Cabin getaway with friends

 

We went up to the cabin on January 29-30th.  We bought this giant sub for the party the next day. 

Our friends the Bakers, Frosts, and Castagnos came up for the day.  It was cute to see Madi carrying Paige into the cabin. 

The good news was there was more snow up there again.  Jax had a great time playing in all the powder. 

I took some pictures of Madi and Halle jumping from the coral fence. 

The adults had a good times hanging out and talking. 

Paker, Dylan, and Ryker are all grown up now.  Parker and Dylan are both 16 now. 

We were able to use the sledding hill again. The kids made some long trains that went really far. 

Ben was always throwing snowballs at everyone.  I think Jax was the victim this time. 

The girls tried to see how many tubes they could put over their heads.  At one point both Madi and Halle were in there. 

Emily and her boyfriend Mike also came up to the cabin.  It was nice to get to know him better.  They ended up getting engaged a few days after I took this picture.  We are all looking forward to their wedding in May!

Kev spent most of the day shuttling kids around and pulling sleds and tubes. 

I pulled Hayden and Mason around on sleds by the cabins.  It was beautiful as the sun was beginning to go down. We love our neighbors!

Wisdom Teeth

 

Mckenna got her wisdom teeth removed on Friday January 15th.  She was hilarious! Kev and I couldn't stop laughing at everything she said.  I'm posting a couple videos with her permission.  She couldn't stop talking about a party she was going to have.  She was also worried about inviting people to her party.  She thought she was at the beach in California.  She recited the pledge of allegiance and exclaimed, "I love America!".  On our ride home she thought she was riding a roller coaster.  She also waved at people in the cars next to us at stoplights! She was very polite about everything.  She couldn't stop talking about the nice workers.  She told me how pretty I was many times.  When Kev helped her into the house she said, "Thank you good sir"!

Our basement is finished!

 

Kev started working on our basement in March of 2020 during the pandemic.  He bought a lot of lumber and got to work. 

He had never finished a basement before.  He watched many videos to figure out what he was doing.  He said the framing was easy and went up fast. There were two internal walls that he had to put up. 

Kenna found this picture of Kev from when he was little holding a hammer.

Then she took this one of him working on the basement for a comparison. 

Hayden also helped Kev with the basement.  He and Addy both helped him hang doors.  Kev was good to let them work along with him. 

In August Kev was working on getting the plumbing ready for the bathroom.  He had to jackhammer through the concrete to get to the pipes. 

In October he hired out the mudding, taping, and sheet rock.  It was impressive how fast they put up all the sheet rock in the basement. I was relieved when they finished because it was loud. 

We bought laminate from our neighbor Kolter.  It was reasonably priced and it turned out great.  Kev said it was easy to snap it in place. 

On December 28th Kev rented a sprayer to paint the basement. The paint got all over his face and turned his eyelashes white.  He looked like a ghost. 

Parker also was down there all day helping him paint.  We chose to paint the walls, ceilings, and trim a neutral white color. 

On December 31st we came home from the cabin to brand new carpet.  We couldn't believe how soft and comfortable it was!  I love the smell of new carpet and paint in our house!

On January 2nd we brought the T.V. down and set everything up.  We got this huge flat screen for Christmas.  The kids friends came over and they had Nintendo Smash Bros tournaments. 

We disassembled the boys bunkbed and moved Parker's furniture into his room.  He loves having his own room now.  Parker has shared a room with all of his siblings except Addy over the years.  

Mckenna was happy to move into her room. She put up the cool LED lights that she got for Christmas from her grandparents. 

The bathroom turned out nice too!  We bought this vanity from Costco several months earlier.  We are all enjoying having more liveable space in our house!  I need to give a shout out to my hard working husband for the countless hours he put into finishing the basement.  His attention to detail really paid off on this "Covid project"!

Hayden's priesthood ordination

 

Hayden was ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood on Sunday January 3rd.  It was a special day for all of us. 

We were glad his grandparents were able to be there for his ordination.  We were missing all of his great grandpas that have now passed away.  I believe that they were there with us in spirit. I'm grateful that Hayden has the righteous example of many priesthood holders to look up to. 

The kids were all a little silly trying to hug Hayden afterwards. 

I hope Hayden always remembers how he felt on this day.  He is looking forward to passing the sacrament next Sunday.  He also can't wait to participate in YM activities each week. I'm grateful to have three worthy priesthood holders in my home now.