2 Moose!

Today, while on a walk with Ulli, my friend, and her dog, we ran into a yeti biker that told us there was a moose ahead.  We were both interested in seeing the moose and kind of confused about why neither dog barked.  We took turns holding the dogs and walked over to where the moose was and were shocked that it was simply standing in the middle of the walking path!

Another biker came up behind us and moved toward the moose scaring it off, so we were able to continue on our hike and even saw another moose off in the distance as we hiked on!  The dogs did great and Ulli seemed to really enjoy his time in the snow on the trails alongside another dog!  We practiced leash training and I think he would stay nearby even without it!

Love?

I was walking Ben to class today and noticed his work of art that described what Love is to Ben!  I was kind of shocked to read what Ben had to say, but after talking it through, I'm confident that Ben knows what Love is, even if he wasn't sure how to write it!

New Suit!

Jack's new HM suit came in the mail today and after some pulling and tugging he got it on and we both thought it was perfect!

CO Leak!!

On Sunday on our way home from church I noticed that one of the pipes coming out of the roof had been bent!  We were alarmed, but didn't know who to call about it.  On Thursday, I finally got around to calling our warranty company and although they wouldn't cover any repairs they suggested calling an HVAC company.

We called and they said they could come out tomorrow!  I had no idea what a blessing it was to have them come so quickly, because it turns out the pipe that was bent was the flu to our water heater and without the ability to off gas outside, the Carbon Monoxide was leaking into the house!

While the workers were doing their best to cut and replace the pipe and not damage the wall inside, I took Ulli on a walk to get out of the house!  In the end, there were a lot of tender mercies and help keeping us safe from the poisonous gas and keeping Kyle and Jack away altogether.  I haven't gotten the bill, yet but the new flu and suspension wire to keep it from being bowled over by the snow is well worth it!

Haircuts!

It's been awhile since the girls got their locks trimmed, but today was the day and the girls seem to be happy with their haircuts!  Ava got a minimal trim and Norah got about 3 inches cut off!  They both great and their hair is looking very healthy!!

DC shutdown in the rain

After doing Charlottesville, the boys headed up north to Washington DC to see the nation's capitol. Unfortunately for them, the government had just entered the final week of its record-breaking shutdown, and a frigid East Coast rainstorm had hit the area.  Nothing would stop them though!

With the Smithsonian, congressional exhibits, National Archives, and other sites closed for the shutdown, the list of things to do became much shorter and much more realistic. They started the day driving around town, seeing the sites from the rental car, but the boys eventually had to buckle-down, return the car, and head into the weather.  The boys braved the rain to see the White House (Jack was impressed by the Secret Service and their weaponry), went across the street to eat lunch at the famed Old Ebbitt Grill, toured the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial, the WWII memorial, and the Washington Monument before succumbing to the cold and heading to a nearby Starbucks for some hot chocolate (located, coincidentally, in the DC Trump Hotel).

Warmed-up with a second wind, the boys headed to the Capitol, where Jack instantly recognized the monument to Ulysses S. Grant (Jack did a report on him last year).  They then walked to nearby Union Station, where they played a virtual reality version of Mario Kart and grabbed some Shake Shack before catching an Uber to see the Golden State Warriors play the Washington Wizards in downtown DC--only appropriate to begin and end the trip with some basketball! 

Finally!

We started looking for a couch after giving our old one to Tatum and Jacob.  That was back in August, we finally got our replacement today!!  It's been so long coming, and we are still a cushion short, but it feels good to have something to sit and that the color works in spite of all the sample mix-ups and that the velvet material is Ulli friendly!

U-V-A! Go Hoos go!

Of course, no trip to Charlottesville would be complete without a tour of the beautiful and storied campus of the University of Virginia. Kyle took Jack to the Law School grounds, where they went inside and strolled the halls of Kyle's alma mater. 

Then the boys headed to Main Grounds to see the famed Lawn and Rotunda.  I think Kyle's trying to plant some seeds in Jack's mind for his future college aspirations!    

