November 2025

 While Hazel took the SAT, the rest of us went to Alameda to cheer Luna on in her soccer championship tournament. It was super fun to watch her and her team out there, a funny mix of impressive moves and novice mistakes. 

Gemma started basketball season. It's been fun to go to her games and cheer her on. She's playing point guard. She's speedy, and when she figures out how to calm her focus and make her layups, she'll be a monster on the court. 

We had the youth over for a fireside. The young women's president gave a spiritual lesson, and then we broke out into tables for a super fun Bunco tournament. 

We had a couple days off of school around Veteran's Day. Hazel and Noah wanted to start a long-term Field Biology project where they free-dive to observe the kelp forest in Monterey. We decided to make a cute overnight trip out of it this first time around (they'll need to go back two or three more times on Saturdays on their own). We invited Karrie and Jane Harrison to join the fun, and we absolutely lucked out with the weather; it was sunny and low-60's, quite comfortable for Monterey. 

We all headed to the observation spot first, and while Hazel and Noah dived, Jack, Henry, and Jane browsed the Cannery Row shops, Gemma searched for shells, and Rebecca, Karrie, and I chatted. 

When the kelp diving was completed, we headed to Asilomar state beach for the rest of the afternoon. The kids and I had kelp battles, and Hazel, Noah, and Gemma played in the water. We walked the beach, played in the sand, and enjoyed a spectacular sunset. 

Todd and Levi drove down after work and joined us for the following day. We all went back out to the beach after dinner, hoping to find a spot to make a bonfire, but all the beaches had signs banning fires. Noah and Hazel still went night surfing, and they said there was bioluminescence in the water. It sounded like a magical experience to me. 

The next morning, we played at Del Monte Beach. All the kids - and Todd - went body boarding and surfing. They played in the water for a couple of hours. Noah's already broken surf board took its last ride, unfortunately. 

We grabbed pho for lunch, then went hiking at Point Lobos national preserve over to China Cove, the same beautiful spot our family explored over spring break. 

It was a fun trip. Everyone seemed relaxed and happy. It was nice to be able to slow down and spend so much time at the beach. It's so much work to clean up that it felt a lot more worth it when we got so much out of it, instead of just a couple of hours. 

That weekend, Todd and Jack went back to the beach at Santa Cruz for a ward father/son campout. They were worried they would get rained on, but ended up with amazing weather, including no wind! Todd said he ran on the beach and got hot and sweaty. It was an exciting miracle! They came back happy. 

While they were away, I left Hazel in charge of Gemma and had a game group gathering. We had originally planned to meet up at my cabin, but with the father/son campout, neither Katie nor Elaine felt they could leave their daughters home alone overnight, so we we adjusted our plans and did a local hangout. We came in pajamas, brought mountains of games to play, and made dinner and breakfast together. We listened to Taylor Swift and played tons of games, talked a lot, painted nails and did face masks. It wasn't the same as a real getaway, but it was pretty darn good still! 

Todd and I celebrated our 21st anniversary. We went on a lunch date because he had Gargon for youth night and didn't wnat to miss it. It's the game where they turn out all the lights in the church building and he chases the kids around trying to tag them all before they find and assemble the pieces of a flashlight. It's a huge hit with the kids. Ot, at least, it was before this particular gathering. Mike Nelson and Delaney Becerra crashed into each other; Mike got a split lip and a loose tooth; Delaney got a cut above her eye that needed stitches They both went home early and stayed home from school the next day. Todd felt so bad. 

That next weekend, Hazel went to the beach with Noah and Todd went to a birthday party. With the prospect of another weekend evening alone, I asked Gemma if she wanted to invite friends over for a hangout. We reached out to the girls in her age group from church, and luckily, all four of them were able to come over. They made personal pizzas, played games, and drew pictures of each other. It was a cute gathering. 

The next night, we had the Dix family over for dinner. Jack led them in making homemade pretzels. We also had corn chowder and played lots of fun games. Gordon was just released as bishop; it was interesting to hear how the transition was going. 

For Thanksgiving break, we flew out to Utah. We spent a couple of days in Logan and one in Mapleton. We rented an Airbnb to stay at in Hyde Park since we anticipated lots of people sleeping at my mom's house and their basement is in transition getting "finished," so we would all be sleeping on air mattresses in the cold basement or on couches in the living room, the public space where everyone congregates. It was definitely more comfortable to go somewhere else at night, with beds and our own bathroom, but it also left us feeling a little disconnected. 

