January 2026

February 1, 2026

This week was a big one for Greyson, who turned eight years old. He celebrated with donuts in the morning and French toast for dinner and was completely overjoyed to receive a “real” skateboard along with a collection of mini finger skateboards. Kassie made an epic mint chocolate chip ice cream cake, and all around, he felt very well celebrated.

Eating Pinkbox donuts for B-day breakfast

The skatebboard

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake

Finger skateboards

Skatepark with friends

Addie had some fun this week with her friend Brooke. The two of them have been building miniature classrooms and models for their small Squishmallow figurines. It’s been fun hearing them sing and laugh together as they work on their creations. Addie is also excited about decorating a Valentine’s box and is hoping to win an award in her class for it.

Hinckley had a great swim meet down in Provo this weekend. It meant a lot to have Abi, Kelli and her boys, come to support. Tristan was there as well, which made it feel extra special. Hinckley also spent time playing Dungeons & Dragons with friends and continues to show signs of growing up quickly.

Family support at the Provo Meet

Epic homemade skatepark

The model classroom with it's builder

Eager students

Reading time

Desmond got a haircut this week and remains determined to explore every nook and cranny of the house. He loves drinking out of other people’s water bottles and strongly dislikes the high chair, which we’re navigating as best we can.

Kassie and I had a date at the temple this week. I also had the chance to see the temple in a different way when I went late Thursday night with members of the ward to help clean.

January 25, 2026

The week started with no school and no work for me and the kids for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I took them up to Classic Skating in Sandy, where I roller skated for the first time in probably 25 years and had a great time. Each kid enjoyed it in their own way, especially Addie, who won candy during a Disney trivia activity. Addie and I also spent some time picking up trash in the park near our house, which we both enjoyed.

Skate time

MLK service time with Addie

Finger skateboard in the sink

Finger skate park design by Hinckley and Greyson

Lehi Jr Science Fair

Greyson had a fun and social week, spending lots of time with friends and activities alongside Hinckley. He also spent Friday night at Mom and Dad’s house, where he and Hinckley went to a men’s BYU volleyball game. On Sunday, he attended the “Great to Be Eight” fireside and is very excited for his birthday tomorrow. It’s hard to believe he’s already turning eight.

Hinckley had some fun time with friends this week, playing Dungeons and Dragons and continuing to develop the computer games he’s been co-writing with ChatGPT. He also enjoyed his overnight at Mom and Dad’s and going to the BYU volleyball game with Greyson. On Wednesday, our whole family went to the Lehi Junior High science fair to support him—apparently attendance affects the grade. What started as a duty quickly turned into something everyone really enjoyed, and we wished we could stay longer.

Addie had a good mix of activities this week. She enjoyed skating, trash pickup, and spending time with family. On Saturday, she and Kassie went on a date to see Frozen at the Hale Centre Theatre and came home full of highlights from what sounded like an impressive production.

Desmond continues to grow and surprise us. His favorite word right now is “no,” which he uses often. He can also say “Mama” (which comes out as “Mommu”), “Daddy,” and is making attempts at the other kids’ names. Greyson has taught him to say “bruh,” a staple among the rising generation. We also took Desmond, Addie, and Greyson to BYU to explore the Bean Life Science Museum, which was a highlight—especially seeing Desmond’s excitement over the dinosaur bones and wandering the halls.

The rest of the week was marked by my ongoing battle with our refrigerator. I’ve now had four technician visits this week alone, plus one more earlier for a different issue. Despite all that, it’s still not fully fixed, and another technician is coming Monday. Apparently, they really don’t make appliances like they used to.

We’re gearing up for a small birthday season around here, feeling grateful for time together, and still wondering when winter is actually going to show up.