Back in C'ville!

The next morning the boys set off to introduce Jack to the sites of Charlottesville.  Jack left for Texas when he was only 6 months old, so this was his chance to finally put pictures with the place. 

They visited the Downtown Mall, went by the hospital where he was born (Martha Jefferson, which is now an office complex), hit some of the local shops and eateries (like local favorite Little John's Deli), and even went out to Crozet to see the old house.

It was fun to see how little things had changed (although the pear tree we planted as a seedling had grown quite a bit in the last 10 years!).

Peanut Butter Time!

While Jack and Kyle are on the east coast, we are trying to take advantage and make all the yummy peanut butter desserts Jack can't have!  These scotcheroos are always a hit!  Ava made them and they turned out amazing!

Jack's 12th Birthday Trip!

We started a tradition at Ava's 12th birthday of celebrating the big 1-2 with a special one-on-one trip.  Kyle had been looking forward to taking Jack on a trip that would involve some basketball watching and a return to Jack's birthplace (and our former home) in Virginia!
The boys started their journey early in the morning, flying to Richmond, where they stopped at our family's favorite restaurant, Chuy's, before driving the hour to our beloved Charlottesville.  They arrived in time to allow Jack a quick power nap before catching the #3 ranked University of Virginia basketball team wallop Wake Forest.  An awesome game in an amazing environment.

Patience!

Ulli is a super baby, yesterday he was scared of a 6 year old boy!  Being in his crate freaks him out and a lot of other things, including who feeds him in the morning!  We are trying everything we can to get him over this hump, but in the end it's just going to take time!  9 months isn't THAT old!  Similar to Jack, Ulli size makes you feel like he is older and therefore should be behaving better, but alas, he and Jack are still just young boys and are learning how to act!  They will both get it, I'm sure!

Bacon?

These girls are growing up so fast, and they both love bacon and days off from school!  Today was super laid back and these smiles say "I love this!"

New TV/Frame!

For Christmas, I received a TV that looks more like a picture frame than a monitor and Kyle finally got the replacement this week that was the right size!  He hung it on Saturday and we have been enjoying the pictures above the mantel ever since.

Snow Day!

No school today and it snowed last night made for a fun day off!  The girls had Ulli out with then twice today and made this snow fort while the boys sledded down our snowy driveway and threw snowballs, and got on the roof!!  It was so cute to catch this moment from the warmth of the dining room!

75 Pounds!!

When I saw a picture of Amber's cute little puppy, Felix, I felt inspired to do an impromptu photo shoot with our adorable puppy!

This guy was really posing it up and looked so big in this picture with Ava, so glad she was there for size purposes!

Say What!!

I found this note in Jack's pocket today while doing laundry and almost died!  It was so cute to see that he had written this note, ripped it off of the paper and was too scared to give it to the girl he's had a crush on for a year now.

SNOW!!!

The snow has officially reached from the roof to the ground-it's not long now before one of the kids is up here sledding!!  It's been a snowy week!  Yesterday's storm was so crazy we actually had to call for some help to clear the slushy snow.  Unfortunately, the guy we called to help us had a run in with our snow and his 4 wheeler with a plow attachment broke, leaving him and our 4 children shoveling while Kyle worked and I made dinner.  It was a close call getting out of the valley for Kyle and Norah on their way to practice, but coming home at 10pm was even sketchier!

Gross!!

Skiing today on our day off of school was a great idea, coming back down the mountain was pretty crazy though when we saw the giant inversion cloud hanging over both access points to Ogden.  It made me glad all over again to live in this Valley!

Cake, Cake, Cake!!

We made a larger version of the cupcakes from this weekend and added in 3 layers of ganasche topped with cream cheese frosting and it was completely amazing!!

The sparkler candles Kyle and Jack picked up this morning added a nice touch as well as all the roses I frosted onto the cake after Ben's game.

It was such a sweet end to the day and we all enjoyed the cookie dough ice cream that accompanied it!

Ben's 1st Game!

