Summer 2010

So it has been a really long time since I have posted anything and to be honest I had kind of given up on blogging completely because I think who really wants to see what we are doing. The funny thing is I still occasionally visit other people's blogs and think how fun it is to see what everyone else is up to. Anyway I had a conversation the other day and was informed that I can download my blog and make it into a sort of photo journal so even if no one else cares what my family is up to, it is a good way of keeping a record of our lives. I can't say that I will still be great at keeping up, but I do think I am going to try a little harder to update more than once every 8 months. So here is what we have been up to from May till today! Some of the pictures in the slide show speak for themselves but below is a list of some of the things we have done since May!

May:
-We went to Arizona to visit Kimber, Jason and Gracie for the second time this year. It was so awesome because we left snow for 90 degree weather.
-Brock was in the school play, he was Prince Escalus in Romeo and Juliet and he rocked! I actually signed him up for a theater camp this summer because he was so good (only biased a little!)
June:
-The boys played ball, this was Aidans 1st year and it was a little torturous for all of us. We actually had to threaten that he couldn't have the treat at the end unless he actually stayed on his feet, didn't play in the dirt and didn't get lapped by the other players when running the bases. So one time, instead of running faster around the bases to avoid being lapped, he just hit first, rounded around the pitchers mound and went straight to home. So much for 2nd and third bases.
-We had a party to celebrate Tiff's last chemo treatment. Everyone wore their Dancers against cancer shirts and we had a barbeque and all took a chance to tell tiff what we loved about her. It was a great night and we are so glad that at least the chemo and radiation treatments are behind her.
-We also had fun at Strawberry Days and hit the pool several times!
-June 15th we celebrated Olivia's 1st Birthday, I cant believe how fast the last year has gone.
-Carson turned 8 in May so he was also baptized and confirmed in June.
All in all, June was crazy busy!
July:
-On the 4th we had a fun barbeque with Grandma and Grandpa Ormond where the kids ran through the sprinklers and then later we went to watch the stadium of fire fireworks on the lawn at Provo High School.
-This past week we went camping on the Skyline up Fairview Canyon for the Green Family reunion where we four-wheeled, shot skeet, the boys hunted birds and squirrels with their B-B guns and Olivia played with rocks and ate dirt most of the time!
-Finally,the boys and I just got back from hanging out with the Ormond family at Snowbird. Wayne's mom and dad have a time share and let each family come up and stay overnight. We had a great time swimming and hanging out with the cousins. The only bad part is that poor Wayne is in the Uintah's on a 50 mile hike with the scouts so he had to miss out on the fun!
-So that is our summer so far, one more family reunion and a trip to Chicago and pretty much we will call it a summer and I will head back to work!

Halloween

Halloween this year was a lot of fun, and everyone managed to get into the act.  Wayne even came up with his own costume this year without me pushing him and calling him a party pooper!  Olivia also seemed to have a lot of fun and was a happy girl through most of the festivities.  I tried to paint her face with fur and wiskers (twice) which did not make her too happy and wiped off with the first spit up.  Maybe next year face paint will be successful!

St.George

Over fall break I got to go to St. George for a little get away with my Mom, Sisters Tiff and Jackie and baby Olivia.  We went because Tiff had a wedding to attend,  but I think all of us enjoyed the weekend off and we actually got Tiff to eat enough to gain 5 pounds! 

A Birth, a Death, a Disease

For months, I have pulled up my blog and thought, "I really should update this, but what is new and worth saying...Nothing." Then June hit and since then, there has been more than enough to post. In fact there has been so much going on that there has been no time to try and update and I would dare say, there has been a certain amount of physical and emotional exhaustion that has gotten in the way of me really wanting to take the time to post. So tonight an opportunity opened up because I could not sleep! So here I am at 1:15 am reminiscing through pictures of the last three months and wondering how did life take such a turn in such a short time. So here goes, let me start with June! June: In June this beautiful baby was born. Her name is Olivia Michelle Ormond and she has had her dad wrapped around her finger since minute one! Olivia weighed 6lbs 14 oz and was 19 inches long. She isn't as good of a sleeper as her brothers were, but we seem to be managing anyway. She has dark hair and dark eyes and according to the general public looks like Brock, Carson and Aidan, basically she looks like she belongs! All in all, it has just really been so much fun to go girly! I absolutely would not trade my boys and have loved every second of the rough and tumble journey of raising boys, but that being said, who knew pink and feminine could be so much fun!
July : July was vacation month, we camped and camped! First Olivia and I went to cheer camp (she was three weeks old). We got home on thursday and Friday morning drove up the canyon to meet the rest of the family at Granite flats. Even though it wasn't a major Vacation, we still had a lot of fun eating, fishing and swimming. The next two trips were with the Whiteley's. First we spent the 24th weekend at Kaylon's property and the next week was the Whiteley Family Reunion up Provo Canyon. Both were a lot of fun.

