March 26, 2009

Good Luck Alec!

Today is the Central Utah Science and Engineering Fair down in Provo at BYU. Alec is gone all day, by himself, getting judged, with no Mom!!!!
Say a little prayer for him!

March 20, 2009

March Madness...

I love March Madness! I love basketball! Some who read this blog may believe it should be titled "Johnson Jocks" instead of "Johnson Juice". But remember, we have little Savvy who plays piano and dances.


I'm happy to report that I am in fourth place in my NCAA bracket...Alec is happy to report he is in FIRST! We joined the group, Speed Basketball, along with the other players and parents on his basketball team. There are still 2 moms in the top 5 so I am very happy! I would be more happy if any team from Utah decided to show up and also if Wake Forest would have done their job and knocked Cleveland St. out, and not made me lose TWO games!

I only hate that now we have to wait so long in between games. And I have to wait so long to win.

To add to MY March Madness, I am devastated to report that both my little basketball players got knocked out of their tournament in the semi-final game. It's pretty pathetic when both husband and I can't sleep because of a lost game in the State Tournament. Really, we couldn't sleep. Alec's team was suppose to go all the way this year and should have. It makes my heart hurt when one striped fella' in the middle of the court can steal a game from some much deserved 13 year olds. They played better and were much better sports than the other team. They were up by 10 until one man started slowly changing the game. This was the first time I had seen Alec completely down after a game. He is usually the one making everyone else feel better, but this one hurt.

Carter made it to the semi-final game as well and showed us something I never knew was in him. He's a crier! He wants to win so bad that when things don't go his way, and he fouls out of a game, he cries! We love him, and we love that he has so much passion, however, we had to have some pretty important talks after the tournament. We've never seen this side of him in soccer so we were a little surprised! This whole basketball thing started when I saw him dribbling at one of Alec's game and knew he needed to play. I offered him 20 dollars and he was in. Little did I know how much he actually gets it. He is a very smart point guard and can see the court better than most kids his age. He now loves it almost as much as soccer and I am going through withdrawals not watching him play!

So this is when I come in. (laughing at self)

When I started playing hoops with the ladies in Herriman, I didn't realize that we would be fighting for a region championship!!! We were surprised to make it to Region (we won a great overtime game by three), and then we were surprised to win TWO games IN region!!!

This is so funny and so much fun! The first game we played a bunch of college aged girls who totally intimidated me. You have to understand, with the exception of one, we are all mom's to at least two children. Our kids come out and shoot with us and we are all usually laughing at the beginning of a game. This team was doing the two lined lay up drill and making all of them! They were very focused. Everything was fine until one of them slightly upset me, then I turned into competitive Robyn and had to shut her up. She kept pushing me and finally I said to her, "Really?" Then she turned to me and in a real snot nosed voice said, "Ya, Really."

WOW, I thought. This is pretty serious. Then later, same snot nosed college girl says to me when she comes in off the bench, "Hey number 30. You look pretty. Your hair looks nice." -all in her snot nosed voice.

WHAT? ARE YOU SERIOUS? ARE WE AT A CHURCH GAME? I would like to know if this is what's going on today. Are girls smack talking each other, trying to get each other mad, or get into each others heads and throw them off? Or maybe she really thought I looked pretty. Either way it made me want to throw up on her and it made me and the rest of the ladies laugh really hard!


We won. By three.


Alec thought we were going down by 20. Oh, boy of little faith.


Our second game, again I thought we wouldn't win when I saw them. Again, we won. Except this time by 10! So we are now headed to the semi-final game in region. We will probably face a semi-professional church team and lose this one. Semi-Final games are not our favorite this month. I am just excited to still be playing and still be competing with my new found bloodthirsty team. I love them. Including my really tall sister Cyndy! She has made the difference and I am loving playing with her. My parents are loving it more. And my boys have come to support me and YELL at me when I miss a lay up or when I don't drive to the basket. They are dang good at criticizing...I wonder where they get that! They are also very good at making their mom feel good! They think I'm pretty cool at the moment.


So cheers to March Madness, to being part of a team, to winning, to losing and to the underdog!

March 18, 2009

I'm in....


At the beginning of 2009, you know when everyone was posting their resolutions and goals, I was nervous to actually put mine in print. The reason being, one of them was to run a marathon. When you say it, you kindove really have to do it. That freaked me out. BAD!


Well I still made it. Told some. Started training. Felt good. Tried to sign up. It was full.


Pheewwww....kindove....well now I'm sad....I'll get on the waiting list....why aren't they picking me...I'm really not going to be able to run it...I didn't get in...now I'm REALLY sad...and mad....


and then Amber saves the day!


I'm in! Because of the Nordick's, I am really running in the Ogden Marathon. I joined the group Mama's and the Papa's with Hometown Heroes and agreeing to take a year off my life.

Last year was the first time I'd run longer than a 5k. The half marathon was more than I imagined. The training with the husband was the best and strengthened us much more than I thought it could. The race itself was fabulous, check it out here. But I never really wanted to run a full marathon. 26.2 miles. No Way! I thought those people were out of their mind! As the year went on, it started on my inside. I kept thinking to myself, "of course I could do it, I know I could, I should just try it." The half wasn't enough for me. I'm out of my mind.


So I'm giving it a try. I know I can finish. I will finish. I may be slow, and thinking about it gives me a minor heart attack, but I will finish.


"Sometimes winning has nothing to do with being first across the finish line." I'm sticking with that!

March 11, 2009

happy birthday Alec...(robyn - stop crying)



My life as I know it is forever changed.


I have a TEENAGER!

For the last year I have blogged about having an 'almost' teenager. I have cried about him starting middle school, him passing the sacrament, him participating in a school dance, him sleeping more, him rolling his eyes at me, girls calling him, his feet getting bigger than mine, him playing too much basketball, him getting too close to high school and him being the person who changed our lives clear back in 1996.