After lunch and hanging out, we rushed home and ate our goodies while I made chocolate chip pancakes with sausage and whipped cream for dinner.  Kyle took Norah and went to volleyball practice while the rest of us went to see Ben's first basketball game-one of the many highlights of my day!  This kid has skills and it was really fun to watch him dribble all around the other kids and make multiple baskets!  Jack opted to miss his shooting practice and had fun hanging at the game with Ava and I.

B-day Lunch!

We were planning to take the kids out of school early today to celebrate Jack and still attend all the kids' activities tonight.  Waking up so late, and being so exhausted didn't seem like a great way to go to school, even if for half of the day-so we stayed home!  After a late breakfast, we hung out at the house and then headed to Ogden for lunch at one of Jack's favorite restaurants-Sonoran Grill.  He tried to eat a burrito as big as his face and then we all went to the bowling alley and watched as Ben got his first strike and Jack got one of his lowest scores ever!  The video arcade was closed for repairs so we headed over to the Dessert Factory and picked up a treat to eat when we got home!

He's 12!!

Getting home at 2:30am from Powder Mountain, basically meant we all went straight to bed!  There was no fun breakfast waiting for Jack or a birthday parade for Jakc in his bed, and there definitely wasn't a single wrapped present!  Kyle and I barely made it up at 9am and the kids were up shortly before us.

Kyle immediately took Jack to the Valley Market to pick up his favorite breakfast-Pillsbury cinnamon and orange rolls while I wrapped the presents!  When they got home we had a birthday parade while he sat at the kitchen table.  When he was done opening gifts we ate breakfast and then I snapped this picture of Jack in his new stuff!

For Jack's 12th birthday, Kyle and him are taking a trip to the East Coast for a basketball trip!  He will get to see where he was born AND watch a UVA basketball game while there.  The next day they will be travelling up to Washington DC where they will be watching another game, this time an NBA game.  The rest of the trip will be spent touring around DC and VA-Jack is so excited!

In addition to the amazing trip, Jack had wanted a new suit and some Kobe Bryant shoes!  He got both, unfortunately, neither fit and the suit was so snug, it actually ripped in the crotch!  Thankfully Nana and Papa gave Jack some money and Grammy's present is on the way!

Road Closed!!

We went skiing today instead of taking Jack to basketball practice and regretted it the second we tried to leave after dinner and the ski patrol guys told us the road was closed due to an accident!  We were incredulous and started to panic almost immediately!

Not being able to get down the mountain around 6:30 when we tried to leave meant the kids were going to bed late and that we possibly wouldn't be able to get all the last minute stuff for Jack's birthday the next day!  I couldn't believe it when 2 more hours passed and we were still stuck on the mountain.  The kids skied off and on during that time while Kyle and I sat in the car and tried to watch Guardians of the Galaxy 2 on Kyle's phone. 

Around 8:30 we decided to ski a few more runs until the lift closed at 9pm.  We had a great time skiing later than we ever have before and then headed over to the main lodge where the resort reopened to lounge and bar.  We were able to order some sweet potato and regular fries before the kitchen closed and then spent about a half hour chilling with all the drunk and sleepy patrons.

Around 10:45 we decided it would best for us to hang out in our car and avoid the atmosphere of a ski resort after hours.  We heard the road was going to open up in about a half hour so we jumped back in our car and drove to the gate-we were the third car in line.  We had no idea we would spend the next 4+ hours sitting in our car 2 cars behind a truck with their hazards on while the sheriff cleared the scene of the accident and investigated the fatal accident.

The kids were able to watch the movie Solo on our two phones while Kyle and I tried to nod off.  I had my contacts and was feeling really cramped, but managed to survive without crying!  It was hard to be stuck in a car, but at least we were all safe and warm!  When 2am arrived, the road blockade was finally lifted and we happily drove home and actually spotted a bobcat at the front of our neighborhood!  Magical way to end a horrible night!

Awesome Girl!

I'm so proud of Norah and Ava for going to school today, they could have easily stayed home!  Ulli thinks they're pretty awesome too!  Other than Kyle and the boys, he prefers girls to guys!

