Look what Kevin got to do this week!  He gave a Ted talk!  I went to the event with him.  He was third of twenty speeches.  The official title of his talk was, "The Other Side of Infidelity."  Specifically, he talked about how we can help people who have been betrayed by their partners.

He did super!!  He's been working and polishing his talk for some time and it really showed.  We enjoyed the rest of the speeches together and learned a lot and had a fun day.  What a neat experience.

Mariah got honored this week, as well.  She had her basketball banquet where we found out that she was chosen as an honorable mention for All-Region.  Way to go Mariah!  It was a fun time with good food.  She works so hard and it was neat to celebrate the hard work of the entire team!

Cali and Chey are both taking Foods and Sewing (two different classes) this semester.  Chey made dinner for her siblings when Kevin, Mariah, and I went to the basketball banquet (fried rice with apple slices).  She also brought home a bunch of her sewing projects to show off.  Calianne is learning this stuff, too, but I haven't gotten a chance to get a picture of her with her good works!  They're still going to track practices and working on piano.

Beth and Ben and Cali and Chey all spent a lot of time on the trampoline this week.  I think it uses lots of muscles because we were getting complaints of weird ailments until we figured it out and decided to blame it all on the trampoline.  Ha ha!  Stomachs, necks, shoulders, legs, etc.  Kevin has even been talked into doing some back-flip demonstrations.  I asked if that was safe?  Oh yeah, totally, he assures me. 

I haven't been on the trampoline at all, but I did hike the Y with Robin.  That gave me plenty of sore muscles.  Ha, ha!

Sarah continued to work her two jobs.  In spite of being crazy busy, she also had a game night at our house with people from her YSA ward.  She decided she won't try to do such a big group again since her favorite games require a smaller group.  But, it was cool she did it!

Savannah and Meg continue to run after the carrot their professors continue to dangle in front of them.  They're working so hard and it just doesn't seem to end!  We met them at the BYU bookstore Saturday morning with the whole family.  We wanted to buy everyone a spiritual picture for their rooms for their Easter presents!  It was fun to be together on their campus, too.

Cosmo is in this picture.  Can you see him?

Megan got her wisdom teeth out this week! BYU gave their students a "Spring Day" off of school.  That was Friday, so we got her teeth out on Thursday afternoon.  I expected she'd need all of the next three days to recover, but she was up walking around same as other folk by Friday morning.  She's had a little bit of pain, though not bad, and very little swelling.  Way to go Dr. Pratt!  Or, way to go Megan's mouth!  Either way, we'll take it and it's been fun to have her around for the last three days.  She even told Beth that she makes banana splits for her job at the BYU creamery and she could make her one special if Mom would buy the ingredients.  Mom would, and it turned out we all wanted one!  What a great kid!

This is when she was home last week!

Savannah has come and hung out with us, too, over the weekend.  She's been sharing her love of the old TV show, "W.I.T.C.H." with her four youngest siblings!  It can be hard to get Ben to do anything but Minecraft during his on-screen hours, but when it's time to watch that show, he comes running!  It's been fun for all of them.

Sarah worked both of her jobs this week and then on Friday and Saturday worked two shifts BOTH days.  She logged 10 hours on Friday and 12 Saturday.  Hello?  These are the problems with being a good worker!  Not that I'd have her be any other way.  Needless to say, she is keeping busy and making lots of money!

Mariah ran in two track meets this week and ran the mile in both.  She ran in the low 5.40s both races which I think is tremendous, but she is off her PR from last year by about 20 seconds, so she is not happy.  Such is the life of the track star!  I also got some more pictures from her last dance.

Cali and Cheyenne started official practices with the junior high track team this week.  They love it!  Our schools also had a day off on Friday because the term ended Thursday.  Cali and Chey used the free day to plan a surprise party for two of their friends who have birthdays in March.  Lots of eighth-grade girls making waffles and playing games!  They have a lot of fun together.  They're a good group of kids and its fun to see my girls being the organizers of fun things!

