Just because you didn't ask. . . A Family Update!

I'm always real long-winded with these . . . we'll see how this one goes!

Ben - He continues to work at the BC Surgery Center, except for Mondays when he works with Dr. Singh doing total joint replacements.  He is taking some call at the hospital, too, and has gotten a little bit of extra dough through that.  All hospital work is first-assisting and so he actually enjoys it.  He has a talk this coming Sunday.  Ever since he was asked, it's felt a little like it did when Ben was the bishop.  He gets so stressed about these things.  As a result, he writes excellent talks.  So excellent that I think pretty much every talk he's given here there has at least been one person who requests a copy of it.  He bought himself (he at first tried claiming he got it for me . . . but we all saw through that one pretty quickly) a Poldark cookbook.  Basically it's 18th century English cooking.  He's made some very, very tasty meals and desserts from it.  Lucky us.

Me - There is nothing really new with me.  I continue to work a bit.  I run, swim, do some kettle-ball exercises.  I walk Bella.  I work a little bit in my calling.  It's back to ward-conference season and so 1-2 times a month I am visiting other wards.  I am not doing Girls on the Run this year.  Emmy didn't want to and so 1.  I wasn't going to make her and 2.  I wasn't going to do it without her.  Emmy thinks it's boring.  I sort of agree with her . . .

Miles - I can't remember, did I mention how he got waaaaaaaay behind in his english class?  Well, if I didn't, he did.  So he's been spending quite a lot of time working on his english "stuff."  Stuff like writing a cause & effect research paper, including an annotated bibliography.  Yuck.  Now he's reading To Kill a Mockingbird.  I think he enjoys the book, but I'm not sure how much he is enjoying the typical-english-teacher-questions he has to write for each chapter.  It's been a lot of work for him.  He likes his mythology class at the high school.  He continues to enjoy his Project Unify class there as well.  They will be going on a snowshoe trip to Glenwood Springs in a few weeks - fun!  I have signed him up for an online Driver's Ed. class - it's a 30 hr. course that he has to complete in order to obtain his learner's permit.  Once he has completed the class, taken and passed the written exam, and turned 15, he can get his permit.  SO CRAZY and SO SCARY.  I think Miles is excited about it, though!

Jonas - He now gets to sleep in on Wednesdays again as his Honors Jazz band weekend is done.  So that's a nice break for him.  I encouraged him to try the drop-in lacrosse practices last week and he loved it.  I think we'll sign him up to play for its spring season.  He'll continue with drop-ins every Thursday until the season begins in late March.  Huh, I can't come up with much more that Jonas is up to . . . He has P.E. for the first time ever in middle school.  Band takes an elective credit and so a student usually misses out on something.  He's liking it, of course.  He still loves his bike and rides it to school every day.  He was excited that some certain kids thought it was cool. ("I thought they would make fun of it and think it lame.")  He's excited to be a part of the YM's High Adventure - hiking 14ers and camping.  Sounds awesome; I'm jealous.

Emmy - She's being doing great in the elementary-school drama department.  :)  Her teacher has been really, really pleased with her.  So that's awesome.  But now she's back to being friends with Victoriah and so I hope her drama-free days will continue.  They are doing Shakespeare in school and she's really liking it.  Her reading group got to act out a scene and she had a lot of fun - especially because she got to play having a crush on one of her crushes.  So I guess there wasn't too much "acting" involved for that.  Ha.  She competed in our elementary's first Spelling Bee.  A test was given and all those students who spelled 11 of the 15 words correctly made it (about 60 Emmy thought).  She then had about a week to study the "official" spelling bee words.  We went over the first page to see what she knew and what she didn't - she got the basic words right, but that's about it!  She's not a natural speller.  However, she can study the words and learn them really well (she usually gets 100% on her weekly spelling tests).  Anyways, we worked on the words and she made it to the third round - which was probably the last 10 or so kids.  A LOT of kids got out in the first round, some more the second, etc.  She got out on despair by spelling it d-i-s-p-a-i-r.  Oh so close!  It was a fun experience for her!
One more thing on Emmy - she LOVES Young Womens!

