Victories

My kids deserve some shoutouts!

James

Meet the new James... He got glasses!  He is eager to show them off to everyone he sees. It was so cute watching him the first day he got them. He kept taking them on and off to see the difference. His teacher brought up his eye sight at parent teacher conferences. I guess James struggles to see the board and has had to move seats because of it.

He looks extra handsome and studious with his new accessory and is taking very good care of his glasses.

Friday, March 6

James had another excellent basketball season! This time, he wanted to earn a new water bottle! He had the exact brand, color, and style in mind. (He requested a blue Gatorade bottle like someone in his school class.) In order to earn the water bottle, James had to score 50 points this season. I guess we could have set a higher goal because he scored 70 points this season. His team was not very good... In fact, they lost 5 games, tied 1 game, and finally won their last game today. I told James they won because of him. They were down and the other team had more than double their score and then James decided to turn it on and made 16 points.

Game 1: Saturday, January 24: James scored 10 points

Game 2: Saturday, January 31: James scored 14 points

Game 3: Saturday, February 7: We missed because we were in Idaho

Game 4: Saturday, February 14: James scored 8 points

Game 5: Saturday, February 21: James scored 8 points

Game 6:  Saturday, February 28: James scored 14 points

Game 7: Saturday, March 7: James scored 16 points

Thanks Coach Jason

My parent's came and supported almost every game and James had the biggest fan section and cheerleaders. One week Papa was even the scorekeeper.

Isabelle

I'm proud of Isabelle. She has bad genes. Both me and Andrew were nighttime bedwetters for awhile. We borrowed the "pee machine" from a friend (thanks Meagan) and Isabelle has been dry for over 30 nights! She conquered bed-wetting which is not easy! She's happy and so are we. She can now shower at night instead of having to in the mornings which is so nice. She mentioned to me that she's glad to be done with pullups because peeing made her get a rash which was uncomfortable.

Saturday, March 7

For completing 30 days on her "dry" chart, I took Isabelle to get a haircut and we went shopping. We loved our girl time! She wanted bangs which I had to talk her out of with her curly hair, but we she did get some face framing. She loves to have pieces of hair hanging out of her ponytail. She also got glitter in her hair-do. She chose some darling outfits! She picked out a dress, sweater, and pants. I wish the purple pants come in my size.

Both our kids are in the Chinese Immersion program and we loved watching their annual program. Isabelle was front and center and lead her class well knowing all the moves perfectly. I didn't know she could shake her butt so much. I guess the years of dance are paying off.

Thursday, February 19

Penelope

Penelope is in daycare full time for the month of March. I took a long-term subbing job for 4 weeks. What was I thinking!? More on that later. This is supposed to be about Penelope. The daycare was thrilled to hear Penelope was moving to full-time daycare. She is beloved by all. This week, I heard she played "princesses" with everyone and did their hair. She demands that she wear a princess dress daily right when she wakes up. I also heard that Penny was singing "I Love to See the Temple" a lot at school. She comes home singing all sorts of songs or quoting books. "I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee, won't my mommy be so proud of me?" They must read the book "Brown Bear Brown Bear" a lot because she knows that too.

Penelope is miss social butterfly and often asks if she can go again or go back to school right as we're leaving. We're thrilled to be past the diarrhea/stomach bug she picked up at daycare that lasted over 10 days. Not joking. I'm looking forward to spending more time with my girl in April! Looking at the daycare app throughout the day brings me joy because she's so cute.

Proud of my sweeties! Bummed to say a temporary goodbye to basketball but delighted to stop buying pullups.

Birthday Week

Birthday week has come and gone.

Birthday #37

BambooHR gives employees their birthday off of work. Yahoo! Andrew didn't have to work on Friday, February 20. I skipped subbing and we went on a day date.

The kids and I surprised Andrew first thing in the morning with Chick-Fil-A breakfast. We sneakily got it while he was at the gym.

