January 2020

We spent New Year's Eve driving to Utah to attend Julena and Adam's wedding. We made it in time to hang out with family in the evening, but were too worn out to want to stay up til midnight.  

The wedding was lovely. We were happy to be there. It was worth the drive and we would do it again! 

The kids especially loved being with their cousins.

When the reception was over, we dragged ourselves back into the van and made it home around midnight New Year's Day. It was crazy nuts, and we all needed the next day to recover. I was a genius and booked a massage that felt like heaven.

January 4th was Jack's ninth birthday.

We have decided as a family to plan more outings for Super Saturdays, and since Jack's birthday was on the first Saturday of 2020, we let him take the lead in planning our first adventure. Inspired by our recent trip to the Grand Canyon, Jack googled National Parks within day trip range and discovered Pinnacles.

Now, historically, the Bonner family has been on plenty of "hikes," but they are typically more like nature walks, three miles or less, with very little elevation gain. Our adventure at Pinnacles was an opportunity to accept a challenge and reap the rewards. It helped that Todd fibbed about what we were getting ourselves into, saying we'd be hiking around five miles, when it actually was more like nine. We knew it was going to be longer than usual, but we didn't know we were tripling our usual distance! By the time I had that figured out, we'd made it past the grueling uphill march and all that was left was breathtaking scenery as we traveled across the peaks and then back down to a talus cave (made entirely of fallen boulders). It was absolutely too much for Gemma, but I've reflected on it again and again since as one of our best family days yet.

Jack had a party the next week, inviting his good friends Jonah, Adam, and Somto. Jack has been massively interested in board and card games the last few months, so it seemed both fitting and simple to have a game-themed party and teach his friends a few of his favorites.

Ever since Adam taught Jack how to play Cover Your Assets at Thanksgiving, Jack has been obsessed with it. He has played it almost every single day since then, and he's super good at it, too.

I will always regret that I did not take a picture of the six-foot, glowing, sparkly unicorn our neighbors put in their yard for a Christmas decoration. Todd would have us salute it whenever we drove past. But when she changed it out around New Year's for a glowing, caped and crowned lion, I realized we had something truly noteworthy on our block and I did get a picture of that. We all held our breath, wondering if there would be a new adornment for each month of the year, but alas, she simply got the lion on clearance and couldn't resist. When it went down mid-January, nothing else came up. 

Hazel was in the school spelling bee again this year, which meant she spent a good portion of Christmas break studying hard. While she did not win, her best friend Aarna did, and it was adorable to see how ardently Hazel cheered for her thought the competition.

Our next Super Saturday was meant to be visiting the monarch butterflies at Natural Bridges in Santa Cruz, but when we got there, we learned from a ranger that most of them had migrated another few miles down the coast due to a wind storm that had knocked over many of their eucalyptus trees. We thought about driving further to see them, but had plenty of interesting things to do where we were, and stuck around.

The park ranger gave an interesting presentation in the visitor's center, and the kids loved looking at the displays. Jack was particularly intrigued by this jarred octopus, and came home researching how he could have an octopus as a pet.

The ranger also led us outside with binoculars to look for a couple great horned owls that were living in the trees out back. It was an awesome experience to see them roosting in the trees!

We then spent some time at the beach. First we explored the tide pools.

Then we climbed far enough across the cliffs that we came to a private section of beach. It was beautiful. The girls ran and played in the water until they were soaked, pretending to be water birds.

As we were leaving, Hazel saw a fountain that looked like it was on dry ground, like a splash pad. She decided to run over and rinse off the salt water from her skin and clothes. She yelped in surprise when what she thought was ground gave way under her feet and she fell into an algae-covered pond! I bent over double laughing, and Todd and I were bursting with pride at the way Hazel laughed also and kept a good attitude about it, instead of freaking out.

We had Chrissy and Suzanne's families over mid-month for a faux New Year's Eve party, since we traditionally get together to celebrate the holiday and we couldn't this year since we went to Beany's wedding. We ate pulled pork sandwiches and played tons of games and loved being together. 

Hazel accepted the opportunity to play the piano at New Beginnings while the other girls in the ward sang the 2020 youth theme song, "I Will Go and Do." She practiced a lot and did an amazing job keeping time with the singers. Neither of us realized the magnitude of the assignment until we got to the activity and realized that since it was stake-wide and parents and leaders were invited, rather than the group of 20 or so we'd been imagining, Hazel was to play in front of an audience of more than 100 people. She kept her cool and sounded terrific.

Gemma turned seven on January 14th. She had a party after school - animal themed. We played lots of cute games like animal charades and closing your eyes and trying to guess which person had just made an elephant sound. It was easy and fun.

Gemma spends the most time of us all with the cats. She goes out to see them straight after school and is often found in the backyard singing or reading to them. Sometimes I have to remind her not to be too rough when I discover her holding one and twirling in circles or jumping up and down. I love to hear her talk about how the cats like to be petted. She knows them really well and they love her best. 

We had a guided painting night for a Relief Society activity. I was shocked at how hard it was for me to relax and be creative and not worry about results. I loosened up during the course of the evening and am really happy with my painting, and have realized I need to give myself more opportunities to create and enjoy the process more than the product.

