Spring Break 2026

​We just got home from an amazing beach trip for Spring break. We went back to Panama City beach in Florida and we had the best time. We booked one day more than last year and I wish we could have stayed even longer. I’m not sure any amount of time at the beach will ever be enough. 

Spring break happen to start a day earlier this year, so we had Friday. the 20th off as well. The kids mostly hung out at home during the day, although Tucker and Benson joined their Lanoy cousins on a bike ride to Wendy's. 

Tanner and I also ran some errands. My van was in the shop getting an alignment, so Tanner drove me around in his beloved truck. I bought us some awesome rock-n-roll hats too. 

That night all our kids went to Uncle Joseph's to have a sleepover and Chris and I enjoyed a quiet night at home together. The kids had a great time. 

We left on Saturday, the 21st,  picked up the kids at Joseph's and drove half way and got a hotel. 

                                    

Then we drove the rest of the way Sunday and checked into our room. We got a two bedroom until at Bayside Resort and it fits us great. There are two queen beds, a pull out couch and a king size bed. It also has a full kitchen and two baths. Once we checked in, we unloaded and while we unpacked, Dad went to pick up our grocery order. We relaxed for a bit and then made dinner before going down to the little beach at the resort. The resort beach is definitely smaller, but it’s private and has awesome marine life when the tide goes out. 

We had so much fun catching hermit crabs and brittle stars.

 It was so fun and I think the younger boys could have played for hours. 

 

 

There are few things I like more than the beach at sunset. 

My weirdo kids even took some sunset pictures for me. 

The next morning we went to explore the resort and found a bunch of yard games. When we came here last year, the resort was under construction, so the area next to the main pool was closed, as was the big pool facing the beach. This year, everything was open so it was so fun to explore. 

We eventually made our way down to the beach again. The kids brought hammocks this year and Tanner spent the majority of his time lounging in his hammock. He loved it. iley alternated between reading in a hammock and reading in a beach lounge chair. As long as she has a book, she’s pretty easy to please. 

Tucker and Benson played and dug in the sand for hours.

We even buried Tucker at one point. We hung out at the beach most of the day, only going back to grab food. 

 

We made dinner in our room and then went to play mini golf. The golf course was right outside our building so we had to take advantage of that.

 Bailey didn’t want to play, but when we finished with golf we all watched a movie and ate ice cream together. These little $2 pints of ice cream are our new favorite way to celebrate. It’s so fun for everyone to have their own.

The next morning we decided to go explore downtown PCB. Bailey and I had found this super cute bookstore on instagram and we were dying to check it out. So we went there first.

 Then we explored an old thrift/antique store and a music store. The downtown area was so cute. I love all the beach vibes.

To Tucker’s eternal happiness, we finally made it down to the beach. We went to St. Andrew’s beach this time and it was beautiful. The beach is part of a state park and it’s one of our favorite places to play. 

Chris and Tanner spent their time fishing, while the other kids played in the sand and enjoyed the water.

Bailey and I continued our tradition of getting a beach-themed book to read together. This year we read “What not to do on Vacation” and it was adorable. We both really enjoyed it. 

That afternoon we went back to our room to quickly shower and change before going to the IMAX theater to see “Project Hail Mary”. We had listened to the audiobook on our drive down to Florida, so we all knew the story and we were all so excited to see the movie. It did not disappoint. We all loved it and we talked about it the rest of the trip. It was so amazing. 

After the movie we went back to our room to make dinner. We had shrimp po-boys and they were a huge hit. Then we went to the pool to swim. 

Wednesday morning we decided to try a new beach and while Bailey and I got everything ready to go, Chris and the boys went for a bike ride around the resort. It was one of those mornings that was cool and overcast so it was perfect. 

They enjoyed their bike ride and when they got back, we loaded up and drove over to “Aly’s beach”  to play for the day. 

This little area was so pretty. While roofed buildings and white sandy beaches. The water was literally turquoise and we loved it. I think we found our new favorite beach.

The kids went boogie boarding and swimming. They dug holes for hours and built some awesome sand castles. Even Tanner played in the sand for a little while. Tanner and Benson all loved flying Benson’s dragon kite. We had so much fun. Beach days with my family are my favorite!!