January 18, 2026

This was a big week for Greyson. He had his first Valiant boys activity, which he really loved and came home energized from, especially about the goal-setting homework. He’s got some big skateboard ambitions brewing. He also had a tongue-tie surgery this week so his tongue can move more freely, which should help with speech therapy and, eventually, orthodontic work. The dominoes in that process keep stacking up, but it feels like progress is finally happening. Greyson and I also had a great date on Saturday at the Orem skatepark, followed by brownies. It’s pretty incredible to see what he can do now on his bike—dropping into steep inclines and getting serious air off jumps.

Addie had her second dance class this week and is really enjoying it, which has been encouraging to see. She also tried out school choir but decided it wasn’t for her, mostly because she didn’t like being treated “like babies,” in her words. We’ve had some nice drawing time together as I’ve been sketching most days, and she likes to sit and draw alongside me, which has been really fun.

Hinckley approaches Mom

Reading time with sister

Ready to rock

Orem Skatepark date

Hinckley's shoes are better

Duolingo with Mom

Sink skatepark for finger board

Desmond has been especially attached to Addie this week, grabbing her hand and pulling her along wherever he wants to go. He’s cutting his two-year molars and has had a few rough nights because of it. During the day, he’s very happy being around the other kids and is deep into a “big helper” phase—always eager to take something to the trash or carry a cup to the counter.

Hinckley had another swim meet this weekend and earned his fourth state-qualifying time, this one in the 100 butterfly. He’s feeling good about the progress and has been connecting with a lot of new friends at school, which he’s excited about. He’s also been pouring energy into a Google site he’s building, filled with short animated clips and simple games he’s created with the help of AI. He even set up a feedback form so friends can submit ideas, which he then builds out. He’s now working on a longer-form video and seems genuinely energized by creating again.

Kassie and I had a couple over Saturday night to play games and snack, and it was nice getting to know them better. Kassie has started learning some French, and we’re both excited about a trip to France in April as an early celebration of 15 years of marriage. On the home front, we’ve been in this house for nearly six years and are closing in on a decision about a new garage door and system. After a new water heater last year, we’re also thinking about adding a shed.

January 11, 2026

This week marked a full return to normal routines with school for the kids and work for Kassie and me. My return to work was slow, with not much immediately demanding attention, which gave me space to lean into a few new daily habits like writing and drawing. I also decided to try out Lehi’s community band and have started playing my trombone for a few minutes each day, which has been fun. Meanwhile, Desmond has begun waking up earlier and earlier, just as Hinckley and Addie are pushing bedtime later and later, giving new meaning to burning the candle at both ends.

Addie had a milestone week, losing her final baby tooth. She’s also been loving listening to audiobooks on the MP3 player she got for Christmas and has been absorbed in that most days.

Hinckley had his first swim meet of the year and was excited to earn another state-qualifying time, this one in the 50 Free. He continues to do well balancing school, activities, and the slower return from break.

Cool dude avocado baby

Hive jump park

Desi insists to have a seat at the table

 

Greyson has been busy building miniature skate park models out of cardboard and duct tape and continues to regularly lobby for trips to the skate park. He’s getting increasingly excited about his upcoming eighth birthday. At the same time, we’re working hard to help him learn how to manage his very big feelings, especially around doing small, everyday tasks for himself. It’s stretching everyone’s patience and love.

Desmond was thrilled by the single snowfall we had this week. Even though it didn’t stick, he loved watching the flakes fall and took great joy in discovering snow for the first time. His latest cute antics include pretending to feed everyone food by holding it out and waiting for us to do a "nom nom nom!" action and then offering it to someone else. He has to go to everyone before he'll eat it most times. He has started going up to the chosen family member and taking their hand to pull them somewhere, often to the playroom where he'll hand them the TV remote haha.

On Monday, the last day of break, I took the day off and spent a long, quiet morning with the kids, including a trip to the Hive Jump Park in Spanish Fork. It was nice to see them mostly at peace together (for the most part). Kassie and I also had a fun date night at Scorch Studio on Saturday, where we used hot pens to burn designs into wood. We’ve been making good use of our Get Out Pass and enjoying the chance to try new things together.