Celebrating Jackie (and Michael)

This past weekend, I took a quick trip to AZ to attend my soon-to-be sister-in-law's, Jackie, bridal shower (and to simply spend time with family). It was nice to be "home". There were moments when I was running quick errands by myself and reminiscing about times past. This little part of the world, and all the people in it, shaped who I have become. Thankfully, there were far more good memories than painful ones. I am grateful for my childhood/adolescence/young adulthood. It wasn't perfect, and I certainly wasn't perfect, but it was perfect for me. In any case, memories from the past were sprinkled with moments of the present throughout the weekend. I enjoyed spending time with my parents, sister, and niece. We girls spent time preparing for the upcoming wedding. The night I arrived, we went to Nichole's friend's house where we picked out matching bracelets for the wedding. 

The next day (in addition to enjoying foods from my favorite and semi-nostalgic restaurants), I spent the day helping Michael (who was working) pack up his stuff and transport it to what will now be his and Jackie's house. Nothing too exciting...but I was proud of how much I accomplished!

Saturday (April 24th), Mom, Nichole, Kate, and I spent the morning shopping. We were searching for shoes for Mom and jewelry to finish off our wedding outfits. And what shopping trip isn't complete without a little treat?! We tried this new donut place that Nichole discovered and it did not disappoint!

Later that afternoon, we attended Jackie's bridal shower. It was a smaller event due to ongoing COVID concerns (which is getting better and less "concerning" but still present), but it was fun. Jackie looked  beautiful as we celebrated her moment. She is such a sweetheart. I am hopeful that she and Michael will be able to create a beautiful life together.

After leaving the shower, we made a quick stop by a cemetery in Phoenix where my third great-grandmother, Sophia Atkins Whetten Huff, is buried. Yes...I'm still on my ancestry quest. It has been such a meaningful experience for me as I've been in the places they lived prior to death. It has made me feel a greater connection to them and to myself as I've read stories and seen traits/values that have trickled down the generations. These people, who I've never met in this life, created waves that have rippled through time, and I can't wait to meet them someday. The rest of my trip was simply spent relaxing and enjoying my family and friends. I was even able to meet up with an old high school friend for a few hours. It was a great weekend. I can't wait to come back in a couple of weeks to celebrate their wedding!

Spring Break 2021

It's hard to imagine all that has (and hasn't) transpired since our last Spring Break (which was basically just an early summer vacation since the kids never returned to school). Last year, Dallin was unexpectedly home and we were only about a month into the pandemic. Last year, store shelves were still empty and trying to recover, hospitals were overwhelmed, traveling at all was out of the question, and so much more. Now, here we are a year later, and while things have improved (e.g., kids are in school, we can go to at least one hour of church, traveling isn't so scary, hospitals in most places aren't packed, etc), there have been definite changes that have remained (e.g., face masks, social distancing, continual encouragement to not gather in large groups, etc.) I have so desperately wanted to travel again, and while some people are, we've decided to hold off on any major vacation until places open up more so we are certain to be able to enjoy all that we want to enjoy while visiting whatever location we decide to go to. (Many states aren't as open as Utah is. In fact, a lot of the tourist spots are restricting what you can and can't do or how many people can and can't go to sites.) Still, this year, Jonas and I made the most out of our Spring Break. Danny worked with Jeff all week (the joys of growing up...and needing money!). Jonas and I picked one fun activity a day from Monday-Friday to break up the monotony of just being home (how am I going to survive the summer?!). Laurin, Casey and Carter stayed an extra day so Laurin and Carter joined Jonas, the Tanners, and I for our Monday activity. We decided to go check out the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point. We packed a picnic lunch and let all the kids run around the gardens. Unfortunately, the tulips weren't quite in bloom yet, but we still found beautiful daffodils and a few patches of tulips. After the gardens, Jonas got to go to his cousins' house to spend the night. I'm pretty sure that was one of the highlights of his week!

I picked Jonas up on Tuesday morning then grabbed some lunch at Kneaders before going to a movie. There have been very few movies being released in theater since the pandemic. However, there was one animated movie, Tom and Jerry, that I thought might be cute. It really wasn't. In fact, about 2/3 of the way through the movie, Jonas was ready to go. I think it may be one of the first movies I've ever left. It wasn't too horrible, but it wasn't holding Jonas's attention. (To illustrate, on Saturday, he got to go to see Godzilla vs. King Kong with his siblings and LOVED it! Amber said he couldn't sit still. He was battling right along side them. Jonas may be 5, but with older siblings, he seems 15 sometimes.) Still, it was something to do for a few hours. 

Wednesday's activity made up for the movie flop the day before. We went swimming at the Provo Rec Center. This was also the first time Jonas went down the indoor slides. He was a little nervous at first because he had to go down by himself, but he loved it after the first ride. I can't believe we're starting all the swimming activities again! 

On Thursday, we took advantage of the warm weather and had a picnic at the park. Jonas found some kids to hang out with and spent a couple of hours playing and having fun. The funny thing is those kids were probably a good 4-5 years older than him, but he seemed to blend in and keep up just fine. After playing at the park, we stopped at Cold Stone Creamery for a treat then dropped by the library on the way home to pick up some books to "research". Jonas likes to learn new things.

