McAlister Matters

We'd like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas this year! We didn't get our card made soon enough to send off letters so a blog post will have to do. We are excited for our big trip to California this week to spend Christmas with my family. It's been a few years since we've been able to do that. We're a little nervous to make the long drive in one day but we decided to just going for it . I think that's pretty much been our motto this year! The Musser Family Cookbook Sarah put together a Musser Family Cookbook that turned out really awesome. She printed and bound copies for her whole family. It contains all our favorite recipes and a sweet dragon cover! We've had a few snowy days this month. The kids have had a blast playing in the backyard everyday. We took the kids to a park to sled down a real hill on sleds. They loved it! We spent Thanksgiving with Sarah's family this year. We played games and had wonderful food, including 6 pies!  We made the ch

  This fall started off a little rough. Our whole family came down with COVID-19 right after labor day weekend. First Kahlan and Juni got sick, then the rest of us. Luckily everyone got over it within a few days. At least I thought I had until the chest pain came back and stuck with me. Chest pain is always kind of scary. It seems now to be something pleuritic but I'm still waiting on a cardiologist's diagnosis. Fortunately I've found it to be manageable with some rest and ibuprofen. Sarah and Kahlan were able to attend general conference together in the conference center in Salt Lake City. It was Kahlan's first time attending in person. I got to stay home and eat snacks with the other kids. The kids had a fun Halloween this year. We went to the 'trunk-or-treat' activity at their school and they got some Halloween candy. They also made the annual trip to the pumpkin patch with their cousins. I finally released  Catbusters to the Google Play app store for Hallow

The end of Summer means the start of school. Kahlan started the 3rd grade this year and was glad to return to in-person class. Of course Juniper was super excited to be starting Kindergarten this year and be at the same school as Kahlan! They both get to ride their scooters to the school every day (so does Paul). Sarah and Paul actually make the trek 3 times each day because they have to pick up Juniper before lunch and Kahlan later in the afternoon. Kahlan has been enjoying school lunches each day and gets to choose between hot meals and PB&J sandwiches. The girls are both good about wearing their masks. Unfortunately, cases are already on the rise since the school failed to have a mask mandate :( .     We took the kids up City Creek Canyon for a picnic a few Saturdays ago. The older kids got to ride up and down on their scooters. They did pretty good going uphill for over a mile. We found a good spot for a picnic and enjoyed some time by the creek. We've tried to squeeze in a

  We're so proud of Kahlan for choosing to be baptized last week! It was a great day! Grandpa Bob and Grandma Ingrid came to visit for the weekend and all the Utah cousins came to the baptism. Four other 8-year-olds from the stake also were baptized and there was a single program.  Kahlan, Juniper and Paul sang 'Be What I Believe' together while Sarah played the piano. We had donuts at the church afterwards for our group. The kids did an amazing job singing. Even Paul sang most of the words. The kids had a blast with Grandpa Bob and Grandma Ingrid and they took them shopping at the dollar store and to a couple parks. Saran and I enjoyed another fun bike ride up City Creek Canyon after the baptism. We saw a couple of wild turkeys while up there. On Thursday this week Sarah and I also decided to tackle Mount Timpanogos again. It had been 6 years and 3 kids since we'd last done it. We had really nice weather and hardly anyone on the mountain. This time we took some hiking

  We celebrated Kahlan's eighth birthday this week. We went swimming at the Rec Center as a family for her birthday. We also had a small party at our house and had some of the Musser family over. Kahlan received a new pair of scriptures, a CTR necklace and some great arts and crafting gifts. What an amazing girl Kahlan is! She's a top reader in her class and an excellent student. She practices typing and playing the piano every day and is learning to swim. She is wonderfully imaginative and produces an endless supply of homemade crafts which she uses for entertainment. Kahlan inspires her younger siblings, especially Juniper. She is kind and loves having visitors over and sometimes cries when they have to leave. Kahlan has a big heart and we love her! We finally got our new patio awning just before Kahlan's birthday and we are super happy with it! It feels like a whole new room was added to our house to enjoy. We also found a cool table with benches to put outside. We can&#

  We got back from our California trip this week. We drove out on the 24th of June. We stayed in a cabin in Truckee for 3 nights. We saw my sisters Heather, Julie and Stephanie and their families there. We were only going to stay for 2 nights but got an extra night free because of an internet modem issue. It was a comfy cabin (called the Comfy Cabin) and was surrounded by big pine trees. The kids had fun playing out back where there were lots of large pinecones on the ground. We celebrated Sarah's birthday there and had cake and ice cream cones. We played lots of Dominion with Sarah's new set. The kids made cool pinwheels that Julie brought. My aunt Leslie from Utah also visited us here since she happened to be staying in a cabin nearby.  We went to Donner Lake for a picnic and then let the kids play by the shore for a bit. Heather took the older kids for a short ride on a paddle board. The next day we tried to visit Lake Tahoe but failed because it was too crowded and we didn&

  The big day finally came for Juniper to be 5! She's been excited for this birthday for a while now because she gets to stay up until 8 o'clock like Kahlan. She also gets to start kindergarten in the fall. We had an actual party for her this year with her cousins and Utah relatives over. It was over 100 degrees! Juniper is an Upstart graduate. She had perfect attendance for her pre-school and earned 9 gold medals. Juni is learning to read and can read several Dr. Seuss books already. She's a good helper and loves to make Penny laugh. She's a pro bike and scooter rider. She loves games and is very good at Dominion and Splender. She builds amazing worlds in Minecraft with Kahlan. She loves pink, unicorns and princesses. Her favorite food is Indian tofu with naan. She also loves lemon pancakes. We love little Juni! We harvested our cherries yesterday. We picked enough for 2 pies and about 20 jars of jelly. The kids were good helpers. It's been a hot June so far so the

  Schools out for Summer so it's party time! We hit the 90's finally this week so it was time to get out the splash pad. Penny loved it! She cried when it was nap time.  Juniper graduated from her online pre-school with 9 gold medals. Kahlan finished her online 2nd grade school year too. Paul has taken up scootering with the girls on our walks. He's getting pretty speedy just like them.  We enjoyed a memorial day bike ride with the kids on the Legacy trail. Juni was able to ride along this time and did a good job on her little bike. Penny and Paul rode in the trailer. Sarah and I enjoyed one of of our favorite hikes last weekend to Grandeur Peak. It's a great hike up Mill Creek canyon with a cool view at the top. Otherwise we've been busy in the yard weeding and planting. We planted 2 new trees this year, a plum and a magnolia. We also planted 2 blackberry bushes and a blueberry bush. We've also had some fun doing electronic music jams at night.  Click for more

  After a year and 2 vaccine shots we decided to leave the bunker and head down to Moab. We spent 2 days in Arches and enjoyed the awesome scenery with warm weather. We had trained for a few months of walks with the kids so they were ready to hike! This time was extra fun because Grandpa and Grandma Musser came along! They gave Sarah and I a chance to hike Delicate Arch together which was a real treat. We also all got to hike the park avenue trail which requires some car shuttling. Paul (aka Batman) was a trooper and did all the hikes too, at his own pace. He was excited for the stair steps and liked to count them out loud. He kept us inspired by singing 'Be what I Believe' many times. He ate the trail mix but only the M&M's and was very specific which colors.  Half the people we passed commented on the princess in the carrier. Penny was a good sport and only complained when we buckled her in. She patted my back and said 'Da da' :) Then she usually passed out