We should do this every year

 

Yesterday Lucy drove (yes DROVE) the twins and I up Big Cottonwood Canyon to see the fall colors.

Are. You. Kidding me UTAH??

Well done.

It started to drizzle when we got towards the top so Lucy and Grace had the brilliant idea to have our picnic (Harmons sandwiches, sushi, watermelon, and the starbursts/graham crackers/marshmallows we found in the trunk) in the back seat with the trunk open. 

My children are genius and I love them.

As Lucy drove as back down, someone said we should do this every year. 

5th grade Service Project

In 5th grade the students at our school have the option of doing the Great American program where they have to memorize all 50 states and capitals, learn the national anthem, memorize the preamble to the constitution and a bunch of other things I can't remember.  They have a few optional projects to choose from like memorizing the Gettysburg Address (Grace did that last week smarty pants girl) and then they need to complete 3 hours of service.  The twins did a diaper drive for refugees and today we got to drop off the diapers at the Utah Refugee Connection warehouse.

I can't imagine what it would be like to take my children and have to flee my home and go to a different country with very few belongings and where so many things were foreign to me. Language, culture, customs, food etc... 

I am so grateful for organizations like the Utah refugee connection and others like it (Lifting Hands International is another good one) that help people in need and make it so accessible for families like mine to help serve even in a small way. 

Such a great reminder to me and hopefully to my kiddos, that we are so incredibly fortunate and that as followers of Jesus Christ, the best way we can follow Him is by serving others. Service projects like this are so great, but I heard something a few weeks ago in a church meeting that I've been thinking about a lot lately.  

In the parable about the Good Samaritan, the Samaritan served the person who was right in his path.  Sometimes the greatest service we can do is for people who are right in our path while we are going about our normal routines.  Everyone we meet is going through something...even if you can't see it. I've been thinking about that a lot lately and am trying to work on serving those right in front of me; at the store, library, school, church etc... and at home. It's a work in progress for sure but I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve.

I am SUPER grateful for these amazing twins who have been such a source of light and joy in my life for almost 11 YEARS!!!! 

How is that even possible?

 

Random awesomeness lately

A lot of random awesomeness has been going on in the Pugh household lately.

Jack and Marian had their end of season Mountain Bike banquet!  I wish I had taken a picture of the entire crowd.  One of the banquet halls at the expo center was filled to the brim with amazing high schoolers and parents who are SO DEDICATED and know how to work hard and make good things happen in mountain biking and in the community.  There is so much love and camaraderie in this group and I feel sooo lucky to be a part of it!

Jack was one of the team captains this year.  Awesome kids!

I had my school choir concert and it was awesome!  The kids did amazing and I got such good feedback from parents, teachers, and kids.  I LOVE music!

Ummm can you tell I'm excited?

No surprise at all but Grace won the leadership award for her soccer team!

This girls is small but mighty!  She's such a smart player and does a great job talking to her team on the field to make good things happen in the games. So proud of her!

Jack is the most amazing math tutor.  He is wicked smart and incredibly patient and creative in the ways he helps his siblings understand math.  Good thing because I am NO help in this department.

Chad and I took Lucy, Grant, and Grace to see the Kalani Sitake show down at BYU

It was even more fun that I expected it to be and we a fun BYU experience...something that has been hard to come by lately.  Hang in there Cougs!

Serious BYU fans in this household...not that you didn't know.

School "Skate night" at Classic Skating.  Grant (not pictured because he was off with friends in the tramp/bounce house area getting sweaty and gross all night...and having the time of his life) and Grace loved it.  I used to work at Classic and know too much to let me kids go there ;) but I figured for school night I'd make an exception.  I assumed all the parents would be skating/roller blading too.  It wasn't until my 2nd or 3rd lap around the rink that I realized that was not the case.  I wasn't the ONLY parent out there...but pretty much.  I didn't let that discourage me and I actually had a ton of fun cruising around the rink.   Let's just say I've still got it...sort of.

