February 2025

I went to Joya to exercise every weekday until my trial ran out. I tried out lots of different classes and got into a rhythm: Strength Training on Monday, Vinyasa on Tuesday, Barre Wednesday, Pilates Thursday, and Strength Training (followed by Yin Yoga for dessert) on Friday.  I tried a cycle class and hated it. Aereal yoga was fun, but only offered at dinnertime, and it was hard on my family with me being away then. I have limited myself to what's offered while the kids are at school, and it's been fun. I've been working hard and getting stronger! My trial period ended and now I'm trying to keep up the good work from home. 

I made it to 50 days with my no snacks no sweets goal and was rewarded with a lunch date with Todd. I love that he pulled out of work to support me. 

Hazel joined the beach volleyball team at school. This is its first year being offered at LHS. She hasn't had a game yet, but she's been loving the practices and coming home happy. She's also been killing it at the gym, consistently going multiple times a week. 

Jack and I went to the high school Expo so we could explore all the class options and get a few ideas for what direction he might want to go with his electives. He was super interested in a medical occupations program that would allow him to intern in the medical field as an upperclassman. I love that we discovered something that lit him up 

We had a rainy week after a pretty dry stretch. Our culdesac flooded, as it will do when it rains hard. The creek was full, so the water in front of our house didn't have anywhere to drain out to. The city called in workers to pump some of it out. That certainly doesn't happen every day! 

Between Ginger's recent injury and the rain, he's been spending an inordinate amount of time indoors. He sleeps with Gemma nearly every night. I still try to send him out when I can, because I firmly believe cats are happier outdoors and bored inside the house, but he is pretty cute when he sleeps. 

My game group had a Galentine's get together this month, which was the perfect opportunity for me to wear my pink heart leopard print onesie pajamas! 

Gemma was lured into the creek. It's so different when it's full! She didn't last long, though, because the water was cold enough to turn her legs red. 

We spent the holiday weekend up at the cabin. We drove up Friday evening and the Dix's joined us Saturday afternoon, so Todd and the kids fit in a ski sesh Saturday morning in all the freshy pow-pow. It was a great ski day! And the rest of the weekend was delightful with our buddies there. We played tons of games, went sledding, and did a lot of snowmobiling. 

The only flaw in the weekend is that we couldn't find the keys to the van Sunday morning, so not only did we not make it to church, we spent hours scouring the cabin and the area outside looking for them. Hazel even went to all the shops to ask if anyone had found them and turned them in. We ended up having home church (everyone prepared a two minute message) and then Todd drove all the way to Livermore in the Dix's van to get our spare key. As the sun started to set, I rolled down the curtain in our room to insulate it, and the keys fell out of our canvas curtain roll. No idea how they got in there. And discovered too late to shave any time off Todd's drive. It was frustrating and completely mysterious, but we still had a good day overall. 

Chrissy bought me a yoga DVD because she knows I love doing yoga up there but the internet usually isn't working, so it's been hard for me to find an audio podcast guide to follow ( I just love Yoga With Adriene on YouTube so much!). It was such a thoughtful gift, and she and I did a 45 minute video together. 

While Todd was driving home, I took Chrissy and Gordon on a walk. It was meant to be short and sweet, but I kinda sorta got us lost a couple of times. A good half hour after we should have been back home, the kids drove past us on the snowmobiles and we tried to wave them down for a ride home, but they didn't realize we weren't just saying hey and zoomed past, leaving us in their dust. 

Jack completed another year of Certificate of Merit on piano. His teacher Beth Tomlin said, "I have been so proud of him this year, preparing and playing beautifully a big Level 9 program." They had a piano recital at Beth's house so there was limited seating. My family sat on the stairs and Todd totally fell asleep. Hazel was afraid he would fall down, but she was spotting him. 

Jack and Hazel both played for a solo and ensemble competition at Los Positas Community College. They played before judges who gave them feedback. They were both invited to play in a concert; Hazel turned them down because she chose to go to the boys' volleyball game with friends instead; Jack accompanied his classmate Maaz and they sounded beautiful. 

After our Galentine's night, my friends were all bemoaning how we always wish we had more time together. We have grown so close that we always spend a ton of time gabbing and barely get in two games if we're lucky. Joleen and her husband Kelly chatted about it later that night and presented us with such a fun idea: what if we had a sleepover at Joleen's house? We were all so excited about it, and could not believe our luck when all six of us were available the last weekend of February - possibly the only weekend we all had free for the rest of the school year, and it was right around the corner! 

