Rice Krispie Face

Desh helped me make Rice Krispie Treats today and I think he got more on his face than in his mouth...

 

Elder and Sister Losee

Today Elder and Sister Losee headed off to Heber Valley Camp to start their mission!  They have been preparing and working for months to be ready to go and the day is finally here.  They are going to be such great missionaries and we are so grateful for their example to us all.

 

Hale Center Theatre

We love having tickets to Hale Center Theater as a family.  It's always a fun date night and I love trying all the new shows that I've never seen.  This one in particular was good and really funny.  And funniest thing about tonight?  I got called up on the stage and had to DANCE! Can you believe one of my worst nightmares actually happened?  It was embarrassing and I looked like an idiot.  But the rest of the play was good :)

 

Rugby trip

We did a crazy thing and took a quick girls weekend to Oakland!  Taysan was playing Rugby against Cal and Melissa floated the idea of us all going together and somehow it all worked right into our schedules just like that!  I love when things come together quick and easy and it's just so fun.  We had the best time watching Tay play, but also eating yummy food and laughing so hard into the night that I can't even remember what time we went to bed.  I love these ladies so much.  Thanks for the fun trip!

 

February trip to PR - Day 9

Our last day was filled with final paint fixes and putting the final touches on the upstairs.  It turned out looking soooo good and we're so happy to have this part of the house looking so much like a real home!  Josh always like to trim the yard before we go, knowing that it will be a while before we're back to do it again.  

And our final pic before we left for the airport is now becoming a traditional picture as we can see the progress we've made with each trip.  One day we'll take this same picture and the house will be completely done!

Our trip home consisted of game boys, treats and a freezing cold flight to Arizona where we had our layover.  Unfortunately we're all dressed for the tropics so we didn't have anything to cover up with except our own shirts.  I don't remember a colder flight I've ever been on! Back home to the cold weather we go.

February trip to PR - Day 8

Today was gray paint day upstairs and we worked hard rolling and rolling and rolling all over those walls up there. The kids just kept working and it was, as the girls would say, “so satisfying” to see how the walls changed as we painted. We wanted to get one full coat of paint on this morning so it could dry during the day. We cranked up the country music and worked our tails off for a good 4 hours getting it all done. The color turned out great and I think will make it all look like a good neutral base color for now. 

After we got the walls done we took a break while the paint dried. Kim and Hector invited us over to swim in between renters at their house and we gladly took them up on their offer! Their pool and yard is so fun and beautiful and it was a perfect day to be at the pool. 

After we got back from the pool the girls had some homework to do and the boys got a tournament of speed going. I started back upstairs to tape along the ceiling so we could finish up with the gray trim tonight. We wanted to try and get it all done before we leave and now that we’re so close, we felt the push to just get it wrapped up. We worked until about 10:30 tonight taping and painting and removing tape and touching up. And then we called it a day because we were just exhausted. Tomorrow morning we’ll check it all out and see how we did…

February trip to PR - Day 7

After a day off yesterday, we felt the push to get back to painting and we’re still hoping to get to a good stopping place before we have to head home. We taped and cleaned around the edges outside and were able to get the whole upstairs painted before the end of the day! It looks just incredible! We love the color and the contrast with the white windows and doors looks so great! I can’t wait until the whole house is done. But the rest is for another trip I’m afraid. 

We also painted the rest of the ceilings inside to get ready for painting walls tomorrow. The white ceilings will be a nice touch with the gray that we chose for the inside walls. I’m so excited to see how it all looks! Josh fired up the pressure washer to get the outside walls clean but it didn’t last long when we realized that the city water had gone out and we didn’t want to use up all the water in the cistern. You never know how long the city will have the water off so better to be safe than sorry! We also had a few hours today with the power off so we opted to roll the rest of the paint on since we couldn’t use the sprayer. It actually turned out great and looks just as good. 

Overall a successful day and we’re oh so close to getting done with the upstairs paint! 

