insta-Q1

JANUARY

{1.8.25}

If the snow won’t come to us, we will go to the snow! The kids were troopers and hiked almost 4 miles. We didn’t make it to the frozen waterfall (the goal), but we did see a LOT of magical winter vistas.

{1.28.25}

My first time Adventure Sledding must be documented . We hiked up the mountain about 2 miles in order to sled all the way back down. Feeling so grateful for a husband who encouraged me to go for no other reason than “it will be fun!”

I was talking to a friend about memories after reading “The Art of Making Memories” and it made me think about how impactful reading the “Power of Fun” was. I have had so many new experiences to add into my bucket of memories and I feel like I am just truly enjoying this life that I get to live.

FEBRUARY

{2.4.25}

Hike to a Frozen Waterfall, check!

One of Austin’s goals for the year and we did it, but it was SO cold and there were tears. We got back in the car and I asked “Was that amazing or was that a disaster?” The responses were split. But now that we are warm and cozy, and we have these awesome pictures, I’d say worth it.

{2.11.25}

Feeding the cows on a beautiful, and COLD, Monday morning. Life lessons included: how to drive a tractor, how to calculate degrees below freezing if it is only 1^F, and why you should always pack your cowboy boots EVEN if you packed your snow boots, because you might end up chopping ice from a frozen water trough in your new sneakers and get cow poop all over them. (The last lesson was mine.)

These are my favorite days.

{2.14.25}

It looks like Valentine’s Day here at our house and I’m so proud of my kind, creative, brave children. We made boxes for a Valentine Party yesterday and today; participated in a service project making Valentines, and then put on a program and played Bingo at a local retirement home memory care unit. I am feeling so grateful to spend my days with these sweet valentines.

{2.21.25}

A dilemma as shown in pictures. 1-Lucy was brushing my hair when she accidentally tangled a comb in my hair. 2-I couldn’t get it out and neither could @_amyperkins so I clipped it up and waited for David to come home. 3- @davidpeaden saved the day by carefully cutting the comb out with a pair of scissors. 4- feeling so glad my hair isn’t cut into a bob, which seemed like it might be the inevitable solution. I came out relatively unscathed.

Please laugh with me.

{2.25.25}

We went to our first theater performance at The Ruth this weekend. We caught “Ragtime” on the very last day of the performance run and it was absolutely fantastic. I’m always so impressed with the quality of storytelling and depth of emotion. The venue was beautiful and we are hopeful that it will be able to maintain the personal/intimate environment. The show itself was profoundly moving. In a day when there is so much divisiveness and questions about what America is, was, and could be - I felt inspired to be better and make my country better. The role of one woman, making a difference where she can. “What kind of woman would I be?”

MARCH

{3.28.25}

A long-overdue trip to Logan with our fellow Aggie friends. 🍦 Fun fact: the first time we met- I accosted her in the hall of our Lehi church building because someone told me that they went to Utah State. The conversation went something like “You’re Aggies? Let’s be best friends.” Who knew that years later they would have moved across the street, became my kids besties, and been such good friends to us. ❤️ Now just to convince them to start homeschooling. 🙃

insta-Q4

Some things I posted to Instagram this quarter: 

{10.28.24}Living our best life. Some days we get covered in cow poop. Other days we shoot rockets into the sky and chase them down through the fields. I have to capture this favorite moment from our recent Wyoming adventures.

{11.17.24}

Primary Program 2024:

Austin, age 10- “My parents teach me about Jesus Christ as they use the priesthood power they receive in the temple to bless our family.”

Caleb, age 7- “I feel the love of God as I am preparing to be baptized next March by learning about Jesus, listening to the whole Book of Mormon, and practicing my prayers.

Lucy, age 4- My favorite thing God created is “the swimming pool because I love swimming with my brothers and sister. “

“He will guide me when I’m in the wilderness and stay beside me in stormy seas. I am learning how he speaks to me, and I will follow where He leads.”

