When is Summer going to get here!

The past few weekends we have refused to let the cold, wet weather ruin our weekends so we have packed everything up and headed to our favorite summer hideout - the canyon. We build a fire and hide under the canopy. We play cards and listen to music and just enjoy being away from home and all responsibilities in general.

Leaving 6th & 9th grade behind and looking forward to the first year of Jr. High & High School

Both kids will be attending a new school next year which means a lot of new experiences for both kids. Honestly I am glad to leave the elementary years behind. Mike is excited to start his first year of Jr. High and AJ entering is first year of High School.

AJ

One of the highlights of AJ's last month of Jr High was his final project for his Teen Living Class. He had to be a daddy for a weekend and care for a simulated baby. He named him Buster Zane Medina. The baby was on a pre-programmed timer that would require him to feed, burp and change its diaper at all hours of the day. It was very entertaining to watch him care for this baby. Buster went to the movies with us and an indoor football arena game. I don't know if the baby was sensitive to all the noise but during the football game AJ had to leave every 10 minutes or so to tend to the babies needs. When we left at half time, we found AJ out on the front lawn with the baby. He got so fed up with having to leave when the baby cried that he decided to just go outside. Just like a real parent he didnt get nights off either, he would wake up the next morning so tired. Here is a picture of a note he left us to read before we left for work. He was unable to leave the baby unattended so he wanted to make sure we were available to watch the baby before we left for work so he could take a shower before school.




Mike

Mike celebrated his last month of Elementary School and along with it, his last recess, enjoying being the tallest kid in school, last dance festival and last field day. He also had the honor as a 6th grader to participate in the traditional end of year softball game aginst the teachers and staff. As a parent I will have no more spelling lists, reading charts or get to attend school plays & Christmas programs.

Michael...

Michael has had an eventful month. On St. Patrick's Day morning Michael called me at work asking me if he could dye his contacts green. I obviously said NO but I allowed him to experiment with dying his tongue green.

Over the past couple months I have seen his frustrations with being the little brother. As AJ gets older and gets to do more things I have tried to help Michael direct that energy into some positive things.

I am thankful to live in a day & age where we have cell phones because its a little easier to be a nervous mom. Its reassuring to know that I can call and find out where they are if I ever need to track them down. One day after school Michael gave me quite a scare. Earlier that morning he asked if he could walk home after school. When he walks he is always home before 3:00 but that particular day, AJ beat him home which never happens. AJ & I waited for a couple minutes then we decided to go out to look for him. We went to several of his friends houses and none of them had seen him. We drove up and down every street between our house and the school with no luck. After about 25 minutes looking I really started to panic. Should I call the police? Should I call and tell Adam? We went to the school and they called for him over the speaker with no luck... AJ & I prayed together. School had now been out 1 hour and 15 minutes. I didn't know where else to go or look for him? I was so mad, upset & scared and terrible thoughts started going through my mind that no mother should have to consider... School had now been out 1 hour and 25 minutes. Somehow my car wandered to a neighborhood just west of ours and I remembered him talking to Jessie on face book. I didn't really know they were friends but I knew where she lived and I knew she sometimes walked home. I pulled up to the house and asked the mom if she had seen Michael. She said that she had picked Jessie up from school and she hadnt seen him. She called for Jessie in the house and then checked the backyard to ask her if she had seen him. Well anyway, there he was with about 10 other friends playing in the backyard. I had never been to that house before and as far as I know, he had never even played at her house before so for me to find him there was truly an answered prayer.

Micheal also had a lead role in their school play Treasure Island as Captain Smollett. When I found out that he had a lead role I was quite surprised and nervous but as we practiced his lines together I realized he was quite talented and had memorized his lines almost perfectly. When it came time for the play he was very comfortable on stage, his microphone worked perfectly and he didn't miss any lines! Who knows, maybe I have a little actor on my hands?

Michael continues to enjoy drawing and art. Below is an egg that he painted and the shell happened to crack during the process. When he pealed it, there was a perfect spider web pattern on it. He thought it was pretty cool and used my camera to take a ton of pictures so he could draw it later.

AJ

AJ has also had an eventful month. After we got back from our cruise AJ had 6-F's and had to work very hard to get caught up. I felt bad that we put him in that situation and am reluctant to take the kids out of school for family vacations in the future because it was stressful to come back. As a result of the bad grades and being overwhelmed AJ decided not to join the track team. He has expressed an interest in Shot Put but decided that he should concentrate on his school work. Well a couple days before the first track meet the coach approached AJ and told him that he didn't have to come to practices or pay any fees but asked if he would come throw for the team at their first track meet. So he went, no jersey, no idea what he was doing and threw for the team. From what I remember he threw around 28 feet, pretty good for his first time with no practice. I don't know if he will continue doing it but it was fun to watch.


