Lasts and a first...

 We've had quite a week at the Holt household.  We were able to attend the annual Raglan review and watch our girls shine a bit. 

 We also got to watch Bailey don her Raglan uniform for the last time. 

 Bailey tried out for high school cheer at Snow Canyon High School and of course rocked her tryouts and made the team.  She is officially no longer an all-star cheerleader.  

 It's been emotional to say goodbye to the gym that Bailey has called home for the past 6 years but we are very excited for her new adventure with the high school squad.  It will no doubt be an adjustment for her but one filled with opportunity. We are very proud to call Bailey ours.

 With Bailey going onto high school cheer we have decided Peyton will take a hiatus from all-star cheer as well.  Peyton loves dance and so until she asks us to begin competing again we are going to enjoy less time spent in the car running from place to place and enjoy watching her blossom as a little dancer.

 Raglan has been a great experience for our girls and it has had a great impact on Bailey's life in particular.  She's grown phenomenally and we couldn't be happier.

Spring Break Part 2

 Our spring break trip to Oceanside was short lived.  We had nationals in Salt Lake to get to after all.  This year Peyton's team ended up wanting to compete last minute which meant we had to be in Salt Lake earlier than usual.  We came back from Oceanside one day and left the next up north for the girls to compete.  Unfortunately I was fairly spent and forgot to take any photographs of my little Peyton on her big day.  Her team was darling of course but didn't place.

 Bailey was competing on two teams and both were up against some pretty tough teams.  Unfortunately  Bailey's first performance didn't go as well as she had hoped and the team didn't make it to the match play round.  However, she had to brush off that loss right away because she had to compete with her other team shortly after the first.

 They came out and did great!  The team made it to match play but in the first  15 seconds of their routine, one of their flyers was kicked during a tumbling pass and the music stopped.  Most of the parents hadn't seen it and were stunned by the silence.  The little girl that had been kicked landed on her head and ended up with a pretty severe concussion.  The judges allowed the team to still perform once they were able to stabilize Bailey's teammate.  Bailey's team at that point couldn't have taken first but they were AMAZING!!! 

 No jackets and second place but a memory that will outlast a title.

As soon as we pulled into town we headed over to Bailey's fallen teammate's house to give her a welcome surprise home.

This week will be Bailey's last at Raglan as she made the high school cheer team the following week (more on that later) and while we are looking forward to a new experience for our amazingly talented daughter, we will miss her family at Raglan.

Oceanside 2014

 In the spring of 2013 Mat and I decided it was time to save for a trip to Hawaii again.  We figured we could set aside money each month and by spring break of 2014 we would be relaxing with the island breeze.  An incident with backing out of the garage, Bailey's appendix, and basically life altered our plans to Spring Break in Oceanside, California. 

 The benefit of our new plans were that we could invite other families to go along.  We rented a great beach house and invited the Herd's, Edwards, and Orchards, to share in our family fun. 

 The house was PERFECT with ample space to accommodate all four families and it was RIGHT on the beach so the kids could spend as much time in the sun as their hearts desired.

 We got lucky with gorgeous weather and despite the ocean being a tad cold the kids rarely came inside.  

 Mat took Bailey and Caleb one morning to the San Diego temple to do baptisms which was Caleb's first time.  We also took a day and went to see the seals and tide pools in La Jolla.  We could have easily spent every minute of our trip at the house however.  We were there for four nights which frankly just wasn't enough!

 The kids all got along great with each other and they all formed new friendships.  

 Mat and I have taken some great trips over the past few months but there's nothing quite as fun as having all of the family in one place. 

 The kids are growing up.  In terms of summers left we have 3 with Bailey which is crazy to think of!

 We had a wonderful time and of course can't wait to head back!