On Top of the Mountain!

Although I didn't write a post about it, both Logan and Ella graduated off of the bunny hill last month and made it to the top of the mountain.  When we all went skiing as a family on February 18th, I spent the morning on the beginner hill with Logan and Ella while Ron went to the top of the mountain with Lia and our friends, Noel and Elle.  After a few runs, Ella started to get really brave and began following me into the trees on the side of the beginner hill.  After watching her maneuver between trees and even ski through some powder, I realized that she was more than ready to try out the top of the mountain.  After we all joined back up at the car, I announced to Ron that I was taking both Lia and Ella to the top after lunch.  Although Ella was a little afraid, Lia and I dragged her up there and she did great.  The three of us had so much fun skiing blue runs together all afternoon.  There was only one steep part on the way down to the bottom of the mountain that Ella had to take slowly.  Otherwise, she did an amazing job and I was so proud of her.

After hearing about this, it gave Ron the motivation to finally get Logan to the top of the mountain, especially since he has been snowboarding one season longer than Ella has been skiing.  After we got home that evening, Ron bought lift tickets for just the two of them so that they could go boarding alone the next Saturday, February 25th.  After going down the beginner run a few times, Ron brought Logan up to the top of the mountain for the majority of the rest of the day.  Just like Ella, Logan did a great job and seemed to really enjoy it which is something that he has struggled with more than the girls.  I was so excited to hear about Logan's success as it finally meant that our family of five could spend the entire day "skoarding" together instead of being split up on two different parts of the mountain which has been our experience ever since Logan started snowboarding two years ago.

I then scheduled a Saturday in March with my mom so that my parents could watch Emmett again, and bought our family's tickets.  We left  our house at 7 a.m. yesterday morning and got up to White Pass by 9:15.  Although it was really crowded, we made it to the top of the mountain an hour later and spent the funnest three hours together.  With the exception of Logan having a major attitude problem about boarding on the top of the mountain (that he did not have with Ron the previous time), we had a wonderful time.  It was so much fun to finally share this activity together as a family.  While we were up there, the clouds broke up and we were blessed with some beautiful, sunny weather and gorgeous views.  In addition, we had wonderful fresh snow on the groomed runs and powder in the trees.  After we finished eating a late lunch at 2:30, Lia offered to take the two kids with her back to the bunny slope for the rest of the afternoon since Logan was not happy about the idea of going back to the top of the mountain.  After talking it over, Ron and I decided that we could trust Lia being in charge and so we spent the next 1.5 hours skoarding together which isn't something we have done since 2010!  After going on several late afternoon runs together, we met up with the kids a little after 4 pm in the lodge and learned that they had had a great time together minus Ella losing her ski goggles.  I am so grateful for this fun day that we were able to spend together as a family and for the fact that three of my four children have officially graduated off of the beginner hill for life!  Hallelujah!  

The three kids at the top of the mountain before starting down a run.

Logan, Lia, and Ella taking off!

Since it had snowed a lot last week, the trees were covered in a thick layer of snow all over the mountain.  Here is Ron posing for me in front of some of those beautiful trees.

The one family picture we were able to get at the top of the Couloir Express chair lift.

Lia and Ella skiing down the mountain.

Ella going for it!

A mommy-daughter photo.

Logan having a meltdown at the top of a run with a glorious view in the background.

A fun picture that Ron was able to take of the girls and me from the chair lift behind us.

Lia and Ella.

Logan and Ron.

Logan boarding by some beautiful trees!

Ella's Cascadian Team Challenge Gymnastics Meet

Ella competed in her fourth gymnastics meet today in Seattle called the Cascadian Team Challenge.  After finishing so strong at the Coeur D'Alene meet last week, Ella was super excited to get out there today and keep her momentum going.  Her goal was to score in the 9s for all four events since she was so close last week getting an 8.9 on the beam and 9s in all three of her other events.  We left our house around 11:30 and drove the hour north to Seattle to compete in a large hanger that is located on the grounds of Magnuson Park on Lake Washington.  After getting her checked in, I sat with my friend, Olivia, who is the mother of the other Ella on the team.  I then spent the next three hours watching Ella warm up and then compete in all four of her events.  

Ella started off on the bars and just killed it, receiving a 9.66 which is her highest score of the season.  She then moved onto her most difficult event, the bars.  After waiting awhile, it finally was her turn and Ella began her routine.  Much to my surprise, she suddenly fell off the beam after coming down from her kickstand.  I was so shocked as she has been so consistent this season.  But, Ella immediately got up and finished her routine with near perfection.  After Ella finished and sat down on the mat, she saw her low score of 8.575 and was totally devastated.  She put her head down on her arms and just started crying.  It just broke my heart to see her so sad and to not be able to go out and comfort her and offer some words of encouragement.  It was a pretty rough 30 or so minutes as I stood completely helpless off to the side and watched my little girl work through these new feelings of disappointment.  I could tell that she had not been able to shake it off by the time her group moved to the floor.  She was still crying and looking very heartbroken while waiting to perform her routine last out of her entire group.  When she got up to perform, I could tell that she didn't give it her all and received an 8.950 (in comparison to the 9.525 that she received last week).  I was so sad for her that I actually started crying while sitting on my chair.  Luckily, as Ella's group moved to their fourth and final event, Ella's coach, Bree, noticed that something was wrong and pulled her aside.  I then watched Bree talk to her for a good two minutes and was so relieved to know that someone was giving Ella the pep talk that she needed to set these emotions aside and to go and give the vault her all.  I was so grateful to see that Ella's entire countenance changed back to happy and smiling while she was waiting to go second to last in the vault.  She was able to pull herself together and give it her best shot and got a great score of 9.475.  I was so relieved to see that Ella was able to finish strong after two disappointing events.

