What Every Mom Wants to Hear...

..."this was the BEST Christmas ever!" spoken individually by both Grayson and Hailey after enjoying what Santa brought them. One gift of Grayson's, "Rock Band" was also a big hit with the older kids and the four siblings rocked out in the wee Christmas morning hours with drums, guitars and microphone (hope they weren't too loud, Rosqvists!)

Cooper also enjoyed others' gifts as he lounged in Hailey's new bean bag she purchased for herself with some grandparent Christmas money...

Fridays...

This is what Friday afternoons usually look like at our house from about 1:30 until about 9 or 10 at night. Grayson and Garrett usually bring at least three friends home (each!) and our house size quadruples. They look forward to this day all week when they can hang out. They're usually pretty good to tidy a few areas but I always feel better after I take an hour to wipe down, clean out and straighten up after everyone goes home and the house is quiet again...

First Place!

Hailey had another cheer competition at Alta High School today and Mueller Park Jr. High took first place in the Small Jr. High Division. For those of you who ask what characterizes "small" (I did), it is a squad with 16 or less cheerleaders. There were a couple of Jr. Highs that had 18 on their squad so they were in the Large Division. The picture is pretty weak but I'm always so involved watching the girls that I'm usually late taking any of the stunts, tumbling, dance moves, etc. I'm just glad I caught this one of Hailey (middle top) in a stationary position. Congrats!

Third Place!

Hailey and her good cheer buddy Betsy Holmgren!

Mueller Park Jr. High Cheerleaders placed third last Saturday at the USA Cheer Competition at Weber High School. They did really well and have another competition this Saturday at Alta High School and one on Monday at the So. Towne Expo Center in Sandy. Hailey does back handsprings and back flips across the floors and is a flyer (top of stunt groups) where she does all sorts of cool things. I guess that's the beauty of being small...

They're Off!!!

Garrett went to the orthodontist today which he thought was his usual monthly tightening. Dr. Bailey looked at his teeth and said they looked awesome and proceeded to snip off the braces. It was a total surprise to us all (I guess he does it this way so the kids aren't disappointed if they're told they're coming off and they're not quite ready). Garrett was thrilled and his teeth are beautiful. He's had them on close to 3-1/2 years because he had to have his whole jaw move in the process and has worn a Herbst (sp?) appliance, headgear and a bizillion rubber bands. Congratulations Garrett! You look awesome!!!

Thanksgiving in Hawaii

Beautiful Hawaii! We had a fabulous week of relaxing in 80+ degree weather as well as a few activities... International Market Place, attended church, outrigger canoe ride, surfing, Hawaiian Adventures water park, Dole Pineapple plantation and pineapple maze, botanical gardens, BYU-Hawaii, Polynesian Cultural Center, Hawaii Temple, breakfast sail on a catamaran, snorkeling at Hanauma Bay, hiking to Diamond Head, Sea Life Park, Pearl Harbor, submarine, battleship, aviation museum, Bishop Museum and 4 hours of shopping at the BEST mall ever (Ala Moana Mall) because our plane departure was delayed until midnight...

They made it to the top! We left at 7 am and got to the top at 7:30 and back down by 7:45.

Hailey saved her money so she could swim with the dolphins at Sea Life Park. She even got a belly ride along with her kiss!

Hawaii Temple (they're closing it for 18 months for renovation)

Enjoying shaved ice at Polynesian Cultural Center while watching the canoe show.

Diamond Head in the distance (we hiked to the very highest point you can see in the pic)

Waikiki Beach with Diamond Head in the background. Our hotel was right across the street from the beach and we usually made it out to the beach by at least 8 am each day (pretty easy since Hawaii is 3 hours earlier than Utah so we were awake).

The Last One!

We finally celebrated our last November birthday -- Hillary is 17! I made her French Toast for breakfast (one of her favorites) and she got a new lacrosse stick which she was very excited about because winter lacrosse started last Saturday. She's looking forward to spending her birthday money from her grandparents in Hawaii or Abercrombie...whichever she gets to first! We had an hour and a half to take her to dinner so she opted for Applebees over Spaghetti Factory or The Mayan because of travel time. Thanks for being accommodating Hillary and hope your birthday was fantastic!

Birthday Boy (one more time...)

