April 28, 2021

Took Baylie on an early morning walk today down to the cemetery and it is finally green and feels like spring.

April 26, 2021

Things that have made me smile today - rain, Rylie bringing me a smoothie at work, Cam greeting Baylie after school, Sadie playing me a new song on her ukulele and it’s Take Me Out to the Ball Game. 

April 24, 2021

 

4-square is always a good time. We had lots of us tonight for some fun. There was also a Mario Kart competition.  Then awesome pickleball at the church. Me and Mason vs Ry and Cole. Way fun! 

April 22, 2021

Still thinking about how great last night was in our mini BYU softball reunion. We met at the BYU softball game. Watching the game and chatting away with my softball teammates was awesome. It was so good to see them and things were even sweeter as we jumped and cheered as BYU hit back to back home runs in the bottom of the 7th to walk off with the win 7-6. (BYU didn’t protect against the grand slam which is exactly how the U came back from being down 5-2 to taking the lead 6-5). 

Friendship and memories erase all the years that go by not seeing each other so when we do see each other - it’s like very little time has passed. What great friends and teammates and what a great night.

Left to right - Tammy, me, Jennica (Julie's daughter), Sydney, Julie, Sarah, Paula, Holly, and Merica.  Plus Cosmo in the back.

April 21, 2021

Happy birthday to Kenz. 25?!? Tanner had a little surprise gathering with some ice cream cake that D, Cam, and Sade went to. I went to a mini BYU softball reunion.

Kenz brings so much good to our family. She really brings the siblings together. She is also teaching her siblings to bring their own food to places as she always does that to avoid getting hangry.  Good memories with her from when she was 24 - Tetons, hiking to Primrose Cirque, Cali, lots of jokers and marbles, playing Bang, and watching her coach XC.

 

 

April 18, 2021

 Ry showed me her senior pics she took. They’re so cute. Here's some of my favorites:

April 15, 2021

Sadie has started playing the ukulele. I love hearing it. She has picked it up quite fast and is always learning new songs. Hakuna Matata is probably my favorite so far. 

April 12, 2021

When Rylie says, “these pretzels are good but they’re making me thirsty”, you definitely have to find the Seinfeld clip of that and share.

April 10, 2021

 

 

Such a relaxing, fabulous spring break spent in Newport Beach.  As usual, Darren found us a great airbnb.  It was right by the beach and a great home base. It was Darren, Rylie, Camrie, Sadie, me, Tanner, and Kenzie.  Mason had school.

We left Sunday and stayed in Beaver Dam.  Hit Joshua Tree on Monday on the way to Newport.  Tuesday was beach day.  Wednesday was beach and whale watching or Reptile Museum.  Thursday we went to Sea World.  Friday was one last beach day.  Drove home on Saturday.  What a great family vacation.  I loved hanging out with the fam and enjoying some sand.

Things to remember:

• Delicious breakfast by Sandee (and dinner last night) to send us on our way. 
• "Now it’s a road trip." - Kenz says as we’re making sandwiches on the bumper of the car. 
• Dip road. 
• Playing tourist at Arch Rock.
• Girls singing along to the Jonas brothers driving through Joshua tree. 
• Common raven. 
• Dolphins! 
• Rylie brave enough to go boogie boarding. Twice. That was enough. 
• "Sun’s out buns out."
• Darren got some good drone footage - even some dolphins from our beach. 
• Red Robin comes through for dinner. 
• “Chapter 1 - Rylie and the Great White Whale”. 
• Rylie wanting to see a "great white whale".  Or a blue whale that she then researched.
  
• "Nature's purest form."
• Rylie’s swollen eyes. 
• Girls trip to Bonzai Bowls. 
• Also to Milk and COOKIES. 
• Not a whale watching trip - a dolphin watching trip. 
• Dolphins really do jump along side the boat. 
• D and Sadie talking about tortoises. 
• Sea World limited entry means letting as many people in as would fit even though there are no rides open. 
• Learning that the kids have issues with Sea World and their treatment of animals - after we bought tickets. 
• Biff was still funny and the dolphins were cool. Penguins were also cool. 
• Thank goodness the shark exhibit still said “prepare to walk” as Ry said it’s her favorite part of Sea World. 
• Park endurance was way down.
  
• Walking to lunch for the adults. Sessions sandwiches for the Randalls and Hook and Anchor for D and I. 
• Tide pools are cool and creepy at the same time. Rylie found a sea anemone that had a half eaten fish in it that was sticking out. Fun fact - anemones do in fact eat fish. 
• Book time at the beach. 
• A few more dolphins for a Cali send off. They were quite close to the shore. 
• Evening beach time - sigh. 
• When Darren pretended to have a fish in his hand and the sea lion was looking up with his mouth open.
• Rylie ordering 2 apple juice refills.
• Darren running over a cone in the Sea World parking lot - on purpose. 
  
• The man in the sequin purple jacket by Bonzai Bowls.
• Kenzie hearing Camrie fart for the first time.
• Rylie’s ultimate middle seat sacrifice to get Sadie to play marbles.
• Drone following. (And high fiving the dolphins.)
• Getting tornadoed while enjoying some last beach moments. 
• "I only cried once this trip" - Kenzie.  We then decided that of course there were a few tears, but less than most trips.  

Some of my favorite pics:

April 2, 2021

Beautiful warm spring day where I sat outside with Ry for a bit.

April 1, 2021

There is something therapeutic about the smell of pine trees. On our hike today there was a spot that smelled so good.