February trip to PR - Day 6

Today we took a day off and headed out to culebra to spend the day and sleep overnight in our hammocks. As always the ride over on the ferry seems to be pretty bumpy but today was especially so. Almost all of us were white and clammy and about ready to lose our breakfast by the time we got there. Luckily we made it there in just enough time to get some fresh air and help out stomachs feel better. We took a taxi straight to Flamenco Beach and spent the afternoon soaking in the sun and the sand. It was glorious and warm and just absolutely beautiful! The kids love boogie boarding out there cause the waves are so big. And I don’t mind it because the shallow shore goes out so far that I don’t feel like I need to worry quite so much :) We had such a fun afternoon on the beach together! A couple of the tiendas are now open and we snacked on some French fries and pina coladas before they closed for the evening. 

We swam and played until the sun went down and the boys even got a skinny dip in before we headed for the showers. A shower and a fresh pair of clothes before bed was just what we all needed. It felt so good to be clean! We found a spot in the trees and set up our hammocks and bug nets. Most every tree had an upper and lower hammock hanging from it and we stacked them all perfectly so that we could fit all nine of us in the small grove together. Of course as soon as it’s dark the only thing to do is go to bed so we all sacked out pretty early after a fun day of playing on the beach. Most of us slept really well until a small rainstorm passed right over the beach and our camp and woke us up for a few minutes. It was only two or three minutes of rain but it was enough to get those of us on the “upper decks” to get wet. Luckily the rain came and went quickly and, though we were a little wet, we went back to sleep with no problem. The morning came early and we packed up camp to catch the 7:30 ferry. We had a fun and successful night on the beach and Flamenco remains one of our favorite places in all of the Caribbean! 

February trip to PR - Day 5

Today was an excellent day of painting for us! We painted all the ceilings inside and out white and it looks awesome! Seriously so good. I love seeing the all white and how it makes such a contrast to everything else. Love it!

The kids worked hard scraping and sanding old edges on the walls and ceilings and gathering lizards. To quote my mother in law “Many hands make light work” and we’ve found that to be true! Things have moved along pretty quickly this week with so many helpers. Josh filled in some holes and cracks in the concrete and then we moved inside with the sprayer to paint the ceilings in there. We did every thing except one room before the paint ran out. Back to Home Depot tomorrow for more paint I guess. 

We did decide on the color for the outside and went with the lighter of the two colors, Seafoam. While the ceilings were being sprayed inside, the Seafoam green was being rolled on outside. Everyone pitched in and then Josh came around behind them and cleaned it all up and made it look amazing. Oh my word the color turned out so good!! We all love it. We still need to finish around edges tomorrow after the rest of this is dry and we can tape, but for now we just admire the color on the walls and love every bit of it! Obviously there’s still so much more to paint but it’s so fun to get to this point with a small portion of the house. 



Another trip to the beach tonight to celebrate all our work! We love that we can get there in 10 minutes and spend an hour or two or however long we want. Tonight was just to get out of the house and try to wash all the paint away that we’ve accumulated all over our bodies! 

February trip to PR - Day 4

Josh took a turn with the full body suit and mask today as he got started with the spray gun. He was a champ and did most of the spraying inside while the kids each helped roll on some of the primer. We figure while we have all these hands we might as well make good use of them! Of course after being here for a couple days we’re all riddled with mosquito bites. Yikes. The kids all look like they have chicken pox!

Another day of painting in the books and we’re hoping for some actual paint tomorrow. We basically stop at Home Depot daily and get supplies we need for the day. It always takes more of everything to get a big job done and we’ve run out of rollers and primer and tape so far. We’ll stock up a little better for this next go! We’re still debating on the color for the outside but have narrowed it down to two colors. Both light turquoise but one is just a tiny bit darker than the other. Tomorrow we need our decision made so we’re taking a poll…

February trip to PR - Day 3

We picked up cute Dru today from the airport and she’s going to spend the next few days here with us! We’re so excited to have her and of course we put her to work right away. Taping and covering the outside windows was first then we fired up the paint sprayer and got to work with that. We decided to do a coat of primer first since there are so many different surfaces going on everywhere. Some old paint, some bare concrete and lots of areas that have been patched up make it all so different that we figured having primer on there would equal out all the surfaces at once. It’s amazing how fast that sprayer goes and what a good job it does! And it looks so much different having the walls all one color. We haven’t ever seen them all one color and it already makes it looks so nice. I can’t wait to see it with the paint on! 

