2021: Even though we still dealt with a lot of fall-out from COVID, including some friends and their loved ones passing away from complications of COVID, we are thankful that much of life, though not all, has returned to normal. In March we were able to return to church in person and temples were opened via reservation. The girls were able to go back to school in the fall with masks optional. Jason & Heidi got their COVID shot and we’re thankful we can test at home now & we’ve had to do that multiple times. Some other Hamilton Highlights for 2021:
* For our Spring Break, we tented it at Lake Powell for a few days. It was windy and we found sand everywhere, and we mean EVERYwhere! But we made some fun memories and enjoyed our time together!
*Our summer vacation was Yellowstone! Both sets of grandparents joined us and while we didn’t enjoy the traffic (crazy traffic coming out of the park one night - 2 hours), we DID enjoy exploring Bear World, hanging out at our Island Park rental cabin, seeing LOTS of wildlife (including a first bear-in-the-wild experience!), going to see Mesa Falls, seeing LOTS of hot pots and geysers, and just being together.
*Summertime was also full of youth activities - youth conference @ Snow College (fun flashback memories for Heidi!) and girls camp on Cedar Mountain.
*For Fall Break, we headed to a condo at Brian Head for a couple days. It was chilly! But we loved taking a minute out of our busy lives & spending time together!
A few more tidbits:
-We FINALLY finished our in-ground trampoline in June - hooray! The girls have had soooo much fun jumping on it and from the block wall onto it.
-July saw HEAVY rain in Cedar! Our flooding wasn't bad, but many of our neighbors were hit hard. We spent weeks filling & moving sandbags and helping those whose homes were damaged by the storms.
-In August, we sold our SUU rental, hoping to one day get a cabin in the mountains
-In September & October, the 3 olders and mom and dad took the Emotional Resilience class & we learned lots!
-LOTS of inside updates in Oct/Nov - new LVP flooring throughout the upstairs, new carpet downstairs, mom painted the kitchen cabinets blue!, and we painted the upstairs & downstairs walls as well as the base & case & we replaced all the base upstairs in the common area. Lots of time & effort, but we’re loving the results!
FAVORITE 2021 Memories: Yellowstone, Pine Valley Romantic get away, spending time with family
GOALS/ANTICIPATION: Help Ireland learn to drive, plan a date with Heidi once a month.
-At the end of March, Heidi was very surprised when she got called to be the Young Women’s president after being the 2nd counselor for a couple of years. It has been a humbling, teaching experience, and she has much more to be taught, but she is really loving these girls and so grateful for the amazing ladies she works with in this calling. It’s been a sacrifice in time and mental/emotional/spiritual energy, but she is grateful for this opportunity. It’s also fun that Trisha (her sister) got called not long after her, and it’s been fun to bounce ideas off each other and commiserate/support each other!
-Heidi has also been pretty involved in the Share Board - in supporting Share’s events, board meetings, support meetings, and going to the hospital
-Wow, over a month straight of painting, painting, cutting, painting was enough to make Heidi not want to see a paintbrush or roller again for a VERY long time, but she really is loving seeing the updates every day!
FAVORITE 2021 Memories: Birthday getaway to Pine Valley Guard Station was magical, getting close to a bear in the wild at Yellowstone was epic, planning/surprising/embarrassing McKinley on her 16th birthday was so much fun, and watching my girls really excel at their music is so wonderful.
GOALS/ANTICIPATION: Heidi hopes to do a race this year (for real this time!) :), She also hopes to get the garden in order and the backyard cleaned up from the trampoline. In her ideal world, they’d be able to get a cabin at Brian Head or Duck Creek, or at least some land and an RV :) She is SOOO looking forward to the Ireland trip as well! LISTEN is her word for 2022
-In September, McKinley turned the long-awaited 16 years old!!! She got a decent helping of surprises & embarrassment, as mom threw a surprise birthday breakfast for her, then there was a huge sign at the seminary that said “Happy Sweet 16 McKinley!” with a couple pictures of her - one when she was about 3, and the other a recent photo. Mom also made her a dating advice/idea book from her cousins, aunts & grandmas. Dad took her on her first date - complete with a dozen roses, a fancy italian restaurant & a real diamond “Link” ring :) McKinley also got her drivers license that day & it’s been so nice to have an extra driver, even though she has to drive the beat-up minivan around (including to school) :)
-McKiney is first chair & section lead in her symphonic orchestra & just recently auditioned & made the Orchestra of Southern Utah. It was so neat to see her perform The Messiah!
