January went quickly. No snow the whole month, which is odd. I spent so much time going to basketball games: between Curtis and Peter, there were at least four games a week. They are both doing well. Curtis is scoring more, and Peter has worked his way up to play in the JV games consistently. We also did a two-week karate stint with Zack, which he enjoyed.

Adventure-wise, we went to Brigham City to visit Grandpa and attend the temple there with the three oldest boys. Henry wanted to go back there: we lived two blocks from the temple for years, and now that he was old enough, he wanted to go inside. We also stopped by the local museum and a park.

I went on a hike with my sister and parents up by Donut Falls. It was a beautiful winter hike, unfortunately, a little too long for Evie, who was cold and hungry and not happy on the way back. A dish of mac and cheese cheered her up.

We also went to the local high school for a Chinese New Year celebration. The kids loved it: a performance with Chinese yo-you, aerials, dances, and music, followed by some food and booths with Chinese-themed activities.

Lately, I’ve been going through a bit of a shift in my thinking patterns. Maybe it was the free mindful course I went through, years of various dives into meaningful non-fiction, growing up a bit, or the various goals and intentions I set for myself. Whatever it was, I’ve felt more content in life.

So we’ve had the winter with the least amount of snow ever: It’s okay, I’ll enjoy warm days and never having to shovel snow. My to-do list always seems to get longer: That’s not a problem, I’ll do what I can and try to prioritize. My business isn’t really progressing: I’ll pivot to something that will more closely match what people need instead of what I want to do. Children can be frustrating: I’ll focus on being patient and firm and not controlling their behavior when I really can’t anyway.

Acceptance of life’s disappointments is very hard to learn. Serenity seems so out of reach sometimes. But I find that if I focus on living the best I can and not worrying over everything that isn’t important, to truly give myself grace, it is possible.

We did go up to Tibble Fork again this year. So little snow, but we did get some play time in.

What do you do when winter break has no snow? It’s been the warmest winter, so plans to play out in the snow haven’t happened. But there is still a lot to do.

We planned a day trip. The plans underwent many iterations, and what we ended up doing was going out to the West Desert. We haven’t explored that area much, and it isn’t too far away. Our first stop was to Paul Bunyon’s Woodpile, which is a short hike to an amazing rock formation. It takes some scrambling to get into it, but it’s well worth it.

Next, we went to the Little Sahara to play in the sand dunes. My kids like sand, and we were even able to get a little sledding in. What is not pictured is the fact that it is still winter, even if it’s warm and quite windy. The wind made our stay rather short.

The next stop was probably our family’s favorite and the best for the weather, Baker Hot Springs. The trick about going to hot springs in the cold is to stay in long enough to get your body temperature up so you don’t feel that cold when you exit. We stopped at the Topaz museum, which was excellent, and ended with dinner in Delta. Great little day trip.

Other places we went over the break included a game of Jet Lag with cousins, an indoor playground with the three littlest, the park, a trampoline park with everyone, Costco, which is way fun if you think of games like find the most expensive item, the butterfly and dino museums at Thanksgiving Point, the Zoo (go when it’s cold, the animals are more active), a New Year’s overnight party at my sister’s, a short hike, more time with cousins, a double date with my sister to make chocolates, and a train ride to the Planetarium. We fit a lot in! And I loved it.

When we were on our way home from the Planetarium, we were running to catch a tram car and missed it. Except for Henry. Henry got on by himself. Luckily, the tram was only two stops away from the train stop, where the tram car sat for 15 minutes before turning around. The train stop was a short walking distance away, so we took off in search of Henry. He’d gotten off at the next stop, we met up, and all got on the train together and successfully got home. There was mild panic, but it all worked out.

Family:

• Christmas Card
• Peter is in 10th grade. He played basketball for Lehi Junior High and now the Skyridge Sophomore team, where he is the starting center. He also played flag football and continued his job officiating sports.
• Curtis is in 8th grade. He played tackle football as a lineman and played basketball. He is pretty good at ceramics and plays a lot of video games. He also likes to work out and occasionally read.
• Henry is in 5th grade and is doing well in the A.L.L. gifted class. He performed in a few plays, and garden club with Mom. He’s learning to play piano.
• Zack is now in first grade. It’s been a struggle, but he is picking up reading and doing well. He participated in flag football, basketball, and swimming. He invites friends over all the time.
• Evelina started preschool. It keeps her adventurous spirit busy. She sings, loves cats, and pink.
• Joe: He continues to work at Lone Peak Hospital, mentored a student there, and loves to work in his shop, wood turning.
• For traveling this year, we went to the Grand Canyon, Capitol Reef, Black Hills, Island Park, Bear Lake, Goblin Valley, and the West Desert.
• There were also lots of local adventures, hikes, park visits, and fun times at home.

My Career:

• My full-time career is my family, so see above.
• For my side business, I had a few design clients and started more than I finished. But there is a newsletter now, and some articles have been published. I wrote a handbook to the first draft stage, then abandoned it to work on design articles.

Home:

• We were able to remodel the last part of our home that needed updating: the bathroom. And it already needs some repairs from doing the floor incorrectly, and we never did finish the shower portion.
• We painted our bedroom and finally got a bed (we had a mattress on the floor for years).
• Otherwise, things have gone into more maintenance mode. We did add a small pond in the front yard, plants here and there, and a new couch. The bedrooms were rearranged too, when my Grandpa passed away.

