2025 Review!
January
We spent the first part of the month driving back from Iowa where we spent our Christmas break. Aaron was ordained as a deacon. Aaron entered the science fair with a topic close to his heart: Tornadoes. I set up an official office for my Quiltternity work. Trump was sworn in as President. Adeline started violin lessons. Avery had her winter dance program and had so many people come watch her!
Ended the month going to Disneyland with my dad and Wendy ! And on the way home stopped in St. George where Aaron went through the temple for the first time!
February
Held our annual Relief Society Galentines Acirivty. I volunteered in Svery’s class and loved the Valentine’s party. And since Travis was working an ER Shift in Iowa on V-day I attended our ward Valentine’s dance with a sister I minister to as my date. Travis took the girls to their annual Daddy-daughter dance while he was in town. And my dad made sure to have me over and celebrate my bday since Travis was out of town. I had my first photoshoot for my business. Maddix was called as the Teachers Quorum Pres. And Aaron was called into the Deacons Pres. And then we began a major construction project at my in-laws that only had two weeks to be completed. And then I enjoyed chaperoning Avery’s field trip to the butterfly exhibit.
March
Worked on the construction project at my in-laws. The girls enjoyed dates with A. Janelle. I spent ton of time organizing Teacher Appreciation Week at the Junior high. And tons of time working on a Quiltternity ad video. We had a combined Johnson/Wells kickball game at Cascade which was a lot of fun. We celebrated St. Patrick’s Day. Watched Maddix compete in Track. Travis took the kids on a shooting date. Aaron was in the play Annie. As well as had his Hero’s Essay chosen as the winner at an BYU assembly. Had a very special tea party with the Queen Gma Lori! The kids performed in their vocal concert with A. Janelle. And of course, celebrated Avery’s bday at the end of the month.
April
Travis was home for
Conference and for Easter; that in and of itself made this time extra special. We filmed more for my Quiltternity promo. Planted a bonsai tree and named it Steve. Attended the mission homecoming of Cole Mecham (who we watched be baptized in Poland all those years ago). And attended Ted’s baby blessing. And… we started baseball season, only to have Aaron take a terrible ball to the face and break the bones in his mouth. 2 1/2hrs of emergency dental work and 9 weeks of soft foods only were the result while we waited to see if Aaron’s teeth would be okay!
May-cember
This is the second busiest time of the year! As everyone is having their lasts of everything. We had Addie’s violin concert. Baby Alice’s 1st bday. Star Wars day. Worked on my Quiltternity journals. Went to a BYU baseball game with Aaron’s team. Worked on teaching Maddix to drive stick. Got to attend the Payson temple with my best friend over Mother’s Day weekend. Had a family yard clean up at Gma Eileen’s house. Maddix’s choir concert. School field days. Continued reading the Hunger Games series with the boys. Had Aaron’s elementary graduation! Buzzed Aaron’s head. Addie hosted a backyard date for me and Travis. Spent Memorial Day visiting GMA Judy/Papi’s grave with Gpa Vaughn and A. Janelle. Finished the planter on our side yard! End of school pool parties. More baseball. Run l
Club started up. Pool days started up. Scera movies started up.
June
This month felt like it was over before it ever even began. Everyday the boys had cross country and swim team in the mornings. Addie had a Chinese Camp all the way out in Lehi that ate up most of the afternoon. And every evening was full of baseball. We did fit in a car show with Gpa Vaughn. Planted a tomato garden. Aaron was finally cleared to eat hard foods and celebrated with a nacho. And then within a few days of being cleared to play baseball again Aaron took another bad hit to the face (during his batting cages practice) and ended up in the ER.
We attended Gideon’s wedding. Had run club every Friday. Went to the Scera Shell to see the Newsies. Avery had her summer dance performance. Aaron made a killing by doing a lemonade stand during the Orem parade (right by our house). Had cousins Dallin and Brigham hang with us while they were in town. Biked to the Scera movies. Swam. RS temple trip to Manti and my grandma came with us.
Avery rode in the strawberry days rodeo and we were all almost blown away in a microburst. I had my first booth set up in a market. I played on a summer softball team.
July
Aaron turned 12 and had an American themed birthday; no surprise. He had a pool party and invited his baseball team (he loved his team this year am having Brennan as his coach). We bought a Cadillac for $3,000! We rode our bikes to the parade route in the 4th of July; that was an adventure. We hosted a 4th bbq. Did small amts of fire works in the evening. Then hit the rode bright and early the very next morning for Iowa! We had a flat tire the first day. I locked the keys in the car the second day.
We helped move Travis into his new apt in Clear Lake, bought furniture, kitchen tools, and groceries. We caught up with some friends, and mostly had long slow down days. We watched a lot of rolling thunderstorms, fire flies, and even had to shelter down for a tornado. The boys went to young men’s camp. The girls loved being with Sophia. The dogs loved Travis’s big back grassy area. Travis loved having us there, but he was almost always working or would fall asleep within minutes of being home while the girls curled up in his arms. His schedule was crazy!
