Moments 01.2024

Things I’m loving

Here are some things I’ve been loving lately…

• These cute little undies for Z. I got him the size 3T and they fit so well (I also bought the size up because I was nervous these would be too small and they were way too big – but I’m saving them for him as he grows). I love that they’re organic and soft.
• Organic Collagen. I use this in my smoothies every morning and love this. I went through many brands of organic collagen to find the best one and this is it! Also – you can save 20% every month using subscribe and save (which I do and love).
• Zip-Up Kids Rash Guard. These were life savers on our vacation this month. I love the zip-up rash guards because they’re easier to get on and off. I bought 3 of them and my girls wore them for 2 weeks straight!

Life Lately

So far, 2024 has been good to us. We celebrated two birthdays, enjoyed skiing and went on vacation to the beach!

Z turns THREE

I can’t even believe I’m typing this – but my baby is three. This little bear is just the absolute sweetest. He had the best day being celebrated with his favorite things – “cheese fries” from Shake Shack and a guitar cake.

I have never had a three year old without also having a 1 year old running around (and usually was pregnant again). It has been so fun to be able to enjoy every second with Zach. I was often so busy with a new baby or sick from pregnancy that I didn’t get to fully experience some of the adorable 3-year-old-isms.

But I wouldn’t trade it. I love our family and how close the kids are and all that it entails. Zach is the perfect little caboose – full of energy but still a snuggle bug. All-boy but still sweet and tender. He makes us all laugh all the time and all our lives are better because he is in it!

Also – we took the plunge after Christmas and potty trained him! It took until we went on vacation for him to fully get the hang of it. I honestly think the change of scenery helped him quite a bit.

He made it through two long travel days and lots beach and pool time and did so well. This pic is one of my all-time favorites.

B turns THIRTEEN!

Equally, and possibly even more unbelievable is that the sweet girl who made me a mom turned thirteen!

We officially have a teenager. She is beautiful from the inside out, and always makes people feel included and loved. She’s an amazing baker, excels in her school work and is an all-around incredible person.

This year she learned hard lessons about what the world and the people in it can really be like. She felt the sting of betrayal and is on the road to re-learning to trust again after having her heart broken by people she loved.

It was a hard year for her but she is growing through it. She has learned that joy and pain are often intertwined and that life can change in the blink of an eye.

On her special day she requested cinnamon rolls for breakfast, an eclair cake (of course), breadsticks, orzo salad and potato soup! I loved making the meal of her dreams and she was thoroughly celebrated.

Her big gift is getting her ears double pierced with two of her friends, which we are doing later on in February (we had to wait because of vacation). Looking forward to more growth and fun this year.

Skiing

We went skiing with friends and had so much fun. It’s so good for the kids to have the positive peer pressure of friends on the slopes.

We also brought Keilah up to the mountain one day for her first ski lesson. She did amazing and we can’t wait to get her back out there.

When I went skiing with our friends I basically decided I did not like it! I’m way too cautious and I thought it was way too hard. At one point I looked at Ritch and said, “I think this was a mistake, I think I will just get an Uber and go home.” LOL! But I pushed through and skied but I can’t say I had a great time.

However, since my whole family loves skiing and we live in Utah, I decided I couldn’t give in to defeat and went up and got a private lesson the same day Keilah had a lesson. It helped me immensely and by the end of the day I felt like I actually had control of my skis and wasn’t afraid at all.

I had other private lessons before, but they were years ago and I really needed this to feel confident. Now I’m excited to go back out there and keep improving so I can keep up with the kids! 😉

Florida

Get ready for lots of beach pics! Due to the events of this year, we were encouraged to take a lot of breaks and prioritize rest and healing.

So, we planned this trip to Florida for 2 weeks and it was just what we needed. To be honest, we had some pretty chilly days and I don’t think I’d travel to FL again in January (we far preferred May) – However, it was way warmer than it was at home and a cold day on the beach is better than a warm day anywhere else in my opinion!

We still had some great warm days, and enjoyed our typical, laid-back beach vacation – playing in the sand, finding shells, beach walks and swimming in the pool. We all got sun-kissed and it took away some of our winter blues.

Keilah loved making a “sandman” every day. She literally played with it like it was a human being. Made it sand cupcakes, and danced with it and it was adorbale.

As always, we watched every sunset together on the beach, however clear or cloudy the sky was there was no way we’d miss it!

I did learn on this trip that Zach is way more of a homebody than I thought. At home, he always asks to go out and do things. “Where us going us wake up?” is his most-frequently asked question I think.

But, after the first week or so Z was ready to go home. He kept saying, “Us go our Utah house now.” and “Me miss Utah home. Me go home.” When I asked him what he missed he said his toys, specifically his firetruck and soccer ball! 😉

The best part of the trip was that our friends joined us for a handful of days. We had the best time playing and swimming and talking. B even watched all the kids so the four adults could go on a date – which was the highlight of the trip for me for sure. It was absolutely perfect and made our trip so much better.

One of my favorite things was that my husband got our friend a matching rash guard for Christmas so he could wear it on this trip. There’s way more to the story of the rash guard – but lets just say this pic made my month! 😉

We also went out for ice cream an insane amount of times on this trip. There is a delicious ice cream shop with waffle cones dipped in chocolate and sea salt and we definitely kept them in business the last two weeks! haha!

We had the best time with our friends who we love so much!

Life & Faith

This trip was exactly what we needed.

I read this quote by Jane Austen (from the book Sanditon) and it struck me – especially the idea that “no one wanted strength by the sea.”

“Nobody could catch cold by the sea; nobody wanted appetite by the sea; nobody wanted spirits; nobody wanted strength. Sea air was healing, softening, relaxing – fortifying and bracing – seemingly just as was wanted.”

Jane Austen

After this past year, so many mundane tasks and commonplace responsibilities take an incredible amount of strength on my behalf – even simple things like going to church are weighty and hard. But on this trip I didn’t want strength – nor did I need it.

I could just be. Take walks with the kids. Find seashells. Lay in the sun.

I got to soften a little. I was able to relax. My soul was fortified and braced so I feel better able to face our daily lives with confidence and peace. I’m grateful for this time away to reflect on the grace of God and be reminded that my worth isn’t in what anyone thinks of me but Him.