There was no school on Monday because of President's Day but Beth and Ben and I were sick and Sarah was still gone to Las Vegas and Megan and Mariah needed rest and Kevin had to work, SO I took Cheyenne and Calianne and their friend, Logan, to the Provo Rec Center and dropped them off.  They had a great time playing in the pool and waiting in line for the slide and going around the lazy river.  I was glad that at least part of us had a great holiday!

Cali and Chey and Mariah and Megan continue to take care of calves every morning at 5:30 and again in the evening at 5:30.  They are doing really well with it, although the mornings are wearing on all of them!

Mariah's SHS basketball team went to the State Tournament this week.  They won in their first game on Tuesday, but lost in their second game Thursday morning by ONE POINT!  It was heartbreaking.  Mariah is actually the most heartbroken over the fact that the season is over!  She loves basketball and being with her team.  She did start track practice the very next day, though, so, hopefully she is being marginally comforted.

Sarah came back to us on Tuesday!!  Yay!  Sarah's back from Las Vegas!  She had a really great time hanging out with her Grandma and Grandpa Elton and I think it's super cool that she went.  She is super glad she went, too.  It didn't stop us all from missing her, though and being glad she's back!  She's just so fun!

Bethany was sick and didn't go to school until Friday, but her last basketball game was on Thursday and she just had to play!  She had fun and my little team had fun and I made them a traditional pan-size cookie for their last game.  Best part of the whole season!

Cali and Chey had their last basketball games for Springville this week, too.  They had two games and won them both!  They've had a lot of fun this season playing with their dad.

 

 

 

Megan had work three days this week, but hasn't shown any signs of getting sick, so that's nice!  She is enjoying her internship in Mapleton Junior High's library and loves her astronomy class.  Right this minute she is patiently letting Ben beat her at Candy Land.  What a great sister!

Benjamin went to school most of the week, but did stay home Wednesday, as well, because his health was still struggling.  We've all had coughs and runny noses and fuzzy heads.  I was glad when he started feeling better and needing to get some energy out again.

On Saturday, we revived an old tradition and went to the BYU Women's Basketball game as a family!  BYU was kind enough to win for us, too!  Afterward, we went to the Brick Oven for pizza!  Fun times!  We even managed to get home in time to feed the calves . . .

 

Savannah's birthday was on Monday!  Of course, we couldn't be with her and give her all the hugs we wanted to, but we did have cupcakes delivered and it was her P-day, so she got to read our emails, and we got to read hers!  She is doing great things and we are proud of her, AND we will be very happy to have her back in just two months!!

Tuesday was Valentine's Day, so Beth and Ben (my only elementary students this year!) brought treats to school and came home with lots of valentine goodies.  It was Cali and Chey's first year without the school Valentine party tradition, but two anonymous people sent them carnations through the junior high tradition, and I think that eased the blow a bit.  Kevin and I met for lunch and he brought me flowers!  The rest of the day was spent with Mariah's last home basketball games at the high school.  I went to the JV game and the Sophomore game, but Kevin and Sarah stayed for Varsity, too!  They have a senior with downs syndrome who has been the team manager for the last few years and they let her play the first bit of the Varsity game and shoot the first basket.  The news was there and everything.  It was really cool!  That's some good love to celebrate on Valentines, right?

Wednesday I went to the temple.  That was peaceful and lovely.  Kevin, though, had to work a 13 hour day.  They need him to run a group on Wednesday nights for the next several weeks.  It's hard for him to be gone that long, but we sure appreciate all he does for us.

Thursday I went to the first day of LTUE which is a big writing conference in Provo.  It was tons of fun.  Mariah played in her last away games in Heber.  Kevin rearranged his schedule so he could go watch them all!  Kevin says that Mariah was the high-scorer in both the Sophomore and JV games.  She is always worth the trip.  Sarah left us on this day to go visit her grandma and grandpa in Las Vegas.  She needed an adventure!  That night I coached Bethany in one of her basketball games where she had great fun and went to bookclub late, but still had fun.

Friday I went to LTUE again and it was even better.  But, it was a sad day at the Skinner house, because . . . Cheyenne's calf died.  It was very sad.  Cheyenne and her partner, Elizabella, cried most of the day.  Kevin took Chey to the gym to shoot baskets to get her mind off of it.  I took Megan to the store to look for a semi-formal dress for Saturday, and Mariah stayed to shoot baskets with her dad and the twins--because she likes that better than dress shopping.  (She actually likes just about everything better than clothes shopping).  Still, Kevin and I managed to get away for our Friday-night dinner out!

