February Fun!

This month has been the first month in a long time that I have felt life slow down ever so slightly. It was nice to experience a few Saturdays with short to-do lists or even a few weeknights with nothing on the schedule. That is not to say, however, that we didn't have a little fun this month. Super Bowl LIX was on Sunday, February 9th. This year the Kansas City Chiefs were hoping for a three-peat win; while the Eagles were coming in to redeem themselves from two years ago. As usual, I crafted a menu to honor both teams: BBQ brisket with mac & cheese for KC and Philly cheesesteak sliders with UTZ brand (a PA brand) chips for Philly. For dessert, we had TONS of ice cream. The ice cream cone is the official state dessert of Missouri (where KC is from) and the soda float was invented in Philadelphia. With all that yummy food, we were lucky enough to host nearly 30 people that night! I love being able to gather with friends and family...and I love that there is always enough food to welcome even the last minute add ons. Everyone else brought food to share as well. Sadly, the Chiefs were unable to pull off the win. I can't say that I felt strongly about either team, but we had a few die hards (mostly the Tanner boys) who were more invested in the outcome. Ultimately, Camden walked away victorious while Lincoln and Nolan were a little disappointed. Jonas also bet on the Chiefs, but I think he felt he won just in the fact that he got to have a fun night with his siblings, cousins, and more. 

The following Friday was Valentines Day. Every year, I start placing a heart on Jeff's and Jonas's doors with one (or more) reasons I love them. I really like doing this. Yes, it takes a little time to prep everything, but I love being able to reflect on all the goodness and kindness and awesomeness they bring to our family. On Wednesday, February 12th, I watched Carter and Everly. I decided to do some Valentines activities with them. I remember doing similar things with Jonas when he was younger. We made Love Bugs then went to the library to find some Valentines books. Afterwards, we had lunch then decorated some heart sugar cookies. Nothing big...but still fun. I love that I get to keep doing stuff like this! Later that day, as Jonas and I were chatting about the schedule for the week leading up to Valentines Day, Jonas asked if I could wait to go grocery shopping so he could go with me. We have had a few conversations recently about life skills and things that will be good for him to know as he gets older. We even had a conversation about groceries and simple meals that he could prepare while on his mission or at college. Naturally, I thought he wanted to come with me to get a jump start on some of those skills (because that is literally how responsible he tries to be); however, as we discussed it further, he subtly let me know that the real reason he wanted to come was so that he could buy me a treat for Valentine's Day. This absolutely melted me heart! What 9-year-old boy even considers something like that? Once I figured out the real reason behind his grocery shopping desire, we arranged for Jeff to pick him up from school and take him. Unbeknownst to Jeff though, Jonas also snuck in a treat for him! Jonas found a package of Ghiradelli chocolate for me then in the checkout line he saw an Almond Joy candy bar. He must have remembered that was one of the candy bars Jeff likes because he asked him if you could buy it. Jeff totally thought it was for Jonas and was surprised when that evening (Thursday, February 13th) he saw the Almond Joy on his pillow with a little note. Next to Jeff's treat and note was mine. And that wasn't all! The next morning, Jonas woke up before we did and made both of us breakfast! I couldn't believe it. We don't normally eat that early, but we all sat down and enjoyed our breakfast together. I made Jonas some little heart waffles and gave him his treats and gift. I gifted him a date with me to be cashed in on Monday since he doesn't have school for President's Day. The rest of the morning was pretty standard. That afternoon, I got to go to Jonas's class to do a game. I'm grateful that his teacher still encourages parents to help...and that Jonas still likes me coming in. I know those days are numbered. In any case, I brought in some pictures with Valentines symbols to discuss the history of then a fun "Cupid's Arrow" game to play. Everyone seemed to enjoy that. Once evening hit, we were wrapping up the Valentines celebrations. I got Jonas a heart shaped pizza for dinner from Papa Murphy's with a little strawberry cake treat from Crumbl. Jeff and I then left on our date and Jonas actually had a two hour basketball practice. Jeff and I met up with Kevin and Catrina Oliver for a fun dinner at Harmon's. We have done cooking classes there before. Honestly, we thought that this would be one too, but it was a Chef's table night, which basically meant that the chef prepared our food and we simply enjoyed eating it. It was really delicious! Like I've said before, we don't do anything really big for these holidays; just a little something special to let each other know how much we care.

