2017 Recap

Well ... I was not a very productive blogger here in 2017. On this family blog, only about a dozen posts. I'd have other blog posts in my head, but they just didn't quite make it out of my head, through my fingers and onto the blog.

• Travel Time ... I blogged about Gray's trip to Mexico and the family vacation but there was a lot more.  A January trip to Orlando for work, a Portland weekend with a couple of the boys in March, Moab weekend with work guys early April, Bear Lake in June, St. George with the munchkins and extended family in August, biking White Rim and another Canada getaway (just Gray). I got it blogged. Grayson's Getaways 2017. 
• Medical Moments ... Not too much for us this year (yea!) Ingrown toenails (Cal was in twice), Stomach problems for Landon. Menieres moments. Extended family ... Chris and his semi-colon and Pam's head injury.
• Cars ... I never blogged about the Durango and Cal's Charger (well, I finally did, follow the link. I backdated the post to 2016). Still need to blog about 2017 car changes ... a Charger for Landon. Passing the Monster Truck to Keaton. Sequoya. 
• Other People's Pets/Maga's Menagerie ... been thinking of highlighting Maga's kittens, and chickens, and dog. Also the neighbor's dog who the kids have been hired to care for here and there. Dog bite this year as well :(
• Duck, Duck, Goose ... two geese, four ducks, two ducks then four ducklings again! DuckRun. 
• Apps ... stupid Snapchat (but funny faces) and fun Fight List (play with me!)
• Basketball ... I updated the Basketball Blog but meant to do a general wrap up here. Callahan's senior season and playoffs. Keaton's sophomore year. Cooper's Junior Jazz and Colton's Wolves (winter,  spring, summer, fall) and Grizzlies (winter, spring, fall).
• Girls ... dating and girlfriend stuff (mostly Landon and Callahan, but Keaton went to a girl's choice dance at school too). 
• Summer Stuff ... trips to the lake, little boys out with the older boys and their girlfriends (bowling, pool, Airborne). Movies ... I DID get the Seattle summer vacation blogged.
• Inflatable Fun ... the bop balls and t-rex. Bought but didn't try out the "inflata-bull"
• Eating Out ... many of the food gatherings were birthday related, but there were some good meals and fun photos. Neighbor dinner in the Spring. Red Robin with the Westra clan. Tepanyaki. Jen's b-day Red Robin. Gray's b-day Market Street and Windy Ridge. 
• Ice Obsession: Pebbled ice, ice balls, ice cubes ... Grayson is obsessed with ice.
• Starting School ... got the traditional pictures with all five boys. College kids too!
• Halloween ... didn't get pictures of all the costumes, but did capture me in a Whoopie cushion costume and Colton doing Thriller.
• Christmas (the annual "leg lamp lighting" to start the season. Lights on the house. BOXES! Sitting on Santa's lap. The Westra party, Christmas decor and Christmas morning.
• Birthdays ... Colton got a party this year! Finally!
• Home Sweet Home ... a switch up of "office space" and a new fridge (finally!), dishwasher and oven. The stovetop is induction, which also necessitated new pots and pans.
• Derby Daze ... Gray did 43 derbies this year. He attempted to limit his travel, not booking ones in Utah County (although there were still a few). Keaton was his right-hand man most of the time. 

I am still hoping that maybe I'll be able to get some/all of the above still. We'll see. If I do, I'll leave them at the top for a couple days and then move them to the chronologically correct spot. But I'll update with links.

Here's a quick look at the family. I really should have the boys do their own write-ups to see what makes it onto their list. I was really good at making them write Mr. Missionary every week, but that pretty much ended in 2016 because ...

• Landon returned from his Mexico Mission and started school at SLCC. He got a cool car which he takes good care of, and a job at Discover, to pay for said car (and all his new clothes).  He's been attending the young adult ward. He dove into the dating scene and got a girlfriend.
• Callahan finished up his senior year and graduated. Basketball season as a senior was memorable, with pro pictures and name drops in the news. State playoffs and a little post-season fun with friends. Super social, with buddies and his girlfriend. Wrapped up his time with KFC and started working at Caption Call. Started school at SLCC.
• Keaton moved from sophomore to junior and can now drive himself to school... in the Monster Truck Tundra no less! He also started working ... at KFC like Cal, but also still helping Dad run derbies. Finished up his season on the sophomore basketball team. He played Spring and Summer ball (St. George, UofU camp, CHHS camp) but decided not to try out come Fall, opting to play for fun with friends in Junior Jazz (where they are currently creaming everyone). 
• Cooper finished up 7th grade in the Spring, and started 8th in the Fall. He's got a great group of friends and enjoyed hanging out with them during the summer and after school. He's playing Junior Jazz with them again this year. . He lived in shorts for the first 3/4 of the year (and for quite a while before that) then suddenly started wearing joggers again. He got an iphone in the Spring and spends a little too much time on it. Obsessed with NBA, NFL and music.
• Colton started his final year of elementary school. He never stopped playing basketball, although Summer was only with his Wolves team. He got an iphone in the Fall (when Dad upgraded himself, then everyone) so now Mommy can stalk both little boys too.  The silly boy almost always sleeps in his clothes on the couch upstairs. 

• Jen (me) likes the structure of the school schedule, especially for exercise. Both the required rising at an early hour, and not sharing the gym with the boys ;) Still enjoying Zumba and leading classes somewhat regularly.  Reading a LOT (both digital and audio).
• Grayson works, works, works ... although he sure did use up all his vacation this year too. He's still smoking and as mentioned above, developed an obsession with ice. Yes ice ... frozen water.