AJ also had an opportunity to go to a 5 star restaurant with his school class to La Caille near Solider Summit (I think). He got all dressed up left for an evening to learn about etiquette. He ate escargot, salad (but not the tomatoes or onions), chicken and a banana flam beau.

AJ has also started spring training with the high school football team. He goes to weights most days after school and on Wednesday mornings before school. His shoulder still gives him problems sometimes but hopefully he can get his strength back. Once a week they go to one of the coaches houses and do Strongman Competitions. They flip big tires, pull a truck uphill and try to get on the record board. The high school team is very goal oriented which I really like. I am hoping that it is motivating to AJ to keep working toward improving his skills. Click HERE see his Coach Russ Anderson doing one of these drills.

AJ has been anxiously waiting for his jeep to be functional so we can take it out when he practices his driving. It has been in and out of the shop for various reasons trying to get it to pass emissions. A couple weeks ago he was able to purchase some new (much needed) front seats and seat belts. Adam & him spend one Saturday morning installing those together. He also purchased a new antenna and spent several hours installing it so his radio would work better.

As St. Patricks Day approaches, AJ reminded me of a funny story....

When AJ was in 5th grade he asked me if we could dye his socks green for St. Patricks day. I thought that was a pretty clever idea, so the night before we got some socks, put them in water with green food coloring and then let them dry overnight. The next morning he put the socks on and went to school. That night we discovered that dying the socks with food coloring probably was not the best idea. The socks dyed his feet green and he had to live with "Hulk" feet for the next week and a half. Ha Ha!

Sky & Flowers

Sky & Flowers
Originally uploaded by smedina221

I found this fun tool on the internet where you can make your own collages from your digital photos. Here is my first creation.

First Spring Blooms!  February 26, 2009

Every year I anxiously wait for the first signs of spring.  I have learned over the past few years that at the end of February, right around AJ's birthday, I can expect to see my tulips, daffodils and crocus' beginning to make their spring debut.  My favorite day of the entire year is when I take a few extra minutes at the end of a hectic day to sweep back all the dirt and leaves the winter has left behind and reveal all the little surprises hiding underneath.  It's like unwrapping a present, it's so exciting!  I love the smell and the feel of the dirt on my hands.  I love the anticipation of what I will find.  It never ceases to amaze me how anything can survive the cold wet winters but I am never disappointed and the excitement I experience when I see everything that survived another winter is exhilarating!  I will never get tired of this simple little spring ritual and I look forward to it every year.  This little ritual has also given me some deep spiritual insights over the years. 

Lesson 1: It reminds me that we get the opportunity to witness God's miracles every day.  From the flowers blooming in the spring to babies being born.  All too often we excuse these little miracles as insignificant or ordinary ways of life.  I wish we could see Gods creations through His eyes.  He has carefully crafted everything we see and His love for us is displayed for us abundantly in nature!    

Lesson 2:  Not only do the flowers & trees go through seasons but so do our lives.  I am comforted knowing that no matter how hard of a season we may be going through, I know that God is with us every step of the way shaping, molding and preparing us.  Sometimes he allows  us to go through uncomfortable or painful situations in order to prepare us or teach us a specific lesson.  His love is a perfecting love, not a pampering love and he is more concerned with our spiritual growth than he is our comfort.  Sometimes the only way he can get our attention is by allowing trials into our life.  We need to to learn to "give thanks in all circumstances" 1 Thes 5:18  

Lesson 3:  Just like the flowers blooming in the snow, God often shows up in unexpected places and situations.  God is always working in our lives and we need to learn to trust him completely no matter what season our life is in.  Who knows, he may me working a miracle in our life, we just need to be patient to recognize it. 

I am so thankful for gifts I have been given.  Not only the ones I can see in nature but the overflowing of blessing in my life (Luke 6:38).  I am honored to be called a child of God and proudly serve Him daily.  

On Thursday, AJ celebrated his 15th birthday by going to the DMV to take his learners permit test.  HE PASSED!  For the past 3-4 months, Adam has been on KSL every day looking for a good deal on an older vehicle that him & the boys can work on together and that AJ can use when he turns 16 and inherit when he graduates high school.  On Saturday, Adam & I went & looked at (and bought) an '88 Jeep Wrangler.  It's in good condition and runs great.  Now AJ just needs to get a job so he can spend his own money customizing it.  I'm sure he will not be shy about asking for money when the holiday's roll around over the next few years.  It will definitely make gift giving easy for everyone!

