This last weekend was a sure sign that fall is on its way. It was homecoming week at MM last week. Kennedee was asked to the dance by a boy who plays on the football team. Friday night football means wearing the jersey of your homecoming date. Kennedee was nominated for homecoming royalty. There was 4 rounds of nominations and out of the whole school she made it to the last round before they choose the royalty. There were 15 girls in all that were nominated. Thats pretty good to at least be nominated in such a big school, she had an ok time at the dance but she had a great week personally. She played 2 soccer games and was MVP of both games. She scored 4 goals and had 2 assists in 1 game and the second game she scored 2 out of the 3 goals. It makes me tear up every time she has a good game. I know the struggles she has had and knowing she is doing what she loves makes me happy for her. In 1 of the games Kennedee went up for a header and bumped heads with the goaly, they both went to the ground and I could see Kennedee testing all her limbs to make sure she had feeling. She laid on the ground and I went out to make sure it wasn't her neck. I held her hands and looked into her eyes as we both fought back tears. All the visions of state cup came rushing back as I looked into her eyes. She laid there for a few minutes and said her back hurt. she said her head was ok, (she later would tell me her head hurt but she wanted to play so she didn't say much about that). She squeezed my hands until she could get the pain under control. It didn't take long for her determination to come and the pain went away (it came back later). She left the game for a few minutes but came back and played her guts out.
Friday Kennedee went to the games with friends and saturday was a long day with ACT prep class, day date for dance and dance later. Madison went to the homecoming game for SF with her friends and we watched Stran and Hadlee on saturday. On sunday we had to take kids up to meet Jaime and since we were going to Salt Lake anyway we decided to go watch Baylee play soccer and on our way home we stopped at Scheels to try on shoes to get sizes to send to Bakersfield. Kennedee and Madison get along so well and have so much fun together. The 3 of us laugh alot and anytime I can spend time with the 2 of them is a good time.

I am so proud

I am so proud of Madison and of the athlete she has become. A year ago she was shy and unsure of herself. She would strike out more times than she hit. She was an awesome bunter and in the outfield she was amazing, she has always been super fast but the hitting was something she had a hard time with. She would walk up to bat and take a deep breath, you could tell she had very little confidence. What a difference a year makes. This year she has ripped 18 homes runs. 5 of those were last weekend at a tournament in Tremonton. For a little thing she has some serious power. Her last home run last weekend was all the way out to the fence and as she rounded 3rd base her coach told her to slow down she didn't need to run so fast, she crossed homeplate way before the ball.  I am so proud of her and how far she has come along and I really enjoy watching her do something she loves. I am so happy we found a coach who had the patience for her and has taught her so much, it has made such a huge difference.

This picture is the cover picture on Tremonton's Recreation Facebook page. So cool.

The girls took first place at the back to school tournament...

 

So this is what our summer consisted of:

Kennedee was in Hawaii playing soccer, Madison and I went to Tuachan for the weekend and lots of softball and yard work. I love having my own house and making the yard and garden exactly how I want it. We watched lots of parades, Hadlee was on floats for dancing and we did fireworks for the 4th and watched fireworks from the roof of mom and dads house in Pleasant View. I did get stuck coming off the roof but those pictures won't be posted here. We laughed so hard I think Kennedee peed her pants a little. We had a great summer and I am sad to see it end.

 Kennedee was able to go to the Hawaii temple and do baptism's. She took some family names and had a great experience.

 

School is back in. Kennedee is now a senior and Madison is an 8th grader. WOW

Alot has happened.

It has been almost a year since I have posted and alot has happened.

We went on the most amazing vacation over spring break to the Caribbean. It was a 7 day cruise to Barbados, St Kitts, St Thomas, St Lucia, St Maarten and Puerto Rico. My favorite was St Maarten. I could have stayed there longer. The cruise wasn't as much fun as I expected but the islands were fun to visit and the beaches were beautiful. The kids got to swim with sea turtles and snorkle at every stop. We were able to take island tours and learn more about island cultures and most of all we chilled for 10 days and just enjoyed hanging out. It was super warm after a very cold and snowy winter. It was so nice.

School is out for the summer and life has been super crazy. Madison has been playing softball and it goes in spurts of being super busy and not playing at all. That kid has amazed me in the last year, in school and sports. She has come out of her shy shell with friends and she has gained the confidence she needed with softball. It scares me a little with friends but she is a smart kid and she has always been one to make the right decisions. She has been so much fun to watch play ball so far this year. She plays outfield and she very rarely misses anything in the outfield, if anything is every hit over her head she runs so fast that the runner doesn't get to far around the bases. When she is up to bat she has so much more confidence than she did a year ago, she has a great eye and can place the ball in the field. She has hit so many homeruns this year that I don't get nervous anymore when she is up to bat.

She has been guest playing on a 14U team and had some games in Clinton. We left early and drove by our old house, it was fun to drive by the neighborhood and Madison had some memories of our old life there. We went to the game and I hadn't been to to many of her games yet and when she went up to bat I said Madison do I make you nervous and she said no, I said if I do I will walk around the corner and she said no you don't. I said ok. I am glad I didn't walk around the corner. She got up to bat and ripped one over the fence. I cried a little as I watched her jog around the bases with a big grin on her face. She said later that she hit her first homerun over the fence at her homefield where she was born. She has hit a couple grand slams this year and at least 10 home runs. This last weekend she hit a foul ball and someone in the stands commented that she was almost to second base before the ball even hit the ground and the called it foul. She is fast.. That kid amazes me. She has finally found something that she truly loves and looks forward to playing and she plays it very well.

Kennedee will be a senior this year. Holy cow!! I have mixed emotions on this one. She has commited to play soccer at CSBU in Bakersfield CA. Her and her dad went and visited them in December and she knew right away that is where she wanted to go. She had visited alot of local places and they didn't feel right. This last year for Kennedee and I has been very trying and tough. I never thought we would ever not be close but I guess even the best of teenagers become teenagers and moms don't understand them. I wish there was a handbook, it would come in handy. On one hand I am couting down the days she leaves for college and on the other hand everytime I think about it I cry. She is a great kid, just a typical teenager and thats tough to deal with as a single mom.

Kennedee's soccer team won state cup again this year for the 6th time and they are in Hawaii right now for regionals. Seems so weird that soccer has been such a huge part of our world for so long and this is the last year for club. Time sure does fly.
Kennedee has been good since last year's accident. She had another ambulance ride during the high school season because her head bounced off the ground. After that one I said she was done for good. But after lots of fasting and praying I said if she made her neck stronger and really worked hard to make her body stronger she could go back. She did and it has really helped and it has been a good year. It has been a little over a year since she got kicked and she still can't feel her jaw and she can't hear out of her ear. We aren't sure if the feeling or hearing will ever come back.