August: So then came August. On Monday August 3rd my grandpa Fredrick Robert (Bob) shoell passed away. I can't say that it was a huge unexpected shock, he has been struggling with his health for the past few years, but it was still hard on our whole family to say goodbye. He has been a great patriarch to our family and it is impossible to explain how strange it is not to have him here. I am really grateful for the many times we spent together from family home evenings to vacations and a variety of things through the years. When I cheered he and my grandma attended games, they have both been present at births, blessings, baptisms etc. At every major event in my life, he has been there along with my grandma Ruth Shoell. The night before he passed away, Wayne and our family stopped by just to drop off an invitation for Olivia's blessing. It was later than we had planned, but we decided to stay and visit for a few minutes. I am so glad we did, because he passed away during the early afternoon on the following day. The next day, Tuesday, August 4th, my youngest sister Tiff and my parents met with a Surgeon who had removed a lump from Tiff's hip the week before. The news was not good, the tumor they removed was cancer. In fact it is the same cancer she had when she was a baby (5 1/2 months old). So at 20, life for her has screeched to a halt and she has moved home to undergo a years worth of treatment, including chemo and radiation. She has now had surgery to put in a central line, and her first three weeks of chemo are down. to the left is a picture of the two of us at my Grandpa's viewing, a few days after her diagnosis and to the right is what she looks like now! It didn't take long for that nasty chemo to go to work. I guess hair is an ok price to pay for something that will save your life, but still! Anyway, my boys (Wayne included) decided to show support for Tff by joining the bald club, so Tiff came over and helped give Wayne and the boys a nice short haircut!
So this was our summer, along with the usual, coach-pitch, soccer, mowing lawns, putting up fences etc. etc. As you can tell life has been eventful the past couple of months. A birth and death and a disease has, delighted us consumed us and changed our lives forever.

New Update!!

I knew when I started this blog that I would be hit and miss about updating! As you can tell, January through March is a little crazy for me and blogging is last on my priority list. We are just finishing up the year of cheer and so I finally have a few extra minutes to update what has been going on over the past few months.

Wayne: Wayne was hired about 6 months ago to be the Superintendant over Recruiting and Retention for the Utah Air National guard. Along with this move in jobs, came a recent promotion to Senior Master Seargent. We are very proud of him and excited for this new opportunity. This is a picture of all of us after the promotion ceremony.

Michelle: As usual, I have crazy busy, which is a really good way to forget you are pregnant! Anyway, the big news for me is that we are getting a girl (yeah) and my squad just took 2nd place at Nationals! it was an incredible experience and one that I hope to repeat (just with a first place finish) next year.

Brock: Brock turned 10 in February and has had a year full of scouting fun. He recently earned his bear, participated in the pinewood derby and was advanced to a Weeblo scout. I have to admit the scouting thing to me is a whole new world, so it is really good he has had such awesome den leaders! In addition to scouting, Brock was recently promoted to a brown belt at Karate. I don't get to watch his classes very often, so I was really surprised and impressed when I went to his latest belt promotion. He is really good!

Carson: is Almost 7 years old and is having a very successful year in Kindergarten. At Parent teacher conference his teacher told us "the only problem with Carson is that all of the little boys fight over who gets to stand by him in the recess line, because they all want to be Carson's friend." Apparently there have been a few scuffles over the whole thing, but his teacher assures us that they are all learning to "use their words" to solve the problems! All I can say, is at least it is not the girls fighting over him! Anyway, the big news in Carson's life is he is losing teeth like crazy! He recently lost both front teeth which makes eating an interesting challenge.
Aidan: Is almost four and is finally deciding he wants to be a big boy and potty on the toilet! He is seriously the most determined child (determined to do it his way). This year he went to Primary which had us all holding our breath. I lead the music in Primary and was fearful that he would be a complete nightmare. He has actually done pretty good, other than the one day he decied to run laps around the primary room instead of sit in his seat. He really is a fun kid and loves to watch his brothers play the Wii. He loves Indiana Jones and Star wars and is non-stop singing the theme songs from both movies!

What to Say!

