Snow at Home and Gymnastics on the Road

Turns out this one title works for the last three weeks! We had Landon and Hallie at a tournament to end February, Eliza and both parents at a tournament to start March, and his state meet a week later. Plus, we got weekend snow two weeks in a row. Spring has definitely started to bloom (at least this weekend), and our warriors are out!

On Monday the 19th, seeing that it was Presidents’ Day, the whole family had a day off from school and work! Mom went to the chiropractor and then Landon had gymnastics.

Then for the rest of the week we were back to our regular busy schedule with school, work, and gymnastics. We woke up to this on Tuesday: 

Wednesday was a pretty normal day except for we added a doctor’s appointment for Eliza. Talk of a storm approaching is in the air and so Hallie and Tami a fellow gymnastics mom decided they would leave earlier for the upcoming meet in Phoenix hoping to beat any bad weather.

Thursday the 22nd was when life got a bit exciting, at least for some of the family. Everyone went their normal ways in the morning. After work Hallie ran over to the university for her weekly Y Be Fit appointment. Hallie’s new Wellness Coach is an eager young nutrition student. After her appointment Hallie ran home to finish packing for her and Landon to take a trip to Chandler, AZ for the Sun Devil Classic. Tami and Blake picked the two travelers up and away they went to St. George hoping to beat any bad weather. For the most part they did except for right between Cedar City and St. George where at some points you couldn’t see the lines on the road. Grateful for prayers that kept everyone safe and all made it to St. George.

Mike hung out with Eliza on Friday and took her to gymnastics where she trained with the Level 3’s. Mike even hung out with some of the other parents Hallie has started friendships with over the last several months.

Friday the 23rd Hallie woke early this morning to Landon throwing up in the hotel room. Bile only but still was a cause for concern. He had been sick before but only a temperature and nothing more, maybe nerves? He felt better after throwing up and getting ready to head out for the rest of the drive. So Hallie thought it was okay for him to eat breakfast. Landon kept it down for 3 hours until in the middle of nowhere Nevada he brought back up everything he ate for breakfast.

Here are some photos from his meet: 

We had snow Saturday night into Sunday. Mom and the kids stayed home while Dad ventured out into the cold. 

Week Two: March Came in Like a Lion

This week was a blur. Not a lot to write, but here are some photos. Eliza earned some medals at her meet, and we’re proud of her hard work!

The kids had Dr. Seuss week, and we got some more snowflakes.

Landon took an hour off from gymnastics on Wednesday to attend the Cub Scout Blue and Gold Dinner. This year's was Star Wars themed.

On Friday, Eliza had her first meet of the spring season in Salt Lake. She did pretty well (3rd overall).

Getting her hair done up. 

Week Three: Spring is in the Air

Unless we keep at it, we’re going to lose the habit of writing in the blog! This week, Landon had his state gymnastics meet. He got 5th place overall and 1st on the high bar. The latter is a real accomplishment considering the high bar has been a bit of a challenge for him this season. Persistence and practice pay off!

He wasn't about to let a splinter in his big toe get him down. 

Mike has found new hobbies in vexillology and heraldry, and he has designed some flags and coats of arms for the family over the last few months. He even won a little contest for one of his designs in January. The kids got into the act this Saturday when he and they made cardboard shields inspired by a website on English Heritage Mike found. The kids got into drawing and coloring and cutting and then fighting.

Sunday was downright spring-like with temperatures almost reaching 60 degrees. The kids went out to play, and the horses grazed, and we had a pretty sunset.

Sick Boy at Home

We got back from California in time for Landon to be sick for the rest of the week. If he thinks he was out of condition last Monday, just wait until tomorrow. . . .

We spent one more day in California on Monday visiting briefly with family before flying home in the evening. Hallie and her mom shared sometime hanging out with the Hopkin kids, and man, are they so much fun to play with!

On our way to the airport, we stopped by the Owens where our kids got one more chance to swing high in the air on the tire swing and to visit with Shep. The flight home was shorter than expected, but after waiting for our shuttle and making a couple of stops on the way home, everyone was exhausted by the time we rolled into the driveway.

Waking up on Tuesday we thought wasn’t going to be so hard, but boy, were we wrong. Everyone was so very tired, but we finally willed ourselves out of bed and got ready for school and work. It was quite a busy day for all of us by the end of the day. Hallie spent a lot of time getting Valentine cards ready for the kids’ parties the next day and getting the finishing touches ready for Eliza’s party. Landon was acting a bit crabby by the end of practice, and we couldn’t figure out why.

Wednesday started as a very unexpected day for all of us. Landon said he did not feel well and wanted us to get him a bucket. The flu? Please, no! Mike had all kinds of things at the university, so Hallie had to bow out of work and find someone else to do the party in Eliza’s class. Hallie is grateful for all of the folks at the school who are so helpful and understanding. Mike was supposed to attend a dinner for work but did not have to go at the last minute, and an amazing family in the ward brought us a plate of cookies.

Landon stayed home from school for a second day when, after we borrowed a thermometer, we saw that he was sporting a fever of 101.7. However, neither adult could really miss work. We crossed our fingers and left a cell phone with Landon while we were away. Nothing burned down, and everything was well when Hallie got home. When school let out, Hallie picked up Eliza and Gavin and took them to gym. Hallie stayed for a bit watching Eliza who sometimes gets slighted when it comes to the parents cheering for her.

Mike had fewer commitments on Friday, so he stayed with Landon for a bit until it was time for him to go and volunteer at the school.

It is fun for the two of us to see each other during Hallie’s work day. Hallie took Gavin and Eliza to gymnastics again and watched Eliza practice with the Level 3s, which she loves! For pizza and a movie night, we watched the Olympics.

