Gigi Life (letter written to our missionary)

LETTER WRITTEN TO OUR MISSIONARY    12/19/21

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HOLA and FELIZ NAVIDAD, HERMANA!!!
I am writing this email from balmy Austin, Texas. It's only in the 50's here, but compared to Utah lately, it feels balmy! I'm here with Dad, Adam, and Ellie and we are just here for a super quick trip. Spence wanted to come too, but ticket prices jumped quickly after we made our plans, so it didn't work for him to come on this trip. He is hoping to join you on a visit sometime in January. :)

This was the original trip we planned for everyone to come meet Lucie briefly before Christmas (since it's not our turn to spend Christmas with C&G). I am very much enjoying my Gigi time!

It's been knocking my socks off to travel TWICE at Christmastime, but not actually FOR Christmas. I got our Christmas cards sent off (because that's one of my favorite parts of the season), but that's pretty much the only thing I feel pretty confident about and otherwise I feel pretty scattered. I'm hoping that I don't forget anything significant and that I'll start to feel a little more put back together by the time you get home. Hopefully. 😐

Speaking of Christmas cards....aren't ours AWESOME this year!? I'm quite enamored with how it all turned out and they're going to be extra hard to create next year, because this year's turned out so well. Can you spot ours in the mix?

So, I don't think this was the original plan, but Cami and Garrett ended up blessing Lucie today. I think they decided to do it because we were in town and because it wasn't too hard for Amy and Travis to come up spontaneously. They just did the blessing low-key at Patrick and Aleisha's house (Garrett's aunt and uncle). We were so happy to be here for it. Lucie wore the same dress that Cami wore for her blessing day.






Of course, Lucie May's blessing was the highlight of the week, but here's another glimpse at our happenings over the last week:

Monday--was pretty boring and normal. I ended up running a lot of errands and trying to recuperate from traveling the week before!

Tuesday--I have no idea what specifically I did that day, but I know I stayed busy. I did go to a RS dinner at the church that night in our new ward. I know it doesn't sound that exciting, but it was the first RS activity I'd been to in over two years and I was absolutely thrilled to be in a ward that actually has them. It was so nice to just have the opportunity to chat and be social! Yay for being in another new ward! It snowed a thick heavy wet snow overnight.

Wednesday--Dad had a big presentation at work and Adam finished his first semester finals! They were both happy to be done afterward! Adam also saw the new Spiderman movie a day early and got us all excited to watch it too. We also shoveled A LOT! It was only about 4-inches, but that snow was heavy and wet!





Thursday--I hosted a 'goodie exchange' at our house! It was the first official meeting for book group and I think it went super well. I think it's going to be a great group and I'm looking forward to it. Here are the goodies we got....



And here's a closer look at my Rocky Road fudge, which I think I *finally* got to a good texture and sweetness level...YUM!


Friday--Dad fixed the chicken coop (that partially collapsed with all the heavy snow), we packed our bags, and left for Austin

Saturday--it was our 28th wedding anniversary and we spent a rainy day in Austin, baking with Cami and snuggling with Lucie as much as possible.

Sunday (today)--we watched church with Cami and Garrett from home and headed to Patrick and Aleisha's for the blessing. This was the goody plate we brought! Rocky Road fudge by me, dipped Oreos by Ellie, gingersnaps by Cami, and peppermint frosted brownie cookies by Cami. There was a gluten free version of everything for me. YAY!!!!

And just because, she's so darn adorable....here's some good Lucie spam for you




Kristina made this ornament for Lucie....


Fresh out of the bath....


More adorableness....


Blessing day....









And in other adorableness....Denali will be a permanent resident in our home as of Wednesday!



I can't wait for you to meet her too!

Well, I hope you've had an awesome week! I love and miss you like crazy!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!
Love,
Mom

this week....a day at a time

 At the end of each week, I look back and it often seems like every day is the same--too much time in the car, not enough time to get everything done, all the while being so very sleep deprived.   I laugh when I look back to when  the kids were young and  I was constantly searching for field trips and fun activities  to fill our day with.  Nowadays, I yearn for as little adventure as possible and more time to just all be home together.  This week, like most, was as crazy as they come, but then for as much as I hate to admit it, I know that these days with all the kids at home are fleeting and I long not to forget any of them--the good, the bad, and the boring.  

