The January Blah

Could there be a worse month?  I don't think so.  Forget all the stuff about new beginnings.  It's the worst.  It's dark and cold and I spend way too much time putting away Christmas decorations and clutter.  I also spend way too much time doing all the Amazon returns which is it's own kind of torture.

Henry and I have started going to the monthly Home Depot kids workshops and Henry is getting pretty good at doing most of the building by himself.  It didn't take him long to realize that I'm not a good builder or instruction follower.  We've done three of these and so far we only had to toss one kit for a new one when we couldn't undo the work we did wrong.  I see this as a good thing. A pleasant surprise if you will.  

We adventured up the canyon and hiked to Franklin Falls.  It was so beautiful.   The last stretch was treacherous as the path was coated in ice.  I was waiting for Marcus to fall and break something but we all survived and I only wish we could've taken pictures of us clinging to the sides of the rocks or hanging on to small branches to keep us from sliding off the trail.  Henry even managed to hike without too much whining.

Ethan went back to college took his cat, George, back with him.  Yes, Ethan has a cat.  Yes, Ethan flew home with the cat in a duffel bag.  Yes, Audrey is allergic to cats (and vegetables).  And it turns out, Landon is also really allergic to cats, even after taking allergy meds.  Yes, we love Ethan a lot to allow George into our family.

Ethan had surgery to repair his torn ACL.  He survived and thrived and I didn't feel guilt for not flying down to take care of him.  Turns out he just needed me for food, which I gladly paid for so he and his caregivers (roommate and Halli) were more than happy to purchase.  Ethan was only down for about two weeks before he was back to driving and going to his chemistry labs that you can't miss no matter what.

Marcus began the final grind before the lax season officially started.  He's still playing D-mid and has moved up on the depth chart so he's getting playing time through the whole game, not just when it's 4th quarter.  Hooray!

We had some beautiful days of sunshine that "sick" Parker took advantage of when he stayed home from school.  I got played but I don't really care.

I broke all sorts of records for how long Christmas decor stayed up.  This photo was taken on January 14th, a week before it all got put away.  I think a tiny voice inside my head kept telling me eventually Randy would take care of it.  Finally a much bigger voice in my head told me Randy hasn't noticed it's still out and to just put the Christmas stuff away for the love!  So I did.  Randy noticed and appreciated it two days later :)

The Amazon truck ruined my lawn.  I am still fuming.

A new year means new cancer.  I only had two suspicious spots and of those, only one is pre-cancerous.  This is also true for my colon so I now I get to start having routine endoscopies every six months because apparently that's what I do now.  And that's ok.  

January means a new round of ward conferences.  This is a lot of work is part of what contributes to the "busy season" of my stake calling.  

New Years Eve

Happy New Year!  We had our 10th annual New Year's Eve party and it was a success.  We are a well-oiled machine as we prepared for this party, even down to the annual argument/discussion where Randy thinks I haven't made enough food to which I respond that we always have too much food.  We had more guests this year than ever before because we invited friends from other wards.  We were a little nervous but it ended up being a lot of fun and everyone found people to talk to.  The house was so loud that one girl had to leave because it was triggering a migraine and possible seizure.  Oops.  We didn't even play any games this year because everyone was just chatting and eating so we only did the wrapping paper ball.  I don't think any kids cried this year over it and they all got more loot than necessary.  The fireworks and floating lanterns were a hit and three months later I still have pieces of confetti stuck like glue to my driveway.  Thankfully our house didn't burn down when not one, but two floating lanterns got caught in the tree above the house.  Ethan acted fast and hooked up the hose in no time.  People were definitely concerned but it was just another day at the Ball house for me.

So many shoes!  It took a long time for everyone to find their shoes and get outside for the countdown

Landon's friends filled up on drinks before leaving for the annual NYE dance.  It was Parker's first dance too.  So the house was full of people but not teenagers.  

We even set up s'mores at the fire pit to give people options besides the loud house.  Only one kid went out :)

so.much.food.

The Mastermind behind the magic

Ethan and Halli

No big deal.  Just a couple fires in a tree.

We couldn't convince everyone to join us for the Polar Bear Plunge but it wasn't that bad.  There were several other groups there jumping in too so I guess we've started a trend. Forcing myself to jump in takes all the courage/crazy I can muster.  But it feels refreshing after the shock wears off.

2026 is going great so far!

Christmas 2025

Christmas was great!  Christmas Eve was full of all the usual traditions that make it my most favorite holiday of the year.  We had a really good dinner that I probably slaved away at but now I can't even remember what we ate.  We went Christmas caroling and had a talent show that was very low on talent but high on entertainment.  We talked about the Savior and it just felt good.  Our family is getting older and being all together is happening less and less, which is okay.  But it sure makes it special when we are together.  We are on the brink of big changes in our family with possible weddings coming (or not) and more missions being served.  Heck, I could be a Grandma in a few years!  So I'm soaking it all in and enjoying what we have, knowing that things are going to get crazier, our family could get bigger, or shrink with missionaries, but I'm here for it all.  