We had everyone's least favorite (I have mixed feelings) fall activity...FAMILY PICTURES.  Yay or BOO depending on which Pugh you are talking to.  My photographer friend took the real pictures...these are just some of the ones I was able to sneak in.  Based on who is and who isn't in my shots, you can get a good idea as to people's level of enjoyment of this whole enterprise.

are you kidding me with those gorgeous GREEN eyes?!!!

Can't wait to get the real photos back from the photographer!

Being a twin has it's ups and down.  Sharing a room with your sister/brother at age 10 is not ideal (but the least un-ideal set up....believe me we've tried them ALL) but these two twinners have A LOT of fun together.

Grace was very excited to style Grant's hair the other day.

This is their "rock star pose"

Not sure what this pose is....

this is their "Grant is only 1 minute older but a FOOT TALLER" pose

Last but not least...Grace had hat day at school and couldn't decide which hat to pick so....she picked them all.

Like I said to begin with...a bunch of random awesomeness has been going on lately and I am so grateful I get to be a part of it all!

 

8 is Great...x's 2!

The second week of December is always full of birthday celebrations.  Grant and Grace's birthday is the day after mine and my mom's is the day right after theirs, so there are always lots of celebrations going on that week.  

This year it was extra special because the twins turned 8!

8 seems so grown up on it's own but it is also the year kids in our church get baptized.  The twins were lucky enough to be baptized on their actual birthday!

The day started off with me driving the icy roads to go pick up Krispy Kreme donuts for the twins to pass out to cousins after their baptism.  I 100% hate driving in the snow and it was super icy...but all's well that ends well.

Chad made Nutella waffles for the birthday twins!

Both grandmas gave amazing talks over ZOOM.  They talked about baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost and I didn't think it was possible to feel the spirit so strongly and so sweetly over zoom!

I sure love all these people!

There was something so sweet about these two being able to be baptized together.  They were so sweet with each other and I don't think I will ever forget the spirit I felt, listening to their tender little conversations with each other about how they felt and what they were experiencing while they were changing into dry clothes in the dressing room.

It was so fun to have family watch the baptism on zoom.  My sister Anne, the Enghs and Brian and Liz and their kids were able to come in person which was so great.

Normally we would have had a huge family party after the baptism but with all the Covid craziness we opted for donuts in the driveway instead!  No one complained!

Grandma and Grandpa came by for a quick birthday visit!

Grant and Grace were CHOMPING AT THE BIT to open presents after the baptism.

They had saved up their money to buy each other remote control helicopters

Their siblings gave them such thoughtful gifts

Grant finally convinced me to let him have a hamster (so gross) so for his gift Chad and I took him to the pet store to pick out..

Buddy...this is the only picture we have of Buddy because either he was a really old hamster when we got him or he was sickly...because he went to a...better place....hamster heaven after only 6 days.

Grant was sad but was a good sport and is now anxiously awaiting a lightsaber to come from Amazon as his replacement gift!  

Marian made...yes MADE a pinata for the twins birthday present!!!  We borrowed some church keys from a friend, tied it to the basketball hoop...which wasn't easy since they were lifted up to keep kids from playing basketball during COVID...but Jack figured out a way to do it!

Not only had Marian spent HOURS making that incredible pinata...but she had filled it with everyone's favorite...Ferro Roche candy!  

After the pinata it was dinner at 5 Guys where the any flavor soda machine is pretty much my kids favorite thing ever!

With all the celebrations and treats on their actual birthday we ended up doing cake and ice cream the next day...like I said, December birthdays really are birthWEEKS around our house.  

I can't believe my tiny little 4 and 5 pound babies are so grown up.  

Every time their birthday rolls around I can't help but tear up with gratitude for all the people that helped our family EVERY week I was on bed rest for 16 weeks.  Anne, Megan, Grandma Marian, Heather Gagon, Liz, Sonia, Nina, Alicia, Hillary and Evan and Linda and our ward family.  I don't know how we would have survived without them.

I am also especially grateful that those precious babies arrived safe and healthy...

 and that I survived the terrible 2's...and 3's...

and all the times that as toddlers, they ran away from me at the park...in opposite directions.