Junior Jazz

    Boyd had another great year of playing basketball with the Junior Jazz program. I'm not quite sure how he lucked out and got who I thought was the very best coach, Kathryn Brown. Her son was also on Boyd's soccer team so it was especially fun. Kathryn did such a great job with all the boys and I loved the way that she taught, with so much patience and compassion. When the season started we were a little surprised by the things that Boyd had forgotten, but he was really pleased that the jersey he got number 11, Dante Exum. We were also surprised by how much the  intensity and skill of the game changed this year with moving up a level. Instead of playing with 2nd and 3rd graders, Boyd was playing with 4th and 5th graders. It was a big jump, but Boyd was up to the challenge and worked hard all season long. Watching him be teachable was probably my favorite part of the season. Boyd loves to learn and loves to improve. He's good at taking advice and trying his best to put it in to practice. He went from not being comfortable on the court, not knowing where to be to making some great plays. We were so proud of how hard he worked to improve his skills!

    During the season Brew and Lola happily went to all of Boyd's games. They didn't really do much watching, but instead entertained themselves with friends. Lola made some cute friends in some little girls and Brewer was always excited to bring his own basketball and practice up on some of his skills. My favorite memory of them was at the middle school where Brewer's basketball got stuck in the shooting game. Watching from a distance I could see that they new it was a bit of a problem, but it didn't take Brewer very long to realize he could just climb up inside to rescue his ball.

Thanksgiving WEEEEEEEK

      I have to admit that I was a bit of a scrooge when I found out that Thanksgiving break was a week long. My thoughts turned to the kids fighting and trying to keep everyone quiet and out of Phil's way because he would still be working. Turns out that I was wrong and that we had such a fun week!! We kicked the week off with skiing with Lola the Saturday before and then Beth & Brennen came up Sunday to stay through Wednesday. Sunday we celebrated Brennen's birthday with fish tacos and brownies with our friends Jake and Cassie. It was a fun night.  During the week we visited Grandma Great, played games, played the xbox, shopped online, had dinner at Teton Thai (no kids) and the Brakeman (with kids), and watched movies.
     The highlight was probably skiing on Tuesday with everyone. We just stuck to shoshone, but everyone skied together and Lola and I hung out on the bunny hill once more. This time I just wore my snow boots and it proved so much better. As soon as Lola saw everyone take off on the lift, she said that she wanted to go too. I explained to her that she would need to learn how to stop herself first to be able to go up on the bigger part of the mountain. In my head I assumed that it would take her a few different times going up to Targhee to ski, but she proved me dead wrong and stopped by herself after only a few runs down the bunny hill. I'll never forget the look on her face when she did of pure joy and then she clapped with pride for herself. Not too long in to the skiing you could tell she was really getting the hang of it and was almost bored because she started bending down to pick up some snow so she could eat it as she cruised down. So funny.  After a few hours, she stopped at the top of the bunny hill and just started crying. I assumed that she was just tired and wore out with no nap and no breaks. It turned out that she just really wanted to go on the ski lift. I explained that I couldn't take her because I didn't have my skis and Dad couldn't take her because he was on a snowboard and needed skis to take her. I tried to soothe her with the promise of hot chocolate in the lodge, but nothing seemed to make her feel better. Thank goodness Phil came along pretty quick to check and he helped me explain things to her and we all went in the lodge for a snack and hot chocolate. While we were eating I realized I didn't take one single picture or video and we tried to convince Lola to ski one more time down to show Dad and take a video. She wasn't on board with that plan until we asked her if she wanted to send the video to anyone. She immediately said Nea-nuh (JaNea) and Sam and hopped up to go ski some more. She sure does love those two!
    Sadly we said goodbye to Beth & Brennen on Wednesday, but knew we would be seeing them in a few short weeks around New Years in Utah. They were such a joy to have around and love my kids. They make the days pass quickly and my kids just can't get enough of them. I wish I would have taken a picture of them watching Christopher Robin because of the way they were all sitting together. I'm surprised that Beth & Brennen could breathe with so many humans sitting on their laps.
     Wednesday of that week we also headed out to Idaho Falls. I had a doctor appointment scheduled and we had a few errands to run. We also decided since we needed to be in Idaho Falls early the next day that we would just book a hotel as a last hurrah before Baby Tad would come and as a reward for how well the boys were doing with their reading goals. It was a fun day in Idaho Falls, although I was surprised to hear that I was progressing more than I knew with this pregnancy. He checked me during the appointment and explained that I was dilated to a 2-3 and 70% effaced. A 2-3 isn't a big deal, except for that fact that I was a 1 the week before. The 70% effaced made me a bit more nervous, like when I go in to labor it might go quick. It actually gave me a lot of anxiety because mentally I wasn't quite ready. Phil was a good sport to take the kids that evening while I went and got a manicure and pedicure to check that off my list. After dinner we went and met Grandma & Pop Pop at Grandma and Grandpa Monsons. Phil unloaded and prepped his turkeys there and we hung around to watch the Jazz game. It was late when we got back to the hotel but the kids of course were in heaven. During the night we were less in heaven. For some reason Lola did not sleep well and was up multiple times. My best guess was her pillow was too big and she was uncomfortable, but it made for a long night for Mom and Dad. At one point I just threw her in bed with me (yes, Phil and I had our own beds) and she threw a pretty big fit about not sleeping by the boys. Funny girl. Or not really so funny at 3 AM.
     In the morning the hotel fun continued with a continental breakfast. It was fun to see what the kids chose for their breakfast. Boyd had waffles with nutella, Brewer and Lola both chose fruit loops, sausage and yogurt. After breakfast was swimming, which was even more fun since we had the whole pool to ourselves. I squeezed in to a bikini (sorry everyone who may have seen) and enjoyed all the fun and laughter from the top step of the hot tub which is where Brewer and Lola mostly stayed. After swimming and packing up, we headed over to Grandma and Grandpa Monsons to put the turkeys on. It was a fun day of relaxing. Pop Pop told Lola stories from when he was a boy and she ate them all up. But when Pop asked if she would tell him a story from when she was a little girl, she said, "I don't know some!" Pretty cute. Thankfully we snuck a nap in for her and the boys watched The Princess Bride for the first time. Lots of family came for dinner, the spatchcock turkeys were a huge success, so yummy. I definitely ate way too much and paid the price for it after dinner. Thankfully I found a cool and quiet place I could lay down and try to stretch out my gut. Ha!
    Friday, Grandma and Pop Pop came up and spent the afternoon at our house watching a golf tournament and hanging out. We went out to dinner with Grandma Great to the Brakeman to celebrate Grandma's birthday. Sadly, I only felt like I could order the little brakeman because there was no more room in this belly and I didn't want a repeat from the night before! Later that night we went back to Grandma Greats and sung happy birthday to Grandma and had cheesecake!
   Saturday the fun did not end, as we headed out to pick out a Christmas tree. This year we opted to get one from MD nursery down the road because we couldn't get to Costco to get our Oregon tree. But it seems good and we even got the lights up on it the same day, which must be a record!! The whole week was full of fun event after fun event. Sunday night the kids were even excited to go back to school the next day. So happy they are having a great year and love their teachers, they are making all the difference!!

