Spring Break

Hello my dear! I enjoyed reading your recent emails. It’s been a busy few weeks. I’m sorry I missed the last couple of weeks of writing. I find that if we are busy on Sunday it’s a lot harder for me to sit down and write during the week. It sounds like you had a really fantastic easter weekend. I'm so glad! People ask all the time how you are doing and I tell them you are working hard and loving it! It’s really great to watch your service and growth. 

This is what we’ve been up to:

1. We had a great spring break. We went down to St. George with the Rawson family and rented a big house that had a swim park in the neighborhood.  I was desperate for some sun and springlike weather, but it was super cold most of the time. That didn’t stop the kids from swimming though. No way I was getting that water. I could barely stand to sit and watch on the side with my parka and blanket! Jimmy and Blake occupied the hot tub at the house for most of the time we stayed there, while the kids enjoyed the lazy river across the street. 

2. While we were in St. George we went to Gunlock Falls, The Crack, Lava Tubes & Sand Dunes in Snow Canyon, and saw dinosaur tracks at Dino Cliffs. Gunlock Falls was really cool. It doesn’t always have much water, but because of all of the snow this year, there was a lot. I was glad went on a day that it was col and rainy because my friend went a few days later when it was sunny, and I guess a bunch of people were cliff jumping. So dangerous! Dad and the older kids didn’t actually make it to the falls because they went golfing instead—which I’m guessing they enjoyed more. I really enjoyed the hikes in Snow canyon. Exploring the lava tubes was cool, and the kids had a lot of fun playing in the sand. I was not skinny enough to make it through the crack, but all of the boys did except for Blake.

3. We also did two rounds of mini golf, went ax throwing, played board games, watched movies. I did an entire puzzle, went on some walks, and finished a great audiobook. Nice and relaxing.

4. We left the house for St George on Saturday April 1. Jett thought it would be so funny to pull April 1st pranks before we left. So I woke up to chocolate/peanut butter “poop” all over my kitchen counters. And Blake got ricotta cheese smeared on his stick of deodorant which he was NOT happy about! We left during the morning session of conference so we could listen while we drove. Blake drove all the way there. We are trying to get him plenty of driving time before his birthday. The kid has such a lead foot! On Sunday we were able to watch conference at the house. Grandma brought treats and activities for the little kids, and it was a really nice weekend. 

5. While we were shivering in St. George our neighbors in Kaysville got absolutely dumped on with a crazy winter storm. Like two feet of snow or something crazy like that. This winter has just been unbelievable . Such a blessing to have so much water. Now we are hoping the weather will cooperate and not get too hot too fast so that the entire state doesn’t flood. On Saturday they had people volunteering to fill sand bags, and earlier in the week there was a sink hole in Kaysville above 89 where they had to evacuate a bunch of new homes. The water is likely to cause problems this spring, but it is buying us more time to fix the problems at The Great Salt Lake.

6. On Friday I took the kids to see the much anticipated Mario movie, which they loved as much as they thought they would. And that night Dad and I watched Dune with Ethan, which was a pretty cool movie, but kinda confusing. I’m going to have to watch it again.

7. Saturday was the big day we’ve been waiting for since August! Our new car was ready to be picked up! It’s sooo nice. Unsurprisingly, I’m having a hard time figuring out all of the new tech. Hopefully I figure it out soon so I’m not to much of a hazard on the road! We dropped it off at the audio visual place a few days ago to have them add an entertainment system. They don’t offer exactly what we want, which is disappointing, but I think it will still be a great addition to the car, and I’m excited to get it back! And I’m grateful to still have the “crust mobile” to drive while it’s away. Blake and Ty are stinking lucky they will both have a car to drive this summer. And I’m stinking lucky to not have to drive Blake to football practice all summer long! The boys decided we are going to call the new car the Gray Whale—just so you know. I think it’s a nice nod to the whale on 9th and 9th that is credited with bringing all the rain this year!

8. Saturday afternoon we went to Great Nana’s for the easter egg hunt. Easter Sunday we went to church in the morning (for only one hour!) then we came home and hunted for baskets and eggs. The little boys colored beautiful hard boiled eggs, and then we had dinner at Grandma and Grandpa Rawson’s house. 

9. Monday morning was a snap back to the harsh reality of the daily grind. Piano lessons, doctor and pt appointments, soccer practice, carpet cleaning, bookclub, carpool driving. I went on a field trip with Tate to the library. We assembled pantry packs and did Zumba for Young Women’s night. I’ve been trying to tame the blackberries in the backyard. Warby’s have completely torn out their backyard to start over. Their landscapers made a TON of noise every morning. We had stake conference this weekend, and then invited Nana and Grandpa over for dinner tonight. Anyway, just a busy normal week.

10. Ryan texted two days ago to say that Finn was in the hospital with an infection stemming from strep. His neck was super swollen and he couldn’t move his head around. So he was hospitalized and it seems like the medication is working, but not as well as they had hoped—so he will be in the hospital for a few more days.

Well that’s all for now!