February

My mom made a tradition with her first grandchild to take them to Build-A-Bear when they turn 4 and, since Ivy had her birthday, it was her turn!  We actually had to reschedule twice-once for weather and once for a sick kid-but we finally made it work on the first day of February.  Ali and Lucy came along and watched.  Ivy picked a pink bear and chose two princess outfits.  The computer offered some ideas for names and she picked the name Roxy, probably because Molly has a friend named Roxy who Ivy adores.  When she was done, we browsed around the mall a little and then had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory.  Ali had to be home to do carpool and I had to be home for piano lessons so it was a quick outing but fun anyway.  We had had a week of sick kids so it was a nice out for me.

Ivy and Lucy

Here is a picture of our snowman family.  After a couple of weeks, we were looking a little droopy!

When February rolled around, we realized we had a couple of Valentine dates to do...before Valentine's came around again!  I needed to go with Stockton and Justin with Brynn.  Stockton wanted to go bowling so we headed to the bowling alley here in Heber.  They were having an all-day tournament so we continued on to Jupiter Bowl in Park City and got started there.  Brynn and Justin were planning on going ice skating.   Halfway through our game, Brynn came running up to say hi.  The rink was closed for open skate so they also decided to go bowling, having no idea that we had driven in to Park City.  Stockton and I finished our game and then Justin and Brynn took over.  Stockton wanted a cheeseburger so we went and got an early dinner.  Brynn got a Frazil (slushie) for her treat.

Valentine Date recap:  Molly went to the RSL game with Justin and the Princess Academy play with me.  Stockton went to Incredibles 2 with Justin and bowling with me.  Brynn when bowling with Justin and swimming with me.

This is what I meant when I said Ivy insists on falling asleep with her pillow sitting up again the headboard.

For our February craft, we made fingerprint hearts.  Brynn got to join us because she was home from school that day...she said she didn't feel good but she acted fine.  She must have just needed a day off.

It is a whole new world now that Molly can baby-sit.  We left her to baby-sit one night while we went to the temple.  The kids barely look at us when we are leaving they are so excited.  I found this note on the counter the next morning.

"Molly is the best baby-sitter ever especially because she is really nice.  To Mom. Love Brynn."

My dad got us tickets for a Jazz game in the suite (Moyes grown-up's tradition).  We missed having the Walker's but got the older Broadbent's to join us.  They are Jeff's parents but good friends of the family.

Ali, Jeff, Justin, Megan, Erin, Bryce, Steve and Julie Broadbent, Kay, Lynn

Watching all the Harry Potter movies over Christmas Break really lit a fire under Stockton.  He had always liked HP but his like has evolved into a love.  He read the first book on his own a couple of years ago but had a hard time getting through the second and third on his own.  Instead, I read them to him when it was his turn for a book at night.  But I told him the fourth would take a bit too long and wouldn't be fair to his sisters, who anxiously wait for their turns.  After Christmas Break, he was determined to read it himself.  Our paperback copy was destroyed so he had to wait for me to order a hardback and then he got right to work.  He actually worked his way through it quickly.  In honor of his finishing up (on Feb. 10th), he wanted this quote on the letterboard.

Valentine's Day-

We (I) lucked out this year and only had to do one Valentine box for school, for Brynn.  She looked on Pinterest and picked out a cute hot air balloon.  Bonus for me-it was also super easy!  She mostly made it with Grandma Kay when my parents came up to visit a few days before Valentine's.  She was very pleased with the end result.  By the time she brought it home, the balloon didn't have much air left but it served its purpose for the time it needed to.

Both the little girls got "heart hair" but I only took a picture of Ivy's pigtails.  They didn't happen until we sat down for lunch.  She never actually got dressed that day.

Molly decided that the kids were going to do "secret Valentines" for each other so they drew names and tried to do secret service for each other in the days leading up to Valentine's Day.  Molly definitely got into it more than the others...she collected items for a whole week, typed clues for her Valentine on her typewriter, and set up a scavenger hunt after she got home from school on Valentine's Day.  Ivy was the lucky one who got the goodies and she was very excited.  It worked out well since she isn't old enough to go to school and exchange Valentine's with friends.

When everyone got home, they went down to Molly's room to do the Valentine exchange.  This might be my favorite part of the day.  They started it a few years ago and it's stuck.

Stockton's teacher gave her students a science experiment.  It was baking soda and vinegar in a ziploc and at home you were supposed to add vinegar.  Basic, but you can tell that Stockton enjoyed it.  For his 4th grade Valentine party, they played in the snow...sledding and snow forts.  They didn't make boxes and it was optional to bring Valentine's to exchange.  Stockton made some and collected some but I thought it was a great way to celebrate!

