Sunday, April 19, 2020
Simone's Climbing Wall
Something I didn't realize is that even climbing outside on the "crag" can spread Corona. So all the climbers are building climbing walls at home.
Simone is going nuts not being able to climb. So Jon and Simone figured out how to build one in the garage.
Simone has a great work ethic and likes being strong and able bodied. She wanted that wall, and she wanted to earn it. So we had lots of bark to lay in the yard and she told Jared and I not to tell the other kids about it so she could do it all herself and earn the money.
So she put bark down and hauled wheelbarrows full of mulch all week. Then she helped neighbors and helped unload a truck of furniture, etc. To earn money for the wood.
Last week Jared got the garage floor resurfaced so that it would be done and the wall could go up. We've been wanting to do it for awhile and it made sense to do it before the climbing wall.
It was a big job moving everything out of both garages, but it felt good to declutter some things. We still have more to do! But it will happen eventually.
Simone and Jon spent Mon-Thurs building the wall and it is so fun! Her friends came to help and I loved watching them with their drills and tools. They framed the whole thing and it was pretty sweet. She learned a lot.
The holds were smaller than we thought, so it is a super hard wall right now. Great for Simone but not for the other kids. So we ordered some big holds (called "jugs" in climbing lingo) so it will be easier.
Here are some pics of the garage process and then the wall! I love seeing Brooke, Simone and Abby building the wall. Their parents made a special exception to allow them to come over and it was so fun to see these girls that can pretty much do it all. So cool!
Happy Birthday Soren!
My little buddy is 8! We took a little excursion to see the cherry blossoms this week. My first time. It was really beautiful and Soren was a sport and took lots of pictures. He actually likes wearing his church clothes.
We were so lucky when Uncle Travis called and wanted to let us into his work for Soren's birthday! He designs escape rooms and manages Airborne. Because of the virus, they have been closed for a month. And our family got the whole place to ourselves for a couple hours. It totally made Soren's birthday! He LOVED it. He brought his quarantine buddy Tommy.
Afterward, Soren and Tommy did a waterfight with water balloons in the 45 degree weather, and just alternated hot tub, and running around pelting each other with waterballoons. They had fun and it was a great day.
We had cake and Handels Ice Cream. Yum.
Backyard Camping
We got a new car tent. We are very excited about it! Soren and I tested it out in the backyard this week. We were warm and cozy, even in 36 degree weather.
Thank goodness for Jon! He helped us install it on the Jeep. It required removing the rack, drilling a couple new holes, and taking off some of the rails. I think we would have been stuck without him.
It was very easy to set up, and really easy to put back. We got the Tepui Low Pro 3. I love how fast it is. I also love that it is lower profile than a lot of car tents. It is super comfortable and looks like it will last a long time. It fits 3 people.
Elise and Monet love to camp and we installed it on the Jeep because that made the most sense. However, I am planning on using it when Simone has her little climbing campouts in Southern Utah.
I hate to buy things that don't get much use. But our paddle boards, kayaks get used ALL the time, ALL summer long. I think this too will be used a ton.
Thank goodness for Jon! He helped us install it on the Jeep. It required removing the rack, drilling a couple new holes, and taking off some of the rails. I think we would have been stuck without him.
It was very easy to set up, and really easy to put back. We got the Tepui Low Pro 3. I love how fast it is. I also love that it is lower profile than a lot of car tents. It is super comfortable and looks like it will last a long time. It fits 3 people.
Elise and Monet love to camp and we installed it on the Jeep because that made the most sense. However, I am planning on using it when Simone has her little climbing campouts in Southern Utah.
I hate to buy things that don't get much use. But our paddle boards, kayaks get used ALL the time, ALL summer long. I think this too will be used a ton.
Friday, April 10, 2020
Under Siege
There are some days where motherhood just chews you up and spits you out. Last week I had one of these days. Probably impacted by me waking up in the middle of the night and being unable to sleep for several days, and very tired kids who have been binge watching shows until the wee hours of the night!
When Elise and Monet were tiny, I remember facing a day like this as well. We'd arrived home late and night. Jared was at work. Monet was brand new. Elise was 2.5. Both girls crying at the same time. I couldn't bring them both in at once, and I felt completely overwhelmed! I think of that now and I think, man that was no big deal. So they cry for a little bit. It's fine, leave one in the car, grab the other, etc. They are going to cry sometimes.
And you know what, someday having 3 teenagers with fluctuating moodiness and sass will feel like no big deal either. I won't take things personally, because I'll learn that its just part of raising teens.
This was was not that day. It was hard! Lots of tears shed. Thankful for Jared who is learning to validate so well! And when my kids are facing those days themselves down the road, I'll understand.
