January

We were all in the car ready to go to the mountains, and we just felt like the youngest two weren't going to have a blast- it was supposed to rain which wouldn't be fun for anyone not on the snow hill. So they stayed home with me and we had a fun weekend. Having Lucky Charms is usually a one time a year treat and Katy felt on top of the world!

Meanwhile the others got their second time of snowboard lessons.

They had an amazing instructor last year, not so much this year. But they still learned.

And Jim got some great time on the slopes. After their lessons, Mike went up with Jim to go down. He has no fear.

Meanwhile at home the littles felt on top of the world to have mommy time doing whatever we wanted!

Katy kept Mango happy

And I have no idea if they were playing chicken or trust games.

Homemade chicken noodle soup

Basketball season with the rec league marches on. Not a huge fan of the sport for my boys. Too many ball hog point guards who are the sons of the coaches.

My parents left on a mission to be MTC president of the Preston, England MTC. We've skyped once since they've arrived and it seems like a wonderful fit for their skills and passion to help move the work of the Lord forward.

Mike got contacts. He takes his time getting something but then you can totally depend on him to do it. For example, John and I spent 1 1/2 hours in the waiting room and Mike didn't get a single contact in. Two days later, he took 40 min. And by the checkup a week later, I hadn't bothered to help him or anything beyond making sure he took them out at night (he remembers!) However, that was a long first day lol.

I finally figured out how to use FamilySearch to print out names to take to the temple. It has been fun to spend time each week bringing my ancestors opportunities.

Marian came back from my parent's farewell in AZ with a suitcase of oranges and several frozen bags of OJ. After we used a juicer to convert the suitcase full into a gallon of OJ we had huge appreciation for the effort that went into the frozen bags!

Liquid gold! And fun sister time making it happen!

All the 2nd grade classes had a glow party day where each room had activities using glow stuff to practice math, reading, science, etc. Diana loves these themed days!

 I love bringing the kids lunch- they are always so happy!

Nicole cuddling Mango

Diana loves baking and waited all week to make cinnamon rolls

The smell after one of the 9/10 boys games is so rank you could slice it with a knife. It is thick and SO nasty! 

One Sunday these three had scripture, prayer and talk. So cute! I was proud of Katy reading her talk.

I took the kids bowling on a holiday and they did really well. Of course we use bumpers but the older ones hardly used them. Katy didn't need any help bowling, I was just glad her little arms could carry the ball up there!

Mike got a strike! He and Nicole had great scores and Jake was disappointed but he had a lighter ball and is still working on technique.

For Nicole's school elective "Modern Band" they had a concert and I made the cake for it. Creme brulee!

Katy also had her concert

Nicole and I spent a day hanging out and playing tennis, going for a walk, grocery shopping and just talking and being together. We are at such a critical time for our relationship to be open and loving so in the tough times we have this foundation to help us through.

She'd like one of these please.

We went to an escape room with friends for the first time and made it out with a few minutes to spare! Everyone contributed and had fun!

Mango hangs out with us at every meal.

Jim had a work Amputee Ski day and took the oldest three with him. They all spent the day snowboarding and loved their first time without lessons. Mike apparently bombs down each hill. He says he knows how to stop (although Jim has yet to see signs of him using that ability). Nicole is pretty athletic and capable and both of the oldest went by themselves. Jacob stuck with Jim and can do it just fine. He even took a lift by himself at the end of the day when Jim went on a different run. They were very hungry by the end of the day, and Mike jumped right out of the car in his thermal underwear, oblivious to anything but a pressing need for food. Jim sent me this pic.

Mike plays great defense and his coach has him at the top of their zone. He has what I think of as "goalie feet" and kind of hops back and forth in place totally quick on his feet.

We took friends to an escape room where only half of us had done one before. We finished with NO hints with 26 minutes to spare. The game creator came in when we finished and was pretty impressed because a group that goes around testing escape rooms (and have done hundreds of them) finished just a few minutes quicker. We felt pretty smart! (Jim and I felt smart that we invited smart people haha)

Nicole's basketball season ended. This has been so healthy for her to have confidence at school and with a physical activity that builds her strength and coordination. She scored lots of baskets and the teams they played were at similar levels of skill. Her height made it so she had a LOT of blocks every game which she really enjoyed haha.