February 2016

February is the coldest, darkest month of the year. Thus, it's not my favorite. However, we were able to do a few fun things to break up the monotony of winter. We had lots of play dates with fun friends, and I planned a really fun date of night skiing at Sundance Resort.

It has been SIXTEEN years since the last time I strapped on a pair of skis, and boy did it show. I played it really cool, though--up until the point when it was time to unload from the ski lift. We attempted to unload at the first spot which was a beginner level run. And, in my mind, I got right off with Neil. Unfortunately, my legs did not follow.  The worker in the control box, realizing my partner had unloaded and I had not, stopped the lift as I was hanging 20 feet in the air. With her hands cupped to her mouth she called up to me, "We appreciate you not jumping off the lift." Right, like I'm going to plunge down to my death off of this chair...!  So off I went, up to the black diamond run with no one to guide me along. Luckily, my second attempt to unload was successful and I snowplowed around to a stop. I could hardly breathe, I was so nervous! I waited and waited for someone who looked like they were coming to help, but no one did. With no other choice but to teeter back down the mountain, I did just that. I'm sure I was a sight to see, all hunched over with my skis at a point, slowly plowing down the hill. Thankfully, I figured out what I was doing and the rest of the night was smooth and so fun with Neil by my side.

When it comes to taking the kids on outings lately, I am a total wimp. I struggle to want to load all four children with diapers, wipes, snacks, and a change of clothes into the van, buckle them into their car seats, only to do it over and over again. However, we finally got stir crazy enough that we headed up to see Grandma. She met us at the Children's section of the LDS Church History Museum. We actually had a lot of fun and no crying fits or diaper issues, so it was a successful outing!

Christopher is at a stage now where he can NOT sit still longer than about five minutes. Church has been a real struggle to get through. It is a good day if we sit in the chapel long enough to take the sacrament. The next 2-and-a-half hours are spent walking up and down the halls trying to keep him happy and reverent. Neil has resorted to letting him play in the classrooms or the nursery while the rest of us sit through our meetings. Nursery is almost here!

We had more fun nights with the Swan's kids at our home. It is so fun watching how much my boys, in particular, love their baby girl. I'm so glad my boys have this tender spot in their hearts. They will be good Daddies someday.

One day, Neil was traveling for work on a Saturday, and I had Stake Women's Conference to attend. I hired a babysitter and came home to a home-made tepee in the back yard. It was not a mess I was anticipating to clean up, but I am glad the kids were being creative instead of simply watching TV while I was gone.

Back in October, I volunteered with a local performing group called Witness Music. I did it so I could get a guaranteed spot in the choir. I came to the first meeting looking to see where I might contribute and came out of the meeting as the Community Outreach Director. I spent the next several months contacting Christian denominations along the Wasatch Front, getting the word out about Witness Music and our upcoming performance of  Rob Gardner's "Lamb of God." It has been a really wonderful experience. Although it is much more work than I had anticipated, it has been fun to contribute to a real cause--bringing the message of Christ's Atonement to people who need hope through beautiful music. This month, we had our first run of rehearsals, and it has been a complete pleasure to sing with such talented musicians!