Snowed In!

When we woke up this morning, I still couldn't walk and had to clean up the first #2 accident Ulli has had since he was 8 weeks old while Kyle and the kids tried to clear the driveway.  Jack had tried to clear the driveway yesterday after all the snow came, but didn't quite get it done, leaving some snow from yesterday and all the snow from last night AND the snow from the road!  We were seriously snowed in!

After the snowblower broke and a shovel snapped in two, everyone came inside and we had hot chocolate for a bit.  Once recovered, Kyle went back out and fixed the snowblower and the kids went back out to help.  It took over 4 hours to get through the wall of snow at the top and clear the rest of the driveway!  We've never seen snow like this!

After we were in the clear, the girls said they would go to school for the last hour and a half, Ava had a test and a class where she was preparing for the test the next day she needed to be at.  Norah just wanted to make sure she made it to the no missing work party next week!  Such good students!  The boys opted to stay home and watch Brain Games for an hour and a half!  I went to Ogden to pick up Ulli medicine via the canyon both ways because the divide was closed due to an avalanche that trapped a car this weekend.  It was a long day!

Another Rug Down!

We have been slowly integrating our rugs back into the house, thankfully Ulli has been doing well with the rugs already down, so we put down this one in the living room.  I've been counting down all 210  days as we have waited for Ulli to mature.  This weekend, I felt like I moved the couch back in place so many times I was ready to put a rug under it to keep it in place!  Voila!  The rug looks great with all our stuff-no surprise there!  While the girls were sitting around reading we were continuing to get more snow-most snow we've gotten since we moved here!

Once the kids were in bed I was happily working on my hand lettering for about an hour when I got up and realized I had strained a tendon in the top of my foot and couldn't walk!  It was a nightmare to feel so paralyzed by the pain and to feel so helpless and useless!!  I cried myself to sleep and hoped it would take less than 10 days as WebMD described!

Cupcake Warriors

Red velvet cupcakes + a chocolate ganasche filling + cream cheese frosting = a mind blowing flavor explosion!  Jack made these with Kyle for a friend who recently had a birthday and invited him to the party with a cupcake wars theme.  Jack was at Monster Jam and couldn't attend, but sure wished he could have!  I'm pretty sure if Jack were in attendance and made this cupcake, he would have beaten all the competition.

Super Fryer

For Christmas, Kyle got a new deep fat fryer.  It is supposed to be way less messy than our last one.  I threw the last fryer away when I was packing up our Texas house because it was so messy it started to get sticky!  Today we tried out the fryer with some special quesadillas and shredded pork tacos.  Both were so delicious-but so fatty!    It's ok to indulge once in a while, right!?

Roof Snow!

The snow on the roof is almost touching the pile of snow next to the house.  I'm not sure what will happen when it finally touches, but I'm pretty sure the kids are going to get on the roof!

Ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood

We waited around after church for Jack to receive the priesthood!  It was super awesome to see Jack trying to be a better kid since his interview last Sunday with the bishop.  Today Kyle was able to ordain Jack to office of a deacon!  We headed home afterwards to deal with the snow that was still coming down!

A Ton of Powder

We woke up this morning to a ton of snow!  There was more snow than we anticipated, so of course we were running late to church because we had to clear some tracks first!  It's no big deal to be late, but today Jack was getting sustained by the ward!  He was bummed to be late, but we did our best, and the power went out too, so we were all a wet mess!

Monster Jam

The kids went back to school on Thursday after an amazing Christmas break and were pretty bummed they couldn't just spend the rest of their lives going to movies, playing in the snow and skiing!  Thankfully the boys checked out of school early today and test drove a Tesla before going to Monster Jam with Kyle!  Kyle had the volleyballs in his trunks, so the girls and I just went to dinner at Eats of Eden after a trip to the library.  We hung out and painted nails and watched Nim's Island before going to bed.  We all had an easy 2-ish days at school and are looking forward to a great weekend!