Saturday, April 1, 2023 (Recap of March)

                 March is a fun month because Tim and Teagan both have birthdays.  The tradition on our house is that each child gets a party until they are in 7^th grade.  By then, they plan and decide what they want to do with their friends because the parents are out of touch with what is “cool.”  Teagan celebrated his 11^th birthday at Layton’s Surf ‘n’ Swim.  It was a lot of fun.  Too bad the place was short on tubes.  We had to wait and watch when a tube was returned and then a child would go and get it.  Eventually all the kids had a tube and had a good time.  We also had cake and ice cream.  Xadia made Teagan’s cake.  It was a chocolate tiered cake with blue frosting.  It was very good.  Xadia is becoming quite the little baker.  Teagan got a lot of money and sour gummies.  He loves to eat those types of candies.

                We have a flock of wild turkeys that wander our neighborhood.  They have a favorite spot where they like to look for food and hangout.  When Jacinda brings home extra rice from work, we take it to the turkey spot and dump it.  Here are Max Murdock and Teagan dumping a bag of rice.  The other day, I spotted to turkeys eating the rice while the tom turkey overlooked.  It is so fun to see them.

                Jacinda does a great job as the stage manager for Bountiful High School.  I got the opportunity to ride the bus with her and some students to Box Elder High School to watch the one act competition.  The BHS students did a piece based on WW2 and the Jews versus the nazis.  It was an intense piece and heart wrenching.  To this day, I still cannot understand how some people can be so mean to others.  Box Elder High School did a one act from Antigone.  They did a great job with using people as scenery.  Northridge High School did an original act written by one of their own students based on a song called, “Sarah Barry.”  It was a comical murder act.  It was very unusual.  Jacinda saw a lot her friends from the different schools.  When I got home later that night, I was wiped out even though I was just a spectator.

                Teagan performed in his school play, “The Wizard of Oz.” He played Zeke, a farm hand along with a lot of other characters.  It was a lot of fun to watch, and he did such a good job.  One of my favorite lines he stated was, “You couldn’t forget my face, could you?”  When he delivered that line, he would get down on one knee, put his chin on his fist, and bat his eyelashes.  It was so funny.  Nana H and Grandma Margaret were able to attend and support Teagan.  They love him so much.

Saturday, April 1, 2023 (Recap of Feb.)

              February came and went and I slacked with updating my journal blog.  So here are a few pictures from February and what occurred.  Teagan and I attended symphony hall for a field trip.  It was a fun experience.  They highlighted African American classical music.  I was not familiar with any of the composers, but I did enjoy learning about them.

Fozzie is showered with love in our house.  However, his fur and snow do not mix well.  Fozzie’s fur is so thick and matted it is attracting snowballs.  When he comes inside from the cold, his legs are coated with small snowballs and they get tracked all over the house.  Xadia took it upon herself to shave Fozzie.  She loves making him look like a new dog.  Fozzie is now hairless and likes to stay near things that make him warm like the couch.  He does not like wearing his dog capes.  He will rub against the couches to remove them.  He is so funny.

February is the month of Valentines.  I asked Xadia to clean the girl’s bathroom.  After she finished, I checked her work and found this folded towel.  She had made a heart out of the towels.  I thought is was so cute, I had to take a picture.

Sunday, January 29, 2023

                I love having our neighbor boys over.  They like to play in the ball pit.  One is searching for treasure and the other is pretending to cooks something.  Their imaginations are limitless.  It is always so interesting to see what is on their minds and what they are interested in doing.

               Each night I try to have a family meal.  Unfortunately, not everyone agrees with what is being served.  So at the beginning of each week, I ask what they would like for dinner.  This past week, Tim’s request of baked tortellini was a big hit.  To help the kids think of meals, I have put together a list/slide show of meal ideas.  I hope they will use this and get some good ideas.

               Xadia and Teagan like to wrestle with dad and Fozzie the dog.  Here they are having a good time on a Sunday afternoon getting all riled just before I go down for a nap.  These kids are so funny.  If Teagan has a chance, he will pass gas and buttercup dad.  It is so unbelievable what these kids would do.  I would never have imagined such things.  When I bring it up to Tim, he says, “that’s what boys do.”

