More from the World of Ballroom...

We spent last weekend at the UVU Ballroom Dance tournament. And when I say "spent" I mean, SPENT. Like seven hours of Ballroom Dance. Whew. My ankles and feet were completely unrecognizable after that event. Thank you pregnancy!

For some reason the photographers only got one very small picture of Grace (even though she competed in three events, and danced more than Soph). But I guess it's fair because last competition, Sophie only had one picture taken. Sophie danced with a new partner, Brennan.



And Grace scored so well in her dances that she gets to move on to BYU!!! She is so excited (and so am I) because Grace likes to win, and if she doesn't? Well. I'll let you use your imagination, but it isn't pretty. We're still evolving on the whole "sportsmanship" thing. I'd say with each competition she gets better at being a good sport, even if things don't go the way she would like. Personally, I blame Adam, because that boy has one competitive spirit. :) It's a good thing, right?

PS. Four more weeks until Big Baby Day! I can hardly wait for one of these little sweeties. (This is Lucy, a little over four (!!) years ago.)

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

I got this great idea from Little Birdie Secrets. Last night we made our own Valentine's Tree. On each heart someone in the family wrote something they loved about another memember of the family. It was very sweet. We also watched a short video entitled "What Matters Most."
And this morning we had these:

Adam loves Dunford Donuts.
Hope everyone has a great day spreading the love.

Hey Mon, Did I Talk About Jamaica?

I think I forgot to blog about our recent trip to Jamaica. We took three whole pictures. Here's one:

And actually out of the 6 days we were there, this was one of my favorite days. The hike up the falls was amazing.
We had a guide who took us up and because of my pregnant state he held my hand the whole way! By the end of the day he was calling me 'jen jen' and had turned into my new BFF. I trust he didn't want a birth on his hands. So thank you lovely guide for keeping me nice and safe.

The other great day was Sunday, when we went to the LDS Branch in Ocho Rios. There were about 25 Jamaicans in attendance...so we overwhelmed them a bit with our 25 strong Utah presence, but they handled it well. I LOVED sacrament mtg in Jamaica. In fact, wish I could go to church in Jamaica every Sunday. What an amazing branch they have, full of people who literally sparkle because of the lives they live and the choices they make. My favorite was Karrie Ann (I think Vasa?) who was late twenties, married, w/ 2 adorable babies. Her talk on prayer was amazing, inspiring, heart felt and honest. She is my new hero. Not to mention how awesome it was that she stood at the pulpit completely comfortable in bare feet. Now that's something I want to try.

Anyway. As for Jamaica itself? Uhm. Don't think I'll go back for a revisit vacation. Once is enough. It's pretty, but there are many other beautiful tropical vacation spots that seem safer and not as needy. Driving through the towns made me really sad, just because of the poverty and the drugs. It makes me want to do something to help and also grateful to live in the US.

But don't let me deter you if you have a trip planned. I'm glad I got to have a Jamaican experience.

Strictly Ballroom...

The girls had a Ballroom Competition a few weeks ago, and I finally got the pictures. Grace competed in the Swing and the Cha-Cha, while Sophie did the Foxtrot.


They both did really well. Sophie was in the beginning group and won a Gold Ribbon and Grace danced in the advanced group and won the Silver Ribbon. And the best news was that Grace's scores allowed her to move on to the UVU competition next week and compete in the "All Around" category. This means she has to know the Cha-Cha, the Tango, the Foxtrot, and the Swing because she she won't know which dance she has to perform until she steps out on stage. No pressure, right? I must admit, her Cha-Cha is killer, so I hope she gets that one!




I'm so proud of both my dancers. Wish I could move like they do!

Sanding and Painting

Today, blessed Saturday, where I don't have to do 7th grade, 6th grade, or 4th grade homework. Hooray!

Although, we do have a science fair project to do, so I guess, scratch that. :) Grace and Adam had a father/daughter night where they did some bullistics tests at the shooting range for her project. Sounds dangerous and loud. But she loved it.

Today I am going to drag the cradle out of the basement and refinish it. Adam, who usually is happy not to spend money, brought up the slightly used cradle and said, "I'm not putting our new baby in this!"

So now we get to repaint it. I'm trying to solicit the help of the girls. Do you think it's okay to use spray paint? I'll have to do a little research on line.
Anyway, it should be beautiful when we're finished.