A Little of This and That in September

I often have mixed feelings about the advent of fall. I love the colors and mild weather, but I also feel this sense of impending doom (winter is hard for me). But this year has been different. I don't know if it's because we had such a hot, dry summer, so the cooler, wetter weather feels like a relief. Or if it's because we have a tiny little something to look forward to come winter. Or if it's because we have had an even more gorgeous fall than usual. Whatever the reason, I'm a fan. We spent the month . . . 

Finding . . . out we are expecting our SIXTH boy. It feels crazy to type out those words. I mean, half a dozen boys?!?! Can you even fathom it? We told our kids by launching off a paper rocket that revealed blue streamers. Clark had been absolutely insistent about a sister, but he got over it quickly and is thrilled about another brother. And for those of you who are surprised to hear that I'm pregnant, I mentioned it in a sneaky little post on Instagram and Facebook a couple of weeks ago, but this is the first time I've talked about it on here. I'm due at the end of January, and yes, it was planned. I have much more to say about adding another child to our already large family as well as about continuing our ride on the boy train. I think it will be best to save those for another post though. In short, we are very excited, but to tell you the truth, both Mike and I were very surprised to find out it was a boy. 

Swimming . . . at our neighborhood pool for one time only. Aaron got one chance to swim at our pool this summer. What with having a bone marrow transplant and a central line and the risk of Covid, it just wasn't a possibility until the very end of summer. But he took the opportunity on the very last day the pool was open. We went at the very beginning of the day to beat the Labor Day crowd and only stayed for about 45 minutes, but it was enough. He was so happy to be there.

Being . . . spontaneous. One afternoon, my sister-in-law texted and said she was in the mood for a pedicure and asked if I wanted to go with her. One of the benefits of having Aaron home all the time is that I didn't have to find a babysitter for Ian--I could just say yes and go. It was so fun to think of something on a whim and just do it without any planning or scheduling. 

Taking . . . over a generous brother-in-law's pool. We couldn't let the summer end without one more dip in the pool for Aaron. For this, we asked Mike's brother-in-law if we could come over to their house one evening and swim. They completely spoiled our family and gave the kids the run of their backyard: trampoline, ping pong table, nine-square, pool, and hot tub. They also ordered pizza and cupcakes. And they stayed around and chatted, which was so nice because it had been such a long time since we'd caught up with all of their goings on. It ended up being a very stormy night, with pouring rain and lots of lightning. I thought that would put a quick end to our fun, but the boys were in no hurry to leave. They got out of the water and did other things while it was lightning and then got back in when it was over (notice I didn't say I got in the water--too cold for me!). 

Starting . . . preschool. Ian's turn finally, finally! came. He goes to preschool three afternoons a week, and he loves it (especially once he's there--sometimes he's a bit reluctant to go). He is in the same class as a couple of his friends, which he likes. I love being able to walk him there. (I don't have to drive any of my kids to school this year--it's life changing.) This is our first time at this particular preschool, and I've been especially impressed with the art projects he has been bringing home.  

Enjoying . . . afternoon tea. My dear friend, Kathy, celebrated her 40th birthday this month. As part of the celebrations, her husband planned a month full of fun activities. I was lucky enough to get to join her for one of them. A new yarn shop, Petit Fours and Purls, opened up earlier this year, and besides offering a lovely selection of beautiful yarn, you can also schedule to have a tea party there. There were four mini-courses (scones, cheese, fruit, tarts, cakes, etc.) as well as elegant tea served in the most darling teapots. It was straight out of a storybook. And even though I am not a big herbal tea drinker myself (it's always just a little too bland for me), I had to admit that was probably the best I'd ever had. But the best part was just spending the afternoon with Kathy, just the two of us, and catching up on all of the things.

Memorizing . . . Bluey. Our whole family loves the Australian show, Bluey. During a recent illness, Ian was confined to his room and spent hours watching and re-watching every episode. Now we have a little Aussie living in our house who says things like, "You're not doing it properly," not to mention being able to quote entire scenes from it. One day, I overheard Clark and Ian having an argument. Clark kept saying, "No, Ian, it's 'past'! Aaaaaaaaa. You say it, 'paaaaast.'" And then Ian replied, "No, it's in the paust, dude!" 

