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!