Starting Off Right

When we started 2023, my motto was 'surgery free for 2023.'  We almost made it- I had a minor woman procedure in December, so hoping we can get through this next one with no surgeries, but our catch phrase will be more like 'Give Me More of 2024.'  Maybe if I think like that, it will be one of our favorite years ever.  Yea, lets go with that.  

Katelee started off the give me more of 2024 life with lots of snowboarding.  She has already put her Brighton pass to great use.  One of the days she was boarding, she looked over and recognized a famous face.  She turned to her friend to ask if it was Benson Boone and when her friend confirmed, they decided to say hello.  

She told me she knew for sure it was him because she could hear his music on his phone.  I told her that I thought he was weird he was listening to his own music!  haha Turns out he was creating a post for his upcoming song-which has since turned out to be the biggest hit ever.   Soooo...not so weird after all.  The funny thing is Katelee sent this pic to me and Brenna saying "look who I just saw!"  I initially thought it was an extended family member or friend and I side texted Brenna asking if I should know him.  Brenna had immediately freaked out saying NO WAY!   I know who Benson Boone is, I just was unfamiliar with his face.  I am almost up with the times...almost.  

Katelee and her friends have since seen Mr Boone in a little impromptu concert release where he jumped on social media saying he was going to sing his new songs at a location and whoever could get there would enter for free.  Hundreds of fans (girls) rushed to his locale and Katelee sent me the funniest videos from inside the venue- gals screaming the songs and then people outside the windows just pressing on the glass trying to get a glimpse.  So so funny.  

2024 is a Book of Mormon year for our church and we were super pumped for it in primary.  I am one of the music leaders-which I love.  It is so fun and I get to be with Harrison.  Last time I was music leader, I was released when Harrison was going to be a little sunbeam so at least I get to do his last year with him.  

We haven't had too much snow in December-like hardly any.  January picked up the pace quite a bit.  We really didn't have too thick of snow- we took care of all the removal with shovels and didn't need our snowblower.  Not sure Harrison could create such stirring sports logos with a snowblower, so it worked out.  I guess there was one GIANT snowstorm, but Dave and I missed it.  

I was accompanying him on a work trip to Cancun.  So, while my family was stranded at various activities due to a blizzard, we were in a slightly different climate.  

I was drinking a pina colada and getting pics of poor Shannon trying to get to Harrison at his basketball practice.  It took them hours to get home, so we were so grateful everyone was safe in the snow squall!  It sounded like treacherous driving conditions for sure.  Shannon handled it with great calm.  We had actually been driving recently and I had to tell Dave he was driving dangerously.  He kinda of chuckled and Harrison sternly rebuked him.  Harrison said, "It is not funny to be dangerous- it's like oh lets play with a knife for fun."  So maybe it was best Harrison was in hands he thought were more cautious.  Truthfully, Dave is super cautious in snow and rain, just to be clear.  It is the normal sunny weather we aren't so sure about.  When Harrison and I were talking about weather/tropics, he brought up the Bermuda triangle, naturally.  The kid is on to something.  He is sure the lost city of Atlantis is underneath because, as he explained, 'what better way to guard your ancient kingdom than to surround t by a triangle of stormy weather.'   We have yet to brave the Bermuda triangle, but maybe these storm experiences are preparing Harrison for something like that someday.  

Brenna got to perform at the high school for a basketball half time.  There was a dance company clinic so she learned a hip hop routine and performed it.  Slay queen! She's got some rizz! See- my slang is almost up with the times.  

Give us more 2024!  We have most of the year to go...so praying it is a good one!  It will inevitably give us more-more time together, more memories, more lessons, more insights, more hardships, more tears, more laughter.  So, let's just hope whatever it gives MAKES us into something more.  Maybe we will amend the phrase to 'make us into more in 2024'

 

Rockin Around the Christmas Tree

There was a lot of dancing going on these holiday months.  November kicked off with Katelee's Girls Pref dance.  She took her buddy Jojo.  

