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!