Bethany and Ben had karate this week, and Beth had piano and sewing.  Ben and I had guitar.  They invited friends over and did their usual things.  But the most exciting thing of all was that . . . Dad put up the trampoline!!  We had great weather on Monday and Tuesday which is when Kevin (and Sarah and Mariah) put up the trampoline.  The weather promptly turned to rain and then to snow.  This has not stopped my children, though, and we have had some very cold feet!  But much joy.

Cali and Cheyenne's last performance of Joseph was on Monday.  We all went to see it again!  They all did so great and obviously had such a great time performing.  We're also so glad they got to expose so many to such an inspiring story.  So proud of those two and the way they choose to spend their time.  Watching them on stage I thought of watching them all their lives from babies until now.  How God has blessed me!

After that we had a pretty laid-back week.  We had a huge snowstorm on Sunday.  It spent the rest of the week melting so that Saturday, Cali and Chey set up our little badminton set and played in the backyard.  We even had the windows open!  Maybe spring is coming!

Monday

Saturday

Mariah had track practice and managed to play pick-up basketball most days.  She also took the ACT on Tuesday at the high school.  Fun times!  She said it wasn't as bad as she thought it'd be.  We'll take that as a good sign.  She and Sarah went to the temple together on Saturday.

Sarah worked 30 hours at Brick Oven this week. (!!!)  She also worked four days in the public schools.  She's a crazy-hard worker!  Bonus though, she had a super fun date Saturday--afternoon date, since temple in the morning and Brick Oven at night!

Cali and Chey went on a couple of runs this week to get ready for track (which starts next week).  Other than that, they tried to adjust to having a whole lot more time on their hands now that Joseph and Festival are both done!

Beth and Ben had karate this week and also had some friends over.  They're having a good time.

Saturday Kevin presented on Rebuilding Love and Trust after Betrayal at the annual UCAP Conference in SLC.  They fed us dinner the night before and gave us a hotel room so Kevin wouldn't need to drive the next morning.  I tagged along and it was a good time.  I'm so proud of him and the good he's doing in the world!

We've had a fun week!  My mom and uncle John came to visit!  I picked them up at the airport late Tuesday night and they stayed all the way until Saturday evening.  We talked and talked and went out to eat a couple of times and saw Cali and Chey in their performance of Joseph and watched some shows and saw the motorcycles at Legends and went to the quilt shop and the art museum and saw Cali, Chey, and Beth perform in their piano festival.  Fun times!  They can come hang out with us anytime.  We love being so close to their warmth and love and laughter.

Cali and Chey started performances of their play this week, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.  They did so great!  We attended the last full-run dress rehearsal for special friends and family that included dinner from Wallaby's.  What fun!  Good food and great entertainment and great seats!  The kids were obviously having such a fun time and they remembered all their singing and dance moves just great.  We loved it.  That was Wednesday night.  Since then, they've performed twice Thursday, twice Friday, and again on Saturday.  Grandma went again on Thursday with Savannah, and Megan and Ammon went on Saturday.  Kevin and I are going to go again on Monday, closing night.  They're having a great time and even went to a very loud cast party after the play last night.  Oh the life of the performer!

Cali and Chey and Beth also had piano festival this week.  They've been working very hard and it showed.  They all got superior ratings even though they played it better at home and could tell me all the places they messed up.  Lol!  We're proud of their hard work and the beautiful skill they're developing.

Ben and Beth also had a karate tournament this week!  They were at the dojo from 10 to 2 on Saturday competing in weapons and forms and Kumite (which is where they fight).  They're both making great progress and they love it.  Plus, they gave Beth another huge trophy and how could she dislike that?

Mariah had track practice all week and in spite of being in terrific shape for basketball, she has been very sore changing her muscles for these new stresses.  She also has continued to find ways to play basketball most days, too!  She does get home from practice earlier from track than she did with basketball and I like that!  We love that hard-working girl!

Sarah had an easier week with work because she "only" had to work at Brick Oven for three days instead of the usual four.  We were happy to have her around that extra night!  She worked all five days substituting, too.  She is a hard-working girl, too!

Savannah and Megan came over on Thursday night.  Meg had to do some stuff for her mission papers and it was Savannah's best night to watch the play.  Plus, they wanted to see Grandma and Uncle John!  After the play, we had everyone here!  It was noisy and fun and the days when everyone is together are always the best days!

