Well, I've got to be honest. I'm getting pretty tired of doing everything "corona-style" BUT we're doing our best to hang in there and stay positive. The kids have been doing a good job continuing with their school online. Jonah has worksheets that I picked up from the school and then his teacher emails us each day to tell him what to work on and which things I need to take pictures of and email back in. Kate and Miles do everything online through Google classroom. There are a ton of websites now they can use to do math, spelling, etc so they do everything through those. Oliver's preschool teachers both gave me some worksheets and activities he can do so I just pull out a few each day.
This is HARD.
We don't really see family and friends, other than dropping stuff off or running into each other on walks in the neighborhood. All sports and activities are cancelled. All church activities are cancelled. All playgrounds are taped off with caution tape. All national parks are closed. Most "non-essential" businesses are closed. Many are staying open if they're able to operate safely. This means customers and employees stay at least 6 feet away from each other at all times. The grocery stores all have tape marks on the floors in the checkout lines 6 feet apart. I got an email last week from the pediatrician's office saying they will see you either by coming down to your car or via video with telemedicine. I could keep going. It's all so strange and so isolating. I guess we never really knew how much all those social interactions meant to us. Kate is continuing to dance through Zoom classes online and have piano lessons over Google Hangouts. I'm SOOOO thankful for technology through this.
All that said.... we are doing great. We have ups and downs as some days are much better than others. We are grateful for each other and are growing closer as a family.
Last week the kids were on Spring Break from school so we had even more freedom in our schedule. We kicked off the weekend with general conference. As usual, it was wonderful. It was so full of hope and uplifting. Kate planned a little game for us to play during the sessions.
Then we got started on making masks. The government is recommending that everyone wear a fabric mask when you go out - especially in the cases where you aren't able to stay 6 feet apart from others at all times. Miles, Kate and Jonah all helped my mom and me. By the end of the week, we had made 130 masks! They took sooooo much longer than we anticipated, probably because each one has so many steps. Tristan's mom also helped to make some that we shipped down to Dylan for some of the healthcare facilities down in St. George.
We also made the drive out to Saltair and played in the sand by the Great Salt Lake. DeEtt and Juli met us out there and Juli captured these gorgeous pictures. Jonah's baptism was supposed to be April 11th but we are having to postpone it since all church gatherings have been cancelled for now. As of now, they don't have a date when we will be able to meet again so we are considering doing a small ceremony with just our little family and the Bishop. Jonah really wants to be able to do it when the rest of the family can be there though - and I understand that. We will see what happens. Right now we are just trying to be patient.
Graham has been loving our sandbox in our backyard. Often, he will sneak out there quietly and just play. I love it when Honey follows him out and helps him dig. It's pretty stinkin' cute.
Tristan still had work this week but took Wednesday off so we could spend some time together away from the house. We were supposed to be down in Las Vegas at Tahiti Village for Spring Break but all hotels down there are closed so that trip has to be postponed as well. Our options are limited since so many businesses are closed and we are trying to be smart and stay healthy. But thankfully Utah has many options for outdoor recreation. We really do live in a beautiful state. We went on a little hike in Sandy called Rocky Mouth Falls. We had so much fun. It was gorgeous weather and a totally doable hike for our crew. We even got to see a pretty waterfall. Afterwards we went through the drive-through at Wendy's and took our lunch to a park. The playground was closed but we still just enjoyed the sun. The boys played catch and the kids all climbed the trees.
Another thing that's getting us through this is living behind a church! It is so nice having that big parking lot right behind our house. We go ride bikes over there all the time. Miles, Jonah and Oliver love to fill their backpacks with costumes and other gadgets and go over there to play. They have little hideouts by the trees and have just had the best time. Honey loves it too because she gets to run and play! This cute puppy is another thing keeping us happy during a hard time!
We also dyed eggs! Graham kept dipping eggs in - even when they'd already been dyed another color! Ha! But it was really fun and actually not too messy!
The Easter Bunny found our house and Saturday morning the kids got to see what he left in their baskets. They each got a new swimsuit. Kate got stuff to make a fairy garden, Miles and Jonah got little nerf guns, Ollie and Graham got bubble machines.... and CANDY!! Lots of candy!! He left the stuff for an Easter egg hunt so we did that in the afternoon too. It was hard to not be able to go to John and Susie's for their annual hunt. Oliver asked multiple times when we were going over there. They actually have all the stuff ready so we assured him we will do it sometime but for now we will just have our little one in our front yard.
Kate opted to not come out and hunt because she and my mom were having fun playing duets on the piano.
One of the things that President Nelson asked of us in conference was for a worldwide fast on Good Friday. He asked that we pray for relief from this pandemic, that healthcare workers be protected, that the economy will be stabilized and that life can go back to normal. We all fasted and prayed so hard that day. I know I did. It was really beautiful timing though. Friday represents the day that Jesus was crucified and then Sunday He was resurrected. The symbolism of how Christ can deliver us from our trials has really stuck with me. I go back to one of my favorite conference talks of all time by Elder Worthlin, Sunday Will Come.
It was absolutely miraculous to see all the ways that this fast pulled people from all over the world, all different races and religions, together. There is a Facebook group where people are sharing stories and testimony and it was really uplifting to read those in preparation for Easter.
Easter was a great day. We got up and held church in our living room. Tristan blessed and passed the sacrament to us. We read scriptures and looked at items that helped tell the story of Christ's death and resurrection. After that, we hopped in the car and drove to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. The gate is locked because all temples are closed right now but we were still able to take some pictures out front and experience the spirit on the grounds. Then we drove down to the cemetary in American Fork. It was my mom and Kim's anniversary. She was hoping to go down there but her leg has really been hurting her lately so she wasn't feeling up to it. We decided to still make the drive and put some pinwheels on Kim's grave. Then we went to the Timpanogas Temple grounds. We really are so lucky to have so many temples close to us!
We came home and played a game and then had a delicious dinner. I'm so grateful for my Savior. Easter is my favorite holiday to celebrate. I can't imagine a life where I didn't know the truths we celebrate on Easter. He LIVES!!!