Lucy - She's a happy girl, except when she's crying.  :)  Mom - did I cry a lot as the "baby" of the family?!  But let me say this about Lucy - she is the most emotionally sympathetic and aware of all our kids.  It's quite impressive and nice to have around!  She doesn't cry all the time, but it does seem to be her coping mechanism - especially when dealing with her siblings.  She's a fantastic student and does so well, really, in just about everything.  She loves school and playing with her friends.  She cruised through her beginner piano book (thanks to her "pre-piano" classes she took for several years) and just started the second book today.  She likes piano - except when I have to tell her she's playing something wrong.  Yes, I have limited skills but I can - at least at this point in Lucy's piano education - play her pieces and know when she's not playing correctly.  :)  She (and Emmy) love gymnastics.  They have a little bit of "freedom" right now at the gym and aren't focusing solely on their level routines.  They have been making up their own "optional" routines and working on "fun" skills.  It's been a good break for both girls.

I've got to go finish dinner!  So we'll just say the dogs are the same - great and crazy (the crazy more particularly referencing Bella).  :)

Monday Morning Date!

I decided to take advantage of Ben going in to work late on Monday by asking him to take me on a snowshoe date.  :)  We went and had a lovely time!  The snow just makes everything so beautifully magical!  We also got to go out to lunch at The Vine since a nice doctor gave Ben a nice gift certificate there.  It's been ages (okay, like a year) since we've been there and it's like Ben's favorite place.  It was a fun date!

Jonas and the Honors Jazz Band

So last weekend Jonas got to be a part of the Western Slope Honors Jazz Band.  I really had no idea what it was about, what it meant, etc.  But Jonas was excited for the trip (leaving on a Friday morning from school, driving to Junction, staying at a hotel, and eating a lot of fast-food - what's not to love for a 13 year-old boy?!).

Our family went up Saturday night to watch the performances and I finally figured out what it was.  So kids from the Western Slope submitted an audio of them playing something (I think it was a specific piece).  Then some sort of panel of judges picked the best kids from each instruments and they made up the Honors band.  The kids were divided into four groups:  two middle school honor jazz bands, one intermediate honors HS band, and one advanced honors HS band.  Then four "guest" directors were asked to work with a group on Friday and Saturday.

The kids had been practicing their music for the past month or so, and then they all got together these two days to fine-tune it all and play/perform together.  They practiced all afternoon and evening on Friday.  On Saturday they again practiced all day long, except for meal-breaks and a 2-hour or so mall-break.  (We don't have a mall in Montrose and so that was pretty exciting for all the kids, including Jonas.)

Then on Saturday evening the four bands performed their pieces.  It was really cool - in the jazz-music sense.  :)  It's not my thing, but it was pretty great (just a little long - 7-9pm, plus we had over an hour drive-home and so it was a long night)!

Jonas had a great time.  Enjoyed playing in the band.  Told us about the drunk man they saw in the hotel hallway.  Watched some cops busting drug-dealers on a National Geographic show in their hotel room.  Checked out some cool stores at the mall.  Ate good pizza from Diorio's.  Went to Golden Corral for dinner.  Probably stayed up too late.  Etc.

It was a great opportunity for him and we were proud of him making it in to the honors band!  Jonas is already hoping to make it again next year.  :) 

We didn't really get any great pictures.  We did take a video - Jonas had a solo part in it.  It's around the 1:30 mark.  I didn't know if it was really good or not - but Ben assured me that Jonas did great and played loudly and with confidence.  Good!  Jonas said he was so nervous about the solo and was totally shaking and never wants to do another solo again!  Ha.  :)

 Jonas' band.  You can't see him.  :)

Lucy made this sign for Jonas:  "Jonas is the best !!!!!!!!!!!!!"

One of the songs Jonas' band played, including Jonas' solo:

Awesome job!

The high school bands were so good and very, very impressive! 

We made our trip to Junction even more worthwhile by stopping at Cafe Rio for dinner beforehand. 

Jonas had a fantastic weekend trip and we had a great Saturday evening!