This afternoon we took off for the beach while josh had a couple work calls to be on. Because we’re 3 hours ahead of utah time, Josh has lots of free time in the morning but then ends up working until later in the evening when we’re here. It’s all ok and we were ready for a nice break anyway. We ended up at Playa Azul and Dru told me that this is the first time she’s ever been to the beach! We had a great night and stayed until the sun went down. It was a beautiful way to end the day. 

February trip to PR - Day 2

This morning started out a little slow as we found out that the van wouldn’t start at 5:00 am when we tried to leave for the gym. There must have been a light left on since we were last here and ran the battery out. So josh and I gladly climbed back into bed for a couple more hours until we could get someone up here to jump the van for us. Hector came to our rescue later on this morning and then Josh took it in for a new battery. Fit as a fiddle now but we got a late start on our work at the house because of it. This trip we’re hoping to get done painting so first things first, we taped and covered windows. That’s a big job and always takes longer that it should! But we got it done and ready for paint! 

The plumbers also came today and, would you believe it, they got our hot water heater hooked up!! I was the first one to break it in and took a nice long hot shower tonight. It was heavenly! It’s so crazy to think how much has changed since we first started working on the house. So many months without hot water makes me so grateful to actually have it! 

February trip to PR - Day 1

This February trip has been on the calendar for a long time now! We got some really cheap flights months ago and bought tickets for the whole family. It’s finally here and we’re excited! We had an overnight layover in Dallas this time so got a hotel room for us all to squish in and get some sleep. We ordered takeout and watched the Olympics before we all crashed into our beds! While we waited for our flight the next morning, Beck pulled out a tooth! And then wondered if the tooth fairy would find him all the way in Puerto rico? We were so glad to get there this morning and remind ourselves how much we love our house! It’s been 8 months since the girls have been back and they were especially excited to get here :)

The boys promptly found their machetes and started chopping down weeds around the yard and chasing lizards. Then they moved to the field behind us and dug up some plants that they wanted to plant in our yard. They dug them up and planted them in the “perfect spot” around our yard and finished off with a bath on the back patio.  They have settled right into the routine! 

We ended the night with scrambled eggs for dinner (we didn’t quite make it to the grocery store yet) and a Hardy Boys book before bed. We are tired and ready to get some rest before we start our day tomorrow. 

Ski Races

Desh had his ski race today for Little Rippers.  He's so dang cute on his skis and does such a good job staying in control while still picking up some good speed.  He has loved his class this year and always has his older brothers cheering him on!

 

Young Women's Winter Retreat

This weekend we had a special getaway with our Young Women at a cabin up near Strawberry Reservoir.  It was such a fun winter retreat for all of us girls to be together!  We had a glow dance party and played tons of games including a winter olympics that Rhen and I were in charge of.  Rhen has been on the planning committee for the retreat and they have worked so hard to pull this event off.  It turned out to be such a fun weekend together with lots of bonding time!

 

Art expo

The elementary had an art expo today and we got to walk around and see what the kids have been working on this year.  They also had classrooms with all sorts of STEM activities that my boys thought we super fun.  We got caught in this classroom making shapes of all sorts!

 

Liev's 11th birthday!

It's Liev's birthday!  And like usual we try and get up to the mountains and ski for his big day! This year his birthday fell on a Saturday so we were already headed up to ski for lessons anyway.  But we made a day out of it and had a great day together!  Later we had cake and ice cream with the family and opened presents.  He was surprised about his ipod shuffle that we got him and also super excited! Seriously can't believe this boy is 11 already...

My favorite things about 11 year old Liev:

1) Liev is so kind hearted.  Sometimes it's hard to tell when he's fighting with his brothers...but truly, deep down he is just kind and thoughtful.  Always the first one to compliment anyone and help out around the house.  