-McKinley was an apple seller in CCCMT and it was so fun to see her perform!
-McKinley had a summer job cleaning Elena Reed’s Airbnb unit. It was hard work, but she was able to work it around our many vacations and youth trips.
-16 also means dating! McKinley has been out on a date with Henry Rupert and she also asked him to Sadie Hawkins, doubling with Emma Manley. Mostly, she just likes to hang out & watch a movie, play a game or just talk.
-McKinley took a hefty load this year for school, taking 2 concurrent enrollment classes: Popular Music in America, and Anatomy & physiology. It has been demanding, but she has done well.
-McKinley still loves reading whenever she can get the chance. Brandon Mull is still a favorite & she really enjoys reading (and suggesting edits to) Henry Rupert and Addison Bealer’s books.
FAVORITE 2020 Memories: Girls camp, youth conference & Karmiyah is going to CHS again!
GOALS/ANTICIPATION: Summer job, more musical opportunities & maybe more dates.
IRELAND (14):
-Ireland is growing up fast! She has really practiced & gotten good at doing her make-up and she’s still quite the fashionisha of the family!
-Ireland started HIGH SCHOOL this year! She is trying something new - she goes to Launch High School (an entrepreneur-focused school, at the district building by the middle school) on her B days, where she takes her core classes like math & LA, and then she goes to CHS on her A days, where she takes her electives, like band, Seminary, and things like Web Development. She is a fan of Launch and the structure and their less-strict rules.
-Ireland is still doing well with the flute & took private lessons until summer came. She made the concert band at CHS and has enjoyed it! She had her first taste of marching band this year and it was fun to see her in a couple parades!
-Ireland was able to re-start gymnastics after a year and a half of the gym being closed, but after a few months, she decided that it was time to move on to other things.
-Ireland still LOVES her nugget puppy - Ember, even when she’s naughty :) She still holds her like a baby and coddles her, but Ember loves it all!
-Ireland - along with McKinley - got to clean Elena Reed’s Airbnb in the summer-time to earn some extra money. She had good investment intentions, but she couldn’t resist spending it on clothes! She really loves Shein.com right now :)
-Ireland still is mom’s Austen reading companion. They love to pop some popcorn and sit down to read. Right now, they’re reading Northanger Abbey. The only Austen book Ireland still needs to check off is Mansfield Park.
FAVORITE 2021 Memories:
GOALS/ANTICIPATION: Ireland is registering for the Congressional Medal of Honor! It’s a big deal and is going to require tracking a LOT of hours for Physical Activity, Personal Development, Community Service, and planning her trip! It’s exciting! Ireland is, of course, also looking forward to her IRELAND TRIP this next year! And getting her drivers permit :)
-Kezia got to start Young Women’s at the beginning of the year! Mom was over her group until she got called to be the president, but it has been a lot of fun! Kezia is the 2nd counselor in her presidency and Sue Vernon is over her group.
-Kezia got to attend the temple for the first time in May this year & it was so special! It was just mom, dad, Kezia and a bunch of temple workers. She had it all to herself since we’re on the reservation system now! It was really neat & she did great.
-Kezia finished elementary school this year & started middle school! She misses seeing a lot of her friends from elementary school, but likes middle school, too. She is still in the Spanish Immersion program, so she gets to see some of her friends there.
-Kezia was one of the orphan girls - Kate - in CCMT’s Annie play and she did so well with the singing and dancing. We loved watching her perform!
-After MUCH thinking, praying, and pondering, Kezia decided to play the violin instead of doing percussion. She took lessons for a bit and has improved so quickly that her teacher included her in the more advanced class performance. We can’t wait to see and hear more!
-Kezia loved her time with her chinchillas, but eventually let them go due to allergies.
