Recommendations from 2022 so far

Books

Martha Keyes
This is a new author I have found to love. She is the niece of a good friend. Sweet and fun Regency-era writing, like Sarah Eden, Josi Kilpack, Kristi Ann Hunter, Heather B. Moore, Esther Hatch, etc. Her short story "Mishaps and Memories" was like the plot to the movie Overboard and made me laugh.

Little House on the Prairie
I've started reading this series out loud at night to Andrew and James and I remember why I have loved it so much in my life. Laura Ingalls Wilder is such a good writer -- descriptive, yet easy to read and read out loud. We are almost done with the second book.

Insights from a Prophet's Life
I can't believe I hadn't read this yet, by Sheri Dew. It's not a biography, rather it takes moments or stories from President Russell M. Nelson's life and gives more context or back story and memories. Great to open at random and read, or start from the beginning. JB and I keep telling each other different things we learned. I've read out some stories to James and Andrew before bed, too.

Yeager
About the test pilot and Air Force General Chuck Yeager, who broke the sound barrier. I found this in a neighborhood lending library in Old Town San Diego on our trip and I could not put it down. What a fascinating and courageous career! He paved the way for NASA and astronauts but because he was not college-educated, they did not pick him for the Mercury 7 team.

Juniper (The Girl Who Was Born Too Soon)
Skip past the first unnecessary chapter or so and get to the actual story of micro-preemie Juniper. This is written by her parents, who are both journalists, and their story-telling is great. I don't know how anyone could not fight for every baby's life in the womb after reading this. We read it for book group last month.

I Will Always Write Back
We read this for book group this month. The true story of how a pen pal relationship between Pennsylvania and Zimbabwe changed two lives. I liked it, and actually gave it to Andrew to read (just telling him to skip a part where the teenage girl tries alcohol or to come talk to me about it).

TV Shows 

Sanditon season 2
I checked out the DVD of Sanditon from the library for season 1 last year, and I believe the PBS version was tamer, because I did not care for parts of the show at all (should have come with a content warning). But I gave season 2 a chance this spring on Sunday nights, and it was quite good. (Except for Edward. He is still the worst.) #Fralison

Call the Midwife season 11
I have watched this show since the beginning, and this season has had a lot of lovely moments. Also some real tear-jerker moments! Will they ever let Nurse Trixie Franklin be happy? And the actress who plays Nurse Phyllis Crane is so good. 

Name That Tune
This season is a little easier, with more recognizable songs. Ben, Andrew and I love to shout out the answer or sing the song when we know it. 

Moonknight
Ben wakes up early on Wednesdays to watch. One of his friends came out of surgery and loopily kept talking about it to the nurses. I haven't watched it yet, so I hope it is ok.

Gravity Falls
The boys watch this together and think it is funny. Parts that I have seen seem clever. I'm just glad they agree on a show!


Movies

The Parent Trap
I grew up on the "old version" compared to the "new version" (which to my children seems old) but I have to admit the Lindsay Lohan version is fun. Millie and James have watched it a few times since we saw it together for a family movie night.

The Right Stuff
I'm only so-so recommending this movie half-heartedly but not quite. I wanted to watch it after reading Yeager, but I didn't like some of the scenes at all. I kept yelling for an editor to show up and cut stuff out. But I have always been fascinated with the space race, and I spent a while comparing things in this movie to the TV series "The Astronauts' Wives Club" and "The Right Stuff" series on Disney+ and what I have actually read about the whole Mercury 7 era.

Mulan
(The cartoon) We watched this together on a Sunday afternoon for the first time in a while and had a good time.

The Emperor's New Groove/Kronk's New Groove
We've loved these for years. They are getting onto today's recommendation list because I seem to pull them out for road trips, and did it for our spring break trip last month. Tradition I guess.

Spring Break - More beach, two parks and dinner with friends

 Wednesday morning we went to a park in the Carlsbad area that I saw on Instagram called Odyssey Park. This is quite impressive. Built into a hill, with a zip line and basketball court and other amenities. 

Amenities like this weird double swing -- separation anxiety much?

That afternoon we walked back down to the beach.

I'm not sure what these two buddies are doing, but they were laughing a lot.

