Grandma and Grandpa Visit!

While Michael was at a work conference in San Antonio for a few days, Grandma and Grandpa came to visit from California! We had such a fun with with them. We did puzzles, chatted, laughed, and played at the house. 

They brought the sunshine with them and we enjoyed some "warm" days (mid-40s) while they were here. It had been freezing the week before their arrival though so the creek was frozen enough for ice skating. 

Saturday afternoon we headed to BYU for some fun. They took us bowling, and the kids LOVED it!

Watching Conrad bowl was a hoot! Love his technique and how he held his arms out the whole time the ball rolled down the lane. 

Amazingly, I bowled really well despite the fact that this baby is much larger than the ball. Maybe baby is a natural bowler. 

It was such a fun day! 

Sunday afternoon we enjoyed a family dinner with TJ, Alicia, and Daddy who had just gotten home. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for coming to visit, helping with kids, cleaning, laughing, and loving on us for the weekend. We can't wait to do it again soon! 

Lenora at Nine

Our beautiful Lenora Faye is now 9 years old! That's one year older than the number of squiggly candles in a box so she had to use one straight one. It's also old enough to design, bake, and decorate her own cake with minimal help because she's becoming quite the whiz in the kitchen. In short, it's entirely too old for my baby girl. 

As her birthday fell in the middle of the week, we enjoyed a low key day opening gifts and eating cake. Remember when Lenora used to hate being the center of attention so much that she didn't even like us to sing to her on her birthday? Well, not any more. This year as we sang Happy Birthday, she sang right along loudly proclaiming "Happy Birthday to ME!" We loved it. Our celebrations continued on Saturday when we went swimming with two of her friends. 

The best way I know to describe Lenora is a bundle of light and energy. She brings smiles, giggles, and plenty of silliness wherever she goes. But she also brings peace and radiates goodness. We just love this little girl! 

Her silly shenanigans include everything from tricks like these... 

...to funny dances (which you better catch the first time because "I can't repeat a dance. You just have to pay attention"). 

But she's not all silliness and games. Lenora is genuine in all she does. She's a fierce, loyal friend. She can be found both hanging out with the older girls and leading the boys in great adventures. We appreciate her kindness, her goodness, and her willingness to help out. 

This year Lenora has really caught the reading bug. She's always liked reading, but now it's the first thing she does every morning. She likes to grab a blanket and cuddle up on the heater with her book! 

This year Lenora has also continued to come out of her shell and form more of her own opinions. In the past, she was so eager to please everyone that she would often respond with "I'm fine with whatever" or "I'll take whichever one you don't want." While she's still very considerate of the feelings of others, she's also more ready to make her way in the world. Out of the blue she decided she wanted bangs and has rocked them ever since. It's fun to get to know more of what she truly likes, dislikes, and aspires to do. One big change in opinion - after further exposure to better Mexican food, Lenora has decided Taco Bell is no longer her favorite restaurant haha. 

We've also seen Lenora grow leaps and bounds with her confidence in gymnastics this year! She is on the pre-team and loving it. Last week she attended her very first competition. She said she wasn't nervous at all, and I believe it. The whole meet she was all smiles. Her energy and attack of each skill were impressive! 

Lenora - we love you so much! We love your silly side, your funny dances, your endless energy, your desire to do good, and your confidence. Happy Birthday sweet girl. 

Christmas In California

We spent Christmas this year visiting Grandma, Grandpa, and Jamie in California (and of course enjoying the warm weather and sunshine!) 

First up was the tide pools! There was an extra low tide while we were there which made for perfect tide pool hunting. 

And the sunset while were were leaving the beach was perfect! A very fun and unique way to spend Christmas Eve. 

Of course Christmas morning was full of excitement for these cuties. After opening gifts from Santa, we headed to church then up to Cherry Valley to visit Grandpa-Great. 

Santa brought the kids a membership to the Aquarium, so the day after Christmas we headed there for a visit. Sadly half-way through Eliza started feeling yucky and spiked a fever. The two of us left to go sit on the beach for a bit while the other kids finished up with Michael. 

After Eliza, the kids started dropping like flies with high fevers and just feeling yucky! So we spent the next few days taking whichever kids weren't sick to outdoor places with few people while the sick kids rested at the house. Being sick on vacation is no fun, and sadly all five kids got it. We haven't had an illness hit that hard in years. Luckily after about 36 hours of fever each they were feeling much better. 

Hazel and Lenora enjoyed touring the temple with Michael. 

One day sweet Jamie watched sick kids and sent us on a date with Teri and Tony for a ride around the bay. We were able to see so many areas I had no idea existed and had a great time! 

As kids started recovering we were able to squeeze in some outside play and visits to the beach (though never all together). 

Did Lenora end up soaked even though she swore she wasn't going to get wet? Why yes, yes she did. 

With Eliza, Lenora, and Orson we saw a whole flock of pelicans fishing right by the shore. They loved watching them dive to catch fish. 

Jamie took Lenora on a breakfast date for her birthday and the girls out to the park. 

One night Michael and his parents got to go see a Mighty Ducks game. The Ducks even won! 

By our last day, Eliza, Lenora, and Orson had been well long enough for a return trip to the aquarium this time with Grandma, Grandpa, and Jamie. We were all glad Eliza got to go enjoy it. While they were gone, I took Conrad and Hazel, who were on the up and up but not completely better, to the beach. 

That night the kids enjoyed a movie night with Grandma and Grandpa while we snuck away for dinner. 

While the trip didn't go exactly according to plan, we still had a great time. It was wonderful to visit family and miraculously none of the adults got sick!