Picture Overload

This quarantine has had it's perks. We have had ample family time, and I can definitely see the blessings of a slower paced life style. I know that there is an end to quarantine, so I am just choosing to enjoy this time together while I can. 

In future years, when the kids look back and reflect on this historical time, I hope they look upon it with fondness. I hope they remember it as a time when they played and laughed together, when we ate dinner outside almost nightly. I hope they remember the forts they built and the Sunday lessons they gave. I hope they remember how our home was our church and that they feel the special spirit that home church brought. I want them to remember movie nights and a calm mom who doubled as their teacher. I hope they think back to this time and remember how their dad bought them a basketball hoop, fixed their trampoline, bought them a fire pit, Frisbee dodge-ball disks, miscellaneous toys, and card games so that they wouldn't be bored. I want them to reflect on the many, many, many hikes and bike-rides and I hope they smile when they do. I hope they remember how their mom let them jump off of beds onto large bean bags, and, against her better judgement, off of flights of stairs onto those bean bags (we put a stop to that one once they couldn't stick to jumping from the 6th step up--Luke and Joshua were completely jumping the entire flight). So, yeah, I see the blessings of this quarantine. We aren't rushing. We are just enjoying. I know that dance, wrestling, football, soccer, YM and YW, and primary activities will all start back up again. So for now, we are enjoying, and maybe, hopefully, after all of this is over, we will remember to keep enjoying and living this dream together just a little bit better.  

Jon Mark blessed me at the beginning of this year that this year would be a year full of joy, joy that seemed to overflow and overwhelm. As I reflect on quarantine, I see how this blessing is coming to pass for me. It is a joyous time for us. I know that it's a trying time for so many who have been affected by COVID 19, I know that the world stands on the brink of economic collapse and that many are suffering the effects and devastation. Perhaps the future isn't all rosy, but I am full of faith and excited for the future, whatever it holds. I will choose today to feel the joy that Heavenly Father has blessed my family with. Today there is much to be grateful for.

Family movie night

 I took the older two on a hike. It was fun being with them. They're growing into tweens and teens and they are a lot of fun to be with. Their sense of humor is maturing, they make me laugh. On this particular hike, Mercedes was startled by a little puppy and the fear she portrayed was really funny, although she got quite embarrassed.

There were no public or church, or even extended family Easter hunts, but we enjoyed our own little egg hunt.

These are the pictures we took of the kids waiting to go down stairs to see their Easter baskets.

Another hike we enjoyed with Jessica.

Quarantine life has me going to the store like a ninja.

Quarantine has me painting bathrooms.

Caleb is obsessed with pirates and treasure and money. Mercedes helped him make an eye patch, and a eye glass so that he could sneak amongst the pirates and not be noticed. 

This is where I played a trick on the kids and told them that because of quarantine they would now be required to go to school over the summer and sleep there like a boarding school. Joshua didn't buy it, but Luke and Mer cried.

This is what Home Sacrament Meeting looks like. 

Joshua had to make dinner one night because he gagged on veggies the night before.

The kids loved coloring eggs and eating the hard boiled eggs afterwards.

Cubby is really good at building with Legos. He built this car without any instructions. He didn't do it exactly right, but he did really well.

We got lockers for the kids to stash their back packs and shoes in.

More hikes.

My dad's quarantine haircut he asked me to give him. He's the hippest grandpa around.

The kids drew portraits of me. They aren't flattering, and Hannah made sure to draw my forehead wrinkles. The second time around, she erased the wrinkles because she didn't want to hurt my feelings.

This was the day before lock down. We had Cub's fifth birthday at the park. He kept track of everyone who didn't make it who owed him presents. HAHA

You guessed it, more hiking.

This picture was before quarantine. I babysat Jacob and bought them fun popsicles.

Before quarantine, I went on a really fun Relief Society retreat and had a blast.

Before quarantine, Cub discovered that he is a huge fan of cotton candy.

Before quarantine, the girls had dance recitals scheduled, now that they are cancelled, so are dance pictures in their cute outfits.

A painting I made for the bishopric and had the kids sign.

Caleb earned a dollar and spent it on some little legos.

Hello, from week three quarantine...

