🎶💦🌊🌴 Surfin' USA 🌴🌊💦🎶

So Miranda came home from her mission a couple weeks early to have some surgery, but I have this great excuse to still write our family history down, since her novio is still on his mission in Paris, France for the next year.  So until May 9, 2019, I'll still write a missionary letter for our blog posts.  =)


This subject title (again, one of my Dad's favorite songs) is just wishful thinking, because DANG IT'S COLD.  This is the week of the blizzards!!

So starting the week off, is little pet stuff.  Sterling has been SO affectionate (and bored), but he will NOT put up with Chloe's incessant licking of his face.  He just bats her in the face, like we all do: NOPE.

Now Zeus....  He loves it.  He's gross.

At FHE, the kids put on a little play they had made up and practiced all day yesterday.

We were lame and took no pictures on Tuesday, and then the blizzard hit.  And it continued all day on Wednesday... but Alpine School District, hereafter referred to as ASD, did NOT cancel school... no one in the ASD boundaries was happy about that.  It's hard to see, but here's Carlie's commute through the blizzard.  You actually have better visibility in these pictures than you do in real life.  Super hard to capture how horrible the driving conditions were.

And my commute.  Honestly, the picture doesn't capture the wind.

Carlie's post:

Here are the events of the drifts against the house.  It just looked super cool when we opened the garage door:

And don't miss the Matador's cape that the neighbors put on their white car so the snow plows (that's wishful thinking right there) wouldn't be able to see their stuck white car in the whiteout.

Now, this cool phenomenon happens when it blizzards at our house.  The front walk clears itself... seriously, what a great little blessing:

And so does the deck:

So even though everything else was cancelled (kids came home mid-day because I had had it with the Come to School But we aren't Going to Teach anything Today Let's watch a Video deal at school.  Then cubs, mutual, everything else cancelled... any trip where you would need to leave the safety of your home!), Carlie went to a filming for JK! again.

And posted:

This is the week that Connor was the Spotlight kid in his classroom, and he chose this picture for his poster, so I wanted to include it.  I think he really likes his whooshy hair in this.

Then Thursday, someone we know turned 21!!!!  To celebrate, we got your package all the way boxed up & addressed!  With everything we have going, this was an amazing step!!! 

Miranda celebrated by posting:

And then the 3 of us went to Swan Lake.  We knew you would want us to.  Market Street Grill beforehand:

And finally, the boys celebrated by trouncing the other ward at church ball:

Happy birthday!!!  Now that you're 21, you're old enough to... I don't know. You can decide. =)

Now you get to see the aftermath of the ASD not cancelling school.  A student started an IG account, and everyone jumped on it.  Let the bashing begin:

But here's the beauty that comes from a good snowfall... notice the glowing in the clouds right above the mountain:

Friday night, all the nieces came over for their delayed sleepover from funeral time.  We had a salad bar for dinner, played, stayed up late watching movies, all the things cousins should do together.

In the morning, they got out all my crafting stuff and started creating:

Had a picnic in the library together:

A picnic that ended up producing this sandwich for Morgan.  He wanted it remembered:

And then they frosted cookies the neighbors had brought over.

And on this day, Carol forwarded this amazing picture she came across.  I think my heart almost bursted.

And from the talent well of this home:

And finally, Carlie draws herself as Vin. You're really going to have to read Mistborn.  Carlie IS Vin.  I mean, Brandon Sanderson studied Carlie and everything that is her, and put her into a character in his trilogy.  And she's pretty much epic.

On Sunday, someone surreptitiously got this of Jeff jumping up at the last minute and joining the choir. 

At Carol's she did her annual Valentine's dinner.  It was so fun, as usual, and everyone had to throw the token candy in the water glasses, just to be gross and follow Uncle Alex & Mark's old example from years ago.

Alex & Nat are in HI with their besties, so we got to hold Lucy so she wouldn't be sad... she's just super sad.  But kids have to survive when their parents go on vacation!  It's part of the deal.

Another blizzard hit while we were there, and we barely made it home ok... like the van doesn't like to go up snowy hills, like the one on our road.  But it miraculously kept traction!  When we got home, we had to document this coolness:

And MEMES!!!

I don't know if the news has reached you, but New York passed a heinous bill into law that allows full-term abortion of babies.  It's barbaric; it's evil; it's murdering fully functional human beings in the name of... It doesn't really matter what it's in the name of, or to the tune of, or whoever's "rights" are being protected.  It's killing people for convenience.  It's a dark, deplorable act.  So!  Here are a couple memes that had to be recorded for posterity.

Sorry, this is funny, no matter what side you're on:

Even though life still goes on, my siblings and I have been commenting on how we all are moving through our lives in a fog... it's hard to think about things very far in advance, or commit to do something.  I feel like one too many things will put me over the edge and I won't be able to handle it.  I know it will get better, but it's a grieving time, and there isn't a way to wish it away or make it stop.  I think it's important to let it happen fully.

Found by my sister Christi:

Glad your bday was a great day for you, even though our package wasn't there.  Hopefully it will get there soon!  Love, us