McAlister Matters

  Happy New Year everyone! We had a good Christmas this year but all came down with COVID. Thankfully we are mostly over it now. We've gotten a ton of snow and rain this December. We hope it keeps up through February to help out our drought conditions. Enjoy some more pics!

  We made the long drive to California for Thanksgiving this year. Driving went well and we enjoyed pretty good weather on our trip. The kids did great in the car. We enjoyed a short stay in Turlock and had a great turkey dinner there with Grandpa Bob and Grandma Ingrid. The kids had fun of course jumping on the trampoline, playing with toys and puzzles. Unfortunately we didn't get to see as much of the cousins as we wanted due to lots of sicknesses going around. While we were there my dad was able to ordain me a high priest which was pretty cool. We stayed the last 4 days in a cabin in the woods up in Arnold, CA. There was snow on the ground but it wasn't too cold. Our cabin didn't have central heating so we relied on a wood burning stove to stay warm. That was a new experience and kind of fun. Arnold was a nice place and we spent Thanksgiving in a nice cabin with Julie's family, my mom and my aunt Leslie. We enjoyed some smoked turkey and brisket. Sarah made rolls and...

  We got some new family photos yesterday. It's been about a year and a half since our last set. The session felt a little rushed but I think we got a few good ones... Click to view

  This week was Halloween and the kids had fun trick-or-treating the neighborhood. They got a big pile of candy. Kahlan was Mulan, Juniper was Queen Anna, Paul was Woody, and Penny was Princess Anna. The weather always suddenly turns cold around Halloween in Utah. Today we had snow.  The fall has been full of activities. We prepped the garden for winter and harvested our pears and grapes. We finally got a good grape harvest from our new vines so we stocked up on jelly. Sarah joined the Conqueror Virtual Challenges   and I've been impressed with her dedication. She finished her first challenge crossing the Shire and got a pretty cool medal after running 140 miles! She even got me to sign up for a challenge. I've been running thru Transylvania. The kids spent last Saturday at Grandma Musser's house with all their cousins. Sarah and I got to go on an adventure bike ride in the hills above SLC. The ride was a tough and long but it was full of Fall leaves and colors....

  Kahlan and Juniper went off to school this week. They were both super excited to see friends and meet their new teachers. Kahlan is starting 4th grade with Mrs. Callister and Juniper is starting 1st grade with Mrs. Bartschi (who Kahlan had too). They sported some new shoes and backpacks this year. Paul also started his online pre-school program. He loves it and does really well. Penny watches Paul do his pre-school. Juniper started soccer last week and we've been going to her games in the 90 degree heat. Juniper's a very active player and stays with the ball. Paul pretends to play from the sidelines. The end of summer was full of activities. We've been freezing corn and making apple pies, tomato sauce, pickles and jelly. Sarah's also been experimenting with Indian meals each week (delicioso!). We watched a full master class with Madhur Jaffrey and it inspired her. Sarah and I went on another bike ride. Paul's been practicing his bike riding and getting better.  T...

  We can't believe Kahlan is nine years old! We had a party at our house with, you guessed it, cake and ice cream. Kahlan wanted 'something fantasy' for her birthday. So she got a lot of things with unicorns and dragons. Kahlan is very independent but loves people and activities. She recently attended the primary activities day camp and had a fun time. Kahlan is full of energy, enthusiasm and excitement. She leads her younger siblings in most activities (mischief included). She has a beautiful singing voice and is still progressing on the piano. She has taken ice skating lessons recently and is good at learning and practicing. She has exceptional reading skills and loves to read especially fantasy stories. We love you Kahlan! We had a visit from Grandpa Bob and Grandma Ingrid recently. We went with them to the aquarium in Layton and had a fun time. The kids got to see lots of fish and animals and touch and feed some of them. We've also attended a few parades this month ...

  Last week was the big Musser family vacation in Yellowstone where we celebrated Sarah's birthday and her parent's 40th anniversary. Just a week before we arrived there were historic floods that closed the park. Luckily we were able to spend 1 day in Yellowstone park. We had a really great time at the cabin with Sarah's family and lots of kids. We stayed in a town called Island Park, about 30 minutes outside Yellowstone and 4 hours from Bountiful. The cabin was in the woods and large enough to comfortably fit all 22 people. It was named 'The Gathering Place' by the owners. There were some game rooms and lots of play areas for the kids. There was a pool table, basketball court, karaoke machine and fire pit. We played tons of games and roasted marshmallows.  On day 1 we went to Big Springs a few miles from the cabin. We fed some big trout on a bridge and went for a nice hike through the woods to an old fire tower. Then we checked out an old cabin that was built by a ...