Cougarette 65th Anniversary

I took Addy to her first Cougarette Showcase with my sister and niece.  During dinner I realized that the Cougarettes we were going to be watching that night were Addy's age when I was on it.  What?!?  Seriously?!? 

After the Cougarette Showcase, we were invited to a fun gathering of all Cougarette alumni for the 65th anniversary celebration.  Here are just some of the cute girls I had the opportunity to dance with. 

 (You don't have to ask us twice to pose for a picture!)

Jodi May Maxfield, Cougarette Director for now 20 years! 

I love this woman.  She provided me with some of my best college friendships, memories, and laughs!  She is the reason that the Cougs have won 8 National Champtionships...that's right 8! 

So after I got home, I got a tad nastalgic and pulled out some pictures from my day and started scanning...oh the memories!

BYU Football Pregame circa late 90s

 

Freshman Year-Fall 1997

Before every football game started, we had some very important roles to fill.

1. We'd put on our little pregame outfits which all consisted of horrific explosions of sequins from the 80s.  They all had super short skirts which looked awesome with our pantyhose and character shoes.  We'd have to sport Coug Do (which meant hair curly, sides pulled up) and wear Covergirl Wild Plum lipstick (cuz it looked good on everyone ya know)
2. The group would then split in half.  Sometimes our half would get to go over to the tailgating/party side of the stadium.  They had this band on a stage that would play the cougar fight song.  We would dance...in our character shoes and super short skirts to this song.  Only problem was there wasn't room for us up on the stage, so they would just ask everyone to scoot back, so pretty much you were 4 inches from a spectator's face.  Fun!
3. After this splendid fight song performance, it was off to the KSL booth where we'd chat with Greg Wrubell and Mark Lyons.  They always would want us to say a little ditty about the game for that day on the air.  For some reason, Jodi would always ask me last minute to come up with something.  Being the creative girl that I am, I'm pretty sure they all went a little like this, "Roses are red, Cougars are blue..."

Then it was time to go to onto the field to do the fight song with the band before the team came out.  You just can't get enough of that "rah rah rah rah rah" stuff. 

So, if you didn't get to go dance 4 inches from someone's face, then it was your week to go and mingle in the Cougar Room. 

Inside the Cougar Room, sporting lovely crushed royal blue velvet numbers. 

(The crazy face was my roommate Lindsay, she never would just smile in pictures and made us laugh incessantly) 

 Only those that paid LOTS of money to the football program were allowed in the Cougar Room, so they were usually over 65 and never failed to tell us how short our skirts were.  Good times.

This is Lindsay and I trying to get warm in the football stadium bathrooms.

After my freshman year, in 1998 "Coug Do" changed to a curly ponytail.  My hair wasn't long enough to go into a ponytail, so this is what my "Coug Do" became.  I'm pretty sure I thought I was cute.  These outfits were some of the worst (a close tie with the crushed velvet), yes that's a silver sequin belt. 
 
 

Now, I do take great comfort in the fact that the Cougarettes look much more stylish today and if any of you Ute fans have a snide remark to make, let me just preface it by saying, Crimson Line sucks.  Thank you. 

More Cougarette Memories

Homecoming Parade 1997

Fun Halloween Half-Time, Fall 1998

World of Dance 1998...nice hair.

Controversial "Spybreak" for World of Dance 1999

Jazz Halftime

Waiting to perform at the Jazz Game

More Football

Vegas for the UNLV Football game

Basketball Halftimes

Daytona Beach, Florida for the NCA Nationals Competiton

3-Peat Baby!

Makes me laugh that I don't have any pictures of us actually dancing, because I was, well, dancing.  Will have to talk to the parents to see if they got any.  Just have to say that these are some of the nicest, most talented, funniest girls I know!

Gooooooooooooo Cougars!

We are thoroughly enjoying BYU Basketball this year!  This is how close Jonathan watched most of the game.  Since he's had Lasix, I think it must be the basketball player in him...it's just too hard to sit.  

Love Note

Addy came home from preschool with this the other day.  Our conversation went a little like this:

Me:  Whoa Addy, who is this from?

Addy:  Remington.  He thinks I'm his girlfriend. 

Jonathan:  Well, you just tell him that he can think all he wants, but if he tries any funny business, I'll have to talk to him.

Me:  Easy babe, she's four. 

The Aquarium

Addy had a field trip to the aquarium, so we took Megan and London and had a great ol' time!

Petting the stingrays

Same size as the big penguin...you'd think I said, "Show me your scary faces," rather than, "Smile girls."

Haven't been there in a couple of years, and we enjoyed the new additions...we'll be back.

The Farm

Since the sun was shining and it was almost 40 degrees, we thought we'd venture out into the heat wave and enjoy a little manure smell at the Thanksgiving Point Farm.

Addy chose the biggest horse.  I don't think she noticed that, she just noticed the purple harness. 

London wasn't so sure, but she didn't get off.

Miss Herriman Rodeo 2021

London wasn't so sure about those chickens.

(Sidenote:  Someone took London's 2T coat from the gym and so we got their 3T version which will be great for next year, but for the time being, we think she just looks like a head and a coat.)

