More basketball

Today was Danny's last basketball game. It has been fun to watch him finally grasp onto the concept and strategies of the game. He is finally understanding that he doesn't have to have the ball to be a play-maker (which for a Southwick boy is a HUGE thing!). He is learning how to be a team player and how to assist his teammates by setting up screens and passing the ball. Well today was a day when I was extremely proud to be his mom! During the last half of his game, Danny (of his own choice), along with others on his team, made the choice to continually pass the ball to two of his teammates that aren't necessarily the best players on the team. Instead of worrying about whether or not he had the ball and could make a basket, he kept passing the ball to Seth and Jayden and encouraged them to make the shots. I LOVED IT!! I felt myself get choked up a little as I watched this unfold. This is what differentiates a good sports player from a great one. I realize that may just be my opinion, but I know that was not a decision that Danny made lightly. He is a Southwick, which basically means he is uber competitive! He likes to have the ball. He likes to make the plays. He does not like to lose. Yet, despite all that, he realized that it was better to ensure all his teammates had the opportunity to have the ball and make the plays rather than only him, especially those players that usually didn't have the ball. After the game, Jeff and I took him to Sip 'n Spot in Payson for a treat. I let him get whatever he wanted, which, for those who know me, is very uncharacteristic of me. (I generally try to limit the soda and sweets as much as possible.) Danny had a great ending to his basketball season!

That night, the basketball theme of the day continued. Jeff and I were enjoying some downtime with the boys (Amber was at a debate tournament) when he received a text asking if he wanted some free tickets to the Utah Jazz game that night. Occasionally, the plumbing supply stores will offer these perks as a way to ensure continued business. It was a last minute thing, but since we didn't have anything else going on, we decided to go. I had never been to a professional basketball game before so I was excited. Plus, it meant an evening out with my favorite teammate, Jeff. We had fun at the game. These games are a lot more fast-paced than football or baseball (which are the games I've been to before). It was really fun to watch. I was glad we were able to have the experience. It was a nice way to wrap up our week.

The girls

As I've browsed the last few months of posts, I've realized that it seems like Jeff and I only have two boys. I assure you that both of the girls are alive and well! It's weird to see the family dynamics changing so much during such a short time as each of the girls are growing up and moving on. It's different without Laurin being around, but she is thriving at Weber State! We are so proud of how well she has done academically, socially, and (most especially) spiritually. She is nearing the end of her first year of college. She plans to attend through the summer then leave on a mission. Within a couple months, she will submit her mission papers! It's crazy to think about!! Here are just a couple pics with friends and roommates at Weber.

Laurin with two of her roommates and her RA. 

Laurin with her friends, Awnaka (who just received her mission call), Liz, and Courtney

Laurin with Institute Committee members on a cabin retreat.

Amber is also doing really well in her senior year. She has been super busy with choir, drama, and now debate. For the longest time, Jeff didn't want Amber to participate in debate at school because she was already doing an excellent job at it in home; however, she finally won out and signed up for the class this year. She has LOVED it! Even though she is a novice, she has done extremely well in all her competitions. In fact, she recently found out that she won first place in the region for extemporaneous speech (don't ask me what that exactly means). Jeff and I are so proud of her! We can't believe that next year she will be in college! She has been accepted to all the universities and colleges she has applied to! This includes (much to my chagrin) BYU! Yup, it looks like we may actually have a Cougar in the family. We'll see what she decides. It will be here before we know it! Her senior year is quickly coming to a close, and she is taking advantage of all the fun, end-of-the-year activities, including dances and Mr. Skyhawk. Mr. Skyhawk is a pageant for senior guys at the high school. The pageant (and associated activities) are a part of a school fundraiser. Amber had several friends involved in the pageant. One of them asked her to help him with his "talent" portion of the competition. They chose to sing A Whole New World from Aladdin. Here's a pic of her as Jasmine.