It was bittersweet to visit with Grandma Holley. She has degenerated since we saw her in July; when she spoke, it sounded like her mouth was full of marbles; she couldn't remember any of our names; and she was quiet and subdued, instead of spunky and frustrated. It was sad for me to see her like that. She can barely hear anything and she can only sort of see out of one eye. I am so grateful I've had her in my life for so many years. I am sad that her quality of life is so reduced at this point. 

We got to meet Scott and Caprice's newest baby, Peter, who was born in August. He was fun to spend time with, babbling and smiling and laughing. I'm sad we missed the newborn snuggles, but we get what we get. 

We had good food and enjoyed a couple fun games of flag football. Mostly, we played a lot of games and chatted and did a thousand dishes. 

Friday morning we headed down to Mapleton to enjoy second Thanksgiving with the Bonners. Almost everyone was there! We were just missing Easton, who's on his mission in France, and Aleah and her husband and baby. It was a good time to gather, since Larry and Ellen are about to leave for another mission to work in the temple in Germany. We took family pictures, which was pretty tough with so many people. 

David smoked the turkey and a ham, so we had pretty scrumptious meat. Hazel partook enthusiastically. 

The kids had a blast; someone was almost always on the sports court. They played pickleball, soccer, and basketball. There was a lot of ping pong played as well, and at least some of the kids used the hot tub. 

Missy taught us a new card game that included sleepover-esque dares the losers had to do. We all laughed as we filmed her and Erika running down the street, slapping their booties and shouting out that their "family is fat! P-H-A-T!" 

We flew home Saturday morning and went straight to the Four Winds tree farm in Los Gatos to cut down a Christmas tree. I must say we found a beaut. 

Todd forgot to pack any equipment for tying the tree to the roof rack, so we stuffed it inside the van instead. I smooshed a bug I found crawling on the seat and we all enjoyed the pine scent as we drove home. 

Hazel had Delaney and May over for a little birthday dinner. We made steak and potatoes, played some games, watched an episode of Gilmore Girls, and then Hazel wore her Lorax suit to Target to buy ice cream and stun customers. 

Sunday evening, the Lloyds had us and the Andrus family over for dinner and made a combined birthday celebration for Noah and Hazel. We all sang to them and they blew out candles together. It was really nice of them to do that for Hazel. 

October 2025

 We reconnected with Mrs. Allen over dinner. She picked us up in her electric Volkswagon van. She has made such an impact on my family. We are so grateful Hazel and Jack were in her kindergarten class. 

Katie and I met up for lunch at her place. We combined delicious ingredients each of us had at home and made ourselves fancy salads. 

We canned applesauce. Boy, did we! It was quite the process over Conference weekend. Lots of apple washing, slicing, cooking, spooning into the mashing machine, measuring into jars, processing, washing again. The kitchen smelled amazing and we ended up using every single jar we owned - canning about a hundred quarts! It is a delightful feeling to be able to eat appleasuce at leisure, a bowl warmed up in the microwave with cinnamon or a spoonful on waffles. 

We had the youth over for the Saturday evening session. Everyone shared favorite parts afterward, which was nice to hear. Todd was tossing candy at participants - a little sugar always seems to motivate teens. 

Canning applesauce is exhausting work, however. Some of us slept through large portions of Conference as a consequence. 

My parents came to visit for a few days! Hugging my mom is one of the best feelings on Earth. It was so nice to have Mom and Dad join us for the kids' activities. During the school hours, they also went on some California adventures, which made me happy. They visited the redwoods, the beach, and the Golden Gate Bridge. 

Gemma had her third cross country meet. Nana and Grandpa were thrilled to watch Gemma run neck and neck with her biggest competitor, Maggie. They each took turns in the lead; Maggie finished just a second ahead of Gemma. It was a serious photo finish! 

Jack is taking a tennis class with Jane Harrison. We went and watched him for an hour. Delightful. 

This time of year, I love hunting for spots on my walks with acorns on the ground I can crunch underfoot. It is sooooo satisfying! 

Jack got his braces off, and man, does his smile look good! He is hating his retainer, though. I've found it on the counter multiple times while he's at school. 

Nana and Grandpa got to attend two of Hazel's volleyball games. The first one was a massive loss, but the second one was quite exciting, and Hazel had some great plays. 

We loved having them visit! They were so supportive and interested in all that we were involved in. 

That weekend, we hosted the young women at our cabin. It was a great chance to get comfortable with the new young women's presidency that was just called. We left after school, so the girls brought sack dinners. It was dark when we arrived, so we headed directly to the field to play Ghosts in the Graveyard. The stars were stunning. It was also shockingly cold. Afterward, we had hot chocolate and games at the cabin. 