 

 

After playing until we were exhausted we decided to go out for a seafood dinner. It was so yummy. Everyone ordered whatever they wanted and we got a steampot of crab, clams, muscles and shrimp to share. It was heavenly. I think we can safely say we are big fans of “Bayou Bill’s Crab House”. 

Thursday was our last full day and we went back to St. Andrew’s State park. It’s only 15 minutes away from our resort and too gorgeous not to visit again. We spent hours building some pretty legit sand castles and looking for shells. We found multiple “moon jellyfish”- when they wash up on shore they usually lose their tentacles and appear as clear medallions. They have a really mild sting that typically can’t penetrate skin, so they were pretty fun to catch. 

After a full day at the beach, we went back to our room to get cleaned up and then went to take family pictures. It was a little windy, but I still like how they turned out.

To say thank you for taking pictures for me, we went out to one last dinner together. 

Then we had to book it home because I had a stake event I needed to help with. We drove the 13 hours home and made it just in time. 

We had the most wonderful time and I can’t wait to go back. It’s our favorite place and we always have so much fun there. Until next year!!

My 39th Birthday!

I am one year closer to 40 and time is going way too fast. I can't believe I'm almost 40. It's so weird. But my sweet husband and kids made the weekend so fun and relaxing for me and I didn't mind getting a year older. 

On Saturday I had to wake up and go to a meeting to a stake activity I'm helping with. The meeting was at 7:30 am. Miserable! When I got home, I studied for my kinesiology exam. Then I took a nap. I hate having to be awake early on a Saturday. 

After my nap I studied some more and then Chris took me out for dinner. We also did a little shopping for Easter. When we came back I had to work on my Gospel Doctrine lesson. Chris and I also got to watch a little TV together. 

Then on Sunday, Chris woke up early and made me breakfast. He made delicious eggs Benedict. It was so good and the perfect way to start my birthday. 

Then I got the best present ever- I got to teach Gospel Doctrine. Ugh. Not the best gift. But honestly, I really like digging in and learning in preparation for my lesson. I just get so nervous when I teach. 

After church, I took a nap and then the kids made me lunch- I had asked for egg salad and they were so kind to make it for me.  There was also a soda bar set up for me. Chris worked so hard to make the weekend special for me. 

 Then for dinner, Chris made seafood pasta and Tanner made garlic knots. We also had a salad and some steamed broccoli. It was so delicious. 

After we got cleaned up, I got to open my presents and then we had ice cream cake. It was such a great birthday. I'm so grateful for my family and friends for spoiling me. Maybe 39 won't be so bad. 

Life Update.

 I thought it was time for a quick every day life update. We are staying busy! I'm still in school at NWACC and that's keeping me very busy. Chris is busy with work, army and church and the kids are as busy as ever. 

Tucker and Tanner went to the temple together last week and then Tucker turned around and went again with his deacons quorum. 

I recently got to watch Benson's class showcase. It was pretty cute. It had been scheduled in January, but then the snowstorm hit and they had to postpone. It was super cute. They sang a song to the tune of "Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland" but it was all about learning at Elm Tree Elementary. They did a great job. 

Benson is always so happy to when I get to come to his school and I love seeing his smiley face. It's the best. I'm so proud of him and I'm trying to cherish every time I get to go spend tie with him at school because he's my last elementary aged-kid. 

Bailey and I are still having our monthly book club. It's such a fun tradition and we both love it. I know Bailey just loves the food and new book aspect, but I am grateful for the quality time I get with my girl. 

Also, Nanny and Papa have been coming over and looking at houses. We finally convinced them to move here and we've been helping them look at houses and talk to builders. Well last weekend we finally found a house for them. They signed a contract and the builders will be breaking ground this month. Then come August they will be moving here. We are so stinkin' excited. It's going to be so amazing having them live  here. 

After they signed their contract, we celebrated with lunch and then we went to Andy's. My parents love Andy's. It felt like the perfect way to celebrate.  

Their new house is going to be so gorgeous. Nanny's favorite part is that she didn't have to make any hard decision. This builder has a certain set of options for each floor plan. So Nanny and Papa bought a floor plan and then they were shown the counters, fixtures and everything else the house came with. She was so relieved she wouldn't have to make any hard decisions. 

Papa is definitely sad to be losing his shop, but since his balance is getting worse, it may be for the best. This new house is going to be a single story and a very open floor plan. It's perfect for them. 