Saturday, Cali and Chey and their friend, Logan, made cookies to cheer up Elizabella.  Ben was out flat from his second day battling a cold.  Beth had spent the night at Grandma's house and spent a good part of Saturday enjoying some special time.  When Mariah was done with basketball practice and shooting practice, we had her try on more of our dresses from home and at last decided on one!  Megan worked until two and when she got home, got ready for the Sweetheart's Dance!  Kaden picked Megan up at 5:00 and they had a fabulous time!  Mariah's personal hair dresser helped her with her hair after that so that she was ready to go TO HER FIRST DANCE EVER at 6:15.  She was very nervous but ended up having a great time!  Do I even need to tell you that they both looked incredible?

 

Sarah went hiking with Robin and I this week!  She worked Monday through Thursday, but she didn't have to go to work until 2:30 on Thursday, so she came with us as we hiked along the Bonneville Shoreline Trail.  Believe it or not, it was such a warm day that we were uncomfortably HOT!  What?  Is it really February?  I much prefer the heat to the cold and the mounds of snow, so yay!  I brought Sarah some dinner that day and got a picture of her with one of the twin babies for whom she is nannying.  That Sarah of mine is sure a natural!

Megan had a busy week getting ready for the FCCLA Conference held at BYU on Friday.  She and her team created a business proposal for a lemonade and pastry shop called Lemon Ice.  They scored high and will go on to State.  She sure can talk business now, too!

Mariah and her team went bowling Tuesday instead of having practice or a game!  Fun times!  They did have games on Friday and Kevin, Sarah, Grandma, Grandpa, Megan, and I all watched at least some.  At the end of the Sophomore game, they were down by five, Mariah hit a three-pointer so they were down by two, and in the last seconds of the game, while in bonus, the other team foolishly fouled Mariah.  She swished both free throws putting us into overtime where we won!  She's a star.  We even have her sports card to prove it:

Cali and Chey were stars in their basketball games this week, too.  They played in a Springville Rec game and their last bantam game until March league.  They lost both games but held tight under great odds!  They've both shown great improvement in their game and are playing great!

Springville game where Sarah helps coach, too!

Bantam team.

Bethany received an award at school this week for being a great kid.  She really is a great kid.  There is not a mean bone in her body.  All sweetness and sugar and spice that girl!

Benjamin had a good week, too, doing Karate, going to school, playing with friends, and playing on the iPad.

Our ward has started it's yearly fundraiser for the youth.  This year, they are raising calves!  It is such an ambitious project and yet, is turning out to be so fantastic.  Megan and Mariah have a calf, Cali has a calf in another group, and Chey has a calf in another.  (There are 2 or 3 in each group).  They have to feed them with a bottle at 5:30 in the morning and 5:30 at night, check their straw, and check their health.  They are having a great time.  They've named their calves Thor and Oliver COWdery and MOO-lawn.

Sarah didn't work as much this week.  So, she and I went to the fabric store to look for some new projects.  She's going to sew a jacket and a new scripture bag and they're going to be CUTE!  She and Megan went clothes shopping together Saturday afternoon and had a great time!  She finished another headband, too, and gave it to Mariah.

Megan worked this week and went driving with her boy and they sang songs from her phone together.  She started her internship at Mapleton Junior High's library.   She's often up late getting her homework done.  Earlier this week she got an acceptance letter from Utah State University!  She could be an Aggie!  Saturday night she and Mariah went to the Mr. Springville contest at the high school and had a great time!

Mariah had games on Tuesday and Friday and has been sinking three-pointers in all her games.  She's a terrific contributor to her team!  I know she has a lot to offer.  She's doing great in her honors and AP classes, too.

Cheyenne and Calianne are staying busy with basketball and young women.  Saturday they had a church ball game at 12:30, bantam practice at 1:30, and a bantam game at 9:00 that night!  They were pretty tired by the end of the day!  They love to be busy, though, and manage to play with friends or make cookies in between everything else.

Bethany and Benjamin are busy with friends and homework and Chinese.  Bethany played in her basketball game on Monday night and keeps doing great.  Benjamin went to Karate and got awarded a Ninja headband for being Junior Dragon of the month!

Kevin went to Arizona to teach for ITAP this weekend.  He was gone Thursday through Sunday and boy did we miss him!  He earned a lot of money, though, and changed the way people go about helping people, and testified of purpose and love and God, too.  Sounds like a successful four days!

It was the beginning of a new month, so I had a lot of accounting to keep me busy during school hours.  When its not school hours, I've got a lot of kids to keep me busy.  We had visiting teaching conference during relief society this week and it went really well.  I'm happy about it.  :)