St. George with the Craguns and Thomases

We headed to St. George with the Craguns and Thomases to spend some time between Christmas and New Years. We had a blast! Here are the "three V's" as we call them. :)

Lots of Just Dance

High score for Max bowling!

Girls night out to try Wood Ash Rye. We loved it!

Petrified Dunes is always a favorite.

Bike park!

Hiking with Andy and Max! Lindsey and Charlie came along too.

Dinosaur Park train ride

I think this was Max's first time ever doing Bear Claw Poppy!

New Years Eve celebration! We had appetizers and played minute to win it games. Always a blast with this crew!

Andy at age 11

• I can't believe our Andy is getting so grown up! He continues to be a big personality in our home. He knows what he wants, he's smart as a whip, and is developing talents and skills at so many things. It's an honor to watch him mature and grow up. 
• He's in 6th grade this year and his teacher is Mrs. Childs. He loves her (she wears Air Jordans and has a Harry Potter themed room). It feels like he's really blossomed this year! He's in student council and has loved that. He generally stays pretty on top of assignments, but I was a little surprised at his first PTC this year to see that he'd forgotten to turn in quite a few things. ;) 
• He continues to get up early to do his piano and jobs. We found out that for a chunk of this year (he said it was a few weeks, but I wouldn't be surprised if it were a few months) that he'd been getting up at 3:30 AM to play video games for hours while we slept. This has since been remedied (we hope), but it does show Andy's determination to get what he wants (which is as much screen time as possible). 
• He continues to love to read and reads for a couple hours every day. Maybe more. His favorite books are Hilo, Techno Wizard, Zits, and really any graphic novels. It's rare when we can convince him to read anything else. 
• He's really developed socially this year and loves to hang out with friends. He's always taking off and hanging out a friends' houses. He loves to be with Kade Ballam, Jayden DeWaal (who just moved--he is very sad), Rocky Ballstaedt, Cole Read, Logan Dong, Reed Wilde, Cade Myers, McKay Munday, and lots of others too. He always would be rather hanging out with his friends and is happy to ditch family events whenever we'll let him. :) We've started leaving him at home on his own more when he doesn't want to come with us somewhere. He really values his alone time and has a hard time being around his siblings for long amounts of time. Or even short amounts of time. ;) 
• Andy is very kind to friends and people at school. I always notice when I'm at his school that he's extra friendly to everyone and looks out for people. 
• Andy continues to love soccer and sports in general. He loves his soccer team (Steel Titans) and looks forward to practices and any games. He's very athletic in general and spends recess doing football, basketball, soccer, or whatever his friends are doing. 
• He's achieved a lot in piano this year and has grown and developed so much. I think a big highlight was when he won 2nd place in the Encore Keyboard Competition in September. He really loved playing his Debussy Valse Romantique. He's also loved learning the preamble from Bach's fifth partita. Lately he's been working on Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag and loves that. 
• As far as shows go--I think his favorite movie he saw this year was probably Top Gun Maverick. He doesn't really seem to watch shows anymore, but prefers to watch things on youtube. Dude Perfect and Studio C are what he's technically allowed to watch, but he seems to sneak watching other riveting things on youtube like watching other people play Minecraft and Airack. He continues to be obsessed with his switch and usually chooses that for screen time. 
• He still continues to be super picky and basically drinks large amounts of whole milk, bread and english muffins, and cheese. Occasionally he'll throw some hot dogs in. He will also clear out shocking amounts from our candy cupboard. I'm not sure how he grows, but he does. 
• Andy has shot up this year and is getting so tall! He's 5'1" or so. And his feet are my size--mens size 8! Shoes are a lot more expensive now that he can't wear kid sizes. 
• Andy loves long daily showers while he blasts loud music. 
• Andy loves to listen to his music in general. It's always very loud and he's always "stealing" it when I'm trying to use our spotify account. He really loves Imagine Dragons and went to his first concert this year to see them. He also loves One Republic. He loves musicals like Hamilton and Hadestown too. I'll also catch him listening to classical music like Liszt occasionally. 
• Andy loves going to symphonies, plays, and musicals. He kept asking me this year when I would finally take him back to the symphony, which I was happy to olige! :) 
• Andy is getting extremely excited to get his own room. Our basement should be finished within the next few months and all of us (especially Max) are counting down to the days when Andy and Max will no longer share a room.  

Andy and his soccer team got to go onto the Real Salt Lake field at half time! Here he is with Cooper or Bronson, Elliott, and Kimball.

Such a beautiful pianist!

Andy's home games are at a field by Greg and Kathy's house. It was fun having them come to a game!

Andy ran for student council and WON! He's had so much fun being on student council so far.

Steel Titans!

Andy got to go to BYU soccer camp with Jayden, Kade, and Beckham this year.

Such a sweet brother to Davis.

Andy's art from summer art camp. He's a great artist!

Andy likes to mountain bike, especially with his BFF Charlie.

First day of 6th grade!

A picture Mrs. Childs sent me from his classroom.

A fun night of swimming and dinner with Cade Myers and Reed Wilde.

Andy's fall flag football team. His first time playing and he liked it! It was fun having Jayden and Logan on his team.

Andy was old enough to go to Cornbelly's with his friends quite a few times this fall.

A night out to the symphony to see the Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 2. He loved it!

Andy's student council group

Andy got to do a candy cane fundraiser with his student council to rase money for OSSO. He's very responsible and always remembers where/when he needs to go.

