Utah According to My Phone

We packed in a lot during our week in Utah. We spent time with family and friends on the lake, we went on hikes and walks, we enjoyed an outdoor concert, and we soaked up down time around the cabin.

I have just a few more things captured by my phone that I don't want to forget.

When we started our road trip there, we picked up Blake and Nash from their Jr. Lifeguard camp at the beach with our fully packed vehicle and immediately hit the road, sandy swimsuits and all. We had planned to only drive half way to Park City since we got a late start, but when the boys kept dozing off, we decided to just keep going. We didn't arrive until around 2am, but sometimes it's nicer to not have to deal with a hotel. 

We always love to see the "roller coaster landmark" near Vegas.

And of course, stunning sunsets from the road.

We met up with good friends from our old neighborhood for dinner one evening, and then paid a surprise visit to another one of our favorite families. Those now grown-up kids used to entertain my wiggly boys every Sunday at church.

We took a break from the lake one day to bring our boys to BYU. They had never really been on a college campus, and it was fun to show them our old stomping grounds.

We showed them the library where Troy used to study for hours and I worked on family history when we were first married. They weren't all that interested in our old study corners, but they were fascinated by the moveable shelves.

We took them through the engineering and business buildings, and ended at the music building. We found some practice pianos for Blake and Nash to play.

We had lots of good discussions on how hard it is to get accepted into a good school. The boys asked question after question and we were happy to get the wheels turning about college.

Another day, we hit up the local small town bowling alley that hasn't changed a bit since the 1960s. The boys were pretty excited when they spotted a ball with my name on it.

The drive home is always dreaded, but we broke up our drive with a few days in Vegas.

Christmas Piano Recital

Nash joined Blake in piano lessons only about six weeks before recital time and he was brave enough to perform a simple version of "Jingle Bells" at his very first piano recital.

Blake performed his Christmas favorite, "Carol of the Bells."

He was also the recipient of a pretty major award. His teacher implemented a year long point system contest. Students could earn points for practicing, coming to lessons prepared, playing with metronome, finishing books, performing in recitals and memorizing music. Blake took this contest very seriously and did whatever he could to earn more points. He ended up winning first place out of 90+ students. It was such an accomplishment and I can't think of a better way to be rewarded than for hard work.

The trophy he was given was no joke.

Nash hadn't been participating long enough in the point system for an award, but he still earned a new student pin that he was pretty excited about.

We were so proud of both boys for pushing through discomfort to do hard things.

Wrapping up the School Year

The end of the school year always feels like a mad dash to the end. There are so many performances, projects, field trips and parties to cram in.

Blake's big end of the year project was to make 50 items to sell at his class's student store. Each student was given fake money to purchase items made by other students. Blake decided to make 50 fidget spinners out of LEGO bricks. We filled up a cup with supplies at The LEGO Store in between Nash's baseball game and Crew getting sent to the ER for his foot infection. Blake and I assembled all 50 fidget spinners in between trips to the hospital. Moral of the story: we should not have procrastinated this project till the day before it was due.

Blake reported that the fidget spinners were a hit; so much so that he raised the price during the course of the student store. What an entrepreneur!

Crew's preschool group took an end of the school year trip to SeaWorld. With $6 admission prices, I decided to pull the older boys out of school and take them along as well.

It was a little nuts keeping everyone happy and together in unfamiliar territory (we usually don't venture outside of Disneyland). I threatened to leave the park multiple times and when we did leave we were dripping wet after riding on some water rides. Despite the frequent want-to-pull-my-hair-out moments, I think we had fun watching the dolphins and whales. Finn especially liked the Bayside Skyride, which was the only moment I felt like capturing the whole day.

You win some, you lose some. Still, it's hard to pass on SeaWorld field trip day and I'm sure we will attend again next year.

Blake wrapped up the year with a piano recital and our sweet frousins came to support him.

Crew graduated from his first year of preschool and we put on a little graduation ceremony.

These boys sure knew how to ham it up in co-op preschool. And wrestle. So much wrestling.

If I was more on top of it, I would have documented Blake and Nash on their last days of third and first grade. But Troy and I were busy shuffling the little boys to their grandparents so we could catch a midnight flight to Thailand. 

None of our offers on houses had been accepted at that point and even though we were nervous about finding a house before our rental contract expired, taking off on an adventure was just what we needed to take a break from all of the hope, heartbreak and frustration. We were so happy to put the last few weeks of school behind us that somehow seemed busier than Christmastime.

Christmas Build Up

December was a whirlwind like always. And since the flurry of activity isn't going anywhere anytime soon, I have made it a point to try to notice the little moments of joy amidst the chaos. There were a handful of peaceful, magical moments this year that I want to remember.

First was Blake's first piano recital. He practiced for months to learn and memorize his piece and showed up the morning of his performance with no nerves, just excitement.

We sat on the wrong side of the stage to see his facial expressions, but he nailed his song.

We unwrapped and read our children's books around the Christmas tree. It is my very favorite tradition; a chance to slow down for a few minutes each night and soak up the spirit of Christmas.

I got my Christmas cards designed, printed and mailed out approximately four days before Christmas. The feeling of dropping stacks of envelopes into the post office box, addressed, stamped and sealed, is unparalleled.

We went Nash's first grade holiday performance at school.

Finn showered him with hugs afterwards.

Crew was the only one to make a gingerbread house this year, thanks to preschool.

He also got to go on a field trip at the fire station with his preschool buddies.

We can always count on Finn to mosey his way in to the group of preschool friends.

There's just something about little boys and firetrucks.

Some of my favorite December moments were unpictured.

Like when Blake shared his favorite candy bar with his brothers that he earned at piano without a thought of hesitation.

Or when Troy had the idea to tell the boys to get their pajamas on and jump in the car. We munched on popcorn while driving to a neighborhood known for Christmas lights and simultaneously listened to a Christmas devotional.

Or when we attended a live nativity narration in an outdoor theater and Crew asked excitedly at the end, "When are we going to have a baby Jesus at our house?"

Or when Nash's primary teacher asked his class, "What did the Wise Men bring to baby Jesus?" and Nash answered, "Gold, peace and...somethin' else."

Or when we gathered up a bunch of friends and walked through a nearby neighborhood filled to the brim with decorated houses. The neighbors rotated who served complimentary hot chocolate each night and it felt so Christmassy. Until Crew knocked over a plastic Santa...

There's so much to do in December and it's impossible to fit it all in. We added a few new activities to our schedule this year and skipped out on a few as well. Somehow, amidst all of the shopping and Amazon Prime deliveries, the routine schoolwork, the bickering among siblings, the extra decorating and the holiday programs and parties, the spirit of Christmas seeped in.

Sometimes I think it would be easier to skip all of the hassle and headache that Christmas often is, but it's those small, fleeting moments when the boys light up and love trumps chaos that make it all worth it.