Friday was our final day of Spring Break fun. Jonas chose to go to Lowe's. This is probably his most favorite place to go. He jumped, twisted, and flipped until his heart was content. He actually spent most of his time in the dodge ball area with the bigger kids. He loves and plays with baby Carter, but Jonas feels most comfortable hanging out with kids who are older than him. He's growing up too fast. He even has his first loose tooth. I got a little choked up when I discovered it. He needs to stay little. I only have so many summers and so many Spring Breaks with him until he no longer needs his mama. Until then, I'm going to cherish every chance I get to hold him close and enjoy our moments together. After Lowe's, we went grocery shopping and kept up with our traditional "sushi Friday" with a donut. The perfect end to a fun week!

Happy Easter!

As soon as St. Patrick's Day was over, I decorated for Easter. When Jonas came home, he saw the decorations and exclaimed, "Easter! Yes!" I'm glad he gets just as excited as I do for the next holiday. Each holiday is unique with its traditions and activities. Some holidays we do a little bigger than others; I would say Easter is one of those. I love the newness of the Spring season. I enjoy the warmer weather too, but I really love the hope that this holiday brings. Sure...we like to celebrate all the commercialized aspects of Easter, but I like to do those on Saturday then reserve Sunday to commemorate our Savior's sacrifice and contemplate His atonement. This weekend was even more meaningful because we got to listen to the prophet and apostles along with other general church leaders share messages of our Savior during General Conference. Moreover, we were lucky enough to have Laurin, Casey, Carter, Jacob, and Amber join us. It was a weekend of faith, family, fun...and of course, food!

Jonas and I started the Easter fun a few days earlier. Last year, due to COVID, many of Payson's Easter festivities were canceled. However, they decided to do an Easter egg hunt around town. Several businesses decorated 2-foot wooden eggs and hung them around town. The town then created clues to download and the search was on. I saw a few of those eggs last year, but we didn't participate in the hunt. This year, because of how popular it was, the town decided to do it again. This time, Jonas and I participated. It was fun to spend an hour or so on an otherwise normal afternoon searching for fun eggs. We found all but three before Jonas decided that it was time for ice cream. Who could argue with that?!

The rest of our Easter festivities started on Saturday. During the morning session of Conference, Jonas decided it was time to color eggs. While many of the other, more mature, adults chose not to participate, I was having just as much fun as Jonas! Laurin and Carter joined us too. I'm pretty sure Carter had no clue what was going on, but he looked cute in his confusion!

In between sessions, we decided to enjoy the warm weather outside. Jeff and I took a seat in the shade to tend Carter while Laurin, Casey, Danny, and Jonas broke out into an all-out water war! I knew it was only a matter of time. They started with just jumping on the trampoline, then Danny secretly went to fill up some water balloons. The balloons were quickly exhausted and large buckets and the hose were used to entirely soak everyone! Thankfully, we had Carter to keep us safe!

After the second session of Conference, it was finally time for our hunt! I filled several eggs with candy, but everyone was more interested in the "golden eggs". A couple years ago, Jeff started a tradition of putting money in metallic eggs. We only hide a few (this year, we hid four...two more than in the years past) and anyone can find them. One person could find all or someone may find none. This is the first year Jonas clued in on the importance of the golden eggs...and he found one! I think I enjoy watching the older kids hide each other's eggs then try to negotiate clues to find them. With a few acres of area to hide, the eggs aren't easy to find! I realize the older kids are starting to phase out of the egg hunt, but thankfully, the next generation is coming up. After our hunt, we had our traditional burgers and potato salad dinner (This was something I remember having every Easter when I was growing up) then we spent the rest of the evening just hanging out. I think that's my favorite time. I like the conversations we have and the laughs that ensue. I like being able to relax after I have executed all the activities and made all the food for the day. I just like being with my family.

That night, the Easter Bunny snuck in and left some fun Easter gifts/treats for the boys. Jonas was pretty excited to find some rollerblades when he woke up (or was it the candy he was most excited for?!).

Now it was time to focus on the real reason we celebrate Easter. We started by making "resurrection rolls". We did these last year and decided it was a good way to start our Easter worship. We discussed what happens to the marshmallow and what happened on that celebratory Easter morning.

After our yummy breakfast indulgence, we got to watch more Conference. I loved listening to the messages. I loved feeling inspired by their faith. I loved feeling motivated to make changes. I loved feeling validated in my efforts. And, yes, I even loved my crazy family deciding to wrestle half-way through it. It's a lot to ask them to sit still for so many sessions, even Jeff.

In between sessions, I insisted on taking a Easter photo then we decided to enjoy the warm, Spring weather with a walk instead of a water fight. (Amber and Jacob didn't join us until later that afternoon. Amber hadn't been feeling well after her second COVID vaccine shot so I didn't get a chance to take an Easter picture of them. Thankfully, Laurin wanted her family's Easter picture taken so I had a little backup when I insisted on getting one of me and the boys still left at home.)

Finally, the day was coming to a close. We finished the last session of Conference then had our traditional Easter feast: lamb (which isn't everyone's favorite and I may have to swap it out for a normal roast again), a garden (of Gethsemane) salad, funeral potatoes (because he died), rolls (to represent the stone that was rolled away), and angel food cake (because He was resurrected) for dessert. After filling our bellies, Jonas begged us to go outside for a game of wiffle ball. You would think he was the size and capability of all his older siblings. He plays hard and does his best to keep up because he doesn't like feeling left behind. It was a fun way to end our Easter weekend! Even amidst all the chaos still raging in the world right now (due to the pandemic, political division, and more), there was peace here; there was joy here; there was hope here; there was love here! We are not a perfect family. We definitely have moments of conflict, but we keep trying. We keep loving. And we keep coming home.