Valentine's Day 2020

We had a fairly low-key Valentine's Day this year, which is just how I like it. Last year I was really sick on Valentine's Day and I spent the entire day in bed. This year I was worried when I got sick again a few days before. Thankfully, I felt well enough I could still make a fancy dinner for the family and enjoy it!

The boys' Valentine's boxes for school this year.

Molly and her "valentine," Hayes. They each gave each other a stuffed animal. Apparently I didn't get any pictures of Davis!

Instead of going out and fighting the crowds, I like making a nicer dinner than normal at home for our family to eat together. This year I was especially proud of my homemade béarnaise sauce that was so yummy! Of course we finished it all off with our family's tradition of creme brûlée.

It has sort of become tradition for Sean and I to give all of the kids a coupon book with various coupons to stay up late, go to a movie, pick out a treat of their choice, etc. We also gave each of the boys a grab bag of basketball cards from their current favorite place, Mr E.'s, and got Molly a little Disney princess kit with a few lip glosses and nail polishes. Nothing big, but a little something to show them they are loved and we are happy they are our little Valentines. Grateful for our close knit family and the love we have for one another!

Jenny turns 37!

I'm still not really sure how I am 37 years old, but here I am! I had an awesome birthday this year. I haven't always loved having my birthday fall on a Sunday, but I think it might actually be my favorite now! I felt like I got to celebrate all weekend.

On Saturday, Jackson and I used his fifth grade ski pass and went and checked out Solitude. Unfortunately Little Cottonwood Canyon was closed, so Big Cottonwood was even crazier than normal and parking was a nightmare. We eventually made it though! We met our friends the Carrolls up there and they are very familiar with the mountain and showed us all around. We had an awesome day! We were super lucky and hit the back mountain right as it opened up mid-day (it had been closed for heavy snow and avalanche control) and we got in a couple of really amazing powder runs. I was really proud of Jackson when Diego took us through a couple of expert only gates and he didn't seem phased a bit. He's so much fun to ski with!

That night Sean and I went out to a nice dinner at a new restaurant we hadn't tried before called Hoof & Vine. It was really good and we both loved it. 

On Sunday (my actual birthday), I enjoyed going to church, spending time with my family, and eating cake! I was really excited about making my own cake this year, because I had been eyeing this creme brûlée cake recipe for awhile. It turned out so pretty and was SO yummy. While I am still having a hard time believing 40 isn't that far away, I know it is a privilege to be alive and have another birthday to celebrate! This one was a good one.

Big Sky/Yellowstone winter weekend

Sean put in for a lottery for unguided access to Yellowstone in February and he actually got it! I guess it there is only one permit issued per day per entrance to the park so he was really lucky. He could have up to 10 people join him, but it ended up just being Sean, Jackson, and our brother-in-law, Dave. We decided to make a family trip to the cabin out of it so the Heinhold boys and our family and my parents all met in Island Park. Emily and Hayley were in California for a dance competition. 

The guys said their time in the park was amazing. They rented snowmobiles, which have apparently come a long way since the days I remember riding them in the winter as a kid. They were double seaters with heated seats and handlebars (even in the back!). I was worried about them being cold or uncomfortable and that didn't end up being the case at all. Yellowstone has gotten so crowded in the warmer months, Sean said it was really crazy being in the park and feeling like they had it to themselves. They saw lots of wildlife, including two coyotes that ran right by their snowmobiles and tons of buffalo. I'm glad they got to have this experience. I told Sean if he ever wins the lottery again, I am for sure joining next time!

While Sean, Jackson, and Dave were in the park, the rest of us hung out at the cabin. The kids had fun playing in the giant piles of snow and we ended up going sledding in the afternoon. The snow was really deep and it was a pretty big work out hiking up the giant hill, but the kids loved it and did it over and over again!

The second part of our trip was going skiing the next day at Big Sky. Our kids have heard Sean and I talk about Big Sky and how much we love it for forever and we were all really excited to go. Our kids had never been, and Sean and I hadn't been there since we were newly married. Some of my very favorite childhood memories include family ski trips to Big Sky. We had such an awesome day! The snow was great and it was just as amazing as we'd remembered. The kids loved skiing with their cousins, and we were all amazed by the new chairlift that can hold 8 people, had heated seats, and a giant visor. My parents were awesome and hung out with Davis and Molly for most of the day in the lodge. We took Davis out skiing after lunch and he did so well! We had such a fun day, we decided we really want to try to make it an annual trip!

We ended our night with dinner at the Three Bears in West Yellowstone. Such an awesome trip. I can't wait til next year!