Life Lately

 I want these pictures in my blog book! See why and read on!

Saturday, April 25 

We saw Phantom of the Opera at Eccles Theater. My parent's got tickets 6 months ago and the wait is over. Phantom was incredible. I had forgotten so much of the story and was captivated. The music was infectious and it's perfect to jam out to in the car. Christine's voice was out of this world! The set and costumes were jaw-dropping, especially during the masquerade. Thanks Mom and Dad!

Thursday, April 30

I went to BYU Women's Conference and my cup is full. I feel uplifted and took pages of notes. I learned so much. My dad's twin sisters, Lori and Lisa both spoke at the conference! The pic above is a shot taken right after Lori's talk. It was fabulous. She just got her PHD and is super intelligent. She talked about 3 different women in the Bible at wells. Shoutout to my Dad for coming and being the only man in the room and the brunt of a few jokes. Sadly, I was subbing and couldn't go to Lisa's talk on May 1. Luckily, I was filled in on what she spoke about. After Lori's talk, we went out to Brick Oven. The homemade root beer, pepperoni pizza, and cookies were the perfect ending to the evening.

Thursday, April 30

My parent's watched Penny while I was subbing. She is officially done with daycare. My mom says Penelope's face in this pic is me. I had 2 bac-to-back days of subbing all day and going directly to women's conference but it was worth it! I was worn out though and didn't get home until after 10 one evening.

Wednesday, April 29

I got to meet Shawna Edwards!! This is her! I admire and love her so much. She is a talented musician and I used many of her songs when I was music coordinator. She accompanied one of the musicians who sang, "The Miracle" which Shawna wrote. My aunt got us floor seats. My mom and I were 4 rows back and watched 4 speakers and musical numbers in the Marriott Center. It was an unforgettable experience.

Wednesday, April 29

We made time for Aubergine and the BYU creamery of course. Also may have gotten BYU brownies... Oh and because we had floor seats, there was a snack bar..

Tamara Runia (the 1st counselor in the YW general presidency) was absolutely hilarious! I laughed so much and had no idea she is so witty. She was outstanding and was very interactive and had us moving around. 

Noelle Pikus Pace (Olypmian who competed in Skeleton) was vulnerable and refreshing. I related to a story she shared about motherhood and planning a vacation. I adored her and her time speaking flew by. She is a gifted speaker.

Noelani Wayas told a story about an encounter she had with a shark and tied it in beautifully at the end. She was fun to listen to.

Jen Thatcher opened up about delivering a stillborn baby at 20 weeks after miscarrying another baby the prior year. This story hit close to home for me. She brought up Wendy Nelson's 30 day scripture challenge which I want to start.

I saw Ashley Gurney from our Pleasant Grove ward! And Paula Hubert from my current ward.

I got asked a few times who was taking care of the kids. Andrew is a very hands-on father and took care of dinner and all the violin lesson and dance drop-offs, and homework no problem. I'm blessed.

Saturday, April 25 

I accompanied Sophia at state at Provo High! She is a wonderful violinist! 

Tuesday, April 18 

James' car was greatly improved this year at the Pinewood Derby. Andrew got serious and pulled out a saw and even ordered weights. James' car won a few races and made it to the finals! Sadly, his wheel feel off during the finals which was lame. YW was at the same time, so I wasn't able to attend, but I promise he enjoyed the evening even if his face doesn't show it. He came home on cloud 9. James got the "nerd award" and it said: "For your intelligence and hard work in designing your race car."

Saturday, April 18

Dance competition season is upon us. This one was at Timpanogas High. Isabelle does Hip Hop and danced to the song, "Girlfriend." 

Saturday, May 2

Dance Competition #2 was at Roy High School.

Isabelle's spring dance recital is still to come- next week. The dance world is a lot and we might be parting ways...

Sunday, April 12

We hosted the BYU Ditto clan.

Menu: ruffles chips and dip, carrots, pineapple, strawberries, rolls, grilled WOW chicken, twice baked potatoes, and s'more cookies.

Our niece Hailee, announced she's pregnant! She's due a month after me!