Marcus invited his girlfriend, Audrey, to come for a week so we could meet her.  They had fun exploring Seattle together and her eyes were opened wide to what life looks like living in a house with five boys.  She handled it great!

More Seattle sights

The (un)Talent Show 2025

Ethan and Parker had some good moves

Landon broke an apple in half with his bare hands

Marcus ate a Big Mac in seconds (how is that a talent?)

And Henry giggled his way through a piano solo

Matching jammies and hoodies

Henry got a new bike and a giant panda.  Henry has been obsessed with pandas for two years.  His favorite colors were black and white and he has a whole shelf in his bedroom dedicated to random panda paraphernalia.  About a week before Christmas he declared he no longer likes pandas but Santa decided to ignore him and gave him a giant panda anyway.  The giant panda has now become a landing zone for Henry as he jumps from the top of the stairs to the floor below.  So far he has sustained only one mild injury.  

While Randy napped and I packed and prepped food for another Whistler trip, the boys played football in the front yard, blasting music and looking festive in their matching pajamas that I actually really like.  And they love their Nike hoodies.

I'm glad my boys don't think eating Christmas dinner at McDonald's is depressing like I do.

Henry is less than excited to be my ski buddy

We miraculously got the huge hot tub to ourselves and wished Ethan had joined us but he stayed back home with his injured leg.  We made and epic whirlpool in this hot tub!

The treehouse was finally open so Henry and I got to play on it for awhile.

You know you've got a good brother when he will warm your hands while you ride the gondola after a long day of skiing.

Settlers of Cataan is the new favorite game to play.  Henry even learned how to play and has won a couple times.  

Merry Christmas!

The Greatest Ward Christmas Party There Ever Was

I do NOT have a testimony of ward Christmas parties.  I go every year but I don't like them and I hope to never be in charge of one.  If I do, it will be bad for everyone involved.  This year some ladies got the idea to make the whole gym look like a street in Bethlehem.  The two other wards that use our building all combined resources which really looked like borrowing all the stuff Randy has purchased for his big seminary productions and then everything looked amazing. 

Then someone got the idea to do a shadow nativity and they put Randy in charge. The chaos level in our home jumped to new highs.  Let's just say the whole thing was amazing and if you ask Randy, ours was the best out of all the wards :) even though it wasn't a competition.  

I was an angel and Mary Magdalene, Parker was a wise man, Henry was a camel, and Landon was a Roman soldier.  Randy was the director who barked orders and then apologized for barking.  

You can watch the production here.  It's beautifully done and you will cry.

December Things

Looking back on all the activities in December makes me instantly feel tired and stressed.  There's just so much going on but I love most of it.  We got our family pictures taken on December 17th.  

I created and ordered the Christmas cards the same day and I'm pretty sure this year wins for biggest procrastination but it all worked out so have I learned my lesson?  No.  In my defense, our entire family is rarely together so the struggle is real and I made it work.  Next year will probably be no different.

Henry got an unexpected trip to Build a Bear where he picked out the cutest capybara stuffed animal.  Side note: this happened because Randy was supposed to take Henry with him to watch Landon play in a lacrosse tournament while I was with Parker at his tournament.  Randy and Henry never made it to the tournament but they did get lunch at Din Tai Fung after Build a Bear.  Landon and Parker weren't happy about this and Henry wasn't supposed to tell anyone what really happened.

One of my newest assignments was decorating the chapels in the stake for Christmas, on a budget, with a request that nothing look "cheap or tacky."  Hanging garlands that stay hung was a trial and I spent way too many trips to the church and Hobby Lobby to get this hung before giving up.  The other buildings got fresh poinsettias :)

We had some beautiful sunshine that made my morning run even better.  Running always helps me cope with chaos.

My Pinterest-worthy wrapping job must be documented.  I love velvet ribbon and my boys couldn't care less.  But my tree sure looked fabulous with these gifts underneath it.

The second year of veggie trays for the neighbors was a success.  Delivering them while driving around listening to Christmas music with the car decked out in lights wasn't so great this year.  Sometimes grumpiness can't be overcome.  Better luck next year.

We took the fam to a very expensive Brazilian restaurant, Fogo de Cao.  There was a big football game happening so I felt like I was eating by myself.  It was lame.  Next year we will just eat at McDonald's.

Marcus showed Henry the proper way to eat whip cream from a can

Landon was quite proud of this gift at the annual youth Yankee Swap/White Elephant night.  Too bad his gift got stolen at the last second.  

Marcus and I spent a few hours volunteering at the Giving Machine.  We got a lot of curious people but not too many who donated.  No goats to buy this year :(