Swimming badge

For scouts tonight the boys were working on their swimming badge. They spent a few weeks talking about the different strokes and swimming safety. Today all of that would pay off as one by one, they took turns with their test. As an added bonus, each of them got to invite their families to join in the fun.

When we first got there, we gathered together in a large group. We were told how everything would work out for each of the boys and their swimming test. After they were done with the instructions the family members went off to swim and have fun in the water while the boys practiced some of the strokes that they learned about. Then when they felt ready they went and took their test. 

For the test, they had to swim in a stroke of their choice for a certain distance without touching the bottom of the pool. Each of the boys could try as many times as they wanted until they passed. Each of them took more than one attempt, but finally, they all passed. As each boy did, they were cheered on by those around them. Owen was getting so upset at the number of attempts it was taking him. Ben pulled him aside, gave him a quick pep talk, and then he had no problem at all meeting the parameters of the test. Once all the boys were done, then they could join in the fun.

They had fun swimming, going down the waterslide, and even jumping off the diving boards. It was a lot of fun and hard to get everyone out of the pool when it was time to head home.

Wreaths

I guess you could say that I have two people to blame with my newest hobby, wreaths. It started way back when Beth had made a Halloween wreath in 2016. She posted it on Facebook with the intent to sell it in an auction to the highest bidder. I ended up bidding on it, being the highest bidder, and won. I was really excited about it too. I have always wanted a wreath after years of seeing them at Swiss days. Now I had one of my very own that didn't cost me an arm and a leg ($100 +) like those that I have seen before. 

I loved my Halloween wreath so much, I ended up asking Beth to make me a Christmas wreath. I gave her some specification of what I wanted (i.e. color, theme, size, etc.) and let her have at it. Within a couple of weeks she sent me a picture of the end product and I was in love. I couldn't wait to get it on my wall as I decorated for Christmas. (Sadly I looked everywhere and couldn't find the original picture, but I was able to find this one with Jingle our elf hiding in it.)

Then a couple years later I made my first wreath. Shantelle and I started this journey together with a trip to the dollar store and it escalated from there. I guess you could say at that point, the seed had been planted and it was now being nourished. I now wanted to make a wreath for every month that I could change out like my Welcome sign and blocks. 

I got a text a week ago from Shantelle telling me about an amazing website where she found deco mesh for a pretty good cost. I went to her place with the intent for her to show me the website she found just to look around and explore. A couple hours later and by the time I left, I had ordered deco mesh to make so many more wreaths. I already had three wreaths,October, November, and December, and now bought enough deco mesh to make 9 more. I saw this as an investment that I could enjoy forever. Plus it was cheaper to buy it in bulk, all at once, and it was free shipping. Now all I had to do what wait for it to be delivered. 

Another Birthday

We got to celebrate a little bit more with Gabbi, this time with Nelson and Deann. Deann and I planned the get together and left it open for anyone to attend if they could. I hoped that it would be more than just them and us, but I wasn't sure who would be there. When we got there it was them, us, and Grandma; small but sweet. Deann had cooked her famous sloppy joes, which Gabbi loves, and we brought the sides and fixings.

When we were done eating the kids ran off to play while we chatted for a little bit. We didn't end up staying too long and before we left, Deann called Gabbi in to give her her birthday gift. She got a blanket and bear from Nelson and Deann along with a commemorative plate. Gabbi wasn't sure about the plate, but she loved the blanket and the bear. 

Afternoon ride

It was such a nice afternoon, Ben and I wanted to get outside. We decided to take the kids on another bike ride. This time we rode some of the trails at the mouth of the canyon as well as the path that goes around the park by the Dinosaur park. 

When we got to the parking lot, we pulled out the bikes and the kids rode around the parking lot while Ben made sure all of their bikes were in ship-shape condition. Ben made a few tweaks to the seats and handlebars, but when everyone was good to go we headed off. The trails were a little bit difficult for William having training wheels still, but he did an amazing job. I was just glad there weren't many hills on the trails.

When we got to a pretty big one, that was when we turned around. Back at the parking lot, we stopped to rest for a minute and then went on the path to the park next to Dinosaur park. We rode on the path all around the park and even farther down the path until the kids were done. We turned around and headed back to the truck and headed home. 

Dance Competition

Today was Gabbi's first official dance competition of this dancing season. She's done shows, the invitational, and various performances, but this was a competition. Which meant higher stakes and more difficult judging scales. Gabbi was nervous, we did the best we could to calm her before heading out.

Today competition was held at Utah Valley University. I have driven past the campus so many times visiting Grandma, but this was the first time that I was actually having to go inside one of the buildings and I didn't have Ben to help me. He got me as close as he could and then I had to do the rest. I drove around the campus a few times and then was finally called Christy and she got me the rest of the way there. 