Andrew and I went to an endowment session at the Oquirrh Mountain temple.

We also  went to a restaurant we hadn't tried before for lunch-- Mooyah's. They serve burgers and fries. We thought it was good, but not the best burgers we've had. The fries were awesome and yes, we had leftovers.

Check out Andrew's new shirt! A bday present from me.

We even had time to sneak in the newest episode of "The Pit" before the kids returned home from school. On Fridays, the kids get out of school early.

In the afternoon, we went as a family to Airborne the trampoline park in Draper. At first, Penelope was very timid and I regretted bringing her. She warmed up and was in heaven. She made friends and was daring down some big girl slides. Andrew was doing all sorts of tricks, flips, and obstacle courses with the kids. So much so that he paid for that for a couple days with some soreness...I happily took pictures.

For dinner, I made Zuppa Toscana soup. Andrew requested lunch lady peanut butter bars for dessert. We hardly had room for more food. My sweet grandma also brought over cinnamon rolls for Andrew's birthday which are his favorite.

That night, Andrew invited a couple friends (Nick and David) to come over to play board games.

My parent's gifted Andrew a Netflix subscription which we are already happily utilizing! Andrew's mom gave him a Texas Roadhouse gift card. Andrew is spending his birthday money on a Brandon Sanderson kick starter book... I bet you couldn't see that coming.

Birthday #33

My birthday was on Wednesday, February 25. Andrew made me breakfast in bed- scrambled eggs and a smoothie. He makes the best scrambled eggs. He wrote me love notes and sent me on a scavenger hunt throughout the house with gifts. I went walking with Jessica and my mom on the Jordan River trail. It was delightful! We all had to take our coats of because it was so nice. George and Penelope insisted on holding hands during the walk which was adorable. Then, we ate lunch--Cubby's. That maple sauce with the fries hit the spot.

I always feel awkward about this part....but I was spoiled and have the best people in my life! I don't say this to brag but to remember.

• Becky brought me a cookie from Local Cookie Co. 
• Jamie brought me flowers.
• Gigi brought me a Crumbl cookie and a Mi Ranchito giftcard. 
• Kira dropped off soap.
• Krista made me cookies.
• The RS gave me chocolate.
• Grandma L sent me a card and money.
• McCall took me out to lunch at Mi Ranchito.
• Brie and Kirsten treated me to Zupas.
• Valerie gave me a journal and pens.
• Jessica gifted me her favorite mascara.
• Jill sent me a book.
• My MIL got me an Old Navy gift card.
• Alison gave me a cookbook called "Let's Eat Cookies."
• My parent's got me 2 new kitchen chairs.

• I got myself a shelf from Costco to organize the basement. Almost nothing beats organizing. Happy birthday to me!

Not to mention the countless texts from other family, friends, and yw. I'm overwhelmed and have a lot of thank-you cards to write. I love my people!!

We went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner and to the play Fiddler on the Roof. Our dinner was free (thanks to Grannie's gift card)! Our babysitters were free too (thanks Mom and Dad). Our play tickets were pretty cheap. $58 total. We went to the newer Nathan Ruth Theater in Pleasant Grove with the Boones. 

Fiddler was so fun! I laughed a lot! The singers were phenomenal! Our seats were so close we were basically sitting in the action. I had to unbutton my pants... I guess I ate one too many rolls. 

The scene including the dream about the grandma was a little over dramatized. The fog machine could have stopped much sooner.

I'm hoping this play was memorable enough for me to remember... I had forgotten that I saw "Fiddler on the Roof" with my grandma 2 years ago at Hale center theater. Clearly it made an impression. We thought it was well done! It was a great way to end the perfect birthday.

James' birthday is around the corner and I'm working on the design plans to re-do his room so stay tuned!

"Hi"-daho

As if you need more proof that Penelope is darling, she pronounces the state Idaho, "Hi"- daho. She was thrilled to go to "Hi"-daho to see "Bammie" (Grannie) and her cousins.

