End of January catch up.

Casey's basketball team finished up their season on Friday. He's had a rough second half to his season with injuries, illnesses, and girls that have been flaking out and making things hard. The number of girls he's had for practices have been sporadic in attendance, and he even had to cancel a game because only 3 girls were available. He still has districts and possibly state to go with JV and Varsity so a few weeks more. 

I've had to do a lot of extra work at the school library. Camille got Covid and was out a few days one week and this past week I took over for a day because she didn't feel well. It's a lot to handle, but I get by and do my best. Casey and I got to go on a date last Saturday and listen to a guest speaker on marriage and family that our Stake put on. It was such a good presentation, and gave us good things to talk about and work on. I'm so lucky to have Casey by my side in this crazy journey we call life. We are nowhere near perfect, but we are perfect for each other. (You don't find your soul mate you help create them.)

Kendal earned a 4.0 for her semester! She's working hard in school and is doing her best! This semester she gets to have keyboarding and computer basics as her elective classes. She's so close to finishing her lesson books for piano. From there she'll be done with basic lessons and knowledge to special pieces, and learning / working through harder pieces. She's decided to take on two spring sports this spring. So her month of April is going to be packed / crazy!! We'll see how it goes. Kendal is getting into her roll as first counselor in young women's. They had a murder mystery night, and a goals / dream board planning night. 

Peter's had a couple of more games the past two Saturday's. Grandma D came to watch him play on the 22nd. He played hard and got a couple of baskets. They barely lost but gave it a good try. Yesterday they were just outmatched in defense and lost again. Peter's growing in skills and doing a good job, hopefully his team can pull out a win in the next week or so. Peter's parent teacher conf. was this past week. He's doing well in school with good grades and his test scores have improved! His teacher has only good things to say about him and he is doing well overall. Peter got to have his AR party last week! The fourth graders went to the CSI planetarium and watched an IMAX show. Peter had his first activity days meeting on Friday. He got to play games that taught cooperation and working together, then they talked about goals. 

Alice had her 5 yr old well check this week. Aside from being a picky eater she's doing great! She's growing in mind and body. She's still our little ham that keeps us laughing and her imagination makes us smile constantly. (Like today. I told the girls to secure us a bench for church while I went to the primary room. She went to the chapel, found a bench, spread her arms out at it and said boo, thinking I had told them to scare the bench ; ). Alice is loving her new preschool and doing great with her new teacher and having boys in her group. She's her own person - as you can tell in the picture below. Boots on the wrong feet, hat backwards, marching confidently up the stairs like she's the boss of life. 

Friday we had school off. Casey still had meetings and then away game so it was just the kids and I. We cleaned the house for most of the day. I rewarded their hard work with Fiesta Ole dinner in the living room while they watched a movie. 

Since we accidentally got an extra set of bunks we offered them to David and Anica. So yesterday they came up to claim the beds and we got to spend some quality time with them. The kids loved having cousin time and playing the afternoon away! The kids had fun doing nerf wars and Lego's. We went to the little Herrett Center museum at CSI. It was a short visit, but so good to see them! 

It's been very cold the last couple of weeks. Our ice and snow is sticking strong, we're all over it since our winters have been fairly mild the last couple of years, but I'm sure February will pack in some more weather for us to deal with. 

Alice is 5!

 Alice turned 5 yesterday! The past few years I do a list of favorites on the kids' birthday card. So Alice's 5 favorite things right now are. . . Unicorns, noodles, barbies, singing, and preschool. We often find Alice making up songs and singing away when she's doing her own pretend play or just sitting around. She picks up on songs fairly quickly and we love to hear her made up tunes. 

Preschool is a definite favorite for her this school year. She is thriving in Waterford. She is reading simple books and doing math and other advanced things that are cool. She wishes everyday was a preschool day with her friends. She's loving learning and is growing in many ways there as well. Alice can read simple books. We know she's picked up a lot of words from preschool, so the other day I pulled out a stack of pre readers and she read them all! She blew me away with her reading skills! 

Alice has such a fun personality. She is so funny. The things she says, or does make us laugh often! She now recognizes when she's getting a laugh and will ham it up extra for us. She's got such a light and sweet personality it's easy to fall into her spell and truly in last kid fashion she gets away with quite a bit. 

Alice is our go with the flow kid. Her opinionated side is coming out strong this year, but generally she works with what she's given and deals with busy family life. While having her in day care this year isn't my ideal, I think it's made her grow and learn in many ways. She'll go into kindergarten later this year doing better at working with others, and following rules set by others. 