Ski Cooper

Well Ski Cooper definitely wins "Cutest Logo" award in my family's book!  We just can't get enough of it:

Right?!  It's adorable.

Anyways, a family gift this year was a "bonus" ski trip (We always do a 2-day ski trip and so this was in addition to that.) to Ski Cooper.  We decided to go over Christmas break so we had something fun to look forward to.  And it was fun!  

We left Thursday evening and drove 4-hours to Leaville.  We found an airbnb place and it worked out great.  Ben and I stayed in the main house in the "Mystery Purse" room.  It was big enough for a bed and that's about it!  Which was totally fine.  (All the rooms there had its own private bath and so that was nice.) 

The Mystery Purse room (taken from their website).

The kids stayed in the carriage house located behind the main house.  There was a "bunk room" and so it was perfect for our kids.

I think it was fun for them to have their own space!

We got up, cooked oatmeal in the kitchen, and headed out for Ski Cooper.  The day was a "blue-bird" day and just so beautiful.  It was warm for a ski day in the mountains and so that was a bonus!  The kids did great and had a blast.  Lucy's getting better - although greens are definitely her level, with maybe doing an "easy" blue, too.  

Lucy, me, and Emmy on the lift!

 The boys.

 The girls.  We girls mainly skied together while the boys mainly skied together.  Sometimes we'd meet up and all ski.  Ben went with the girls and I went with the boys for a few runs as well.  It was great.

 There is everyone coming down the mountain!

 Emmy doing a nice snow-spray stop.  :)

Vrooom Lucy!

New Year's Day Family Camp

We were struggling with coming up with something to do on New Year's Day.  I wanted to definitely take advantage of Ben off of work and do something "fun."  We've gone cross-country skiing a couple of times on NYD, but it didn't seem like the right activity this year (temps in the low-teens, $$$, possibility of bad roads, etc.).

So Ben came up with an idea of just having a bunch of different activities planned and scheduled for the whole day.  I thought that sounded great.  I came up with having each of us chose an activity that we wanted to do - a home-based activity pretty much.  (You know, so we couldn't say something like, "Fly to Hawaii!")  So that's what we did and it was an awesome day!  Here are the activities each of us chose:

Lucy - playing scattergories
Emmy - having a talent show
Jonas - cookie-decorating contest
Miles - playing monopoly
Me - playing Kahoot (It's an online trivia game.  Everyone has a device.  You pick your own trivia category - like "Harry Potter" or "gymnastics."  Then questions pop up on the computer and everyone uses their device to answer questions quickly and correctly.  It's totally fun.)
Ben - I don't know, actually.  He had a few ideas that we did . .. shoveling snow, poem recitation, and a curling tournament.

We began the day with some stretching and exercising - Ben's idea.  It was . . . funny.  Then it was on to some shoveling!

 The day after Christmas, our white Christmas arrived.  Then we got a bit more on NYE and NYD.  Yay!

 The only picture of our whole family (minus Miles' mouth) that day!  :)  On our way to more shoveling . . .

 Our friends the Crims (as in my friend Michelle and her husband Cory/Bishop) were enjoying San Diego and needed their house shoveled.  "Snow" fun!

 How many kids does it take to shovel a driveway?

Since were were already in our snow-clothes, we decided to take the dogs for a walk.

 But, really, the dogs decided to take the boys for a run.  :)

 Even Bella!  :)

 We stopped at the park and Bella enjoyed her first slide-ride.

 The kids got to enjoy some yummy maple-syrup snow-cones.  (Gather up fresh, white snow.  Pour in maple syrup.  Stir.  Devour.)

We had a talent show that afternoon:

 Lucy composed and played a piano piece.

 Miles displayed some of his art-work.

 Emmy choreographed and performed a gym routine. (On the hardwood floor with socks - not the best combination . . .)

 After many fits of giggles, Jonas finally played the trombone.

Ben and I were the judges.  They all won!  Shocker!

Then we did our cookie-decorating contest.  Earlier, everyone had been given a blob of dough to shape however they wanted.  Once cooled, it was time to decorate:

 Lucy's had the word "gym" on it, skis, and I'm not sure what else.

 Emmy made a gymnast - cute!  She won!

