Bella and Christian's News

 After a whole post about Peter, I have to mention Bella and Christian's latest news too.  

Bella had her Eagle Scout court of honor a few weeks ago.  Kelly and I were so focused on the moment that we didn't get a single photo.  That stunk but it's so typical of me.  I got this semi-ok photo of an award she received afterwards that show her in her new Eagle Scout neckerchief.  We're so proud of all the hard work she put into this journey.  What an amazing accomplishment.

As for Christian, he got a superior rating at the latest piano federation competition he competed in.  He had worked very hard on his pieces.  I wasnt' allowed into the judging space, so no pictures or video but from what I heard from teh hallway, it sounded perfect.  He's really a talented musician between his snare drum in the marching band, his saxophone in teh symphony band, and his piano at home.  He's amazing.  Here's a picture outside afterwards.  Relief!  All done for a while.

Two days later, he had his pectus excavatum surgery.  That was an ordeal.  The surgeons and everyone else at the hospital were fantastic but it's a very difficult surgery from which to recover.  He's been mostly in bed ever since.  We can see steady improvement, though, and we are sure that in the end he'll be happy with the result.  I promised him no embarrassing hospital pictures or post-op recovery pics, but here's an x-ray of his new chest.  You can see the bars they placed under his sternum and the way they curve outward to push his ribs and sternum into place.

His scoliosis is particularly evident in this picture.  It was such a dilemma deciding which issue to focus on because without a crystal ball no one could say for sure which would become a bigger problem 5 years from now.  We're praying we made the right choice.

To end on a happy note, before the surgery, Christian helped Peter build a cool fort in the living room.  They build a rocket-ship style fort and the two of them had a great time inside.  It was a bit small for Christian, but they made it work.

Winter is Finally Gone

The robins are back in our yard.  Jackie, our neighbor across the street that spends every winter in Florida, is back, and I haven't needed my electric blanket in weeks, so all the signs of spring are here!  It's wonderful.

With the end of winter came the end of basketball for Peter.  I was devasted to see it end because I think he learned a lot and it was very good for him.  I also loved the moms I met in the stands and will miss our weekly chance to get together.  However, Peter is thrilled to be done with his sports ordeal.  The boy really doesn't love ball sports.  It's sad.  I'm proud of him for giving it a good try and going every week and doing his best.  I definitely noticed improvements in his sports skills and also socially.  It was a good experience overall.  

I was hoping to post a cool action shot from a game, but he never contacted the ball a single time in a game all season.  That was a bit of a bummer, but it was just as we wanted it (as you can see where he spends his time in the game - he's the little guy at the back).  He did try hard in practice, though!  I think the fast pace and the flying ball is a bit intimidating.

March always means Pinewood Derby in Cub Scouts.  Kelly wasn't too thrilled to have yet another pinewood derby car to build.  I think he thought he was done once the church got out of scouting.  But we've been really happy with Peter's cub scout troop and he was very excited about having his own pinewood derby car.  He named his car "Speed Racer" and he came in 2nd place among the other tiger scouts.  First place beat him by less than a second.

His is the golden car leading the pack in this picture.  They raced the cars 4 times each for each lane of the track and against various cars because they had so many tiger scouts.  He won so many of his heats that we thought he'd win overall but the math said otherwise.

Kelly made sure he was involved in the building process the whole time.

Peter was also star student this past week.  That means he got to present a poster about himself on Monday, read a book of his choice to the class on Weds, bring show-and-tell items on Friday, and be line leader, teacher's helper, and all sorts of other cool stuff in between.  Pretty much the best week ever.

His teacher has an app where she posts pictures throughout the week.  These are the ones containing Peter.  It's fun to see him interacting with kids at school and doing well.

Every so often they have 6th graders come join for activities.  They are called "buddies."  Peter loves his buddies.  He gets so excited on days they join him.  This day they made bug headbands with the kids.  Peter loved his.

The library had a STEM day planned where the kids could go to science experiments but it got canceled last minute and Peter was so disappointed.  I told him we'd go buy some dry ice and have some of our own science fun.  It worked out great.  He had a blast watching it bubble and steam up in the bowl and the various other fun things we did with it like blow up and pop bags.  Never has sublimation been so much fun.  We played for hours (didn't even want to stop for lunch - just ate while he played.)  Mom for the win.

BYU Idaho

 Bella was accepted to BYU-Provo and BYU-Idaho and yet she decided, without seeing either one, that she didn't want to attend them.  Kelly and I felt that they at least deserved a visit before making such a decision.  Bella isn't one for giant schools, so since we only had time to visit one, we chose BYU-I.  It was more in line with what she wanted in terms of small school, smaller town, etc.  We chose President's Day weekend so we'd have several days for out trip.  In addition to campus, we visited Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Idaho Falls, Idaho.  It was a ton of fun.  We made sure to incorporate our dear friend Emma who's attending BYU-I and she was happy to tag along and show us all around campus.  We couldn't have asked for a better tour guide, better weather, or better scenery.

