March Madness

The title of this post is deceiving. March madness for us didn't include brackets. It did include another bday celebration, a dance competition, Thanksgiving Point, and a decision that closes an era.

James' Birthday

It was basically birthday weekend. James' bday was on a Sunday so we had his party on Saturday.

I held myself back. From past experience, I didn't want to do something too intense. I let James invite a handful of friends to his party. I was worried about pool safety and kids. 

Peak: Nobody drowned! 2 parents came too and the lifeguards at the facility helped. The party went much smoother with better swimmers than I anticipated. 

Pit: Pool noodles apparently are NOT allowed. I had called and asked the Rec Center about this before I purchased the noodles but I guess the person I spoke with was misinformed. Oh well. They made for good party favors. The water balls I brought were okay though and the kids loved tossing those around.

Taft, Emmie, Jordan, Harrison, and Louie came! (Missed Elijah and Lane) 3 of the kids went off the high dive multiple times. And yes, you guessed correctly that James led the pack by doing a flip off of the high dive. The Herriman pool was the most crowded I've ever seen, but it died out as the party went on.

I considered renting the party room at the rec center but didn't. In the end I was glad I had everyone come to our house instead. It saved me $90 and was less of a hassle. We were able to leave the presents behind and once everyone was in the pool, they didn't want to get out. Since the Salt Lake County Rec Center Pools offer free passes to children ages 5 and up, some of James' friends were able to get in free. (Not all of them have the free passes.) I paid $32 to get the rest of us in which wasn't bad.

We got Krispie Kreme donuts and the glazed ones were green for St. Patrick's Day. I had James' friends all say something they love about him and "he is funny" was a common answer. His love of "squishmallows" was also brought up. He has a good group of friends! That night James caringly asked me if I could text his friends mom and thank them for such wonderful gifts! He was giddy and on cloud 9. He has been working on thanking them himself with handwritten cards and impressive pictures.

Someone loved her "bath" aka pool time and was quite upset when they blew the whistle to get out of the pool

Note: I like to keep track of his gifts and other details to remember what James likes at this age. It's not to rub in how spoiled he was. 

Friend gifts: the game "Battleship (and he proudly reports he beat dad!)," a girl squishmallow (he's been wanting one so it could marry another), 2 books of the Dragon Master's series (he stayed up reading 5 chapters and woke up anxious the next day to tell me all about them), water guns, and a Lego car which he put together that night. 

Takeout: James requested McDonald's for dinner which has only happened one other time before that I can think of. We ordered Happy Meals for James and Izzy and we ended up getting them for free! Andrew and I opted to have Taco Bell instead.

On Sunday, James' actual birthday, his primary teachers brought cupcakes. Talk about going above and beyond. He also got a treat from the bishop and a drink from his activity leaders. 

Homemade meal of choice: For dinner, James requested french dip sandwiches and strawberry bacon spinach salad. We also had deviled eggs and watermelon jello. Dessert was fruit pizza and an ice cream bar. Jessica's family joined us. Cousin George's birthday party was also that weekend and we loved going to that darling Winnie the Pooh themed shindig. 

Family gifts: James was smothered with presents. He got a solar system Lego set and sweatsuit from Grannie, a capybara stuffie from cousins Simon and Esther, a Pokemon watch from the Crandall fam, a monster truck, coloring book, and Crazy 8 game from Grandma Langlois, a humongous kite from Giggi and Go-Daddy, a joke book, Where's Waldo book, remote control monster truck, and hover soccer ball from Nana and Papa, and a basketball hoop from Mom and Dad. Going to the park to fly his new kite was one of his favorite parts of his birthday. The kite is massive and can fly surprisingly high.

I heard a loud voice outside the other day and went to check on James and our next door neighbor Chad was playing basketball with James. It made his day. James "beat" him.

School treat: James asked to bring Blue Cool Ranch Doritos to share with his classmates for his birthday.

Baptism: James is now 8 years old which means he can get baptized! He wants to be! We made the difficult decision to wait to have his baptism after my parent's return from their mission so they can attend. Instead of getting baptized in April, James will be baptized the weekend of my parent's homecoming on Saturday, June 28.

