A Touch Of Tyrell

Breckie is just a tiny bit obsessed with pigs.... so a piggy birthday is what we had! We made a pig cake... and if you look close, a pig piñata.  We made pig gift bags as an activity AND painted pig canvases that Breckie drew herself.  We also played pin the tail of the pig (that Breckie drew & painted) and we played a game of pass the pig (hot potato). The girls (+ Lincoln) all had a great time and Breckie loved all of the piggy gifts she got.  She's already planning her party for next year!  

I actually meant to title this post Dunes Trip #45 but apparently I didn't hold the shift key long enough to catch the pound sign above the number 3 key.... but wither way, they are both an exaggeration! Jake only had a day-and-a-half between his Idaho trip and dunes trip. He squeezed in as much work as he could before he left.  *This is Kevin... not Jake. (I'd undoubtedly frame it if it was Jake!) This trip didn't start out as successful as the other 344 dunes trips have 😉 The trip to Kanab UT (from SLC) was snowy and slow.  The bikes were totally frozen and covered in dirty ice when they got there. After a long car wash the bikes spent the night inside their airbnb to dry. It had snowed a few inches in the town of Kanab... but surprisingly it snowed even more out on the dunes... about 8 inches!  The first day of riding was completely unsuccessful and a total bummer for the guys. So they changed plans a bit and drove to St. George for the next two days of riding.  ...

Jake has one sister that lives in Utah (April) and one in Idaho (Brianna).  Recently his parents retired and moved to Idaho near Brianna.  And then his oldest sister (Amber) moved there as well. We're super happy and excited to have family SO much closer than we've had the last decade.  Jake learned how to frame houses working with his dad in middle/high school. His dad is building a house for this new chapter in their lives.  Jake spent a week in December helping his dad and then took a 3-day weekend in February to help again. The second time he went, he took the kids so they could spend time with their cousins/aunts/uncles.  Breckie loved crafting with her 18-year-old cousin Arianna, Everett loved gaming with Uncle Michael, and Roxy was attached to (basically twin cousin) Haley all weekend.  Brianna even took them to a farm to see the pigs when she heard that Breckie has a small obsession with piggies! The pigs weren't out because of the cold but they sti...

Valentine's Day is always pretty fun. How could it not be fun with these three! It starts with the tradition of following the trail to your Valentine gift. (P.S. we got a cat. Thats huge news for us. His name is Tiger and he was a stray Aunt Bridget found, nurtured, and then gifted to us.) I didn't take a picture of Jakes... but it included a XL beanie (because he has a massive noggin and all of his other beanies look something like a yamaka on him), a foot cheese-grader thing (necessary for his ogre feet), a large tin of chocolate mints, extra dark Lindor chocolates (he's a big chocolate & chocolate mint lover), and a fun love note.  He left me a pile of my favorite candies (peanut m&m's, the mini Easter Cadbury eggs (yeah, that's how he rolls)), huge bouquet of flowers (that are still beautifully alive), a very bougie (BOO-zhee) puzzle I wanted from a very bougie home boutique store, AND A CAN OF SPAM! because Valentine's day is also my dad's birth...

 I was sitting in the hallway outside of Roxy's new dance class today and was unintentionally eavesdropping on a teenage phone conversation. It sounded dramatic... and I had that happy, grateful moment of gratitude that that part of my life is over. Then on the drive home I had a flashback moment to a camping trip we took with friends when Everett was a baby... and I had that happy, grateful feeling that that part of my life is also over.  The flashback of that camping trip is based off of a photo that popped into my mind. It's of Jake and I on the beach with Everett in a hiking backpack. I had a deep feeling of appreciation for myself for having taken the time to write about and document so much of our life together... a "tangible" thing to help me remember memories. I was so grateful to have this digital journal/book to provide me with memories and reflection on the last dozen years of my life.  Parts of my life's journey I've shared are embarrassing, hilari...

  Having a family member have a birthday a mere  days after Christmas and the night before New Years Eve adds an extra challenge. Everyone is partied out and you've already given that person all the gifts! But Jake is the easiest to please when it comes to birthdays!!  He's one of those people that says he's the age he WILL be on his next birthday all year long. So he's been saying he's 38 for a while now but he actually just turned 38! We made him a cookies-and-cream cake, decorated, and the kids made his birthday cards.  We had his favorite... Costco lasagna, salad, and french bread.  The kids were super excited about cake and presents.  We gifted him some new, fun family games, some Lego sports cars, and a new pair of Bogg boots for the winter snow and slush.  Happy 38th Jake!

 I didn't mean to abandon the family/life chronicles!... especially for this long!! Life just went fast and I haven't been able to stop for even a few minutes to catch up and document our life.  Roxy turned 5, had a mermaid party. Everett turned 11, had a trampoline park party. I went on a girls 'trip' to scottsdale.  We bought a 'Summer/Vacation" house in Utah to satisfy my need/deep desire for seasons.  Persuaded the family to stay in Utah permanently.  Everyone agreed.  We went back to AZ to sell our house. Sold it, moved everything to Utah and spent the rest of the summer hiking, enjoying our new neighborhood, unpacking. It was a summer for the books. It was emotionally-charged and very high stress. We celebrated our 15 year anniversary. The kids started school here in August.  I worked endlessly on our new house: all new landscaping, painted the house, put in a mantle, painted the ceiling, put in a backsplash, organized and organized and organized...