2023 :: week 46

November 12

This Sunday was our annual Primary Program. As usual, the kids were charming and the music was moving. I got to sit on the stand next to Elliott and his classmates because his teacher was out of town to attend her grandchildren’s primary program. I felt the spirit strongly while listening to the kids sing “I’ll Walk with You.” Elliott’s part was about how he felt on his baptism day. Miles’ part was about how he tries to be like Jesus by playing with new friends. Unfortunately he was struck with some stage fright and refused to deliver his line. We think he was a little thrown off because Anthony sat next to him at the Saturday practice session because his teacher had to be at work. When his teacher sat down next to him Sunday morning Miles was not pleased. Maybe next year he’ll feel a little bit more brave. 

November 13

I had a terrible migraine Monday and Tuesday, one of the worst I’ve had in months. I spent most of the day in the dark trying really hard to relax and not feel stressed about all I had planned to do to prepare for our upcoming trip. Thank goodness for audiobooks to pass the time, a supportive husband to pick up my slack, and kids that are great sports. Lauren and Will were very helpful entertaining their younger brothers while I was out of commission. 

November 14

Welcome to Miles’ card shop! Miles has claimed this area in our dining room and designated it his “card shop.” Here he displays some of his favorite treasures—Pokémon tins, stretch pennies, birthday party favors and his only Happy Meal toy—along with a rotating set up of baseball and Pokémon cards. He found a chair in our storage room, carried it up the stairs, wrote his name on a piece of paper and then taped the paper to the back of his chair too, just in case anyone was wondering who is the owner of all this stuff.

November 15

We are all very excited for our upcoming trip. I found this list Elliott made of items he was going to pack in his backpack. 

November 16

The older kids had a temple trip Thursday evening. The kids had a nice visit. Thankfully our piano teacher is so accommodating and was willing to reschedule their piano lessons so they could attend. 

November 17

Elliott’s current favorite book series is Big Nate. Most evenings he opts to read to himself while

Anthony or I read books with Miles. Elliott has turned into a real bookworm since the beginning of 2nd grade. 

November 18

Saturday morning we hit the road for our first Thanksgiving road trip. In the early years of our marriage we often travelled for Thanksgiving, but the last time we went somewhere was a trip to Boston in 2013. This summer we decided it might be fun to drive to Utah and spend the holiday with Anthony’s parents and Utah-based siblings. The kids get a full week off—9 days including weekends—which makes a 16.5 hour road trip feasible. To maximize our time, energy and enthusiasm we decided to drive straight through on the way out and divide the drive into two days on our way home. We hit the road around 7:15am CST and arrived in American Fork, UT, at 10:30pm MST. We made good time and had a pleasant drive.