Our niece, Avery got called to serve in Alabama (spanish speaking) for her mission. We went to her farewell. As expected, her talk was excellent. It seemed like a homecoming address because she is so solid and mature. Avery and her 4 sisters sang "A Missionary's Prayer" for the musical number. Last minute, I offered to accompany them so all of the sisters could sing. Man, they are talented and I loved playing with them. It's a gorgeous song that I hadn't heard before.

The trip worked out well because the kids didn't have school on Friday, February 6. We arrived in Caldwell Friday afternoon and headed back to Utah Sunday afternoon. It's about a 5.5 hour drive.

Grannie also came for the farewell and so did Blayre and her kids. We hadn't seen these Dittos/Kimballs/Maynes since June and it was great to reconnect.

Not pictured, Blayre (Andrew's sister)

Tavia (Andrew's sister) was so gracious to host us. It was a full house! Blayre and a couple of her kids stayed at a neighbor's house. If you want to organization tips, spend time with Tavia. I always come back with new ideas. She is the queen of planning and is such a go-getter. She bent over backwards to make it a memorable and fun weekend. She made delicious food too and it felt like she made feast after feast.

Pickbleball and the park was pleasurable! Our kids also loved going to the local middle school carnival. There were bounce houses and games. Each kid won a 2 liter soda. It was nice to be able to support Eliza at her basketball game. In between quarters, James and his cousins got some basketball in which was cute to watch. Arctic Circle was doing a deal for $1 cones, and Grannie treated everyone to those. Thanks Grannie!

Penelope learned a new song from her cousins about picking her nose. It's hysterical....

"Never, never, never pick your nose! 

Up your nostrils is not where your finger goes

Don't pick yourself a winner cause boogers aren't for dinner

This is the deal if you get caught with a finger up your nose..."

Still working on this concept...

If you're wanting to hear more cute pronunciations from Penelope, ask her to say, "granola bar" and "vanilla yogurt." This girl has fans anywhere she goes. My other kids do too. Isabelle whipped out a violin performance for her everyone on a too big violin and rocked it! James stayed up chatting with Rhett until at least 11pm every night. So glad we were able to make the trip to "Hi"-Daho. There were tears on the car ride home because my kids already miss their cousins.

Janky January

Snow hasn't really been a part of January this year. Here's what we've been up to:

Penelope's Injury: January 11

Right after church, Penelope was eating lunch and fell of the stool and cut her chin. Our next door neighbor, Dr. Chad saved the day and super glued her chin for us. I'm so grateful we didn't have to go to instacare.

Meagan's Sprinkle: January 14

My friend Meagan is having her 4th baby and 1st girl. Valerie and I threw her a shower. Pro tip-- if you want a giant turnout, host an event in January! I made the invites and got one printed/framed, made the pretzel party favors, and the game.

Aquarium: January 19

No school on Martin Luther King Day which meant we went to the aquarium! So did a lot of other people. We ran into the Pattersons there. The aquarium has a new section open with a giant slide and some cool animals to see. We are enjoying our passes.

Movie "David:" January 20

No school on a Tuesday? $5 movie it is. My mom generously paid for our tickets. Penelope didn't have to be taken out once! We enjoyed this film that's based on the bible story.

2 Recitals: January 24

James and Isabelle had music recitals on the same day and at the same venue! The recitals were at Riverton Music in Sandy. James' performance was in the morning and Isabelle's the afternoon. James' recitals are very low-key. You drop in, play and leave whenever. He nailed his 2 songs "Stealth Mode" and "The Kangaroo That Almost Flew." Isabelle also played 2 songs "Lightly Row" and "Song of the Wind." I accompanied Isabelle and all of Jessica's students. There were some intense piano accompaniments. Jessica has advanced students. I'm proud of myself for being able to play the songs and am glad the recital is over. I love music and that my kids are at the stage that they take lessons. Sadly, James' basketball game and Isabelle's recital time overlapped. Thanks to my dad for taking James to his game. I missed out on seeing James score 10 points!