I do like to have a special dinner planned and prepared but I knew that it had to be simple.  I was doing my two regular lessons with Friday's lesson after that since we were going to be gone the next day.  Not finishing until after 5:30, I had to have mostly everything prepped ahead of time (which is what I do everyday anyway) or something super quick.  I did a mix of both...we had instant pot spaghetti, homemade french bread, and cut up veggies with ranch.  We had bubbly to drink.  I had bought a plastic tablecloth along with Valentine paper plates.  We set the table fancy and lined it with candles-a candlelight spaghetti dinner.  I was a little nervous how the spaghetti would turn out but it was delicious and pasta is always a hit with my kids.  During dinner, we gave the kids their cards (I actually bought cards this year that I thought they would like) with their "coupon" for a date with dad and mom.  So we don't put off the dates, I passed around a cup with the next 8 months written on pieces of paper.  They drew their two months and wrote them down on their cards and I typed up a schedule.  That way, we will have the dates done in October rather than scrambling to get them done next February.  Also, this was the first year we gifted dates to Ivy as well.  We thought she was old enough to appreciate it.

For dessert we had molten lava cakes.  Also a first time for me but they worked great and tasted delicious.  I served them with vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, and raspberries.

I know I said that the after-school treat exchange was my favorite part of the day, but it was maybe beat by the goodies Stockton left on our bed.  I didn't even see them until I had tucked everyone in and gone up for the night.

"Dear Mom and Dad, I love you so much!  You guys do so much for us.  Now it is my turn.  Love you!  Happy Valentine's Day! Heart/Stockton  P.S.  Check under your pillows"

found under my pillow

found under Justin's pillow

Molly's soccer team played in a tournament in St. George over President's Day weekend.  We debated about just skipping this year but she really wanted to go and she's so much part of this team that we really didn't feel like she should miss.  We also didn't want to drag the whole family down for a weekend of sitting through soccer games.  We decided on having just me and Molly drive down and Ray and Cherie (uncle and aunt) let us stay in their extra bedroom at their winter house.  It worked out well for everyone (Justin took the other kids to the cabin for the weekend).  We drove down on Friday and they played two games on Saturday.  The first one was in Hurricane on Saturday morning.  It was cold for St. George but this was the warmest game.  I wore my base layers and three coats and stayed warm.  Molly wore a base layer on top and was fine.  The sun was out and there was no wind so, for the girls, it felt good to run around outside since we still have snow in Heber.  They played awesome that first game and won 3-1.  They were stoked!  They went bowling as a team after that game.

Natalia Wagstaff, Lucy Miller, Caroline Turner, Regan Heywood, Molly

Brigitte Ferreyra, Kylie Bishop, Kate Giles, Carley Anderson, Caroline, Jordan Gibby, Natalia, Molly, Regan, Lucy, Aspen Ivie, Hannah Risto

We did a little shopping (Molly needed new jeans and a few shirts) and then we went back to the field for the second game.  The temperature had dropped, the sun was gone, and it was windy...it was freezing!  The girls were a little more sluggish and they lost that game 1-0. Ray and Cherie had come to watch that game and then we went out for pizza.

Coach Mark Davis, Kylie, Kate, Jordan, Lexi Harris, Carley, Brigitte, Molly, Caroline, Natalia, Aspen, Hannah, Regan, Lucy

On Sunday we went to church with Ray and Cherie then went back to their house for dinner.  They had tickets to the home show and were able to do two bounce backs so they drove Molly and me to two different homes.  The first was a $2 million dollar home.  It had a pool down the middle, beautiful views, and an art studio.  It was impressive...it was hard for Molly to comprehend anyone actually living there.  The second house was close to $1 million but not quite as grand.  It was big, had a huge pool, and three laundry rooms...the normal one off the garage, one in the upstairs, and one in the master closet.  Our favorite feature was the tiny home off the pool in the backyard.  It was so cute!  Molly just knew that she could live there...I admit, I think I could live there if it was just me and Justin and no kids.  It had everything you would need and really was so adorable.

We woke up to snow on Monday morning.  So much snow that the city didn't want the soccer players on their saturated fields, tearing up the grass.  They couldn't exactly cancel everything because it was semi-finals and finals all day so their solution was to do penalty kicks instead of full-length games.  Molly was disappointed-she wanted to play-but I was okay not sitting through a soccer game in the snow and only 30 degrees outside.  PK's work by having 5 girls from each team shoot penalty kicks and whoever makes more is the winner.  Molly's team met and her coach lined all the girls up and asked those who felt confident at making a PK to step forward.  I was so proud of Molly when she stepped forward and a little terrified when she got picked to kick fifth.  A lot of times the game comes down to the 5th kicker...but I was proud of her for being confident in herself.  She missed her PK last year when they had to do PK's for the same tournament and she really wanted the chance to redeem herself.  When it came time for her to kick, our team was up by one.  If Molly missed, the other team had a chance to tie but if she made it, they won.  To say I was nervous was an understatement.  It's almost harder to watch your kids have that much pressure put on them than to be the one under pressure.  I shouldn't have worried because she got up there and buried that ball in the back of the net.  It was such a great moment to watch her run back to her team and to see them all huddled around her.  I was so proud of her!

