2024- Week 17(Apr 22- Apr 28)

 Cherry took my picture at work.

Melissa and I went to Nate Rock's wedding in Ogden.

I took Bronson shopping for his birthday. We have been giving all the nieces and nephews $5 but I just couldn't resist buying him toys since he is so little. He said he didn't feel any different being 5 ha ha. He also to me that five is way more than zero and that zero is practically nothing.  We went to Chick-Fil- A for lunch afterwards and he had fun playing with the kids in the play place. 

Julia got put in the hospital for a bad cough and low oxygen level. I took her flowers. She was bring very funny and laughing hysterically. She was also pretty sassy with all the nurses and therapists. 

We went to dinner at Cubbys with Tanners and Lotts.

Jeff and I took Whitney to the Saratoga Springs Temple. We did sealings.

I figured out that if you submerge your Rose of Jericho it will fully bloom.

My mom and I drove up to Layton to go to Danielles house for Archers birthday. He was so cute and yelled to his mom that Amanda had brought him a present! He showed us his room. It was a fun party.

There is a new Dr. Pepper variety called creamy coconut so of course I had to buy Jeff a case to try. I bought one for Kim too.

2024- Week 16(Apr 15- Apr 21)

Went to lunch at the Peace Gardens with Cherry Lee.

Practicing the Kalimba

Ashtyn was home for Tom and Sharon's party so we decided to celebrate her birthday early. She wanted to grab Chick-Fil-A and eat at home so we set up the table outside and did a picnic.

Tom and Sharon's 50th anniversary party was a huge success!!  We held it at their clubhouse. A nice man named Keith helped us book it. Malia and Kellie worked on balloons for a photo backdrop, Kristy set up the table and flowers and I set up the front entry display with the family tree. We had everyone wear black, white or gold. I sent them a save the date and an actual invitation. We had Cafe Rio cater it. Kellie and Kristy did desserts. Jen made them a wedding cake.  Phoebe interviewed everyone and made a video. Maddie and Jen worked on a playlist. The core four did toasts, we ate, we danced, we watched the video, they cut the cake and it was a grand time.

2024- Week 15(Apr 8- Apr 14)

 Took Mike to lunch for his birthday. We went to The Pie

Working on the family tree for Tom and Sharon's party.

For date night Jeff and I grabbed Chick-Fil-A and drove up to the Sandy City Amphitheater to watch the sunset.

Got the Toyota registered.

2024- Week 14(Apr 1- Apr 7)

Inklings was this week. It was at Melissa's house. We discussed Elder Girrard-Carriers talk "We Are His Children". It is such a good talk about how to treat others. The phrases Give Them Grace and Maybe I'm Wrong About Her have been coming to my mind a lot lately. Kameron Abilla shared this quote with me and I love it. I love the thought of being relief to someone. 

I made this to hang on my shelves. It's the vibe I want people to feel when they come to our house.

This is a bird that Trent Keys made. My friend John had two and gave one to Kim and one to me to remember Trent by. He also gave me a pen that they made out of the unfinished horse Trent was working on. They mean so much to me.

I picked up Cherry one of my cute coworkers for work on Friday. She is John's mother and works in the gift shop. John and Renae are out of town in Texas for the eclipse. We went to lunch after work and ate at her house. She is so sweet. She is from England and she says she just loves America so much. 

My Spring wax bulbs are blooming and are so pretty.

2024- Week 13(Mar 25- Mar 31)

Jeff and I visited Julia on Monday for her 91 birthday. She was being so silly. That happens in the evening with her Alzheimer's- but boy was she laughing so hard. We gave her a wax bulb. Trader Joes had them again for Spring and I just love them so much. 

Brody and Brooklyn are on Spring Break this week so they slept over on Tuesday night. They had gone to see a movie and got their a little too late for Bronson to stay so I got Brooklyn all to myself. We did manicures and watched the Kids Baking Championships- which I totally think she could go on and win. She lost a tooth at my house so it was fun to get a visit from the Tooth Fairy after all these years. In the morning she helped me cook bacon and french toast. She is a whiz at a Rubik's Cube and can solve one in just a few minutes. We played Betch You Can't and had a blast. Brody hung out with Ethan the whole time. He is looking so much more mature all of a sudden. I can't believe he will be 15 this year.

I am officially back at work now and I am so excited. Kim is having me do a lot more of the behind the scenes things like invoicing and schedules which isn't quite as fun as presenting but I still like doing it. I have already been mistaken for a parent three times so Traci and I decided we needed to start wearing park logo shirts to work. 

I am still working out with Liz two times a week and I love how much stronger I feel and the guns I am developing ha ha. I definitely don't still absolutely hate to exercise. All those endorphins people talk about must be missing from my body because I never feel good after a work out but I can see progress and that makes me feel great.

My baby turned 20 on Friday! Ethan is 20!! How in the world did we get here? I love him so much. He is an amazing person. Here are 20 things I love about him:

1. He is so smart- way smarter than me

2. He loves playing with the younger nieces and nephews

3. He is a great cook

4. He has the best taste in music and loves a wide range of genres

5. He has the strongest testimony

6. He is all in at pursuing his passions

7. He is very go with the flow like Jeff

8. He loves animals and is even currently taking care of Scarletts four feral cats for three months

9. He is the best writer

10. He is kind

11. He is more responsible than most adults

12. He has a lot of poise- he is so professional at work

13. He is strong- he works out all the time and he also goes to Ju Jitsu with Greg

14. He handles his own life like any 20 year old should but it's especially noteworthy since he lives at home

15. He finds songs he likes and teaches them to himself on the piano

16. He is the first to help when he sees a need

17. He loves supporting the priests in our ward and is a good example to them

18. He loves chicken sandwiches and is on a quest to find the perfect one

19. He has a tender heart and when he see someone is sad he does something to cheer them up

20. He often tips 100% at restaurants

I won the lottery when it comes to kids and Ethan makes me so happy and proud. Happy Birthday Ethan!!! The girls came home and we took him to dinner at Goodwood BBQ- where you guessed it, he ordered a chicken sandwich.

This might be our last year of doing balloons. I have loved this tradition but I think the kids have out grown it a bit. 

The temple opened back up on Saturday and it was so nice to be back. I got to train a new worker named Marie who is so sweet.

Sunday was Easter. We had the most beautiful service. It was filled with inspiring music and talks all about Grace and the Atonement. We invited my mom to dinner and I made turkey instead of ham because I do not love ham. I got the kids books about their patriarchal blessings, conference journals and Ethan and Jeff both a Miracles Bracelet from The Good News Brand. We didn't decorate eggs this year which I did miss but if was a Jesus filled day just like I like.

Can you see my Girl Scout cookies in the background? I ordered ten boxes from Dennis's granddaughter Belle. Our council switched to a new baker this year and so the cookies had new names. Instead of Samoa's they were called Caramel Delights etc. They weren't as good in my opinion but that didn't stop me from eating a bunch ha ha.

Spring shelves