Valentine's Day led us into President's Day weekend. Surprisingly, we didn't have anything on our schedule so we got to plan a little fun. On Saturday (Feb 15th), we met up with Jacob and Amber in Orem to challenge ourselves to an escape room! Jonas has really loved these...and I enjoy the challenge as well. We played with all the puzzles in the lobby while they set up our room then we were put in jail. Yup...our room took us back to the days of the Wild West. We had witnessed a shootout but got thrown in jail because the sheriff thought we were accomplices. We had to break out of jail then find the evidence in the sheriff's office to prove our innocence. We actually did break out of jail and were close to proving our innocence when Jacob asked for a clue (on a small tablet in the room) that ultimately gave us the code to get out. Unbeknownst to us, he used the code and opened the door while we were still working on the last puzzle which would have revealed that code. It was actually kind of funny. None of us were upset and we all had a blast! We each played a role in uncovering the clues. When we finished, we actually met up with Laurin and her little family (who were in the area looking for a minivan) for dinner at Cracker Barrel. Finally, Jonas, Jeff and I topped off the day with a trip to see Captain America: Brave New World at the movie theater in Payson. I wasn't sure I was going to like this movie because I really loved the original Captain America, but it was actually pretty good. Maybe the Marvel Universe can redeem itself. 

Sunday was fairly routine, but since there was no school on Monday, we continued our party. There has finally been enough snow in Fairview to go snowmobiling so we invited Dallin and Audrey to join us. Dallin's friend, Bryant, and his wife, Abbie, also joined us. With only 6 machines, I hopped on with Jeff and most of the time just stood out in the meadows taking pictures and videos. Jonas was a little nervous to take the machine out. It seems like there's always a little nerves each time we start the season, but he did great! I'm thankful I have at least one cautious boy...because the other two are not! Dallin had so much fun pulling the machine up on one ski and racing up the steep hills around the meadows. Bryant and Jeff did the same...and they all took tumbles! Thankfully, no one got hurt...even Jeff who got throw off his machine twice.  All of them got their machines stuck at least once, but everyone had a blast! After we finished, we stopped at Shalan's (a little diner) in Moroni to grab some yummy breakfast burritos and shakes (weird combination...I know!). It was the perfect way to cap off President's Day weekend.

The month ended with one final fun February activity...for me at least. On Thursday, February 20th, my friend, Heather, hosted a belated Galentines brunch at her house with a few other amazing women. This group enveloped me with love and acceptance when I married Jeff. They were the moms of my kids' friends. They buoyed me up through the hard times of adjusting to a non-traditional family life. They laughed and cried with me. They supported and encouraged me. It has been fun to get together with them as often as our schedules permit. Heather is definitely the "gatherer" of the group. We spent the morning enjoying yummy food and catching up on life. I'm grateful to be included in this group...and grateful to have spent some time just for me. Too often, I think we run ourselves ragged with obligations and responsibilities to others. Don't get me wrong; I love serving my little family, but there needs to be balance. I'm grateful that I got to swing the pendulum a little more my way in preparation for the busy month ahead!

January

I couldn't think of a "J" word that could accurately depict January. Jittery? Jovial? Jaunty? Jam-packed? Nothing seemed quite right; nothing seemed to say, "Long, dreary, never-ending month." January is a little hard to swallow after the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of the holidays. Thankfully, we still found reasons to celebrated and time to have a little fun. On the last day of winter break (Friday, January 3rd), Jonas got to cash in his snowboarding pass! He was beyond excited! He has been wanting to hit the slopes for a couple of years now, but Jeff kept saying he wasn't ready. He's definitely ready now. We arranged for him to have some private instruction to help him get the basics down then Jeff actually strapped on some skis and hit the slopes with him. Jonas was in heaven. Yes...he wiped out several times. Yes...he was beyond exhausted and a little sore. And yes...he had a blast! He was able to maintain his balance pretty well (thanks to his time on the OneWheel and surfboard) and quickly picked up on how to stop and get up if he fell. After about 5 hours, both Jeff and Jonas were done, but it only ignited a greater desire for Jonas (& Jeff, who discovered he can still ski even with his injured knees) to go again.

While Jeff and Jonas were on the slopes, I was hanging out with one of my college friends. Lauree and I were best friends during our undergraduate years at ASU. She got married about a year before we graduated. After that, I went on my mission and she moved to Tucson, AZ then Round Rock, TX. We have kept in touch but don't often get to see each other. Her 93-year-old grandfather passed away on Christmas Day so she was in town for the funeral. I was lucky enough to be able to host her, her daughter, and her brother while they were in Utah for the weekend. As sad as the circumstances were, I was happy to be able to connect with her again and hang out. 