Addy would pick up the leftover corn kernels on the ground (cuz her mom didn't have a quarter) and fed the goats.

Nice smile Addy.  Nice.

21 Months

Oh London, how we love you!

At 21 months there are a few things that stick out in my mind, things that are so different from your sister at this same age. 

The stools.  She loves them all.  She can now climb up on her own on the big stools.  I woke up to this stool party this morning outside my bedroom door.  She moved them all over, then stood ont he one closest to the door and opened it.  These stools are instrumental in getting her on top of any table or counter where she can access any cupboard.  She also thoroughly enjoyes moving the stools to the back of the couch, then falling down backwards onto the soft landing below.  Let's hope this all won't lead to more broken bones in the future.

London is obsessed with shoes.  She has to be the one who picks them (which is why she is wearing Crocs in February).  Every morning, she comes and takes my hand, proceeds to stand in front of her closet and says, "Shoes."  I open the closet, and go through many different options.  I get them out of the basket and hold them up and she'll say, "Nooooooooooo."  (low to high tone)  It's not until I pick the most impractical of the bunch that she'll give me an excited, "Yaaaaaa!"  So if you see moon boots at church, don't ask, I'm just the Mom.

We love you little stinkers!

The Skiier

Jonny, the ultimate skiier, enjoyed taking Addy up for her first time skiing.  They went to Alta after 3 = free.  I wasn't there, so I don't have too many details other than the report that Addy didn't complain or whine, so I'd say that's a success.  Jonathan received a minor flesh wound from the rope tow (he'll remember to have his gloves on next time), but judging from how many people Addy has showed her new skis and boots too, i think she had a great time too!

You know it's a perfect day to teach a 4-year-old when it's so warm, you can get away with a light jacket and no hat.  Good job Addy!

It's Official!

Well,  I won't be the Mother of the Year Award this year.  Not sure who actually gives out this award, but I'm pretty sure they won't be calling me this year.  (Not like they've been banging down my door any other year either. They must have some sort of timer on how much TV your kids watch or something.)  I thought I may still be able to redeem myself after this incident, but now all hopes are dashed. 

Tuesday morning London was laying (lying?) on the changing table, all changed, dressed, and ready to go for the morning.  I took two steps to the closet to get her shoes and she stood up, tripped, and fell off the table.  After I knew she wasn't paralyzed, I knew something else was wrong.  She was holding her wrist and wouldn't stop crying.  I gave her ibuprofen which seemed to calm her enough to fall asleep on my shoulder at 9 am.  We went into the pediatrician who put a nice splint on it and sent us for x-rays. 

See that little ace bandage poking out of her shirt?  Thank goodness Primary Children's is now just a hop, skip, and a jump away at the Riverton Hospital.  She was LOVING this place!

So the order for the x-ray was for her forearm and wrist.  After doing 2 x-rays of her forearm, the tech came back and said that they didn't need to x-ray the wrist because they got what they needed. 

Me:  So, it's broken?  (obviously)

Tech:  Well, we can't say, you'll get a call from your doctor. 

Me:  (just trying to break him)  Would you say then it might be broken? 

Tech:  Like I said, the doctor should call you shortly.

Me:  Wow, you're good.  Lawsuits ruin things for everyone, don't they?

 Well, a short time later we got the call we'd been waiting on pins and needles for...yep...her little radius was in fact broken (shocker!).  So, we made our way back to the pediatrician to get a lovely cast a couple days later so the swelling could go down.  London was SO EXCITED!

See that excitement?

Looks like she wanted pink instead of purple.  I never make the right choice.

Okay, okay...we can go back to the waiting room and look at the dang fish for the 234th time! 

 (True reason for the fit.  She sat there just fine while the cast got put on.)

Feeling much better at home, with a little food in her belly, and saying goodbye to the aquarium of fish.  

 So, whoever invented the "waterproof" cast...I could kiss you right now!  I had visions nightmares of trying to get a plastic bag on a squirmy 20 month old only to find out about this gem of a product.  The nurse pracitioner let me know that it costs $10 for the waterproof lining where the normal non-waterproof lining costs only 45 cents.  He said that insurance usually won't cover the waterproof kind.  I told him I'd be happy to pay the difference (no brainer!).  He said that they just cover the cost to "take care of their patients." 

What a great office! Now that is customer service at it's finest!  I asked him if my 654 other visits to their office for well-checks, ear infections, and a myriad of other issues over the past 4.5 years would likely have covered that extra $9.55 waterproof cast?  He thought it probably would.

No Mom, I didn't really ask him that.  But I was thinking it.  I did think it was funny he was telling me how nice they were to cover the cost of the $10 waterproof cast.  If it was $100 difference, got it, you rock!  $9.55?!?  Come on!

Four weeks of the little purple monster, then she'll have her arm back.  She may be a total lefty by then. 

So, while I am just a tad sad about not getting that MOTY award, I'm glad this happened now.  I'd hate to go the whole year thinking I was in the running only to have her break her arm in December or something.  Now it's only February and the pressure to win such an esteemed award is totally gone. 

If you want me to watch your kids, send 'em over...we'll be watching TV.