We got to see the Dittos again on Friday, April 24 for Tyler's graduation party. Birch, Sara, and Chloe flew in for it and they were so sweet with our kids.

Saturday, April 11

Our friends the Thomans invited all of us to Josh's birthday party. They rented out a movie theater and we saw the new "Super Mario Galaxy Movie." They invited most of James' class and it was a blast. Everyone got their own popcorn and drink and there were cupcakes. Day/weekend made! Even though I think the first movie was better, several in my family disagree.

Saturday, April 11

I last minute decided to sign James up for another basketball season. Most people seem to be playing outdoor spring sports (which I pushed). This means that James gets a ton of playing time. There are only 6 players on his time including him. He got the sportsmanship award after making 18 points. He topped that score 2 games later when he scored 24 points.

Thursday, April 9

My mom brought Penelope to meet the 4th grade class I long term subbed. It wasn't the easiest bunch and I felt a huge weight lift when I finished day 17 with them.

I am officially done subbing this school year. I withdrew Penelope from daycare for the month of May. I'm looking forward to more free time.

Subbing stats: (I kept track in my bullet journal)

I subbed 75x this school year.

How many times I subbed at these schools..

Monte Vista Elementary: 23x

Rose Creek Elementary: 23x

Rosamond Elementary: 11x

Daybreak Elementary: 4x

Eastlake Elementary: 3x

South Jordan Elementary: 3x

Riverton Elementary: 2x

Southland Elementary: 2x

Ridge View Elementary, Bastian Elementary, Welby Elementary, and Midas Creek Elementary 1x.

I ended on a high teaching a super sweet 3rd grade class at Rosamond Elementary. Rosamond is probably my favorite school. They give me a candy bar every time I come. The secretaries know me by name and so does the principal. It's a smaller school and close to my house. Subbing my kids classes was also a highlight and I was in both of their classes several times. I loved getting to know their friends. I'm ready for a break being a substitute and have some good stories about rowdy kids.

 

Saturday, March 28

We try to go to the temple together with my family monthly. Food is usually involved. I love it.

It's a GIRL!

I'm pregnant! I'm 18 weeks along and due September 18. (My Dad's birthday is September 19.) I found out this week that I'm having a baby GIRL! I didn't tell my kids I'm pregnant until we learned the gender. My mom and Jessica put together a cute scavenger hunt to share the news with the kids.

Before I get ahead of myself sharing more details, let me just say that me getting pregnant so soon after miscarrying twins feels like a miracle. I had a d&c on October 2, 2025 and found out I was pregnant again on January 7, 2026. I was surprised it happened so quickly. Last time I had a miscarriage and d&c, it took me nearly a year to get pregnant again. We feel so blessed!

How Have I Felt This Pregnancy?

I ended up switching doctors and it has been for the best. My new doctor actually delivered Penelope because my doctor was out of town. Dr. Burgett really cares and listens to me. He put me on progesterone and mini-aspirin right away to prevent miscarrying again. He had me come in often in the beginning, like every 2 weeks. I had multiple ultrasounds and got to hear babies heartbeat which eased my worries. I was glad when I could stop taking progesterone after I was 13 weeks along. You take it right before bed which was helpful, but it made me feel nauseous. 

I am fortunate and don't get very sick when I'm pregnant. My varicose veins are my biggest complaint! I had this problem when I was pregnant with Penelope as well. My varicose veins are painful and go all the way up the groin. They throb if I stand too long. My doc recommended having surgery after I'm done having kids. I wear a compression leg sleeve which helps.

What's Different This Time Around?

This is my 6th pregnancy! What! Not my first rodeo. I've had 2 things come up this pregnancy that haven't come up in the past.

1) In an early ultrasound, I learned I had 2 subchorionic hemorrhages. I was told not to Google this because it would freak me out. I listened. This is how a subchorionic hemorrhage was explained to me by the nurse: "It is speculated that a subchorionic hemorrhage is caused from implantation, which causes a tiny little tear between the uterus and the placenta and they can see it on ultrasound. It is a common finding on ultrasound and women do not know they have this unless they have had some spotting in pregnancy or have had an ultrasound. Not everyone will spot with this condition, but some women do."  