While warming up pre-made breakfast burritos, a yucky smell spread throughout the cabin. We hunted all over for the source, which smelled suspiciously like dead mouse, eventually deciding it had to be coming from the oven. Thankfully, we had an extra man with us (the young women's president's husband) who helped Todd haul the oven out to the deck, where they discovered a mouse nest in the insulation. Crazy and gross. 

The house smelled so bad that everyone was willing to eat breakfast outdoors, even though it was barely forty degrees. No one seemed to mind too much, though. The girls cracked me up with their "alternate identities." Every single one of them had a boy name and persona that they were more than willing to display for me. It was hilarious! 

Todd took the majority of the crew mountain biking. It took longer than expected, and one or two of the girls were crying at the end, but everyone survived! 

Then we spent the rest of our time rock climbing. Unfortunately, we only had one line, when Todd thought someone would be bringing a second one, so only one girl at a time could go up and it took a long time. It was quite chilly on the ground waiting, but I had such a good time hanging out with the girls. Like, seriously, it was, for me, the best connection I have ever had with the young women. We were so comfortable and I felt zero percent awkward or unwanted. We chatted about school and aspirations and boys and testimonies and it was just golden. It was precious time. 

Well, my parents left Friday morning, we spent Friday and Saturday at the cabin, and then Todd's parents arrived for a visit Sunday morning. It was a little tough hosting and putting Hazel and Jack together in a room for so long, but we were so glad to see both sets of grandparents. We loved that they wanted to come and support the kids and spend time with us. 

It was Vlad's birthday, so we had him, Luna, and Erika join us for dinner. Ellen and Luna made meatloaf and baked potatoes, and Hazel made a German chocolate cake. Vlad seemed to be in an especially happy mood, which was so nice to see. He was laughing and joking and super relaxed. 

Ellen is the queen of candid photos. She snapped this one in the foyer at church and I just love looking at it, seeing the happy glow buzz off of Hazel when she's around Noah. He's been spending lots of time at our house and we love it. I'm so grateful he and Hazel are comfortable being together around our family. 

Grammie and Poppa got to watch one of Hazel's volleyball games. It was their Pink Out game (supporting Breast Cancer awareness) and I caught Noah and Jack being silly with pink hair ribbons. 

We loved having Grammie and Poppa come cheer for Hazel, and we were happy she got lots of play time that night so they could really see her in action. 

Another event the grandparents came to see was Gemma's cross country championship race. Of course, it was another exciting challenge, with back and forth and neck and neck moments with her rival Maggie. It made for a super fun season, and I think both girls appreciated having the other one to push them to excel. 

Hazel and Jack were also there to cheer Gemma on. I love how hard my kids try to be there to support each other whenever their busy schedules allow it. Watching my kids' friendship with each other is one of the biggest rewards of my life. 

Maggie ended up winning this race as well, which put Gemma in second place overall. I loved their great sportsmanship, congratulating each other and happily posing for a picture together. We are curious to see when we'll bump into Maggie next. Will she play basketball? Volleyball? Track? Gemma is planning on all three again this year. 

Last but not least, Hazel's school music program had a fall concert while Grammie and Poppa were here, so they got to support her in that as well. Her orchestra is so good; it's really fun to listen to them play. 

I had a lot of good conversations with Ellen while they were here. I really enjoyed that. I learned a lot about her and feel like I got lots closer to her. It was a win! 

Hazel leaves for school most mornings with her hands ridiculously full, between her backpack, her sports bag, her breakfast, and sometimes more. She's lucky she has Jack by her side to open and shut the door! 

Here's another sweet pic of Hazel hitting the ball over the net. It's been fun to watch her grow this season. 

Grammie and Poppa were lucky enough to get a sneak peek at Hazel's Lorax Halloween costume. Wild, man! We were shocked and delighted. 

Todd and the kids did the Donut Run again with Erika, and Vlad and Luna also joined in. 

The next weekend, I squeezed in a quick girls getaway with Chrissy to the cabin. She and I got sooo stinkin' lucky with the weather, which had been so cold for the young women the weekened before. We got sunshine, almost no wind, bright blue skies, and just enough warmth to be perfectly comfortable. We were only up there for a little over 24 hours, but we spent four or five of those hours on the paddle boards, first thing when we arrived on Friday, and again Saturday morning. It was super peaceful. The moment I push away from the shore and start to feel myself float on the water, my cortisol levels drop and I breathe deeper and slower. It is magic medicine for me. 

We also did face masks both days. Friday we hung out in the loft hammocks and Saturday we soaked up the gorgeous living room ceiling beams while we chatted and let the masks do their work. 