Their group did superheroes/villans as the theme.  Katelee and Jojo hands down were 

the coolest Fro-zones you ever did see.  But really, how cool are their pictures?  

Harrison was asked to be a player in a tournament with some boys he played with last year.  They did great and won, hence the mini trophies here.  He is going to join these kids on their team at the beginning of the year, so it was a good kick start.  Before each game we have to guess if we are the home team or visitor and wear the jersey on one side or the other.  We usually guess wrong and have to flip it when we get to there.  

Harrison has a few particulars when it comes to what he wears- no hard pants, that's the number one.  Jeans- completely unacceptable.  He is mostly found in athletic wear or sweat style.  I did ask him to chnage his shirt the other day, just because of the temperature.  He responded with, "oh, you're right.  I should change my shirt for my health." 

  

Thanksgiving this year was our no travel local year with the Petrick side.  I took zero pictures of us, but this lego diagram pretty much sums up who was there and who sat where.  Ha!  

This festive month was kicked off with yet another high school dance.

Katelee and her friend Izzy went to another school's Winter Ball.  Katelee is really enjoying the dance dates and I am loving she is living up her high school experience! 

 We continued into the holiday season with the regular festivities plus a few fun extra ones.  Harrison and I went to a nativity display.  It was super cool.  There were the most unique nativities you could imagine and we got to do a little scavenger hunt to find certain ones.  

We made our delightfully delicious gluten free sugar cookies and decorated them with culinary style.  

Brenna had quite the spread with her Trump, Jesus and David McArthur cookies.  See if you can spy each one.  

Our elf Kringle is getting in his later years.  He doesn't move as much but he still made an appearance in the house before Christmas.  The most startling elf I saw this season was this giant one in Hobby Lobby.  Watching him trying to get through the front door brought me great joy.  

There was pretty much zero snow before Christmas, and it was quite warm, as you can tell from this photo of Katelee with her stellar table she made!!  

She took a woods class at school and told me they were making a desk.  She asked if we needed one and I was like I have no idea where we would put her homemade desk, so she decided to design one to gift to Grandma and Shannon.  She brought it home and I was so impressed, I changed my mind and told her I needed it, not them!  

But, too late- it was their gift.  We brought it to the Christmas Eve extravaganza where did the christmas story scripture read and white elephant gift exchange.   

The traditions continued with the kids sleeping together in the basement and waking up to a crackling screen fire for gifts Christmas morning.  

Thoughtful presents were exchanged, 

silly gag gifts were given, 

and we enjoyed our time together playing games and lounging around.  During the month and through the school break, we drove around and saw lights a few times, but always had to come into our neighborhood on a certain road to park in front of the house that had a radio station synced to their flashing holiday lights.  These lights were no joke.  I am fairly certain they could be seen from space.  We live a couple streets over and still worried about an epileptic episode.  They were so fun to watch!  Dave, every time we drove by would comment about how glad he was that it wasn't our immediate neighbors' house!  Haha!  Harrison and I were completely addicted to it, however.  We would pull up, roll down the window and become completely transfixed.  I told him it was mesmerizing, looked back at the cute litte face not blinking and replied, "mesmerizing indeed."  It was that moment I knew we'd had enough.  

Another super fun addition to Christmas 2023 was an escape room!!  We had this whole escape room set up at work and I brought it home for our family, cousins, neighbors to take turns solving.  

It was a big hit.  Some friends solved it within a half hour, another family was here for over 2 hours late into the night but refusing hints.  Our Grinch lair was full of tricks and riddles.  My favorite part was when our little fam was working to escape.  One puzzle had to do with solving names of candies.  The clue was Happy Farmer and Katelee kept playing with the words, trying different things and she started saying Ranch...Rancher...Happy Rancher and Dave goes, "Yes!  Corn Nuts!!"  We all started laughing and he explained they are ranch flavored.  It took a minute, but the fam settled in on the Jolly Rancher answer shortly after.

The piano biz is down to two students, so we just let Harrison and Lilly show their skills between Christmas and New Years at a little intimate recital in our front room.  

The fingers were flying it was fabulous.  