These hemorrhages usually resolve on their own and it seems like mine have which is a relief because they can be serious. I know one hemorrhage is for sure gone and my doc is thinks the other hemorrhage  is too but will double check in my next ultrasound. I'm so glad I didn't have any spotting.

2) I had routine blood work done and my antibody test came back positive. I wasn't sure what this meant. At my appointment today, I learned that my blood might be hard to match if I were to need a blood transfusion which is weird because my blood type is A positive. The doc couldn't explain much more.

Gender

I've found out the gender for each of my kids at 16 weeks. I had my gender appointment on Friday, April 3 and a gender reveal party planned for that night. I had to cancel it. It was disappointing. At the appointment, it took over 20 minutes to get baby to move to a position where anything could be seen. After that, the ultrasound tech said that she wasn't sure either way if it was a boy or girl. I was confused! This had never happened before. My mom froze the cupcakes for the reveal party and I rescheduled my gender check for Monday, April 13.

Within 30 seconds of checking for the gender on April 13, this ultrasound tech knew the gender. It was a different ultrasound tech this time. Phew! What a relief! I had candy in my pockets just in case I needed to get the baby moving. I could finally share my news with my kids! I asked the ultrasound tech not to tell me the gender and to put the results in an envelope. She did a great job referring to the human as "baby" without pronouns until the last sentence. Then she spoiled it and said, "she." I was annoyed and maybe should have called her out but didn't. I wanted it to be a surprise, but oh well. I waited until the gender reveal party confirmed that yes indeed, it's a GIRL.

What Were the Scavenger Hunt Clues?

The scavenger hunt was perfect! I didn't expect little gifts along the way! The clues began immediately as we walked up to my parent's front door. There was a poster and balloons on the door. The last clue, the big reveal was in a closet and included a darling outfit.

Clue #1: Welcome in! Don't miss a beat, a little hunt will be a treat! To start things off, take a look. Find what helps when someone feels sick.
Clue #2 Messes happen, that's ok! This keeps things clean through the day. Go find where these are kept in place, you're getting closer in this race! (Hint: it may be somewhere Penny loves to sleep.)
Clue #3 Soon there will be meals to try, with messy hands and happy sighs! Check the spot where snacks are stored, your next clue is almost yours!
Clue #4 You're getting close, just one more clue... Something tiny, soft and new! A special outfit waits to show, the sweetest news you'll ever know!
Clue #5: At last the wait is finally through... A tiny surprise to share you you! Open this up and you will see. Who this little one will be!!!

We ate superb cupcakes to celebrate! There were some blue and some pink ones. Mom and Jessica, I so appreciate you helping me pull this off!

How Did My Kids React?

My kids thought my sister Jessica was the pregnant one! They couldn't believe it's me! I thought they were suspicious, but I guess I was wrong. (James has wondered why I haven't been fasting. They've also asked why I've gone places when I've felt nauseous and worried they would get sick or that I'd get others sick.)

Honestly, I was worried that my children wouldn't be excited about the news. Sometimes having a 2 year old sister can be annoying, and lately we've seen less cute sides of Penelope as we potty-trained.  In their defense though, my kids love their sister and are super sweet to her. Boy was I wrong. My kids have been over-the-moon happy about the news. It has been adorable.  

James' first question, right off the bat was "when are you due?" He followed up with "how are we going to do carpool next year?" haha. James hasn't seemed bummed to have another little sister instead of a brother. He is really good with kids. James has also asked a few times, "Mom, are you subbing today? I'm so glad you're not. You and the baby need to rest."

I catch Isabelle staring at me and smiling. She likes to touch my tummy and tell me how much she loves me and baby girl. I heard her telling James, "Now we'll both have little sister's to play with. I call the new baby as my playmate and you get Penelope."

Penelope loves her baby dolls. She continues to ask "is baby still in your tummy?" And "baby is going to sleep in my crib!" 

