February

Tanner's preschool is darling. Miss Shari has them busy doing hands on learning every second of the day! And often, they pick veggies from her garden and make smoothies or muffins or just eat them as their snack that day! She has a private Instagram account where we get to see what they're up to! His good friend is Tyde.  

Weston requested Joe's Farm Grill for his birthday lunch and look who I ran into?! Mrs. Calderone! She was my pommie coach at Taylor Jr. I haven't seen her in 25 years, but she seemed to remember me! But maybe she's just a really good actor. 

Give that boy some ribs! I love my Weston. He is my kid who flies under the radar. Easy going. He quietly goes about his business. Never protests much or complains. (Unless he has to eat chicken or lettuce wraps) Does what he is asked to do. Tears up easily. Loves watching TV, snuggling and crepes. Not necessarily all at the same time, but he wouldn't be opposed to it. Spelling isn't so much his jam, but he is logical, remembers facts and is good at problem solving. Give him something furry and he will love on it. He enjoys playing baseball and video games. His best friend is Graham Law. If I let him in my kitchen to bake cookies, he'd do it every day. His sweet tooth runs strong. Might be the reason he had 8 cavities a year ago. He likes to store all manner of garbage, knick knacks and dodads around his bed, under his bed, in his closet. Just everywhere. Weston is a friend to everyone. He doesn't discriminate. He could chat up a light post. He doesn't care about fashion or doing his hair. Comfort reigns. I have to force him to wear anything but basketball shorts and jerseys. We needed Weston's mellowness in our family. Oh, and how could I forget?! He ADORES babies. He is first in line to hold a new niece or nephew. One word to sum him up is SWEET. He often comes up to me just to hug and tell me he loves me. Just thinking about him makes me smile.  

He requested donuts as his school birthday treat to hand out to his class. 

Tad R. Callister came to speak in a neighboring stake about patriotism so we snuck in and listened from the foyer. The place was packed. I learned that the quote from Thomas Jefferson about separating church from state has been taken out of context. It was actually meant to keep the state out of religion, not religion out of state, as it's always being used for! I thought that was interesting.

Weston gave Wham basketball a try for the winter season. I don't know how I didn't get any pictures other than this! His poor little team sure struggled. It seemed that most of the other teams had been playing together a long time. I think this is only Weston's first or second time playing. An old friend from elementary school, Scott Cook, had his son on the team too so it was fun to see him again!

When your 11 year old asks for a Roomba for his birthday so he doesn't have to vacuum anymore. Ha!

Katie had a baby shower at her aunt's house in Queen Creek that was Ah-mazing! I brought a fruit platter and tried my hand at a charcuterie style board. I actually forgot I had said I'd bring fruit, so I was scrambling for ingredients I had on hand for a dip. I was very proud of myself for coming up with a yummy dip out of what I had in the pantry and fridge! 

The decorations and table settings were incredible! My jaw was on the floor the whole time!

Weston's birthday fell on a Sunday and it wasn't a Sunday we were going to a Grandma's house so we invited the Goodmans over to celebrate with us. Weston wanted smoked brisket and smoked brisket he got! It was delicious!

The following week he got birthday presents from Grandma and Aubrey and spankin's from Grandpa, haha!

Maybe a month or two ago we noticed a leak in our garage ceiling, above Trav's workbench. I had also noticed some discoloring on the baseboards by our toilet. I called a plumber but he said it was dry and he couldn't do anything unless it was actively leaking. Well, then I noticed like teeny, tiny, almost microscopic movement around the baseboards. Bugs. I wanted to crawl out of my skin!! I called Jefferson who referred me to his friend, Tate. Craig also works for Tate so they came in and tore out the baseboards, flooring and toilet and ran a dehumidifier for a week. They cut a hole out of the garage ceiling and had to repair everything. It was about $5000 total. Woof. House repairs. I didn't have a toilet in my bathroom for over a month. They ended up having to retile the entire bathroom so it would match the new tile by the toilet.

I wanted something for underneath the TV upstairs and found this at TJMaxx! It's beautiful! A little pricy, but it's all real wood and not a faux marble top. Which also meant it is HEAVY. My man picked it up on his way home and lugged it almost entirely by himself up the stairs. I wuv it!!

When Rowan or Tyde or Landon have playdates, the toy room actually gets used! Sometimes that just means dumping out all the bins and reading on a pile of toys haha.

Tanner's favorite part of going to Fox's house is the Krazy Carts! 