               Seth and Jacinda are such good friends.  One of the things they like to do is play unmatched games.  I played the game once.  It was fun but I don’t think I could ever play it as much as Seth and Jacinda.  I am so glad they have fun together playing board games.

               Fozzie has long fur and it has become matted with dreadlocks.  He loves to run outside in the snow and track it inside the house.  He gets snowballs on his legs because the snow clings to his fur.  It is so funny and annoying because he will jump on the couch and try to be next to us but he is full of snow.  We don’t want to be wet and cold.  So Fozzie has to stay on the floor which is hard for him because he likes to snuggle with the family.  He has been a good dog for our family.

               One of Teagan’s and Tim’s goals this year is to roller skate backwards.  He bought a pair of rollerblades, and we went to the Onion Parkway Trail.  Tim and Teagan roller bladed while Xadia rode the scooter, and I walked the dog.  Halfway on our walk, Xadia and Teagan switched so they each got a turn on the scooter and the rollerblades.  Fozzie was having a great time saying “hi” to all the dogs and watching the horses on the trail.

               Fozzie is so spoiled.  He will jump on the massage table and Xadia will come to his beckoning call and give him a massage.  I did not believe my own eyes, so I had to take a picture to capture it.  What a rough dog life.

               McCabe got asked to Valentine’s dance by Zoey.  She gave him a poster that said, “Roses are red and pizza sauce is too, I would love to go to sweethearts with you.”  She gave him a little Caesars pizza and a box of peanut butter cups.  He was happy and started working on his response.

               Jacinda received an award this past week for being student of the month.  But it should be called student of the year.  The teachers select one student out of all their classes and highlight them.  Mrs. Mcgarry, the theater teacher selected Jacinda for her kindness and assertiveness and positive attitude to get things done.  It was so wonderful to have her be spotlighted.  The office staff even agreed with Mrs. Mcgarry and complimented Jacinda on who she was.  We had a nice breakfast catered by Chik-fil-A and a nice visit with Mrs. Mcgarry.

Sunday, January 15, 2023

          Christmas was a lot of fun.  We had lots of family parties.  It started with Sasha’s side of the family.  We had our annual cultural Christmas dinner where we have food from a different country.  This year is was a the Netherlands.  There were lots of potatoes (stamp pot), stroop waffles, apple pie, split pea soup, steak in gravy, sausage, and lots of candy.  We learned about Sinter Claus and how he lives in the middle of Spain and arrives to the Netherlands by boat.  

    Tim thought it would be fun to play a game of wrapping the nieces and nephews in saran wrap and give a prize to the person who could get out first.  Kate was the winner.  She got out of her saran wrap jacket in a matter of seconds.  We also did the caga tio.  A tradition from Spain that we have carried on for a few years.  Blake Stubbs seemed to have enjoyed receiving candy from the log.

The Stubbs and the Fishers hung out with us for Christmas.  It was so fun to have so many people in the house.  We did a lot of activities.  We went skiing, hot tubbing, arcade playing, the polar plunge, and sledding.  Everyone got along so well and no one got sick.  Funny thing happened with the gift exchange, Chris and Tricia gave us the same thing we gave them, a bag of Utah mint chocolates.  It was a fun and yummy surprise.

This year for Christmas gifts, the family got a shirt with a picture of Fozzie and the saying they always say to him.  Tim’s was, “No one even likes you.”  Jacinda’s was, “I love this dog.”  McCabe’s was, “Fozzie Baby!” Xadia’s was, “Stinky Dinky.” And Teagan’s was, “Fozzie, ear scratchy time.”  Since mom ordered the shirts, she did not get one for herself but the company happened to send a duplicate of McCabe’s shirt which just happens to fit her.

It was sad to see the families go home but we had some good laughs.  Ethan bought about $600 worth of Christmas lights (retail value) and a 50% off.  He was so happy he got them on sale.  They filled the cargo cart on the top of their car.  Amy bought some disc sleds and those were strapped inside to the roof of the car.  Lance had to tilt his head just so he could fit in the back seat.  They had no room in their car.  It was making me laugh so hard because they had a 22 hour driving trip and it did not look comfortable.