After the meet was over, I moved to the awards ceremony section of the hanger to watch the girls receive their awards.  Although Ella had placed really high in the bars and the vault, I didn't know how all of the other girls did in comparison to her and I wondered if she would even receive a ribbon.  Since the number of age groups for Level 2 changes for each meet depending on how many girls compete, I am never quite sure when it is Ella's group's turn to be recognized.  When they started handing out ribbons for the Youth B group, I though that this was Ella's group since a few girls from her team were called up who are normally in the same group as her.  My heart just sunk when I saw that Ella didn't even place in the top 12 spots of the Youth B group.  I was so sad for Ella as I knew that this would just be devastating for her not to place at all with such a large number of girls.  The announcer then moved on to the next age group which was Junior A.  After the top ten girls were called up, the announcer called the second place winner and I was totally shocked to hear Ella's name!  I just couldn't believe it.  Thanks to her high bars and vault scores, Ella was still able to place second out of twelve girls.  Although I have no idea why she was put in the Junior A group, I was so incredibly grateful to see her finish so close to the top after a disappointing beam and floor routine.  Ella was so happy to receive her ribbon and to stand on the podium.  It totally saved the day and helped to heal the wounds from earlier that afternoon.  I am so proud of Ella for being able to pull it together at the end of her meet and I am also grateful for this valuable learning opportunity for her to learn how to set her emotions to the side, turn it around, and give it her all.  I am sure that this lesson will be one that will help her in many meets to come.

Since I took video instead of pictures of all four of Ella's events, I only took a few pictures during the meet.  Here is Ella smiling at me while her team is getting ready to warm up.

A smiling Ella looking at me while waiting to compete on the bars.

Ella's amazing bars score up on the board!

Ella warming up on the beam before competing.

Ella practicing her dismount.

Talking to a friend before going on the beam.

Giving me a darling smile.

Ella standing on the 2nd place block on the winner's podium.

A proud Ella giving me a gymnast's salute after the award's ceremony was over!

Way to go, Ella!  I am so proud of you!

Logan's Last Basketball Game

Well, he did it.  Logan's final basketball season is a wrap as of today.  Although I promised him that last year would be his final year playing basketball, I signed him up again after learning that his beloved soccer coach and father of one of his closest friends was coaching in the park and rec league this winter.  After informing Logan, I learned that he was not happy about this decision since he just does not enjoy playing this sport.  So, I had to force him to go to all of his practices and all of his games (minus two that he was allowed to skip to go snowboarding).  As a whole, I think that this season was a success.  The weekly practice got Logan out of the house one evening a week during the darkest, coldest, and wettest season of the year to get some exercise, be with some friends, and work on developing a skill.  Although he would never admit to it, I think Logan ended up enjoying these practices.  The games were a little rougher, but Logan never gave up and put in a good effort each Saturday.  He handled the ball as much as he could and even made one free throw shot and one regular basket.  Overall, I'm super proud of Logan for pushing himself to do something that isn't easy for him and for giving it his best effort.  Way to go, Logan.  Now you can go hang up your basketball jersey for good and go read a book!

Although he is partially blocked by another player, here is a shot of Logan dribbling the ball down the court.

Logan chasing after the ball.

Team huddle with Coach Ben.

Going for the rebound.

Running down the court.

After the game was over, we moved to a small conference room for treats and so that Coach Ben could hand out certificates and trophies that I ordered for the team.  Here is Logan receiving both items from his coach after Ben said some nice words about him.

Logan giving me one last smile as a basketball player while holding his certificate and trophy.

Lia's 15th Birthday Celebrations!

We wrapped up Lia's 15th birthday celebrations today after celebrating a few days late over the weekend.  Since Lia needed to stay home to attend her play practice and go to school the next day, we sadly had to leave her behind on her birthday while we drove the other three children to Coeur D'Alene for Ella's gymnastics meet.  The good news for Lia was that it meant she got to have a slumber party at the house of her dear friend, Alyssa, on a her actually birthday which was a first for her since it fell on a school night.  We then returned home the next evening on February 23rd and had one day to get ready for her friend birthday party/slumber party on Friday night and Saturday morning.  I then turned around and hosted her family party on Sunday evening, February 26th.  So, it was a busy few days, but I really tried to make Lia's birthday feel special although we were gone for her actual birthday.  I think it worked as Lia seemed to really have a good time celebrating with both her friends and family this weekend.  It's hard to believe that my first born will be driving in a year, but she acts so much like a 15-year old that it really does make sense.  Sniff.  It's all just going to by way too fast!

