Aunt Tiffany Takes Texas

Tiffany told me that for her Christmas present she wanted a ticket to Texas, so that is what she got! She arrived late last Sunday night, but we got right to business on Monday morning and the girls headed to Waco first thing. Driving the 1+ hour to Magnolia was the perfect way to talk and catch up so it passed by really quick and we always have great conversation!

We got to Magnolia and enjoyed the beautiful weather and decor in the store. 

Eve was immediately obsessed with Aunt Tiffany because she was so sweet with her and because Eve loves to love on people that aren't me. She gives me my fair share of love and affection, but when she has the chance to latch on to someone else, she will take it!

 Tiff was so happy to see sunshine because Idaho got dumped on with snow right before she came, and it was even warm enough to ditch our jackets (but not quite warm enough for me to ditch my sweater)!

We came across this cutest gal in the Magnolia magazine-

After some fun at Magnolia (no cupcakes because the line was so long), we had a delicious lunch at Torchy's in Waco and made one of our favorite stops at Buc-ee's on our way home- 

 Tiff loved it as much as all of our other visitors and got some awesome treasures to take home for her kids. We love spreading the Buc-ee's love!

That night we enjoyed time outside, DELICIOUS crepes (Tiffany's favorite) and just had fun being all together since the boys weren't able to see her that morning before school. Thad was quizzing her about all her favorite things and they found out that they both love nachos and a couple other things I can't remember, but it was so cute to see him so excited about it! I love when my kids connect with family and understand how important these relationships are, it's the best.

On Tuesday we headed down to Austin to see Jen Hatmaker finish off her Moxie Matters tour. Tiffany introduced me to Jen Hatmaker when Eve was a baby and I have been following her on social media ever since. She is from the Austin area, so that makes it even better for me, but she is mostly just amazing and I want to be best friends with her. She is a preacher/motivational speaker/author/influencer. She has been involved in church ministry with her husband full time since they graduated college and they have just done some amazing things with their time, resources and service. We were both SO EXCITED for this and it did not disappoint!

Jen spilled her guts about how hard the last year had been for her and how she came out on the other side and the sermon was about feeling and leaning into the hard things, rallying around each other and having hope and faith through it all. I wish I would have written down exactly what she said, but it touched both of us so deeply and lots of tears were shed and laughs laughed. It was just so, so, so, so good! Nichole Nordeman is a Christian singer/song writer and performed some beautiful music, but Jen was definitely the star of the show in my book.  

It was so fun to sit with Tiffany and enjoy Jen together in that beautiful Riverbend Church and just have an uplifting, motivational, wonderful time together!

After our wonderful morning/afternoon spent here we headed downtown to get a good view of Austin and have some killer BBQ-

 Luckily I saw the signs to Mt. Bonnell on the way and Tiff was up for a little hike with an awesome view! Brian recommended Freedmen's BBQ to try near campus and it did not disappoint. We both got some brisket and LOVED it...I think it topped Rudy's for me, and that's a big deal!

Wednesday was a chill day because we were mostly just getting ready for me to host book club that night. I told Tiff in January that she needed to read "Small Great Things" because I was hosting while she was here, and it was no big deal because she is a big reader. She was so great to help me menu plan, grocery shop and clean before hosting! While we were grocery shopping she got each of my kids a fun surprise (Eve got a frisbee from Buc-ee's), Wes got a hot wheels and she got Thad a dragon fruit because they had talked about it the day before-

Well, we had to slice that thing open when they boys got home from school and it was quite interesting. It has the texture of a kiwi and this one did not have much flavor, so it was pretty anti-climactic, but still fun to experience together!

Oh yeah, we also went to Hopdoddy for lunch this day and Tiff totally fell in love just like we have. Those burgers, fries and shakes are just so delicious!

Book club was a lot of fun and we had a great discussion about the hard topics the book brings up. I'm so glad Tiff was able to meet a bunch of my friends and participate in book club!

On Thursday it was time to say goodbye and Aunt Tiffany was so sweet and got up to say goodbye to my boys since she wouldn't be there after school. Thad kept asking why she had to go (even though he knew) and it was so adorable! My kids just love it when family comes to visit and it makes them (the visitor) and me SO happy to see that. 