Lola Skis

      We zipped up to Targhee for opening weekend to begin our ski season. The boys were really excited and Lola seemed excited too and didn't want to miss out on the fun. We weren't quite sure how she would do her first time skiing, but the plan was for Phil to ski on Shoshone with the boys and I would spend time with Lola on the bunny hill. Getting all geared up is becoming easier since the boys do a good job of helping themselves and getting ready, but there is still a lot of gear to keep track of and haul around.  Just getting ski boots on and hiking over to the bunny hill was a good enough workout for me (nearly 37 weeks pregnant), but we all managed! I took Lola down once with skis on both of us and it did not go so well. Well she thought it was great fun, but I realized that we didn't think it through very well!! It was SO much work being so pregnant and Lola just leaned in to me too much doing it that way. I should have just worn boots and done it that way. After Lola's run down, the boys took off on shoshone and Lola and I attempted another run. Then it was time for a break for me, my body was getting worked over and I wanted to be safe. We just watched the skiers and Lola kept telling me that she wanted to go on the lift. Not too long after that, Audrey came skiing down and her and Kennady took Lola down the bunny hill for over an hour. They were amazing and Lola was starting to get the hang of it a bit. She had a great time and I was so surprised that she never wanted to take a break. We were surprised by her eagerness, how much fun she had and how successful the day went. Now we just owe Audrey dinner or cookies for the rest of the month!

Winter Randomness

    The past month or maybe even a little more I've been trying to knock off things on my "get ready for Baby Tad" list. We bought a new dresser and bookcase, which then both had to be assembled. I was impressed with our skills and had both done in a couple days. The boys were excited to get Mom and Dad's dresser and I was glad to get rid of the one they were using, the first dresser we had when we got married. One big thing on my list that I wanted to do was go to a Moose Hockey game in Jackson before it got more complicated. Thankfully, the stars aligned and we were able to make it happen. It was a great game too, some impressive fights and a good score. We even had some new friends come with us and have the experience for the first time. 

     Phil has been keeping busy with preparing and tuning up his timbersled and the snow machines. Lola and Brewer both love to go and help him when they can. He has also been helping President Kunz up at the Darby camp finish up the girls camp cabins. It's been several nights away, but it's been so great of him to be able to help. Phil also started Crossfit, which has been a lot of fun to go together, even if my time there is getting short.

    We have also been spoiled with gifts for Baby Tad and for me too. So many people have been so kind. We have received new clothes, quilts, face blanket, bandanas for teething, nursing bracelet, books and so much more! It really is so exciting that we'll be welcoming this boy into our family so soon!! Now if we could only settle on a name! =)

Student of the Month

    The second month in to school and look who's earned student of the month! We found out on Halloween during the class party and Brewer was juiced. He told me I needed to tell Dad right away and tucked the paper in my coat pocket. After that he checked a few times to make sure the note was still there. Such a cute kid and we are so proud of him. He works hard in school and is a good listener. Part of earning student of the month is representing the schools motto of being "respectful, responsible and ready." He for sure is responsible, always keeping track of his things. Brewer is having another great year at school. When he has homework he sits down after school, has a snack and then gets his homework done. On top of that we have some of our own work that we do each day that we get from Aunt Cheryl to help us learn phonics. By "both of us" I really do mean Brewer and me! I am learning so much, there are so many awesome rules and I love watching things click in Brewer's head and seeing him read and spell. There isn't much better than watching your kids grow, learn and progress. It was fun to be able celebrate him at his assembly and then because we had to go to Jackson that evening, we had dinner at the Merry Piglets on the square, a family favorite for sure!