So I realize that it has been forever since I updated this blog, life has been so crazy. So today I am at work and my brain has officially checked out for Christmas Break. My students are working on projects and watching a movie and I could grade, or plan lessons or clean... but I am done! So I thought I would post and literally can not think on anything to post. I just keep thinking, nothing's changed, nothing is new and then I remembered, I am pregnant! I guess you could call that significant (ha ha). I guess that when you hit child number four, the novelty of a pregnancy is pretty much lost!! Anyway, we are going to have (boy, I am sure) number four on June 21st and we are really excited. I have been doing pretty good despite the fact that I am seriously more tired than I have ever been in my whole life, and occasionally nauseous. I have also found my cravings are different than before, I have eaten my body weight in oranges and orange juice! Weird, because I am usually the heartburn queen and OJ would have torn me up from the inside out with previous pregnancies!

Besides that we had a great thanksgiving and are looking forward to a fabulous Christmas break. I hope all is well with all our friends and family! Have a great Christmas.

Why Should I Vote

I had an interesting conversation with group of women (who shall remain nameless) today in which the question was raised, "do you plan to vote?" To my surprise, shock, dismay, the basic attitude was probably not! The reasons why? Some said my vote won't count anyway because of the electoral college, others said they didn't understand the issues or the policies of the candidates enough to vote. So I got a little passionate and said, you vote because you can! So I am passing this message on to all of you who stop in and read my blog! Remember that only 88 years ago, women did not have the right to vote. In 1920 the 19th amendment was passed giving women the vote, it took our ancestors 40 years to finally get the ammendment and it almost did not pass. We seriously take for granted the rights we have. I truly think everyone should be educated about the issues and the candidates (which isn't hard to do in this day of mass media), but at least get out and vote to honor those who fought for us to have the right to do so! If you want to know a little more about Women's suffrage, here is a link that I found you might be interested in. http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/suffrage/index.htm

The Addition To My Face

Lately, I have found myself squinting and straining to see everything from the clock at the back of the classroom to the t.v., street signs, the little lines on powergrade! Anyway, I decided to go and have my eyes checked (my second eye exam ever). Sure enough, my eyes are no longer perfect and the Doc said a pair of glasses would probably help me out! So I figure, if your going to have to wear glasses they might as well make a statement! So the pair I chose are purple with rhinestones! I come home, ask Wayne what he thinks and he says you look cute, you kind of remind me of Thelma from Scooby Doo! Well I seriously lost it thought that being compared to Sarah Palin was bad enough, but Thelma! I tried to explain that she is the dumpy, boyfriendless one of the bunch and he kept trying to tell me it was a compliment because she is the smart one. Seriously! Do you all see what I have to put up with! I am surrounded by boys whose idea of a compliment is you look like "Thelma" honestly! (By the way, I do actually see the resemblance, I just don't really want to hear about it!)

Waynes Deer Hunt!

Here are some pictures of my 2008 Muzzle loader hunt with Kaylon and Ronnie. They were nice enough to take me in to their favorite hunting spot that is 10 miles by horse, or mule into the back country. We spent 9 days scouting and hunting and I was lucky enough to harvest this great 32 3/4 inch wide mule deer. We also saw bear, bobcat, elk, turkeys and a ton of deer on our trips.

Thanks for the great times Kaylon and Ronnie!!

Oh ya, Michelle said I had to say thanks to her also! Thanks babe, for letting me go! You are the bombdiggity!

Tag... I'm it!

Ok, so I am a serious novice blogger and I just found out what it means when someone tags you. So I am officially participating in my first tag thanks to my sis in law Shanna...Thanks, I think? I have tried to think of things people may not know but since I am such an open person I found it difficult to think of something that you'all may not know. So here are a few of my deep dark secrets (Ha Ha)!

1. I love watching congressional hearings , English Parliament, house committee meetings or pretty much anything else on CNN. I don't understand it all, but I find it strangely intriguing.

2. I was once engaged to a guy whose name was Shane and looks uncannily like my husband Wayne. (There is a really long story there!)

3. I insist on getting my hair cut in a salon because I love having someone else wash my hair!

4. I love gardening and can not wait to have the money to plant flowers and other such foliage (I have big plans!)

5. I love to watch T.V. and if I had my way, I would fall asleep with it on every night. I think it has something to do with being able to relax my brain, so subsequently I physically relax and can fall asleep.