The cat is finally out of the bag! And yes, we have some name ideas brewing. The kids have a favorite. September can't come soon enough!

Spring Break

By the time spring break rolled around, I was very ready for a break from the class I've been long-term subbing. I enjoyed every minute of no school... Well, I don't know if that can be said about the days spent potty training. Read on to hear about our week.

Palm Sunday, March 29

Andrew sang in our ward choir and I performed with a group of women. We then went to my parent's ward and so did my grandparents. My mom wrote their Easter program and oversaw all the musical numbers. Jessica played a beautiful piece on the violin for one the of songs. And after, we had a feast at my parent's. 

Monday, March 30: Draper All Abilities Park and South Jordan Rec Center Pool

When we arrived at the park, Penelope saw the giant slides and said those are too big for her. That lasted for about 10 minutes. She went down the biggest tunnel slides, keeping up with her siblings. Cousins George and Dorothy came too. We ran into 2 of Isabelle's friends from school which was a pleasant surprise. Izzy was in heaven.

If you want to see a super pumped child, hangout with Penelope right before going swimming. She could hardly wait. All the kids were thrilled to wear their new swimsuits. Check out Penelope's princess suit. It was a big deal because Isabelle is finally 48in tall and could ride on the slide! The water was frigid... We all came home and had hot showers. Good thing we went on the warmest day of spring beak.

Tuesday, March 31: Movies "Hoppers" and "Project Hail Mary"

"Hoppers" was a cute movie! All approved! Penelope sat in my lap the entirety of the movie which made my day. A few parts scared Penny, so I got some good snuggles in. She still talks about the great white shark from the movie.

Because of spring break, young women's was cancelled. Andrew and I got to go out to a $5 Tuesday movie. We were so eager to see "Project Hail Mary." We read the book together a few years ago, and were supposed to see the movie sooner, but I got ill so we had to postpone. We both loved the movie!! The alien was hilarious and Ryan Gosling should win an award. I worried that I would be bored with all the space scenes but the flashbacks to life pre-mission helped break the movie up well. Andrew and I also tried a bbq restaurant called "Kenny J's" and we would both go back.

Wednesday, April 1: Lindon Temple Open House and Stake Easter Walk

The rain couldn't stop us. What a stunning temple! I love the questions my kids ask now that they're getting older. We drove by our old house and stopped at Cravings Cupcakes on our way home.

Thursday, April 2, Friday, April 3, Saturday, April 4

We started potty-training Penelope. She is the definition of stubborn. We attempted potty training her in January and she had other plans and wailed anytime she sat on the potty. This time around went much better. She learned quickly! However, Penelope will not go to the bathroom on demand. Penny will only go potty on her time table and refuses to go when asked, like when we're going out. This means she has used several public restrooms. 

Brent, Deena, and Dallin spent Friday night with us and it was great to see them. We played Bohnanza. I meant to take a picture with them and forgot.

Now that there is no longer a Saturday evening session of general conference, my parent's had a mission reunion at their church building. James, Isabelle, and I helped. I made 10 pounds of ground beef taco meat and 90 cookies. They had an excellent turnout and if you know my mom, you know we ate amazing leftovers for days.

Easter Sunday, April 5

General conference means cinnamon rolls! I ate so many! We enjoyed listening to the messages and an egg hunt. We tried to fit in Easter activities. For the week leading up to Easter, the kids got to unwrap an easter book every night and we read it before bed while they ate a piece of chocolate. 

Stay tuned for the news I had hoped to share over spring break.

9 Years Young

James turned 9 on Monday, March 16. His birthday included a room reno so stick with this to the end. 

9 Year Old Checkup Stats:
Appointment date: Friday, March 27, 2026
Weight: 71 pounds (74 percentile)
Height: 55 inches (83 percentile)
Doc Witt mentioned that in the last year, James has gained 7 pounds and grown 2.5 inches. Man he can pack the food in now, I can only imagine what the teenage years will be like.

