a walk and a BABY!

This year at the walk for the cure, my mom and I gained a sister who had to work last year (love you Cyndy), but lost a sister(love you Dawn) who was a little busy at the hospital...

taking care of the most yummy baby ever! I am in love with baby Knox Yonny Kershaw.
8 pounds exactly!

One of the best moments that I will never forget, is when they brought Knox into the recovery room to Dawn, and she just held him and stared at her new beautiful boy. She cried the most happy tears as her and Kasey realized that what they have waited so long for, was finally there and perfect in every way.

Congratulations Kasey, Dawnie and Taygin on your new little family member.

shelter from the storm...

I gave a talk yesterday in sacrament meeting.

(thank you for the sighs and sympathy right now because it was Mother's Day)
I mentioned an experience of when Alec had lost a big game in the state tournament. A game everyone knew they were going to win. The tournament that was suppose to be theirs.
But wasn't.
As we came out of Bingham High School, it was dark, foggy, raining, and just more depressing. I tried to keep his spirits high on the drive home, without saying too much.
I decided to drive home a different way with a special building on the new route.
As we turned the corner this is what we saw.

We stopped in the middle of the road and snapped pictures and couldn't believe how amazing it looked in the middle of the storm.
I told Alec that I knew it was hard to lose such a big game, but there really are more important things in life than basketball.
That's (the Temple) what life's about.

Everything this picture represents, is what's important.
He simply said back to me, "I Know."

requests of a 14 year old....time stands still.

3/11/10


"All I want for my birthday is Muscle Milk, a trimmer, (for his lawn business), and some new shoes."
We took care of the muscle milk, and his grandparents took care of the trimmer and shoes.

A phone cover, a used ukulele from Carter and a new basketball from Savvy and Luke.

One of the hardest things for me to write about on this blog is Alec. I don't know if it's a first child thing, or the fact that he (as far as grades and sports go) is in High School in just a short four months. He's old and that means I am. He's wonderful, and I don't understand why I have the privilege to have him here in my life. I often feel like I don't deserve him. I often feel like he came to us because we didn't get it before we had him. He makes me get it.

I heard someone talk about a 'stand still' moment a few weeks ago.

It's not an 'a-ha' moment but a stand still moment. Where life stops around you for a brief moment and you just breathe it in. Stand and Breathe. Where you just take in whatever just happened, good or bad, big or small. A moment so special or so difficult, that it will never again leave you.

I feel like I've had more than usual of these stand still moments with Alec lately.

When I dropped him off at HIGH SCHOOL football practice. Jer tells people it was like I was dropping him off at Kindergarten again. I sat still in my car as I watched my skinny 14 year old walk up to something where he didn't know anyone, he had never played football before, where there were 'men' (they're huge!) who say they are still in High School standing next to him, and did I mention it's for High School?! If Jeremy hadn't talked me through it over the phone, I may still be on the side of the road somewhere huddled in my car. Things were still.

Or when I went in to a meeting with a student counselor, Alec and myself. We went over his goals, his grades, his accomplishments, his interests, his activities and what classes he will need to take and when he needs to take them in order to graduate High School and get into the college of his choice. (his choices are BYU and North Carolina...I'm dying here!) He has decided he would like to be a Sports Medicine Doctor and he is, for now, on that path. Things were still in that room, as I wondered why this meeting didn't happen in my own life. Would things have been different?

Or when I stood in a gym and listened to the new Herriman High basketball coach tell 50 young men, including mine, just what he expects from them if they are going to play for him next year. It took me back to my high school gym, and my high school coach telling me the same things. Again, it was still.

And the time he spoke at Savvy's baptism about the Holy Ghost. Who knew he could give such a talk at such a young age. I watched my son turn into a missionary and knew it was something he would do forever. He bore his testimony of how the Spirit can bless the lives of others and how it has blessed his own life right now. The room was very, very still.

I expect many more of these moments in the near future with him. I now look forward to them. They have been beautiful and meaningful and they will never leave me. I realize I can't change the fact that he is almost as tall as me. I can't stop time, or turn it back. I can only cherish and hold on to these stand still moments.

And never, ever let them go.

lessons learned on a court...

January - March 2010

One of the many reasons I was so behind on my blog is because of a crazy sports schedule. Some of you may remember when I wrote about Alec playing on so many teams last year and that we were maybe not going to do that again this year.

Well that's comedy.

Of course we did it again.

I don't think it's in us NOT to do this.

And so I must record the schedule we had during basketball season. Mostly, so that I can show it to Alec and Carter when they are mean teenagers and say that I don't do anything for them.

I'll grab them by the ear and drag them to the computer and make them read this over and over until they get on their knees, ask for my forgiveness, hug and thank me and tell me how wonderful I am!!

Monday night - Alec - Northstar basketball practice.

Alec - Jr. Jazz game. The Speed played up in this league against 9th and 10th graders. They had so much fun on Monday nights, the pressure of Super League was lifted.

Carter - Futsal practice

Tuesday night - Carter - Velocity Training down at the 'Factory' (after piano lessons.)

Alec - Northstar JV game and then Varsity game right after. These games were played all over the valley!

(Then hurry back for Young Men's)

Wednesday night - Alec - Northstar Practice

Carter - Futsal practice

Thursday night (3 games) - Alec - Northstar JV and Varsity game

Alec - Speed game in Murray super league.

Carter - Basketball practice

*Robyn had a bball game this night too!

Friday night - Alec bball practice for Northstar AND Speed - we usually skipped out on the Northstar practice.

Saturday - Carter had Jr. Jazz game

Alec - Speed game in Dimple Dell Upper Super League

Alec - Speed game in Dimple Dell Middle Super League

Alec - Speed game in Dimple Dell Lower Super League

That's right, Al had 9 games a week. Not to mention the last week of tournaments they had to play 2 games in a row for championships in some of those leagues. (6 games - 1 day)

Plus, Carter had the big futsal tournament which was over one of those weekends.

But after all is said and done. It couldn't have been more worth it.

A trillion games down, three championship's to celebrate, a couple 2nd place spots, devastating losses (in the state tournament), team camaraderie, wonderful coaches, parents I love like family, an invitation to a national futsal tournament in Long Beach, two boys that make their mom so proud.

Not just on the court, but off.

To me, that's more important.

They are encouraging, good sports, leaders, excellent team mates, and willing to listen and do what a coach asks.

I am extremely thankful for lessons learned on the court.

And off.

2 years in a row...undefeated and 1st place!

An undefeated Jr. Jazz season.

1st place.

1st place.

Silver medal winners.

And before you shake your head back and forth in disgust because I have those "over scheduled" boys...

They both know that mom will pull them out of their obsession so fast if their grades fell. This sports thing is working for me because they know if they want a college scholarship they need to get straight A's. Lucky for us, they both are on the right track so far.

School work is much more important to me and getting grounded from soccer or basketball (which would crush them) is something they know I will do. They do go to scouts and do play with friends too. And yes, they do chores as well.

Ok, not a ton of time to play with friends. But some.

And every time I ask them if they want to slow down, they quickly answer, "NO"!!

Alright, thanks for letting me make myself feel better.