Alice's independence is also growing this year. She knows what she wants and works to get it. She wants to do things on her own more without help or interference. When others are gone or to busy to play she'll play on her own and is in her own beautiful world of imagination for a time. 

Alice at age 5!

favorite color: Pink 

Favorite activity: "play with my birthday stuff"

Favorite food: Macaroni

Favorite animal: Unicorn

Favorite song: I am a child of God

Favorite holiday: my birthday

Favorite book: Piggie and Elephant

When I grow up: "a teacher" 

Nicknames: "noodles", short cake, fluffy, Ali

Alice: our little caboose - we love you so very much; Happy Birthday!

At 5 Alice is 44 in. Tall (90%) and 40 lbs (50%)

Rolling into 2022

 January

After the holiday break we had school for one day before the weather shut the schools down for two days. The first snow day (4th)The kids went sledding with some friends. I joined for a bit and brought the girls back home to get warm and dry. Peter was in and out all day long with friends enjoying snow and playing around. The second snow day was less fun, because it was so wet outside it wasn't fun to go out into. The kids played around the house and enjoyed their Christmas presents some more. (Alice took such care to pack the snowballs in her picture and tenderly took them home.) 

Peter had his first basketball practice's last week. He's happy to have a lot of friends on his team this season! They're lacking a bit in height so we'll see how the season goes. 

On Monday of that week Alice and I went to meet her new preschool teacher. Mrs. Tysha (Clemments). She agreed to take all of the kids for the rest of the school year. Alice gets to stay with her 3 buddies and they added five boys to the mix. It should be a fun time for the kids! After the snow day canceled Alice's first day of her new preschool she started back last Thursday. Alice is so good to roll with the changes and she's enjoying her new group so far. 

After a couple of weeks of holidays and the kids having snow days Casey and I stole away for a date night on the 7th. We just ate out (at Mo Beta's) and did some shopping for Alice's birthday. 

Casey was gone all last Saturday for basketball. (He's having a rough second half to his season. Girls are hurt, sick, or lacking in positive attitudes about playing. His last two games had a scant team to play and he hasn't had a full team at practices in over a month.) With Casey gone we had a lazy day. I had the kids clean up a bit and took them out for ice cream after lunch. Kendal went to hang out with Alycin's for the afternoon. Peter played with Alice then the wii and I played barbies and read with Alice. 

This past week we got back into our routine. School, piano, basketball, and life. Peter did catch something and woke up not feeling well on Wednesday. I took him in to get tested for Covid that afternoon. He had a temp of 103 while we were waiting for the test / results. They ended up testing him for strep, influenza, and covid. He was negative on all accounts, but his high fever's made the Dr. concerned so they ordered Peter to be on antibiotics for 5 days. Peter was so sleepy and down that first day I kept him home Thursday as well. He perked up, but wasn't quite himself yet so He had to miss basketball practice and STEAM night at school. 

I got recruited to help with STEAM night at the school. The kids stayed home, because I didn't want to share germs or get new germs. I was supposed to be over a paint station, however when I went to prepare things the paints were frozen solid, so we did a plan b and went with dry erase markers. The kids didn't mind and I was happy not to have to clean up paints for a couple of hours.  

Alice got to take birthday treats to both day care and Preschool on Thursday. She was so excited to share with her buddies. Her preschool teacher was sweet and sent her home with a balloon and sticker gift. Alice has slept with her balloon since! 

Kendal went skiing on Friday with the 6th graders. Minus being stuck on the bunny hill longer than she wanted (lack of instructors made it so she had to wait a while to get onto the bigger hills). She had a good time and got to be with some friends! I worked for a couple of hours and then Alice, Peter and I joined some friends at Banbury (A hot springs in Buhl). Alice had a life jacket on and was having a blast in the water. Peter went off the diving board, and played around with Austin, Tayven, and Kyler for the rest of the time. There was a log in the water that the boys tried to stay on without rolling off. The water was so nice and warm, but getting out to go to the restroom, or change was a different story! 