The first day we visited the Rexburg temple.  It was established the same year as Bella. :)

After attending church with Emma, we took her to Idaho Falls and walked the gorgeous river walk along the falls.  They have an adorable "Japanese Friendship Garden," funny little statues called "art you can sit on," and beautiful sights all along the river.  We spent hours just walking around and talking.  Who could believe this was February?

The reflection of the Idaho Falls temple on the Snake River was so beautiful.  I wish the photos could have done it justice.

Emma also gave us a short tour of BYUI that included all her favorite spots.  It was fun seeing her apartment, her little greenhouse space, and meeting her friends.  The kids at BYUI are great and were very welcoming.

The next day we went to Jackson Hole and hiked up to Taggart Lake before shopping and eating in downtown Jackson.  There has been painfully little snow but it worked out great for us.  Who would have thought you could hike in running shoes in Wyoming in February.  So different from freezing, snowy Michigan.

This was us standing on Taggart Lake.  It was my first time there in the winter.  I stupidly didn't realize it would be frozen over and not look like a lake at all until we'd made the whole trek to see it.  Thank goodness for the signs or we would have kept right on going past what looked like a giant snowy field!

We had to take a picture in front of the iconic antler arch in Jackson.

On our final day there we had our actual campus-led tour and visit to the art department.  We were very impressed with everything and everyone we saw.  Such great facilities and very kind, involved professors.  It's a wonderful place and I know Bella would be very happy there.  We'll see what she decides.

It's Cold Out There!

So far 2026 has been a cold one.  We've had so many snow/cold days out of school that going to school feels a bit abnormal.  We've had a lot of fun at home, though.  Lots of board game time and lay around in our pajamas time.  It's been a perfect, relaxed time.

We went sledding a few times when it wasn't too bitter cold.  The cold made the snow light and fluffy and perfect for sledding.  We had a great time.  Peter is now fully independent on the hill.  No longer needs me to help him with anything (not even getting his snow clothes on and off) and he's a total speed demon.

When it was too cold to go out, we made perler bead projects - here he made an alien on his own planet and hung it from the ceiling fan so it would orbit around.

We made blanket forts

We jumped on the snowy trampoline and had a snack in the tree fort.  We didn't last too long in the trees, though.  The wind was a bit much.

When we were tired, we took naps.  Pandora is always up for a good nap.

Even if the person isn't napping, if you're laying down, Pandora will find you.

I don't think this guy changed out of his pjs for days.  Even had his piano lesson in them.

The only time he changed was for basketball.  He is the shortest guy on the team which makes things a bit challenging, but he's such a trooper for always trying and doing his best.  I love watching him play.

We've also been to the symphony a few times.  One time Bella and Kelly went without me to see Harry Potter done with a live soundtrack.  They loved it. 

Bella also won a $1500 scholarship from the Detroit Auto Show for winning the sponsor prize in their poster contest.  They gave us free tickets to the auto show and she was honored on stage with her prize.  Her poster is displayed behind her.  It was a proud moment to see her up there and to see that others also recognize her talent.  They had 200 entries and she won.  So awesome!

The rumor is that Friday will be cold enough to cancel school again.  Should be fun!

Christmas and Florida

 Already it's 2026.  Christmas vacation was gone in a blink.  I realize as I go through the pictures that I really didn't take very many.  Such a bummer that I'm like that.  I always say that when I'm rich I'll hire a personal chef.  I apparently also need to add "photographer" to that list.  Some highlights:

Prior to Christmas:

We went up to Frankenmuth to the Bronner's Christmas store.  It's 7.5 acres of nothing but Christmas decorations.  It's a Christmas tradition for many families around here to take a trip to it every year but we have only gone once and that was off-season.  Bella thought it was time to go when it was a crazy madhouse and I agreed.  Christian was looking forward to the driving practice hours, so we went, just the three of us.  We had a wonderful time looking at everything in the store and then driving around town, getting hot chocolate, looking at the lights, and just hanging out.  It was a great idea.  Only picture I took:

Couldn't resist that adorable couple.

We also did our usual Hines drive light show (picture below) and our visit to Mr. Perrin's Light Show (no pictures).  We attempted to visit Glenlore Trails for their 1 mile light show walk but the weather had turned the trails to ice and so they canceled the event.  That was so sad because I'd missed the email about it and we'd all driven up there before seeing the place was dark and empty.  We were all bundled up and 30 minutes from home so we tried to make the best of it by going to get hot chocolate and spending time together anyway.  It turned out ok.  (Also no pictures)

Mostly it was just fun to be home together with nothing pressing on our schedules.  Peter and Christian practiced piano together which made this mom so happy to see!

Christmas Eve:

My mom and our friend Thea joined us as usual and we had a great ham dinner plus presents, the nativity play, and board games.  

Peter was a cow and a sheep.  He was a bit wired, though, and mostly just jumped all around making animal noises and attacking Christian (the shepherd).  It was a more chaotic nativity than in past years and not what I would have liked, but I guess that's what you get with a six year old who's eaten too many Christmas cookies.

He did love his presents, though.  Most especially the 5 lego sets he got.  I thought this type-writer lego was adorable.  So many little white dot pieces!  

I never thought Pandora would still be with us at Christmas, but she is here to stay, it seems.  Peter has really fallen in love with her and it's adorable to behold.