February 22nd:  

I sent Lia off to seminary this morning with a batch of homemade, blueberry muffins to share with her class.  After school, Lia went to Alyssa's house to do homework and go on a run in the neighborhood.  Alyssa's mom was then kind enough to feed her dinner and drive her to and from play practice.  Lia brought homemade cookies and brownies to share during snack time at play practice.  The entire cast also sang "Happy Birthday" to her during rehearsal.  Since Lia's birthday is the same day as Alyssa's dad, they surprised both of them with cake and ice cream and a gift after she got home from rehearsal that evening.  Alyssa's mom sent me this picture and a video of Lia blowing out her candles.  I was so grateful that they helped make her day feel special when we were so many miles away.

February 24th:

After a busy day unpacking from our trip and getting ready for Lia's friend party, we hosted ten of Lia's friends for the evening.  Since this was the first time that Lia "mixed" her friends from elementary and junior high school, she was a little nervous that the evening would be full of awkward moments.  Luckily, the girls all did a great job blending together and had a great time.  It was so fun to see all of them enjoying each other's company.

I decided to keep the decorations simple, but went with a woodland theme after Lia chose a set of paper plates with a leaf pattern on them.  I found some darling Easter decorations at the store (ceramic mushrooms and straw bunnies and birds) that went with the theme nicely.

Lia's party table all set up and ready to go.

All eleven of the girls enjoying dinner.  We served pulled pork sandwiches with a bunch of sides.  The girls had a great time talking and eating together.

After dinner, the girls went into the family room to open gifts.  As always, we had each friend come up and sit next to Lia while she opened their gift.  Here is Lia sitting next to one of her dearest and oldest friends, Sienna, who she has know since PreK.

Lia sitting next to Erika, her closest running buddy who is also waivering into the same high school as Lia.

All eleven girls posing for a group photo.

Top row from left to right:  Katelyn, Jaqueline, Rian, Lia, Mollie, Elle, and Erika

Bottom row from left to right:  Abby, Heather, Sienna, and Hope

Back at the table, the girls all sang "Happy Birthday" to Lia.

Clapping for Lia after singing to her.

Lia smiling after blowing out her candles.

Ron and I then drove all the girls to the mall for the activity of the night.  Lia divided up everyone into groups of two.  Each group then had 40 minutes to go to any clothing store to find and try on three outfits of their choice from three different categories:  silly/ugly, fancy, and casual.  They all had such a great time and picked out some amazing outfits in a short amount of time.  Each group then had to take pictures of each outfit for me to judge once we got home.  The winning group won gift cards to Bath & Body Works.  It was a close tie between three of the fives groups, but Mollie and Elle ended up winning!

The happy girls pose for one last group photo outside the mall before heading back to our house.

After returning home, the girls went down to our basement to have a dance party for an hour until parents picked up the majority of the group at 10 p.m.  Since we had arranged it in advance, Lia's friends from elementary school spent the night after everyone else was picked up.  We managed to keep this a secret so that the other girls wouldn't get their feelings hurt.  The remaining girls had a great time watching a late movie, sleeping in our basement, and eating a waffle breakfast the next morning before their parents picked them up at 11:30 a.m the next day.

February 26th:

After church and a slow afternoon, we hosted my parents for Lia's family party on Sunday evening.  We enjoyed a soft taco dinner (par Lia's request) in the dining room with all of the fixings.

Lia finally got to open up her gifts four days late!

She enjoyed getting some clothes, slippers, jewelry, makeup, and new headphones.  She also received a custom, XC hoodie that I had my friend make in her high school colors.  Lia found this saying online a few months ago and we thought that it would be so fun to put it on the back of a running-themed sweatshirt.  The message says:

Some girls chase boys

I PASS THEM

Emmett was constantly trying to help Lia open her gifts.  Here is a funny shot I managed to get of Lia pushing Emmett away from her gift after he had ripped some pink tissue paper out of the gift bag.  Silly Emmy.

I just had to get a picture of Logan reading his book while Lia opened her gifts.  That boy always has his nose buried into a book--even in the middle of a party!

Lia showing off the black and white finger nail polish that she requested to use next month to paint her nails before performing the role of Cruella de Vil.

The Hartland fam posing for a picture before cake time!

Lia and her traditional banana cream pie.

Ella and Emmett singing "Happy Birthday" to Lia.

Blowing out all 15 candles!

Lia posing with all of her siblings before eating pie and calling it a night.

We love you so much, Lia!

We are so grateful for what a hardworking, responsible, talented, righteous, and fun-loving young lady you have become.  We are so proud of all of your accomplishments with school, church, running, and theater and can't wait to see where you go in the years to come!