Hydrangeas

The kids wanted to make  wanted me to make apple dumplings.  We went to Publix and they had blue hydrangeas for sale.  I love them.  We got one for inside and one for outside.  After we enjoy them for a little while Rob will plant them in our garden.

Hannah looks so cute with baby Ezra growing.  He'll be here before we know it!

Today was much like every day of quarantine. The kids did homework.  I worked a little. We did laundry.  Sierra and I played phase 10 and we had apple dumplings.

Conference weekend

It was everything I had hoped for and longed for. I feel so optimistic and hopeful and uplifted. The talks were all so epically good. The music was beautiful, especially the last hymn sang by saints around the world. The promises spoken and blessings given were tender and powerful and felt in my heart. I know many, many around the world felt the same.

How blessed we are to have a living prophet. How wonderful it is to know that God lives and loves us and is here in the details of our lives. 

We gathered in the family room and watched together.

Dinner was huli huli chicken, a family favorite. For dessert we sautéed apple slices with lemon and cinnamon and served them with vanilla ice cream. 

Today amazon knocked and brought us our little backyard seating. It’s small, a bargain set, but I think it looks nice and it will be nice for all the sitting we are doing!

snapshots

Sierra putting on her shirt upside down

We have a family group text.  It is filled with covid challenges right now.  There's been the chalk art competition, the whip cream shot competition, and the Tom Holland shirt competition.  It's actually been really fun to see everyone and to be connected a little bit even though the miles keep us far apart.

We watched conference today and it was amazing.  The spirit was strong and sweet and I am so grateful to have living apostles and a prophet on the earth today.  We all gathered and watched.  I love the messages of hope and the clear directions we get.  I also love watching with my family.

Not only do the dogs get multiple walks a day they are also having at home grooming right now.  Here's Ziva all swaddled after her bath.

Or a more appropriate caption would be "Mimi should live by her grandkids because this is ridiculous!"

Malachi Jakob Daniel and Tal

Emily's kids doing the cool whip challenge!

Our pool is a really nice temperature now so Grace spent some time blowing up a pool float.

Not a bad day

Today was a good day. 

Rob and I went to the grocery store. There was no toilet paper or napkins or bicycles (we were at Walmart) but we got everything else we needed. 

We had a chalk art contest. Ethan won. 

We walked the dogs. Many times.

For dinner I made crack chicken spaghetti. 

In the evening we had our first virtual book club. Tori and her girls and me and mine are in a book club. We meet via zoom and it was a lot of fun! We read Farm City.

Tomorrow is conference!! Yay!!

COVID-19. not my words but so I can remember

Gas prices were under $2

-School cancelled - yes cancelled

-Self-distancing measures on the rise.

-Tape on the floors at grocery stores and others to help distance shoppers (6ft) from each other.

-Limited number of people inside stores, therefore, lineups outside the store doors.

-Non-essential stores and businesses mandated closed.

-Parks, trails, entire cities locked up.

-Entire sports seasons cancelled. Like NBA, MLB, ALL sports! 

-Concerts, tours, festivals, entertainment events - cancelled.

-Weddings, family celebrations, holiday gatherings cancelled. Funerals limited to a specific number and being live streamed. 

-No masses, churches are all closed. During Easter season. 

-No gatherings of 50 or more, then 20 or more, now 10 or more, and even this is encouraged to be limited to immediate family. 

-Don't socialize with anyone outside of your home.

-Children's outdoor play parks are closed.

-We are to distance from each other. Six feet! 

-Shortage of masks, gowns, gloves for our front-line workers.

-Shortage of ventilators for the critically ill.

-Panic buying sets in and we have no toilet paper, no disinfecting supplies, no paper towels, no laundry soap, no hand sanitizer.

-Shelves are bare. Hard to find beef, eggs, milk. Sending one family member to shop. 

-Manufacturers, distilleries and other businesses switch their lines to help make visors, masks, hand sanitizer and PPE.

-Government closes the border to all non-essential travel.

-Fines are established for breaking the rules.

-Stadiums and recreation facilities open up for the overflow of Covid-19 patients.

-Big industries help make more ventilators, & more masks for hospitals. 

-Press conferences daily from the President and the governess. Daily updates on new cases, recoveries, and deaths.

-Government incentives to stay home.

-Barely anyone on the roads.

-People wearing masks and gloves outside.

-Essential service workers are terrified to go to work.

-Medical field workers are afraid to go home to their families.

This is the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic, declared March 11th, 2020.

⏰

Life goes on. Today we chalked. We watched a movie. We grilled burgers. Rob went to work. I worked at home.

The dogs are my companions. I wake up with them on me. They sleep until I get up to pee then they are ready and look at me expectantly.  They got their normal 7-8 walks today.

Sierra also ran 5 miles today. I was impressed.

The kids did homework. Grace played the clarinet. She got a leadership role in next years band and she gets to play first part so that’s exciting news and something to look forward to.

Spencer, as well as many other missionaries that are home waiting for reassignment, was released. They will be called back, if they wish, when circumstances allow. 

Grace has taken to making art out of little shapes. Sierra finished her book. I am working on a blanket.  So far four couples that we know have gotten married since the quarantine. I’m grateful for the recent change in policy that allows for a civil marriage and then no waiting period before you can have a temple sealing. Except of course the normal worthiness requirements. What a blessing for these young couples to be able to marry and start their lives knowing that as soon as the temples are open they can go and be sealed for time and all eternity. One baby has been born and that went well and he is healthy and good. One family member has been infected, Rob’s cousin Michael. It seems like he is doing better. We are praying for his speedy recovery and that no one else gets it. In particular our older family members. 

And finally a very unflattering picture of us during family scripture study. Lol

April Fools

It should be groundhogs day though because every day is like the one before.

Highlights: watching Ruby and Coco make play dough castles. 

I also talked to Tatum while they were out on a photo taking challenge.

I talked with Colleen for a couple of hours this morning and that was super fun. It had been awhile since we had time to chat and catch up.

For dinner we made homemade bread and hamburger soup. Everyone liked it. 

I did some work. Rob went to work. The kids did their school work.

The dogs got lots of walks. 

We had a virtual talent show for YW. That went well. We have a text thread and the girls shared videos of different talents that they have. It was fun to see and they enjoyed commenting and applauding for each other. 

Cute Sierra and Lincoln