{11.22.24}

Ensign Peak with the crew. By the end these kids hiked a peak, played at a park with a picnic lunch, walked through the tabernacle, saw the temple foundation, and were excellent visitors at the church history museum. I bought them all a sucker and I’m calling it a job well done. (Friday Field Trip for the win.)

insta-Q3

{8.15.24}

This summer, ya’ll! I can’t believe how fast it flew by. We crammed it full of swimming, cousins, trips, ranch days, more cousins, lake days, more cousins, and more swimming. We decided we needed one more week of summer and we are going to take it! But I’m also so excited for the things we have planned for this next homeschool year. I think it might be our very best yet!

{8.15.24}

We love our annual NOT Back to School party. Pool and donuts with as many of our homeschooling friends as possible.

This celebration reminds me that we are intentionally choosing this path because of the many opportunities it gives us, especially the joy of spending more time together. It also reminds me that we are part of a beautiful, brave, creative community of amazing people that are learning and growing with us. Pool+sun+donuts+people I love= the best way to start a new school year.

{8.31.24}

Back to School: Lucy
Kindergarten
I can hardly believe my baby is ready for Kindergarten but I have zero bittersweet feelings about it. I am 100% excited about this new stage with my girl. Lucy is excited to learn to read and I am excited for our first homeschool year without a baby/toddler. Walking around the block with Lucy at lunchtime and knowing I will be the one to make the accommodations to set her up for educational success is bringing me so much joy. We have so many fun things planned and I can’t wait for us to do it together. Lucy is sweet, spicy, tender, and confident. This is my favorite kindergarten year ever!

{8.31.24}

Back to School: Caleb
2nd Grade
Caleb is most excited for his Thursday Co-op but it’s probably tied with starting piano lessons with his favorite @robosteff. He loves listening to audiobooks and is also loving our family study hour. Caleb is energetic, so smart, and often gets sucked into his own imagination because it’s so vivid and exciting there. I love this sweet, fun boy.

{8.31.24}

Back to School: Austin
4th Grade
We love Utah History around this house and we are so excited for this upcoming year with our Utah History group + field trips. (4th grade might be my favorite elementary grade.) Austin is also starting a Makerspace class at Thanksgiving Point and a Thursday co-op. Austin is kind, hard-working, and enthusiastic. I love spending my days with this boy.

{8.17.24}

Back to School: Lydia
7th Grade (Middle School!)
She really wanted to study Algebra and Writing this year, so those are her main core focuses. She’s starting a new middle school coop which is going to be awesome. She will also be taking a musical theater class from Hale Center Theater Orem and can’t wait to perform at The Ruth! I’m so proud of this beautiful, funny, creative and thoughtful girl.

{8.18.24}

We had the BEST back to school week and several times I stopped with gratitude and unbelief that this is actually my life. That I get to spend my days with these incredible, beautiful children- and that we get to go on this educational journey together. They are smart, kind, and good. We are learning about so many amazing things and exploring so many cool places.

I am posting about our homeschool journey this year at @a.homeschooling.heart - I’ve been hesitant to let people follow there because I don’t want people silently judging our educational choice or feeling like I’m judging theirs. However we have some fun things on our horizon that I’m excited to share. If you’re interested, you’re welcome to join us there.

{8.29.24}

We celebrated my Grandma Zuriel’s 91st birthday this weekend! So grateful for her and happy we got to see her on this fun day. @zurielknowles

{8.31.24}

Our stake is amazing, and one of the highlights is our annual Women’s Camp- a Friday and Saturday spent in the mountains with the wonderful women of the Thanksgiving Stake. Not many things are more exhilarating than waking up with your daughter at 5 am to go on a sunrise hike with a group of 70 women. I’m grateful for good friends to experience this with and grateful that Lydia also has good friends to experience this with. I was blessed by this weekend and I know Lydia was, too.

{9.1.24}

My parents are retiring to Wyoming just like they’ve always planned. It’s exciting and I’ve been amazed at how quickly the house has shifted from feeling like my grandparents house to feeling like “HOME”. We are planning to spend a significant amount of time there helping to get things in order and I’ve been working to get my kids outfitted with the correct Wyoming attire. This week we showed up in plaid flannel work shirts, jeans and cowboy boots. These boots are bringing me an immense amount of joy! I’m so glad my kids will get to add these life experiences to their childhood.

