Given my hefty academic load this past semester, I often worried about neglecting my family. They certainly sacrificed many homecooked meals and a tidy home as I forfeited chores to study instead. This photo dump helps alleviate some of the guilt. Despite our crazy schedules, we certainly found time to play as well.
Post-Valentine's Day 2021. My nostalgic husband ordered pizza all the way from Papa Del's in Champaign, Illinois. Dining on our deep dish pie with Justin and Brianna was a delightful blast from the past.
Snowy explorations of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. This trail is one of my favorites, no matter the season.
Missing a few chompers.
Zoo outings. We made it to the Hogle Zoo in both February and March. I love how no matter how many times you go, the zoo is different depending on the animals' moods. The baby zebra was particularly frisky on this trip.
The poor lioness could do nothing but gaze longingly at dinner frolicking on the other side of the fence.
This monkey (a black and white colobus) was feeling less energetic. Meanwhile, the other colobi were busy playing with Annika through the glass.
As for the gila monster, it looked extremely content as it lounged in a pool beneath the heat lamp. My soulmate, for sure.
Annika was excited to ride the wolf on the carousel. If you closely, you'll see that her bunny is riding as well.
The zoo's always more fun with bunny-eared cousins and elephants too.
The late winter doldrums are always made better by skiing. Our very first trip to Brighton this season was rough. The kids were whiny, the lifts were ridiculously crowded, and we only made it down one run before heading back home. I seriously regretted the purchase of our season passes. With the ski season behind us, I'm so glad we stuck with it! Our ski days got better each time. I am so amazed by what competent skiers all of our children have become! They spent their last ski hours at Brighton trying out new tricks on the terrain park. I was secretly glad the season ended before one of their jumps resulted in a broken arm. Still, I'm really proud of their adventurous, kind spirits.
Here they are at the top of Great Western at Brighton.
And here they are skiing at Alta a week later, thanks to the Wasatch Collective benefit. 
Skiing turns my hubby into smiles. The hardest part about teaching a studio class as adjunct faculty at the U is that it always lands in spring semester, cutting down his time on the slopes.
We still make time when we can. Here we are back at Brighton on a midweek ski date. We can squeeze in a few hours in the morning and be back in the office around noon. The great thing about online classes is that the lectures are recorded, so I can catch up on those that I miss as well.
A day on the slopes can definitely wear you out though. Annika is so funny in how she sleeps. No matter how many blankets I put away, she always finds them and makes a nest.
Believe it or not, she's actually sleeping in that big pile. When I come to wake her up in the morning, I often have to dig to figure out where she's at. If you look closely, you can spot an ear in the second photo.
Small surprise that her hair is usually wild by the time she wakes up. This crazy hair, however, was intentional in honor of crazy hair day.
Switching from the youngest to the oldest, Brooklyn got her driver's license in March. Woo hoo! Look out world, she's on her way.
Other celebrations: Pi day! We joined Justin and Brianna on March 14th for pies savory and sweet.
No better way to round off the evening than with some rousing rounds of Throw, Throw Burrito. Justin and Eli had the ultimate showdown.
The kids celebrated the premier of the Falcon and the Winter Soldier by making a Captain America cake...
Other random events: we hiked Ensign Peak after school one day, just for the fun of it.
We even explored the Farm at Gardner Village.
We biked the Legacy Parkway Trail with the Julie and Stephen James.
Let me tell you: we found some crazy hair!
We even came home with an assortment of duck and chicken eggs for sampling. The verdict? When scrambled, they all taste the same.
Last but not least, a couple of stunning sunsets, as seen from Sugarhouse Park and the JCC.
And with that, farewell winter and welcome spring!
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