Here's a glimpse at our not-so-average week: 

Sunday:  Saint Patrick's Day dawned with lots of big brotherly pinching for those forgetful enough not to have worn green pajamas to bed the night before.  The girls, not willing to be pinched another second,  immediately remedied the situation and bedecked themselves in the greenest clothes they could find.  They were as cute and Irish looking as non-Irish people can be!

 In the end, Spence was the least Irish looking of the bunch with his barely green tie tucked into his blue sweater...  I guess that's why he opted for a good leprechaun hairdo instead.


Monday:  I had one of the kids stay home who clearly didn't really need to stay home.  I tried to be good and savor the time together, but I'm sad to say that at the end of the day I felt a little frustrated at all that I did not accomplish.

Tuesday:  Spencer passed his 9-month check up with flying colors and afterward we celebrated with lunch and treats out on the town.

Wednesday:  I tempered chocolate for the first time ever and Emma, Cami, and I made the shiniest, prettiest chocolate bonbons ever.  Emma ended up winning the day though and she won the grand prize among a bunch of grown women for her Crispy Caramel Bites.

While the girls and I were eating goodies all evening, Glen was at Spence's lacrosse game with Ellie and Adam.  Spence played well, but unfortunately his team lost again.   Upon our simultaneous arrival home at 10:00pm, Cami informed us that she still had an essay to write, which meant that every person in the family went to bed a good 2-3 hours past their bedtime.

Thursday:  After coating our kitchen in chocolate the day before, Thursday was spent coating it in powdered sugar.  I made 5 dozen cupcakes--two for the teacher appreciation luncheon, one for YW, and two for Ellie to share with her class for her birthday.  They definitely didn't turn out as pretty or as tasty as Cami's, but watching Cami has definitely improved my skills greatly  and I don't think they turned out too bad for a non-cake person like me.

After baking all day, visiting the school two separate times, and taking a quick trip to the electronics store, we went to the second grade musical called,  "Pass It On."  It was a  very darling performance and Ellie was pleased as punch about her solo part.  Although she had been practicing it excitedly for weeks,  when her teacher learned that the music teachers had given her a solo, he was so worried about her having a seizure during the performance that he almost gave the part to someone else. I begged him not to and thankfully she ended up not having any issues.  Check her out in all of her sparkly glory (in the outfit that Grandma Sandy had sent) at the :40 second mark.


  Friday:  Spence and I woke up at the crack of dawn and jumped on an airplane to Utah!  I dropped him off at BYU this afternoon for a weekend of campus touring and fun with his friends.  He just learned that he was also accepted to James Madison University (JMU), so we will also be taking a trip there in the next couple of weeks while he ponders this big decision he has to make.   In the meantime, I am enjoying a few days in Utah without the kids and trying to adjust to the fact that Spencer is really leaving us in a few months.  I am clearly having kid withdrawals though and I felt a little dumb when I realized that I've called home no less than a dozen times already.  Thank you to Glen who is holding down the fort at home and last I heard  was eating dinner with the kids at  IHOP at 9:00pm.

Family Home Evening in the Fast Lane

Part 1:  A trip to the school to see Emma's science fair project.  "Spritz! The Effect of Different Household Cleaners on Different Household Stains"  where they proved that Windex worked the best and that vinegar and water was equally effective as the eco-friendly Seventh Generation brand.    In other words, if you're going with organic cleaners, you may as well save your money and just use vinegar and water. 

 Part 2:  (no pictures)  Easter lesson in the car with Adam teaching us about the Last Supper and Ellie chiming in about Christ's birth. 

Part 3:  A family trip to Red Mango for the best darn frozen yogurt ever.  I am a fan of the  Pomegranate flavor and the kids just like that they can serve themselves.   

I figure that the fact that we had FHE at all will hopefully make up for the fact that we hurriedly put the kids to bed as soon as we got home...skipping story time, so Glen could work on our taxes and I could make a small dent in the disaster that seems to have consumed our house ever since I started focusing on organizing our bedroom. 




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