Bio: James is curious! His Chinese teacher showed us an assignment she gave the class. She said not only did James fill up every line when writing the story (I guess most of his classmates only filled half of the lines) but he also used Chinese characters he hasn't learned yet. James asked the teacher how to write these new characters to incorporate in his story. His enthusiasm pleased her. James writes A LOT. He might just be a bestselling author. I'll get you his autograph. He writes and illustrates pages and pages of books. James loves crafts and art! He finishes his assignments at school quickly and spends his free time making contraptions out of boxes, scraps, etc. He is known for bringing home trash bags full of his creations at the end of the week. 

Opening our freezer can be precarious at times. James mixes together all sorts of solutions and likes to watch them freeze and see what they'll do. The last one included a lot of dish soap. James appreciates my cooking and boy he can eat! James has a lot of energy to give and goes all in when riding his bike, scooter, playing basketball, etc. He is starting piano lessons, another session of basketball, and track is right around the corner. We love our goofy guy who is growing by the minute.

Annual checkup stats:

Date: March 20, 2025

Weight: 64 pounds (77%)

Height: 52.8 inches (85%)

Dance Competition

The dance mom world is a lot. Who knew that 5 year olds would be competing in competitions!? Isabelle had a competition in ROY this month which is an hour away. I got specific instructions for the exact Maybelline lipstick color Isabelle needed to wear, the eyeshadow to buy, pictures of how her hair should look, and was told to buy a hairnet for the bun. Whew. I definitely felt out of my league. Isabelle now has nicer makeup than me. We were even instructed not to have Isabelle wear underwear with her costume. These are things I would never think of. One competition down, one more to go. The next competition is closer. And then there's the spring recital which is my favorite event! Not hours long (like the ballet) with super upbeat songs and fun to watch.

Saturday, March 22

Lydia and Isabelle! I love that I get to spend time with Mandee at dance

Isabelle has moves! Yes, I'm her mom but why else would they put her front and center? Obviously she's gorgeous, but she definitely wouldn't be placed there on stage if she wasn't coordinated. Lately Izzy has been into dance and has been asking to perform her routine for people who come over! I was hoping she would be up for another year of dance because it's so stinking cute, but can I keep up with the vigor? Most girls in her class do both jazz dance and ballet and this year Isabelle only did jazz which was plenty.

Andrew went to the competition in Roy. I watched a video. I guess one of the girls in the class forgot where to go mid-dance and Izzy lovingly showed her the way. Atta girl! Izzy was counting down the days all week until the competition. Yes, she got flowers. And a trophy and pin!

An unexpected outcome was the massive headache Isabelle had from wearing such a tight bun. Poor girly. I was pretty proud of the bun I did, but I later learned that Isabelle's teacher had someone redo it tighter. Oops.. Newbie here. I will forever think of Isabelle and her graceful moves when I hear the song "Colorful Ocean."

Andrew and I snuck out later that night and went to Stake Conference. This pic was taken moments before I spilled campfire sauce all over my brand new dress. Rats.

Thanksgiving Point Expired

We have gotten our moneys worth for our membership! In the year we've had our membership, we went to Thanksgiving point at least 18 times! We went often with our friends the Bai's on days we had random weekdays off of school. We also adventured with cousins from both sides, my grandma, the Bradshaws, etc. Our pass expired this month. Don't worry, we went twice this month for the final hoorah! I'm a little sad especially as I've looked through pictures, but I'm open to renewing our membership at some point. We were able to try out the new Jurassic Jungle playground twice and are going again with friends over spring break (who can get us in for free). The tulip festival is right around the corner. I have always wanted to run the 5k and may run it with Jessica if I can get over the cost.

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Ditto Studios is Closing

After many prayers, temple trips, and late nights tossing and turning worrying, I'm going to stop teaching piano. This wasn't an easy decision. Stopping piano is something I've wanted to do for awhile, but the security of my income has been nice and needed. The main reason I'm quitting is because the hours for piano are really challenging and hard on our family. My kids are gone at school all day and then when they finally get home, I have to work and they have to be silent. It interferes with dinner, after school activities, and just makes our evenings hectic and hard. 