When we were inside, we were directed where to go and we went and found the Director and the rest of the girls. She took all the girls aside, told them how things were going to go for the afternoon, and then gave them a pep talk. When all was said and done, we went and found some seats while the girls went and practiced their routine. 

When it was time for the girls to dance, Christy and I got close so we could get some good pictures. When they walked out, you could tell they were apprehensive, but they all had smiles on their faces and were ready to go. As soon as the music started, they did just that. They did a good job, they had a few missteps, but for the most part, they did great. Now that they were done dancing all the girls had to do was wait until the awards ceremony to see how they did.

While we waited we went outside so the girls could catch their breath and relax. They laughed, they talked, and they ran around. Anything to pass the time. When it was time, they called us back in and all the dancers were asked to come up and sit on the stage. The host of the competition congratulated all of the boys and girls and a job well done and then they started the awards ceremony. 

When it came to the girls' category, Small group Jazz/Contemporary, they were awarded a High Gold rating. It was basically a Silver on their judging scale. The girls were excited and walked up to receive their trophies and went and sat back down. They worked like mad since the invitational to fix some of the mistakes they made there. It was a nice reward for all of their hard work. 

Family night

For this month's PTA family activity we planned a Dart Side family night. The kids had so much fun playing during their reward afternoon that we planned to have one for the whole family. It also helped that the owner gave us 50% off on our next activity. I and some of the other board members got there early to let the owner in so he could set up. When he was ready to go, all we had to do it wait for the families.

Slowly families started to filter in. We started our first game when we had enough to play. I was surprised that none of the parents wanted to play with their kids. They however didn't really care. They were ready to have fun and play. The first round went longer than on the reward afternoon because there weren't other kids waiting. Once we started to have other families show up and a line started to form they stopped the game and let a new set of kids and family members play.

Everyone seemed to have a great time and the kids and family members got to play as many games as they wanted until the night came to an end. When the night was over those that were still there helped to clean things up and get the gear all loaded in his truck. All in all, I would say that this was a successful Family night.

Shirts

I have been helping Taycina off and on with making t-shirts. We started off making the shirts we wore on our vacation and then we went to orders that others had customized. It's a lot of fun too. So when Mom and Dad were talking about shirts for their vacation with Jeff and Tiffany's family, I reminded her of the shirts that she'd seen already. She agreed and Taycina and I started drafting a few possibilities. 

Each of their shirts was different and were just so much fun. Since we were in making mode already, we went ahead and made a few others. I had one made for Owen's teacher for an end-of-year gift, a few to wear, and then a dance shirt for Gabbi and her dance team. I was kind of bummed when we were done because it really was a lot of fun.

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Tonight was Owen's class performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream. They have been working on their production for a few months now. Owen has been working on his lines over and over to get them right. His character is King Oberon. Helping him work on his lines brought back memories of helping Gabbi work on hers. They did the same play when she was in Mrs. Hull's class. It's a cute play with some fun characters. Owen loved the fact that he was the king. It made me smile to see him working so hard.

When we got to the school, I walked Owen back to his classroom, and then the kids and I went and got a seat. It wasn't as nice as I would have wanted (like the front row), but at least I was in the center and could see the whole stage. I put our jackets on our seats to save them while we walked around the gym. Each of the kids had put together a poster board about them and the character they were in the play. Each of the boards had a picture of them in their costumes, an "About the Author" sheet, a drawing of the character they were playing, a letter to another character, and last but not least a small description of what their character does during the play.

When it was time all of the students walked in and took their opening position seats. The show went off without a hitch and all of his and his classmates' hard work paid off. They all did such a great job and seemed to have fun while performing. Their ending song, which was a last-minute thing, turned out great and so fun to see. 

Surprise

Before heading out for Owen's play, Gabbi got a special visitor who brought her a birthday present. She was super excited to be opening another gift. Inside was more nail polish to go with the handful that she had already received. She thanked them and told them that she couldn't wait to paint her nails with these really cool colors. 

Birthday dinner

Tonight, we celebrated Gabbi's birthday with the rest of the family. After the Easter Egg hunt that Nana and Papa did for the kids, we went inside and had dinner. After dinner, the kids went and played, but it wasn't long before Gabbi asked to open her gifts. We stopped what we were doing and pulled out her gifts and dessert. Gabbi was spoiled by her family and was given gifts all around the theme of manicures and pedicures. She got nail polish, nail clippers, nail files, bath bombs, and even a foot-soaking massager. She was so excited to see all this cool stuff to help her with her nails. When she was done, she gave everyone a hug and thanked them for the gifts. When all was said and done, we sang Happy Birthday to her and had some dessert before calling it a night.