Ministry:

• The boys were active participants with Young Men’s at church and Joe was one of their leaders. He was released halfway through the year and is now in Sunday School.
• I switched from a counselor to a secretary in Relief Society. I like being the secretary. Joe and I were also called as Trek leaders for next year.
• I volunteered at the school for the garden club, the take-home library, and occasionally with the PTA.
• I continued a personal goal program with my sisters we dubbed Mountain Club. I also did a session with the Proper Mountain Women’s Club.

Merry Christmas! A season full of Christmas lights, Santa, Nativities, families, and presents. I’m immensely grateful I have an awesome family to share it with.

For Thanksgiving this year, my husband’s family came over. We had a great meal, lots of good company…but my meal looked a little different. I headed into my Grandpa’s room and ate with him. He’s 94, and we’ve lived with him for the past three years. Recently, he’s declined a lot, and I don’t expect him to be around much longer. It was a privilege to spend a quiet meal with just him.

There have been more beautiful moments recently: we went to the hot springs with cousins, set up Christmas decorations, and did a scavenger hunt that ended with playing hide and seek in a furniture store (highly recommend, but try to find a store without a lot of salesmen). And even some quiet time for walks in the woods. There is a lot of beauty in the world: the wild beauty that we don’t create but is waiting for us if we stop to pay attention.

It’s been a beautiful fall. We’ve been doing fall things like making apple cider, jumping in the leaves, and celebrating Halloween. Henry was a lemur, Zack was a wizard/grim reaper, and Evie was a ghost.

Joe and I also took a belated anniversary trip up to Midway. We visited the Homestead Crater, stayed in a tiny home, and hiked Memorial Hill and Lost Creek Falls. It was a fun trip, we had a great time talking and enjoying each other.

Peter recently received his driver’s license. That also meant that another vehicle for our family would make a lot of sense. I went and bought my dream vehicle, but it is probably not what anyone would expect. It was a green cargo ebike. (I bought a Flyer Via, because after some research, it seemed like an affordable option that would also work comfortably for my tall children and me.) It is a fun family vehicle. I take two kids on it all the time, and it’s my primary form of transport for preschool drop-off.

One cold morning, I took my bike to drop Evie off at preschool. Temperatures were just above freezing, so we bundled up, and as we left, a light rain started. Not ideal biking conditions. Except there was also a rainbow almost the entire bike ride, and I could stare at it the whole ride.

Another day, Peter had taken the car, and the only way I had to pick up the kids was by bike. I was grumpy. and didn’t want to bike, but I had no other option. By the time I drove back home, my mood had changed. Biking is fun, and being forced to bike doesn’t make it less fun.

Before I got my bike, I was driving many hours a week and not too happy about it…now some of that driving is replaced with bike riding. I was hoping that my quality of life would improve simply by biking more places, and after a few weeks of biking, I can say that that hope was valid. It doesn’t take a whole lot more time to bike, and it’s a whole lot more fun.

I should now be posting a picture of the bike, but I don’t have one. I do have family pictures that I haven’t posted yet. Thanks, Heather, for the photos!

In the middle of our trip, as we were driving 20 minutes down a dirt road for something that looked mildly interesting, I wondered if people were enjoying themselves. Not everyone is up for finding hidden treasures in remote areas, but my extended family is usually up for the adventure. This trip was a perfect campout for us.

Day 1: We arrived in Green River and camped at the state park. It has a very nice campground and group area. Peter went golfing with his aunt and uncle, and we set up camp and had a nice dinner around the campfire.

Day 2: We woke early, grabbed some food, and went out to Goblin Valley. Four hours of exploring, hiking, and playing. Goblin Valley is the best place in the state for children of all ages. I went out and got a little lost with my sisters, finding new places I hadn’t been to yet. The kids climbed up cliffs that are not as dangerous as they look, played hide and seek games, threw a football, dug in the sand, and had an all-around good time.

We had lunch there, and then went over and hiked Little Wildhorse Canyon. Due to recent rains, part of the canyon was knee-deep in water. We didn’t go up very far, but it is still an amazing hike. A pair of Zack’s shoes is basically ruined from wading through muddy water. More chill time at camp that evening.

Day 3: We went over to the John Wesley Powell River History Museum, which was a normal small town museum, but also with a very excellent traveling exhibit. We drove up the Green River and picnicked at Swaseys Beach. Then drive back down the river to check out Crystal Geyser. It did not erupt while we visited, but it was a beautiful spot to check out and walk around. We finished the day with a hike to Petroglyph Canyon and Spirit Arch. This would be a horrible summer hike, but was beautiful on a nice fall day.

Fall is fun. I bought a new e-bike, and I’ve been riding around town. I love it; it keeps me outside more. The older boys and Joe also attended a session of General Conference.

I took Henry on a hike to Battle Creek. He’s been enjoying hiking recently, and I love having a hiking buddy. We also went to the Pioneer Village. I was surprised at how much my kids love it: I think modern life often has too fast a pace for small children, and a glimpse into simpler times brought a lot of happy smiles to our kids.

We went on an adventure down south. We were going down a path and didn’t know where it led, so instead of turning around, we decided to ford a small river to get back to our car. It was great fun. We also went and did some scrambling at the Red Rocks Picnic Area.