Give us a Cheer

For the past year or so Kennedy has talked about being a cheerleader.  Considering Tara was always on the field and not cheering on the players I'm not quite sure how Kennedy decided that she would rather switch roles, but she's six - cheerleaders are big with the six year old crowd.  A couple of days ago Dede finally got a chance to cheer as Cottonwood High School was having a min-cheer camp for little kids.  All week long Kennedy has been living life as a cheerleader each afternoon.

Last night she was able to make her big debut as the mini-cheerleaders took to the field at half time of the Cottonwood - Brighton football game.  Dede did great!  She knew all of the routines and she is certainly aware of when the spotlight is on.  It was so fun to watch our little girl out there having the time of her life.  When we picked her up afterwards she affirmed that she was going to be a cheerleader when she is older.  At least Dede will be cheering for the right school - go Colts!

BTW - Last night marks the first time I had been at a Cottonwood High football game in more than 15 years.  It was a little weird being back there, but also a lot of fun.  It really is a beautiful view looking out at Mount Olympus.  We didn't stick around for the entire game, but it certainly won't be the last time we cheer on the Colts.

Most Interesting

I am a big fan of the Dos Equis beer commercials. They are totally unique and some of the most clever satire around. Today I came across a new spin on the Most Interesting Man in the World. I give you the Most Interesting Mormon in the World....

 

 Since one video can't be enough...

 

Back to School

We had to celebrate the first day of school twice this year.  Now that Kennedy is in 1st grade she made her full day school debut on the 23rd, while Alex didn't begin his "Pre-K" journey until the 29th.  It was so fun to see the kids excited about going back to school.  Both Alex and Dede have talked about school all summer long and the first day back didn't disappoint.

 

Kennedy was excited about a few things for 1st grade. I think tops on her list as been the chance to eat school lunch. She also loves having more recess and the chance to see her friends again. Kennedy was super excited to go to the new and improved Oakwood Elementary as well. We're not sure what she thinks about the full day schedule, but Dede seems to be enjoying things so far.

Alex was a big question mark for school this year. We knew how well he did in Miss Fidge's class, but we worried about the transition to a new school, without any friends. Truthfully, it hasn't hurt him a bit. Alex loves going to Spring Lane this year in his special Pre - K class. He feels like he has his own school and his own class, which is just great with us.

Just a little lift

A few weeks ago we noticed that Kai was waking each morning with discharge coming from his left eye. No big deal we thought, maybe he is allergic to something. I know I have been sneezing a lot lately.

Then last weekend, while we were out camping, his eye got worse. It was swollen and basically shut for much of the day. Kai was pawing at his eye and you could tell he was miserable. I assumed he had "pink eye", due to the amount of mucus coming from his eye.

Tara took Kai to the vet on Tuesday and the diagnosis was shocking. Kai has a problem with his eyelid rolling back towards his eye and causing the irritation. There were no drops, no ointments that would solve the problem - this would require surgery. The vet gave us a lot of medical terms dealing with Kai's surgery, but it basically comes down to the fact that my dog needed an eye lift. Can you believe it? Our family pet needs cosmetic surgery.

  Friday Kai had the procedure and now he is recovering for a week. He looks a little funny, with the fur around his eyes being shaved and he is forced to wear the "Cone of Shame". Everything looks good though. Kai seems to be dealing with the collar fine and his eyes both look a lot better. Who would have guessed the only person in our family to need a little nip or tuck would be our dog. I'm sure he'll be the envy of the other canines in the neighborhood!

Parade of Friends

Over the past few weeks I've been really lucky to have three of my best friends visit Utah.  First, Bryan came to our house.  We spent the night discussing home improvement projects, the decline of politics in America, and the joys of family life.  It's been a while since Bryan and I have gotten together, but I'm amazed how much he and I share in common.

Jeff and Jenny stopped by a week later.  They were in from Virginia and they looked great.  Jeff has lost over 70 pounds this year and he is doing awesome.  Our kids played throughout the night and Jeff and I snuck in a quick game of Monopoly to celebrate his visit.  Being a gracious host I left Medium Sized Jeff win both games.

Chappo was the final friend to grace our home in August.  He was in town from the ABQ for a family wedding and he dropped by after the ceremony.  Just like old times we grabbed a shake from Iceberg and talked the night away.  Even though we talk a ton, it was still great to see my buddy and hang out for a few hours.

Good friends are hard to come by and I've been blessed in my life to know some great guys.  They have been so important to me and it's amazing how close we still are - even after 20 years and a ton of miles between us.  Thanks for stopping by guys, my house is always open for a FOF.....