Trip to SLC

Last week was Miss Utah and Mathison's follow up appointment at Primary Children's.  Del, Mathison, and I drove to SLC on Monday; first on our agenda was Mathison's appointment with his orthopaedic surgeon.  Mathison's surgical sites are healing well, but the achilles tendon positioning of the foot is not quite where the doctor wants it to be.  Mathison was fitted for a walking boot which he is to wear the next few weeks before moving into a nighttime brace.  We hope his little foot gets its proper position and strength soon!

That evening was the "Show Me Your Shoes" parade for the Miss Utah contestants.  This fun event was held at Gardiner Village in West Jordan.  Mathison's favorite part was the candy thrown by the contestants:

The next morning we had a trip planned to Hogle Zoo.  The weather couldn't have been better - it was in the upper 70's to low 80's.  We kept hearing other patrons complaining about how hot it was; they obviously weren't from St. George :)  Mathison had three favorite things at the zoo:

The train ride:

The carousel:

And, the playground:

He couldn't have cared less about the animals!



Here are a few more pictures taken at the playground:

While at the zoo, I took this sweet picture of Mathison and DEl:

Later that evening, the three of us had an adventure downtown.  We went to the Gateway, rode the train, and visited Temple Square:

Mathison loved the Tabernacle - especially the organ pipes, which he recognized from the front of the LDS hymn book.

The next day was Wednesday, which was the first night of the Miss Utah competition.  We spent the day swimming and shopping, then had an early dinner before dropping Mathison off at a sitter's house for the evening.  It was so fun to watch the pageant in support of Miss Dixie College, Jessica Baird.

The next morning Mathison and I drove back to St. George, while Krissia traveled to SLC to be with DEl for the remainder of Miss Utah.  Watching the pageant really motivated her to begin preparations now for her turn at Miss Utah next year.  It seems so weird that we'll be there supporting our daughter next year; I don't know if DEl and I are quite ready for that level of nervousness!

She Has What it Takes

What is a good Miss Washington County made of?

First, she must be presentable in the production number:

Then, simply stunning in her swimsuit:

It helps to be terrific in talent:

She must be intelligent in interview:

And finally, she should look elegant in an evening gown:

The judges must have agreed with my assessment, because last Saturday night...

Krissia was crowned as the new Miss Washington County!!

She did so well and we are very proud of our daughter.  Krissia had a lot of friends and family there supporting her; even her three brothers came to watch their sister:

Something which made the night even more special is that there were five title holders - past and present - from the same family in attendance.  My mother, myself, and two of my sisters (Nicole and Shawnee) have also won the Miss Washington County crown.  Here we are - three generations and five winners from the same family:

I think it's something special!

We look forward to a busy year supporting Krissia in this adventure and can hardly wait to cheer her on at Miss Utah next summer :)

Making a Splash

Jefferson has been kicking around the idea of trying out for the high school swim team next year.  Although Jefferson can swim, he hasn't had a lot of formal training, so we thought it would be a good idea to enroll him in a summer swim league to get him in shape and see where his skills were at. 

After only 7 days of practice, it was time for the first meet.  Jefferson ROCKED his first race:

 Jefferson took first place in the 50 Back for his age group!  Yep folks - it looks like we have another talented backstroker in the family :)

Next, came the 50 freestyle.  Jefferson doesn't like this stroke quite as well, as it's a bit harder to breathe (he has asthma).  However, he did a great job and took 6th place overall:

Jefferson naturally has a very smooth stroke; he just needs the strength and stamina to go with it.  We're excited to watch his progression this summer and hope he decides to give high school swimming a try in the fall!

Two Down...

...and two to go.

I can't believe I now have TWO children grown and graduated!

Krissia looked beautiful and seemed happy to be graduating from high school:

Krissia sang with the choir during graduation; they performed "For Good" from the musical "Wicked":



Krissia is on the first row, third from the left

 Our daughter plans on staying home and working during the summer.  She will attend Dixie College in the fall on a leadership scholarship, and would like to move out for a semester or two to see what it's like on her own.

Sigh.

This mom is sure going to miss her only daughter; I greatly appreciate her cheerful attitude and willingness to help around the house.  However, I can't wait to see what lies in store for Krissia on this next stage of her journey in life!