March 2022

March - life got busy, real fast! Hazel tried out for - and made - the school volleyball team. She has practice twice a week and games twice a week. Jack started a community tennis class. I went to the temple with Katie - and we got caught in an hour-long backup on the freeway. Thankfully, we were able to switch our appointment to the next session, but happenings like that are especially stressful now that we can't go to the temple without an appointment (a Covid guideline that looks like is here to stay). And the whole family joined the youth from the ward for a sledding day in Bear Valley.  What can I say? We love it up there! 

Todd had a work conference in Orlando, and we turned it into a family trip. The kids and I took advantage of all the free amenities at the fancy resort the meetings were held at: pools with waterfalls, racquetball, tennis, golfing, hydro bikes, regular bikes ... Besides all that, the kids had schoolwork to complete, and I won't lie, they burned a lot of time going up and down the fancy glass elevator. All the kids brought Harry Potter books to revisit because our biggest motivation for coming with Todd to Orlando was to go to Universal Studios' Wizarding World of Harry Potter. 

The kids and I paid a visit to the Blue Springs to kayak and look for manatees and alligators. The manatees were underwhelming: while the website said up to 300 manatees will visit the Blue Springs in the spring, when we drove through the gate, a chalkboard listed how many sightings had been made that day: one. Instead of swimming with manatees all around us, we stood on a boardwalk and squinted at underwater shadows near a couple of buoys.  

The second half of our adventure, however, ended up being a highlight the kids mentioned every time we asked about their week in Florida after coming home. We rented kayaks and went out on the St John river. It was super hot and the kids were begging me to let them swim in the water, even though there were signs posted saying "no swimming" and the company we rented the kayaks from stated that swimming was forbidden. I had a little experience under my belt from my year in Alabama and insisted the kids would not want to swim if they realized they were advertising themselves as "gator bait." No one believed me and there were a lot of protests until ... Hazel spotted three alligators sunning themselves on the riverbank! Look closely at the picture - they're on the other side of those water plants. All three kids pulled their toes out of the water after that! We also saw a gator swimming in the water nearby. I had just finished telling Gemma to pull her paddle in and that I would whack the alligator on the head with mine if he got too close when he changed directions and angled himself farther away from us. It was the perfect brush with danger: enough to get our hearts beating fast without actually breaking a sweat. 

Todd's last day at the conference ended at noon, so all five of us headed to the Volcano Bay water park for the afternoon. It was off and on rainy, so the crowds were low, and we had a great time on all the rides. 

Thursday and Friday were dedicated to Universal Studios. We almost went to Harry Potter World for Hazel's 11th birthday, when she was in the height of her Harry Potter obsession, but Gemma wasn't tall enough for most of the rides, and we decided to hold off until we could all enjoy it. I'm so glad we did. We had an awesome time. The Velociraptor ride was super fun as well, but other than that, everything Harry Potter at Universal was spectacular, and the entire rest of the park was completely forgettable. 

It was exciting to walk into Hogsmeade in our Hogwarts t-shirts. I could have spent the whole day in Harry Potter World. There was a Hogwarts Express train, the 9 3/4 platform, a wand shop, butter beer to drink, Honeydukes candy shop full of chocolate frogs and Every Flavor Beans. We ate lunch at The Three Broomsticks. The details were incredible! Hagrid's Motorbike ride was so fun - one of the best of the whole park. 

The next day we spent the morning in Diagon Alley, and it was more of the same. Incredible attention to details everywhere. It felt like we were living inside the books! Gringott's Bank was phoenomenal. The dragon on the roof breathed fire every ten minutes. Waiting in line for the ride, we walked past animatronic goblins writing in their ledgers. The actual ride made you feel like you were riding in a train cart underground - it was so cool. 

Outside the bank, there were wand shops, cloak shops, a flying Nimbus 2000 broomstick in the store window, Fred and George's joke shop, complete with Extendable Ears, puking pastilles, love potions, and pygmy puffs. I was in heaven, looking in every shop window and looking at everyone's fun t-shirts. I'm glad we went big and didn't shortcut our experience with the smaller Harry Potter World in California. 

When we got home, we discovered that Ginger had been bitten by what we're guessing was a fox, since we've been hearing them a lot at night lately. We are grateful he is scrappy and managed to survive. He stayed close to home the next couple of weeks and was extra snuggly, which we didn't mind. Gratefully, he is healing well. 

We are attempting to evolve our playroom into a teen hangout space, so we repainted and bought a couch. Sadly, we thought to measure the doorframe but not the hallway, and we are not able to fit the couch into the room. That was a discouraging discovery, and we are having a hard time reselling our nonrefundable, custom upholstered, brand new, quite comfortable, but slightly too large, piece of furniture. 

We had dinner at Chrissy's house. The kids ran around like cousins, except for Gemma, who ran around like a dog almost the whole night. Jack sprouted a mustache for a few minutes, and we discovered that Hazel and Spencer will get to go to FSY (For the Strength of Youth Conference) the same week this summer. Maybe they'll get to hang out a little bit. If only Nova could be there with them ... 