Earlier this month we took the kids out of school for a week and went on a cruise to Cabo San Lucas and Encenada.  Michael celebrated his 12th birthday while on the cruise.  We had a birthday cake delivered to our table and everyone sang Happy Birthday to both AJ & Mike.  Some of the highlights of our trip were:  Seeing whales, dolphins and seals in the wild.  Spending a day at an exclusive resort in Cabo.  Taking a back country tour through Encenada in a Jeep and eating as much food and ice cream possible while on the cruise.  Breathtaking sunrise, sunsets and rainbows over the ocean.  Cute towel animals in our stateroom every night.  Being waited on hand & foot for 5 days!  Needless to say... we cant wait for our next cruise!

Yup! Were going on another cruise in February (this time with the kids)! We were able to get an amazing last minute deal that we couldnt pass up. We will drive to San Diego on February 6th and be back home around February 14th. The cruise goes to Cabo San Lucas and Encinada. FYI... the weather in Cabo today is sunny and 80 degrees! Today in Utah the high will be 36 degrees with a chance of snow on Monday - we are out of here!

RoadHome Charity Project

Last Monday we woke up early and loaded up our truck, trailer and back seat with all the donations we had been purchasing and collecting all year and headed to Salt Lake to drop them off

at the RoadHome.

We left the house before 9:00am and the snow was just barely starting to fly. We made it to the RoadHome easily but on our way back we hit a major storm system!

It took us quite a while to get back home then we

spent the rest of our day shoveling over a foot of snow and helping out several of our neighbors try to keep up with it all.

We were able to donate over $700 in sleeping bags, numerous hygiene products, clothes, coats, socks, blankets makeup & diapers. F.Y.I. The Radio-thon raised over $633,000 for the RoadHome this year. A huge thanks to everyone who helped purchased and collect items for this very worthy cause. We are looking forward to doing it again next year!

(for more information about the RoadHome you can visit their website at www.theraodhome.org)

My Blogging Hiatus is Over!

As some of you may have noticed, I have not updated my blog since Halloween. Thanks to a brand new (much needed) computer, I am now back in the blogging business!  To the right are some slide shows of the BYU and TCU games and below is a post from late fall that I have been meaning to post for several months now.

GRATITUDE...

As most of you now know by now, later this summer I got Mono (a.k.a. Glandular Fever or Epstein Barr Virus).  The Doctors didn't know I had Mono until 3 months after my first symptoms appeared in early August.  Now almost 5 months later, I can say that I feel like my "old" self again.  There were times when I was not sure I would ever feel the same, so for me to say that I feel "normal" again is a huge victory!  There is something wonderful that happens after you recover from a trying illness.  Anyone who has experienced a prolong illness will know exactly what I am talking about.  It's called GRATITUDE.  I have an overwhelming sense of gratitude for everything these days.  I have a new appreciation for so many things that almost everyone takes for granted such as our health, our families and our jobs.  It is said that Love and Gratitude are the two strongest emotions that someone can feel.  I truly believe that.  I have a new appreciation for people who live their lives in constant pain or health issues.  Every day I interact with people who live in constant pain.  Some have arthritis and others are battling cancer.  Many people endure surgery after surgery and live in constant pain.  Most of these people have jobs, families and hobbies and try to live their lives as much as normal despite their health problems.  I admire their strength and determination to not let their health issues determine their quality of life.  If I had to pick one thing that I am the most thankful for it would be the ability to think clearly and rationally.  I know that sounds like a strange thing to be thankful for but for nearly 3 months I was completely unable to concentrate or follow through with anything that required any amount of thought or concentration.  My brain did not work properly and my actions and emotions were greatly exaggerated and affected in a very negative way.  In all seriousness, I feel like I got a taste of what it's like to be mentally ill (unfortunately, my husband and kids can vouch for that because I was very irrational and crazy at times)  I want to publicly thank my husband and kids for putting up with me during my crazy moments.  I know they were very concerned at times and I am sorry that they had to put up with my very irrational behavior.  I now have a new appreciation for many things and am so thankful for my health and the ability to live my life to the fullest.   