Trying . . . out Uncle Ben's skateboards. We stopped by my brother's house for a quick visit on a Saturday afternoon. He loves to skateboard, and he knew Bradley had been wanting to give it a try. So while we were there, he pulled out a couple of his boards, and Bradley was soon racing off down the sidewalk. He was quickly joined by the other boys. Unfortunately, we failed to bring appropriate footwear, not thinking about this being a possible activity. Still, none of them were going very fast, so it seemed fairly harmless. At one point, Ben leaned over to me and said, "Just so you know, I'm not liable for any injuries." I laughed, but not five minutes later, Bradley was on the ground in a great deal of pain. No one saw him fall, and he couldn't remember exactly what had happened, but it led to . . . 

Breaking . . . his foot. We brushed off Bradley's complaints for the rest of the day, thinking he was just being dramatic. But when he still wouldn't put any weight on it the next day, we thought we better get it checked out. First, we had a doctor friend in our neighborhood give it a quick look. When he pressed on the side-base of Bradley's smallest toe and got a grimaced reaction, he said that wasn't a good sign. Mike took Bradley to the emergency room for an X-ray, which clearly showed that his innocent little fall had actually broken four metatarsals. So his foot was given a boot, and he was given crutches, and they told him to expect about four weeks of recovery. The crutches were a huge pain, and luckily he was able to ditch those after the first week. It was certainly inconvenient, but as far as injuries go, it was pretty quick and straightforward. (And note to self: always wear shoes when skateboarding.)

Kicking . . . off the Utah Symphony 2021-2022 season. Back in April, my sister and I decided to get season tickets to the Utah Symphony. It's something I've always wanted to do, so when she suggested it, I needed no convincing. We finally went to our first concert this month: Beethoven's Egmont Overture, Brahms' violin concerto (with guest violinist, Hilary Hahn), and Sibelius' Symphony No. 1. It had been so long since I'd been to a live concert. When the orchestra did their first tuning, a little thrill went through me, and Anna and I both agreed that it made us emotional. The whole evening was pure delight from start to finish. We also both found it terribly amusing that the symphony was sharing downtown Salt Lake with Comic Con attendees, and it was quite the juxtaposition of fashion intermingling and then diverging to go separate ways. One other interesting side note: This was the first event I've been to that required proof of vaccination. I was so worried about remembering my vaccination card that I completely forgot about our tickets; luckily, Anna had me covered.

Catching . . . Ian reading a book on his own. Ian and I have been doing reading lessons for about eight months (using my ever-trusty Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons). We're almost through the book, which means he's at the point where he's stretching his reading wings, so to speak, and realizing he can actually read some of the words in the books around him. One day I was in my room, and I could hear him in his room methodically reading Are You My Mother? He's heard that book many times, but I could tell he was actually reading, and not just reciting, it because of his slower speed. He read the entire book, and I think he surprised himself. This is the stage of learning to read that is just so magical. 

Celebrating . . . a newly-minted 10-year-old. Bradley had two main wishes for his birthday: a Fitbit and a playdate with his friends. We don't really do friend birthday parties, but for their ninth birthdays, I have let each of my kids invite two friends to do something with. Bradley missed doing this last year due to Covid, so I said he could do it this year instead. Rather than going somewhere with his friends, he just wanted them to come over to our house (which goes to show how limited our playdates have been over the last two years). They had a fantastic time playing ping pong, video games, a couple of board games, jumping on the tramp, eating dinner, and finishing off the evening with key lime pie. It was a simple day, but it was exactly what Bradley wanted.