New Years Eve was spent eating lots of delish delights and playing games with these two.  Dave was stricken ill, so he couldn't ring in the new year, but we played around 10 games and did our annual face masks and talked about what we hope is to come in 2024 while highlighting some of our 2023 hits.  

If I have learned anything over the past 5-6 years or so...it is to expect the unexpected.  Make the plans, have some goals and know it isn't all going to go as planned, and that is ok. So no matter what this next year brings, I know we will have highs and lows, ebbs and flows in 2024 and we are there for it! 

Faces on a Rock and Faces We Love

School is in full swing and we are (mostly) loving it!!  Katelee is excited to be in her junior year and was welcomed home to the Riverton pack at Homecoming with Hudson!  

She and one of her besties, Rian, were in the same group and they had a fabulous time.  They carved pumpkins up the canyon, had dinner, the dance and hung out after.  

She's hyped to be in the prime of high school-knowing what she's doing and not burned out or ready to move on yet!  

While she is in the middle of her HS years, she may have already hit the peak of all high school experience with championship in the Powder Puff competition!  

Boom!! Seriously some of the most fun games to watch in all her sports careers.  She had some awesome runs, interceptions and was a start flag football gal!  

Grant and Dave were eating up the tackle football game with BYU.  

They got to connect with Brian and Gattlin, so that was extra fun.  

Brenna and I had the most exciting date night at the Taylor Swift Era concert movie.  We watched it in the IMAX surrounded by other swifties dressed up ready to party and boy did we.  The theatre was a real concert...minus real Taylor, but there was dancing, screaming, conga lines etc

It was the best date-besides the time I ran back to our seats for a quick break/drink and looked over at a little girl staring terrified at me because I sat in the wrong empty seat!  haha!  I moved up to my row quickly, before I drank out of her beverage, don't worry!

We still try to continue our Sunday traditions of one person has a lesson and one person gets to have the Sunday.  We have a rotating list of whose Sunday it is.  Whoever the lucky person is, they get to choose an activity that is mandatory for others to participate in (within reason- and it can't be anything everyone will hate) A month or so ago, Harrison chose basketball out front with each of us wearing a team jersey.  It's best you don't see Dave and I squeezing into the ones we had on!  We were lucky enough to have Grant around that day and he wanted in on the game!

These awesome autumn days people keep choosing canyon walks/drives and we are loving it.  

Of course in the age of Digital Phone Photography, we stop soooooo many times to snap pictures.  

I am never the one to say "lets take a picture"  but I hear a lot of "take a picture of me" from these pretty faces, so I consent to their demands...and then I get sick of it and say 'no more pictures!' Speaking of cute faces....

This girl got her braces off and talk about an instant glow up!

We walked into the ortho office with a cutie patootie and came out with a beautiful babe!  Brenna got her dance pictures shortly after so luckily they were brace free too!  

Her team this year is called Ventra and has mostly the same girls as last year, with a few new additions to take the place of a couple who moved on to other endeavors.  These girls have been so great to Brenna. 

We can't wait for another awesome dance year! 

For years I have been suggesting one of our trips should be to South Dakota to see Mt Rushmore and go to the Badlands.  I was a wee gal when I went, but I had fond (but vague) memories of the place.  My suggestion was often met with scoff (especially by the older two children) saying they didn't want to go see faces on a rock.  Well, I finally convinced Dave we should just go and I thought everyone would be pleasantly surprised at how fun it would be!  Grant is officially graduated and an adult, so our trips now are by invitation that he can accept or reject.  He had to work and so he politely declined...probably not really disappointed anyway.  Katelee pointed out that when Grant was in high school he got to miss our road trip to Colorado, so we negotiated that she could opt out of one trip.  This is the one she was adamant that she wouldn't mind missing.  So, for Fall Break, we packed up the other two kiddos 

(who have no choice in the matter) and headed to good old South Dakota.  We drove straight to Mt Rushmore the first day and LOVED it. 

 It was perfect timing- we got there late afternoon and got to see the sunset as well as we finished our walk abouts.  