So we all met up Friday night with bags in hand. Katie picked up Thai food for dinner. We ate and got caught up on what's been happening in everyone's life since the last time we were together, and then we got serious with the games. I think we played three games that night, plus we spent a good hour in the hot tub, and we watched a show before bed, too. While we were gaming, there was a knock on the door, but when we opened up, instead of finding someone on the porch, we saw that Joleen had been toilet papered! I was 100% confident it was someone from my house, and I was right! Turns out it was Hazel, Lucas, Noah, and Jared. So funny! They went easy on us and it was no big deal to clean up the next morning. 

Karrie, Kirstan, and I went for a walk to marshland first thing in the morning while the rest of the crew was still sleeping. Then we had cinnamon rolls, fruit salad, and oatmeal for breakfast, and got right back to the games! We had time to play tons of fun, more complicated games that we usually can't handle on a Thursday night because we're too tired, including Camel Up and Katie's potion-making game. 

There was so much laughing and screaming and Joleen kept almost peeing her pants. At one point, Kirstan got on the piano and Elaine was on the phone. The rest of us were whispering so the lady from the ward who called Elaine wouldn't hear us, and we got silly, and suddenly, Joleen, Katie, Karrie and I were doing interpretive dancing to Kirstan's piano music! We were leaping, twirling, spinning on the floor, swooshing our arms around, the works. It was seriously the highlight of the entire sleepover for me, feeling so liberated and safe to be so uninhibited in front of friends. It was amazing. I loved it so much! 

We had lunch and played games and talked and laughed and hugged until almost dinnertime. We ended by putting together a puzzle of a picture of us! It was an amazing 24 hours that completely filled my cup. I felt so satisfied and happy and grateful. We talked about making it an annual tradition. I really hope we do! It was so good for me. 

January 2025

We started the year with a few days up at the cabin. Hazel brought her bestie Delaney as a joint celebration for their 16th birthdays (both were in December). Todd took Gemma and Jack skiing and the dynamic duo spent most of their time snowmobiling. I did my usual - long walks in the neighborhood, shoveling the deck, yoga, reading, prepping food for the crew. We played games and chilled and had a good time. We did a little sledding, but it hadn't snowed in a while and the snow was pretty crusty, so it wasn't as much fun as usual and was a little dangerous, which kept us from spending as much time sledding as we normally would have. Todd puled me and the younger kiddos behind his snowmobile a little bit, which was a highlight for me. 

I snagged a picture of Todd's bishop's office so I could show Chrissy and Gordon the pictures we picked out. I love, love, love the one of Jesus with the sheep. Not shown in this picture is one of Jesus with the woman at the well - it's on the other wall. Todd and I wanted to make sure to include pictures of women and of children in his office. I'm happy with how it turned out.  

Jack turned 14. I am so sad this is the only picture I have! He had a great day. He had a volleyball clinic in the morning and had friends over for a party in the evening. He has gathered up a good crew of friends that we're happy with. He organizes a get-together every couple of weeks, which makes me proud. That used to be so hard for him. I love seeing his growth. He is funny and hard-working, sensitive and curious. 

Katie and I signed up together for a trial membership at Joya, a yoga/pilates/barre/cycle gym. We've been taking classes together almost daily. Lots of weight lifting, HIT, and restorative yoga classes mostly. 

Gemma had a birthday party with her school friends. Pictured below are Santana, Imogene, Lydia, and Lia. They enjoyed the backyard and played games. They were such a cute group I regretted scheduling only two hours. I am proud of Gemma for collecting such kind girls to spend time with. 

Gemma wanted a separate celebration with Clara. She was afraid if she had Clara over with her school friends she'd have a hard time hosting everyone and making sure they all were comfortable. I took her and Clara to a fun park in Dublin with a unique playground and kept Clara for dinner and ice cream sundaes. 

I set a goal before Christmas to spend 100 days with no snacks and no sweets. I've been trying hard to up my protein, fiber, and fat so my meals are satiating. Although it was difficult on holidays (including three family birthdays!) I love how much this goal has helped me feel like food has less power over me. I am absolutely strengthening my mind control over my cravings. When I hit 20 days, I rewarded myself with a nice pedicure. I'm planning a few more milestone rewards along the way. 