Improving . . . time (and attitude) in cross country. Something rather miraculous happened this month. You might remember in my recap of last month that Max joined the cross country team at his school. He was enduring it at best, hating it at worst. But he experienced a complete cosmic shift about midway through, both physically and mentally. At his first race, he ran 1.5 miles in 18 minutes, coming in 95th place (out of just about 100 kids). What's more, he was absolutely miserable when he finished the race: sick, hot, and exhausted. And yet, there was just a glimmer of pride that he had actually finished. The next week, he ran the same distance in 16 minutes and moved up a few places. The week after that, he ran it in 14 minutes. And the week after that, he ran it in 12 minutes and came in 60th. Seeing that improvement in his time each week was hugely motivating to him. But even more amazing than this has been the way he thinks about running: he actually likes it. He goes out with Mike or Aaron even when he doesn't have to. He's planning on training for a 5K after the season ends. And he chose to run a practice race on the finals course, just for fun. After one race, he gushed, "I love running up hills. Lots of other people start walking, but I just get up on my toes, lean forward, and keep running. You can pass a lot of people that way." As he was talking, Mike and I looked at each other and mouthed, "Is this the same Max from a month ago?" I still don't anticipate him being a world-class runner, but I think it could very well be something that brings him a lot of joy and personal fulfillment in the years to come, and that's definitely enough.

Heading . . . back to church. Aaron is slowly, ever-so-slowly, resuming some sense of normalcy. It would be a lot easier if we weren't contending with Covid at the same time. After many months of watching and participating in church virtually, he finally got to put on a dress shirt and tie and attend in-person. 

Missing . . . dentist appointments. One of my biggest pet peeves is when I completely forget about something I'm supposed to do. This month, it happened to be dentist appointments for Max, Bradley, and Clark. I remembered several hours after the appointment time. And of course, I had just signed a form the week before saying that I agreed to pay $30 if I missed an appointment. Does this mean I have to pay $90 since we actually missed three? Just the worst.

Reading . . . Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. This is it. After reading one Harry Potter book every fall for the previous six years, we are finally at the end. Yes, it is very bittersweet.

Checking . . . out the fall colors. We took a drive up Little Cottonwood Canyon one Sunday evening. The colors were breathtaking. I don't know if it's because of the drought or the warmer temps or what, but the colors have just been especially good this year. One of my friends commented that usually the reds and oranges are all done by the time the aspens burst into yellow at the tops of the mountains, but this year, everything happened simultaneously, and it was absolutely jaw-dropping. I love living in a beautiful place.

And now we're already halfway through October, and I'm still enjoying the fall. What things have brought you joy lately?

A Little of This and That in May

As I look back over the month of May, I am legitimately shocked that all of these things happened within a few weeks of each other. The activities that happened in the first half feel like soooooo long ago. I guess moving will do that to you. It seems like we stepped into a different life. This month found us . . .

Catching . . . snakes. We took another little weekend trip to the cabin. We are so lucky Mike's parents have this little place so we can have a change of scenery. The weather was so lovely this time, and we spent many hours outside enjoying it. There is a little stream that runs past the cabin, and my kids always have so much fun floating things down it or tossing pebbles into it. But this time, it produced an even greater gift: three garter snakes--small, medium, and large (or baby, teenager, and mom, as the boys labeled them). These three snakes provided hours of entertainment. The boys released them into the water or grass and watched them slither around before re-catching them. They let them slide between their fingers and over their hands and arms. They built a makeshift terrarium so they could observe them without fear of them getting away. Basically, it was just the best afternoon for them. When it came time to let them go, Maxwell begged and begged to take one home and acted like it was the greatest injustice of his life when I said no. (And, in case you were wondering, no, I did not hold, or even touch, any of the snakes.)

Holding . . . a virtual piano recital. Several months ago, I planned and scheduled a spring recital for my piano students. It was supposed to be on May 7th. I realized many weeks ago that it would probably not be able to happen as planned, so I decided to switch to a virtual recital instead. My students still prepared and memorized their pieces as they normally would, and then they each recorded themselves in their own homes. They sent the videos to me, and I (actually Mike) compiled them all into one video that could then be watched from start to finish, just as you might attend a normal recital. It actually worked out really well--with the caveat that I think it ended up being rather nerve wracking for some to perform in front of a camera. Even though you had the option of recording your piece as many times as you wanted, I discovered that the pressure mounted with each repetition, and so recording more than once wasn't overly beneficial. It was also a good exercise for me in letting go of control because even though I sent very detailed instructions on how to record, people chose to do their own thing, and I just had to be okay with it.