{9.8.24}

I already posted about this in my stories, but I figured it deserved a spot in my feed.

My parents moved from their home in Morgan this weekend after living there for almost 20 years. I haven’t always liked Morgan but I have come to love this home and treasure the gift that it has been to my family and my children. I am leaving this valley with gratitude for the things I have learned and the safe haven it has been for my family.

Also, grateful for the people that this town brought into my life (@haylidickey and @natakaye, I’m looking at you!)

{9.19.24}

Happy 37 years to me! (And thank goodness for Caleb being born the year I turned 30 so that someone can help me keep track of my age).

We celebrated with one of my favorite plays “Arsenic and Old Lace” at my very favorite theater with some of my favorite people.

My thirties have been my favorite decade by far- I’m feeling like if I could pause time at any place in my life it would be right here. Right now. But I know it doesn’t work like that- so I will just enjoy this moment right now and hope to create a life full of amazing years.

{9.22.24}

We hiked to the Mt Raymond Summit yesterday and it was amazing.
-7.5 miles
-3,028 elevation gain
-1 moose family

The start of this hike is so steep (and so is the end) and I was so tired. But we made it and I’m so proud of us. We are confident that hiking a difficult hike together must be a psychology-approved relationship builder because it’s awesome to accomplish something so hard together. (Especially considering we almost turned back 30 minutes in when we encountered a bull moose on the trail!)

The middle pictures with the peak behind us were taken halfway through the hike and I am pointing to the summit that we ended the hike at. It really was incredible!

{9.26.24}

I just hit my 50th book this year, as recorded on Goodreads. (Mostly audiobooks).

Some of these books include:
- Die With Zero (Fascinating)
- Turn of the Key (Terrifying)
- Search for the Wild Claveringi (Bizzarre, but one of my favorite reads of the year because of how hard I had a search for it after reading a small reference to it in Sound of a Wild Snail)
-Skyward Series (Brandon Sanderson, so fun)

50 books was my goal for the year. From here:
-I still have 3 books from the @everydayreading booklist.
-My sweet friend @a_connected_home gave me this new book today, (I loved the Alchamist).
- @readintorebecca just influenced me to download the book series by @juliechristiansonauthor (one is free today!) and they look like a great series to sit down and relax with. (That’s what I told my kids I wanted for my birthday.)
-I have at least 8 Christmas books that have been on hold on Libby all year and I’m counting down the days to my holiday reading.

insta.Q2 (April, May, June)

{4.5.24}

The sun is shining, we learning about spring and flowers, and life is good.

{4.26.24}Summer is on its way and it feels SO good. With the sunshine has come a lifting of spirit that has made such a difference to me. I’ve been feeling motivated and inspired. Making decisions to better align my priorities. Completing our first couple Spring Hikes. Enjoying my days with my children. (And counting down the last days of school!)

{5.1.24}

So proud of this guy. He works so hard for us and is being promoted today into a position that is perfect for him and something that once seemed like an improbable dream. *cue celebration *

{5.10.24}

There are two kinds of people in this world. One of them hits empty then drives three more places knowing that “empty” doesn’t really mean empty and if you fill up with 24 miles to go, you’re winning!

The other doesn’t like a little extra excitement in their life.

Guess which one I am.

#risktaker #butonlyinthis

{5.15.24}

As part of our year-end with school; Lucy had a functional vision test which examined her in more areas than her typical ophthalmology appointment. I am so proud of her and how well she is doing; but I also experienced some heaviness when they spoke of things she couldn’t see, wouldn’t ever see, and what that will look like in her life. (No stereo vision means reduced/no depth perception, which we knew but was hard to hear). She’s doing so well, but we are approaching the age where the impact will start to increase.

.

.

I’ve felt sad and scared for her- but as I watched her climb this jungle gym by herself I was reminded that she’s not in this alone and neither am I. Here we go faithfully stepping into the future together. We will figure it out and I know there will be lots of blessings along the way.

{5.17.24}

Planting a garden today! Shoutout to my friend Tarah for sharing her tomato plants with me. were have so many varieties and are excited! The kids planted carrots, watermelon, and peas. I planted zucchini. We also have two plants doing very well that we think are flowers from a bunch of seeds Austin planted in the fall. It will be exciting to see what they grow into (unless they are weeds, then it will not be exciting).

