March Update

March is always such a fun month, and we had plenty going on this year!

One of my favorite times of the year at preschool is our petting zoo! The kids absolutely love getting up close with all the animals, and it’s always so much fun to see their excitement. Definitely one of those preschool days that I look forward to every year!

I also got to head to the Houston Rodeo with a friend and see Creed perform. This one was especially fun because Creed was actually the second concert I ever went to back in high school. I had their CD, and it actually got stuck in my CD player in my first car.  Never could get it removed and probably still remained there until my cars dying day. It brought back so many memories. I love that the Rodeo has the concert at the end of the rodeo, it makes for such a fun night!

Brad got a new car this month! He bought it through Carvana, which made the whole experience even more fun because we got to watch his car come down the “vending machine.” He loves his new BMW! It was definitely hard to let go of his old car after having it for so long, but it was time for an upgrade, and he’s pretty happy with the new one.

an adult kid with his candy machine coin!

I also did something impulsive and got a helix piercing. Probably a midlife crises decision, but it does look pretty. Even though its taking forever to heal.

Chandler came back into town and introduced his fiancé to the bike club, so it was fun getting everyone together again.

We also made it to an Astros game with the kids! It had been a long time since all of us had gone to a game together, but when the tickets are only $11 each, you really can’t pass that up! ⚾️

Last ortho checkup!  Just a followup after getting his braces off earlier this year.

And then there was my most unexpected March encounter a gator on my morning run! I haven’t seen an alligator in that pond since Tanner was little enough to be pushed in a stroller. This one was just hanging out and looked like it was about to eat an egret. I couldn’t watch, so I kept running! 😂 When I came back around, the egret was nowhere to be seen, I like to think the egret flew away...

I know a lot of people find March long and boring, but with 2 birthdays in our family, spring break, and a whole bunch of other activities, March always seems to fly by for us!  And we all know that as once spring break is over, the school year just seems to fly by! Before we know its summer!

 

Tanner runs Track

Year 2 of Tanner running track! Watching him compete has been one of those things that has made me so incredibly proud of him.

At the junior high level, only the top 3 or 4 students in each event get to advance to the meets, so there was definitely some competition! Tanner consistently ranked near the top, which meant he qualified for every meet. Watching him work hard and then seeing that hard work pay off was so exciting!

He ran the 800 (two times around the track) and the 400 (one lap), which meant he was running twice at each meet. And if you’ve ever been to a junior high track meet, you know those things can be LONG! Tanner would often have an event near the very beginning and then another one toward the end, so we were there for quite a while. But of course, we never minded because we loved getting to watch him run.

He even qualified for districts, which was such a cool accomplishment!

There was one meet where both Brad and I really wanted to go watch him, but Logan had soccer practice at the exact same time. I was trying to figure out how I was going to make it all work when I suddenly remembered… Carson can drive! 😂 He was able to take Logan to soccer while Brad and I went to Tanner’s meet. Having a third driver has been a TOTAL game changer!

More than anything, I’m proud of Tanner for the discipline he showed throughout the season. Getting up early every day, heading to practice, pushing himself to run and improve, and sticking with it takes a lot of dedication.

(In black shirt and red pants stretching his leg)

making sure we were watching

So proud of you, Tanner! Watching you work hard and accomplish your goals has been so much fun. 🏃‍♂️❤️

 

Spring Break

Our spring break looked a little different this year! Normally, spring break means packing up the car and heading to Durango for our annual ski trip. But this year, the ski season was just…bad. There was hardly any snow, and with the way things were looking, we decided the drive out there for a few sad ski days just wasn’t worth it. So instead, we decided to make the most of our time and do something that suddenly felt much more important, college tours with Carson!

Our first stop was Texas A&M. When I first moved to Katy, I remember seeing a few Aggie decals on cars and thinking, Wow, there are a lot of Utah State Aggies who live here! 😂 It took me a little while to realize that Texas A&M has Aggies, too!

And apparently, Aggies are a BIG deal around here.

Texas A&M is only about an hour and twenty minutes from home and is consistently ranked among the top schools in Texas. It also has a reputation for having almost a cult-like following and an incredible amount of school pride. Knowing Carson, I wasn’t sure how he would feel about that. School spirit isn’t exactly his thing, so I figured this might not be the school for him.

Well…apparently I was wrong.

It is currently his top choice!

Getting into A&M is definitely not easy, so now we’re just hoping and praying that he gets the opportunity to go there. 🤞🏻 I would absolutely love it for him. The school has such a rich history, and being close enough to home is a huge bonus.

We also heard some fun stories about the alumni and connections to the school. One that really stuck with me was hearing about people from Pixar who went to A&M and used their experiences there as inspiration for Toy Story—including Woody’s cowboy boots. We also heard that the character of the old professor from Up was modeled after one of their former professors. I love little stories like that that make a school feel like so much more than just classrooms and buildings.

And our tour guide? SO bubbly and enthusiastic. She definitely had the Aggie spirit down!

College football here is huge.  I mean Texas HUGE.

Next up was Texas State in San Marcos, right between Austin and San Antonio. It’s about a 30-minute drive from either city, which immediately caught Carson’s attention. 😂 And, of course, the fact that Six Flags is within easy weekend-trip distance was definitely a perk in his book.