Gemma was so excited to go inside the temple for the first time. We took our whole family to do baptisms and confirmations with her. She has been yearning for the opportunity to serve in the temple for a long time now. It was satisfying for her to be able to enter. 

Jack was given the assignment to bring the bread for our sacrament. I made a mental note to ask him if he wanted to make homemade bread, and then realized this could be an empowering opportunity for my girls to contribute to our worship services. Gemma was home as this thought crossed my mind, so I asked her if she would be interested in making the bread for the sacrament. She lit up! I supervised in case she had questions and to ensure the job was done correctly, but I kept my hands off and let Gemma do all the work. The next day in church, I watched her pay more attention than usual to the sacrament trays as they were passed around the chapel. It was absolutely worthwhile. We will be doing it again. 

Hazel had a camp planning day and afterward, she and a few of the other girls toilet papered Lucas George's front yard. It was a coming of age moment! Lucas and his dad, Ryan, got her back by saran wrapping her car overnight. Thanksfully, the prank wars haven't escalated and everyone is having fun. 

Gemma got her wish for her birthday - a new bike! She was outgrowing hers as it was simultaneously wearing out. She kept having to reconnect the chain and other obnoxious things. She is delighted to have a well-oiled machine that can more easily keep pace with Jack on their commute to school. 

She requested a cake that looked like an open book. I bought a book-shaped pan to help, but it took a lot of batter to fill - it was a lot of cake! Gemma assisted in the decorating and was pleased with how it turned out 

Jack's orchestra class had their winter concert. He is the pianist for the group. He was frustrated by the keyboard because it was hard to get the volume just right to work with the group. In their classroom, he is on a real piano, which is much more fun to play. There was another concert the next week with Hazel's chamber orchestra and the 8th grade orchestra students. We couldn't hear him play at all! 

Over the MLK weekend, Hazel invited her church friends up to the cabin. Sadly, Mike, Noah, and Kate all couldn't make it, but she had Lucas, Carter, Jared, and Katherine. Todd took them up on his own, while I stayed back with Gemma and Jack, who were worried they would be made to feel unwelcome. Todd and I both agree that if we could do it again, we would have laid down the law; it's the family cabin, so the whole family is always welcome, or we don't go up. 

Ginger has been having territory battles with another animal, we're guessing a fox. He came home with a chunk of his cheek bitten off. We were all quite concerned. We tried to keep him indoors as much as possible to keep his wound clean while it healed, but he would get restless and of course he would need to go to the bathroom sometime, so we'd let him out for a little while. He was wounded again on the same side of his face twice more over the course of a week. He seems to be doing better now, but it was a big worry for all of us, and he has definitely evolved into an indoor/outdoor cat this month. He sleeps with Gemma almost every night. and spends a good portion of most days indoors as well. I don't love it, but I do want him to heal, so ... 

For Christmas, Hazel gifted me a monthly one-on-one date. We went hiking to Del Valle this month while the temperatures are ideal and the hills are green. I used to hike a ton in the winter and just haven't as much the last few years. I broke my ankle, then there was a winter where it never stopped raining, so it was hard to find a day to do it where the trails weren't too muddy and slick. Anyway, it was delightful to be back out and about, doing something I love with someone I love. 

I've been training at the library to become an adult literacy tutor. I loved teaching my kids and my kindergarten students to read and was on the hunt for something I could do along those lines for just a few hours a week. We'll give this a try and see if I like it. It will be different working with adults. 

We signed up the family to volunteer at the elementary school science night. There was a LOT of griping about it, which makes me think we ought to look for more service opportunities to take the kids to so they learn how satisfying it is to help out in the community. 

Gemma and Jack had a school dance. They both seemed to have fun at it. 

Last January, Bishop Lloyd announced to the youth in our ward that if they read the entire Book of Mormon over the course of the year, the ward would take them to Six Flags amusement park. It was a successful incentive: we gathered a harndul of adults to be chaperones and drivers and brought 21 kids for a day of roller coastering. Todd asked everyone to send him a proof of life picture mid-day, and otherwise, we wandered around, attaching ourselves to one group or another and trying to keep up. It was a fun day!  

We had ward conference, which Todd prepared a very nice talk for. He spoke about the parable of the talents and how we don't all start on even footing, but that God rewards us for our efforts. In the parable, the servant whow as given two talents and turned them into four received the exact same reward as the servant who was given five talents and turned them into ten. 

