A lot can happen in 7 months.

WARNING: This is a very long post. It might take you a while. 

So get your scrolling finger warmed up. And grab some popcorn. 

Or chocolate. Although, I understand if you have to take a few breaks

in between sessions. No hurt feelings. I'm just happy that you're 

actually making an effort to read my blog. Thank you.

Well hey there, old friends! Been a while, eh?  I figgered it was time for me to do a little update on this here blog so that you can see what we've been up to. Or not up to. Mostly up to. Whatever that means.

Following the style of my last couple of posts, which seemed to work well for when I have missed a few months (7 months. But who's counting?), we'll start with where we left off, shall we?

September 

• The end of summer means the end of kickball! Such a fun season with these crazies.

• September = college football! Go Utes!
  While Kennedy and I didn't go to any actual games, we sure had fun tailgating with friends before the games started!

• September also means State Fairs! I was told that the best one in these here parts is the East Idaho State Fair in Blackfoot, Idaho. Wooo-eeee! It was actually really fun! I witnessed my first Indian horse race, which was essentially Indians relay-racing on horses. Who'da thunk? 

• September also means the beginning of a new school year. Believe it or not (I'm still not sure I believe it), Kennedy started middle school. I don't want to talk about it. (But she sure does. She loves everything about it.)

         She is growing up WAY too fast. I swear we kids didn't grow that fast back in my day. The good news is that she is more amazing, sweet, and fun than I ever thought possible. 

She's also super fast. She won 3rd place in her school 5k 

in her age range! Definitely doesn't take after me, there.

• Work/play trip to Boise. I had work meetings while Casey and Kennedy played with some of our friends, until I could meet up with them.

• San Fran! One of my best girlfriends and I took a short weekend trip to San Fran. SOO much fun! Love you, Sandy Pants!

October

• My brother and his sweet family came to stay with us for nearly the entire month of October. We always have such a great time. The cousins played hard. Dress-up, pretend, singing, Minecraft, etc. I love when they can spend that much time together!

Aysia was frightened of Maddie when she first arrived and avoided
her with every step. Within a week, however, she was her best friend.

• Also in October, I was cursed with a baaaaad case of poison ivy. (Casey and Kennedy also got it- just not as severely as I did.) The damn stuff was growing in our backyard! I was absolutely miserable for two weeks straight. UGGGHHHH. I will spare you the pictures of my rash. But don't you worry- we bulldozed the sh** out of that area to get every last bit of that ******* plant.  #%&!@! (I kind of apologize for the expletives in this paragraph. But not completely. It's still too soon to feel remorse for my language.)

• And of course, Halloween.

• Because I love her, Maddie and her sunshine bear. D'awwwwww.

November

• Annual Turkey Lurk's weekend! Our friend group stays in a cabin up in Park City every year in November to have a friend's Thanksgiving dinner. SUCH a fun time with such an amazing group of friends. 

• Kennedy played Jr. Jazz this year- she loved it!

• Casey's sweet grandmother passed away in November, and she had requested that he and his siblings sing a song at her funeral. She was a wonderful lady.

• Thanksgiving. Vegas! Warmer than home, but less warm than I would have liked. At least the company was entertaining and the food delicious.

December

• Sticking with the "jazz" theme, Kennedy is in her school jazz band, this year. She doesn't love it quite so much as basketball. But she looked totes adorbs at her concert, anyway.

• This year we spent Christmas in Breckenridge with my brother, his family, and my mom. It was so cold that I could have sworn we were north of The Wall (GOT reference...).  BUT we braved the cold a few times to go skiing, and then came back to the condo to thaw out by the fire and have a Star Wars marathon.  It was so nice to spend the entire week with them! 

• Again, just because I love them, my two girls.

January

• We're having a BABY! We are all thrilled- but I daresay Kennedy may be the most excited. She finally gets to be a big sister!

• Maddie had puppies!! (Yes, it was planned. I mean, come on - if I had to be pregnant, so did she.)

February

• Puppies. All day, erre day. Our entire month of February was just that. Puppies. They were SO adorable. A lot of work toward the end before they went to their homes, but ohmygoodness. They were adorable. 

March

• It's a girl! Eeek!! (I had to find the colored (pink) jelly bean inside the cake.) Kennedy can't WAIT to have a little sister so she can "teach her how to be a cool girl." 

• True to form, we have to make life as busy and as stressful as possible, so we decided to do another kitchen remodel!! (And floor, and yard, and walls, and windows.) We're so smart! We wouldn't want life to get dull, now, would we?

• First day of spring- spent outside at the park to enjoy the gorgeous weather, and for Maddie to enjoy her puppy-free life! (She seemed relieved to have her puppies finally gone. She's back to her old playful self!)

• Sixth day of spring- spent outside in the cold snow at a Michael Franti concert in Park City. SUCH a great concert. Favorite song is The Sound of Sunshine. Obviously. 

• This Easter, our friends decided to do an egg-hunt and brunch together, now that most of us have kids. So. much. fun. 

Some of my most favorite friends in the world. 

Annnnnnnd that's it! I'm all caught up! Happy Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, blah, blah, blah, and happy March 27th!

If you finished this in one sitting, congratulations. Go take a nap. You deserve it. I will be taking one, also.