The four of us woke up and got ready to go and clean the church on Saturday. Several families showed up, which was really nice. After finally tracking down Mike and Landon, Hallie noticed something wrong with Landon’s eye. Hallie remembered that the sister who was cleaning the doors we came in is a doctor. So Mom and Boy headed back to the doors and asked Sister Jackson if Landon had pink eye. Yup! So off to Urgent Care the duo went, with the result of antibiotics for the boy and of course some ice cream from S.O.S. when Hallie went to fill the prescription. The rest of the day was spent cleaning the kids’ rooms, which were really out of hand. They are a lot better now, and we won’t fall to our death trying to get to their beds.

On Sunday, Mike and Eliza went to all three hours of church, and Hallie joined them for the third hour when she had to lead the music in Relief Society. The meeting was very nice.

We all joined together and ate heart-shaped pasta for lunch. (We love ALDI!) The rest of the afternoon was spent reading books, watching Olympics (the kids are getting bored), playing Go Fish and Uno. Sundays are a hard day for our little nuggets that have so much energy!

Eliza’s Special Week

Eliza celebrated lucky birthday number 7, and we all traveled down to California for work, a meet, and a visit with family.

We celebrated the whole week as Eliza’s special week, starting with celebrations at school.

On Monday she took her All About Me poster to school and shared a bit about herself with her class.

Tuesday Eliza was asked to fill a birthday bag with things that are special to her, and that included a bear that her tummy mom bought her, a favorite book, and a few other special items.

After Hallie picked up the kids from school and headed to gymnastics, Eliza started to complain of being sick. So instead of going to gymnastics, Eliza had to run three hours of errands with Hallie because, well, that is what the mom had to do and was going to do while the kids were at gymnastics. There was going to be a meet on Saturday, and the fundraising momma had to prepare before she hit the road.

After work Hallie dashed off to Sam’s Club to pick up Eliza’s cupcakes to celebrate with her school class before she headed to California. They seem to be a big hit with the class.

We're leaving Ferg in good hands with the neighbors to look after him. 

On Wednesday evening, we flew to California, staying in Orange County near where Landon would be competing on Thursday. Everyone was tired, and it was a long day by the time we got into our hotel.

Thursday morning we went to Downtown Disney, meeting up with our friend Jenny for some window shopping and lunch at the Earl of Sandwich before going to Soka University in Aliso Viejo.

Landon put forth a great effort, gutsing through some tough faults to end up 19th overall in his category. He wasn’t happy, but he’ll keep improving. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Another coach approached Landon’s coach telling him how impressed he was with Landon’s attitude on the floor even when he knew he was having a hard time. Way to go, kid! Thank you for being a good example! We are so grateful for a hard working son and for coaches who keep working with him along the way.

We drove from Orange County to Ventura County in the evening, stopping in Huntington Beach to pick up Eliza’s birthday cake. It has a custom gymnast in pink, and her favorite color red in stars and as a ribbon along the base. Thank you Kim Roberts for making a beautiful cake both inside and out. Landon said he wants you to make him one now for his birthday. Too bad you don’t live in Utah.

Friday morning Hallie and the kids took to the beach while Mike went to Cal Lutheran for his student’s dissertation defense. 

Hallie was a bit cold, but it didn’t seem to affect the kids as they played in the sand and ran in and out of the water. If you ask Eliza what is one thing you could do in California, she will tell you, “Go to the beach!” So we granted her wish.

After everyone got home, we went to Build-a-Bear Workshop to have a little party with family and friends. Alie, Dietrich, Violet, Landon, and Eliza each made a little pal to love, and everyone gave Eliza’s puppy dog an extra heart and wish. Steve and Lois, the employees there, did an amazing job corralling the kiddos and making sure everyone had a good time. We are so grateful for those who came to celebrate with Eliza. Everyone was well-behaved, and we had a great time celebrating.

From the store we returned to the Maygren’s for pizza, cake, ice cream, and gifts. Yummo! We were super sad when the Hopkins all got sick and couldn’t party with us. Grandpa and Grandma O. surprised Eliza with a ukulele, and she is so excited!  

On Saturday, Hallie and the kids paid a visit to friends at Victory. In a short two weeks since Hallie and Landon’s last visit a bit has changed at Victory, but you know in gymnastics change is inevitable, so hopefully the next time we come we will get to see more of our friends.

Grandma and Papa M. had a garage sale in the morning, and we helped a little bit. Landon made sure to unload his heavy wallet at their yard sale. He is very happy with his new-found treasures. We were able to spend a little bit of time with the Hopkins, as they were on the mend, and they came by the yard sale toward the end.

Later, we stopped at ALDI on our way to Simi Valley. We spent time with Grandma and Grandpa O., and the kids had a blast in their backyard. Alie loves spending time with the kids and really could be Landon’s shadow. Badminton was the game of the afternoon, and Hallie even tried her hand at it for a bit. In the evening we had our favorite Red’s BBQ Chicken Salad and garlic rolls. A trip to California is not complete without a meal from Red’s.

Sunday we spent time in Carpinteria and ate lunch at a favorite Padaro Beach Grill. We even bought a little something at the A Frame Surf Shop – needed to help the local economy a bit after so much of it was weakened by the fire and floods in Ventura County. Afterwards, we spent time driving around the areas that burned and tried to comprehend how this all happened.

In the evening we had dinner with the Maygrens and the Hopkins. The kids played so well together and Eliza opened her last set of presents. Num Noms are a huge hit with Eliza, so Aunt Carly picked very well.