Saying Goodbye to some good friends

Well, last week, Kaylee finished up the State Cup Soccer Tournament with her team. We don't know what's in store for Kaylee next season or where she will play. It's hard saying goodbye to what we knew as our second family. Although, there are a few girls that are like family, so we will keep in touch with them.

Thanks for a great 3 year run girls! We love you!

Top from Left to Right: Savannah Loreen, Bre Eves, Madi Henderson, Brinley Smith, 

Paige Easter, Kaylee Manwaring

Bottom from Left to Right: Kylee Howell, Ahna Hullinger, Brielle Anderson, Gracie Sorensen

Go HC Storm! We will sure miss you guys! Good luck with whatever comes your way next season, we are so excited to see which teams you will all join! :)

I will sure miss the moms too!! Thanks Mary, for all our car pooling/ side line fun :))

 BFFs for LIFE!

Kaylee and Paige "Keeper" & "Sweeper"

Last Day of School DVD!

Pinch me!!! I cannot believe that tomorrow will be the last day of school/work for me and the girls.

I am looking forward to a nice / relaxing summer!

I was asked to make a year end DVD to be shown at our school assembly tomorrow.

I am in charge of taking all the photos throughout the school year, and then I have to narrow them down to 300 at the end of each year.  I had a lot of fun making this. I have reflected on what was one the THE BEST school years to date. I got teary-eyed watching the movie back. I will miss my 6th graders who would always pop in my office to say hi and lend a hand. 

There were some pretty special ones that I will miss dearly. (Sigh....) It's also hard to believe that my own daughter Kaylee will start her 6th grade adventure next year!

.

Enjoy!

Click Here - Sierra Bonita DVD

How lucky am I to be a party of this great school and help these kids.

Every kid needs a smile and high five right? I have plenty to give :)

State Cup Soccer Tournament - Game 1 - WON 4-2

Kaylee and her HCStorm soccer team qualified to play in the State Cup Soccer Tournament!

We were so excited. Kaylee was really nervous, but they WON their first game!! woot!

Great Kick Kaylee !!!

Great THROW Kaylee! 

 Great Stop Kaylee

Great Catch Kiddo! 

Heck yea! Way to throw the ball Kaylee! Awesome!!

Way to win the ball Kylee

Nice push Katie...surprised you weren't called for that one. ;) (We are red)

Happy Mother's Day!

Such a great day with my girls!

I took them to Diamond Fork Canyon and we had well.....a blast!

We 'attempted' to make fishy-faces....but pretty much failed...lol

I finally taught Kaylee how to start a fire...she did such a great job!

I must say....our roasting skills rock! They turned out PERFECT :)

Kaylee kept taking pictures, so this is the look I gave her...too funny!

I guess this is what you get when you turn over your camera to your kids...lol

Kaylee and her mad smore skills....

My girls make me smile.....always :)) Such a fun day with them.

 The smores were AWESOME.....but so was the awesome blue, clear sky.
We haven't seen many days like this so far this year...((love))

We stopped at the Spanish Fork Reservoir on our way home...just for fun...

These two kiddos sure make me smile :)

I had a great Mother's Day with my girls...they sure do make me smile.

Thanks Kaylee and Kimee.....for making this mom stuff so much fun.

I love you.... XOXO

 This was the awesome sunset me and the girls got to enjoy up at the reservoir...

what a great way to end the day :)

....and, my beautiful Mother's Day flowers....

"Teacher Idol"

Our student council asked the office staff if we would like to be judges for our "Teacher Idol". Of course I said YES!! They asked me to impersonate "Nicki Minaj"......what the what?????

I tried my best.....

"Simon" (Principal), "Nicki Minaj" (ME- Asst.Secretary), 

"Mariah Carey" (Facilitator), "Steven Tyler" Counselor)

Such a fun day! Especially for all the kids! lol

Here we are in action! :)

Yup....it's "bootylicious!"...lol

I still think Nicki Minaj has a bigger bum than this!

Too funny! Thank you student council!!

             

                 
                                25 Rules for Mothers of Daughters. (I did not write these)

1. Paint her nails. Then let her scratch it off and dirty them up. Teach her to care about her appearance, and then quickly remind her that living and having fun is most important.

2. Let her put on your makeup, even if it means bright-red-smudged lips and streaked-blue eyes. Let her experiment in her attempts to be like you…then let her be herself.

3. Let her be wild. She may want to stay home and read books on the couch, or she may want to hop on the back of a motorcycle-gasp. She may be a homebody or a traveler. She may fall in love with the wrong boy, or meet mr. right at age 5. Try to remember that you were her age once. Everyone makes mistakes, let her make her own.

4. Be present. Be there for her at her Kindergarten performances, her dance recitals, her soccer games…her everyday-little-moments. When she looks through the crowds of people, she will be looking for your smile and pride. Show it to her as often as possible.

5. Encourage her to try on your shoes and play dress-up. If she would rather wear her brother’s superman cape with high heals, allow it. If she wants to wear a tutu or dinosaur costume to the grocery store, why stop her? She needs to decide who she is and be confident in her decision.

6. Teach her to be independent. Show her by example that woman can be strong. Find and follow your own passions. Search for outlets of expression and enjoyment for yourself- not just your husband or children. Define yourself by your own attributes, not by what others expect you to be. Know who you are as a person, and help your daughter find out who she is.