2) Liev loves art.  He has started doing a lot of drawing and doodling and is getting really good at it!  He loves to color and makes all his school projects look so nice with lots of colors and drawings.  He is a creative one which is certainly something he didn't get from his mother.  Totally admire him for this talent!

3) Liev is an amazing skier.  He loves it with his whole soul and wants to just do and try everything he can.  He likes to ski fast and hard and at times looks like he may be out of control, but he actually really isn't.  He's totally got everything figured out and just trying to push his limits.  I LOVE watching this boy on the mountain and seeing what he can do.

11 year old stats from Dr. Erickson:

Height: 5'1" - 89%

Weight: 84 lbs. 14 oz. - 54%

BMI: 16.1 - 25%

I am in awe that we have an 11 year old boy in our house.  He is fun and active and creative and adventurous.  I just sure love everything about him.  Happy Birthday my boy!

 

Desh's Snacks

Desh comes with me in the mornings when I play basketball since he has afternoon kindergarten this year.  He always comes super prepared with snacks for the day...

 

Lost a tooth!

Mr. Beck lost his very front tooth today!  Love this window smile look whenever the kids lose a front tooth!

 

January in PR

All Josh wanted for his birthday was a trip for just the two of us to PR.  So we found a time that we could sneak down and get some work done just on our own!  After we booked our tickets, our good friends the Browns also wanted to join us so they found some tickets and came along with us!  Josh and I got there a day earlier so we had a day to get a few things prepped before Jared and Nicole got there.  We had Juan Garai, our window and door guy, scheduled to come and put our kitchen window in that very first day.  He does such great work and it was amazing watching that window go in and see how much it added to the space.  So excited for this to be in!  

We also found a friendly snake stretched out in the laundry room by the dryer just trying to keep warm.  We shooed him out of the house but let him go cause he was harmless.  Cute little guy.

Josh trimmed the yard and we checked out the progress of our new plants that we put in last time we were there.  Everything is coming along!

I wish I could say that Jared and Nicole had a really relaxing time while they were with us but they actually got right to work and helped us A TON with some projects.  Last time we were there we had taken the rest of the tile off the bathroom walls.  It was stacked nicely in a pile ready to go out to the garbage and we got to work on that crazy pile.  Jared was a champ and hauled all that tile down on his back while Nicole and I shoveled it into bags for him.  I thought our job was hard enough, but I can't even imagine hauling it down the stairs and out to the street - about a hundred times!  Thanks Jared!

After the tile was out, we hosed the whole house and squeegeed out the water.  And just like that, we're ready for paint next time we're there!  They were such a huge help getting the last big things done for us.  

Other big news: Our water heater was finally installed and after all this time, we could finally take a warm shower!  Josh still prefers the cold water but not me.  I can take a warm shower anytime!  And our friend Edgardo worked hard on our plumbing upstairs.  He's getting the shower and toilet drains all figured out for us so we can get water running up there as soon as we can.  

We did take a fun trip over to Culebra and Flamenco Beach the last day we had with Jared and Nicole.  We love it over there and took our hammocks and bug nets to stay the night.  It was a gorgeous night and we sat out underneath the stars just the four of us chatting into the night.  Josh and Jared had us all set up in a great spot underneath the trees to sleep and we only got sprinkled on for just a minute in the middle of the night.  Not enough to keep us up too long.  Such a beautiful beach with some great friends! 

We LOVED having Jared and Nicole with us on our trip and we got so much done on the house that needed to be done for next time.  We're headed down in February with the kids and hoping to get started on paint right away.  The house project is sure coming along!

 

Ski week Day 5

Our last day of ski week and we were ready to roll bright and early today! We got to crest right as the lifts opened and met up with John Robinson who skied with us for the morning. What a treat to spend the morning skiing with that guy! We stuck to the groomers most and had a fun morning switching off who was in charge of a run and then following them to the end of the run together! I love watching all these kids of mine just tear it up while I’m watching from behind. THE COOLEST. 