I feel peace about my decision and look forward to more flexibility and time with my kids. I have taught some of my piano students for a long time (2 sisters for over 5 years!) and am sad to see them move on! They're getting good. That being said, I'm going to substitute teach part time next year which will help ease the anxiety I have about potential job loss. Penelope got into the a nearby high school daycare and it's really cheap. She will go a couple times a week. I have taught piano since I was a teenager and it feels like it has been a part of me for so long! It has been a great source of income and a good outlet for me! I will miss the connections with my students, but I look forward to the flexibility and free evenings. I'm in a different season of life now. Thrilled to take on the new hat of "piano mom" and foster practicing as James takes lessons from someone else.

I have lots to look forward to in April, but a house project might take the cake... We have been needing and wanting to redo this spot of our house since we moved in nearly 4 years ago! Stay tuned!!

February Frenzy

The month of love is over!

February 25

My birthday fell on a Tuesday which meant no neighborhood kids were available to babysit because of young women's/young men's. Malia (our niece at BYU) stepped up to the plate and was able to watch the kids. I am so thankful. Andrew and I went to Texas Roadhouse which was superb. We even put our orders in with 4 minutes to spare before the early bird special ended, so we got a discount. We enjoyed doing sealings at the temple together. After, we picked up Nielsen's Custard. I'm never able to stray from my usual order-- PB cookie dough. Then we played the game "Dice Forge" with Malia. I love hanging out with her! We ended the night binging a show. Perfection. I have incredible people in my life who made it feel like birthday month with birthday lunches/dessert, thoughtful words and texts, and gifts. I've been spoiled. Andrew got me a bullet journal with great pens and laser hair removal.

February 20

Andrew's birthday was on a Thursday. His company gives employees their birthdays off. Andrew rarely takes work off unless we're traveling, so having him home made it an outstanding day. I let him sleep in, we went to the DMV to get new driver's licenses (adulting. I was weirdly excited to update my address on my license), and celebrated at brunch. Penny Ann's was tasty and Jill joined us. We had just enough time to get a nap in before the kids arrived home from school. (It was early day.) Then we went to parent teacher conferences. After that, Andrew snuck to the gym during quiet time. He stayed home with Penelope while I took the older kids to swimming lessons. Getting to sit poolside without a child actively trying to jump into the pool and yelling and pointing "bath" was ultra relaxing. Andrew invited some friends over for pizza and games. They were here from 6:30pm-12:15. They played 3 strategy heavy, time intensive games, which made all of Andrew's birthday wishes come true. (Apiary, Root, and Scythe.) I got Andrew adult Star Wars Legos which he finished rapidly and is eager to display. 

Quality sibling time

Jill visited which was lovely. We went to Mi Ranchito with Grandma Langlois amongst other things (walks, DI shopping, games, etc.) She gifted me a popcorn maker for my birthday and got me the ingredients to make special movie theater popcorn (a recipe from TikTok) that is ultra buttery and mouth-watering. Popcorn is one of my favorites. Jill happened to be here the Sunday I spoke in church too and it meant the world to me to have both my sisters there supporting me. Jessica got me pearl earrings which I've worn nearly everyday since. She also was thoughtful and has noticed our kitchen potholders are well worn and make getting things out of the oven precarious at times. We now have yellow and safe oven mitts. 

Jeff also was in town and it had been awhile since we've caught up. He treated us to pizza which was generous. Jeff was so cute and sweet with my kids. He was over the day they sold their house and it was thrilling to hear  all the details about their upcoming move and new adventures ahead. Seeing both of my siblings that live out of town was remarkable and unexpected. 

Swim Lessons

During February, the kids had swimming on Thursdays after school. One Thursday we had a terrible snow storm and it was cancelled which resulted in a screeching child that scared me and the rest of carpool.  On the last day of swim, the kids get to swing on the rope! They were both able to touch it and James went swinging on it a couple of times. They're getting so big! The kids are signed up to continue swimming lessons over spring break and just picked out new swimsuits. They can't wait to show them off.

Dogman!