{5.17.24}

We finished our bookwork today! The kids worked hard to push through their lessons and even though we’ll keep working on a simple schedule through the summer we are SUPER excited to be done with our school year work. Next week is “Project Week” and our annual Lagoon trip.

{5.17.24}

-a.homeschooling.heart-

he end of the school year is upon us and here are a few things that we’ve been up to this week:
-Last week of bookwork!
-Lucy functional vision test
-Market Day at Co-op
-Biztown

Next week we have:
-Project week
-Lagoon
-Last day of Co-op
-SUMMER!!

{5.23.24}

Annual Lagoon Day End of School Celebration was a success. We started and ended with the new “Primordial” ride, got SOAKED on Rattlesnake rapids, and made sure not to miss our favorite- the “White Rollercoaser”. We had a small group this year, the cousin crew + Aunt Amy, but we loved every minute of it! @jennahaderlie @amypeaden1

{5.24.24}

Last day of school! So grateful to be doing this homeschool journey with such amazing families and SUCH good kids. This is only a small part of our amazing community and I am grateful for each one of you. (We will start celebrating summer AFTER the Stake Primary Day Camp next Thursday. Wish me luck!)

{5.25.24}

Things I love right now and would recommend, part 1:

1. The Hello Girls is playing at Hale Center Theater Orem right now until June 1. I want to tell everyone I know to GO! It was fantastic. 5/5 stars and we almost never give more than 4.5 stars. It was such a beautiful, intense, and inspiring story about WWI with spot on acting and incredible production.

2. The Pizza Wheel at Ruby’s Grill in Logan. Everything there is delicious, but this is my favorite. I think I would drive there just to eat this.

3. I don’t know if people already know about these salads at Maceys but they are YUM! They are my favorite thing to pack for a bag lunch or for a long flight.

4. This artwork by @paigepayne_creations - I love it so much and am feeling inspired to cultivate my heart and mind in a way that pours down with love and growth to my children. Perfectly captures the essence of the “A Mothers Heart” section of the WEH Catch the Vision.

5. Escape from Germany - I want to take my older two kids to this. We’ve been reading a couple of books about WWII and this story is incredible. I think everyone should watch it!

6. Books. My Goodreads has me at 33 books for the year and I’ve been reading so many great things lately. Some favorites lately include the Emma M Lion books (recommended by @readintorebecca)and the Skyward series (from the @everydayreading book club). I’m currently reading “The Best of Friends” (by my favorite author @sarah_m_eden, loaned to me by my sweet sis @jennahaderlie) and next up on my list are finishing Jane Eyre (with @daniellelindsay.m) and “The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating (recommended by @a_connected_home). David is reading the Lockwood & Co series (also from @everydayreading ) after I raved about them last year and we are going to finish the last book together. (Oh, and I should add that I’m only 2 hours away from FINALLY being done with The Two Towers after getting stuck in the Battle of Helms Deep for approximately 6 months.)

*note: 90% of my reading is actually listening to audiobooks while folding laundry and doing dishes.

No one asked for this, but you’re welcome. Now, GO SEE the Hello Girls! And who wants to talk books with me?

{5.28.24}

Summer!

Today we did a “nothing day”. They had no chores/responsibilities. They could have no screens. We could spend no money. But we could do whatever they wanted. It was THE BEST day! We hit the library, kids spent their own money at the dollar store, we went to the planetarium in SLC, and we went to the swimming pool. It was more “going” than I expected for a nothing day- but we loved it.

{6.15.24}

Fifteen year anniversary today! I rewrote this post over and over today both in my head and typing it out and deleting it. It seems that words really can’t express how deeply I feel about being married to @davidpeaden Here is my final attempt:

We are living such a good life together and I am so happy that we found each other. We celebrated our anniversary last week in Logan and we were mistaken for students on campus 💪🙌😂 (which was one of my favorite parts, yeah!)

We make a good team and I’m grateful that David has proven to be just as patient, kind, steadfast, and fun as he had to be during our exciting 18 months of dating. June 5 is my favorite day.