Showing Up to School with No Shoes

This is the second time this school year we have shown up to school and realized Bryce has no shoes on. Seriously?! I don't even know how this happens--- oh wait I do. Mornings are crazy. Especially lately they have been hard. It's hard to get up and get everyone where they need to be on time. It's even harder to get up when we had been staying up late at least twice a week for basketball games, and then factor in that I have to drive Chloe clear in to town to school, plus makes sure she has everything she needs, and is on time and then get Bryce and I to school/work on time with everything we need, homework, lunches, water bottles, etc. It can be rough, so it's not surprising that one could forget their shoes. And not to mention that in the last week Bryce has gotten two tardies-UGH! Hopefully we can survive the next few weeks of basketball season, but then it's not likely to improve as softball season starts up!

New Year New Goals

I have been trying to decide on some new years goals. I didn't want to have too many like I did last year and not really achieve much of anything and I want them to be measurable and attainable. So I have decided to choose just a few and then work on them for three months and then either keep working on them or choose new ones if they have been met.

The three goals I have chosen are

1.To strive to read the Lesson material for church on Sunday and also hold dedicated family time to discuss and teach the material. As a family we have decided on a family minute (about 10 minutes of less) twice a week on Monday and Wednesday nights. And then also family time every Sunday morning at 10:00. Family activities will happen throughout the week or sometimes have something bigger or more structured planned on the weekends.

2. 12 Weeks to a happier and healthier me. I have joined a health/weight loss coach and her group and am hoping after the 12 week program I will not only be happy and healthier, but also have achieved my ideal weight or at least be closer to it. I plan to listen to the podcasts every week and diligently try to put what I am being taught into practice. It's not easy for me. I know I'm not at a happy or healthy weight for me, but most of what I need to lose (because it's not a lot) is more of a mental thing for me, so I am trying to work through this.

3. Focus on Bryce's Needs-what can I do to help him eat better? Brain Balance exercises more regularly, make him lick of smell new food items daily, more sensory input. I don't know exactly what but probably a combination and just try to make a more conscious effort especially since our insurance is no longer paying for his eating therapy.

Here's to a new year, new goals, and new possibilities!

Family Reunion and New Years

Each year Landon's family has a family reunion (or get together) with all of his siblings and parents. Each year a different family takes a turn being in charge. For 2018 our family was in charge. We decided to do it at the end of the year after Christmas and into the New Year, so we actually ended up having it in 2018 and 2019. Normally they plan something during the summer at a lake or the mountains, but we thought it would be fun to do something a little bit different and have it in the winter at a ski resort.

We found and rented a cabin in Brian Head, Utah.  It was big enough accommodate everyone. Each family had one room and then the kids all slept in the common areas or in a bedroom with their parents. Our room had a bunk-bed in addition to a queen size so Bryce slept on that. He doesn't love being in big groups for long periods and needed some time to himself at nights so it worked out well.

 We planned some winter activities, but also left lots of free time for people to just hang out and enjoy each others company.

One of the activities was skiing. Many of the family sat this one out because they had a lot of young kids, weren't interested, or didn't want to pay the steep Holiday ski prices, but I think everyone who did go had fun. Bryce and Trevor only lasted half of the day, but I think the rest of us skied or snow boarded most of the day. I wish we would have gotten a big group picture, but we didn't. Chloe got a season pass for Christmas so she was able to go snowboarding several times during our stay instead of just the one planned time.

Bryce was exhausted after a day on the slopes and found a place to take a nap.

Another activity we planned was tubing for everyone. The day we had tickets for tubing it snowed all day and didn't stop. We still went even with the less than desirable weather conditions. I think most of the kids still had fun, despite the snowstorm. Not sure about the adults. Bryce only lasted for about 3 times down the hill before he was frozen and ready to sit in the truck for the remainder of the outing. It definitely would have been a more fun had it not been snowing, but you take what life gives you, and the Starbucks white chocolate hot cocoa at the local lodge wasn't anything to complain about to help warm us up.

Landon catching some air on the tubing hill. 

On New Years Eve we played some games including our annual white elephant gift exchange.We also ate a lot of food. I think most of the adults went to bed before midnight, but the kids had no problem ringing in the new year.

It was a fun get together. I would be lying if I said it was perfect. Whenever you get that many people together there are bound to be some problems and unfortunately that was the case. Chloe sassed one of her aunts and kind of stirred things up. They got blown out of proportion, and things were said and done that hurt peoples feelings. We had a meeting to try and work things out, but I still think several people left, myself included, not feeling like things were really resolved, or with their feelings hurt. I think in the future things will be okay it just takes time to let things go a little bit and then hopefully everyone can move on.

Overall though things went good and I really do think that for the most part people had fun-especially the kids. They always love spending time with their cousins.

We took this fun then and now shot of them all. HA!

Then took another one to add in those kids missing from the original. That's a lot of kids under one roof!!