Millie and Jenna and Volleyball

Both Girls were chosen to play on Las Vegas' newest club volleyball team. We are very proud of both of them. Jenna has shown a lot of interest since last summer when Doug and I took her up to Provo for the BYU camp. Millie played church ball this year and loves to do the things Jenna does so it was quite a find when Rebbecca Lane told us about this club. It is just starting up in the valley and while they are open to all girls they understand the LDS culture and our desire to avoid Sunday play and the need for our girls to be free on Wednesday nights. Mary and Emily signed on to the 16 year old team last week and I took Jenna and Millie up to check it out last Saturday. Today I was worried for Millie at try outs. She doesn't really have much behind her in the way of skills, but luckily the girls here age were mostly in the same boat and the team was able to take the 12 who tried out. I am looking forward to seeing Mill progress. Jenna's team had much stiffer competition. Jenna is good. She grew a lot at the camp this summer and her mom has been taking her over to Rancho's practices for quite some time. On top of that, Jenna is just built for the sport. She is tall and is becoming very athletic. I am so grateful we came across this club that is basically going to 'fit' with our life. (AND...I don't have to be the team mom in order for that to happen!)

Jenna's Turn

We end this week of musical performances by the Mecham children with Jenna's choir concert. The kids sounded great. They have really grown and it is amazing the difference a year can make in a school music program. Her teacher, Ms Dadabo has done a great job bringing the students along. In 6th grade Jenna's choir teacher up and quit after a few weeks of work. The school was unable to fill the position so the program really fell apart. Sara, a band major, took over and has built it back up. Jenna and Hannah (Banana) have made a lot of progress this year and both sing so well. Way to go Jenna!

And on that note, no pun intended, I add another item to my 'lasts as a mother list'. Tonight I watched my last Junior High Christmas Choir program for one of my own. On to high school and bigger choirs I guess.

Millie and I took another detour on the way home for more of that yummy hot chocolate. I sense a Christmas addiction and tradition on the rise.
Hey Becky, they didn't know what an eggnog steamer was. I know, right. I was outraged. I need to try one of those before the season ends. Of course mine will also be with extra whipped cream.
C

This week this far

This week is a busy one around our house. Three concerts at the school. Tuesday, Band. Wednesday, Orchestra and Thursday, Choir. The camera was not charged up Tuesday night so I am hoping I can snag a few photos of Bret from folks who took photos of him at the show.

I charged up the battery and snapped a few of Millie and all of her friends at their concert. We made a quick stop at Starbucks on the way home. mmmm Peppermint hot chocolate.

Did I mention I filled my tank on the way home too. You bet I am a happy girl. I mean a month or so ago filling the tank was over 200.00

On a different note, I got a message today from MY ELDER'S wife. Her mother in law stumbled across my blog and found herself reading about her own son! Can't imagine how nice that must have been, especially considering that I ADORE THAT GUY! No kidding. I mean he is such a huge part of my story.

I can't wait to get to know this young girl who is married to MY ELDER. They have their own little family and I can't help but think how lucky their children are.

So once again, Heavenly Father opened that little window, just for a minute, and let me look through for long enough to make a connection. I am so grateful.

Come What May...

The Culprits

If you hate cats, skip this post. It will only serve to intensify your negative feelings towards all felines.
Oh to be able to laugh! This morning as the kids and I got ready to leave for school we noticed the car's hazard lights blinking. "What on earth could that be about?" As we approached the car Millie fessed up to going out to get a book she had left in the passenger seat yesterday, "But", she said,"I didn't go in your side so I don't know how that could have happened."
In the few steps from the walk to the car I noticed Wendell our fat, farm cat perched on the head rest of the drivers seat.
OH NOOOOOOO!
Yup, you guessed it, upon opening the door to the vehicle two things jumped out at me.
1. A very distressed cat and
2. An unmistakable odor

Sure enough Wendell, was unable to 'hold it' all night and no, I do not have any travel kitty litter going on in the car.