Everyone made it home safely.  The kids started back in school.  Xadia had oral surgery one day before school started and that did not put her out.  She was a champ just living off Motrin and milkshakes.  Xadia got braces just before Christmas break and they found that 2 adult teeth had not descended, so the doctor had to pull her 2 baby teeth and put a bracket on her adult teeth.  Now the orthodontist is pulling down the teeth.  He says it will take about 6 months before they are in the correct place.  She is tough and dealing quite well with the pain.

I got to go on a field trip with Teagan.  We went to a movie about the Galapagos Islands.  It showcased a biologist how she studies the plant and animal life there.  It was a 3-D movie.  Some of the kids (including Teagan) would occasionally reach out and see if they could touch a wave, a rock, or an animal in the movie.  That was very entertaining for me.

My latest home project is updating the cushions on our couches to match the room.  The previous cushions were like a southwestern pattern with gold, black, and blue trying to blend in a traditional home.  I removed the southwestern fabric and replaced it with the blue suede type fabric.  It looks much better.

Tuesday, October 16, 2022

                October 6^th, we got the pad poured for our hot tub.  This is somewhat unique because the hot tub will be partially in the ground.  It is a really nice set up, we just need to build a platform around it so no one falls in the cavity.

               It has been hard dealing with the fact that Bo Hola, Andrew Tuitavake, and Losina Sekona stole money from us.  We held up our end of the contract and paid for items to be completed and they walked away with the money.  I try each day not to let it get to me but it is hard knowing that there are dishonest people who take advantage of others and then try to justify their actions.  One thing that amazes me is how refined their scheme has become over the course of 2 years since their first victim of Hola Construction.  Andrew Tuitavake has been honing his thieving craft since 2009. https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/andrew-tuitavake/salt-lake-city-utah-84104/andrew-tuitavake-andrew-siaki-lolohea-tuitavake-defaulted-on-a-promissary-note-to-the-am-541306

I also noted that there are 4 warrants for his arrest.  https://secure.utah.gov/warrants/index.html He has made a career out of stealing.  In 2021, he conspired with his sister-in-law Losina Sekona.  She opened a shell company under his direction where she deposits checks and then gives him access to spend the money towards his discretion.  I wonder if they will ever be caught?

               Teagan had to do a biography report.  He chose Confucius.  He read a book about his life and then drew his picture.  He then cut out the face so he could pretend to be Confucius and tell his life story.  His report went well.

               Xadia had a birthday and I got to bring her pizza and balloons to her school.  She was not very excited about the balloons and asked that I take them home, so she does not have to carry them with her all day.  I was a little bummed but could understand.  I put them in her room.  One is still barely floating today at the foot of her bed.  For her birthday present, she received a dehydrator.  She dried bananas and strawberries as an after school snack.

               Xadia loves Fozzie.  She had a photo shoot on my bed with him.  Here is one of the photos.  That poor dog is such a good sport to go along with Xadia’s crazy ideas.

               Tim had his annual Lagoon workday.  We ate lunch and then went on some rides.  We had the sweet opportunity to give away 2 all day passes to some unexpecting patrons.  We just happened to choose a girl who was going there for her birthday.  Her mom was so happy and she almost started crying.  It felt good to be of service.

               Once a month I teach masters of music at the elementary school.  This past month, the kids learned about Aaron Copeland.  At the end of the lesson, a girl gave me a picture she drew.  It was me.  I thought it was very sweet and appreciate her talents and efforts to give such a gift.

               For Halloween, Teagan was Pepsi man and Kade was the Liberty Mutual insurance agent.  Fozzie was a hot dog.  The kids got a lot of candy and were able to swim in the hot tub after a night of ringing doorbells.

I have been busy fixing costumes and making vines and leaves for Bountiful High School’s Little Shop of Horrors production.  I am really pleased with how everything turned out.  We saw the play last night and it was well done.  Mrs. Mcgarry does a good job and holds those kids to high standards.  Here is a picture of the vines and leaves I made for Audrey 2. 

               As I was busy in the craft room making costumes, Teagan decided he wanted to make a blanket.  I took a moment to teach Teagan how to sew.  He made a nice black and red flannel blanket.  It keeps him very warm and I am so pleased that he is somewhat familiar with a sewing machine.

