Basketball games

We are having so much fun watching Ben play on the high school freshman team this year. He has practice every day, even Saturdays, and he works hard to be a good teammate and listen to his coach. He's had some great defense, too. And they are 6-0 so far!

 

Papa and Nona have been able to watch, too.

And Millie comes sometimes.

Here are his official pictures.

And one of him with the team that I loved.

Meanwhile, James is on a 4th grade Junior Jazz team. He's playing in the gym Max and Ben used to play in years ago. I'll have to get a better picture of him before the season ends. 

Millie came with me one time.

Our Saturdays have been busy, and thankfully we have a driver named Max who has been able to take James to two of his games while JB and I had a funeral one day and stake meetings another day. After the Christmas break, James will play again in January and I hope he is having fun.

Being on the team meant he got two tickets to a Utah Jazz game. JB took him last Tuesday.

New Christmas movie recommendations and more

It feels like this year there are more new Christmas movies than ever. I'm enjoying the new Great American Christmas movies on Great American Family Channel. They've had more movies involving faith, which I have loved to see.

Here are some of my favorites so far this year (and I've been watching since Halloween!)

In Merry Measure (Hallmark)

-I laughed a lot in this movie. Patti Murin was so engaging, and the choir battle worked for me.

Haul Out the Holly (Hallmark)

-way over the top and ultra-Christmassy, just the way I like it. Wes Brown is one of my favorites and he was fun to watch.

Reindeer Games, Homecoming (Lifetime)

-hilarious over the top Christmas competition fun, and two great leads.

Three Wise Men and a Baby (Hallmark)

-clever writing and many moments that needed a second look to catch everything in the scene. I only would say that with all the brothers' talk about needing a dad, that baby needed a dad, too.

The Royal Nanny (Hallmark)

-suspend belief and have a good time with this one. Undercover agent in the palace. I loved it.

The Most Colorful Time of the Year (Hallmark)

-I found it quite touching! When he puts on the color-correcting glasses, I felt his emotion.

A Christmas...Present (GAC)

-I loved the faith aspect of this movie. Church is important to me and it was good to see families on screen with the same devotion.

Destined at Christmas (GAC)

-A Utah actor (from Gentri and other things) was in this one, and even though the leads spend most of the movie apart, I liked the payoff.

Falling for Christmas (Netflix)

-campy, funny, silly, Overboard at Christmas. I'll watch it again.

Inventing the Christmas Prince (Hallmark)

-the characters grow and change in a nice way, and the guy was so sweet to do anything for the little girl, including pretending to be a prince.

(Contact me if you want to know the duds I also watched).

TV Shows

All Creatures Great and Small

-I've been watching clips from England on their social media channels and can't wait for season 3 in the U.S.

Miss Scarlet and the Duke

-this season with its "will they, won't they" just kept me hooked AGAIN. Mysteries were good, and the new character at Scotland Yard was endearing. Only 6 episodes, which was not enough.

LegoMasters

-the boys watch all of these episodes and still enjoy it. I find myself Googling where the winners are now

Books 

Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder

-I just finished reading out loud all the books to the kids at night. I find myself thinking so much about that time, and about the pioneers. How they worked all day long to feed and clothe themselves. How their homes must have looked like, and the hardships they faced, yet the joys of their lives, too. I have loved these books since my mom and sister convinced me to read them in third grade. 

A Game of Hearts by Joanna Barker. 

-I wanted to turn around and start reading this again. I think I will, when I'm done with my current book. I loved the characters and the competition. She has a bonus chapter on her website, too.

Georgana's Secret by Arlem Hawkes

-great Royal Navy battle scenes, like in Horatio Hornblower. But I had some questions about how she could stay camouflaged that long on a ship.

A Captain for Caroline Gray by Julie Wright

-another ship. I think I need to go on a cruise.

The Matchmaker's Lonely Heart by Nancy Campbell Allen

-I got strong "Miss Scarlet and the Duke" vibes in this one. Scotland Yard's finest work to solve a mystery and there's quite an exciting rescue in the end. The next book in the series, To Capture His Heart, was also fun.

Elizabeth and Hazel: Two Women of Little Rock  by David Margolick 

-this book gave me a lot to think about, as a journalist and as a human. We had a good discussion at book group.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (author of The Martian)

-interesting science in this book. Sometimes I skimmed the explanations, but it did actually kind of seem plausible. The central friendship was very good.

Pirate Hunters by Robert Kurson

-we listened to this one on our drive to Missouri. It was compelling and an interesting story (though I apologized to the big boys, who were listening, when a swear word popped up over the speakers)

Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing

-I read this earlier in the year, and then we listened to it on our drive in June. I really wish they'd make a movie! What a story. “I do not know how they did it, except they had to.…”

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

-a lot to ponder on for this one, in thinking about what paths your life could take and remembering to live without regrets.

