First Half of January

We did our best to use our time wisely during that Limbo time between Christmas and when your routine starts again. Richie took all the time off, since he has so much saved up. It was lovely. We checked out the new park by the West Jordan library, Davy learned how to wave, the girls used their face masks from Erma, and we finished out science unit on energy finally!




Got the school space all refreshed and ready for the next half of the year! Of course, it was a disaster a few days later. But for a brief time, it was pristine. :)



We're about ready to tear the kitchen apart, but for a while now, our main living spaces have been totally remodeled! Yay! I don't dare put any pictures on the walls, because I don't want to put any holes in before we move! But it does feel less homey without pictures. We're already in this limbo mode, knowing we'll be moving relatively soon. Packing boxes here and there, selling things, etc.. it's a very weird feeling.


Gwen got a kid's cookbook for Christmas and finally got to try out one of the recipes. Meringues! She was so proud! She let us all have one, but then she saved the rest and invited friends over for a tea party to share them.


School stuff :) Remnants of a poetry tea time, giant snowflake making for homeschool group, fake snow play, Benson's water painting book, library visits


Richie bought access to an online library of workout videos. He's been working hard getting that workout time in after work, and the kids like to join in most days. :)

New Year's in St. George

The Sunday we left, Richie took some kids to church, I stayed home with some sick kids and packed everything up. Then we hit the road. I always love going home, but going home while Mom still has her Christmas decorations up is extra special. She is an artist through and through, and it shows in her decorations.


This was a much more low-key trip than the one just a month or so previous. We chilled out a lot. The kids thoroughly enjoyed art lessons with Grandma in her art cottage. Grandpa treated the 3 oldest to a hike on top of the mountain surrounding Bloomington and then down to the Virgin River, to dip their toes in. I was jealous! I don't remember hiking up that mountain as a kid. But Benson and I walked up around the block to an empty lot to climb on some rocks and do our own hiking. My heart surged with gratitude to see them standing on the mountain, so proud, with their grandpa. And then to see them all pull up in his truck, unbuckled, on their way to the river. This is the stuff memories are made of! Benson and I thoroughly enjoyed hanging out on the rocks. He would have been content to stay all day!



Chris and A hosted New Year's Eve at their house, complete with dinner and games. The kids all enjoyed each other and joked about who had crushes on which cousins :) They watched Harry Potter and played video games. I was shocked Benson wasn't phased by midnight at all. None of my kids were. They were all up and ready to party at midnight when we broke out the glow in the dark balloons and glow sticks!


The next day Russ and Nat invited everyone over to hang out and get some more family time in. The kids were completely entertained by their giant hot tub and outdoor TV while the adults chatted inside.


We were debating which day we should leave because of differing weather reports, and we ended up going sooner than we had told the kids. Like ripping a bandaid off. A really painful one. They are always sad to leave, but this time both Miles and Gwen had a hard time composing themselves for a while. It was tender to watch them hug these grandparents they love so much. They are lucky. I am lucky!

Christmas 2019!

Pre-Christmas Eve. Because of Tanner and Ondine's wedding, Ross and Amanda were in town and we wanted to do our Christmas Eve traditions while everyone was here, even if it wasn't on the real Christmas Eve. We ate a delicious meal, acted out the nativity, sang Cori Conners songs together, and opened presents. Our house was very full :) and it was wonderful.


On the actual Christmas Eve, we went down to Ben and Becca's and pot-lucked dinner. It was my first time ever cooking a turkey, and it nearly didn't get done. Yikes! But most of it turned out well and I made an awesome cake. Gingerbread cake with eggnog frosting and white chocolate ganache. Yum! We had a lovely meal and then did a quick program where we read verses from the nativity, interspersed with songs. It was so wonderful!


When we got home, the kids got changed into their Christmas PJ's and checked out their keepsake books. I got Miles a book on Chess since he really enjoys playing it. Gwen got the first volume of Little Women, because she really enjoys that story. The book is the actual book, but broken up into a few volumes to make it easier to digest for a young reader. Lindy got a question and answer book about nature because she is so curious these days. She is asking questions all the time and they are such amazing questions. Benson got a book with lots of construction machines in it. He loves watching diggers and machinery. :)


We had our traditional German pancakes, bacon, orange juice, and grapefruit. Dad had a cozy fire going and we listened to Christmas music as we ate. These are the moments to live for! Then they lined up youngest to oldest and tore through the wrapping paper cover we had in the hallway. Miles's big gift this year was a giant Harry Potter lego set that he spent, literally, an entire day putting together. Gwen's big present was a polaroid camera, which she has loved. Lindy's big gift was a cute dollhouse. Benson's big gift was an Octonauts play, toy thing. Davy's big gift was a new stroller.:)


Later on in the day we put together "Gingerbread" houses with the those of the Garner family who could come say hi. The kids loved showing off their loot. We had such a cozy day with each other. Really magical.

Second Half of December

Tanner and Ondine get married!! And I only snagged 2 pictures! It was a beautiful event and we are so happy we were close by to participate. Yay for another sister in law!


Ross and Amanda came down for the wedding and Christmas. We had so much fun playing with them!!


Tired Lindy :)


Date night with Miles! Last time I did a round of date nights with the kids, they were pretty simple. This time I tried to make them a little more special. Miles suggested bowling. :) We went when it was surprisingly busy, so we played some arcade games while we waited. I let him use the tickets to pick prizes and he graciously let me pick a few candies. :) Then, our lane still wasn't ready, so we sat and people watched and took silly selfies together. :) When it was our turn, he asked me what name I wanted to be on the board. I said, "Other than Mom?" And he said, "Well you know, like_____" And I'm kicking myself now for not writing it down sooner, cause the name he suggested was hilarious. I said, "Sure I'll be ______. And you can be Alfonzo." Which he thought was hilarious. So we typed our names in and when it was my turn to bowl, he'd cheer for me with my fake name, and I'd cheer for him as Alfonzo. :) I showed him all the cool bowling shots, like granny style, and through your legs backwards. It was fantastic.


I also got in a date with Benson. Being a Mom to little kids rocks. I bought maybe $10 worth of nickels, let him choose any game he wanted and he was in heaven! When it came time to choose prizes, he knew exactly what he wanted. Candy. :) It was the best.


Knowing we'd be out of town for New Year's, we decided to do our new tradition of watching, "It's a Wonderful Life" and measuring the kids. We also were treated to Domino's pizza thanks to a gift card from Paul and Lahni. :) We let the kids sleep under the tree one more night before we took all our Christmas decorations down the next day. I love the decorations, but man, a few days after Christmas I am ready for my house to be back to normal. :)