Tonight she was asked to prom in April. She has also asked a date to Preference, which occurs in March...and may even ask someone to Morp, which is in May. Then all her high school dances will be over! Time is going to fly by...and soon enough she will be wearing the light blue cap and gown. We are so grateful for the beautiful young women we have the privilege of parenting. We are so proud of their good choices and righteous examples, and we are having blast sitting on the front row as we cheer them on into adulthood!

Dallin's last Bantam game

Tonight Dallin's basketball team competed in the semi-finals for the Bantam League (he will be moving on to other leagues in the Spring). Prior to his game, I had the opportunity to catch up with one of the amazing young women I had the privilege to teach (and to be taught by) while I lived in Arizona. I had been asked to volunteer to be the president in a young women's organization in my church. It was a humbling experience to have the responsibility to help teach and guide these girls (ages 12-18). While I have lost touch with some, I have maintained contact with many others. It has been exciting to see them grow. Whitni is now married and flew into Utah with her husband for a quick weekend get-away. We were lucky to be able to coordinate our schedules so that we could meet up for dinner. At times, I still wish I lived closer to them, but I was grateful for this opportunity to meet up with her.

After dinner, I met up with Jeff, Danny and Laurin (Amber was still participating in her drama production) to watch Dallin's game. His team played well...but ultimately, lost the game. It was a hard fought game though. Dallin made several great plays and had many assists. It was a heartbreaking loss for his team, but it was a great season (at least for this league) overall. Now onto Spring season!

Standing Still Standing

Tonight Jeff and I took the kids to see Salem Hills High School's drama production of Standing Still Standing. This is the first non-musical drama production Amber has been in. She had a small part; however, it doesn't matter how big or small her role is, she continually lights up the stage whenever she's on it. She is the type of person people notice because of her bubbly, fun-loving personality. We are so proud of her and the accomplishments she has made thus far. It's crazy to think that in 3 short months she will graduate from high school then move on to bigger and better things. We are excited, not only to support her in these types of events, but to continue to cheer her on as she moves into adulthood. Way to go Amber!

Chinese New Year - The Year of the Sheep

Happy Chinese New Year!!! So you have probably figured this out by now, but I really like celebrating holidays! Especially if there is yummy food associated with it.) This year's celebration was a bit rushed because it fell on a Thursday, which is our busy basketball practice day with the boys. Still, we had time for a delicious dinner of beef and broccoli, chow mein, pot stickers (the only thing I didn't make), and fortune cookies. Last year, I got the kids Hot Wheels Mustang cars to celebrate the year of the horse. Well, this year I couldn't figure out what to do to commemorate the sheep so I settled on making white vanilla lemon muddy buddies, filled sandwich bags, and made them look like little sheep. Hey, the kids never complain about extra sugary treats in the house. I think it's great to celebrate and honor different cultures. I'm grateful that the kids seem to enjoy the effort I put in to making these days special. Happy year of the sheep!

Here are my cute "sheep" with the lucky red envelopes full with chocolate gold coins.

Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day!! There were many years when it was hard for me to acknowledge Valentines Day. Instead, I would celebrate Arizona's birthday (which is the same day) while trying to avoid the copious displays of romantic love that surrounded me. However, my nephew and niece (Tyler and Kate) would always ensure I had a sweet treat or something special on this day of love. I am so grateful for the amazing family I have. Never once did I question if I was ever loved. While I may not have had the romantic love that this day seems dedicated to, I always had the reassuring familial love that never waned. Now I have both! I don't know how I got to be so incredibly lucky. I have the love of my family of origin plus my new little family and, most importantly, my eternal companion. Jeff is my forever Valentine. He is my best friend, my anchor in the storms of life, my biggest support, my safety net, and my eternal love. Today he woke me up with a plate of goodies and a sweet card. On that plate, were also 14 reasons why he loves me.

For the past 14 days, I have placed little hearts on the kids' doors and on our door for Jeff. Each heart contained one thing about that individual that I love. We have some pretty amazing kids! It was not hard to come up with 14 reasons that I love them. On the last day, I also gave each a bag of Valentines candy. Let's be honest...that's better than any gift they could receive! Especially for my sugared-up boys!

