Marching forward

I wanted to give an update on our family today.

Life is moving along and for the most part I can say that we are feeling happy- settled in Provo, active and engaged in our school and ward, enjoying the outdoors and time with family.  Life is feeling kind of normal again and it is a welcome relief.

Tommy- is 5 years old! How did that happen? He is such a sweet-heart boy who loves to fight and punch and wrestle. He attends preschool at BYU for 4 mornings a week and it is so fun for both him and me! I get to exercise and have a little bit of quiet time and he gets to play and learn and be with friends. Win win.  Tommy is doing the waterford upstart program which is a reading tool offered by the state of Utah and it is thankfully teaching him all the things that I am not. He has some fun little friends and loves to play with them at every opportunity. He was in swimming lessons for a week but then sprained his arm two days ago so he (in answer to his prayers) gets out of swimming this round. Lucky kid. He is going to play spring soccer and I will take him up to ski for the first time this month.

Ada- is 9 years old and in 3rd grade! She continues to be such a gentle and kind person. Ada is a peacemaker in every way and is never the cause of fighting around our home. She decided to play on a competitive soccer team this school year and has learned a lot about the sport through twice a week practices and a fall and soon to be spring season. She continues to love to do art projects and crafts and loves to come home from school and just create something new. Ada is a great little reader and is plowing through the Harry Potter books. She is also getting good at the piano and is willing to practice daily to make it happen. Ada is in  Chinese immersion and although I can't understand a word she says she is doing great and really progressing. Ada has some fun and sweet friends and enjoys playing with her sisters and cousins too.

Ellie- is 11 year old and the youngest beehive in our ward! She was affected most by the recent church advancement change and entered beehives in January after just turning 11 in December. She wasn't sure about it at first but is coming around to the idea. She and Lauren are both beehives together (born at the beginning and end of consecutive calendar years) so that has been fun for them. And she has loved going to the temple to perform baptisms for the dead. Ellie is a lot of fun and continues to love being active. She plays for a competitife soccer team and also participated in a bantam basketball league this winter. She is in ski school as well and has enjoyed some great days of skiing with her 5th grade passport. Ellie is a great little cook and often makes dinner for our whole family- plating the meals beautifully and preparing two or three courses. She has great friends and practices the piano and is continuing to improve.

Lauren- is 13 years old and in the 7th grade! It has been a big year for her to be our first teenager and middle schooler at the same time but she has done so well and is learning the ropes of this growing up life. She is a great example to her siblings and a wonderful help to me. She often asks me what she can do to help and always wants to hear about how my day is going. Lauren has really taken to skiing and had a season pass to Sundance this year. She played rec soccer in the fall and will try another season this spring. She is doing wonderfully well in school and continues to be a voracious reader. So much in fact that we need your best book recommendations! Lauren also is a great babysitter and with her awesome friends ran a summer kids camp that was a very profitable business. She is my built in babysitter at home and it is amazing to have finally arrived! Lauren is a dependable and steady person and reminds me so much of Jake in her comportment and outlook on life.

Jordan- is 38 years old and getting flabby relief society upper arms! Even though I am exercising now there is something about that loosening upper arm skin that can't be stopped. This school year has been really great- I love having my mornings free and clear and appreciate school for being the father of our family. Taking care of the kids without my needing to ask or thank or return the favor. :)  I continue to run 5-10 miles a week and hike two days with friends. I also took ski lessons, got a season pass and have gone over 12 times this winter. Skiing has been so amazing and I've loved going with our girls and having some great days up on the mountain. I was in physical therapy for 4 months with a rotater cuff injury- a side effect of training for a half marathon with a cast but therapy was good in many ways and has encouraged me to attend a weight training class to build muscle.

I also disengaged from Instagram and Facebook. It was off and on through the spring but as of July I don't have either app on my phone and am totally out of the loop. I miss it in some ways- I love hearing about what our friends and family are up to. But I also became such an addict and needed to spend more time living my new life so it was good to step away. I continue to do laundry, buy groceries, pay bills, clean and cook food. I teach four Let's Play Music classes and will see it through until Tommy finishes the program. I loved taking a BYU religion class in the fall and try and read at least one book a month.

I was called as our ward young women's president last November. On the one hand it is is kind of a crazy and horrible idea, but on the other hand I have really enjoyed serving with the other leaders and getting to know the 30 young women in our ward. I definitely love teenagers and feel like they help to keep me young. I also decided to become a hospice volunteer and completed the training and became certified for that this January and look forward to being able to help and be with people who are dying and their family members. I went back to Phoenix in February for a long weekend and got to see some dear friends but otherwise our trip schedule is looking pretty sparse. We'll have some in-state family reunions this summer and hopefully make it back to AZ in the fall but international travel is a no for this year.

Daily life is pretty routine and predictable and that is such a wonderful and blessed thing! I remember years when we only had boring daily life going on how it could get so tiresome-- but now after these 5 whirlwind years of crazy ups and downs in every facet of our lives- boring and predicable is just what we need.

So that's my report.

Thanks to everyone who continues to check in and wish us well and include us in your prayers. I can see more and more how we have been the beneficiaries of the great kindness and compassion of others and it fills my heart to overflowing.