Feb. 2024 - Mostly Cookie Selling, Poetry Cafe, Big Bear with Rondos

Tiny buried herself in bags in the car and was impossible to find. Can you spot her pink sweater and black pleather skirt? 

February was lots and lots of Girl Scout cookie selling. It's a whole family affair, with me picking up cookies constantly and the whole family going out selling. Jim is the best at selling with Tiny, and he enjoys it; I prefer driving the van filled with cookies and pulling out what is needed to fill orders. Jim tried to go all the evenings and Saturdays he could. I believe Ever and Tiny each wanted to get to 1,000 boxes of cookies, and we made it happen. 

Ever and I did a booth on Valentine's Day outside a real estate office in Carlsbad. It was a TOTAL waste of time. I actually got permission from Marin to leave early because we were selling nothing. 

Grocery store booths did better.

Wrenzy made a toy by attaching yarn to a tin foil ball at one end and a cup on the other. You try to swing the ball and catch it in the cup. I was impressed that she came up with that and did it on her own. 

The Littles set up a top-secret Valentine workshop in the new room.

Tiny and Wrenzy gave me notes for Valentine's Day. Tiny gave me a couple of dollars and candy, and Wren and Ever gave me flower creations. So cute and sweet.

Ever went to a Valentine's event at church for middle schoolers.

L to R: Parker Moffat, Avery Walker, Ella Rondo, and Ever

We had a fireside family movie night and watched Jungle Cruise. I hate that movie, but everyone else in the family loves it. 

I watched the girls perform at JCS's annual Poetry Cafe.

Mrs. Haseyama's class had a visit from the cutest little chicks.

Kaia Johnson and Tiny

Tiny and Wrenzy enjoyed some outside time in beautiful weather. 

Reba (Cikanek) did semi-annual haircuts. 

Tiny's Primary teacher, Georgette Velez, is amazing. She worked so hard on lessons and activities for the kids. Each Sunday, she sent home a summary of the lesson to add to a binder she'd prepared for each kid; she sometimes sent a game or activity to do at home, as well. She is the sweetest.

Ever got to do a temple trip with the youth.

The last weekend couple of days of February and first of March, the Rondos went with us to the cabin. Kristi had just had surgery for a skin thing on her back, so she couldn't ski. She brought all the food to the cabin and prepared all the meals. It was ridiculously nice. 

Tiny and Wrenzy:

Tiny may have a future in modeling. 

Kristi came to watch and take some pictures, and she insisted on taking a pic of our family. 

Ever wanted to try snowboarding on the second day. We rented equipment for her, and she set off with Jim on the bunny slope. 

Ever and Ella Rondo

On the second run, she fell and really hurt her wrist, but she wanted to keep going. After a few more runs down the bunny slope, however, a guy cut her off and made her fall on her wrist again. She finally threw in the towel, and Jim took her to the ER. Her wrist was broken - a buckle fracture. It was a big bummer, but she took it well. Other than that, the trip was great, and everyone had fun. 

Back in Oside, we made a Menchie's stop before heading home. 

Jan. 2024 - Piano, Cabin, Elfin Forest, Etc.

We took about a hundred videos for Certificate of Merit. Many outtakes and not-quite-good-enoughs. Berry tried to start with a smile but quickly realized that wouldn't work. 

Jim helped Tiny with a weather project for school (JCS's despicable Project Week, during which they are supposed to work on self-selected projects at home during the last week of Christmas break). He bought her various temperature-taking devices, which they took with us when we went to Big Bear. They compared temperatures taken on various surfaces. 

The Littles snuggled by the fire. 

I can't explain Bear in this picture. 

Berry made a meal for Tiny. 

Tiny sat down with the collection of Roald Dahl books. 

Thirty minutes later, she had finished the first book and was on to the next book. 

An hour or so later, Wrenzy joined the reading fest. 

Two days later, the Littles held hands so sweetly while resting at church.  

After church, the Roald Dahl read-a-thon continued. 

Ever's Girl Scout troop had had a trip to San Francisco scheduled for October 2023 for their bridging ceremony from Juniors to Cadettes. It was to be their first big trip. They were flying. It had been in the works for a really long time. Then Marin (troop leader) and one of the parent chaperones came down with COVID a day or two before they were supposed to leave. Marin was completely devastated but ultimately determined that she had no choice but to cancel. I felt so bad for her because she had put in so much work, and she was distraught. She ended up being able to convince Southwest to refund us for the airline tickets and reschedule everything for January 2024. In an incredibly unfortunate turn of events, Ever came down with COVID right before the rescheduled trip and couldn't go. So lame. Marin was very cute, though, and she took cutouts of Ever's head and the head of another girl who couldn't go, so they were in all the photos.

We hiked in Elfin Forest. If memory serves, we took Ever there when she was two or three on a cloudy/rainy day, she hiked most or all of the way on her own, and it was totally magical. This time, it was sunny and a little too warm and not as wondrous as I remembered. But still, it's always good to get out on a hike. 

Dirt-loving Tiny had some fun at the top before we turned back.

I love when the girls all play together. This time, Phase 10.

Jim built out the closet by the downstairs bathroom, and it looks lovely. 

Sweet Tiny fell asleep while trying to read scriptures. 

Our Girl Scouts kicked off cookie season. 

Sometimes the Littles dance together, and it's the cutest. 

Somebody sent me this throwback photo to when Ever played soccer at the YMCA for a second when she was probably four or five. So little.

L to R: Jace Alo, Teo Clark, and Ever