Basketball is over

Basketball season has finally come to an end. Dallin played his last game on Tuesday and Danny played his last game today. They both had really good seasons...even if they weren't undefeated. I think Daniel showed a lot more maturity this season. He has learned that he isn't the only player on the team and that sometimes making an assist is better than making the basket. Both boys seem to be shaping out to be great defensive players. They are fast and they don't shy away from getting in their opponents bubble (without fouling). Dallin's team started the season feeling a little disconnected but ended up finding great team cohesion. Dallin is still a force to be reckoned with when it comes to shutting down the opposing player he's guarding. It helps that Dallin is fast! I have to admit I'm going to miss all the games. It was a fun way to break up my weeks. Still, it will be nice to have Dallin home more...until spring ball starts up. Here are just a few final pics of the boys' basketball seasons:

Dallin:

Daniel:

Coach Jeff and Coach Jonas rallying the troops.

Jonas always wanted to be by his daddy.

Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day! I know this is a "Hallmark holiday" and that expectations rise each year regarding gift giving or big gestures; however, I am grateful for a holiday that allows us to take a moment to remember those we love. Obviously, this day is dedicated to the romantic type of love, but I enjoy being able to share this day, not only with Jeff, but with the kids too. As is my tradition, I started putting little hearts on each of their doors on February 1st leading up to the 14th. On each of the hearts, I wrote a little something that I love about each one of them specifically. (I also did this for Jeff.) It may not be something that the boys get excited about, but I'm grateful that I can stop and reflect on my individual love and admiration for these kids. Each one of them is so different and each one brings a different aspect of joy (and some grief) to this family. It's nice to have a holiday to focus on their strengths rather than the areas for improvement.

Jonas's door

Dallin and Daniel's doors

Since Valentines was on a Tuesday, Jeff and I decided to do our traditional Valentines date the Saturday before. (We never know what to expect on weeknights.) Each year, we like to go to the temple to do vicarious sealings (or weddings) for those who didn't have the opportunity to do so on this earth. It has always been something we look forward to doing. It is a sacred moment (and little bit romantic) to help these deceased families to be sealed for eternity while also being able to reflect on the day we were married. Marriage isn't always easy, but it is worth it. I am so grateful that Jeff found me. I wish I could say it's been a honeymoon since our marriage, but it hasn't. It has been probably the toughest 4 years of my life, but also the most joyous. I will be the first to admit I'm not perfect. I have had to grow and change a lot, but the best part is that Jeff will admit the same about himself. We are growing together. Sometimes the growing pains hurt, but once we've worked through them, we feel closer than ever before. I loved Jeff the day we got married, but that love has evolved into something more sacred and more beautiful than I ever felt on that day over 4 years ago.

We had dinner at Dalton's after our temple date.

On Valentines Day itself, I gave each of the boys a card and a little sweet treat to enjoy...even Jeff, although his "sweet" treat was a Red Lobster gift card. In return, Jeff gave me the BEST Valentines gift EVER! He purchased advanced VIP tickets to see Beauty and the Beast (my all-time FAVORITE Disney princess movie) in leather recliners coupled with a gift card to have lunch at Thanksgiving Point (where we will be seeing the movie) prior to the show. I know I felt loved...and I truly hope they felt/feel loved. I hope they feel that love all year round, not just during this holiday. I know, as parents, we can sometimes get caught up in the "guidance and direction" part of raising children, which isn't always the warm, fuzzy aspect of parenting. I can only hope the kids see through all our imperfections to know that they are truly a treasure to us.

Random Fun!

Since the holidays have ended, life has slowed down in the Southwick home. We have slipped back into our mundane routines, but that's not to say there haven't been a few moments of random fun along the way. On January 27th, Jonas and I celebrated his "HALF" birthday. He is officially 18 months old! I can't believe how fast the time flies. I can't believe how much he's grown. I think this is my favorite age. He's not quite in the "terrible two" stage (although he does have some brief moments), but he's so interactive and is communicating more and more each day. I love watching his little personality develop and get glimpses into who this special little boy really is! To celebrate, we went to Dairy Queen and split a blizzard. Yum!

Each year, I like to not only celebrate our national holidays, but I like to honor a few international holidays as well. On January 28th, we had a brief celebration to honor the Chinese Lunar New Year. This year marks the start of the Year of the Rooster. I like to have a little fun with the animal and get the kids some interesting gifts. This year, along with the traditional lucky red envelope with gold coins, the boys got a "flying chicken" and "chicken poop" lip balm. Jonas got a rooster stuffed animal (which he actually likes! I think it's the first stuffed animal he's actually paid attention to).

We had a quick lunch of Yakisoba noodles and pot stickers before the boys raced off to go hunting. Yup...as if their October hunting/camping adventure wasn't enough, they are at it again. This time one of our neighbors got permission from Fish and Game to shoot a couple elk that have been encroaching on his property in Salem. This neighbor graciously let Dallin have one of his elk tags so that Dallin could have another chance at harvesting an elk...and he did! Yup...he was able to shoot an elk! I think he was initially proud of himself for his shot, but when he reached the animal (who wasn't dead yet) and had to make a more direct shot to end the animal's life, I think Dallin was more effected than he thought he would be. Luckily, Jeff was with him to help him treat the animal with respect. They even made sure to offer a prayer of thanksgiving for the animal once the animal was no longer suffering. Because of the sacred nature of the hunt, Jeff and Dallin decided not to take any pictures. Still, I had to at least document the event.

The following day, we went over to Gma Penny's house to celebrate Gma Thompson's birthday! We love Gma Thompson!! I am so glad that she (and Grandpa) have lived closer to us. I miss my grandparents and enjoy being able to spend time with Gma T. Her cake may look like it's on fire, but she's only 29 years young!

On February 2, Jeff and I met up with someone we met on our honeymoon cruise. There were 4 couples that were assigned a dinner table together. We immediately latched onto Dillon and Brooke. They are genuine people and super funny to be around. We enjoyed sharing our dinner with them every night and even met up for a few other cruise activities together. I have kept in touch with Brooke since that cruise four years ago. A few weeks ago, she informed me that Dillon would be in SLC for work. I told Jeff and we agreed that we needed to take him out to dinner (unfortunately Brooke wasn't able to make the trip). We took him to The Roof restaurant. We had a blast catching up with him. Sometimes life puts random people in your path that you get to call friends.

Finally, while not a holiday, we celebrated Super Bowl Sunday! I like watching football, but I'm not an avid fan. I couldn't tell you which teams are best or even name many of the players, but I do like to watch the Super Bowl (and all the fun commercials and FOOD!). This year the New England Patriots won the Atlanta Falcons in an unprecedented overtime battle! It was a good game (even if I wanted the underdog Falcons to win)...and a fun evening to just hang out with family.

Life doesn't always need to be exciting to be fun. Sometimes it isn't as much about the big events as the small, random moments that makes life enjoyable. I'm so grateful for my little family and for the opportunities we have to simply celebrate whatever we want together!