It's that time of year again — when life accelerates without warning, winter quietly slips away, spring break appears on the horizon, and somehow we're already mapping out summer camps and vacations. How does this happen so quickly? The school year just started?!
I suppose it has everything to do with the pace we keep around here. There is always something going on, and this month was no different.
Dane has been carrying a heavy academic load while also carving out plenty of time with Kenzie — including a trip down to Mexico. When he isn't writing a paper, reading, or studying for chemistry, he's cooking dinner for the whole family. I've said it more times than I can count, but I am endlessly grateful for everything Dane contributes to our family life. He is helpful, insightful, handy, and genuinely creative in the kitchen. It is just so good to have him around.
One story from this month really stopped me in my tracks. After his biology midterm, Dane was dismayed to find he'd received an F — especially since biology is his favorite subject and he had studied hard. Rather than letting it go, he woke up early the next morning and went to his professor's office hours. When she brushed off his concerns and told him to simply study harder for the final, he didn't back down — he asked her to walk through the actual problems with him. As they reviewed his answers together, she realized she had scored his test using the wrong template. He walked out of her office with a 98%. I was so proud — not just of the grade, but of the quiet courage it took to advocate for himself and keep pushing until something felt right. He is growing into a remarkable adult right before my eyes.
Grant had quite the eventful month himself. He started club soccer, played 20 minutes of his first ECNL game with this new team — and promptly sprained his ankle. He plays with everything he has, and sometimes the body pays the price. Such a bummer. He's been resting and practicing lightly, but surfing and hard-core soccer are off the table for a few more weeks.
On a much happier note, I loved attending the Poway High varsity soccer banquet. Grant was honored with First Team in League — and then, as a sophomore, won MVP. There are only two sophomores on the entire team, which makes the recognition that much more meaningful. He was proud and happy, and so were we. A letterman's jacket is officially on the docket for next month.
Grant also started his last trimester of sophomore year, and with the new class lineup came a surprise addition: choir. He is loving it, singing on key, and producing genuinely great tone. He's even considering auditioning for Poway's top choir next year. Happy, shocking news for this mom — I love that choir program, and it makes my heart full knowing he's found joy in it.
Anna is somehow already registering for high school courses, which I am not emotionally prepared for. Next month she'll be 14, and while that feels impossible, I do love watching her personality deepen and expand month by month. She is still every bit the Nertz-loving, shopaholic, dancing queen she has always been — but she is also becoming more interesting by the day. Her love for her people runs deep: her girl group, Kenzie, family. But she balances it beautifully with solo time — watching sunsets, working out in the garage, making healthy meals, walking Coco, beaching it whenever possible, playing with Sophie, and showing up for Beau's Friday night football games. She lives a full life, and I love every minute of watching it unfold.
Evelyn is counting down the weeks until spring break — and honestly, so are we all. Nursing school is no joke, and she is hanging on, learning so much, and genuinely loving her clinicals each week. The big relief this month: her clinical placement for the summer was NOT the night shift. Given that she's been struggling with sleep lately, that news was everything. On that front, I read what is considered the leading book on sleep challenges and discovered that the single most effective intervention for sleep issues is waking up at the exact same time every morning — consistency above all else. I wrote out the key takeaways for Ev, she put them into practice, and she's already feeling better. Phew. I love when she sends me videos of guitar solos she's working on or photos of her and Katie at the gym. So proud of the life she is building.
As for me, I've thoroughly enjoyed diving deeper into my work at Transcend this month. We officially launched our PEERS social skills course, and it was a success. There's still plenty of work ahead to get it fully up and running, but taking those first real steps felt genuinely exciting. I've also been working on marketing materials for the counselors — digital flyers for social media, bios, and more.
On the home front: cat shenanigans. It was well past time for Tammy to be spayed — expensive, chaotic, but hopefully the cure for her creative litter box habits. Time will tell.
There were so many wonderful youth events this month too: building bunny flower pots with power tools, a sleepover at the Weddles, bulletin board photos, and painting for our circus-themed Mormon Prom. Such good stuff.
My flu turned into a sinus infection, which turned into an eye infection. Fun! But thankfully all of that happened after our girls' night at Disneyland. Helen organized the whole thing, and it was pure magic — the park was nearly empty, we walked onto every ride, and it felt exactly like the old days. One of those nights you don't forget.
Last but never least: I spent much of this month working on Easter music with the youth of our ward and helping put together the final room of our church's Easter walk-through. Listening to music about the Savior, practicing the accompaniment, gathering images of the Savior and scriptures about His life — it filled my home and my heart all month long.
Spring is here, the calendar is full, and so are we — busy, happy, and growing. Each of us is navigating our own challenges, learning something new along the way, and that — more than anything else — is what life is really about after all.