After a few runs and right about when we all needed a hot chocolate break, we took one and got back to the cabin for a quick breather. It was time…Brighton Derby year 2 was about to start. 

We laid out the rules (everyone has to ride each lift in the resort, reporting in with Walkie talkies on each lift, no speeding etc) and talked through any minor details we were missing. And then it was time for the lineup! Josh threw a wrench in it right at the end and said that last years winner (Rease) would have a 2 minute delay after everyone goes before she can start her race. She took the news well and everyone planned their strategy how to get through the whole resort the fastest. And then off the hall went! Desh and I stayed at the cabin and waited for each one to check in through Walkie talkie and had fun trying to guess who was in first place and who would need up there! Halfway through I was sure that Liev was going to win. Then out of nowhere Keen pulled ahead and had just the two small lifts to go (magic carpet and explorer). But in a whoosh of flying snow and a tumble to cross the finish line, there was Rease! Taking first place for the second year in a row! She was very shortly followed by Liev then Rhen and then even more shortly after that was Keen, who had gotten stuck in a long line at Explorer or else I’m sure he would have won the whole thing! Dad and Beck came just a minute after and just like that they were all back! It is such a fun and friendly competition for the kids and something they look forward to. Josh made a podium and we had the awards ceremony soon after. Those kids up there on the podiums were so hilarious and funny to watch as they stood there getting their prizes. Nice job to everyone that participated again! Next year we can’t let Rease win again…

Race times for this year we’re:

Rease - 1 hour 20 minutes

Liev - 1 hour 25 minutes

Rhen - 1 hour 26 minutes

Keen - 1 hour 26 1/2 minutes

Beck/Dad - 1 hour 30 minutes 

As we packed up to go and leave this magical place on the mountain we looked around at the beautiful mountains and counted our blessings that this week can be ours once a year. It’s a time for fun and learning, laughing and jumping and snow spraying and most of all lots of memory making. And we’re so grateful that we got to do all those things in just a few short days! Ski week at its finest this year!

Ski week awards:

Rease - North Star award for staying true and constant to the way she skis

Rhen - Poser award for striking the best jumping poses

Liev - Zen award for being in the zone and just getting it done easily

Keen - Mommas Helper for sticking by moms side this week

Beck - Flying squirrel award because he looks just that way as he flys down the mountain with an open ski jacket

Desh - The Ripper award as he just rips down the mountain with now fear. And also ripped his ski pants. 

Dad - Captain Kirk award for keeling this ship of ours headed in the right direction

Ski week day 4

Day 4 came bright and early and we were ready to ski this morning! We started off with a run through My-oh-my then to Candyland where the kids wasted no time getting into their jumps. They are awesome and fearless!  I got to sit in the coveted chair #1 today and got proof of it. I think that’s a first for the week!

We took a bunch of runs down snake creek, through the trees (always) and down the slide. Sometimes through the ditch and other times over to Candyland again but always fast and furious and being all sorts of crazy! Keen skied so hard he got a bloody nose so we took a small break at the cabin until that was under control. Then back to it we went!

Before lunch we rode over to Great Western and we always love the view from there. It is absolutely incredible! Keen took me on a ride through Thor and Thunderhead while the others took another route. He was so sweet to stick with me and show the the way that was easiest for me to get down.  

After a few rides on Great Western with ultra short lines, we finally took a lunch break at the cabin. I love that we have a place to take a rest. And by rest I mean a nap :) I may or may not have fallen asleep for an hour or so before we headed back out. It was just what the doctor ordered. 

Back out to crest, powder hollow, pee-wee (or as Desh calls it, Kee-wee), and always down through majestic terrain park whenever possible. We spent the afternoon wearing ourselves out on runs! 

One particular run we went through Candyland and Rhen and Liev had this incredible sequence of a jump that both of them cleared one right after the other and I happened to catch it on video! They were amazing and jumped this like it was no big deal. Although Rhen did hurt her feet a little as she landed but it looked good from my end!

