8 Is Great- Elsie Edition

I almost don't know where to start. Elsie turned 8 today and it has been a whirlwind of a weekend. Jeff and Carolyn came to town on Friday morning and we have been going non-stop ever since.

Yesterday we had Elsie's friend birthday party. We had 10 little girls plus Elsie for a Lilo and Stitch themed party. We played "secret agent", "Stitch tag", "flip-flop fling", and made leis. I decided to hold the party at our church and it was a stroke of genius because everyone could run around and have a great time.

Today was Elsie's actual birthday and what a special day it was. We started the morning with a special breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes and with presents.

Later this afternoon, we all gathered for Elsie's baptism. Not many people get to be baptized on the day they turn 8, but the stars aligned for Elsie for her special day to be extra special. And what a special day it was. She was baptized by Jeremy and had talks by Aunt Becca and Aunt Emily and a musical number sung by Elsie, CC, and Isabel.

Elsie is such an important part of our family. Her little tender heart blesses our lives everyday. I am so proud of her and the choices she made today. I am honored that I could be a part of her day and honored everyday that I am her mother.

  

Valentine's Day 2026

 Yesterday was Valentine's Day. It was different from any other Valentine's Day we have ever had, and yet it was possibly one of the most special.

Elsie got into the spirit early, dressing up for her class party on Friday. She was really excited about her pretty pink outfit and was excited to share her Stitch valentines.

Valentine's Day itself started with a very special experience. Quincy and Colvin both went to the temple to take out their endowments before they both leave on their missions. Jeremy and I were able to be there along with my parents, and of course Ben and Becca. To say that it was a special experience would be a gross understatement.

After we were done at the temple, Emily met us with Merrick, Carrigan, Elsie, Lincoln, and Isabel so we could all have a celebratory lunch.

Speaking of Emily, yesterday was Elsie's Auntie Day. She spent the day with Emily getting nails done, going to the movies, getting treats and going to a crystal shop.

When she got home, we finally had a chance to do our love hunt. This year, the gifts at the end were things they would want for our upcoming cruise. 

Jeremy and I eventually snuck away for an hour to grab something to eat, but it was late by that point and we didn't go anywhere too fancy, or fancy at all actually.

Like I said, it was not a typical Valentine's Day, but it was really special and one not soon to be forgotten.

Sports Life Continues

 Last week, I mentioned that Merrick was going to have a chat with his basketball coach about what he was struggling with in his experience this season. It was an interesting conversation, but Merrick did come away feeling valued and with some better understanding. Like I said, I'm also so proud of him for standing up for himself and his needs.

It was also good to see that the conversation had a positive impact on him. His game on Friday was probably one of his best this season. It was the most complete game I have seen him play. He had 10 points, tons of assists and his defense was as on point as usual. There are only a few weeks left in the season so I'm hoping we can continue to ride this positive wave and end the season in a good place.

I haven't taken many videos and pictures of him while playing this season, but I did capture this one of "big 21" getting some much deserved rest (I say "big 21" because one of our player forgot his jersey and had to use an extra so you can see "little 21" in the background).

The other big news on the sports front is that our nephew, Kalani, signed with Western Oregon University to play football for them in the fall. Saying this year has been tough for Kalani would be a gross understatement and we weren't sure if he would get to play anywhere next year. This is such wonderful news and we are unbelievably happy for him. 

Since we are on a sports theme today. CC was also supposed to have a dance comp this weekend, but ended up getting sick so we sat it out. The comp ended up going really long, so it sounds like it was a good one to miss. Her team took first for both of their dances and we got to have a nice, low-key day at home and catch up on a few things. It was a win all around.

Our kids keep us super busy with all of their sports and activities, but when they are happy and things are going well, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Another Week Gone

This was another packed week with very few pictures to show for it, so you will just have to use your imagination. Here is the rundown for the week: 

Elsie loves her after school playdates more than anything, but we are working on also prioritizing reading time and homework after school. We really nailed it the past couple of weeks. We are even getting to the point where it isn't a major fight everyday, which is a big accomplishment.

CC has been keeping really busy with school, dance, and choir. She had a dance comp this past weekend and another this coming weekend. This past weekend her team took first place in the middle school category for their jazz dance. She also has a choir concert this week and had early morning practice last week to prepare.

Merrick had two basketball games and practice everyday in between. They won both game, but he is not currently getting what he wants from the season and his team experience and is planning to talk with the coach tomorrow. I am proud of him for standing up for himself. He is very hard working and determined to reach his goals. He is also in process of applying for a summer job at the local pool. He always likes to keep busy.

Not much to update for Jeremy and I, just work and trying to juggle all of the kids activities. Somehow we made it through another week.

Sunny Days

 The last several weeks have been cold, clear and sunny. It's been a trade off because it has been way colder than usual, but this is the time of year when the rain usually starts getting to me, so having so many sunny days has been a balm to my soul.

Other than the sun, nothing much has been unusual or noteworthy from the past week. Mostly, work, school and sports dominated our time. It was finals week/the last week of the semester so CC and Merrick were both studying and wrapping things up for their classes. 

This weekend we didn't have a dance comp, but we have one the next two weeks so we enjoyed a little extra time on Saturday. While C.C. and I went to the store, Jeremy took advantage of the sun and took Elsie to the park to ride her bike. 

    

Rain is scheduled for this next week so we will soak it in while we can.

Comp Time, Go Time

 It's a busy time of year. Then again, I'm not not sure it's ever not a busy time. Jeremy is slammed at work because they are down two attorneys. I am gearing up at work for the high-need spring season and trying to hold our life together with all the everyone has going on.

Speaking of everything everyone has going on, Merrick is keeping himself very busy these days. We are in the heart of basketball season. He has 5-6 practices and games a week and is also reffing on the weekends. Because that isn't enough, this weekend he also decided to coach a sophomore rec basketball team with some of his friends.

For CC, we are officially in dance competition season. She had a comp yesterday and spent most of the day in Salem. While we love watching her and her team dance, Jeremy is not sure about the return on investment of time. We were gone for 6 hours yesterday to see her dance for two minutes. It was a really good two minutes though. This week we also got to watch her perform at half time of the girls varsity team. Please enjoy some very graining photos of her from that performance as well as a photo of her team from the comp.

Poor Elsie gets dragged along to most things, but also insists on having play dates almost everyday after school as well. We have definitely become the hang out house for her neighborhood friends.

We somehow are making it all work. Now, if I could just get everyone in the house fully healthy, I think that would make things a lot easier. Unless there are more surprises waiting, I think we are almost there.