Feeling . . . so spoiled on Mother's Day. The night before, Mike asked me, "What are your expectations for Mother's Day?" I told him I had absolutely none. In fact, with all of the busyness surrounding buying a house, I'd pretty much forgotten about it entirely (hence, my own mom got her present two weeks late). He said, "That's good," leading me to think he hadn't thought about it much either. So I was quite surprised when I received two necklaces with the boys' names engraved on them, as well as a few other presents, that were definitely not last minute gifts. It was obvious that he was thinking about Mother's Day weeks in advance, and that made everything feel even more special. Clark made me a flower headband out of paper, and the day was peppered with cute notes, yummy food, and lots of hugs. My non-existent expectations were far exceeded.

Receiving . . . the news that a spot in the gifted program opened up for Clark. Last month, I shared that Clark was on the waiting list for the program. I hoped that enough people would decline their invitations that there would be room for him, and that's what ended up happening.

Visiting . . . Alisa's grave. This was such a peaceful, beautiful afternoon in an otherwise crazy month. I have always loved wandering around cemeteries, studying the names and dates of people I've never met and wondering about their lives, and I was surprised by how much my kids enjoyed it, too. It is hard to believe that Alisa has been gone for five years. So much has happened during that time that we would have loved to share with her.

Inspecting . . . our new home. I find home inspections rather depressing, albeit informative. By the end of it, we had a long list of everything that was wrong with the home we wanted to buy. Some of it we already knew (sagging fence, unsafe balcony), but some of it was a surprise (radon in the basement, an old roof). As the inspector tapped through all of his incriminating photos, I saw time and money disappearing in a blink. But here's the thing: if you buy a house that is over fifty years old, it is bound to come with a few problems. If we didn't have these specific issues, then there would be others. And at least we know what we're dealing with upfront so we can budget and prioritize. Even though it sounded like a lot to us, our inspector assured us that the home was average, or even above average, compared to what he sees every day, so that was somewhat comforting.

Closing . . . on our new house! Everything went so smoothly with the purchase of this house. The sellers were accommodating and easy to work with. The financing and loan went quickly so that we were actually able to close ten days sooner than expected. It was a joy to work with the same realtor we had when we bought our first home six years ago. He has been in the realty business for sixty years, and we trust his intuition and expertise so much. He has become a dear friend to us over the years, and we felt so blessed to have him help us through the process.

Learning . . . how to parallel park. It was one of my goals for 2020, so for a romantic Friday date night, Mike and I headed to the church parking lot. He parked his car and spaced a stack of boxes a car's length behind it, and then he guided me through wriggling into the tight spot with our van. I went through the whole process several times and only bumped into the boxes once. However, I think it's going to take more than one lesson before I feel confident enough to do it downtown in real life.

Packing . . . up our entire house. I hope the memory of this week lasts me a long time so that I don't try to move again! I'll admit, we didn't take the most efficient route--we mostly did it ourselves with a pickup truck and our van, and that ended up being a lot of trips. There was one day in particular where I thought I was going to have a breakdown: we were halfway out of our old house and halfway into the new house, and it just felt like there was chaos everywhere I looked. But luckily, as we continued to plug away at it, the old house emptied out, and we stopped making things worse and could instead start making them better. Aaron, Maxwell, and Bradley were all extremely helpful, and Mike and I both agreed that we couldn't have done it without them.

Paying . . . someone to clean our old house. The last time we moved six years ago, I vowed to myself that I would never again clean a house I was moving out of. And I stayed true to my word. After we moved out all of our stuff, Veronica came over with her cleaning supplies. I went back to the new house to unpack boxes (and do laundry, which never stops, even when you move). Six hours later, Veronica was done, and our old house was transformed. It was seriously some of the best money I've ever spent.

Combining . . . imaginations for truly epic adventures. I'm so glad Clark and Ian have each other because they are two kids who were cut from the same cloth. Every day, they wake up and become someone new: a couple of superheroes, a dad and his son, a dog and his master, a horse and a cowboy. They dress up and give each other different names and completely immerse themselves in whatever they are playing. It gives me so much joy to watch them together.