Grayson is 10 today! Double-digits and $10 richer in two-dollar bills from Papa. Grayson opened his presents before school, took a treat for the class, went to lunch with mom at Spanky's (his choice; mom didn't eat--ask me about it later), double-layer chocolate cake after a spaghetti dinner and Robintino's tomorrow night when dad is feeling well enough to join the rest of us. Besides, Hillary was going to Disney on Ice with her friends tonight (they took her to celebrate her upcoming birthday in five days) and Hailey had to cheer at a basketball game, go to ballet, voice and Nutcracker rehearsal so tomorrow night will be a better time to sit down with the family and enjoy a dinner out to celebrate Grayson's big day! Since it was early out due to parent conferences, Grayson also went to the church to play basketball with his friends for a couple of hours and came home and put together his new Lego set. Now he's downstairs trying out the new Wii games and he read a chapter of his new book before school. He sure knows how to make good use of a birthday...

Happy Birthday Garrett! 15 years today... started out his morning with a wake-up call from Grammy & Papa singing to him at 7 am. He then opened his family presents and had a birthday breakfast. We've still got to get to the DMV today to get that driver's permit! Hope he passes...

Last night Hillary and the other 3 Seniors (Ashley, Niki, Jessica) were honored at their soccer banquet. The Senior moms were in charge and we put together a great Senior moments video with interviews with each girl, a team highlights video and then we gave them each a Wildcat in uniform from Build-A-Bear that we dressed according to their personalities. Hillary's had a pink streak of hair in the brunette wig and a yellow card with her name on it. She also won the Midfielder MVP award which was a surprise and happy moment for her!

Grayson celebrated his birthday a little early. Since the kids were out of school on Halloween he took his friends with him to Fat Cats bowling and The Pizza Factory. You can see that he won't be in need of a new basketball for a little while...

Hailey (right) as "Wednesday" for Halloween. She and her friend Katie went out trick or treating and then went back to Katie's house to watch a scary movie with another girl and five boys. Hailey hasn't slept in her own bed since!

Now for the boys... Garrett and Grayson love to hang out together--that's why we got them a 10-ticket package each of Jazz tickets for their birthdays. Garrett's birthday is Nov. 4 (turning 15) and Grayson's is Nov. 13 (turning 10), however the first game of their package is this Wednesday, Oct. 29 so we had to give them their gift early--they were thrilled! It gets a lot tougher (and more expensive) buying presents for kids once they hit about 10 years old. I was so sad last year when I didn't even go to the toy departments for any Christmas presents!!! Mostly electronics, clothes and money are what kids want nowadays (at least mine do). Garrett and Grayson are great buddies and great kids!

On to the next terrific daughter--Hailey! She is so fun to have around. She has a great personality and is so full of life. She dances, sings, cheers, tumbles and loves kids and dogs--especially hers! Hailey is a soldier in Ballet West's Nutcracker this year (a bit of a change after being in the party scene for the last 3 years), but she finally grew a couple of inches so had to advance to the next role. It's fun to continue our family tradition of going to the Nutcracker on Christmas Eve day and actually knowing someone in the cast to watch for. Hailey is a big help around the house and her brothers think she's especially fun to hang out and talk to. I love Hailey!

Hillary was honored at her last home soccer game Tuesday because she's a Senior. She's played for the Wildcats for 3 years--sophomore year on J.V. and Junior and Senior year on Varsity. She's a mid-fielder and runs A LOT. She's very aggressive on the field and has a couple of fouls called on her each game. The team likes Hillary and says she's always smiling and willing to do whatever the coach asks of her. She's a true team player and I wish her luck at the State games next week!

Nana's Happy Day... Finally!

My Nana (Maude Halversen) passed away early this morning at 98 years young. She has been a widow for 38 years and has missed Gramps (Roy) every day since he preceeded her in death. She is finally rejoicing! She was the most amazing woman I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. I have wonderful memories throughout my lifetime of her. She spent all of my life except the past eight months in Cedar City. This last year she has been living at an assisted living center in Orem. I was so blessed to visit her each week for a couple of hours and attend Relief Society, help her play Bingo, help her make crafts, walk with her around the facility, help her with her walker, push her in her wheelchair, help her eat, promise her that I would be back soon... I am so glad I learned what life is really about from Maude (Nana) Halversen.

She's Amazing!

...my first attempt at blogging and I want to start by giving props to my oldest daughter Hillary who is a high school Senior this year. She's been playing soccer since she was 5 (she's now 16--17 in 2 months) and has stuck with it through good teams and bad and has been rewarded the past three years playing for Woods Cross High School. She's an amazing player and is well-liked by the whole team. She is a mid-fielder, very fast and super aggressive. I enjoy going to her games and am so proud to sit in the stands and support my amazing daughter!