Bike Bro Breakfast

I am so grateful for creative and fun moms. Kelton bikes to school with a couple boys from the neighborhood, but is friends with so many more. A few times this year the moms have volunteered to have a fun bike bros breakfast before school. So they just meet at one of their houses and feast on simple breakfast foods before heading to school. They are absolute heroes in my book!

 

D&D

Kelton really wanted to start playing Dungeons and Dragons. He has started playing with an after-school club, but he loves his games and wanted more. He received pieces for his starter set for Christmas and now we're in this. He's never played before. We've never played before. So our campaigns and adventures are full of "how do we do this?' He is excelling in the story creation of the game. I have been very impressed by the adventures we've been having. There is a lot to learn by each of us, "What is a saving throw?" "How do I attack?" "What can I attack with?" "What is a constitution modifier and why is it important?" As we're settling into the game it's becoming easier to enjoy and doesn't hurt our heads so much as we try to fit in all of this new information. I think one of my favorite parts has been character development. Meet Brimblewine: a gnomish bard who loves his pie and his bagpipes. I can make ridiculous decisions as a senile old man and it's a blast! Daxton has come in clutch as he's found mini-figs to represent all of our characters and weapons. 

We still have a long ways to go, but I think we're getting it!

Cargo Dreams

The boys have been asking for a cargo net in their room for years. For practical installation reasons we haven't done it. But this Christmas Jeremy decided that it would be worth it. After all, the boys only have one childhood, so why not? To begin with we had to completely reconstruct their room. We removed their beds and Jeremy custom built loft beds that would be able to support the net. After looking for nets and not finding one that would work, Jeremy decided to learn how to make his own. We found some old climbing ropes and Jeremy tied them together to make a net. The first thing the boys did once it was installed was haul up a huge pillow and make it an additional bed and slept there that night. Since then it has been climbed on daily and the boys are thrilled with the addition to their room. I think that there will never be a bedroom as cool as the one these boys have now.

Ski Bunnies

I don't know why this hasn't happened before (or maybe it has and I just didn't know about it), but there are so many women in the ward who ski we decided to get together for a ladies ski day. Heidi invited us up to her cabin at Copper Mountain and we spend the day being spoiled by her. The cabin is ski in/ski out, so we suited up in her cozy ski room before hitting the slopes. I was afraid the snow was going to be really bad (since it's been bad all season), but I was pleasantly surprised by what we were able to find. My boys have spoiled me and I kept popping in and out of the trees to find the soft stuff while the rest of the ladies stayed out on the groomers. I was dubbed the rebellious teenager and that's fine. I had a great time! Because we are still moms and still have responsibilities we had to leave the mountain earlier than I really would've liked, but the fresh chili back at the house took the sting out of it. It was such a fun day skiing with my adventurous lady friends!

 

GU Winter Dreams

My mission: capture as many moments of McKenzie smiling as I could. Her routines, her scores, her skills, her levels, all an integral part of her experience as a gymnast. But what she'll remember most are these moments with these girls she's lucky enough to call friends and teammates.

Happy 44th

Jeremy's birthday was a testament of how much his kids love him. Kelton had the genius idea to decorate the house for him while he was at work, just like he decorates it for them overnight. So when Jeremy came home after work the entire main floor was covered with balloons and streamers. The boys spent hours making it as complete as possible. I was seriously impressed. 

Daxton's gift to Jer as a chance to shoot Dax with his new Nerf gun. So Dax ran around the house while Jeremy followed after hunting him. It was so much fun. 

Even though we had enough candles for his 44 years, the kids decided to get creative with the candles. I love how we are allowed to be goofy in this house and things don't have to be exactly perfect. I am so grateful for this man who creates a safe and stable home for all of us. None of it would be possible without him.

Arizona Sun Rays

Kenzie and I just returned from Phoenix where she had her first travel meet of the season. We were looking forward to some Vitamin D and friend time as a nice February reset. We arrived a day before she had to compete so we had time to relax. The girls chose to go to the mall-who is not surprised?  We ended up at Fashion Square which had the most high end stores I've ever seen in a mall. The highlight of the day was when we were let in to browse at Louis Vuitton. When I mean we were allowed in, I'm not kidding. There were security personnel whose job it was to decide if we could enter or not. The gal out front looked at their cute teenage faces and decided it was worth it. The girls walked around just in awe at the amazing product. When a sales associate, Andrew, invited them over to a case and let them handle the products I thought some of the girls might just pass out right there. The girls were gushing over the new spring release colors, and were confident that if they pooled their money they could afford a single $1000 wallet to share. I think we spent and hour in there before they were ready to go. The rest of the day was spent walking, shopping, and eating. 

 

McKenzie was apparently allergic to Arizona (or had a brief head cold), as she was a sneezing disaster every time she went outside. So that evening we hunkered down to watch a show before heading to bed. The next day was the meet and these girls need their energy!  

After her ankle break it has taken McKenzie awhile to build up her strength and endurance again. It has taken an agonizingly long time and she still isn't 100%. She was cleared to compete a modified vault and beam routine. It wasn't the routine she wanted to perform, but at least she was competing again and that feels good. 

As much as I love watching her perform, I also love watching her on the sidelines goofing off with her teammates. These girls have been together a long time and they are my absolute favorites!

After the meet we were craving some ice-cream. We found an amazing little spot called The Skookie Bar. The warm cookies with ice-cream and toppings were to DIE for! It was a perfect way to finish off another great trip. 

(I love these trips with this girl!)