To me, Texas State had a very similar feel to Utah State, which made me like it right away. And now that they’re in the same conference, they’ll actually be playing each other, so I’m sure that will make things even more fun.

One of the coolest things about Texas State is the river that runs right through campus. They even have a tradition where graduating students jump into the river wearing their cap and gown. Definitely a memorable way to celebrate four years of college!

And because you can’t visit the Hill Country without getting BBQ, we had to make a stop at Kent Black’s BBQ. The restaurant has been around for decades, 94 years!! The food was absolutely amazing. Mouth-watering, fall-apart BBQ that made the early morning wake up call to drive 2.5 hours worth it.

Between the college tours, good food, and getting to see a couple of very different schools, it ended up being a really fun spring break, even if there wasn’t a ski slope involved.

But I’ll admit, the biggest thing these college tours did was make something hit me a little harder than I expected…

Carson’s senior year is coming.

And with senior year comes a whole lot of lasts. Last first day of school. Last Orchestra concerts. Last school pictures. Last homecoming. Last time all three boys will be living at home together. Because before we know it, we’ll be packing him up and sending him off to college.

I’m definitely not ready for that.

So maybe skipping our usual ski trip was exactly what we needed this year. Instead of spending spring break doing something we’ve done many times before, we got to spend it looking toward what’s next.

And, that feels pretty special. ❤️

 

#17

Happy 17th Birthday to the G.O.A.T.! (Greatest of all time) 🎉💙

We celebrated by skipping school for the day, grabbing breakfast together, and then heading to his new favorite place for dinner. Of course, we had to finish the night with cheesecake for dessert!

17 looks good on you, Carson! We’re so proud of the young man you’re becoming and love getting to celebrate you. 

 

February Update

Other February happenings that I want to remember. 

Since I do the yearbook for Logan’s school, I spent a LOT of time there this month getting things ready for an upcoming deadline. But honestly, it was pretty fun getting to be around school so much and watch Logan in his element.  I've gotten really close with some of the teachers and staff at the school this year, and its been very fulfilling. 

Logan had a Special Pal this year! High school students come over once a week for about 30 minutes to hang out and play with the elementary kids. Logan absolutely loved his buddy, and the two of them got along so well. They played all kinds of games together, and we’re so thankful for the time and attention he gave Logan this year. 

I also got to be there for Logan’s art and music classes. His music teacher even pulled out the instruments especially for me so I could get some good pictures. I loved getting to hear him play and see a little glimpse of what his school days look like. 🎶🎨

One of my favorite school events this month was the Mother-Daughter Dance. Since I only have boys, I’ve never gotten to experience anything like this, so I was excited to tag along and soak it all in. The theme was Anne Frank, which definitely brought back some childhood memories! It was such a fun night. 

A few other February favorites:
📸 A picture of Tanner that Carson took that I absolutely love.

🚲 Chandler came into town, so the boys got together for a ride.

💃 Girls’ night! I went to my VERY FIRST CLUB and had an absolute blast! Definitely planning on more clubbing in the future!

February can be a month that drags on, but these were just a bunch of ordinary moments that helped make the month a fun one. 

Celebrating Olivia

A year ago, our hearts were forever changed when we lost our sweet niece, Olivia, after complications from cancer. Somehow, it has already been a year, yet in so many ways it still feels impossible to believe she’s gone. Time has continued moving forward, but grief doesn’t follow a timeline.

This past year has been filled with moments of deep sadness, quiet tears, and learning how to carry a loss that never truly goes away. There are days when memories bring smiles, and others when they catch us completely off guard. Her absence is felt every single day.

One of the things I’ve learned this year is that grief and love go hand in hand. We grieve so deeply because we loved so deeply. While the pain of missing Olivia is still very real, we are incredibly grateful for the memories we were able to make with her. We hold those memories close and treasure the beautiful mark she left on all of our lives.

To honor Olivia on the anniversary of her passing, we visited one of her favorite places—In-N-Out Burger. It may seem like a simple tradition, but it felt like the perfect way to remember her. As we shared burgers, fries, and milkshakes, we shared stories, laughed about funny memories, and talked about all the little things that made Olivia so special. 

Olivia will always be part of our family. She is remembered in the little moments that unexpectedly remind us of her, in the traditions we continue, and in the love that forever connects us. We miss her more than words can say, but we are thankful that her light continues to shine through all of us.

We love you, Olivia. Always and forever. 💕

 

Arrow of Light

Another big milestone for our boys—Logan officially earned his Arrow of Light and crossed over into Boy Scouts! 🏹

I honestly couldn’t be more proud of him. There were definitely times along the way when Logan wanted to quit and wasn’t sure if Cub Scouts was really his thing. But he stuck with it, finished what he started, and earned that Arrow of Light. And now all three of our boys have officially earned theirs.

Logan wasn’t exactly excited about the idea of continuing on into Boy Scouts. In fact, he was pretty sure he didn’t want to do it at all. But after the Enchanted Rock campout he had so much fun that he decided it was worth giving it a try after all.

We'll see how he likes Boy Scouts and where this next chapter takes him. I'm glad he is at least giving it a chance.