7. Pick flowers with her. Put them in her hair. There is nothing more beautiful than a girl and a flower.

8. Let her get messy. Get messy with her, no matter how much it makes you cringe inside. Splash in the puddles, throw snowballs, make mud pies, finger paint the walls: just let it happen. The most wonderful of memories are often the messy ones.

9. Give her good role models- you being one of them. Introduce her to successful woman- friends, co-workers, doctors, astronauts, or authors. Read to her about influential woman- Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks, Marie Curie. Read her the words of inspirational woman- Jane Austen, Sylvia Plath, Emily Dickinson. She should know that anything is possible.

10. Show her affection. Daughters will mimic the compassion of their mother. “I love yous” and Eskimo kisses go a long way.

11. Hold her hand. Whether she is 3 years-old in the parking lot or sixteen years old in the mall, hold on to her always- this will teach her to be confident in herself and proud of her family.

12. Believe in her. It is the moments that she does not believe in herself that she will need you to believe enough for both of you. Whether it is a spelling test in the first grade, a big game or recital, a first date, or the first day of college…remind her of the independent and capable woman you have taught her to be.

13. Tell her how beautiful she is. Whether it is her first day of Kindergarten, immediately after a soccer game where she is grass-stained and sweaty, or her wedding day. She needs your reminders. She needs your pride. She needs your reassurance. She is only human.

14. Love her father. Teach her to love a good man, like him. One who lets her be herself…she is after all wonderful.

15. Make forts with boxes and blankets. Help her to find magic in the ordinary, to imagine, to create and to believe in fairy tales. Someday she will make her 5 by 5 dorm-room her home with magic touches and inspiration. And she will fall in love with a boy and believe him to be Prince Charming.

16. Read to her. Read her Dr. Seuss and Eric Carle. But also remember the power of Sylvia Plath and Robert Frost. Show her the beauty of words on a page and let her see you enjoy them. Words can be simply written and simply spoken, yet can harvest so much meaning. Help her to find their meaning.

17. Teach her how to love- with passion and kisses. Love her passionately. Love her father passionately and her siblings passionately. Express your love. Show her how to love with no restraint. Let her get her heart broken and try again. Let her cry, and gush, giggle and scream. She will love like you love or hate like you hate. So, choose love for both you and her.

18. Encourage her to dance and sing. Dance and sing with her- even if it sounds or looks horrible. Let her wiggle to nursery rhymes. Let her dance on her daddy's feet and spin in your arms. Then later, let her blast noise and headbang in her bedroom with her door shut if she wants. Or karaoke to Tom Petty in the living room if she would rather. Introduce her to the classics- like The Beatles- and listen to her latest favorite- like Taylor Swift. Share the magic of music together, it will bring you closer- or at least create a soundtrack to your life together.

19. Share secrets together. Communicate. Talk. Talk about anything. Let her tell you about boys, friends, school. Listen. Ask questions. Share dreams, hopes, concerns. She is not only your daughter, you are not only her mother. Be her friend too.

20. Teach her manners. Because sometimes you have to be her mother, not just her friend. The world is a happier place when made up of polite words and smiles.

21. Teach her when to stand-up and when to walk away. Whether she has classmates who tease her because of her glasses, or a boyfriend who tells her she is too fat - let her know she does not have to listen. Make sure she knows how to demand respect - she is worthy of it. It does not mean she has to fight back with fists or words, because sometimes you say more with silence. Also make sure she knows which battles are worth fighting. Remind her that some people can be mean and nasty because of jealousy, or other personal reasons. Help her to understand when to shut her mouth and walk-away. Teach her to be the better person.

22. Let her choose who she loves. Even when you see through the charming boy she thinks he is, let her love him without your disapproving words; she will anyway. When he breaks her heart, be there for her with words of support rather than I told-you-so. Let her mess up again and again until she finds the one. And when she finds the one, tell her.

23. Mother her. Being a mother - to her - is undoubtedly one of your greatest accomplishments. Share with her the joys of motherhood, so one day she will want to be a mother too. Remind her over and over again with words and kisses that no one will ever love her like you love her. No one can replace or replicate a mother's love for their children.

24. Comfort her. Because sometimes you just need your mommy. When she is sick, rub her back, make her soup and cover her in blankets - no matter how old she is. Someday, if she is giving birth to her own child, push her hair out of her face, encourage her, and tell her how beautiful she is. These are the moments she will remember you for. And someday when her husband rubs her back in attempt to comfort her...she may just whisper, "I need my mommy."

25. Be home. When she is sick with a cold or broken heart, she will come to you; welcome her. When she is engaged or pregnant, she will run to you to share her news; embrace her. When she is lost or confused, she will search for you; find her. When she needs advice on boys, schools, friends or an outfit; tell her. She is your daughter and will always need a safe harbor - where she can turn a key to see comforting eyes and a familiar smile; be home.

Kimee sang with her School Choir at the District Office!!

Kimberlee and her School Choir were invited to sing a few songs at the District Office.

They did such a great job!

They were all so nervous, so I tried to have them take silly, serious, goofy photos...

I think it helped the jitters...then again, I kept hiding and peeking my head up over the table and it make them laugh hysterically.......

Here they are! Ready to sing to all the 'important people' at the District Office!

It was awesome!

Kimee is 3rd from the left with pink on her shoes :)

They are ready to go!

So proud of you Kimee! You did such a great job tonight!! :)

Did you know that the principal was awarded "Excellence in Educational Leadership" from BYU?

Congrats Principal Larsen!!!

The principals wife asks us if we would all like a pic.

um......you can't turn down your boss' wife! lol