Andrew had 1 job. Take a picture of him and the kids at the theater. He forgot. In his defense, they drove to a far theater that accepted the giftcard we had. It was a process to get the card to work, so the photo was the last thing on his mind. Getting to the movie on time was the priority. Insert imaginary photo here. This was a good activity for President's Day and the kids were fans.

Alison's celebratory lunch!

2 of my friends in the ward are having babies and due the same week! I organized little celebrations. Alison is having her 4th and last baby. Funny story. When we were house hunting, we offered on Alison's house and didn't get it. She did though and then 9ish months later, we offered on our house. I am so thankful she got her house so we could meet. I love Alison! To help direct conversation at the lunch, I had jars with questions in them that we passed around the table. In the past I've noticed it's hard to talk to everyone when you're eating out. This helped so everyone could hear and that Alison didn't have to be asked 9+ times, "so what are you naming your baby?" "When is your due date again?" etc.

Took this pic after Brie left. Oops

Kirsten's baby sprinkle! 

Kirsten has been my ministering companion since I moved into the ward. Kirsten's 2nd daughter has cystic fibrosis and Kirsten found out during her pregnancy that her 3rd daughter also has CF. Kirsten is strong and knows how to handle this. It was also discovered that Kirsten's baby had a bowel obstruction. Kirsten's water broke at 32 weeks which was scary. She ended up having her baby January 30 which was much earlier than planned, so we had to reschedule her sprinkle. Baby Mabel had surgery and has been in primary children's hospital but will get to come up within a couple weeks. 

After things calmed down, we rescheduled the sprinkle. I had help with the food and I was grateful! Valerie brought brownies and Meagan made sugar cookies and also got grapes. I made peanut butter fudge bars and had Trader Joe's lemonade. I created a game on Kahoot that we played. I was surprised several people hadn't heard of Kahoot before. It kept us laughing! You'd be surprised how much the biggest baby weighed and how many children one woman has birthed. People didn't seem to want to leave, so after presents and food, I had everyone share a peak and pit in their lives and something they love about Kirsten. Tears were shed. My kids should win an award for silently marching into their rooms after their movie ended and heading right to bed without disrupting the shower. Someone complimented Izzy's outfit and she hardly sad a word back. Maybe we threatened a bit too much. I made little party favors which I thought turned out cute.

Valentine's

The scavenger hunt tradition for the kids continued this year and they were happy to find coloring books and markers. Andrew also hid treats for me throughout the house and texted me randomly throughout the day with love notes and clues to find my surprises. He's a keeper. We had a little Valentine's party at Jessica's house and enjoyed pizza, a Valentine craft, and decorating Valentine's cookies. Andrew and I watched a rom com on Valentine's like usual. "Fall Guy" entertained us both.

Basketball

Another round of basketball is in the books! James did both sessions of Junior Jazz this year and that wasn't enough. He's starting another one in April at a different rec center. He was on Taft's team again both times. James was on fire. Instead of getting ice cream, he wanted to earn a "snuggie" (pictured above). His score stats:

Game 1: James made 13 points

Game 2: James made 4 points

Game 3: James made 4 points

Game 4: James made 8 or 10 points

Game 5: James had strep throat and Influenza A and missed the game

Game 6: James thinks he made one basket but I didn't catch it. I know he attempted several shots.

Any guesses for what we're getting him for his birthday?? I fantasize about cheering him on when he grows up and plays on the high school team. I know I know, it might not happen and that's okay. Still cool to imagine. 

Chinese Celebration

I didn't put this in my January post, but James performed in the annual Chinese New Year celebration on January 30. He loves Chinese! I love that Andrew is learning Chinese so he can connect with James. Why I'm bringing it up now is because this week I had my kids tested for the Alps/Gifted and Talented program last week. It would mean they would have to change schools next year so you can guess how they feel about it. We'll see what happens.

February always reminds me of the book "The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Birthday." In 1 week, the kids had 3 friend birthday parties too. I guess it's a popular time for a birthday! If you read this far, good  for you! In t-minus 14 days we'll have another bday celebration! Spring is in the air and our walks outside have resumed. All is right in the world.