We went for neighborhood walks and oohed and aahed at every golden quaking aspen we saw. There was just a skiff of snow on the ground, so all the colors were just popping: yellow and blue and green and white. It was gorgeous. 

We played games and read books and ate good food. It was such a great getaway. Who knew you could do so much good for yourself in so little time? 

Hazel and Noah sewed surf ponchos for themselves. I guess they're like giant towel dresses you can get changed underneath and also use like blankets. I like that they work on projects like this and stay creative and busy. 

With Jack's braces off, it was definitely time for some new family pictures. We went to Concannon Vineyards to have Katie take them. I really like how they turned out! Although Gemma is still making faces and not taking it seriously, so we had to work really hard to get good pictures of her. 

Todd had the youth over for pepper night. Although he grew some hot peppers, and Fred Ellsworth also gave him some from his garden, he didn't think that was enough and he also ordered a box on Etsy. He had the participants (msotly kids, but some leaders also) start basic and build up the heat. By the time he got to the ghost peppers, we'd burned through a lot of lemon slices and a few people were having big reactions. 

Todd was super proud of the fact that Mike Nelson threw up and Topher Johnson felt sick until the next day. 

The next weekend, Todd and Jack took the young men up to the cabin overnight. Again, it was cold, and they even got rain (and hail!) on Saturday. They also went on a bike ride, and played some field games. A few of the boys got to rock climb, but they had to stop when the hail came and not everyone got a turn. 

Meanwhile, Gemma, Hazel and I had a quick trip to South Lake Tahoe. Hazel's volleyball had a "tournament" up there, which really turned into just one regular game on Saturday afternoon, but it was a good excuse to have some team bonding, and I'm so glad I went up. Fall was everywhere! There were complete groves of quaking aspens in lots of spots on the drive, and it was stunning. 

First thing, we had a short hike at Emerald Bay to Vikingsholm. Hazel planned ahead and brought her swimsuit and totally dived into the lake even though it was dang cold! For whatever reason, she loves it. She stayed in and swam for quite a while. 

It was fun to have special time with Gemma. She and I shared a hotel room, while Hazel stayed with teammates. Gem and I played Enchanted Forest, Parcheesi, and Kingdomino - and Gemma absolutely demolished me on all three games. We also made sure to fit in lots of reading time. 

I fell in love with Vikingsholm. It's basically my dream house. It's this charming villa on the lake with stained glass windows, stone floors, grassy roofs, and a courtyard. It just seemed completely picturesque. 

Hazel, Delaney, Gemma, and I watched the sun set on Lake Tahoe. Hazel and Delaney also woke up early to watch the sunrise the next morning. 

And - super exciting to report - the game against South Lake Tahoe high school went to five sets, and we WON!!!  The girls were jumping up and down in a circle and overjoyed. It was satisfying to see them celebrate. 

Immediately upon arrival home from Tahoe, we headed to the church for our tri-ward Trunk-or-Treat. Todd was positively gleeful in his flying squirrel onesie. I don't know about you, but I found it quite endearing to see the bishop running across the picnic benches and leaping through the air into groups of teenagers. He is adorable. 

The next Wednesday, we hosted a Monster Mash Bishop's Bash at our house for the 8-11-year-olds in primary. Miriam Blumer helped Todd plan the event and decorate for it. We had a fog machine, a broom on the zipline, giant googly eyes on the trampoline, and lots of fun games planned. The kids ate marshmallow eyeballs, blew dragon eggs across our table, made slime, and turned each other into toilet paper mummies. It was fast and furious, and everyone seemed to have a blast. 

Jack made a mummy costume this year. He dyed a white sheet in tea water, then sewed fabric strips onto an old pair of thermals. It took a ton of time, and he reflected afterward that he wished he had done something simpler and spent more time carving pumpkins and watching spooky movies instead of sewing, but he looked incredible. I think he should be proud of what he made. 

Speaking of carving pumpkins, that didn't even happen until the night before Halloween. It didn't even cross my mind. Hazel came home with them. I feel guilty that now that my kids are bigger, I don't put in as much effort to make the holidays special. 

Hazel had two costumes this year. She and Noah were monkeys together at church and at school. 

Hazel and Delaney as double Lorax's around town was incredible. They had orange faces, moustaches, trees, pregnancy bellies, the works, 

Here's Jack's mummy costume. Gemma pulled the Kip glasses and Hogwarts cloak out of the dress up bin and called it good. 

Jack made a fantastic Halloween cake to share with his friends which included fondant and strawberry monsters and a drippy ganache over a Frankenstein green frosting. It was pretty incredible.