-Kezia has a love for reading - still especially Harry Potter - but she’s read lots of other books this year, including reading Narnia with mom, The Ickabog, the Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus, and The Janitors.
-Turning 12 means a birthday party! Of course, it was a Harry Potter Party! It was quite elaborate and involved a custom video invitation, inviting like 20 people, booking the church for the event, getting the Beast Pizza, having homemade root beer, dividing friends into Hogwarts Houses, doing challenges, watching a HP3, and mom making a custom butterbeer cake!
-Kezia has turned into quite the in-demand babysitter! We knew she would be with how good she is with her sisters :) She babysits frequently for the Durbans and she also has babysat for the Tryons.
-Kezia is still our wonderful gift-giver and service-giver and laugh-giver and we are so thankful for her in our family!
FAVORITE 2021 MEMORIES: The Temple, Girls Camp, the Potts Retreat,her Harry Potter Party, Yellowstone & Brian Head for fall break.
GOALS/ANTICIPATION:Another fun girls camp, a dog?, making intermediate orchestra,
-Link would be 9 this year. He continues to send us love notes and watch over us all. He was with us in Yellowstone! From Kezia finding forget-me-nots to seeing a rainbow on our last day to seeing a car with a LINK license plate, we felt him close, and continue to feel him close in our lives. Mom continues to honor and remember him by helping those who have lost babies in our community, and we all are Linking our family together when we are able to go to the temple and take family names!
-Noelle performed as one of the orphan girls in CCCMT’s Annie & she loved meeting new friends and being on stage!
-Noelle also did soccer for the first time this year - almost all the girls on her team were in her school class, so it was like a bonus recess with her friends :)
-Noelle & Oaklyn have a lot of neighborhood friends, and when the weather is good, they are at the Sundquists, or the Petersens, or Brother Watson’s to get ice cream sandwiches, or Bernice’s to see her cats. Or they are just riding all over on their bikes :)
-Noelle still loves Minecraft, Lego Marvel, and Mr. Beast on youtube.
-Noelle is still a terrific reader & is getting long chapter books in her book-in-a-bag & more advanced spanish books, too! Together, mom & Noelle have been reading the Narnia books, which we both love!
-Noelle started 2nd grade this year & loves school. She has done so well & got the “Catch the Vision” award for her kindness and listening to the teacher.
-We love Noelle’s notes, drawings, and stories and she is cute about writing goals and schedules.
-Noelle loves her glow-in-the-dark glasses & we only had to replace one pair this year!
FAVORITE 2021 MEMORIES: CCCMT play, her birthday, and her recent late-over with her friends.
GOALS/ANTICIPATION: Doing a play, getting a birthday party, getting baptized & confirmed, tying shoe laces!
OAKLYN (5):
-5 years old and this girl continues to be so naughty and nice. She is a character, though, and we wouldn’t change her!
-Oaklyn often disappears. We have to do a neighborhood check - Prices? Sundquists? Watsons? Petersens? Bernices? She makes the rounds and sometimes walks right into houses! She really does think she owns the neighborhood! Good thing we have amazing neighbors :)
-Mom really had an internal debate/prayer-wrestle about whether to send Oaklyn to Kindergarten or preschool again. In the end, we decided to keep her in preschool for another year & let her be the oldest in her class. Oaklyn LOVES preschool and her teachers and friends. Recess is her favorite and she points out her favorite tricycle every time we go to school. We’re carpooling with Tucker Riddle this year, 4x/week, & it’s so fun to hear their conversations on the way to & from school.
-With afternoon preschool, mom & Oaklyn have had fun mornings. For mom & Oaklyn time, she likes to do puzzles, color, play with play doh, and sometimes dress up the dogs :)
-Oaklyn still seems to have the worst immune system of any of our kids and if there is any kind of runny nose going around, it’s pretty much guaranteed that she will catch it :(
-Oaklyn loves to sing and we LOVE to hear her sing!
FAVORITE 2020 Memories: Sleepover at Rachel’s house, going on rides at Bear World, hikes with mom & Dani Hillstead in the fall, and any time there’s swimming.
GOALS/ANTICIPATION: Soccer, writing full name, swim lessons, zip zippers.