6. I love using a big vocabulary! Seriously! It is something I picked up in high school when a friend wrote in my year book that I had been a plethura of firsts for him (there is another story !) I had to look up the word plethura because I did not know what it meant. From then on I have payed a lot of attention to new words and I try to use them as much as possible!

7. I read anytime I have a chance which may include reading at red-lights!

I Tag

Kimber

Britney

Matt

Kilee

Aimee

Jamie

Meg

THANK YOU!

So I just got home from our 1st annual (I hope) cheer reunion! It was so good to meet new people and catch up with past cheerleaders Megan, Jenni, Nikki and Shanna, you were my beginning at AF and you will always have a special place in my heart! Like we said, it was a learning year for all of us. To all the rest of you Thanks for coming and reminiscing with me! So much of my life is wrapped up in cheerleaders and it is great to see that cheer is something that you look back on with good memories! It makes me feel like I am doing a good job!

Good Luck to all of you and please keep blogging, I love seeing what you are all up to.

Love Ya!

Memories!

So I was just reading on Aimee (Hemmelgarn) Smiths blog and decided to participate in this little game! I had so much fun reading the memories people had shared that I thought I would give it a whirl!

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

American Fork Homecoming

This week is Homecoming for American Fork! As Promised here is a little more info about our cheerleader reunion on Wednesday Night. We will start at 7pm and we are inviting any alumni cheerleaders! There is an Invitation and a Biography form on my school website which is http://michelleormond.googlepages.com. Click on the Cheerleading Link and then select the bio/invitation form. Fill it out and bring it if you are coming, if not then email it back to me so I can have it on display during the evening. I am so excited to reunite with some of you and also have an opportunity to meet some of those that came before me! Hope to see you there!

Hey Cheerleaders!!

If you or anyone you know has ever been an American Fork High School Cheerleader please let them know that they are invited to the high school on September 24th (Wednesday) at 7:00pm for a cheer homecoming extravaganza!! I will post more info soon, but put it on your calendars for now and please plan to come!

Catching Up!

Well as predicted, as soon as I started getting back into school stuff, blogging has taken a back seat (along with lots of other stuff). I really am glad to get back into school, it just started a little too early this year. I did want to post quickly and tell anybody new that has posted I appreciate you checking in and one of these days I will respond back!! In the meantime, we just had some new family pictures taken and I thought I would post a few! So you can see how our family is growing! Hope everyone is having a great school year.

Fordham Family Reunion

Yesterday was the Fordham Family Reunion up Nephi Canyon. It was a great day and there were a lot of fun memories made. It was really great to see everyone, have some good food and learn a little more about the Fordham ancestors!

Cheerleaders!!

I have been the cheer advisor at American Fork High for the past 11 years (starting my 12th) in that time I have coached a couple hundred cheerleaders. Tonight as I was adding links, I was able to read up on what some of my girls (and guys) are doing. The most fabulous thing is what beautiful mothers they have become. I am so proud to be able to say I knew them when!

Cool Things

It seems that this blog has become my current obsession, which means that as soon as school starts it will probably not get updated again until next June! Maybe I will surprise myself and actually keep up with it. Anyway, we have had some cool things happen to us recently. Both Wayne and I have received awards at work.

Wayne was awarded the directors challenge in April. This award was given to recruiters who had recruited 150% of their standard. The Air Guard flew us to Arizona, put us up in the Arizona Grand and basically treated us to a great weekend. They also had an awards banquet and a really nice barbeque for the award winners and their families. All in all it was so awesome because Wayne and I went and left the kids at home!!! Honestly, we didn't really even know how to handle so much quiet! The whole trip was awesome and I am so proud of Wayne and his achievement.

In May I received the "Accent on Excellence Award" which is given to 10 teachers, 1 administrator and 1 classified employee in the Alpine School District. It is given by the Alpine Foundation and is bascially to reward excellence in education. I was nominated by another teacher in my school, then my application went to the selection committee. This has been such an honor for me, I was really shocked because I really did not think I was qualified. Anyway, the award included $500 for me personally and $500 for my classroom. In addition we got a gift basket that was probably worth another $500. They also had a really nice awards banquet where we were presented with our award and gift baskets. It seriously felt like the academy awards for teachers!

Disneyland 2008

This year for our vacation my entire extended family decided to go to Disneyland. So on May 30th, just a couple hours after school was out we hit the road (in two mini-vans and one 15 passenger van). We had 21 people total, 10 under the age of 9! We spent 3 days at disneyland and California adventure, one day at the beach and one day at SeaWorld! It was non-stop fun and I am so glad we took the opportunity to do it! What great memories!