We had the Dix family over for games and lasagna that night. Daniel and Jack coincidentally were dressed as twins. We had a fun time hanging out with them, as usual. 

December 2024

 Hazel turned 16! We got back from the cabin for our Thanksgiving gathering with family on Saturday afternoon and she had a bunch of friends over that night to celebrate. Her actual birthday was on Sunday - Fast Sunday. We gave her a Fast Pass since it would be so lame to fast on your birthday - especially your sixteenth birthday! 

The day was laid back. Lots of relaxing and faux-spa treatments. 

She always has steak for her birthday dinner. We decided to dare to try to prepare several of the filet mignons we've been collecting in the freezer from our meat orders. Turns out it was simple and they were delicious! And, of course, we also had pan-fried potatoes. Everyone is obsessed with those. 

Delicious cake, and official Birkenstocks to make all her wildest dreams come true. She's been wearing "Fakenstocks" from Amazon and was delighted to upgrade now that her feet have stopped growing. 

Hazel was so stoked to take her driver's test later in the week and get her driver's license. I picked her up early from school and we drove out to the Tracy DMV where we'd made our appointment. Super unfortunately, we had made an appointment to get a new license, not one to take a behind-the-wheel test. Despite our pleading and willingness to wait on standby, the DMV employees would not let us stay and hope to take someone else's appointment slot. We had to get on the schedule for another day. The earliest they had was December 26. It was devastating. 

So I continued to drive seminary carpool and take Hazel all her millions of places. I didn't mind driving her everywhere - I'm going to be so sad to have all that much less time with her when she's licensed. But every drive was a reminder to her that she should have been able to go on her own and couldn't. It was hard. 

Gemma and Todd finished up their basketball season. Those girls were so cute. Todd did an awesome job with them, teaching them to be aggressive and to pass and shoot. Very rudimentary skills, so earnest, it was a joy to watch them play. 

We had our ward Christmas party. It was mostly a Christmas dinner. Beautiful decorations and delicious food, but Gemma was sad the primary wasn't acting out the nativity. There was a very bare-bones program. 

There were kids' tables set up in the middle of the gym. The youth were asked to supervise the younger kids. It was an interesting idea. It was funny to look over and see Hazel and her friends Noah and Mike sitting at a small table, coloring. 

Gemma and her primary class went to the Temple and Priesthood Preparation meeting. I taught the section on priesthood and shared how we all have access to priesthood power through our covenants, including our baptismal covenants. 

Hazel started a new job teaching violin lessons to a ten-year-old girl in our ward named Bea. She also had her winter concert and was invited to introduce one of the songs they would play. 

We've been hosting a lot of teen movie nights lately. It's good to have them at our house. Mike (aka "Nelly") showed up with Grinch slippers he'd purchased at TJ Maxx. Thus began an obsession. Soon nearly everyone in Hazel's seminary and school friend groups had a pair, and they were wearing their "Grinchinstocks" everywhere all throughout December. 

Gemma was invited to her friend Lia's house for a gingerbread decorating party. Here we are - all three kids getting busy with the social life. 

We picked Nelly's family to give the 12 Days of Christmas. We like to give gifts that tie in with names for Jesus Christ, like Swedish Fish for Fisher of Men and sparkling water for Living Water. The kids had a grand time delivering gifts, sure that it would be a challenge not getting caught. They have lots of kids and a living room window right by the front door. It was fun, and we think we were successful all the way through. It's possible Gemma was spotted on the street from a distance, but we also had lots of good fake alibis nights our family and theirs were at the same events (like sneaking way to do the drop in the middle of caroling, for instance) and no one ever confronted us, so ... 

Hazel and Jack participated in the stake youth Christmas music festival. Hazel sang in the choir (although she sat with the boys) and Jack accompanied their three songs. They also did a violin/piano duet of What Child is This. Erika came to support them. 

Our favorite pizza joint had a raffle drawing. First prize was free pizza for a year! We showed up even though we didn't think we stood a chance of winning, and we didn't. But they did give out free pizza coupons to everyone who showed up for the drawing, so our family totally walked away feeling like winners - four free pizzas! 