On his birthday, James brought chips to his class for his birthday treat. For dinner, he picked mashed potatoes and gravy with chicken. (We ended up using up a turkey we had in our freezer.) He asked if we could go mini-golfing at Fat Cats. We had a free mini golf coupon and only had to pay $10 for 3 of us to go. It was a glow in the dark mini golf course and not to make this about me, but I had 3 hole in ones! We had a Sunday birthday dinner for James and George at my parent's house and James requested stroganoff for dinner with rolls, mushroom bacon salad, and an ice cream cake. James and George's birthdays are back-to-back days.

Sunday, March 15

Monday, March 16

My parent's started a new idea this year which is to have their grandkids over for a birthday sleepover (when they are school aged). James went to their house over the weekend. He had the best time picking out a book at Barnes and Noble, eating "the best burger of his life" at "5 Guys," making a giant banana split with BYU creamery ice cream, playing a game, and getting donuts in the morning.

Friday, March 20

BIO

James has one of the biggest hearts. He loves to think about others. You should hear him pray. It is touching. He prays for people I'm worried about by name and checks in with me regularly to see me if they still need prayers. I couldn't ask for a better big brother. James is so sweet with little kids, especially his sisters and cousins. He likes to learn and asks to go to the library to get books about topics he is interested in. Recently, space has captivated him. James can do anything he sets his mind to. He needed to score xx amount of points during his basketball season for a prize and bam! Points scored before the season was half over. To be in the 20 club at school, he needed to read all the Battle of the Books and did that with months to spare. James is an avid reader, writer, and Lego builder. Piano isn't a chore but a hobby that we have to limit at times. He has progressed through piano levels at an impressive speed.  James has become a friend guy and I'm so glad he gets asked to lots of playdates and birthday parties.

PRESENTS

James enjoyed the mini foosball table he got, Legos, a kodama from grandma, a drone course, game, and more.

Our gift to James was re-doing his room. James asked for sky blue walls and we decided to go with an animal theme since squishmellows hold a big place in his heart. I painted his room, and let me just say that my kids are the best cheerleaders. They watched me and kept coming back to see the room's progress. "Mom, it looks so good!" "I didn't know my room could look this pretty!" I learned James is handy during this process. He removed all the switch plates from his room as I taped and prepped to paint. I didn't show him how to do it either. The wall color we picked (after trying 4 samples) is called "Soar" and I am very pleased with it!

James' room has become the popular hangout place among the kids. I often can't find James for long periods of time only to discover that he is reading on his bean bag or building Legos on his desk. He really wanted more space to play and mission accomplished. It was time for an upgrade!

BEFORE

AFTER

DEETS

The hardest part of this renovation were the light fixture, curtains, and bed! I returned 2 other ceiling fans. The first fan Andrew put up broke within 2 days due to its poor and cheap quality. Finding the right curtains was tricky. I returned 3 sets before landing on the perfect ones. We tried one other color for the curtains (sour cream) but liked the blue best. I ordered the wrong size hence the multiple returns. The bed is awesome and a dream come true for James, but mounting it to the wall took skills. Andrew ended up getting anchors to attach the bed to the wall and now it is much sturdier and less wobbly.  Thank you Jessica for helping the design come together so beautifully! She knows what looks good and helped a lot.

Ceiling Fan from Amazon for $49.42 (35 in)

Bean Bag from Grannie (from Amazon) for $64.46

Bed/Desk/Dresser from Amazon for $315.62 + Full sized mattress $107.32=$422.94

Hammock/Net from Amazon for $10.72

Panda Duvet Cover from Amazon for $53.13 +White Duvet Insert $26.85= $79.98

Panda Rug from Amazon for $29

Green Mushroom Lamp from Amazon for $42.97

White Sheets from Amazon for $15.57

Black Curtain Rod from Amazon for $17.15

Blue Curtains from Target for $45.13

Green Tub from Target for $6.88

Hookrack from Target for $26.86

3 Wood Frames from Target for $19.34

Black Folding Chair Walmart $35.39

The grand total for James' room was: $801.35.

I told Andrew that for our birthdays, we should re-do our bedroom. We've done our kids! I have big ideas but probably should have waited a few days/weeks/months before brining up another project... ha

Happy Birthday James!!!