Ranked

Ali and I went to the High School's musical Ranked. It was so good- all about the pressures that are put on High Schoolers. I hope all these lovely, talented, hardworking kids (both in the show and in the audience) realize how amazing they are and cut themselves some slack for being human and not perfect!

Track Season

Eli chose to try out track this year and I admit I was a bit worried about how I was going to make it all work. But thanks to several moms/dads willing to carpool with us and a few meets that got canceled or skipped due to weather or illness (not ideal, but still), it wasn't too time-consuming and even rather enjoyable! Eli ran the 110 hurdles, 4x200, and did shotput. Logan ran the 50, 100 and 200. 

Grandma Visits!

My mom came for a visit! It was a quiet visit where we stuck close to home mostly, watching movies, playing games, and hanging out. She was our wonderful chef while she was here, making everyone's favorite meals and giving me a much-appreciated break! We love having her here (and not just because she cooks for us!).

We did meet up with Michelle and her family for breakfast and Feed My Starving Children (this was the morning the others were camping so they weren't with us). Love them!

Camping

Jason took the kids camping at Starved Rock and then they hiked at the nearby Mathesian State Park. Such lucky kids!

Crazy Hair

We managed a Mohawk for crazy hair day, and so a selfie was in order.

Quick Hike

Ali and I were driving by a forest preserve that I'd noticed a couple of days previously and wanted to explore. She suggested we stop for a few minutes and check it out. It was so pretty and I can't wait to go back and see more!

Licenses!

We officially have two teenage, licensed drivers! We had really hoped that we would be able to snag two driver's test appointments the day after their birthdays (a Saturday) but underestimated how quickly the appointments would fill up. Within seconds, all appointments at any facility within 30 miles of us were gone! So, Logan had to wait till the following Monday. But, they both passed, and we're all enjoying having twice as many drivers in the family! 

Teacher Friends

Sometimes you're subbing in Elementary school when the 5th graders go on a field trip to the Jr High, and your teacher friend sees your son there, and sends you a picture:)

Gethsemane

Jake decided he wanted to sing the song "Gethsemane" in Sacrament Meeting, and Ali agreed to accompany him. They both put in a lot of time and work to get the song ready and practiced together both at home and at church. They both did an amazing job.

Eclipse

We got the glasses, got the kids who wanted to see it out of school, and enjoyed what we saw. After hearing about peoples' experiences with totality I was disappointed we chose not to drive a few hours to see it (we thought about it)...next time I'm gonna try and see totality! But, this was still pretty fun to watch.

He's 9!

Happy Birthday to my youngest! He had a lot of fun planning his Lego-themed party with me, and loved explaining each game and activity to all his friends. 

He's been wishing for this Lego set for more than a year, so we went ahead and made his dream come true:)

We sure love this kid.

New 'Do

Logan got a new hairstyle! It's really different than he's ever had it, and takes a lot more work to get it just right, but he loves it and has stuck with it. Paired with his new leather jacket that he got for his birthday, and he's looking pretty smooth!

Date Nights

Jason and I have been on some fun dates lately: we finally used a Christmas gift card to a place we'd wanted to try out. It's a bit hard to explain but it had a bunch of rooms with several different interactive games you could try out in each room. Each game lasted only a minute or two, and you'd go in with only your group. They only let a certain number of people into the place at a time, so you never had to wait long to play. It was really a creative place and a lot of fun!

In this room, you had to find the one button among probably a couple hundred buttons that were the same as the one they showed you. The more you find, the better your score.

And we went to the wedding reception of a young man we'd known as a little boy. Some other dear friends from that ward were also at the reception- the Maduras. We all were newlyweds together with several other couples in the ward at the time, and we all had kids around the same time too. It was a special time with a special group of people. It was so good to catch up with them and reminisce.