Well, we are in the middle of week three quarantine (but it feels like four because the kids started it with Spring Break). What does the world look like? It looks like men's hearts are failing them. There is a lot of fear, and hoarding, and panic. There's also a lot of goodness, and humor, and spiritually uplifting messages. Honestly, throughout it all, I have felt nothing of fear, just peace and I do feel spiritually lifted. My faith feels strong. I'm sure I'll have a few low points before any of this is truly over. Let's recap really quick:

We are in a pandemic. There is a sickness covering the land, COVID 19, and it will take many lives before it is all finished. Temples are closed, churches are closed, sporting events cancelled, school is cancelled, missionaries are sent home, and we are under orders to stay in our homes.

I have loved home church. The spirit is so prevalent, I really do feel as though me kids have gotten so much out of our sacrament meetings. It's been truly special. It's so intimate and personal. The kids spend a few days writing their talks, Jon Mark or I add a short lesson, the kids pick the songs, and who says the prayers. Jon Mark blesses the sacrament (I make the bread), Joshua passes the sacrament, we each have a part to play.

I have loved the slower pace of our evenings. There are no deadlines, no distractions. The kids are forced to play together and they have done a great job not arguing. We eat dinner outside in the backyard. They help me with chores and dinner. They do their school work (yesterday was a hard day with school work, but it went much more smoothly today).

I have missed seeing my extended family up close and in person. We have technology which makes staying in contact easier, and it has been a blessing. We have FaceTime phone calls, Marco Polo, texting, calling, video zoom meetings. It's not the same as face to face contact, but it's something.

I'm not sure how long this quarantine will last. With everything shutting down and missionaries being sent home, I feel impressed to add a few of my thoughts here.

Brigham Young said, ""All we have yet heard and all we have experienced is scarcely a preface to the sermon that is going to be preached. When the testimony of the elders ceases to be given, and the Lord says to them, "Come home, I will now preach my own sermons to the nations of the earth." All you now know can scarcely be called a sermon that will be preached with fire and sword, tempests, earthquakes, hail, rain, thunders and lightnings, and fearful destruction <...> The sea will heave beyond it's bounds, engulfing many cities. Famine will spread among the nations, and nation will rise up against nation, kingdom against kingdom, and states against states, in our own country and in foreign lands." (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 8, p. 123, July 15, 1860).

Is this the start of that? This year, the continent of Australia was literally on fire. There have been rumors of wars. Two weeks ago, Utah experienced a series of earthquakes. Yesterday Idaho had a 6.5 magnitude earthquake. The whole earth seems to be in commotion. I've touched nothing on the moral compass that has long been forgotten in our country and across the world. All lewd and disgusting acts have become celebrated openly and our poor children, the most vulnerable among us, are caught in a liberal agenda.

We are told that the second coming will come as a woman in travail. Contractions are building, we see the end drawing nigh, those who pay attention can see it. The world is in a downward spiral of moral decay and we can see it all happening. And, a merciful Father in Heaven gives us these sorts of opportunities to reassess whatever plans we have in place--like an expectant mother experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions, maybe she forgot to put an item or two into her hospital bag, maybe she's not as prepared as she'd like to be and uses the time to get even more prepared for her coming baby. This sickness and quarantine have helped me reassess my families situation. Are we prepared? I think we are. We probably could have prepared a better food storage, we have lots of wheat and canned fruits and veggies, we wouldn't have starved, but we certainly could have done a bit of a better job at accumulating water, and toilet paper (something I didn't really think about, but luckily I had quite a bit by chance). Our spiritual reservoirs are full, I think we have done a great job at teaching our children from the scriptures each night. Our testimonies and faith are strong. I think we passed the test, but I see where we could improve. Elder Oaks said that this was a trial run for the second coming. If we've been listening to the prophet and preparing spiritually and physically then we passed.

Our prophet, President Nelson said that difficult days are ahead. He said that this conference will be special and that if we spend the time to prepare for it, then God will prepare us to receive further light. He said that the time to act is now. That this is a hinge point in the history of the church and that our part is vital. He said that God is trusting us, all of us, to play an important role in the restoration of the gospel.He said that this is going to be an important year, and that he invites to be a major part in sharing the message of the ongoing Restoration of the Savior's gospel. That is strong language. As I read it again and again (April's Ensign issue, I posted the full article in my previous post), I felt excitement. The spirit bore witness to me that I was saved for this very time in which I am living. I feel like I was born to live this, I was born to do great things. I wanted to come to earth when the gospel was restored so that I could help bring others to the knowledge of the gospel. It says so in my patriarchal blessing. And so I am excited. I hope my faith never falters.