Going to football games together

 Hard to believe, but Jamesy-boy had not yet been to a college football game! For a few years he wasn't interested or I didn't have tickets or pandemic nonsense was happening or whatever reason kept him from experiencing LaVell Edwards Stadium and watching his mom "Rise and Shout." Or going to Rice-Eccles and singing "Utah Man" with his dad.

I was given two tickets from the BYU communications office in a great section on Oct. 28 against East Carolina. It was a little chilly but not bad at all. The only rough part was that we had to keep climbing over people to go to the bathroom, to get a snack, to go get a refill after his drink spilled, etc. People were really nice around us.

Cosmo the Cougar came out of a coffin for a Halloween dance and I made sure to show James some of my own dance moves to the music. He's not old enough to be embarrassed by me like his older brothers.

The older brothers had let him know all about Cougar Tails, the long maple donut only available at BYU sporting events. 

He was a big fan.

We left in the 4th quarter to beat the traffic. The long drive there and back was not ideal, and neither was BYU's loss, but I was really impressed by James's patience and good naturedness. Max kept asking me how James did, as in, "Explain again how he was so good!"

Meanwhile, Ben was invited to a a couple BYU games with his friend Jackson, including this overtime win against Baylor on Sept. 26.

Ben babysits for our bishop, who gave him his two tickets to a Utah home game against Stanford on Nov. 12. Ben brought his friend Tommy (who must be cold here? haha) and they saw a big win. JB and Papa have season tickets together and the boys were able to sit near them. Ben borrowed that Utah hat. I claim him as my one child who is a true-blue BYU fan.

My brother Peter won two Utah tickets from his work and was so kind to gift them to us for the Nov. 5 game against Arizona. Andrew and Max went and moved closer to JB and Papa in empty seats by them. 

Rainy weather is almost as bad as cold, snowy weather for a football game but it is all about the gear. And you feel warm and cozy inside when your team is winning, like they were.

On Sept. 10 Papa was out of town, so Max went with JB and saw a big win against SUU. 

That was back in the sunny days in Salt Lake City -- it's cold now!

Cabin and canyon

In October, while I was in Europe, JB took the kids to the cabin in Escalante for school fall break. I missed being there with them but I was grateful they had that time with family and something fun to do while I was gone.

Millie loved her new doll from Aunt Kim, who had Barbies for each neice.

Taking a drive in the Can-Am ATV

The fall colors looked gorgeous

Millie always wants her hair back in a pony tail or buns or pig tails. She looks a little different with her hair down and long, like here before bed at the cabin. 

Ben and Max played a lot of ping pong. When I called I heard it in the background.

The kids loved the new slack line with cousin Carver.

Roasting marshmallows 

Max and Ben helped Papa with a sanding project for these stairs.

JB and kids and Kim and Jeff and kids and Papa took a hike through Willis Creek Slot Canyon.

 JB always looks so good with a baby on his shoulders or in his arms. Though I guess Conrad is now a toddler, not a baby!

Max had a Millie backpack by the end. She probably needs to hike more so her legs don't get tired.

Then on the last Sunday night of my trip, Oct. 16, the Richards went up Mueller Park Canyon for dinner. Max brought a football to toss.

And Suzanne and Seth brought hammocks for the kids to enjoy.

Roasting hot dogs around the fire with aunts, uncles, cousins and Nona and Papa

The young girl cousins and their feast

One day while I was away, I was on a video call with the kids when Millie's loose tooth came out!

Here she is heading to her first upper toothless day of First Grade

And going to church with dad with her new smile.

Halloween 2022

Max and Ben hung out with friends, but Andrew, James and Millie stayed with us for trick-or-treating! 

They also wore their costumes to school for the parade and their parties. James was set on being a werewolf again, but Andrew and Millie changed their minds when we went to Walmart to look for certain supplies and they saw OTHER supplies they liked better -- namely this pig mask and that rainbow wig.

 

Andrew was a pig butcher and Millie a Rainbow Ranger (from the Netflix show)

Millie wore her wig on the daily and it got quite snarled. If anyone commented on it, like say, "I like your hair!" she'd always respond, "I didn't dye my real hair, this is a wig."

A neighbor had this prop for pictures.

And another neighbor had this blow up dino that James LOVED.

We made it through quite a lot of streets. James likes to line up his Reese's Peanut Butter Cups in a row and count them. Millie likes to eat anything and everything from her bag. I've found wrappers in the house and in pockets but they are trying to put SOME in the trash, haha.