Yesterday was Alic'es birthday!! Alice opened presents and we enjoyed waffles for breakfast. Casey took Kendal and Peter to clean the church while I kept Alice at home. She played with her new things while I made her cupcakes. For her birthday Alice got a stuffed unicorn, a mythical sticker book, princess legos, a calico critter car, princess dresses for her big doll, and a grow your own unicorn from us. Aunt Katherine gave her a sweet unicorn glow light, and a unicorn book! Grandma and Grandpa Loosle gave her a sweatshirt, stamp art kit, a dress up doll, and barbie outfits. She's loved the stamp art, and all of the dress up's for her dolls! Kendal gave her a Frozen book. Grandma Darrington stopped in for a little bit and gave Alice a fun unicorn outfit for her big doll! Kendal stayed with Alice to play and enjoy her new birthday presents while Casey and I took Peter to his first game. Peter's team is lacking in height and a few of the kids in skills so we'll see how this season goes. They were outmatched for this first game and lost 8 to 22. Peter made a basket and got into the game, so I know he's going into this season ready and pumped! After Peter's game we got to work on the girls room. I finally consented to "bonk beds" for the girls (Alice has needed to get into a bigger bed for way to long and it was time)! Terry dropped off Jemma to play for a couple of hours. The girls were so happy to see each other and play together. They've definitely missed each other so it was good they got some quality time together! The bunk beds consumed most of the afternoon. Casey was the master builder with Peter helping, and the girls peeking in throughout the process. We let Alice pick dinner and she chose Culvers. The kids love it because they get free ice cream at the end of the meal. We ended our night with cupcakes and chatting with Grandma, Grandpa, and Katherine.

Today we got to go to church this morning. Not gonna lie. 9 a.m. feels super early, but it's so nice to come home from church and enjoy the rest of the day together. The kids have moved toys into the girls room this afternoon and I'm making some cheesy bread! 

Finishing out 2021!

The evening of the 22nd we decorated sugar cookies. Alice was very precise with her work, Kendal layered up her frosting, and Peter wanted all of the sprinkles and frostings on his. 

Peter got his one on one with Casey on the 23rd. He chose to eat out at Taco Bell. Not sure why, but he's into Taco Bell right now and their Doritos Locos tacos. Peter wanted to go see the new Spider Man movie with Casey, but they opted to wait till we were in Logan to go with uncle David too. After lunch they went and picked out new shoes for Peter to have for basketball season coming up! 

Christmas Eve was spent cleaning up a bit around the house. I joined the kids late morning to play in the snow. Alice created a mini snowman, Kendal a snow bird, Peter helped me roll a bigger snowman (the snow wasn't coming together well so it was fairly small). We created some more snow birds and a penguin as well as a lot of tracks in the snow! It was chilly but fun. We went over to Brett and Vanessa's house for Christmas Eve tamales. The kids always love seeing their cousins and it was a nice bit of chaos for a bit. We came home and got ready for Christmas; the kids put on their holiday pj's, we put out treats, and read "'Twas the Night Before Christmas." Casey and I put up a wrapping paper barrier for the kids with the premise that it wouldn't come down till 7:00 Christmas morning. (It was genius, no 4 am peeking this year!)

Christmas morning the kids broke through the barrier just after 7 in the morning! They came into our room and we listened to the nativity story together before we headed out to presents. The kids were excited over their presents and we had a nice time opening our gifts! Everyone got a personalized mug and hot chocolate bomb in their stocking. Peter's is Marvel, Alice's is Frozen, and Kendal got a Harry Potter one that looks like her. Casey and I have our initials on mugs. The kids loved them! Alice was so excited to get her Barbie car and all that came with it. She spent the rest of Christmas Day enjoying her gift and having anyone willing play along with her. Alice also got new Barbie outfits, a charm necklace, cozy leggings, church shoes, new books (a Piggie and Elephant set, a princess book, a search and find, and Rainbow Fish), and a 2 sided puzzle. When I was busy with meals throughout the day, Alice was in with her Barbies singing all of the Christmas songs she knew. Peter got his much anticipated Ninjago ship as his big present. No joke, he spent six hours Christmas Day putting together his ship. It was over 7,000 pieces with 14 bags to put together and 300 plus pages of instructions. He was in build mode all day and came out every so often to eat and show us his progress! Peter got a Nerf electronic target, a new top (he's worn almost daily since), socks, a baby Yoda puzzle, and his books (History Smashers, Desmond Cole, Beasts of Olympus, I Survived). Kendal got the next Harry Potter Wii game, and a Bop-It from Santa. She also got a charm necklace, spinner ring, and a couple of pairs of earrings. She was very happy with her jewelry. Both girls wore their necklaces all day and the next! Kendal also got a Harry Potter puzzle, church skirt, and some books (Harry Potter Illustrated: A Magical Year, A Tale of Sorcery, and The Revenge of Magic ) Kendal put together her puzzle in the morning and she and Casey played her Wii game after lunch. Casey and I both got ear buds. I got a set of books I've been wanting, some slippers, and some treats. Casey got new work boots / gloves, underwear, and a rocket!! I made muffins and the kids snacked all morning. We had a brunch of crepes near lunch time when the kids were ready for a meal. Late afternoon we watched the new Disney movie Encanto! We got to face time Grandparents during the day and just have a nice cozy Christmas; just the way we like it! 