Christmas 2008

Last year I had such a bad attitude about putting up my Christmas decorations up. I hated the fact that I would spend a bunch of time putting it up just to take it down a month later. In fact, my sisters and Mom took pity on me and snuck into my house and put up some decorations for me. This year, my wonderful husband and kids put the tree up for me while I was at a Christmas Dinner (which they know I hate doing). I saw the tree as I drove up into the driveway and it made me so happy! When I came into the house I started to go to Mike's bedroom to see if he was still awake and I heard a voice from the front room say "Mom, we are hiding" then out they came from behind the couch and tree.
Thanks boys! I love you! I have enjoyed the Christmas seaon this year, I have so much to be thankful for. I have enjoyed reflecting back to my childhood and when my kids were little. I love thinking about the memories and stories behind each ornament and decoration that fills our house. We have kept things simple this year and have been looking forward to taking our sleeping bags and other items to the Road Home on Monday (see Adam's Rants & Ramblings about more on that).
Here are some pictures of the boys boxing up some of the items. I will post more pictures soon as we load everything up and take our stuff to Salt Lake.


Here are some pictures of my favorite ornaments.
AJ & Mike's Kindergarten photos - aren't they cute!


The X-Mas 1993 ornament I made our first Christmas together and I was also pregnant with AJ at the time. It seems just like yesterday!

9th Grade Conference Champions

AJ's team accomplished a perfect season and won the 9th Grade Conference Championship against Lone Peak. Click on the photo above to view it bigger. AJ is on the front row, sixth in from the right. Below are some video clips from AJ's last game...

Clip #1 - Winning touchdown

Clip #2 - After Game Celebration

Clip #3 - AJ first through the banner

Halloween

This year for halloween we all kind of went our seperate ways. AJ had plans with his friends and Mike went trick-or-treating. Adam & I stayed home. I procrastinated carving the pumpkins so I did that while the kids were out. After carving the pumpkins I decided to torture the animals by making them dress up for halloween and then endure a photo shoot. It took me back to my childhood when me & my sisters used to dress up our cocker spaniel, Sausha, into our cabbage patch doll clothes. She was such a good sport and very patient with us. Stan wasnt very happy with me but the other two cooperated just fine.

Well, football season is finally coming to a close. Both of the boys did very well this season. Michaels last game ended in double overtime but unfortunately they lost by 1 point which disqualifed them from the playoffs. AJ's team accomplished a perfect season and so far they have won their first two playoff games which advances them to the championship game next week. I know the kids will have mixed feelings about no more football but personally, I will not miss having to run kids back & forth to practice everyday and am looking forward to being able to make & serve dinner to everyone all at thesame time rather than reheating dinner three different times every night. I found this article on the internet which expresses my exact feelings about the life lessons that can be learned from participating in football(or any team sport for that matter). Lessons such as perseverance, commitment, responsibility and learning that "life isn't fair" can all be effectively taught by participating in team sports.

Here is a clip from that article...

"That's not fair!", is one of the most common statements repeated continually by young people today. Well, it's time our young men learned that life isn't fair. You will get knocked down, people will cheat and the call will not always go your way. But, you must get up and get back into the game or lose. If you stay down, you can't win.Young men need to learn that being the best means preparing, persevering, and practicing whether you want to or not. They need to understand that things will be difficult at times; there will be trials and tribulations. It's all part of life. But quitting is not an option. Our young men need to regain a sense of responsibility, loyalty and commitment. The most important of these being commitment. Imagine the change in our world, if young men kept their commitments not because a court told them to do it, but because they believed it was the right thing to do.

This season has been challenging, exciting, frustrating, demanding and sometimes not fair but unfortunalty the saying "life is'nt fair" is a reality in life. I believe that it's a lesson better learned at an early age rather than later in life. I just want to express to both AJ & Mike that we are extremly proud of both of them regardless of the amount of playing time they got on the field. Good job boys - we are very proud of you!

Valentines Day in September???

This morning I opened up my office to find it decorated to the max with balloons, steamers, banners and notes! My desk girls are so cute! It's been "bubble week" and I'm sure decorating my office was funner than cleaning so I cant say I blame them.

My favorite gift was the drawing

that Rachel drew for me.

Notice the photos on the wall that she drew of my cat & dog and Me & Adam. Thanks a ton Rachel, your very talented! Michaun bought me flowers and Brittany gave me some "Loose"berry Jam - Yum, Yum. And I cant forget to mention the personalized notes from all the girls plastered all over my door! Thanks a ton everyone, I dont deserve your kindness! Now get back to work!

Football, Football & more Football!

