My Birthday

I had such a great birthday!  Ben and Cat set up decorations the night before, so I woke up to this festive kitchen table, then Ben made a yummy breakfast.

I enjoyed a quiet, relaxing day while the kids were at school, then in the afternoon we hurried to do homework and piano practice so that we could go out and celebrate that evening.  We had dinner at my favorite burger place ever, then checked out the immersive-style Van Gogh museum in SLC.  It was really cool!

Back at home I opened thoughtful and fun presents from family and friends and we enjoyed my favorite cake, made by my favorite teenage daughter.

(A few days later Luke was reading Big Nate: In Your Face when

he pointed out this Van Gogh reference and it made me smile.)

So far, 38 has been very kind to me.  I'm one lucky (almost middled-aged) lady.

YWx2

 

Eliza began attending Young Women in January and loved it right away.  New Beginnings, the official welcoming of new young women into the program, was special not just as a symbolic event but because of the demonstration of sisterly affection we witnessed.  Since nearly all of the incoming YW had an older sister already in the program, the leaders asked each older sister to fill out a questionnaire with her incoming sister, then to use the questionnaire to introduce the sister to the group at New Beginnings (YW without an older sister were introduced by an older YW).  It all went really well, and it was a good way for those of us who are still relatively unfamiliar with the family groupings in the ward to see who is connected to whom.

As the introductions began, all of the older YW looked down at their sheets, reading the list of favorites, and demonstrating little personal connection to their sisters.  Cat and Eliza were about 2/3 of the way down the line and when it was her turn, Cat went completely off-script.  She shared Eliza's favorites but added a healthy dose of commentary, showing that Eliza has a personality and that the two of them have a strong relationship.  She was sweet and sisterly but also honest and funny.  Eliza smiled and laughed and they were obviously comfortable together.  It was a beautiful thing to witness.

I'm so glad that these two wonderful young women have each other, that they get along and have common interests, that they enjoy spending time together.  They've become good friends, and I hope they always will be.

Winter Nature Time

In January I was reminded that eagles migrate through Utah during that time of year, so we took a couple of hours one Sunday and went on a drive to Sanpete Valley to try to spot some.  We didn't see a lot, but it was exciting to see two or three each of wild Bald Eagles and Golden Eagles (or maybe hawks?).

The next Sunday we went for a walk along the Provo River Parkway and saw several beavers!  It was so cool to see them swimming and hanging out on the shore.  We were able to get pretty close to them and they weren't bothered at all.  We also walked on an icy spot on the river.

Walking on (frozen) water

Dancing on (frozen) water

Selfying on (frozen) water

The ice on the river looked so cool!

Jack tempting fate with the ice on the edge of the river.

More cool ice accumulated where the branches dipped into the water.

They were trying to get back to the car without anyone letting go...

and they almost made it.

Then we started seeing lots of beavers!
(That weird-looking ball in the water is a beaver.)

I loved just sitting and watching them.

Ben's Pet Project

Since moving into this house we've accumulated quite a few non-automobile-related garage items, including a bicycle for every member of the family, some sleds, and a few kayaks.  We have a large garage, but between the two vehicles that live there and the freezer and the treadmill and the tools and chicken supplies and all the other stuff, well, we were at the point where we were practically climbing over things in order to get to the vehicles.  It's been driving Ben crazy.  He's wanted a shed where most of the stuff can live so that it's accessible but we can still use the garage as originally intended.  He finally got started with building a large shed late last fall and worked on it little by little until it was finished in January.  He was out there most Saturdays, and usually had help from our landlord and/or me or the kids or his brother or nephew or our brother-in-law or even a friend of Luke's.  It was a group effort!  And we're so glad to have it done!

(moving the gokart into the finished shed)

Winterim & MSI

 Just a quick post to share some pictures from Winterim and MSI.  During the first three weeks after Christmas break, the school days are shortened and nobody takes their regular classes.  Instead, high school students choose a what they want to study from the list of offered courses, and middle schoolers participate in Middle School Intensives, where they learn very different things and have a lot of fun too.

Cat was able to join the agriculture Winterim at the last minute, and she was so excited!  She learned about the business and science of farming and spent a few days on a whirlwind field trip to SoCal.  She toured a few farms, learned about different practices, picked produce, siphoned water, and took super cute pictures.  Some of the tours they'd arranged were cancelled because of Omicron, so they added in a side trip to see art at Salton Sea, and stumbled upon a very welcoming cult-like commune.  The trip was still shortened by a day because of the cancellations, but she had an absolute blast.  In the last picture Cat is showing the poster she made to go with her final project, putting together a business plan for a farm in the Midwest.

This is what she wrote when I asked her to tell me about Winterim (the trip and the class):

- visited the wall. it's super big. and super surreal how you can reach thru and high five someone walking on the sidewalk in Mexico

- went to an old timey prison in AZ that was one of the first to house women i think

- we stole water from Mexico after we technically gave them water ?? are we in the wrong ?? don't mess with nature y'all

- calexico is the winter vegetable capital of the US and some parts of the world

- it's a lot more complicated to try to get food to poor places and make that food last than people think

- environmental science is the most important science of the future imo if we're to survive the growth curve we've enjoyed for so long 

Jack really enjoyed MSI (Middle School Intensives).  He didn't love all of the classes, which included things like a geography bee and college/career prep and lots of hands-on activities such as bookbinding, crochet, and sewing.  But he appreciated having a break from regular classes, homework, and tests.  His favorite part was the field trips.  They went to a movie, to Thanksgiving Point, and to Classic Skating.

I just have a few pictures of Jack in the sewing class, because I volunteered to help with that one.  In 4 2.5-hour sessions the kids went from not knowing anything about sewing to making 2 fleece hats (one to keep and one to donate to a charity each group voted on) and making a rag quilt.  They also did some hand sewing, learning to repair tears in clothes and replace buttons and make some decorative stitches.  It was really impressive.