and Kay took off running! Kitty and I were trying to call out to them to slow down and we were trying to catch up to them! It was pretty funny. I guess when they heard the starting gun they just wanted to go and race! I was a little concerned of losing track of them with all of the people that were there. At one point MJ finally slowed down and turned around to look for me. I still couldn't get Kay's attention though and at one point we were at the top of a hill and she had already gone around the corner and was at the bottom of the hill when I was finally able to get her attention and then she climbed up the hill to us. And then what I suspected would happen did happen - they both ran out of steam and were moaning and complaining the whole last 1/3 or so of the race. At one point I had to carry MJ for a little bit until I was able to talk her into walking again... The girls did really good on the whole and they were very excited to finally see the finish line! They also had some treats at the end provided by Trader Joe's - bananas, oranges, granola bars and water bottles.

Before the race

If you look closely you can see MJ at the back of that pack in front of me - running her little heart out! Kay at this point is ahead of her somewhere.

MJ finally stopped and waiting for us. If I remember correctly she is eating a lollipop that she got before the race.

We finally got Kay's attention and she is running up the hill to join us.

At the end of the race - it was a little too bright and sunny for these girls!

National Wear Teal Day

September 4, 2015

September 4th is National Wear Teal Day - for ovarian cancer. I took a picture of me and MJ wearing some teal.