Right now our lives completly revolve around football. The kids have practices 3-5 times a week (both at differnt fields and different times), we attend games 2 times a week, plus we plan our our weekends around all U of U & Patriots games. Both the boys are both doing very well.

AJ's team has played 3 games, winning all of them thus far. Last week their victory was 60-0 over Timpanogos -needless to say, AJ got a lot of playing time that game. He is still proud to say that he has still not missed, been late or left early from one practice since practices started in May! He is very dedicated and hopefully his hard work will pay off soon! It's been fun to watch his team play on the high school football fields this year. There is something about playing under the big lights and having each game announced. Another bonus is that the scoreboards work so we always know how much time is left in each quarter and what the score is. It adds a whole new dimension to the game, it's been very exciting to watch each game even if AJ doesnt get much playing time some games.

Mike has played 2 games thus far and they have won 1. He still continues to suprise us with his natural abilities at this game. He is a great asset to his team and it's not unusual for them the use him on offensive line, defensive line and special teams all in the same game. Mike is also proud to say that he has not missed, been late or left early from any of his practices either. His coaches are really positive and seem to keep it fun and enjoyable for the kids which is hard to find these days in competitive leagues.

Here are some short video clips of the boys. The first clip is Michael (wearing red #56 ). At the end of the play he is on the left hand side of the frame. The second clip is one of AJ (wearing red #69) he is in the center of the screen sacking the quarter back. AJ's clip is washed out so unfortunatly you cant see it very clearly. To help you find him, he is the one that hits his chest at the very end of the play with the black socks.

Good job boys, keep up the hard work!

Biking to Shaker Heights, Ohio

OK - this might sound cheesy but its keeping us motivated to exercise each morning. First some background info... At the beginning of this summer, Adam & I bought some road bikes and would bike for 45 minutes every morning before work. Our motto was "5 miles before 5am". It might sound like torture, but it actually wasn't that bad. The air was nice & cool, the streets were very quite and everything is very peaceful that early in the morning (although barking dogs and hissing sprinklers can be quite un-nerving that early in the morning). Anyway, a couple weeks ago we purchased some indoor bikes so we could continue our biking routine without fearing death or injury. If you have traveled the roads of American Fork lately, you'll know what I mean. Every road is torn up and under construction for the pressurized irrigation project. (I have a feeling it will soon be the subject of "things that annoy me" on Adam's blog - just wait and see.) If you ask me, falling into a trench at 4:30 in the morning would not be a good way to start the day. Adam has admitted that there are some mornings that he sleeps through most of the route so there was a very good possibility that I could have been missing for hours before he ever noticed that I was gone. Well, enough on that... Anyway, one day I was curious about how many miles it was from our house to Ali & Kolby's. In case you are wondering, it is 1,763 miles. It gave me the idea that we should set a goal to "bike" to Ali & Kolby's house. So I made a chart and every morning we log our miles and track our progress to Shaker Heights, Ohio. Right now we are averaging about 17 miles a day combined. As soon as I get my "heart condition" figured out, I should be able to contribute more but until then, Adam has to work out extra hard to compensate for my minimal contributions. So far we have logged 168 miles... only 1,595 miles to go! Our goal is to bike all 1,763 by the end of the year. In order to achieve that, we are going to have to step up our game! Look out Ali & Kolby - here we come slowly but surely.

5K Run

AJ ran his first 5k race last Saturday as a part of his football conditioning. He ran it in 37 minutes - pretty good for a lineman! He is proud to say that he has not missed one practice since workouts began the first week of summer. He is very dedicated and has a lot of heart. Right now he is fighting for 1st string defensive tackle position. They have been doing two-a-days all week from 7-9am and then again from 5-7pm in preparation for their first game which is August 28th at 7pm. Needless to say, he cant seem to get enough sleep or enough to eat! AJ will be wearing #69 this season.

Michael is also doing extremely well. He practices 5 days a week from 6-8pm each night. He loves going to practice and just weighed in at 125lbs! He is the biggest kid on the team and will be following his older brother by playing a defensive tackle position. Today, instead of his traditional football workout they hiked up to the "Y". Michael will be wearing #56 this season.

We are still awaiting schedules for both kids. As soon as we get those schedules we will post them on the "Calendar of Events" link located on the right side of this blog. This will hopefully be an easy way to communicate eveything that will be going on during this busy fall season!

Special thanks to everyone who has helped AJ meet his fundraising quotas this year. Apparently this is just a taste of what to expect next year as he enters the high school program (just a warning in advance). We are grateful to have such supportive family members who never hesitate to pitch in when needed.