Todd and I had an awesome date night at the Bankhead Theater watching Velocity Irish Dance from the fourth row. (We get $20 military tickets and sometimes that turns into a super score!) The music was top notch and the footwork was furiously fast. I loved it. 

February 2022

Nana and Grandpa came to visit us for a week at the beginning of February. We had lots of fun with them. The kids all played a couple of their favorite songs on piano or violin and gave a concert to an attentive audience. We played lots of games and included the grandparents in our daily activities for a few days, and then we all headed up to Bear Valley for some fun in the snow. We rented snowmobiles and brought sleds and shovels. All the kids learned how to drive the snowmobiles and thought that was awesome. Probably the most fun, though, was tying the tube to the back of the snowmobile and getting pulled around that way. The kids were innovative; while one rode the tube, the other two would sit on disk sleds and hang on as well, allowing all three of them to ride together. There was lots of laughter. 

The days up there are long and lazy, with so much less pressure from our daily responsibilities. It's a great way to spend time as a family. It makes us dream of owning a cabin we can head up to more often. 

We had one more day with my parents when we got back to Livermore. It was sunny and warm, a perfect day to drive to the top of the hill and hike into Del Valle, scoping out the best spots to have our family pictures taken by Katie George later in the month. The green hills always make me happy. 

And Nana helped Jack make macarons. That boy is always up for adventures in the kitchen. 

I suggested the kids make their own valentines this year. Hazel went above and beyond, drawing these fabulous labels on Ghirradelli chocolates. 

Jack was not interested in being creative and commissioned Hazel to write his message, which he photocopied. 

Gemma came up with a darling concept and colored each one, which she passed out with a marshmallow. 

We lucked out with a surprise visit from the Turri family one Sunday afternoon. The kids gelled like they had seen each other yesterday, jumping right back into familiar fun. It was satisfying and left us with a reminder of the huge hole in our lives we have because they're no longer down the street. 

My ankle is healing fairly well, so I've been trying to get 10,000 steps a day again. Katie helped me out by going walking with me one gorgeous morning. 

Jack's next food box came in the mail. He was disappointed that it was highlighting New York City instead of Morocco, but it did give us a delicious fruity tiramisu recipe to try. The other two dishes were less popular; one was fish, so it was almost guaranteed to flop in our house. He is anxiously checking the mail for the next box, hopeful that it will be more exciting. 

Hazel continues to be ridiculously responsible, studying for math tests before school and generally staying super on top of all her activities and assignments. 

February means the start of spring here in California. We have had some gorgeous warm days and blossoms are blooming on plenty of trees. I have been grateful my ankle is healing so that I can be out walking and enjoying the lovely spring days. 

The elementary school had a "dress like your hero" day. Gemma wanted to be Jack, so they coordinated their outfits - green shirts and pants with stripes on the sides. I love that she picked her brother to emulate. 

Our friend Juno is raising rabbits. We went over to see the babies while they were still tiny. They were so cute and soft! The one I picked out stayed still in my arms for a good half hour while I rubbed its neck. 

Spontaneously, the kids talked Todd and me into taking them to Denica's for breakfast on a Saturday morning. We almost never go out for breakfast. I'm really not sure why Todd agreed so readily to their suggestion, rather than offering to make biscuits or waffles like an ordinary Saturday. It was fun. Denica's has fruit infused water and complimentary chips and salsa, so it feels like a celebration no matter what we're eating. 

After breakfast, we headed over to Keri Dockter's house to help her family load a moving truck and wash walls. They were getting ready to move to Logan, Utah. We have lost a lot of good families from our ward in the last few years. 

That evening we had our family pictures taken at Del Valle. The hills are still green and the trees had little baby leaves on them - it was a lovely window of time to capture. Gemma was a grump so I'm not sure we caught any authentic shots of her impish smile, though. Fingers crossed. We sure tried! 

February 22nd was a Tuesday, and the date was 2-22-22, so everyone was calling it a super "two's-day." It was a memorable day for us! It rained and hailed in the valley, and snowed on the hills. And ... Todd and I bought a convertible! 

It's definitely a want and not a need - but we didn't go into debt for it and it's something we've been dreaming of for years. I've been drooling at convertibles since I was a kid. If we're going to be present in our California lives instead of always dreaming of the greener grass elsewhere, what better way to live in the moment than to drive a convertible? We've had it a week and I've already put 300 miles on it, taking long drives through the hills and running all my errands in Sasha. 

The last Saturday of the month, Todd took Hazel and Jack skiing at Bear Valley for their first time. They had a blast and all want to go again soon. Gemma and I stayed home and made a list of all the things Gemma wanted to do. I taught her how to make cookies. We took a drive to Brentwood to smell almond blossoms - in Sasha. She rollerbladed, I read "James and the Giant Peach" to her, we ordered pizza and watched "Tangled." It was a fun day! 

We ended the month with a special devotional from President Nelson to all the members of the Church living in California. We were encouraged to stay faithful and to trust that even though we have so many members moving out of state, we are in a position of influence because an extraordinary number of people from all over the world pass through California for a time - for varied economic or educational reasons - and then spread out everywhere else. We can have a big impact through our service, love, and examples here.