The evening was gorgeous as the sun was going down and I couldn’t help but feel so much grateful for this week that we get to spend in the beautiful outdoors. My kids inspire me and I look up to each of them for what they do. They aren’t afraid to do hard and new things and love spending time together. This is a week that we all love and look forward to and I love that we all love it equally. One of my favorite things is to loom down the mountain and see all my kids skiing one right after another. It’s a heartwarming moment for this mom and I’ve been able to witness it many times this week! 

Ski week day 3

Day 3 and today is Sunday! We are taking a day of rest and enjoying it. We zoomed into our church meeting and Beck and Desh entertained themselves with a game of “orange bowling” while we all listened. Grammie and Papa came up last night and spent the whole day with us today. After church we spent most of the day playing games, napping, watching movies and hanging out in the warm cabin. We taught the kids how the play spoons and it was a big hit! We had to squeeze in a giant game of settlers and everyone laid out their own games of solitaire across the big kitchen table. 

By late afternoon/evening we were ready to get out of the cabin for a bit. We dressed warm and took a walk over to Great Western to get some fresh air. It was a gorgeous night and we got to see the sun set and the huge moon rise behind us! It has been such a fun day and we enjoyed our down time and the company of Grammie and Papa with us. 

Ski week day 2

Today is Saturday and the first day of ski lessons for the year. The boys were excited to get into their classes and the girls were happy to have the morning to ski with Josh :) I headed down the mountain for the baptism of my triplet nieces so I got a full run down of the morning when I got back! Andy came up and skied for the day and the girls and Josh and Andy had a great morning together “rippin it” down the mountain as they described it. Thanks to Josh and his filming skills, we got some awesome footage of them!

The afternoon was filled with lots of jumps, fast runs and continued learning from the morning of lessons. Desh told me when I got back that he learned how to “spray”. A skill that is definitely a must in this family! Mike McCarlie came up for afternoon and night skiing with us and we loved having him. We had a full day and night of skiing and now we’re all tired from the labors of our day!

Ski week day 2 in the books. 

Ski week Day 1

Our favorite week on the mountain started today and it could not have been a more gorgeous day to start us off! We got to the ski cabin late yesterday afternoon and after hauling all our gear up the hill we were tired but also ready for a week of skiing. Some of the kids and Josh went out for a few runs last night but today was the official start of one of our favorite weeks of the whole year!  We had a good breakfast of oatmeal and Sunny Boy, revealed our Walkie talkie call signs and met up with our good friends Brad and Sharon Baldauf for the first run of the day. Luckily we’ve had quite a bit of snow in the past month so the coverage up here is good and I always love being on the groomers first thing in the morning. The kids had no trouble getting into the groove and before we knew it we were headed on a triple terrain park route followed by a run on snake creek, down the slide and back up to the top. We skied hard and got chilled by about 11:00 when we took our first break for hot chocolate. After a quick break along with a quick clean up (Beck pulled vacuum duty today) we hit the snow hard again before we stopped for lunch around 1:00. Brad and Sharon are super fun to ski with and are game for whatever we want to do and wherever we take them! 

The view from the top of snake is one that I never tire of and I’m always in awe at the landscape surrounding us. We are sure in love with this state of Utah. We took a few more runs after lunch before the Baldaufs headed home and we said goodbye. We did take some time in the cabin after they left and slept a little bit, read, played games and hung out in the warm cabin until this evening. The kids love skiing at night so it wasn’t even a question if we would go back out when it got dark. We had some good runs under the lights tonight and boy oh boy do our kids LOVE to ski and ski fast! One of my favorite things to see is all my kids trailing after each other down the mountain. Starting with the girls that just rip it and ending with Desh who just wants to (and does!) keep up with all the others. 

I just absolutely love this time we have together! What a first day! 

Call signs for the week…

Desh - The Runt

Beck - Flamin Hot

Keen - Oingus

Liev - Leever Weever

Rhen - Tweedle

Rease - Shadow

Mom - Mominator

Dad - Sunny Boy