December 2022

January 1, 2023

We've had a lot of adventures at the tail end of December! 

Driving to CO, flying to MX, many adventures in Cancun, and then the return to CO (adventure in itself) and finally driving through the snow back to UT. Lots happened, much of which I hope to forget, but also many good things I hope we can cherish for years to come. 

Highlights to remember: 

• The sheer delight of the ocean. Running away from waves game. Building things in the sand. Looking for and collecting shells. Discovering you can “do your business” in the ocean without social scandal. 

• Amazing food. Hinckley’s obsession with the special fries. Greyson with his various juices. Strawberry Daiquiris, Sweet Shop with truffles and chocolate-covered almonds. 

• Swimming. The kids spent untold hours in the pool with one another and their cousins. Also they went down the water slide so many times they lost count (Addie boasted 52 times on one day). 

• Swimming “donuts” with Trent and his kids in the Cenote on route to ChichenItza 

• Hinckley’s excitement about his dream catcher purchases at a small market on the Isla Mujeres. 

• Watching the kids play games and activities with their cousins on top of the hotel late at night. 

• The kindness of family and cousins during the whole event, including getting expensive sunscreen. 

• Christmas Eve tracking an Uber Delivery person named Joel on a bike in PHX as the kids watched America’s Family Home Videos on the hotel TVs and Kas and I ate Thai food. Reflecting on how stressful things must have been for Mary and Joseph on that night long ago. 

• Christmas afternoon with the Burnsides and their helping Santa prepare the stockings and making it a special day despite the agony of getting home with our canceled flight.

• Watching Limitless with Kassie and her parents and talking about Chris Hemsworth’s challenges and whether we’d try anything like fasting or cold showers.  

on the train in Denver airport

Hinckley ready for take off

Playing in the sand with Logan

Finding shells

Tired on the bus to Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza

With Kate and Annie on top of the hotel

Buying stuff from Mexican market

Singing to Nana with cousins

Stuck in the airport with cousin James

Stuck in the airport with cousin Henry

Stuck in the airport after cancelled flight

Christmas Eve in the Holiday Inn & Suites in PHX

Ready to go to Colorado at last

Grandma's on Christmas Day

Opening Stockings with Burnsides

Mining Museum

Mining Museum

At home in Utah, new Ninja Line set up in the rain

New Years Eve review game! 

Mr. Roger's shoes and sweater at T-Point

So much more happened but I think these are the best things to remember. It is hard to believe that the year is coming to a close. This was the fastest year yet! 

Now that we are home we have been preparing to return to reality. Addie and I did a deep clean of her room to make space for her new Christmas things including an Encanto Lego set, Barbie thing, seashells from Mexico, and more. We sorted through pictures she wants to hang up and those she was ready to part with. 

Hinckley was really excited about getting his new google assistant set up and has been having fun having “light parties” in his room with music and light sabers with Greyson. He was also excited about the fact he can call from it to me and Kassie. 

I set up the Ninja line for the boys after a mini family counsel about indoor obstacles. Kassie lost her mind about Greyson getting out couch cushions and so we came up with a plan to try and avoid that. We’ll see how that goes. Greyson is right at the age where he gets that we aren’t happy, but he can’t fully comprehend why and what to do about it. Lots of learning. They were ecstatic about the line being set up though and between that and Ninja classes and so forth they have more than enough opportunities to jump around on stuff without having to get out the cushions and everything.

December 11, 2022

This week Addie's long awaited class store took place at school and it was a smashing success. She "sold" many items she had worked on with Kassie's help and "bought" lots of things from her classmates. She was really excited about that and had lots to say on the subject. At the dentist she learned that she may be a likely candidate for braces in the future and was both excited and scared about that. Hinckley had a cavity and was very interested in that process including how the laughing gas and other numbing agents work. Kassie took the two youngers and I took Hinckley to the store so they could get gifts for one another and they are all filled with the buzz of Christmas anticipation.


Each day Greyson created another house-filled obstacle course. But one time he extended it to the kitchen and dining room. It is fun at the moment but a huge pain later as he often refuses to clean it up. There were couch cushions stacked up by the sink and blocking cupboards, and he was in heaven. After a sibling exchange in the kitchen one of the cupboards cracked and there was much sorrow and gnashing of teeth. Fortunately with the help of a neighbor who has every kind of equipment imaginable I was able to fix it with some wood glue and clamps while following a YouTube video.

Addie waking up in the morning with her coat on

We had a fun family visit to the Butterfly Biosphere. Addie was overjoyed at the small scavenger hunt activity they had there in which you had to find 6 Christmas wreaths that had been placed throughout the various bug habitats. We all held a butterfly on our fingers and Greyson seemed very proud of himself with that. Hinckley overcame some old phobias and held two butterflies, something he has refused to try since being pooped on by one a couple years ago. Afterwards we came home and watched the classic Rudolph movie which we all enjoyed.

Hinckley and butterfly

Addie and butterfly

Greyson and butterfly

Kassie made the decision not to do the nursing program and let UVU know. She is feeling conflicted about that. There are many factors that make that a very difficult decision and hopefully a good and peaceful direction will emerge soon.