It was Uncle Ned's funeral on Feb. 11. We sat in the chapel with the family but my mom was in the back and Tanner went back to sit with her for a little bit. Ned was a Mesa icon and it was nice to see how many people came to support the Brimleys. It was also fun to see all the cousins and aunts and uncles come together. So many have moved to Utah. They had an awesome spread of sub sandwiches at the luncheon! What else?!

Since this is my journal, I'll add that this week was particularly hard because of a situation that arose with my sister in law, Gretchen. I won't add details, but sometimes when I look back over my blog, I don't see the hard parts because there aren't pictures of them. I spent many days crying, worrying, texting or calling my in-laws and wishing I had a therapist on speed dial. I've never had an experience like this before and I hope I never have to again. I used to think I needed to have good relationships with all of my family and now I've realized that it's ok to not have contact with certain people. Just because they're family doesn't mean it's healthy to have a relationship. 

It's running time!! Casey ran it last time, so Marcie and I got our husbands signed up for this time! Stupid masks on the bus. 

Game day faces on!

Shelley and her flasher trenchcoat, haha!

The signs are my favorite! Everyone cheering on the sidelines is awesome too! My mom was so nice and picked up our kids so they could cheer for us! They were near the end at Westwood High School. 

A guy proposed at the finish line. Awwww.

I had not done great at training. It seemed every time I went for a run, the month prior, I felt awful and my legs were made of lead. I had no idea how I'd do, but miraculously I felt great and kept my fastest pace yet! It's nothing spectacular but I finished in 2 hours and 1 minute. My first 1/2 marathon was 2 hours and 20 minutes! Travis did amazing. I was truly impressed. I can't remember his time, but he wasn't far behind me. Maybe 10 minutes later. It was so fun running it with Trav and my sisters! And Austin, haha!! Family fun day! We just need to get the brothers on board now! ;)

Just a few hairstyles from the month!

Got to love school Valentine's boxes! Weston's friend, Liam, invited him over to make one and it's legit! Liam's mom is so awesome to help them create such masterpieces! I loved how Olive's turned out too! So sad I didn't get a picture of Collins. Wahh. He was indignant that middle school doesn't do Valentine's and decided to make one anyway. It was so cute!

We met my dad at Charlestons on Valentines Day for lunch! I loved it. I made homemade turtle caramels for him, then drove to Trav's office to decorate his truck and leave him some turtles too. 

We had heart shaped waffles for dinner and the kids all got a little surprise and card from me. Travis got a full, body pillow! His joints don't like sleep, so maybe this will help.

Collin wrote me the sweetest card!!! Seriously, how did I get such great kids?!

And Marcie dropped off a sweet gift and card. She is so thoughtful with holidays!

Tanner does not like to go to sleep alone, so either Trav or I lay with him. He usually begs for me. 

The new couches finally came! Hooray! The upstairs area is coming together.

Christopher's family was in town for Craig's wedding and Chrigi cut his head on something. I can't even remember what, but Jael felt like it need a stitch or two. He was a major champ and didn't fight it at all. Yay for at home suture kits!

Like I said, the toy room gets used with playdates happen!

I got the harebrained idea to do a dance at Craig's wedding. I had seen a video on Instagram and it seemed like so much fun. I showed Marcie and she was all about it! I knew I could count on her. Shelley was game too, but the brothers were most definitely NOT. It took a lot of coaxing and flat out begging. Us girls practiced at my house a few times then we planned a rehearsal at Shelley's church building the night before. Marcie ended up getting sick and couldn't come which was a big bummer. I felt the pressure! I tried my best to teach David and Jefferson and the husbands. Christopher wanted nothing to do with it. I felt like we got it down pretty good! Then the boys started up basketball and suddenly clothes became optional, lol! I will always remember this night when I tried to help with Cohen and he went tearing around the hallway, throwing himself on every classroom door, trying to open the handle, then running to the next door. Until he got to the glass, exit doors and he tried to climb up them, hanging on the bar. Manically sprinting to the hand sanitizer and shaking the stand. It was comical. I haven't seen energy like that since Collin!! I think its appropriate their names are so similar.

Well you don't ask people to dance and not get ice cream as a reward afterward. Andys is the place! I'll take a vanilla with raspberries and pecans. Hot fudge on the side!

Craig got married on a Saturday and Olive had a dance competition. I was so afraid they'd be at the same time, but luckily, her last dance ended just 30 min. before the wedding. Phew! Travis took her and they hustled to the wedding right after. Her Zero to Hero dance is so cute! They win awards for that one at every competition.