The day Lauree (and her family) left (Sunday, January 5th), we were invited to join the Tanner family to celebrate Nolan's priesthood ordination. I can't believe he's that old! He is one of the kindest, smartest, most responsible young men I know. He is going to do great things!

A few days later (Thursday, January 9), Jeff and I made a quick trip to AZ to pick up a crane that he had purchased late last year. Random...I know, but we decided we needed to make a purchase to invest in the business and this is an avenue that can open up an additional influx of business opportunities. Thankfully, the crane was in Phoenix, which meant I got to go home even if just for one night. We woke up early on Thursday to get the crane before rush hour traffic. On our way to my parents house, we decided to stop by the Mesa temple to walk around. This is the temple we were married in. Being so close to our anniversary, it was good to wander through the gardens and reminisce about that day. We reflected on those things we have been through since then. I love where we're at now. I love what we have created. It wasn't always easy; there were lots of tears, frustrations, and moments of feeling hopeless and helpless, but through the strength of God, we have been able to continue to show up for each other and our little family each day. After our trip down memory lane, we made our way to my parents to hang out with them, Nichole, Kate, Michael, Jackie, and Samson for the evening. Jeff had been feeling sick so he mostly stayed to himself, but the rest of us went out to dinner, grabbed some cookies, and just hung out. The next day (Friday, January 10), we woke up early and headed home. It was 20 hours on the road for just a few hours at home, but it was nice to see my family...and enjoy a little sunshine. (And yes, when we got home Jeff had to try out the crane as he hoisted Jonas onto the roof. Oh boy!) 

It was Samson's 1st birthday that weekend. This is a picture from his party. I had to go home & wasn't able to be there but it's too cute not to post.

I did, however, bring him a little gift.

That next Wednesday (January 15th), Jonas cashed in his Ditch Day gift certificate he got in his Christmas stocking. I think this was one of his favorite Christmas gifts! He decided to turn it in on a day that I was watching Carter and Everly because he wanted to hang out with them. He loves his nephews and niece! We decided to go to Lowe's Xtreme Airsports and then out to lunch at Chick-fil-A. The rest of the afternoon we simply hung out at the house, but Jonas loved it! He loved playing with Carter and Everly...and he, of course, loved skipping school. Good thing he chooses to be a good student both behaviorally and academically.

We celebrated Jonas's half-birthday on Monday, January 27th. We started doing half-birthdays when he was little, but it's become more important now that he's in school. He loves to bring treats to his class and be individually recognized rather than just lumped into the last week of school with all the summer birthdays. This year (like most) he chose to bring donuts. I picked him up for lunch and took him out to eat. He chose to eat at Chubby's. And, like years passed, I gave him a little gift. This year, I gifted him the last two books from Gary Paulsen's Hatchet series. Jonas isn't a natural reader. He knows how and he does well, but it's not really fun for him...unless he has a book he actually likes. Hence the thoughtful yet practical gift.

Wednesday, January 29th, was Chinese New Year....and an excuse to do something a little fun. We actually started our celebrations on Saturday, January 25th. We attended the Chinese Festival at Sky Ridge HS in Lehi. The Alpine school district has a Chinese immersion program, which includes a foreign exchange component. These foreign students help with the production that then earns money for US students to study abroad too. The festival was quite impressive. They had several craft and activity stations as well as food. The main event was an hour-long showcase of traditional Chinese dances. It was really incredible! We all loved the Chinese hoop dancing, lion dance, silk aerialists, and more. On the actual day of Chinese New Year, Jonas stayed home from school because he was running a fever. Still, we celebrated. He woke up to some fun snake socks (because it's the year of the snake) and his lucky red envelope with gold coins. I also got him a Chinese yo-yo like we had seen at the festival the previous Saturday. I made silly snake-like foods all day, and we had Panda Express for dinner. It's never anything big, but it doesn't have to be. Even the smallest celebration can turn a mundane Wednesday into something a little more fun.

We ended our month by attending Camden and Nolan's elementary school production of Disney's Aladdin Jr. Camden was a member of the cast and Nolan worked on stage crew. It was such a cute production! The kids worked hard (as well as all the parent volunteers and teachers, etc.). We were happy that we could go support and celebrate all their hard work. Next month, we'll keep the party rolling with our Super Bowl party, Valentines Day...and whatever else we can find to celebrate!