YW Where's Waldo and Game Night: January 20 and January 27

Not many leaders were eager to dress up for the "Where's Waldo?" activity at the mall. My dream came true (not) and I got to wear a disguise and wander the mall avoiding ward members. I was wearing my mom's glasses and couldn't see well. Only 2 of he 6 groups found me. I don't miss my head itching or my knee hurting from the brace. To help me look forward to the evening more, my family went to eat at Chick Fil A to eat first.

I hosted a combined young women's activity at my house. So many girls came! I think around 20. I had girls rotate between 3 stations/games. 1) First to Worst 2) Chameleon 3) Flip 7. Then we had dessert. I made Johanna Gaines banana pudding in "shot glasses" which looked fancy. I wish I had made cookies instead. Girls didn't seem to love the pudding and making them took a lot of effort after subbing all day. We ended the evening doing a favorite thing gift exchange. Girls stayed awhile-- until 8:40.

I've been prepping for birthday season and am drooling thinking about my birthday dinner... Ready to embrace February.

2025 in Books

I cut my reading goal close this year but made it! I've learned when grief is fresh, I can't read.

My Year in Books... 
19,946 pages read

65 books read

Shortest book... "The Deal of a Lifetime" By: Fredrik Bachman (65 pages)

Longest book... "Saints: Sounded in Every Ear" By: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (831 pages)

Average book length in 2025... 306 pages

Most shelved book... "Daisy Jones and the Six" By: Taylor Jenkins Reid 

I LOVED the audio. It had a full cast. Really liked this one and discovered they made a show about it. Very entertaining. Language warning.

Least shelved book... "Courage to be You" By: Gail Miller
Gail came and spoke at my stake women's conference and I was amazed and impressed by her. I enjoyed learning more about her past.

My Top Reads
"The Correspondent" By: Virginia Evans

This book is about an elderly retired women. She communicates through emails and letters to her friends and that's how you get to know all the other characters. She is witty and passionate. I read this book in less than 48 hours. I was so glad I went to my book club book exchange and came home with this one.

"The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion" series Volumes 1-8 By: Beth Brower

This series has lots of hype. I read it before it was cool. haha. I had to get kindle unlimited to access the books, but they're now available on audible and at libraries. Hilarious with a love triangle that keeps you needing to know more. A little slow to start.

"The Poisonwood Bible" By: Barbara Kingsolver

I learned so much about Africa that I didn't know. Lots of the details and plot points in this story were jaw-dropping. Left me with so much to think about.

"Sunrise on the Reaping" By: Suzanne Collins

Captivating. Well written. Extremely sad but now I understand Haymitch and his story and why he's the way he is. Thought this was leagues better than "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes."

"The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom" By: Shari Franke

Highly recommend the audio. This book is read by the author. I could not stop listening. So fascinating and terrible. I thought the author did a great job not presenting the church in a bad light given her circumstances. Warning-- there is sexual abuse.

"Finding My Way" By: Malala Yousafzai

Listening to Malala say the words in her own voice was great. I love her vulnerability and story.

YA Books I Devoured and Loved
"The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" By: Gennifer Choldenko (Nearly cried)
"Tig" By: Heather Smith
"Whistling Past the Graveyard" By: Susan Crandall (Glad I didn't give up because it was cute.)
"A Night Devoured" By: Jennifer A. Nielsen (Audio. Good balance making it not too sad.)
"The Talk" By: Darrin Bell (Important and relevant subject matter.)

Solid Reads
"The Matchmaker's Gift" By: Lynda Cohen Loigman
"The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern" By: Lynda Cohen Loigman
"Small Things Like These" By: Claire Keegan (Feel good. Only a 2 hour listen. Beautifully written. Good cozy Christmas time read and the theme was on point.)