Finding . . . renters for our old house. And not just any renters, but Mike's cousin, David, and his sweet family! The thought of renting our home was giving me some real anxiety. I just didn't know how to go about finding trustworthy, conscientious, responsible people. And while renting our home seemed like a good idea in theory, the reality is that with the wrong people there, it could turn into a financially draining nightmare. While all of these worries were going through my head, Mike was doing the dishes one night when he suddenly had the thought, I wonder if David would want to rent our house? Although we knew David and his family had moved to Salt Lake last summer for David to do his residency, we didn't have any reason to suspect that they were looking to move. But Mike called David anyway, and lo and behold, they were looking for a new place! What's more, their lease ended on June 1st, just a couple of weeks after we closed on our new house. The whole thing felt divinely orchestrated to me, and we are so grateful that David and Emilee can now enjoy the home and neighborhood we love so much.

Waving . . . to our teachers in a reverse parade. We made it to the last day of school. The teachers all stood on the sidewalk at the top of the school, and we drove down the street waving to them and telling them to "have a good summer!" and "we'll see you in the fall!" It was the strangest school year ever, but we made it through, mostly because these teachers rose to the challenge and put their hearts into virtual teaching.

Meeting . . . new neighbors. I thought the pandemic was going to make it really difficult to meet people in our new neighborhood, but our neighbors have truly surprised us. They've gone out of their way to pull over and say hello if we're outside, stop to chat if they're on a walk, bring us dinner and treats, text with information about the ward and neighborhood, and wave and smile across the street. We were very fortunate that there was a neighborhood walkabout scheduled on our very first evening in our new home, and that made it possible for us to meet quite a few people all at once. For the most part, everyone has been very respectful of Covid-19 boundaries (with the possible exception of two older couples who walked right into our entryway bearing gifts of food), and it has done my heart good to feel so loved right from the start. I hope I can reciprocate to some neighbors in the future.

Celebrating . . . Clark's sixth birthday. He had been excitedly counting down the days for over six months. It was thrilling when the number was small enough that he no longer had to ask Siri but was able to do the math himself. He had very specific requests for food, presents, cake, activities, etc. That is very typical of Clark. He likes things to be just so. He had been holding covert conferences with Mike for months about what he wanted his birthday cake to look like. He wouldn't let any of the rest of us know what it was. Luckily, Mike was able to bring his vision to life, and we were all surprised when he cut into a cake that looked like the Mandalorian helmet and a bunch of Baby Yodas spilled out of it. Clark was ecstatic. I also organized a little bike ride with a couple of Clark's friends. It was surprisingly stressful because it was harder than I thought it was going to be to keep these friends six feet apart, but what did I expect after two months of not seeing each other?

Building . . . bunkbeds. When we moved, we decided not to bring Ian's crib with us. It had lasted through all five boys, and it was pretty trashed. Plus, at three years old, there was no reason that Ian couldn't move into a bed . . . except that we didn't actually have a bed for him. Mike had long been saying that he wanted to build a new set of bunkbeds. He had already built one set a couple of years ago, and it was actually much sturdier than the manufactured set we already owned. So building a matching set was one of the first things he did after we moved in. The boys all helped paint it, and now Bradley and Ian have a new bed.

Getting . . . wet on hot days. The month of May ended with a heat wave. Our neighborhood pool hasn't opened up yet (and even when it does, we're not sure if we'll feel safe to go), so we made some water fun in the front yard, thanks to a birthday gift from Grandma Jill and Grandpa Paul. I anticipate this getting even more use in the next two months.

That's it for this month. If you were hoping to see a bit more of the inside of our house, you'll have to wait. It has been fairly slow getting rooms put together. Even though our new house is bigger, our stuff isn't fitting into it in the same way, so it is taking some time. But it's giving us plenty to do in June!

A Little of This and That in December and January

I was almost going to leave out December in this monthly update post (because really, who needs to hear anymore about Christmas?), but some good things happened in it, so I'm including it for my own memory's sake.

December and January found us . . . 