It was a very great week.

Mariah played in the state tournament this week.  Their first game was Monday and they won!!  Such happy girls.  They proved just how far they had come.  They played again on Wednesday and lost in that second round.  Mariah is not so much distraught about the loss of the title as she is with the loss of two hours of basketball everyday.  She loves basketball!  I just roll my eyes at her.  It's not like she won't still play basketball.  And she has.  Everyday.  Silly girl.  She also went to her first day of track practice.  She asked me again why she always feels so tired? Hmmm, let me think. . .

Cali and Chey transitioned to play rehearsals until 6pm everyday this week.  Yikes!  They're not in all the scenes so even though they're there for a long time, I don't think it's been too intense.  They're having fun.  They even had "The Longest Day" rehearsal on Saturday which was 9 to 4 and survived just fine!  We can't wait to see them perform next week!  And look what they can do (although, apparently only with their eyes closed--!

Bethany had activity days and karate and piano and her last Springville basketball game!  She played great, and her mom-coach made her team the traditional giant cookie for end-of-season celebrating.  It was a fun time!

Benjamin had karate and guitar lessons.  He also played with his friend Niko during the week and Caleb on Saturday.  We've had a TON of snow so he even managed to do a little sledding and snow-fort building, but not too much because it's so COLD!

The view is pretty great still!

This week was Savannah's birthday!  She turned 22! We had a birthday dinner for her on Sunday night at our house with Grandma and Grandpa Gazdik.  She opened presents and blew out 22 candles.  Yay!

On her actual birthday, which was Tuesday, we met her and Megan at Brick Oven.  Sarah was working there, so we managed to include her.  Mariah had just finished a basketball game in Heber, so she couldn't make it.  Grandma Gazdik came, though!  It was late, so the four youngest and I had already eaten.  We had root beer floats while the others had pizza sampler.  They let Sarah take a break and sang to Savannah and took our picture.  Fun times!  We love that Savannah girl and are so glad we got to be with her this year on her birthday!!

Sarah did her two-job thing all week!  Her dad set her up on a lunch date Saturday.  She had fun but decided it probably wouldn't turn into anything more.  On Monday she stayed home and put together the bookcase and dresser we bought at IKEA the week before.  I was so glad I didn't have to do it!

Megan is dating a fun boy named, Ammon.  We knew she had a fun time with him and felt really comfortable with him but we were all amazed when he talked her into going to Cali and Chey's basketball game with him dressed as a gorilla and her dressed as a banana!!  It was so funny!  What a good sport she was!  I am, however, not allowed to post the picture so I will leave it to your imaginations!

Mariah had her last regular-season basketball game on Tuesday in Heber.  It was a close game but they ended up losing by 3.  Because of that, their record tied with another team in their region and they had to play a play-in game on Thursday.  Never fear!  They won that one by 12!  So, they will start state games tomorrow.  Here are some basketball pictures to get you in the mood:

She also went to the Sweetheart's Dance on Saturday night with a boy named Jake.  Their group had a lot of fun having dinner, going to the dance, and then playing games.  She had a good time!

Cali and Chey had their last Springville Rec basketball game this week.  They actually had a basketball game Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday--two Bantam games and two Springville games.  Crazy!  They love it, though even when they have to leave play rehearsal in order to be there (which only happened once!).

Bethany had a game this week and she and her teammates had a ton of fun!  She also had karate and piano and sewing.  On Saturday she got to go to a birthday party.  Fun times!

Benjamin had karate and guitar and school and still managed to build many extremely cool things in Minecraft and make his sister, Bethany, very mad when he flooded her entire city.  Apparently, that's a pretty fun thing to do in Minecraft (if you're the flooder, not if you're the floodee).

I got to go to a writing conference this weekend, Thursday-Saturday.  So. Much. Fun.  I learned a ton and got ideas for my novel and got to see lots of authors I have read and find out what they're like and what they think about writing.  It was like a little bit of heaven.  Happy sigh.  When I got back, I went hiking.

Kevin and I went to our old ward for a farewell and while there, we got a picture of the current bishop with the last three bishops.  Good men, but I like the one second from the right best of all!