"How to Solve Your Own Murder" By: Kristen Perrin (fun mystery)

"The Kamogawa Food Detectives #1" By: Hisashi Kashiwai (Loved the idea that food is memorable for years.)
"The Poppy Fields" By: Nikki Erlick (Thought provoking)
"Truly Devious" By: Maureen Johnson
"How to Seal Your Own Fate" By: Kristen Perrin (Not as good as first)
"Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (On a Dead Man) Vera Wong #2" By: Jesse Q. Sutanto (Funny. Not a letdown after an awesome first book.)
"Go As a River" By: Shelley Read (Audio was good. There is some language.)
"How to Hide in Plain Sight" By: Emma Noyes (About OCD. I really liked it. There is sex and swearing.)

"Heart the Lover" By: Lily King (Sex and language! Absolutely beautiful ending. Very well- written.)

Parenting Book Club Reads
"Building Resilience in Children and Teens Giving Kids Roots and Wings" By: Kenneth R. Ginsburg
"How to Talk to Your Child About Sex" By: Linda Eyre
"The Danish Way of Parenting" By: Jessica Joelle Alexander
"Bad Therapy" By: Abigail Shrier (Disagree with what it says about medication.)
"The Anatomy of Peace" By: The Arbinger Institute 
"Crucial Conversations" By: Kerry Patterson

Neighborhood Book Club Reads
"The Small and the Mighty" By: Sharon McMahon
"Joe Nuthin's Guide to Life" By: Helen Fisher (Lots of language!)
"The Berry Pickers" By: Amanda Peters
"Rock, Paper, Scissors" By: Alice Feeney (Didn't like the plot. Thought the audio was fun.)
"James" By: Percival Everett (Didn't live up to the hype for me.)
"The Deal of a Lifetime" By: Fredrik Backman
"Here One Moment" By: Liane Moriarty (Led to quite an awesome discussion. Loved the message. Too long.)

Friend Bok Club Reads
"The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession" By: Michael Finkel (Surprisingly good! Audio)
"Weyward" By: Emilia Hart (Not my favorite. Very heavy. Lots of triggers.)
"The Wishing Game" By: Meg Shaffer
"Skipping Christmas" By: John Grisham
"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" By: Mark Twain

Rom Coms
"The Love Haters" By: Katherine Center (Cheesy, predictable, great escape.)

"Ruthless Vows (Letters of Enchantment #2)" By: Rebecca Ross (Read a long time after the first book and still grasped/enjoyed.)

"It's a Love Story" By: Annabel Monaghan (This author is usually clean so I was surprised by the sex.)
"The Wedding People" By: Alison Espach (Cute premise. Language warning!)
"The Husbands" By: Holly Gramazio (Pretty naughty. Language and steamy! Amazing plot.)
"Letters for Emily" By: Camron Wright (Squeaky clean.)
"The Exception to the Rule" By: Christina Lauren (Language!)
"Tangled Up in You" By: Christina Lauren (Swearing!)
"The Three Lives of Cate Kay" By: Kate Fagan (Wouldn't recommend to everyone.)

Non Fiction (Lots in the Parenting Book Club category too)
"Everything is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection" By: John Green (Liked this one a lot. Didn't expect tuberculosis to be so intriguing!)

"Strokes of Genius: Federer, Nadal, and the Greatest Match Ever Played" By: L. Jon Wertheim
(Go Federer!)

Books That Disappointed Me

"The First Ladies" By: Marie Benedict (Slow start for me and then I was disappointed/mad to find out at the end that some of the details were made up...)

"Rules of Civility" By: Amor Towles (Long and wordy. He's not my favorite author.)
"The Mystery Guest (Molly the Maid, #2)" By: Nita Prose (Huge letdown after loving the first one. Guessed the ending.)

Now it's your turn to tell me what you read and loved this year and I'll add it to my list!