McAlister Matters

Since our last post we enjoyed a fun Christmas break in California. It was nice to hang out and see everyone for a little bit. We made gingerbread houses, went bird watching and jumped on the trampoline. We wish it could have been longer.   January is a cold month and we mostly stay indoors playing games. The kids invented a game with the bird matching cards called Predators and Prey. It kept them busy for at least a week. Kahlan has been busy with choir, orchestra and Young Womens. Juni has been busy with ice skating, play practices and cooking weekly meals. Paul has been practicing piano and improving his ice skating as well. Penny is a star reader. We got all the kids their own children's bible since we are studying the Old Testament this year. It's been good so far. I had a good birthday last week. I'm a 49er I guess. I got my own pair of binoculars to match Sarah. We went out to Indian food and hit a couple bakeries. Sarah and I have been planning our trip to France an...

  Merry Christmas Everyone!  We love you all and hope your New Year is excellent! 🎉 We did it all this year! We did all the things.  It all started in January when we spent some cozy days mostly indoors — reading the Doctrine & Covenants, digging into church history , and enjoying lots of quiet family time together while the weather stayed cold. We started a real adventure for Spring Break. We packed up and drove out to Nauvoo, Illinois , stopping along the way at Martin's Cove in Wyoming and Winter Quarters in Nebraska. It was a LOT of driving but we had a memorable time with the kids and it helped us feel connected to something bigger. Summer flew by and school started again in August.  Penny started kindergarten and already has a ton of friends.  Paul moved into 2nd grade. He's still a Lego master and generally seems to enjoy school. Juniper started 4th grade and loves it. Juni is a level-4 ice skater now and has taken up cooking. Kahlan div...

  Sarah and I worked thru October and finished up making our old guest room Kahlan's new room. We had the popcorn ceiling removed. Then we patched up the walls and ceiling and re-textured the ceiling. We primed and painted the ceiling, windows and trim. Kahlan helped pick out the purple color and painted the walls with us. It turned out pretty nice! We found a sturdy trundle bed for the room so we can still have guests. Kahlan quickly moved in all her stuffies to feel at home.    We took the kids last Sunday on a bird spotting walk at a nature preserve in Farmington. We saw ducks and turtles and something called an American coot. It's a called a mud hen and is a chicken that thinks it's a duck. This weekend we prepped the garden for next year.   Click for more pics

  Happy Halloween Everyone! We had the costume parade this morning and Penny's Kindergarten presentation. The kids were very excited to trick-or-treat this year. They were especially excited for one house in our ward that was giving out fresh homemade donuts! We took the kids to the Cross-E Ranch again this year to see the animals and get apple cider donuts. The kids are all doing well in school and Penny is getting good at reading. Juni has been taking ice skating and is starting level 3 next week. Sarah and I have been working on the downstairs room the last few weeks. We've re-textured the ceiling and have been painting. Kahlan should have a new room soon! More Pics!  

The first quarter of school is wrapping up as we approach fall break. It's been a fun year so far. We had a fantastic time at the Desert Star theater seeing the play Wickeder with Grandma Mimi. The kids all love the Wicked movie and music so it was fun for them. The kids are all liking their school teachers and classes. Sarah and I have been enjoying more quiet time at home and lunch dates.   The garden is all wrapped up now. We've been on some bike rides with the kids. We went to the Bountiful Pond recently to spot some more birds. Sarah and I have also been on some fun bike rides and hikes too. The Fall weather has been great! Halloween is fast approaching after Fall break this week. The kids all have their costumes. Kahlan is a butterfly. Juni is a gymnast. Paul is a mummy. Penny is a princess. We went to two concert performances for Kahlan last week. One was for her school choir. The other was for her school orchestra. She did great in both! Kahlan just got braces last mo...

  School started this week! Penny started on Wednesday and is in Mrs. Roylance's class. When Sarah dropped her off she told Sarah she had picked someone out to make friends with. She couldn't figure out how to get her school lunch the first day but her friend Alicia shared her lunch with Penny. She's been loving it so far! Paul is in 2nd Grade and has Mrs. Jenkins who Juniper had 2 years ago. It's hard to get more than a few words about what he did each day from him. But he seems to enjoy it. Juniper started the 4th grade and has Mrs. Cox who Kahlan had too. The fourth and 5th grade are combined for her and she gets to switch classes a lot just like Kahlan. She has no problem telling us all the happenings of the days. Kahlan started Junior High! She was super excited and has her schedule figured out now. She walks to meet a friend on the way to school. It was a busy week for her. She had to teach Young Women's today and give a talk in sacrament meeting! All while fi...

It's been a long fun summer and it's coming to an end. School starts tomorrow! Kahlan is starting at Centerville Junior High. She got all the classes she wanted like orchestra, chorus and art. Juni starts 4th grade and will be doing the play this year. She's been practicing gymnastics all summer. Check out her routine on video! Paul has the same teacher Juni had for 2nd grade. Penny has lots of friends in her kindergarten from church. They got some new clothes and shoes and are excited to start. We let Kahlan buy herself a flip-phone that she can use for calls and texts. She's also using it as a music player. It will come in handy for when she babysits and has school activities. Kahlan get's to teach young womens for the first time next week and speak in sacrament meeting! We went camping as a family for one night on August 1st. We went to Cinnamon Creek camp by Logan. When we got there they told us that campfires were not allowed that night. We were a little disapp...