It's always hard to say goodbye, especially when we're not sure we'll see the person again (Eve and I will see her in Utah in a couple weeks, but our summer is still up in the air). They were so sweet with her and I'm so glad we got to have one on one time with her, that doesn't happen very often when we go to Utah and we all just hang out together. I am so glad she came! 

Tiff and I headed to High Fitness after dropping Eve at preschool and headed back for a shower and to pack up for her to head home. We had a yummy lunch at In-N-Out (that she had never had before), picked Eve up at school and headed to the airport.

Oh man, I sure love this gal and the four days we got to spend together! I am always so grateful when family and friends make the sacrifice to come and spend time with me and my family because it makes all the difference for our relationships because we live so far away. 

Love you so much, Aunt Tiffany! Thank you for coming!

Happy birthday, Thad!

Thad turned 9 this year and we can hardly believe it. How have we been parents for 9 years? This boy is just the best and I hope he always knows it!

His birthday fell on a Sunday, so we had another full birthday weekend and it was a blast! It started with taking treats to his class on Friday. He requested a cookie cake because he isn't a fan of cake, mostly because of the frosting.

He also wasn't the biggest fan of being doted over, but I snapped a shot anyways and those kids downed those cookie cakes pretty darn quick!

He also headed back with his friends pretty quick, but I snuck a quick selfie with him before heading back home- 

That Thad is so handsome and he was so sweet and grateful that I came, even though he doesn't show it with hugs and kisses I can feel it. I love him!

On Saturday afternoon we had another basketball themed birthday party for him and it was a blast! He ended up wanting to be surprised like with the theme like Wes did and he was way happy that morning when I told him we were heading to the church to play basketball and eat nachos for lunch...two of his favorite things! 

Things were super crazy that morning because I didn't prep much beforehand and then Brian and Wes took WAY longer at his Destination Imagination practice that we thought and when we got to the church ALL the chairs were set up in the gym...OOPS! Luckily Danielle and Brody got there a bit early and we were able to get them all put away in a jiffy! Before we knew it, they were having a blast on the court- 

  

They got hungry and enjoyed the nacho bar and candy and then we had some races and contests, i.e. 3-point shots, free throws, dribbling forward and backwards, knockout, etc. 

They were such a good sports and after the games wanted to play 3 on 3.

A break for donuts and presents was in order- 

I got hardly any pictures because it was sort of chaotic! It was hard to keep them together as a group and I forgot my nice camera and we were all just enjoying it, too!

They all had such a fun time and even though I was crazy and had the party go three hours instead of two, it was so much fun for him to be with his friends and goof around! Little boys are pretty easy to please and he kept telling us what an awesome party he had.

 Kingston.London.Brody.Brooklyn.Eve.Oliver.Dax.Justin

Thad.Elliot

Carter

 Silly kids!

Gotta love the dab.

After setting up the chairs in the gym we headed home for a low key evening and dinner from Mighty Fine at the birthday boy's request. Daddy and Eve were so kind to go get it for us-

I sure love those two!

And after all the hoopla it was finally Sunday, February 11, his actual birthday! The first thing he wanted to do was open his gift from us. He had a hunch that it was the same thing Wes got, but he patiently waited for three weeks to find out for sure and he was not disappointed when he opened it- 

His own Kindle!

He had a good time with his dad setting it up and being able to play a bit on a Sunday...definitely a birthday treat!

We had a great day at church and a good time celebrating how wonderful he is- 

What a handsome, caring, lovely 9 year old we are so lucky to have a part of our family!

We continued with the theme of no frosting and ended the night with his favorite Blue Bell Ice Cream, Mint Chocolate Chip- 

Happiest of happy birthdays, Mr. Thaddeus! We love you most!

9 Things We Love About Thad-

1. He goes with the flow. He is such a good sport about any school, church or friend activity and I love that about him. He doesn't let other's view of if it's cool or not get in his way.

2. Those big boy teeth! That smile is taking on a life of its own and I love it every time it shines!

3. Smooth older brother. Thad isn't overly affectionate with Wes at school or church, but he is always asking what he learned about that day or what he did in P.E. and is always making sure Wes keeps up with him on the way to school. 

4. Loves to read! Comics are this boy's favorite lately and he stays up reading every night and wakes up early almost every morning to get some reading in before it's time to wake up. He often says, "Yeah, that's like in Calvin and Hobbes.." and proceeds to tell us the scenario.