Their new house will only be 7 minutes from my house and it's such a great location. It's going to be so amazing to have them so close. I can't wait!

Lastly, we recently went to Benson's Pinewood Derby. It was so cute. There were 23 little boys competing and they were loving life. They were cheering for each other, chanting each other's names and so hyped for each other. It was adorable. 

Benson came in 7th and while he was sad he didn't get a trophy, 7th out of 23 isn't too bad. 

He really just loved eating treats and hanging out with his friends. The Pinewood Derby is always a fun family event in our ward. 

Oh and after the little boys had their race, the Elder Quorum had a derby too. Chris raced Benson's car and he took 4th place. Pretty fun. 

Anyway, that's us right now. We are busy, healthy and happy!  

A Very Special Sunday

     Today, our sweet Tucker gave his first talk in sacrament meeting. He did such an amazing job. I was so impressed with him. He worked hard on his talk and really pondered on what he wanted to share. His topic was "How does the temple help me walk with Him". "Walk with Him" is the youth theme for the year and since Tucker recently attended the temple for the first time, it was a great way to combine the two together. He wrote the whole talk himself and even shared some scriptures. I think my favorite part was when he spoke about how when he entered the House of the Lord, his heart calmed and his mind quieted. Knowing my son and his anxious tendencies, this brought me such joy for him. I love that he found peace being in the temple. His talk was amazing and we are so proud of him. 

Then this evening we were able to attend Harrison's baptism. Harrison and Tanner have been friends for over a year now. They met last year when Tanner started high school and they play in the band together. Harrison has been to our house countless times and they have spent so much time together because of band. But over the last 6 months, Harrison started having lessons with the missionaries and after finally convincing his anti-Christian parents to allow him to get baptized, he was able to get baptized this evening. 

But what was so special was the fact that he asked Tanner to baptize him. It was such a sweet night. The entire baptism program was basically run by the youth.

Both the speakers were youth from his ward  and then Tanner baptized him. The missionaries confirmed him and afterwards Harrison shared his sweet testimony with everyone. It was incredible. He talked about how his life has been touched in different ways by different members of the church and how it all led him to this decision. It was beautiful. 

It was also incredible to see how many youth came to support Harrison. I think I counted about 25 youth that night. Typically the turnout for a convert baptism isn't that high, but the missionaries had to keep adding more and more chairs until the entire room was filled. It was so cool. I know Harrison felt so much love and support and he has a great ward family to continue to support him in his discipleship journey. We just felt so lucky to be a part of it. We love Harrison! 

I'm also just so proud of Tanner for living a life that drew Harrison in and made him interested in the gospel and for being worthy and willing to perform the baptism. It was such a great night! I don't think there are many missionaries that go out on their missions with baptism experience. Tanner is a pretty cool kid!

Valentine's Day Fun!

 We had a quiet Valentine's day this year and it was good. I did get to attend Benson's class party on Friday and we finished his valentine's box just in time. With everything I've been juggling lately, he was worried I had forgotten about it, but I hadn't and Thursday after school we were able to make it just the way he wanted. 

His party was cute as usual and I was glad I was able to be there. He's such a little sweetheart and really enjoys having me at all his school events. 

On Friday we made homemade pizzas and watched a movie together as a family. That was our Valentine's date this year. 

Then today  my sister Laura and my Dad came over to visit. My mom is currently visiting her sisters in Arizona, so Dad and Laura came over without her. We spent the day with them and it was nice. The cousins also came over and we had a little Valentine's party. 

This year I themed the party around "You're my Main Squeeze" and although the kids didn't really understand the phrase, I thought it was cute and I loved the citrus theme. I made a Raspberry Lemon cake and then served raspberry lemonade and lemon cookies.  

Chris and I didn't go out this year but we did order some fajitas for dinner and picked up the order to take home and eat with everyone. 

My Dad's health is declining right now and his hallucinations are really bad, so while I'm always happy to have him visit, he was definitely having a harder weekend and didn't sleep well. I ended up sleeping on the couch in the living room with him because I was worried about him. We are in the process of applying for a medicine pump for him that will hopefully help his medications be more effective, so we are trying to stay positive. I was grateful to get to spend Valentine's day with my Dad- that's something that hasn't happened in years.  Happy Valentine's day!