The weather was fantastic, the little visitor center was informative and provided a great place for Dave to snooze while we watched the fascinating movie on how Mt Rushmore was planned and built.  It really is so cool and in a gorgeous area.  

The next day we explored the Badlands.  South Dakota has miles and miles of literally nothing.  We had planned to visit Wall Drug-an old west shopping mall of sorts and for every mile that had nothing there were dozens of signs hyping up the glorious Wall Drug.  

It certainly lived up to the expectations of every western gear, supply, souvenir you could ever desire.  It also provided some great entertainment with the cowboy puppet bands and great places to continue our trip filled with jumping pictures.  

As soon as Dave had experienced all he could take of the western world, we made our way to our hikes in the Badlands.  

They were so fun!  It was like we were on another dusty planet.  

The best hike had this giant ladder to climb and it was our favorite part.  Well, going up was our favorite part, Harrison took a bit of a spill at the bottom coming down.  It was hard to tell when to stand up and it was super gravely.  But, some kind English grandparents helped him until Dave finished his descent.  

When we had stayed in Montana on our way to Idaho this summer, we had eaten at a Pizza Buffet called the Pizza Ranch.  Harrison was beyond thrilled to see this chain restaurant also had a location in South Dakota and couldn't wait for Dave to partake in the deliciousness the Pizza Ranch had to offer.  I still regret that decision as I was the only one without lactose intolerance problems that had to endure the next few hours in the hotel room listening/smelling the effects of the Pizza Ranch.  

The next day was spent in the Black Hills looking for animals on the Wildlife Loop-

Hiking around Sylvan Lake, 

driving through the exciting tunnels and taking the breathtaking scenic routes on our way out towards Jewel Cave.  Dave was certain he was not going to be okay with this part of the itinerary.  But, I explained to him it wasn't a cave you had to crawl through, but he would be in awe of it.  I was totally right.  

Claustrophobia never set in and all of us were blown away by the cave and just imagining what was below us as we traveled to our next stop in Deadwood City.  It was super rainy and we got in late, so we didn't do much there but go to dinner, which was a-ok.  We got up the next day to make the drive home and made a stop at Devil's Tower.  

We hiked around Devil's Tower and even got to see rock climbers scaling one of the sides, which was so impressive.  We drove home and hugged the two we missed.  After showing them pictures, I am sure they wished they had come ;).  We definitely missed them.  It was such a fun trip- the world is full of unique places and we can cross that one of our family trip bucket list.  

We got back in time for Halloween and it's activities.  Harrison and I went to the Rodeo Grounds for the spook alley.  We are getting so brave.  

We hit up the pumpkin patch near our house.  We are still missing our old pumpkin patch that used to have a little corn maze and a tractor pull.  It is now a new home development.  Boo.  But, we at least got some fresh gourds and a pic of a little vampire.  

We are down in numbers in most activities, including the Witch Hunt.  But, these two had fun for half a second until they fought as you can see on Harrison's face-he was not thrilled to be in a pic with his sister.  True to life memory right there folks.  

Brenna capped off her final Lagoon visits (I think she hit 16 with this one) during Frightmares.  It gets so crazy busy, but it is always a good time there during spooky season.  

Halloween night finally arrived.  This stick figure man was ready for trick-or-treating!  

But first, it was our neighborhood eat before you treat.  Harrison and I went...see if you can spy him in this photo!  

Brenna was a yeti- thanks to Grant's old pajamas we pulled out.  She did go trick or treat for a bit with friends.  

Katelee had a party and all her gals were dressed up like deer.  So adorbs.  

These are the faces of Halloweeners before the excess sugar and miles of walking got to them! 

 Harrison got lots and lots of candy.  It's slightly revolting.  But, better candy than paper.  Yes, you read that right.  I saw him put a little piece in his mouth.  When I asked him why he was eating paper, he started moving in slow motion and replied, "You didn't see anything!"  I think he was focusing on the trick part of Halloween...but I know it was no illusion!  Yay for another fun October!