Jack is on Student Council. One of the activities they do to help the kids develop leadership skills is sell pictures and pencils that kids can order and have delivered to their friends. Jack worked the orders and seemed to really enjoy managing numbers.

Todd and I took Hazel to the temple to do baptisms for the dead for the first time. It was a happy experience. I loved that her first time working inside the temple she could be with me and Todd, in that intimate family group, rather than with a youth trip from church. I would have appreciated that as a twelve-year-old. Hazel loved the experience and has asked to try to go once a month.

Todd and I were invited to Jordan Haight's wedding reception. We taught Jordan in primary when we were newlyweds first living in the Bay Area. He was around ten at the time. He was this mischievous kid who liked to crawl under the seats and needed a lot of attention. I remember we often divided our team into "you take Jordan, and I'll take the rest of the class" during Sharing Time. After moving for flight school and Todd's first deployment, we were back in Woodland Park Ward, and this time that group of kids were 12 and 13 and in need of Sunday School teachers. We were blessed with that calling and loved being with that class again. As they aged out, Todd was put in Young Men's and continued to work with Jordan and the other boys his age. After Todd's second deployment, we spent a few months back in Woodland Park Ward before moving to Livermore. 16-year-old Jordan often babysat our kids so we could have date night. It was such a pleasure to see him again, a returned missionary, married in the temple, happy and going to college and doing so well.

For Todd's Christmas present, I got us tickets to a Piano Guys concert. It was a nice date night. We got some pho first, and were scandalized by the size of our large soup bowl.

I drove on Hazel's class field trip and had a really satisfying day helping this lovely group of girls plant trees on farmland here in Livermore, to replenish the land along the Arroyo Seco creek. Hazel was really in her element, jumping on shovel like Todd does, outside on a beautiful day, hanging out with some of her really good friends.

Our primary had a party at the church for the kids, and one of the coolest things they did was fill up a classroom with balloons. Some of them had letters written on them, and the kids had to search for the letters and put them in order to discover a message.

My kids loved it so much that they have recreated the balloon room in our playroom at home. Since taking this picture, it has doubled in size and now reaches from one wall to the next. It's tons of fun.

I went for a hike with my good friends Katie and Karrie. I love Livermore this time of year! It's so fun to be out in the sunshine and the green hills instead of shoveling snow like my family back in Utah.

Hazel has found a channel for her compassion, and organized her second charity cookie sale. She worked hard researching appropriate venues to send relief funds to Australia to help with their wildfire recovery, enlisting friends, making eye-catching posters, baking cookies, and gathering supplies. I took her and Aarna to Safeway a few days before the planned event so they could ask a store manager for permission to sell in front of the grocery store and was so proud to see her bravely present her ideas.

Jack handled the money and Gemma handpicked the biggest, best looking cookies for our customers, while Hazel and her friends invited shoppers to donate as they came in and out of the store. The event was a success. In an hour and a half, we raised over $350.

December 2019

 Hazel's eleventh birthday was on December 1st. She was dreading the fact that it fell on Fast Sunday and she'd have to wait until after church to eat, but it turned out to not be that big of a deal. She had scones for lunch instead of brekkie. She was also super flexible about attending a new convert baptism that evening. What a mature young lady!

Gemma wrote her a book and Jack bought her a desk succulent from TJ Maxx. Todd and I got her Greatest Showman sheet music, a creative writing journal, and tickets for the family to go see Newsies performed at a nearby theater later in the month. She has a thing for musical soundtracks and has had a special place in her heart for the music from Newsies since she saw the Christian Bale movie a handful of years ago. She was super excited to go see the production!

Todd gave me three months of massages at my favorite spa for my birthday, and my last one just happened to be the Monday after Thanksgiving break. After driving to the Grand Canyon and Cedar City the week before, the massage felt so incredible! It goes in the books as one of the best I've had yet.

Hazel had a birthday party the Friday after her birthday. Several of her good friends came over for a few hours after school. It was such a fun, chill event. It was art themed. We played a color by number relay race and a famous art memory match, but the main event was for everyone to draw (we had how-to books they could reference if they were interested) and those who wanted could give the group a tutorial on something they were good at drawing. All those darling fifth-grade girls (and Jack and Hazel) were earnestly sketching away for over an hour solid. It was a very pleasant afternoon.

We went to the Army Christmas party. It was nice to be there and not have Todd be commander. He didn't have to schmooze anyone or make sure to go and say hi at every table. We came late and we left early. My kids always act awkward about talking to Santa. It was especially weird this time around. Jack wouldn't even go over. I think Hazel bribed Gemma with the promise Santa would give her a candy cane. Gemma was insistent that it wasn't the real Santa, so what was the point?

They did like climbing around in the helicopters, though..

I drove on a field trip with Hazel for the first time. She was really pleased, as she'd given up hope that I'd ever drive her class. (I only started doing field trips last spring! Sheesh.) We went to the Lawrence Livermore Labs science center.