Thirteen years ago, I was just a kid myself. Jeremy and I were 19 and too young to have a baby. Little did I know that when I left for the hospital that night my life would become brighter and better forever. He came in 2 and a half hours with NO medicine at all, at a whopping 9 pounds 3 1/2 oz.! He was gorgeous with huge brown eyes and lots of dark hair. Today those huge eyes and lots of dark hair are still my favorite thing on him! He is often told he looks just like my dad and I love that he looks a little like me. We like to call him Ralph Maccio, he is my own Karate Kid!


I think all who know him, know how special he is, and what a difference he makes in others lives. The biggest difference is in my own life. I don't know why J.P. and I got to be his mom and dad, but we are sure thankful he is our gift. After having him I realized that life wasn't just about me. Not only did I have to take care of this little perfect person, as we raised him I had to make sure he knew who he was. A child of God. Things only got better after he was here. Thirteen years later, I feel just as lucky as that day!


Speaking of luck, Alec is a little superstitious. He has been #13 in basketball and soccer for years now. He loves the number 13 (which is hard for me...it's an odd #), and really feels like it brings him luck. He chooses it for EVERYTHING, and can find a reason in anything good that it had something to do with the number 13. One Jazz game he went with Dawn on the front row and Mehmet Okur gave him his arm band. It had a huge number 13 on it....how lucky is that! He also is a fan of the four leaf clover. It all started with a little stone I gave him that had a 4-leaf clover on it. I have since kept that up and the latest thing was when he won a big game, I gave him a hat with a 4-leaf clover on it. He is just like me. I remember how superstitious I was when I was a kid. I really felt like things helped me win games and have good days. To this day, if I see a penny tales up, I won't touch it, but heads up and I have to grab it even if I am running past and people are looking. If you ask me, he has been blessed. He has had so many opportunities that I never had and that many people will never have. I'm fine if he thinks it was luck. But I know the saying
"I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it." ~Thomas Jefferson
Well this is his 'lucky' year. He is the big 13 and he KNOWS this is going to be the best year ever! He believes this little number is going to be the difference!



This is my Alec. A few weeks ago I was going in him room to put clothes away and this is what I saw on top of his dresser. I had to snap a picture of it because I was so touched. Not only was it clean but he wrote a note to himself to "Work Hard". He does. He works hard at being a good person, student, player, brother and son. He is a teenager now and I know we'll be having our disagreements, and he'll seem distant, and sleep a lot (crying again), and all that stuff, however I know him and I know he'll be ok. He'll work hard.


When he was about 9 he was afraid of teenagers. He especially was nervous about this one house and would run past it because he thought 'bad' teenagers lived there. He told me then, that if he EVER acted like a mean teenager that I could ground him forever. I told him to remember that he told me that and now....I will definitely hold him to that statement.

We try to be like each other, here we are two years ago, both with braces...yes, my second time, his first -

Before...


After!


At least his teeth will be straight for all this craziness!!!
So wish me luck in this great adventure, something I thought would never happen. I know I only get my Alec for another maybe 6 years, and I am going to make the most of it.
Bring it.

March 2, 2009

sissy turns 7!

Savvy is SEVEN!!! Last week was her big day and thanks to her brothers, she woke up to balloons all over her floor. Luke thought that was so cool, we heard him whisper, "coooooool" when he woke up. We gave her a few messages on those balloons, all of which are completely true. Funny how 7 1/2 years ago I sat at Fetal Photo waiting for the technician to tell me if my baby was a boy or a girl. After having a couple of boys, I was desperately needing a pink baby. I remember crying when she showed me the 'three lines' and then still doubting the possibility that I would have someone to share so many girl moments with. It wasn't until she was actually here and it was confirmed she really was all girl! In the hospital I remember not sleeping (which never happens when I have a baby anyway) and just staring at her perfect face and then trying on bow after bow and hat after hat and combing her hair different ways with a little lotion. She was so precious to me that day and 7 drama filled years later she absolutely still is! She is a gift and I am lucky to have all the drama that goes along with her. I have shared many girl moments with her already. We have gotten her ears pierced, which I decided I wouldn't do until she asked. Well she asked when she was 5, and they lasted about 2 months. We have cooked together and shopped together. We have sang into our brushes and danced all over the kitchen floor. We have seen 'Annie' live (a dream from my childhood), watched The Nutcracker at Christmas time, and have seen Cinderella together at Disney World. (she was only 18 months but it totally still counts) I have screamed and yelled and she has slammed the door. We have painted each others finger nails and gotten pedicures together. We have twirled in dresses and told each other secrets. I am the luckiest mom because she is mine.
The boys took care of their sister. From hand sewn pajama bottoms from Alec (yes he took sewing), to a 'webkinz' horse from Lukie, and finally a signed hat that says Happy Birthday and signed Kyle Korver from Carter. She's lucky to have those three watch over her and completely love her.
For her magic moment she got to go to Young Chef's Academy and make some homemade pasta, chicken noodle soup and bread in a bag. She wants to be a teacher or a chef when she grows up so this was a pretty good day! I'd have to say, her and Brynley did a fabulous job!
We all call her sassy sissy and as you can see her singing into her ice-cream sandwich she shows us some of that. People always tell me how shy she is, but become a regular in her eyes and you will see how much comedy she is! She'll surprise you with her quick little jokes. One of the best things about her is how much she really loves others. She is always looking for ways to make everyone around her happy. Plus, she is one fine artist.

She's too shy to perform in front of a camera, but get the hidden camera out and she'll go to town...so will the husband! Hurry and look because he may make me take this off!

Love you sis!