Lucy, Lexi, Kate, Caroline, Hannah, Brigitte, Kylie, Aspen, Carley, Jordan, Natalia, Regan, Molly

Because they won that shoot-out, they got to advance to the finals.  Molly's coach told the girls that if they had made their shot in the first shoot-out, they could kick again.  Those who missed (two of them) were replaced by others from the team.  That meant Molly was 5th kicker again and I was a basket of nerves all over again.  This time around, though, Molly didn't have to kick...our fourth kicker made it and the other team had missed enough that it meant our goalie had to block their fourth kicker to win the game.  She blocked their kick and that was that...we won!  Our girls took home the championship.  They were so excited and it just made the whole weekend worth the drive and the snow.  What a great way to start the spring season next month!

Coach Davis, Regan, Carley, Brigitte, Kylie, Molly, Lexi, Lucy, Caroline, Hannah, Jordan, Aspen, Natalia, Kate

I would also like to mention that the girls got a new coach for the spring and I think he's going to be a great fit for the girls and Molly.  I am looking forward to putting last year and fall season behind us and going forward with a great spring season.

Justin and the kids had a great time at the cabin playing in the snow and with cousins.  I didn't love being at opposite ends of the state but it worked out well for everyone.

Lucy and Ivy

Grace, Ben, Gavin, Abby, Grant, Stockton, Brynn, Spencer, Seth, Lucy, Ivy

Seth, Brynn, Jeff, Grandma, Ali, Gavin, Grandpa

Brynn, Lucy, Ivy

With the age change for youth programs in the Church, Brynn was able to start going to Activity Days in January.  They had a Daddy-Daughter night that her and Justin got to go to. It was a beach theme and Brynn was very happy to be there.

When I noticed that Wicked was coming to Salt Lake months and months ago, I begged Justin to go with me and we could count it as my birthday present.  I didn't have to beg too hard because he is a nice guy and we bought the cheapest tickets we could get.  We had tickets to a Friday afternoon matinee and so we dropped Ivy off with April, grabbed some lunch (CupBop), and spent the afternoon at the theater.  We were in the way, way, way, way back (second to last row in the upper balcony) but the show was still amazing.  I've loved the music for a while but I didn't know much about the story, other than that it was about the witches of Oz.  I'm actually glad that I didn't know the plot...I think it made it much more enjoyable for me.  It was so good and I'm so happy we were able to go!

The bathroom project has begun.  We bought all the supplies to finish our main level bathroom last February.  Then life got busy and Justin had to build a greenhouse.  So...it didn't get started until this February.  He busted out the wall behind the shower fixtures.  The shower has leaked pretty bad for a while and we have had to keep the water turned off to the tub/shower unless we were using it.  Gene came up and helped Justin for a whole day-they built the wall back up around the shower, insulated it, and put new fixtures in.  It was a full-day project and Justin continued working after his dad left.

By the end of February with lots of snow still on the ground, my kids were starting to go stir crazy.  Hence, "pants wars," aka run around the house with your pants at your ankles and see how long it takes you to fall down.  Can we go outside already? Without having to put on layers of snow clothes?

Stockton took this picture through the kitchen window.  Such a pretty sunset.

On the 27th of February, I turned 37.  That seems like a much bigger number than I feel and much to close too 40 than I like.  But time keeps moving forward at an alarming speed so not much I can do about it but enjoy my days!  Justin asked what I was going to do for breakfast and I told him I was going to make the kids crepes in honor of my birthday so he got up and made those while I did the other morning things to get everyone out the door on time.  We did not eat the crepes and opted to use our gift card to Fanny's Grill, the restaurant inside of the Homestead.  I was planning on taking Ivy with us but Justin arranged for one of his teller's to come and play with her while we did that.  I ordered some delicious huevos rancheros.  Justin had to work the rest of the day and had Young Men's that night so I was happy to have a couple hours in the morning with him.  We also had the previous Friday at Wicked which was sort of for my birthday so you'll hear no complaints from me.

I took Ivy to storytime and then Heidi and Eli came up to take me to lunch.  There are not a lot of options in Heber so we tried the new bagel place.  It was delicious, although I was still a little full from a big breakfast.  I could only eat half of my sandwich.  But the company was great and I was touched that Heidi would take the time to do that-her life is crazy and overwhelming right now so it was a sacrifice for her.

I usually have piano lessons on Wednesday's but both my lessons were canceled so I had a free afternoon.  I picked up a pizza from Papa Murphy's and that was a good dinner for me because I didn't have dishes to do.  Molly went to Young Women's, Brynn had gymnastics, and Justin had YM's.  I helped with homework and when everyone was home, we had birthday cake.  I requested to make my own cake and made my favorite brownie cheesecake.  It was delicious and I went to bed a happy girl.  We didn't do presents that day-we had been to Wicked the week before and Justin is working on making me a porch swing.

On the very last day of February, I finished reading Holes to Stockton.