A fun Christmas part at Jayden's house.

Andy's had fun being in the same class with Cole Read this year!

A goodbye hangout with Jayden before he moved. 

October-December 2022 Highlights

The Max vibe. He's very into McDonald's these days, specifically their fries. He even made a McDonald's club with friends at school. The parents are supposed to help rotate driving them to McDonald's every Friday ha ha. 

An amazing October hike with the Craguns and Thomases up AF Canyon.

A visit to the curiosity museum. I think it was "dress at a raccoon" day at school, hence Violet's face makeup.

Violet's birthday dinner request was Zupas.

The cutest birthday gifts from Max to Violet. I got the scrunchies but everything else was his idea.

Love our little lady!

Andy's had the best time doing student council this year!

Lots of date night mountain biking. We can even sneak rides in in the mornings too while Davis is at preschool.

Dino Museum

Violet got to model for our neighbor's company, Tiny Blessings Jewelry.

Another fun night at Cornbelly's

We took the oldest three to a BYU football game. We had so much fun!

A fun soccer season for Max playing with Graham.

Happy Birthday to Grandma Kathy!

A fun birthday lunch for my friend/neighbor Katie Bachman! I love the ladies in my neighborhood.

I think this was from a soccer party! Andy loves his team.

A quick November weekend in St. George. 

Many pictures like this at Fiesta Fun through the years.

Exploring in Pioneer Park

Andy ended up falling on some cactus. Poor guy--it was so terrible. It was so hard to get all of the needles out.

Happy 2nd birthday to Carson!

Max's big birthday gift from Kathy and Greg was this claw machine. He even asked for prizes to put inside so he could charge his friends for using it. Always the little entrepreneur!

A visit to the curiosity museum with her friend Clara

A Singer's Company performance!

Violet's had so much fun doing it with Monroe.

Max and my student Liam were duet partners this year for the Encore Ensemble Festival. They played "Turkey Trot" as one of their pieces and wore these hats.

Silly little man

Date night at the symphony seeing Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3.

Happy Birthday to Abby!

Max loves doing Reflections...I think mostly because he likes getting trophies. :)

Ensemble Festival for these two. I wouldn't say it was a bonding experience. But they made it to the Honor's Recital! I think they played "I Love to See the Temple" and a little Mac Wilburg duet too.

6th grade

3rd grade

Kindergarten

Pre-school

A fun weekend in Park City with my sisters (minus Sara).

Aquarium visit

A birthday party for one of Violet's friends.

A cousin shot at my cousin Scottie's mission farewell. Love these people so much and don't get to see them often enough!

Abby is the sweetest aunt.

Max's class doing a Thanksgiving program.

After much debating, Cameron decided his new car would be a truck. He loves it!

A cute shot from Max's class.

Max at a birthday party

We started finishing our basement! House of Jade is helping us and we're so excited. 

Davis loves to help me in the kitchen.

Greg and Kathy hired the boys to help them. 

We did a Messick family pie night this year because it was everyone's turn to go to their other side of the family.

Abby and I ran in the 10k turkey trot and Jake ran the half. It was such a fun way to start off Thanksgiving.

We had Thanksgiving at Capital Grill this year. It was actually great! Abby came with us.

We went to see Santa land at University Place on Black Friday.

We went to see the Savior of the World play. Everyone liked the first half haha.

New Christmas jammies! The kids and I are always in a light battle--they're always changing the lights to multi-colored and I'm always changing them back to white. :)

Lots of sledding!

Trying to soak up time with the DeWaals before they move! Max will miss Bentley.

Festival of Trees

Violet's favorite tree

Cameron started singing in the Millennial Choir this year. He loves it! The Christmas concert was incredible.

Our ward Christmas party was so fun this year!

It was a Fiesta! This is Violet's new friend Gigi who just moved in.

Violet and I went to the nutcracker with Shawna and Monroe.

When you only have one girl you give in when she asks for things. :)

Cutest Singer's Company group

Violet and Grandma Kathy

Trey and Davis at their preschool Christmas party.

We love the Christmas Sing!

The preschoolers sing "Feliz Navidad" at the Christmas Sing and it's the cutest thing ever.

Max accompanied the third grade in the Christmas Sing. I played one hand and he played the other. It was so fun!

Max's class

Violet's dance class did a little Christmas performance. It was so cute!

Violet with her teacher Miss Zoey.

We went to see Luminaria this year. It was so cool!

Max's friend Cohen came with us.

I got to come and help in Max's class for their Christmas party. I did the saran wrap ball game.

My very favorite annual tradition is giving terrible neighbor gifts from one of my family members to some of their neighbors. I think I gave these to Christine and Ben's new neighbors. :)

We went to Santa Symphony!

Andy didn't come with us this year, but we had fun!

A bridal shower for Iain's wife-to-be Katrina.

We decided to start potty training this little guy! It actually went decently well?!

The kids always do this "turtle" thing after they get out of the bath or shower to warm up.

Abby helped us make sugar cookies.

Andy got to go sledding with soccer friends.

Our annual cookie night with the Craguns and Thomases.

And then we got to do the Polar Express with them too! It was so fun.

So much excitement from this guy who has the best facial expressions.

Our annual visit to Market Street Grill for breakfast the week before Christmas.

And then we headed to Grand America to see the windows.

A fun afternoon sledding.

We hosted our annual Winterton Cousin Christmas Party. It's always such a blast!

I think this was our first year (or maybe second?) doing White Elephant gifts and it was so fun.