 Jonas' had a trombone and music notes.  Very cool.

 Miles' "Starry Night" cookie.

 Mine got uglier and uglier as time went on . . .

 Ben's was simple and nice.  :)  They all tasted yummy!

Next up was the curling tournament.  We had a double-elimination bracket and it worked out great!  Jonas ended up getting DQ'd (disqualified) because of his negative/rude comments (mainly sighs and "Oh my gosh" repeated at least 2,019 times).

 Miles and Lucy ended up in the finals . . .with Miles as our Winner!  I think it went Miles, Lucy, Emmy, Ben, then myself.

Ben found poems for himself and the kids to read/recite.  Actually, he found them just for the girls.  I found my own.  Miles has a short one by Shel Silverstein memorized that he recited.  Jonas recited a lame "Roses are Red. . . " and so we gave him one to read.  :)

 Lucy's was entitled something along the lines of "My Teacher Farted Today."  Haha.

I think playing monopoly was our final activity of the day (oh, maybe it was watching an episode of Studio C., since we ran out of time for a movie).  Even though most of us groaned when Miles chose the game, everyone enjoyed it!  There were many more monopoly games played in the last few days of our break.

What a fabulous way to begin the new year!  I can't wait to do it next year . . .

2018 Year-End Interviews

And here's the video of them reading their answers.  It's long.  But at the end we interview our dogs.  I mean they can't talk like Mr. Ed, but we make up the answers for them.  :)

Some final YM activities of 2018

Last Friday there was a stake dance.  It was an 80s theme . . . and I didn't get a picture of Miles.  But he pretty much looked like he always does.  :)  We did find some slightly white-washed jeans (not as much as I would have preferred . . .), with which he wore a bright yellow shirt and a puffy vest (think Marty McFly from Back to the Future).  He had a good time and danced, too!  I should have been there due to my calling, but I was home with my girls instead.  We watched some Netflix movie and it was pretty girly and cute.  :)  

Ben wanted to do a few "fun" activities for the deacons and so he took a group of them to Flat-Top that night. Flat Top is a hill in our town.  Due to some recent snow, the boys had to hike up the hill - pulling a sled full of flammable material.

 The boys (5 of them, plus Ben and another leader) all had a great time and enjoyed their awesomely huge bonfire!  One of them called their mom and she said she could see the fire from their front porch!

A good Friday night for all.

Ben planned another activity for all the YM who wanted to go.  He had several ideas and even checked one of them out but, due to snow, was not able to get there.  So, instead, they did a small "hike," (more like a walk) to Fat Man's Misery.  It's a small slot - but more of a crack in the rock?  I don't know, but the boys all had a lot of fun just being outside in the cold, snowy weather!

 I think maybe 11 boys went, along with Ben and Shawn (another leader).  The roads weren't great, but they made it.  :)

 Here they are dipping down into the "slot."  Ben didn't get a picture of the actual slot - oh well!  Ben ended up getting literally stuck in the slot.  He was in back with Brigham and the slot was pretty narrow and his backpack got lodged in the slot.  He was unable to squirm himself out of the pack.  Just at the point where he was going to cut off his arm (haha), Miles and Jesse finally came back to his rescue.  They had to take things out of the pack for Ben to finally get loose.  What an adventure!

The boys enjoying hot cocoa.  Some of these boys were the new deacons - with one of them just turning 11 in December.  Awesome.

 Miles and his weird style:  coonskin hat, sunglasses, opened coat, too-small snow pants, etc.  We sure love him and all his weirdness!

 Jesse, Aiden, and Jonas - right before Jonas spilled all his hot cocoa apparently.

 They took the dogs with them.  Brigham, once again, showed his scaredy-cat-ness.  :)  He was nervous about jumping down some small ledge . . . that dog.  But he was awesome otherwise.

Bella, once again, showed her no-fear personality and jumped and leaped over all the rocks.  There was some slightly precarious spot that involved ice and thin-ice and Bella almost falling in . . . to two-feet deep water, or something like that.  But, according to Jonas, it was quite serious.  :)

All in all, some good activities for these YM to end the year with.