Listening . . . to my dad play in Tuba Christmas. I think it's so funny that Tuba Christmas is a real thing with real concerts all across the country, but it is, and I love it. My dad attended BYU's Tuba Christmas last year and then practiced all year so he could participate in it this time. Having so many tubas together is really loud, but they create a surprisingly warm and mellow sound. It was so soothing that Ian fell asleep during the second half.

Buying . . . a wet vacuum. Oh yes, we started out the month of December with something suuuuuuper exciting. But after hearing Janssen rave about hers, I was convinced that we needed one. And . . . I've been using it for over a month now, and my feelings are pretty lukewarm about it. I don't think it's as life changing as I was hoping it would be. For one, it's kind of a hassle to use. I don't really mind getting it out on Saturdays because we do a lot of concentrated cleaning on that day, but I probably wouldn't use it on a weekday (I haven't yet). I also don't love it on our kitchen floor (which is fake wood), mostly because I feel like it's a faster, easier job when I just use my little microfiber mop. However, I have loved using it on carpet and in the bathrooms, so it's definitely getting use, just not undying love.

Knocking . . . down a wall. Mike tends to get a little antsy if he doesn't have a home improvement project to work on. And that discontent leads to wanting to do drastic things, like knock down walls. He had been begging me to take out one of the walls in the basement storage room and expand the room by a few feet into an unused hallway. I was skeptical (as I am when any sort of destruction is involved), but it was either that or something more intense, so I relented. I wish you could have heard all the boys as they broke through the wall. They were giggling and laughing and cheering. It appears they might have some of the same genes as their dad. And you know what? I actually love the change. It's a much better use of space.

Playing . . . the piano. I was asked to provide some background music for a dinner on Temple Square that was for religious and educational leaders in the community. Since it was December, I played Christmas music, and I don't think there's anything I love playing more than Christmas music, so to get to do it for an hour and a half was a treat. Plus, in exchange for playing, Mike and I were given tickets to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert (which was immediately following the dinner and was the reason for the dinner in the first place), and the guest performer was Sutton Foster (a longtime favorite of ours), so we loved every minute of it.

Making . . . paper stars. The boys like to make new ornaments every year, and this time we found these fun paper stars that we scaled down to fit on the tree. Aaron, Maxwell, and Bradley could make them almost entirely on their own (with me stepping in to wield the hot glue gun), and I love the way they looked on the tree.

Introducing . . . old movie classics to our kids. We watched Meet Me in St. Louis, Holiday Inn, and White Christmas--all favorites from my own childhood. I thought (worried?) my kids would find them boring or silly, but they loved them. They were curious if Bing was Bing Crosby's real name, so we looked it up. Turns out, it was a childhood nickname. He was born Harry Crosby, Jr., but a 15-year-old neighbor kid started calling him Bingo from Bingville (based on a series he liked to read in the Sunday paper), and the nickname never went away. 

Seeing . . . the lights on Temple Square. I know many Utahns make this an annual tradition, but we tend to only go once every three years or so. Consequently, our kids loved it because they couldn't remember it very well from the past. We went on a Tuesday evening right as it was getting dark, and we beat the crowds, so we were pretty proud of ourselves.

Starting . . . a laundry routine that actually works. Maybe not the most interesting news to most of you, but I feel like I'm finally not drowning anymore, so it's a pretty big deal to me. It's not anything special (I just do all of the laundry on Tuesday and Friday), but for some reason, it clicked this time, and it's so nice to not be tripping over baskets of clean and dirty clothes all the time.

Knitting . . . a whole bunch of Christmas gifts. I had forgotten how fun it is to actually make gifts for others. There's so much more happy anticipation involved when you spend the whole month thinking about them as you work on their presents. I made a hat for Mike, a hat for my sister, and a heart garland and a cowl for my mom (and a hat for Aaron right after Christmas). I managed to keep the hat a complete secret from Mike, and it was so exciting to work on it in little batches and then sneakily hide it away. I finished up the cowl for my mom just two days before Christmas (Mike let me skip out on my Saturday cleaning chores so I could work on it), and a little frenzied knitting added further to the anticipation.