My first thought, MURDER the cat! And follow up that assassination with a swift kick to Millie's seat for being careless enough to not notice a fat cat climbing into the car alongside of her as she rummaged around looking for her lost book.
But after yesterday's fast meeting where Bishop brought back to mind, Elder Wirthlin's talk about laughter, I figured I better do just that. Each carpooler we picked up got in the car and wrinkled their nose as the pungent odor reached them. As I recounted the tale, they all had a good chuckle. When I told Doug, I couldn't even finish telling him the story before he figured out the ending and started laughing. After we finished laughing about the traveling litter box I am driving, he put in a call to our good friend Brent who will have the guys from Coit over to help us out today.
I thought how differently the entire affair might have gone if I had chosen anger over laughter. Thanks Elder Wirthlin (and Bishop) for reminding us to love whatever comes our way!

A season to give

Our young men and women completed a very special service project last night. As a group we collected warm clothing; coats, hats scarves and gloves and traveled down to the area of town where many men and women live on the streets. We made arrangements to meet at the Salvation Army with a representative of their shelter. Before leaving Richard Fonbuena, an LVPD officer spoke to the kids about sticking together and told the boys that they had to stick by the girls. The kids chuckled a bit, but Rich then went on to tell them that they were in fact going to be serving this night in a very dangerous area. When we arrived at Owens and Main we were honestly surprised to see scores of homeless men and women and many young children as well. We set up our items and before a half hour had passed, we were practically out of items. We brought along a stack of pass along cards to give to the eager hands of those people in need. It was a very emotional experience for me and I do believe for many of the youth it was an enlightening evening. For many, myself included, the reality of the difference between wants and needs was clearly illustrated.
As I looked on, a larger man approached our tables searching for a coat. He quietly picked through the things but found nothing that would fit his large stature. Without so much as a second thought, and without saying a word to anyone, I watched as Doug took off his coat, his one winter coat that he asked for last Christmas, and handed it to the homeless man. With gratitude, the man took the coat and shook Doug's hand.
Wow. I love him.

Music Memory Monday. Okay so it's Tuesday, so shoot me.


This song is probably not too well known by many of you. It does not even bring me back to my preteen days when I was crazy for David Cassidy aka Keith Partridge. No, instead it takes me back to 1991. I was a senior in college ready to graduate. My parents had long since started to winter down in Naples, Florida by the time I was ready to do my student teaching so I figured I had the perfect set up; my folks house all to myself, student teaching in my hometown and sleeping in my own comfy bed, free of charge. How could I go wrong. The situation only got better when my pal Mary Jo got assigned to teach in the classroom next to mine. Not only that my cooperating teaching was a good friend of one of my brothers. Sweet!
Anyhow all through that fall, Mary Jo and I plugged along at Union Street school teaching grade 3 to a group of kids I had grown up babysitting. I loved it.
Meanwhile Mary Jo and I were still a couple of crazy kids, having fun. Many nights that fall she stayed at my house with me and and we would stay up all night long laughing and dreaming about the perfect lives we were going to lead. More often though, on our marathon nights we would go out and do drive bys. Nooooo not that kind! We would get my dad's big car out of the garage, so as not be noticed by anyone, and drive past her guy's place! Mary Jo was crazy about, mad over, just plain obsessed with a boy from one town over and oh the fun we had stalking him. Cmon girls, you all know you did the drive by. Is he home? Is he awake? Oh my gosh did he and all of his friends just catch me and my friends casually driving by his apartment in our pajamas at 1 in the morning?
Anyhow Matt's apartment was always alive. he worked by day at the hospital as an XRay technician, but by night he was a musician rocking out with his band. Not only did we drive by his place we just happened to make it our business to arrive at everyone of his shows. "Oh wow, we didn't know you were playing her tonight." I know, lame. Now I almost forgot to mention that Matt had a girlfriend. Stop frowning. He wasn't married and Mary Jo was too crazy about him for him to never know about it, so another friend told him to take Mary Jo out. He did and the girlfriend got wind of it. Oh the fireworks. Now when we were stalking Matt, we were being stalked by the ex. Quite the show!
Everything sett;ed down by Christmas time just as we wound up or student teaching careers. On our last day, Matt came in and brought his guitar. The three of us sang for all of my and Mary Jo's students. You guessed it. We sang the Partridge family Christmas song.

So you may be wondering what happened to Mary Jo and Matt. Well, 17 years later they are still married with 3 cute kids. Living just one town over from where we student taught and stalked Matt in our free time. Mary Jo never used her teaching degree, well unless you count teaching her own cuties. As for Matt, you won't find him at the clubs at night rocking out. But he still strums a tune or two for Mary Jo.

Christmas card preview

Our family

Thanks Theresa!

I love our little happy family!