We decided to go down to Logan on the 26th. We knew weather might be iffy, but we were totally unprepared for our drive. We had iffy roads till Burley, then it was crappy for the next hour. We had white-out conditions near Casey's parents - we thought about pulling over, but the amount of cars we passed stuck on the side of the road, and the fact that the exit wasn't really visible scared me, so we tailed a guy for a while. We could see a bit just before Switzer, but once we reached the hills Casey was white knuckle driving in a white out! It was crazy, probably our top worst winter drive ever. Thankfully once we hit Snowville we could see and the roads were better. Our trip took us over 3 hours, but the fact that we didn't wreck or slide off was a huge blessing. We half joked afterwards that we'd just driven through answered prayers since our area is praying for moisture. (The Lord has definitely delivered this past couple of weeks.) 

The kids were thrilled to get to Grandma and Grandpa's. We had a quick lunch before we opened gifts. Casey got a jig for his saw, a wooden puzzle/board, and a nice winter hat. Peter got a monster puzzle, a sweatshirt, and Peter and the Starcatchers book, and revolting rhymes by Roald Dahl.  Aunt Katherine gave Peter monkey books and a Gryffindor top for his build-a-bear. Kendal got slippers, A Tale of Magic fairy tales, a headband and cute earrings. Aunt Katherine gave Kendal a Hufflepuff top for her build-a-bear., and the Wingfeather Saga book. Alice got a Lego book, Frozen set, she got a little Anna and Elsa doll, a cute Disney Calendar, and Who You Were Made To Be. Aunt Katherine got her a robe for her Elsa bear, and Uni the Unicorn! I got a new hand mixer!, fun reading shirt, frosting tips, and a book. Katherine gave me a USU shirt. We were spoiled as always and so thankful for their generosity. We had a nice family dinner and played some games afterwards. 

Monday we got to have Elliot and Isaac over for the afternoon. We had Nana over for a post-Christmas Christmas dinner. We ended the evening with games again! Tuesday, I took the kids out to Smithfield to play with cousins for a bit. That afternoon Casey, Peter, and David went to see Spider Man. We had pizza for dinner as a family! Wednesday we got in more cousin time when the boys came over to make cookies with us. The kids had so much fun cutting out and decorating their cookies. The kids had a full day of cousin time! Kendal and I got in a visit with Nana before dinner, and we had some more game time after dinner! 

We headed home early Thursday to avoid bad weather and roads. We were grateful our trip was uneventful and we got home safe and well. When we got home though we found lots of snow and our porch had icicles from the roof to the steps, and a thick sheet ice on the steps. Casey headed off to basketball practice, and the kids were happy to be reunited with Christmas presents to play with. Peter worked on his Yoda puzzle, Kendal worked on her Hogwarts train puzzle (belated birthday gift from David and Anica). I hacked away at the ice for a while in the afternoon, and Casey helped with the rest when he came back from taking Kendal to get her second C shot. Our steps keep accumulating ice and it'll only continue with the amount of snow we've got on the roof. So were in for some interesting weeks ahead with snow, ice, and such. (The ice pictures don't do it justice, the first is our porch after 40 min of me hacking away, and we didn't get a picture of the insane icicles on the porch, so I took one of the patio.)

For New Years Eve we went out to lunch. After much debate Subway was the choice of the day. The kids played the Wii while Casey was at practice. We finished Kendal's train and the baby Yoda puzzle. The kids spent the late afternoon playing in the snow. It was so deep in the backyard their boots were so snowy! We had homemade burgers and fries for dinner. Afterwards we let the kids each pick a game to play while we enjoyed Orange Julius' and a treat. The kids went to bed just after nine. Casey and I played some games and ended the year with some Rhett and Link. 

Casey and I spent this last week in crunch mode because we made a goal to read 100 chapter books together and as of two weeks ago we had over 10 to go. Friday afternoon we finished our goal and wrote the last of our 100 books on our chart. It's been fun to chart and have a little competition over reading. We'll keep track again this year, but probably won't push to have to get to 100 books. We have some good memories from this past year, and look forward to what 2022 will bring! 

We kept Alice's date till we got back home. She wanted to go to the trampoline park and we asked if her siblings could join. She chose Noodles and Co. for lunch and the kids had such a fun time at the trampoline park for an hour. Casey and I mostly watched the kids; we also played each other at air hockey (I won by one!). We ran a couple of errands in town. Kendal and Peter spent Christmas money from Grandma and Grandpa on earbuds, and a nerf gun. We ended the day watching Hawkeye on Disney +. I'd say it's been a good start to 2022.