Updates

Good grief! What happened to January? It just sorta mushed into February.

Alex
He's been thick in the middle of basketball practices and games.

How many basketballs can you spot? Did you get 'em all? Are you sure? This year we tried out the Stansbury basketball league instead of Jr. Jazz in Grantsville.

He's getting taller, but I don't think he'll catch his friend Chris anytime soon.

At the beginning of January he took his Hoop Shoot free throw skills to the next level in Heber. Watching those young kids warm up set my nerves on fire for him. They were good and they weren't missing.

But . . . 

Hold on . . . 

They didn't have nerves of steel. And Alex did.

He ended up taking 2nd class place, making 21 out of 25 free throws. A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!!! Unfortunately, the first place winner made 22 and he got to go on to Provo. Alex still came home with a trophy (that we have yet to see since they forgot them) and a free lunch out of the deal.

Clutch. That's what we call him now.

Ashlyn
Ahhh Ash. Just livin' the dream of hangin' with friends just about every night and trying to pass biology tests and dancin' her feet away in ballroom class and splitting knees open in gym class

and studyin' for her learner's permit.

Nate
Wait! I have a son Nathan? Are you sure? I know someone sleeps in his bed and the truck is gone most days, but . . . Hmmmm?

Nate is home long enough to shower and sleep. He has mostly college classes during the day, comes home to McDonalds, basketball or tennis after that.

The kid is rarely home. He did get asked to Winter Ball by cute Hannah.

Sunday mornings are mission prep and then straight to our ward to play prelude or postlude on the organ. Monday nights he teaches a few piano lessons.

Erik
Elder Leary is just doin' his thang, teachin' and preachin' and hangin' with celebrities like Alex Boye.


He's had some great experiences, great companions, played a little tennis and will be home in September.

We even made sure he got in on the yearly height check-in. I'm pretty sure he hasn't grown much this year.

Kiersten
Soon she'll be able to add UVU alumni to her list of accomplishments. Wahoo!! Once a week she travels out here to teach piano lessons.

She still works at Curves in Lehi, tries to keep up Grandma Ellis who had part of the driveway already shoveled, 

incubates baby Oliver for a few more months,

and finds time to be in an institute choir . . . once in awhile . . . like when they have a devotional broadcast to the world.

She and Jason are doing well.

Tyler and I have started a Master Gardener's class that is 12 weeks long and something that has been on our bucket list for a number of years.

Week one was about plants.

This past week was about soils. On our daily walk around the block I was so excited to see the layers of soil. What a nerdy thing to get excited about (and don't ask about the straw in that hole. We have no idea why and have never seen anything like it.)

Yes, we walk just about every day. January has been such a dichotomous month in regards to the weather. You'd expect cold and snow, but it's been quite the opposite. My daily routine is a walk around one block at 6:30 in the morning. I call it my daily walk with God and takes me 11 minutes. After work and school, Tyler and I usually take another walk around a different block to catch up on the day. And Saturday mornings are a 5 mile run at 6:30 in the morning and then off to a basketball game. Boy do I catch some beautiful sunsets and moon settings. Watching the world wake up and drift off is quite spectatular.

My friend Claudia took this on our walk.

The start of February was another beautifully warm day. So much so that we took advantage and biked and bladed the Jordan River Parkway.

Monday we woke up to this. Our second major storm of the year.

Luckily it was just delayed start for school (so no make up) AND I got to try my snowblower again on our driveway and the neighbors.

Our dishwasher also bit the dust taking me back to my childhood when we had five dishwashers. Yeah, that's right 5. Five kids who washed and dried by hand. So this week I've gone from 1 dishwasher to at least 2 or 3. How lucky am I :)

Our quasi snow day also meant more people on Erik's weekly call home.


And like Porky Pig always said at the end of every Looney Tunes show "That's all folks!"