August
We cleaned up and headed back to Utah. We stopped at U. Garett’s on the way home. As well as independence rock. We came home too burned out to do our cross country trip we were going to do and instead do a week of stay-cation activities. We hiked. Went to the pool. Travis got to come with us to the Scera movies. Went to splash summit. And had a fire in our backyard. Maddix ended up going to our ward’s youth conference and caught himself a trout! He had a BLAST!
We had our final pool days. Final Scera movie. Morning Xcountry for Maddix. We threw an 60th bday party for me mom. And before we knew it it was back to school time! Travis and O celebrated our anniversary in Minneapolis since he had to work late, so I flew out there and met him at a hotel. We went to a Twins game, a concert, the temple, rode paddle boats around a park, and shopped. It was a fast weekend, but I loved every minute with him!
Then very unexpectedly, Maddix’s xcountry coach passed away.
September
This was a very rough month. As Maddix’s Xcountry team mourned the loss of their coach, our community experienced the assassination of Charlie Kirk; just 2 miles from our house. Maddix was supposed to be running the very route that would’ve put them at the shooting site, but his team captain felt they should change their run last minute. Aaron had stopped at the very DQ the shooter went to for food 30 mins after Aaron had been there. We had cops in our neighborhoods. We were told to make sure our sheds are Cars were locked. Then two weeks after his shooting, Maddix was on a class field trip when one of his friends took his own life in front of the entire 9th grade. This was extremely tragic and unexpected. The fallout afterwards took a lot of thoughtful decision making so that there was proper respect for what all the students were going through, but not romanticizing it to where you’d get copycats. I ended up working with the PTA and ended up in the news. Our community was amazing the way they supported the school and our students.
Highlights from the month though: hikes, dates with the kids, x-country meets for both boys (Aaron discovered he loves running!), spending Labor Day vacation in San Diego with the cousins, U. Lee, and Disneyland! Pirates day, Addie starting gymnastics, a double date with Travis, Bryce, and April to a self pick flower garden, lots of temple trips, and Travis took over as the football doctor to a college out in Iowa. Oh and Avery brought home some weird throw up/ fever sickness from our California trip. And then I developed either pneumonia or bronchitis. 
October
Xcountry. BYU football. Hikes. General conference with Travis in tow. Temple dates. After school playing at the park. Maddix’s 15th birthday! I sang in a group at a stake RS formal event and the song was amazing! The whole event was amazing! Bday parties for the girls. Football parties for the boys. Cousin Eliza’s Bell bday party. A weekend trip to Vegas for Travis and I to attend the When We Were Young Concert in Vegas!! We stayed at the Trump hotel, ate delicious food, went to the concert from 11:00am-12:00am and had an incredible time! Then drove straight home and made back in time for 9:00am church. Happy early 40th bday babe! And then Halloween celebrations! Travis and Papa Haver rolled into town just in time for that ward trunk-or-treat. And Avery ended up bringing home a nasty stomach flu from the event and it made its way through the house, lasting 5-8days per person! And she didn’t make it out to trick-or-rest because of it, so it ended up being Addie getting mom and dad all to herself. Maddix went to a party. And Aaron and his friends collected 67lbs of candy between them!!
November
Stomach flu raged in our house for nearly this entire month! We had quick reprieves over Thanksgiving and Adeline’s baptism, which were huge blessings since we were hosting both! We also supported Maddix in his championship race where he PR’d! I think a 19:11! Addie had a wonderful bday and hosted a party at the trampoline park. She was so excited to get baptized, get her ears pierced, and receive her beautiful baptism dress from her grandmas (grandma Lori saw the dress, while grandma Donna sewed the muff and cape). Adeline had a combined baptism with her cousin Dallin while they were in town and it was a very special day.
December
Our stomach flu lasted until Dec. 5th! And the second round of it was even nastier than the first!! We were healthy just long enough to decorate the house and celebrate Christmas a little bit and then BAM! We now have influenza B! Maddix brought it home first. Then Aaron and I went down. Then the girls. We have been miserably sick, but received so much love and support from our friends, family, and neighbors! Travis flew home yesterday and just started cleaning the house and making us food. We are glad to have our daddy home, but crossing our fingers he doesn’t pay for it… because this stuff is miserable!!
Though; it has forced us to stop and be together. So maybe there is a lesson to be learned. Who knows.
Christmas is almost here (4more days, I can’t believe it). And I’m excited to say that Travis gets to stay here through the Christmas holiday and then will be taking Aaron back to Iowa with him over New Years (since he had to work). So we are going to focus on getting better and celebrating Christ’s birthday.
Happy New years!
