back in the habit

 today our middle schoolers got their turn to head back to in-person learning.

so here's to the last second first day of school of the '20-'21 school year for the wheelers! 

afton's first day on campus as a middle schooler!

fly my little birdies!

spring is here.

previously on this is us

one year ago today, our three hundred sixty-five days much younger family ventured out to enjoy the peeking sunshine and blooming cherry blossoms at UW--those signature sanguine signals of spring in seattle. 

and in digging through the memories of the past year, photos of this last (of what would turn out to be awhile) outing popped up, so i dusted them off to share. 

so glad that spring is in the air again. 

hi ho, hi ho

it's off to school he goes.

caleb was very ready to go back. he does his best concentration and learning in a school environment (out of my four, he is my one for whom the structure and expectations of a classroom is an educational game changer) and was so excited to see his amazing teacher in person again.

he had his backpack and mask on a full thirty minutes before it was time to leave for the bus. 

a smattering

 of a few more snowy baptism pics to remember the day.

not pictured: brian collinwood who came down early in the cold morning to fill the font (and also shoveled the walk!); james pace who trekked out to attend in person (bringing our total physical attendance numbers up to five); marcy candland who quickly popped on her boots and dropped off fluffy, warm towels (after a frantic phone call) because we forgot ours; all our loving and dedicated family members who participated via the wonders of technology; and summer and dallin who had to zoom in to the baptism from home because, well, that was just the hand the morning dealt us.

caleb, for his part, took everything in stride as he is wont to do. it was a good day. 

michael caleb

after waiting nearly a year, not even a pacific northwest snowstorm could keep us from the church building yesterday (bryan putting grandpa mike's off-road fj cruiser to good use), and our mr. caleb, sir, felt very loved on his zoom baptism day.

"If we give our heart to God, if we love the Lord Jesus Christ, if we do the best we can to live the gospel, then tomorrow—and every other day—is ultimately going to be magnificent, even if we don’t always recognize it as such. Why? Because our Heavenly Father wants it to be! He wants to bless us. A rewarding, abundant, and eternal life is the very object of His merciful plan for His children! It is a plan predicated on the truth 'that all things work together for good to them that love God.' 

So keep loving. Keep trying. Keep trusting. Keep believing. Keep growing. Heaven is cheering you on today, tomorrow, and forever." Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

snow capped mountains white

a few more snaps of dallin's birthday snow day.

this crew might look like they're all laughing and smiling and having a grand ol' time in these pics, but most of them did NOT care for the forty minute hike in the snow (some of it deep snow) to get here. unfortunately, their daddy loves him a hard hike: the stress on the body and the mind and the views that make it oh so worth while. 

so, sorry kids: this won't be the last mountain you climb (whether you like it or not). 

but see? worth it. 

then there was this!

and as if turning seven wasn't enough, dallin got to celebrate 2021 with an extra special bonus of attending his first day of in-person learning in almost a year. 

cheers to the teachers(!!), staff, community members, and families for their hard work and dedication in making in-person learning a possibility for our youngest learners.

dallin was one of those who had to switch teachers due to the necessary reshuffling of kiddos based on in-person/remote options, BUT! the first grade team had done such a phenomenal job of integrating their learning across classrooms throughout the year that he was undeterred and super excited to be in person with his new teacher and classmates. we love our first grade teachers!

he had a great first (half) day.

masked up, washed up, and ready to learn. 

le sept

 yesterday, little man turned seven years old.

he wanted to go sledding in the snow, and eat at mod pizza, and have ice cream sandwiches for dessert, and so we did all those things (plus plants vs. zombies, too).

dallin still brings all the big feelings energy to our family. he still says everything. all the things. all the time. talk, talk, talking with no inner monologue to be found. there is absolutely nothing so minute as to be unworthy of his commentary. we love it. he's fascinating and passionate and his vocabulary is prodigious. the facial expressions. the voices. the hand movements. the aggressive pointing. dallin lives life on the edge of his seat and takes everyone else along for the ride. 

when he's not talking, he's reading. when he's not reading, he's practicing the piano. he's working on his sticker art. or he's fighting--i mean plotting--i mean playing with his brother. 

our micro mighty man. he who loves cool ranch doritos more than nacho cheese doritos (the horror!) and vehemently argues that cookie crisp is actually a cereal (never!) 

who never, ever, ever times a thousand plus infinity gives up on ANYTHING he believes in. 

here's to you, woo! we wish you the happiest of birthday years, and better luck next time on that bike, son. 

merry christmas eve

 

"May we increasingly learn and more fully understand that Jesus Christ is the 'light which shineth in darkness.' In every season of our lives, in all of the circumstances we may encounter, and in each challenge we may face, the Savior is the light that dispels fear, provides assurance and direction, and engenders enduring peace and joy. May the beautiful lights of every Christmas season remind us of Him who is the source of all light." --David A. Bednar

with love,

the wheelers

thirteen

 or the one where summer grows up.

my morning person. my helper. comfortable and cozy and clean. reading books, chatting with friends, listening to music. she knows all the words to all the songs by ajr, and she can't pick a favorite anything. no drama (as long as there are no shots). acing (the highest level) math. two and a half inches shorter than her mom (and counting every inch). 

still on her tiptoes. still looking out for the underdog. still without guile, and still believing the best in people. 

but my baby no more. 

happy birthday, beauty! may your forthcoming teen years be kind to you, and may you spread that kindness around.

autumn in orange

How silently they tumble down
And come to rest upon the ground
To lay a carpet, rich and rare,
Beneath the trees without a care,
Content to sleep, their work well done,
Colors gleaming in the sun.

At other times, they wildly fly
Until they nearly reach the sky.
Twisting, turning through the air
Till all the trees stand stark and bare.
Exhausted, drop to earth below
To wait, like children, for the snow.

--Elise N. Brady

be kind, rewind

so here's the thing: i have somehow accumulated a pretty decent pileup of unpublished blogposts and pictures dating back to october (trick or treating!) of last year. yes, all the way back to the land before time. the time before now. the then before this.

my hope is to publish them all before october (trick or treating?) of THIS year. and if you so choose to follow along, then prepare yourselves for a bumpy ride because i anticipate being all over the place with this little task like a super uncoordinated time traveler. 

first up: raspberry picking!

this we did in july 2020. the berry fields were pretty packed due to the pandemic and folks maybe not having much else to do (and also there being half as much capacity for picking), so we had to rise and shine and be out at harvold's before 8am--a first in almost a decade of berry picking--in order to not be turned away. 

luckily, we made it in time, we stayed in our lane, and we got to pick our little berry hearts out.

after the harvest, we enjoyed our traditional raspberry milkshakes, and then bryan and i went on to low-key ruin all but one of our seven batches of jam (another first) by mixing the sugar in with the pectin simultaneously like amateurs who couldn't read directions. the good news is the kids don't seem to mind our super runny jam, and the overall "twenty-four pints of raspberry jam we ruined" vibe seems to fit in with 2020 just fine.