Thursday, October 7, 2022

       Friday, September 9^th, I was able to go on a field trip with Xadia.  We went to the state fair.  I was a chaperone of 7 kids.  We walked around and saw the artwork and animals.  Xadia got kissed by a llama and sniffed by a goat.  It was a lot of fun.  We bought some BBQ corn nuts so she (and others) could try them.  They were not a big hit among the kids.

McCabe is a full bag of chips and all that.  He went to homecoming with Rachel McMurray.  They had a lot of fun.  They went to Cross E ranch and the pumpkin patch.  From there it was dinner and pictures.  Nielsen’s frozen custard catered the meal.  Then they went to the dance and later watched a movie and ate custard.  He had a fun time.  I got to take the pictures.  The kids were so willing to do silly poses and serious poses.  McCabe has a good group of friends.

McCabe is in a time of life when he is discovering his body.  Every mirror needs a chance to see him flex.  I was trying to secretly get a photo but then he saw me, so he turned and started flexing for the camera.  Needless to say, McCabe is pretty pleased with his body.

     September 22^nd, Tim woke up at 4:30 a.m. with a lot of pain.  Of course, he let me sleep.  However, when I woke at 7:00 a.m. he was hunched over in pain.  I got the kids off to school and then took Tim to the emergency room.  He had a kidney stone.  It was about 2 millimeters big and causing a tremendous amount of pain.  He got the medicine he needed and 24 hours later, he passed the stone.  I am glad it passed but it was so hard seeing him in so much pain.

September 25^th, was Xadia’s friend’s birthday.  Because it was Sunday, we could not go shopping so she made her some caramel apples.  They turned out so good.  Some had chocolate chips, others had sprinkles, and some had chopped snickers.  She is becoming quite the little chef.

Ethan and Lowen Stubbs visited for the weekend so they could attend conference.  It just happened to be my birthday and it was so fun to celebrate.  Ben and Caleb Fisher also stopped by on their way up to Idaho.  However, I got sick but that did not deter the kids from making me feel special.  Teagan made some fabulous eggs.  I had to take out my cough drop and put it on the plate so I could enjoy them.  Xadia added extra chocolate shavings to the cake to make it extra special.  We ate dinner at Nana Hansen’s house with my siblings.  It was a great day.  When I got home, the family gave me mindy mints and a container of praline pecans.  Thinking about a conversation I had with Teagan, he asked, “how do you stay so skinny?” I told him I eat healthy and exercise but now I might need to change that statement because I am going to pig out on my birthday treats.

     I was also able to have a birthday lunch with my childhood friend Kerianne.  It has been a fun tradition to each lunch with her each year to celebrate both of our birthdays since we were born a week apart.  We ate at El Matador.  I love their chips and salsa.

       Jacinda has a friend going to beauty school.  Jacinda decided to become her client and get some color to her hair.  It is kinda fun seeing what happens when Jacinda returns from her appointment.  Here she is with some fuchsia hair.  I think it looks good and suits her well.

Sunday, September 4, 2022

      School started two weeks ago.  The kids are comfortable with their schedules.  Jacinda is a senior in High School.  She is excited for her A.P. art class and to start production of the play "Little Shop of Horrors."  Here she is on her first day of school.  Fozzie wants to join her and have some of her toast.

      McCabe is now in high school (10th grade).  He is loving 10th grade.  He has made a lot of new friends.  He recently asked Rachel to home coming.  He also gave a talk in church regarding his experience at FSY.  He is getting so big.  He is going to be a great missionary one day.

      Xadia started 7th grade at the Jr. High.  She was a little lost at orientation finding her classes but now she is a pro.  She has lots of friends in her classes.  She does not have a favorite class, however, she likes having gym because it makes up for missing recess.

     Teagan is in 5th grade.  He is all alone in elementary school.  He was a little worried about not having any siblings at the school but he has adjusted beautifully.  He is a big helper to his teacher who is having a hard time right now because her husband needs a new kidney.  On the first day of school, he gave his teacher a Mickey Mouse stuffed animal because she loves anything Disney.  I get the opportunity to walk to school with Teagan and friends.  We had a conversation about super powers.  He told me that my super power was cleaning.  I thought that was funny and worth mentioning.

    Teagan also loves to cook.  Yesterday, he made some creme brulee.  We tried it today and it was fantastic!  We used a blow torch from the garage to make the sugar on top crispy.  What a yummy treat!