The weather is amazing in February and we started spending our Sunday afternoons on the greenbelt. The boys play football and Olive teaches me gymnastics. The kids beg for it every week now.

If it weren't for the flies, this might have actually been a good idea! The dairy is leaving so maybe the fly situation will get better.

It was fun having Christopher's family around for a Sunday dinner! Get on the cousin train!

This poor kid and his seasonal allergies! Yikes! I thought he had double pink eye for a while, but the antibiotic drops weren't working. Then I realized it might be allergies. Shari Goodman recommended these chewables and they worked! He takes 3 a day. 

Tanner's preschool did a field trip to the Phoenix Zoo! Shari said we could invite anyone we wanted and they'd get the big discount too, so I asked Marcie and Shelley if they'd like to come! I used to do stuff like this all the time with my older kids but Tanner has gotten tired mom. Busy mom running the older kids around constantly. So this was really nice to be able to spend time doing something special just with him. 

For Collin's last football game, Grandpa came to support him. It was FREEZING cold!! We were huddled under blankets for warmth and still shivering. The players have to stay after the game for a bit and Grandpa had to leave so Weston got the picture with him!

Camilla turns 42!! Brandon organized a dinner and karaoke date for her but because of Collin's football game we could only make it to karaoke. Much to Travis' chagrin. It feels weird to say this but I've never done karaoke before!!! I don't sing in any way, shape or form, but you can't deny Camilla! Plus, there was almost nobody there, so the embarrassment scale was low. I thought it was really fun. Trav was firmly against it, but finally ended up doing a group number with the husbands at the end. Like I said, you can't deny the sunshine girl! I love her with all my heart. You've really never known anyone like her. She is energy and happiness mixed with generosity and spunk. Her text messages are HILARIOUS. I don't know anyone who thinks more of other people or gives more service. If you are friends with her you are guarantied to get a diet soda from Sonic, a cookie from Swig or any manner of fun or healthy treat when she see's you. It's like she keeps gifts in her pockets to shower on her loved ones at all times. My sister asked once if she ever has a bad day and I said, "Nope. She is champagne at the Super Bowl. All the time." Joy personified. I really don't know how I got so lucky to have her as a best friend. 

I try so hard to keep my office nook clean, but it usually looks like a bomb went off. I have one basket where all the papers get thrown and it was finally time to sort through and file/organize it. *groan*

This was the aftermath. In a mostly paperless society, how do I have so many dang papers?!

One silver lining.... A very long time ago, I had given Marcie a notebook that inadvertently had some papers from the beginning of our marriage stuck inside. I remember when thinking that text messages were kind of a rip because you read them once then never see them again. And Travis would send some really sweet texts. So I decided to write some down, so I had a few, saved "love notes". I'm so glad I did! The last few are my friend's responses when I told them that Travis got into dental school and we were moving to New York. Marcie found them recently and gave them back to me. I literally hit the jackpot with Travis. I sit and wonder how I managed to snag the sweetest, most loyal and caring husband ever. Next to my Savior, he is my greatest blessing. 

I did a Family Home Evening Lesson on goal setting for the new year and we made vision boards! Mine is the top one. You can see I really want to try to add mediating into my life! Weston's is on the left. He made a goal to give up soda for a whole year! We told him we'd give him $100 if he accomplished it. Olive wanted to work on improving her spelling grade. I can see Tanner would like to be musical by all the instrument pictures he cut out! And Collin is focused on the temple and being the Deacon's Quorum president.

Bron was in town for Steel's soccer tournament so we were lucky enough that he stayed with us one night with Steel and Ivy! We had plans to go to dinner with the new doctor Trav just hired... Mike Hall and his wife, Valerie, so Bron joined us! Quin and Joy were there too. It was a fun night getting to know the Halls. 

Abbey's sister in law, Michelle, threw her a baby shower brunch! We can't wait to meet Nora!

Leah turned 40 and so of course she planned a service project to celebrate. She wanted to assemble 40 bags to donate to foster kids with hygiene items and art supplies and toys. We had dinner first at Old Ellsworth Brewing Company, then got Blizzards and went to her house to put the bags together. I love Leah so much! I can't imagine life without her. She's a wonderful example of Christlike service and love of country. No one is more patriotic than her! She is kind and avoids contention. She's a natural leader and loves crafting and being outdoors. We could talk for hours on end! I'm so grateful God made her my cousin/sista/friend. :)