Celebrating . . . Christmas and ringing in 2018. We had a wonderful, low-key holiday break filled with Lego sets, a 1000-piece puzzle, books, knitting, yummy food, and family time. I wouldn't have changed a thing.

Setting . . . goals. This year, my guiding quote is by Elder Richard G. Scott, and it is this: "Be wise and don't let good things crowd out those that are essential." As such, my goals have a lot to do with prioritizing those things that are the most important and letting the other things go. Hopefully I'll have a chance to share more about the specifics in a future post.

Turning . . . thirty-three. I honestly feel totally disconnected from that age. Like I say, "I'm thirty-three," and then I think, That can't possibly be true. Thirty-three sounds like you should be fully comfortable as an adult, but most of the time, it just seems like I'm faking it. (For instance, Mike and I went to a financial planner this month, and she was talking about assets and retirement and investments, and I was sitting there nodding my head like I knew what was going on, and all the time, I was thinking, I'm not enough of an adult to be making these decisions!!!)

Traveling . . . to Arizona for our January getaway. We made a stop at the Grand Canyon and then spent the rest of our time with our dear friends, the Langstraats, from our newly-wed days. We did all kinds of fun things in the warm Arizona sun and weren't really ready to come home (although I'm sure the Langstraats were happy to have their house back!).

Finding . . . out that Brian Mathias, my friend from my undergraduate days, is the new Tabernacle organist! The last time a Tabernacle organist was hired was in 2007, and I am so thrilled that he got the spot because it has been a long-time dream of his. I've been telling people for years that he would be the next Tabernacle organist because he is extremely talented and seems to have the perfect skill set for that job. I can't wait to hear him soon and for many years to come.

Building . . . a snowman. After weeks of the tiniest little snowfalls, we finally got a big one on January 20th. It came on a Saturday when we didn't have anything else going on, and the kids (especially Aaron) loved it.

Watching . . . a bunch of knitting-related video podcasts. My very favorite is Kristy Glass Knits because she is so entertaining and has a good mix of interviews, personal updates, and behind the scenes. I also love Little Skein and the Big Stash because I like the conversations between the two hosts and hearing about their micro-businesses and A Wooden Nest because it's very calm and peaceful and I think it's interesting to hear about her hand-dyeing process. I wish both podcasts put up new videos more frequently. And, I've mentioned this one before, but I still love the Fruity Knitting podcast.

Rolling . . . and rolling and rolling. Ian has absolutely no desire to crawl because he has perfected the art of rolling. He can traverse an entire room in a matter of seconds. And, while it's true that sometimes it takes several attempts back and forth before his rolling turns him enough to reach a wanted toy, he gets there eventually. We have never had a baby like this. With the other boys, rolling was simply a stepping stone on the road to crawling and walking. But Ian doesn't seem to be in any hurry to learn a new skill, and I haven't really encouraged him either because the constant rolling is so entertaining to watch.

Reading . . . for a job. I recently began working as a manuscript reviewer for Deseret Book. That means when someone submits a manuscript to consider for publication, I'm one of the first people to set eyes on it and give an opinion as to whether or not it should go on through the process. Because of that, I'm sure I'll see a lot of things that are raw and unpolished, maybe even to the point of being painful, but it hasn't been bad yet.

Finishing . . . a cardigan. This was the first garment that I knit for myself, and I was extremely nervous that I would finish it, and it wouldn't fit the way I wanted it to, but that isn't the case at all. I had a near disaster at the end when I was picking up stitches for the collar and found an open loop (not something you want to be surprised by in your knitting). I spent a couple of days mulling over how to fix and finally found a solution that I'm quite pleased with. And then I immediately bought yarn for another (very different) cardigan.

Playing . . . basketball. Aaron and Maxwell both played basketball on recreation teams for the first time this winter. It wasn't really ideal in that they didn't know most (or any) of the other kids on their teams. That was especially hard on Max. But just last night, Aaron was saying that he wants to be a professional basketball player when he grows up, so I guess it has given him big dreams!

Of course that doesn't cover everything, but I'd say it's enough for this time. What have you been up to the last couple of months?