A short, sweet and simple month to report on... February flew by bringing with it visitors and ski trips each and every weekend. And in these times, we'll take all the excitement we can get! That's for sure. Highlights included celebrating our beloved Dane and his 14th birthday! We had already done a bit of that in January, but the celebrations continued on and into his actual birthday. We traveled out to Brianhead, UT two times this month for skiing/snowboarding and the conditions were pretty near perfect both trips. The kids absolutely adored being on the mountain and skiing their hearts out! Blake and I were thrilled with the family togetherness and the fact that ALL four of our kids were enjoying this one activity together. It felt very good to work hard and play hard. Couldn't believe how quickly the kids picked up on these skills. We received a miracle in the form of an older gentleman who was a retired ski instructor happening upon Anna and Blake our first evening on the slopes. Blake was reluctantly trying to teach Anna how to maneuver down the mountain as she was full of fear and closed heartedness! This man swooped in and spent 40 minutes teaching Anna how to control her skis and body so that she could gracefully plow down! He instilled in her great confidence and she just took off from there! It was seriously such a blessing. The second weekend at Brianhead we were able to spend one day with our good friends the Jorgensons! They were there celebrating Don's 50th birthday so it was a blast. So grateful to Blake for putting the trips all together and working tirelessly to gather snow gear, equipment, clothing, book accommodations, etc. We are a lucky bunch to have such a devoted guy in our life.
In other news, we enjoyed a visit from the Bachmans during Valentine's Day weekend. Loved watching the kids reconnect. We played loads of games, barbecued out back, gambled all sorts of money playing LRC, strolled along the beach, braved a sky ropes course, swam every evening and Cathy and I even had one full day to ourselves to shop, and eat lunch out. The best part was for sure seeing the kids enjoy one another. They hadn't spent much time together in the past year or two due to sports and busy schedules so it was fun to watch them interact as teens.
LOVED having Grammy visit for the week as well. It was such a relaxing and fun filled 8 days. With the kids being home most of the day, it was a joy to have my mom here with me to fill those days with lots of cooking and baking classes for the kids, lots of pom pom making, lots of shopping trips, card games, walks around the neighborhood and Chick fit a every day! We lived in up in every sense of the word and I'm missing her like crazy now that she's gone. Everything is more fun with your mom around. Especially my mom because she brings with her an amazing energy, creativity and vibe. Over the weekend, the whole family went mini golfing and out to handles ice cream, then we decorated and planned for a Survivor binge party! We had Thai pad noodles for dinner, and even hid our own immunity idols with clues for the kids to find. The immunity idol guaranteed the finder a week off of chores. You better believe the kids looked long and hard for that one! We crammed an entire season into a couple of days. Never have done anything like that before- but it was super fun. We love you Grammy! Thanks for making our week so amazing!
Valentines Day was pretty uneventful this year. The kids were thrilled to be able to actually bring valentines to class- we weren't sure if this would even happen considering the strict safety procedures in place at school- but it was fun and the kids enjoyed exchanging legos valentines (Grant) and little keychain stuffed animals (Anna) with classmates. We enjoyed chocolates and flowers from Dad, two cute little Valentine's Day cats for Anna! A dinner of delicious pasta parmesiagn (made by Dane) and chocolate strawberries with pink sugar cookies for dessert. The week before Valentines day was filled with a secret sister gift exchange in the young women and Evelyn enjoyed bringing valentines to a new 12 year old girl in the ward whilst she in return was given all sorts of cute goodies and was even surprised by a heart attack on the front door! Sameen brought over Lady Gaga Oreos with a hilarious cat magnet for my valentine. Grant received a 'bro's valentine" which consisted of some candy and a piece of cooked bacon-- too funny.
Blake's office is doing well- I love checking on "Mom's of Poway" group on Facebook- often moms will ask for orthodontic recommendations and people are so sweet in their recommendation of Blake's office. I sent him this screen shot the other day- hopefully it helped him to see what a great orthodontist he is!
In news from home- Jamie just took in a new ADORABLE foster baby named Khy'Ella!!!! She is truly the most precious little girl on earth and their entire family is in heaven! SOOOOOOOO excited for her! And it snowed for a week in WA-- loved seeing the pics come in from my family. I remember those rare but amazing snow days in WA growing up- some of my very best memories! Loved these darling pictures of Mom and Dad with the cousins. Miss these guys.
Evelyn has kept busy with Caylie, Emma and Cooper this month. For Valentines Day she gave him some cologne and a gift card to Game Stop. He gave her a big stuffed rhino. Sadie Hawkins is coming up ( a mom is throwing it in her backyard!) and Evelyn asked Cooper to the dance with a big box of Crumble cookies! He accepted-- she found a gorgeous pink dress to wear-- that's coming up in a week and a half! The biggest news for Evelyn this month is the third car we bought! She is ecstatic not to drive the van around anymore! It is so fun for her to have her freedom! And of course, we are excited for all of the help she provides our family-- shuffling kids to soccer practices and dance and the skate park! She is super helpful and it is such a blessing. Now all she needs is a job to help pay for the gas and shopping trips she has planned with her newfound freedom.
Grant and Dane have been plugging away with soccer. Honestly, it's been a little frustrating. Most of it can be blamed on the pandemic.... but we are actually considering taking a break from the sport entirely! Or maybe just switching teams? Not sure, but it's definitely been causing quite a bit of stress over here lately trying to decide the best path to take. Soccer has been such a big part of the boys' lives for so long, but sometimes when something isn't bringing happiness- it might be time for a change. Nothing is certain yet, but we are working on a solution to this problem for both boys. Grant continues to be obsessed with scootering and goes daily to the skate park. Dane is still very excited about tennis and spending time with his friends. He cooks often for our family and is such a huge help. Dane gets to go back to school 2 times a week starting March 15th. It's very exciting for him and for me. I hate watching Dane sit in front of a computer all day long- I can't wait until he gets back into life... it's been a difficult year for him to miss out on seeing friends and being a part of school.
Anna spends most of her days playing with Louie and Ruby, dancing, putting together puzzles with me, watching Full House with me, creating drawings, flower accents, playing Settlers of Catan, and swinging. She loves spending time with Kate Judd and going to school. She is always and I do mean always in a good mood. She is funny and a bright spot in our family. If I could just get her to do her chores more willingly!
So that's that... February in a nutshell. Grateful for my crazy little family and all of the way they help me to stretch, feel joy and experience growth.