5. Sensitive to the Spirit. Thad wants to be good because it makes him feel good. I have no doubts he will continue to choose the harder right throughout his life!

6. Smart Boy. He continues to excel in the classroom.

7. Obsession with steps. He continues to ask Brian every day how many steps he has taken and compares in hopes of beating him. It doesn't happen often, but he loves it when he does!

8. Quick to forgive. We can be pretty hard on our first born and he forgives us time and time again.

9. Positive attitude. He looks on the bright side of almost everything. Our move to Ohio will no doubt be difficult for this boy, but he doesn't have a bad thing to say about it. He knows it will be hard, but looks forward to snow, football and new friends.

January Moments

January was a big, crazy, terrible, awesome, exciting, stressful, wonderful month at our house. I know that's a lot of contradicting words, but we were on a roller coaster! The thing above all things that made it feel like a roller coaster was that Brian was flying out to Indiana University, The University of Wisconsin and The Ohio State University for professor positions. This was it. The past five years came down to what happened at these interviews and that weighed very heavily on Brian's shoulders. He was not only stressed about these interviews and the fact that wished he had more than three, but ALL THREE were in one week! He left on Monday, January 15 for Indiana, came home for 10 hours on Wednesday, left for Wisconsin on Thursday, January 18, came home Saturday for 12 hours and left again Sunday, January 21 for Ohio. Whoah. It was as crazy as that sentence sounds! And during those 8 days I also had a lot going on at home. Science fair projects were due for the boys, Wes' birthday party/weekend, Liz's memorial and a few other things I can't remember but seemed very significant at the time. I'm not one to fill my schedule on a regular basis, so it was a lot for me to be present for my kids and support Brian and stay afloat with all the things I had to do. It seems kind of insignificant writing it all down now, but I don't want to forget that it was hard and that lots of tears were shed, but doing hard things is always worth it because the pay off was so sweet.

Before Brian headed out for his visits, we finished out Christmas break that went until January 8! It was a long break, but we had a great time being together so much.

We kept up with our dot-to-dot obsession and got this cool book of popular architecture/cities and Brian did the basilica at Red Square in Moscow. Didn't it turn out great?! He loved it so much he hung it up at his office-

We had a group chat going with Kelli and Merit and were showing off all of our dot-to-dots to each other and it was so much fun!

Eve hurt her finger and didn't let us forget about it-

Ok, ok. Maybe we kept asking her about it and telling her to show us and laughed every single time. It was too funny!

Brian took this picture of all his running shoes- 

That man runs LOTS of miles and has so many shoes to prove it! I love how dedicated he is to the sport and the release that he finds in it. I know it has been a blessing to him over the past 5 years of the PhD program.

I tried to take a nap on the couch and Eve and Wes just settled right in with me- 

Brian always gets the funniest and sweetest day-to-day shots of our kids- 

 I love when we have the boys read scriptures at night and even more when Wes hovers over Thad's shoulder and Thad doesn't get after him for being too close. That's brotherly love.

We had some friends over for dinner and forgot about this cream soda in the freezer and pulled it out the next day. As it thawed all the goodness was oozing out and nobody wanted to miss out on it-

On January 9 (also the first day school was back in session), Thad received his Wolf Rank in Cub Scouts! 

He has awesome leaders that make sure to do activities that mark off requirements, but they also do a great job keeping us in the loop so we were able to finish up with Thad at home. So proud of him! 

I also love his silly face! He is a pretty good sport about smiling for pictures, so I have to laugh when he gives me these silly faces.

There was an ant in the kitchen one night and Wes got emotional about the idea of us stomping on it, so he got his bug tweezers and put it in a jar with some grass so we could keep it as a pet. Good thing dad is such a good sport to help him out. 

Brian headed out for interviews on January 15 as I mentioned above and here are some fun pictures from those interviews throughout the week. He actually didn't get any pictures in Indiana because he was stressed to the max with it being his first interview, but he got some great ones in Wisconsin and Ohio.

Wisconsin

  

The lake was totally frozen and there was even a running path made by other runners, so Brian had to try it out! 