Then they played a "bury Max" game.

This girl just couldn't get enough of the ocean. But she never went in too far. Too cold.

On Thursday morning, Max joined JB for a walk along the beach.

Then we drove to Oceanside and walked out on the pier.  This is near the beginning.

We spotted some pigeons and I think Andrew and James tried to name them.

Here's further down the pier. We met the nicest man, a volunteer with Oceanside Police who walks up and down the pier every Thursday (7 miles by the end of the day!) and talks to folks.

After that, we ate at Angelos and at a Mexican place next door with loaded fries and fresh guacamole I keep thinking about.

Then luck and Google led us to a nearby park called Buccaneer Park. Andrew is a tree-climber.

Some of the features matched what the kids have at their school, but the ropes were all new to them and quite fun.

Max and JB tossed the football.

More basketball for these boys.

Then that night, we took pizza to our friends the Davises, and stayed in their Casita for our last night in the area. Millie loves these California friends and talked about them since last July. James loves how William has a great Pokemon collection. (Allyson is our sister-in-law Collette's sister, so these cute kids are our kids' cousins' other cousins.)

Friday morning, we were up and leaving at 6AM and drove all day to get back to our house in SLC that evening. We entered a long wait for either a crash or construction, and got all loopy/giddy making up stories about the other drivers — including a truck driver in front of us who took it as his duty to block two lanes so no one could try to drive around him. We just kept laughing at his antics.

The next day I was working for Church News covering general conference and I was gone at least 12 hours Saturday and maybe 9 hours Sunday. I was grateful for the time we had all spent together that week before hand!

Spring Break - Legoland

Legoland is not Disneyland but it still is really fun. We all went this time, after I took the three youngest to Legoland during our July trip. 

Can I just say, look how tall Max and Ben are now next to me? They were troopers, even though there really aren't any really big thrilling rides for teens. They enjoyed being on rides with the family and watching the little kids.

Huge Lego creations are very fun, especially if they are a character we like.

Andrew and Harry Potter, Andrew and Darth Vader

James and Batman

Millie's Lego Friends

J and a dino

James made an American flag to display on the wall in one of the creation rooms while the big boys and JB did the X Factor ride. I also liked how some long lines had a Lego building station in the middle of the zig-zagging ropes. 

This Ninjago ride still had a long line, even first thing in the morning, but it was a fun one

Waiting to drive the cars

Waiting for the Egyptian ride

Still waiting. Thank goodness for water, snacks and gum. But the kids were all really good!

We did the boat tour all together of the Miniland USA

JB picked up some great burritos/tacos and we went to Costco for hot dogs and drinks nearby afterward. I was glad for a beautiful day and a fun time with everyone!

At the end of the day, Max and Andrew walked with JB to see the sunset over the ocean. This is Andrew's face when he is telling a joke, and he was telling something to Max that he found quite funny.

The sun starting to set

And setting.

Spring Break - Mormon Battalion Historic Site and the beach

 On Monday, we drove to Old Town San Diego, and went to the Mormon Battalion Historic Site. This was our first time and I highly recommend it. It is incredibly done! The missionaries do a great job on the tour, and we learned a lot through the interactive experience.

We drove over to Coronado Island, where we had had a really great time last year on our July trip (there's a Navy base, and American flags were flying every where). But Monday mid-day was cold and windy. We went to see that beach, and didn't get very far. James sat and waited huddled up for JB to go get pizza.

We ate the pizza and played at Spreckles Park, which we discovered last July. 

But then it rained and so we drove back to the AirBnb. JB took the big boys to the outlet malls, where they got some new shoes and clothing they were pretty excited about, while the little kids and I played games and watched shows. But then later that afternoon, the rain cleared and it got much nicer, so we walked down to the beach again.

  

Sharing is caring with sunscreen

Having sand toys to borrow and take with us was a great thing

Millie couldn't get enough of the water and the sand

Andrew got really good on the boogie board

Ben picked right up where he left off last July

Millie cracked us up with her poses

They got a little cold from the water

I saw some people walking along the beach in jackets and hats, but I thought it was great weather. So much better than a wintery Utah!