After Christmas:

We drove down to Orlando, Florida to meet up with Jill and her family for New Years.  It was a wonderful place with mini golf, swimming, etc.  Also, this random game where you tried to swing a ring on a string at a hook on a turtle.  Looks easy but its actually impossible.  There's a sign on it that says, "If you're having trouble, come talk to us and we'd be happy to show you how."  I never saw a single person successfully ring a turtle.  I really should have taken the employees up on their offer and had them prove it's possible.  I'm skeptical.

Fun lake by the property - no swimming allowed because it's Florida so every body of water could potentially have alligators.  We looked long and hard but didn't see any here.  We spotted them at Kennedy Space Center, though.  Here we just saw a really cool bird called an anhinga that can swim like a fish and looks like a snake when it's in the water.  We walked all around the lake watching it.  So cool.

Bella also wanted to take pictures in the beautiful places on the property.  Christian is the better photographer so I just watched.

On New Years' Eve they had a ball drop at the pool.  They did it at 8pm so everyone could bring their kids and still get them to bed at a reasonable hour.  Genius.  Peter had a blast.

The hot tub right outside our door was the favorite spot of all.

My favorite spot of the whole trip was Kennedy Space Center.  That place was made for me - a historian and engineers dream.  Want to read all about John F Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Werner Von Braun, the space program, the cold war, the space race with Russia, the Challenger disaster, etc etc.  Come to Kennedy Space Center.  Want to read all about rocket propulsion, aerodynamics, heat resistant shielding, thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, astronomy, materials science, control systems, and computer simulations?  Come to Kennedy Space Center.  One day was simply not enough.  It even had a play place for kids when Peter wasn't tall enough to ride the simulator that the bigger kids were riding. 

Oh, and did I mention that the whole place is on a giant nature preserve, so we saw heron, wild pigs, bald eagles, and alligators (not just this one)?!  It was so cool!

Long before I was done, the kids were done and I decided they needed a pick-me-up of hot chocolate and a stroll through the outdoor "rocket garden."  If I had to pick a theme for this entire Christmas break, it would be "hot chocolate."

It was so fun to have Jill's family join us on all our excursions.  I really wish we could spend more time with them on a regular basis, but it's fun how no matter how much time has passed, we always seem to be able to pick right up where we left off.

We also went to Sea World.  5/10, wouldn't recommend.  It's hard because the sea lion, dolphin, and killer whale shows were clear 10/10 but they were only 15 minutes each and everything else was 0/10.  The lines were ENDLESS!!!  No matter what you wanted to do.  Food, rides, and bathrooms all meant standing in line.  And not just a little bit.  A LOT.  I waited 70 minutes for lunch.  50 for dinner.  10 every time we needed to pee.  And hours for rides.  It was like the employees operated on a different time dimension from the rest of us.  They honestly looked like they moved in slow motion.  I'm not kidding.  I was not the only one who mentioned it.  Plus, we forgot the stroller so I had to walk all day with Peter at his snail pace and the app was so user unfriendly that we were always getting lost.  We walked sooooo long in the wrong direction!  This lunch picture is missing me and Peter because we were wandering all over the dang place trying to find the group!  We got there just as everyone else finished.  I will never go back.

The shows were the highlight of the day and Peter's reaction whenever a dolphin jumped or a killer whale splashed the audience was priceless.  

There was one area called "Sesame Street Village" where Peter found some rides he was tall enough to ride.  We waited 55 minutes for this one.  It lasted 90 seconds.  Glad you liked it, buddy, because I'm never doing that again.

Saturday Bella and Kelly went to Universal Epic Adventure and I took Peter to Legoland.  Legoland was wonderful.  Lots of fun rides, food that was ready immediately, and a very functional app to announce line wait times and directions around the park.  10/10.  Peter had a blast and got to ride his first roller coaster.  He loved it so much that we did it multiple times.

This is the picture the park took on one of our rides.  I love Peter's face soo much in this picture.  He was screeching so long and loud that the people behind us started laughing.  I kind of look like I'm crying but honestly, Legoland rides are really my speed.  I think it was the first coaster that didn't scare me.  I had a great time too.

We also took a trip to the beach one evening.  What a beautiful sunset and fun time on the beach.  A bit too cold for swimming that evening, but we waded in a little.

Christian went with the Brewers to the beach while I was at Legoland and Bella was at Universal with Kelly.  He said they had a great time.  Much warmer during the day.

When it comes to long lines, Disney and Universal win hands-down.  They waited 4 hours for the Harry Potter ride!!  At least you wait in style when you're there.  Kelly had the best comment when Jill asked what we wanted to do on our last day in Florida.  He answered, "I was hoping we could find a line somewhere and just stand in it."

Our last day was Sunday, so we all went to church.  We chose the church across the street from the Orlando temple so we could also walk over there.  It was under construction so we couldn't get close, but it was still lovely to have our family all together at this sacred place.  I love that Jesus Christ makes it possible to be with our families forever.  There is so much commotion and trouble in the world, but being at the temple with my family reminded me of the power of covenants and how thankful I am for the gospel of Jesus Christ and his atonement.

Happy 2026!