Our ward Christmas dinner was extra nice this year. It felt very Christ-centered and definitely helped put me in a worshipful mindset. I loved the manger centerpieces. I complimented the activities committee on them and was gifted one to take home and use as a Christmas decoration. I love it!

The kids from our ward sang Christmas songs at an old folk's home. Jack played a piano solo of The First Noel. They sang again a couple weeks later at our Christmas worship service - Hazel's last time singing as a Primary child.

I couldn't resist - aren't they cute, napping together? 

Hazel's class did reports on holiday traditions from around the world. She and her friend Kaitlyn  were both in the Germany group and got together the afternoon before their presentation to bake traditional German gingerbread cookies, lebkuchen. They were disappointed in them until Poppa reassured Hazel that authentic German cookies really are crisp and not overly sweet. They were very authentic, and I thought they were quite yummy.

Gemma outgrew sneakers that come in velcro and had to learn how to tie shoelaces. Apparently, Jack's method of the bunny ears is easier for her to master than the way I was trying to teach her.

Gemma's ballet school performed selections from the Nutcracker. Gemma's class learned the Chinese Tea dance. It was short and adorable.

Gemma was pretty excited to perform. She got a little nervous in the pre-show bustle, but said she really enjoyed being on stage, and her after-performance hyperactivity was evidence that she did, indeed, get a natural high from being in front of an audience.

I spoke in church Christmas Sunday. It was nice to prepare a seven minute talk instead of a 15-minute one. I did feel a lot of pressure, however, to thoughtfully speak towards an audience that would include many visitors not of our faith. We invited our neighbor Julie and were happy to see that she came and brought her two daughters with her as well.

See the bandage on Todd's eyebrow! He gashed it open on his truck racks and did a self-fix when I thought he should have gone in for stitches. Lucky for us all, it seems to be healing well. 

That afternoon, we visited Mrs. Allen, Hazel's and Jack's kindergarten teacher. Gemma had been very insistent all of December that we visit her soon, as one of Gemma's Christmas promises to Jesus was that she would visit and play with people who were lonely. We had a nice time with her.

I woke up late on the 23rd (it was Christmas break at last!) and found all the kids in the kitchen, baking cookies and making signs. Hazel had this big plan to sell cookies and donate the money to refugees. The kids were pretty annoyed when I made them wait another day so we could get a little more organized, but all's well that ends well. We made lots of cookies, and recruited a couple of Hazel's friends to come help. We researched charities and found a reputable place to give the money to.

Christmas Eve we spent two hours in the afternoon in front of the elementary school, waving down cars as they passed and selling cookies and hot chocolate. Gemma was a very enthusiastic advertiser, leaping around in her fluorescent coat. It was hard to ignore her. Many people donated generously. Hazel was so proud at the end of the day to count up the money and see that we had raised $279 to provide refugee families in Chad with supplies to survive the winter.

We were so very proud of Hazel for finding an outlet for her compassion. She has got a very soft heart for people who suffer from injustice in its many forms. The last few months she has been drawn again and again to library books about people different from her, whether it be their language, skin color, culture, country of origin, or religion. She just soaks those stories up and feels a great deal of love for people, and an honest desire to improve the world.

Christmas Eve night we read Luke II, watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and put all the kids to bed in the playroom for a sibling sleepover.

Per tradition, Todd hung up the sheet in the hall that the kids are not allowed to go past in the morning until they come and get us.

Unlike past years, the kids were up waaaaaay before seven.

Santa gave Gemma the tea set she's been longing for, Jack the scooter that he'll actually want to ride to school, and Hazel an embroidery starter kit so she can learn a new way to make beautiful things. The best part of the morning for everyone was seeing the kids open the presents they bought and made for each other. They were all so thoughtful and excited and loving. I'm grateful they all enjoy giving.

Christmas afternoon, we went on a family hike in Del Valle. It was chilly but very green and lovely.

Nothing like a beautiful spot and a park bench to inspire one of Todd's Jeffrey stories.

December 26th is Todd's birthday. He always gets the short end of the birthday stick, so I tried extra hard to do something cool for him. I hunted down childcare (no small feat the day after Christmas!) and took Todd up to Arnold for a couple of days, with the intent to try shoe shoeing. We ended up having to drive a little further up in elevation to Bear Valley to actually find snow on the ground this time of year, but that made for the best of both worlds: we got to hike dry trails in Arnold and snowshoe in Bear Valley.

It was beautiful and secluded and Todd and I got lots and lots of time to talk with each other uninterrupted.

The kids spent the first afternoon with Kerry Ellsworth, slept overnight at Katie George's, and then the last day and a half with Aunt Erika, who came down to stay at our house. She took them to a children's science discovery museum on Saturday, and from the pictures, it looks pretty cool.

Gemma lost another tooth this month, and left the Tooth Fairy a note, asking her to please draw a self-portrait. I love her childlike wonder.

Sorry it's still bloody. I want to know what you look like please. Draw here. Picture. Sign it. 

New Year's Eve we spent ten hours in the car, driving back to Cedar City for Julena and Adam's wedding. We hung out with the Bonner family that evening, but were still in bed long before midnight. It wasn't much of a flashy holiday this year.