12 Days - the kids' disguises were fun. Lots of dark clothing and covering faces with scarves. 

As the mornings have gotten darker and colder, Jack has gotten more and more sluggish. Lately he has taken to doing his piano theory over the heater vent on the floor. I'm not sure how much work he's actually getting done. He was so ready for the school break! 

I decided that my sugar consumption was out of control and I really wanted to work on my self-discipline. I decided to challenge myself to one hundred days without treats or snacks. I eat my three meals a day and try to make sure I have plenty of protein to keep myself satiated. And that's it. No nibbling between meals. No desserts. I had to go cold turkey because I'd been toying with the idea of cutting back for a long time and kept allowing myself "just one bite," or "only one" which would quickly slide into a half dozen cookies or a lapful of candy wrappers. So, no treats for me! It's been far easier to say no to everything than to stop myself after a taste. I've been allowing myself one cup of hot chocolate a day and all the herbal tea I could ever desire. Turns out nursing a hot drink really helps me feel indulgent while everyone around me partakes of the holidays goodies. If I can make it the entire 100 days, that'll be near the end of March. It's been quite satisfying to train myself to not obsess over the treats. I'm feeling powerful! 

The crew made gingerbread houses. Hazel got out the glue gun. All the houses still collapsed. It's so hard! 

Hazel played a song in a Christmas concert on the temple grounds. It was fun to have an excuse to go up and see the lights. Gemma, Jack and I played an epic game of hide and go seek in the Oakland stake center building. That place is maze-like! 

Jack made us ramen from scratch. It wasn't as good as the scrumptious stuff we're all craving from New York, but it was a fine step up from TopRamen. We've been spoiled; we can never eat cheap ramen again. 

Jack and Gemma were invited to rat-sit for the Zoerhoff's again. They do such a great job that they're always the first ones asked. Nearly every day they go over and give the rats play time in the pen as well as checking on their food and water. They are nicely compensated for their efforts, which doesn't hurt, either. 

The break went by in a blur. The kids spent a lot of time with friends, slept in like crazy, and were generally relaxed and happy. 

We had a nice Christmas Eve together. We played games, had ham and potatoes for dinner, watched The Grinch and White Christmas, sang all the Christmas carols in the hymnbook, and the kids had a sleepover. 

We had our first Christmas morning ever where Todd and I woke up before the kids. They slept until 9:30! We officially have all big kids. It's irrefutable. We had a nice morning opening presents and enjoying being together. Jack got Air Jordans, Hazel got a gym membership, and Gemma got butterfly wings and an alarm clock that will gently wake her up with nature sounds. 

In the afternoon, we headed over to Chrissy and Gordon's to finish the day off with party games and dinner. We spun a wheel to choose prizes under party cups (I won four dollars!), and scooped up gift bows with spatulas while blindfolded, but the ultimate triumph was the Box Game. I wrapped a box inside a box inside anther box and so on, and we rolled dice. As soon as someone rolled a 7 or an 11, they hurried to put on gloves and a jacket and try to tear the box open before someone else rolled the magic numbers. It was just the right amount of challenging and so, so fun. I can't believe we played it, giggling, for probably 45 minutes and everyone was super engaged. That is definitely a keeper of a party game. 

Todd's birthday started out with Hazel at the DMV again. This time she was able to take her driver's test. She was so nervous, but she passed with zero mistakes, setting the bar ridiculously high for future Bonner kid test takers. 

Then we headed up to the cabin, where I shamelessly forgot to take pictures. Todd and the kids were skiing the majority of the time, maybe that's why. We also watched movies, played games, and had a fun read-aloud, The Secret Keepers. 

We came back after a couple of days so Hazel could attend the youth New Year's Eve dance (even though it was on Saturday the 28th). Todd and I drove a vanful of kids up to Oakland and watched a movie on the ipad while we waited for midnight to take them home again.

We tried to plan a party with the George's for New Year's Eve, but it didn't end up working out how I envisioned. First, it got changed from evening to afternoon. Then Todd and Ryan were changing the timing belt on the van so they weren't even with us. Then all the teenagers were bailing to hang out with other friends and I kept having to drop people off and pick people up. So it was an afternoon of games with lots of popping in and out. Hazel met up with friends in the evening, while Todd, Gemma, Jack and I had sparkling water, cheese and crackers, a movie and the new game I bought us (I get us a new game every New Year's Eve). We filled the gaps in the day watching pictures and video from the year on the TV. It was a good year!