His interview in Wisconsin went really well! He felt so much better about it than his Indiana interview, but they dropped a bomb on him at dinner on Friday night after his presentation and meeting with all the faculty and told them they had made two offers to experienced hires (it is hard to come by experienced hires in the academic world and these popped up unexpectedly) and if they both accepted they would not have the funds or need to hire an out coming PhD student. That was a really tough pill to swallow because Brian liked Madison a whole lot and really got along with everyone on faculty. When he told me, I didn't have much to say. I wanted to just say everything would be fine, but I had such a stressful day with Wes' birthday party and then preparing to help and attend Liz's memorial that I wasn't able to offer much in the comfort department. We both worked through it and that is when I really started shifting my hopes to Ohio. Not only had Brian not been happy about his interview performance at Indiana, it was no secret that I was not too excited about the prospect of living in Bloomington, Indiana. It is a college town (about the size of Logan) and that's just not really my jam. I would have gone with a happy and willing heart if that's where the Lord led us, but if I could choose between what I figured was our two options now, I knew Columbus, Ohio would be my choice.

Ohio

I love that Brian goes on runs wherever he visits and gets pictures so we can all have a feel for the places he goes. From the first time I talked to Brian after he got to Columbus, all I heard was positive stuff. He thought it felt a lot like the Austin area and really thought I would love living there. That got my hopes up early on and then his interview went swimmingly and that got my hopes a lot higher! He went on a real estate tour on his last day there and got a really good feel for the area and was very optimistic about it all. The only downer was that he was only the 4th interview out of 10, so we knew there would be lots of waiting. He got home and that's what we did...waited. Stressed a lot too, but just lots of waiting.

Back to life in Round Rock while dad was gone:

Science projects were completed with an extra day off of school after MLK day because of an "ice day" that had no ice (this extra day off added to the stress of my solo week), but we got it done!

The whole time we were putting these together, I just kept reminding them that we weren't going for ribbons, we just needed to get 'er done! Well, they didn't listen to me and Wes got 2nd place in Kindergarten and Thad got 3rd in Third grade which sends him to regionals at the end of February! I was so proud of them both for doing so well! I love them so much and even got to go see them receive their ribbons at the school assembly-

I am so proud of those cute brothers!

We got a fun Valentine's package from Grandma Teresa and Grandpa Russ and the kids loved the pez characters so much. Eve smiled real big with them-

Now, back to the waiting game...

We waited and with each passing day Brian got more stressed. We talked about how we wished he had more fly outs and thought through some worse case scenario stuff, but on the last day of the month we finally closed the Job Hunting chapter of the PhD program (much earlier than we thought we would)! The department head from Ohio State called Brian on the afternoon of January 31 and told him the faculty had met specifically to discuss offering Brian a job. They still had five interviews to go (they are hiring 3-4 positions), but knew he was done with his interviews and wanted to snatch him up before he started looking in to other options. The department head said the decision was unanimous (such validating thing for Brian to hear) and that they wanted to offer him an Assistant Professor position on their faculty! He also said they would send the official offer over the next day and Brian almost just said he would look it over and let him know, but just verbally accepted the job on the spot! Brian and I had discussed at length that Ohio was our first choice and there was no reason not to accept right away. The department head was very happy about that and got the ball rolling right away with the official offer and everything else.

Brian called me immediately to tell me the good news and I missed his calls for TEN minutes! I had turned my phone off to take a nap (which I rarely do) and woke up to the sound of a jackhammer at the neighbor's and saw his missed calls and texts telling me to call him! I knew right away what it was about and called. I was SO excited and we were both just so relieved! I think the second thing I said to him was, "I'm so glad we're not moving to Bloomington, Indidana!" and he said, "I know you are!" and we had a good laugh about it. It was so crazy how our lives changed so drastically so quickly. Just all of the sudden we were on the other side of the whole process and it was a night and day difference in how we both felt. Brian said he felt like his humanity had been restored and as excited as I was I began the real mourning of leaving Texas. Now that we had somewhere tangible and real that we were moving, it all came crashing down that we are moving in a few months and this beautiful chapter of our lives will be closed. Don't get me wrong, the feelings of joy, accomplishment and love far outweighed the mourning, but it was and is there nonetheless. It has been a whirlwind getting the process going of the details of our transition, but it all has been very welcome after the months of waiting and stress the job search has given us. The kids are so excited about Ohio and have very similar feelings I expressed about leaving Texas. We are all so excited about moving forward, this is what we have been working towards and waiting for! But we will be sad to see our time in Round Rock come to an end.

Columbus, Ohio...The Monsens are coming for you!