February 2016

Another busy month whizzed by.  February was full with the events that fill up a calendar: baby shower, wedding, orthodontist appointments, etc. Adele and Ceci had an audition for a print ad, there was a parent meeting for a play Tennie is in at school (followed by evening and Saturday rehearsals), a parent meeting for a new Waldorf Charter School that Ceci will attend next Fall, speaking at a ward conference, plus Geoff and I have weekly School Improvement Committee meeting for Tennie and Adele's school, and we've started a series of five meetings with some of Tennie's friends on how to access scholarships (Geoff works with a guy who has figured out the system.)  Let me add a few things I have pictures of:

Our friends the Serafins were in town for family reunion.  Thankfully Ashley and I got to visit while Adele and Ceci played with Nina and her cousin Tabitha:

Geoff, Tennie and Adele had a daddy/daughter 50's theme dance:

We had a stake youth snowshoeing activity up at the mountain home of our stake YM's president.  It could not have been a more beautiful location and perfect day:

Bailey had a Star Wars birthday party. Em's parties never disappoint!

Geoff took a beating from some of the Jedis-in-training:

(Although he got them all back when he dressed up as Darth Vader for the official Jedi Training):

Tennie passed the written driver's test and is now in possession of her driver's PERMIT! (Third attempt was a charm!)

Ceci and I went on a field trip to the Natural History Museum.  They have some pretty scary reptiles!

Ceci is never a dull companion!

Adele and Ceci went with Nikki to visit her office:

We stopped by the Puppy Barn to have their dog fix:

Geoff and Ceci spend at least two afternoons skiing every week.  Ceci conquered her goal to go down a double black diamond.

We hiked up to Ensign Peak with Geoff's dad one gorgeous, early Spring evening:

One of our family goals is to have a green smoothie every day.  We're definitely not perfect but we are getting more greens than we normally would. I'm jumping into March now, but Geoff and I just did a week cleanse.  Our prize at the end was trying an acai bowl.  We've heard these raved about but hadn't experience what all the fuss was about...until yesterday.  Oh boy was it ever tasty!!!  We're going back tomorrow morning for more...

Until the end of March...

January 2016

We're well into February and I'm just now posting for the entire month of January!  January was busy.  For one thing, Ceci returned home to homeschool.  Her teacher wasn't the right teacher for her, and the school model for her age-group just isn't where the school wants it to be, yet.  To be honest, I LOVE having only one kid at home, and I am so grateful for the one-on-one time with Ceci every day.  She has not once mentioned missing school.

She works hard every day, and we spend a good 4-5 hours together cranking through all sorts of learning.  She has been accepted to a new Waldorf charter school opening in Utah next Fall.  Or maybe she'll return to AISU.  Who knows, maybe she'll continue homeschooling.

Adele turned 14!  Geoff and Ceci fit in a little serenade to the Beatles, You Say it's Your Birthday, before Tennie headed off to school.  Adele took the day off.

We had signs up throughout the house wishing her a good day and celebrating what we love about her.

Several of her friends did tributes to her on Instagram, all of which made her day. 

She made some hats for her birthday lunch:

Adele, Ceci and I met Emily, Bailey, Nikki and Britt and Cheesecake Factory for lunch.

We had a treasure hunt with the jackpot being a pile of gifts.  The thank-you-for-the-gift-hug:

A few friends came over for dinner and to hang out that evening.  She is taking her birthday party money to London this summer, assuming her plans to spend a few weeks with her friend, Esther, and go to EFY there all work out.  It was a great day celebrating an unusually beautiful person, inside and out.

My friend Monica and I organized a motherhood retreat in Laguna Beach at the incredible home of our hostess, Margaret.  It is always so much fun to reconnect with these great women, share ideas about mothering, and discussing gospel topics.  We were incredibly pampered with the location and a very healthy caterer who provided all delicious meals.

Ingrid, Emily and I went out a day early.

All the ladies who could make it this year:

It was a smaller group (by about 1/2) but very intimate and rich. Look at this view from the kitchen:

Amazing!  Meanwhile, Geoff and the girls sent me a picture of their traditional breakfast while I'm gone at these retreats:

Chocolate cake waffles.

Geoff and someone go skiing every week, sometimes twice.  Mostly Geoff and Ceci make the effort.  We've had a lot of great snow this year.  It was a good year to start this sport!

Geoff and Ceci.

Geoff and Em sans kids.

Geoff got some skis in the mail:

We celebrated Geoff's dad's birthday:

Ceci took a bunch of pictures with a friend, and all give a glimpse into her fun personality:

I also found this random shot on my phone:

Tennie always says things that make me laugh.  The only one I wrote down this month was, "I make up so many words, I'm practically Shakespeare." 

I've been going one morning a month to help my dad's wife, Babs, organize her pictures in preparation to create a personal history.  Isn't she adorable?

My calling as stake young women's president was unusually busy.  I prepared a talk for, and went to, one ward conference, created and put on a ward young women leadership training, helped with a stake Book of Mormon activity, assisted with recommendations, and got to know, a ward with two young women that joined our stake after some boundary changes, attended a New Beginnings, chaperoned a multi-stake dance and went to a multi-stake fireside, and had the typical stake council, presidency and stake youth committee meetings.  It felt a little non-stop.

Adele at her FIRST mutual dance with her young women president Charlotte, and a fellow young woman, Rachel.

Tennie and I went to a meeting about concurrent enrollment at Salt Lake Community College for next year.  We're getting our minds around college admissions and credits, driver's permits, a summer internship in Paris, and scholarship opportunities.  This is a whole new world we're entering!

Our hall has been in the process of a remodel since last May.  We got a new door in January:

We had dentist and orthodontist appointments, and we registered for EFY at BYU (which is not for the weak of heart!)  And now we're on to February...