In return, the kids also made me a plate of goodies. Danny even made a block of wood in which he carved out "I Love You Mom" on the sides. I was quite impressed with his carpentry skills.

That afternoon/evening, Jeff and I went out on our traditional Valentines Day date. We started by going to the temple to do proxy marriages or sealings. I can't think of a better way to spend the day than to serve those individuals who have passed on and to help them be sealed or bound to their sweethearts for eternity. As I knelt across the altar from Jeff, I was reminded of our own wedding day, when we were sealed together for eternity. That has been the best day of my life! I knew I loved Jeff then but that love has only been enriched with the passage of time. I couldn't have asked for a better companion on my journey through life. I have always been pretty independent, but it is so nice to trust and depend on someone who I know loves me as much, if not more, than I love him! After we completed our temple service, we had dinner at Olive Garden before heading home to watch a cheesy Valentine's Hallmark movies (that's how I know it's true love...Jeff will actually endure cheesy Hallmark movies with me!) It was a great Valentines Day!

Sweethearts dance

Tonight Amber attended Salem Hill's Sweethearts dance. I have loved watching both girls enjoy these high school dances. It has been fun to hear about their stories and get to know the great groups of friends they have. Tonight was no exception. I can't believe that Amber will only have a couple more high school dances before she graduates. Time seems to be flying by! I am already thinking about her graduation! Crazy! In any case, here are a couple pics of the cute duo.

After Amber left, the boys (Jeff included) and I indulged in some pizza and a pre-Valentine's dessert before watching a movie. Normally Jeff and I would be out on a date on Friday night, but since tomorrow is Valentine's day, we decided to switch it up. It was a really nice evening just hanging out with the boys at home. It's kind of sad to think that this will be the normal family dynamic by the end of the year as Amber goes off to college and Laurin goes on a mission. I'll miss having extra girl support at home!

Here's our fancy dessert! Just take a Twinkie, cut it diagonally, put it together like a heart and add raspberry freezer jam!

Buzzer beater!

So, as you can see by the lack of posts, life in the Southwick house has been pretty boring! Actually, we are still busy, but it's just the same old weekly routine. The kids are working through their last semester before summer break (which seems an arduous task at times! They are all ready for summer!). Amber is participating in the school's drama production so we often don't see her at all. And the boys are involved in basketball on the weekends. This Saturday was no exception. Danny had a game in the morning and Dallin had one in the afternoon. It has been fun to see the evolution of both their teams. Danny is actually understanding the game better and realizes that to be a "play maker" doesn't mean he always has to have the ball! Dallin's team almost seems to know what the other player is doing without any sort of verbal communication. His game today was a nail biter! His team has made it to the play-off tournament for his league. Today was his first play-off game. Within the first few minutes of the game, I was certain that Dallin's team would lose. The opposing team came out strong and shut down Dallin's team's defense and offense. The opposing team quickly gained a more than 10 point lead that they maintained through half-time. Dallin's team was playing well, but just couldn't seem to sink the shots. During the second half, Dallin's team came alive. Suddenly the energy from the opposing team waned and Dallin's team was able to close the point gap. However, they were still trailing by a couple baskets. It was down to the last few minutes of the game and Dallin was fouled while making a shot. Dallin went to the free throw line and sunk a couple shots that put his team only 1 point behind the other team. The clock quickly ticked down as the teams fought for the basket that would win the game. Dallin's team's defense did not let the other team score. Still, there was less than a minute on the clock and it didn't seem likely that Dallin's team would be able to get control of the ball (which was in possession of the other team) and make it down court to score. However, a pass was thrown and intercepted by Dallin's teammate. He then threw the ball quickly down court. It ended up in Dallin's hands. With only about 3 seconds left on the clock, Dallin threw up a three-pointer and SWISH!!! He made the shot that won the game!! It was such a proud parent moment, but I'm sure Dallin was even more excited! His team definitely earned that win! (Since that game, they have played another game and also won. His team is now playing in the semi-finals on 2/21/15.)

L to R: Cooper, Bradley, Asher, Dallin, Austin, Tanner, and Andrew