When Elise and Monet were tiny, I remember facing a day like this as well. We'd arrived home late and night. Jared was at work. Monet was brand new. Elise was 2.5. Both girls crying at the same time. I couldn't bring them both in at once, and I felt completely overwhelmed! I think of that now and I think, man that was no big deal. So they cry for a little bit. It's fine, leave one in the car, grab the other, etc. They are going to cry sometimes.
And you know what, someday having 3 teenagers with fluctuating moodiness and sass will feel like no big deal either. I won't take things personally, because I'll learn that its just part of raising teens.
This was was not that day. It was hard! Lots of tears shed. Thankful for Jared who is learning to validate so well! And when my kids are facing those days themselves down the road, I'll understand.
Friday, April 03, 2020
6 weeks quarantine down for Elise
So I use this blog to process my feelings. And I've been having some contradicting ones lately!
On one hand, I'm SO glad that Elise gets to stay in Italy. These kids really get attached to where they are serving and their people and contacts. She is happy to be there, even with 6 weeks of quarantine.
She has an amazing President and Sorella Browning are fantastic leaders in their mission. (Seems like Mission presidents wives should have an official title because they do SO much and "wife" of president doesn't really explain it all). Anyway they are great! Everyday the parents get an email with updates from them that explains what they are doing with our kids. I have no doubt that Elise is learning so much from this experience.
Her companion is great and Elise is super happy to have her! Each night they have a mission wide zoom call where the whole mission is on and it sounds fun, lighthearted, inspiring, etc. Elise looks forward to it every day. They are so united in this and are finding new ways of finding and connecting.
They also provide fun zoom calls where a couple from Sicily did a cooking class and taught the Rome and Milan missions how to make Risotto Milanese and Elise said it was delicious. Today they made cinnamon rolls with Sorella Browning. Last night they had a devotional where Richard Bushman spoke, he wrote the biography of Joseph Smith Rough Stone Rolling and Elise said he is super smart and it was really good. Elise and her comp did soap carving for one of their zoom activities! So they are getting pretty creative.
We get to talk to her on Sundays AND Wednesdays now! Its great! And she prepares a "talk" each week and sends us the voice recording for our home church. Which is so awesome.
For missionary work, she says they are staying really busy. They have taught a record number of member lessons. In some parts of Italy there is a 16% activity rate, so lots of room for improvement. They are working with a lot of the less active members in strengthening their faith.
Because there are no current missionaries in her last area of Treviso she is staying in contact with all her friends from that area too. She loves those people and is glad they get to stay connected.
They have three investigators (simps is what they call them) and they are all awesome and progressing. They have a lot of time to read right now and are interested and learning a lot.
She has also been doing some Facebook videos and is saying that it is not what they had hoped. Most of the responses are weird men. But like all finding, it sometimes is a needle in the haystack kind of thing.
She's happy and focused and that is reassuring to me. They have a daily schedule to follow that includes like three times to exercise. So she is doing that plenty. They have also been trying to eat healthy. So I'm glad that she is feeling good.
Here is where the contradicting feelings come in. There is a little part of me that wishes she could just come home. The whole world is coming home but her and the other US missionaries is what it feels like. I know that's not what she wants, but she'll get over it, right? lol. Not really. No while that sounds great to me to see her a little earlier than planned, I don't want her to come home to quarantine. Whats the point of that? But July sounds good! I'd love for her to come home with just a little more time to hang out before she goes back to school and moves out. But I don't get to choose and I don't have the big picture, this is just my mom-heart wishing for a little time with her. She is hoping that by August this coronavirus experiment will see some improvement and she'll be able to go to school, get a job, etc. She loves the outdoors. So I already applied for some hiking permits and hopefully we can go on some cool hikes together and go boating. She claims that she is going to spend a lot of time with us. So we will see if that actually happens when she remembers how fun it is to be in school surrounded by friends.
On one hand, I'm SO glad that Elise gets to stay in Italy. These kids really get attached to where they are serving and their people and contacts. She is happy to be there, even with 6 weeks of quarantine.
She has an amazing President and Sorella Browning are fantastic leaders in their mission. (Seems like Mission presidents wives should have an official title because they do SO much and "wife" of president doesn't really explain it all). Anyway they are great! Everyday the parents get an email with updates from them that explains what they are doing with our kids. I have no doubt that Elise is learning so much from this experience.
Her companion is great and Elise is super happy to have her! Each night they have a mission wide zoom call where the whole mission is on and it sounds fun, lighthearted, inspiring, etc. Elise looks forward to it every day. They are so united in this and are finding new ways of finding and connecting.
They also provide fun zoom calls where a couple from Sicily did a cooking class and taught the Rome and Milan missions how to make Risotto Milanese and Elise said it was delicious. Today they made cinnamon rolls with Sorella Browning. Last night they had a devotional where Richard Bushman spoke, he wrote the biography of Joseph Smith Rough Stone Rolling and Elise said he is super smart and it was really good. Elise and her comp did soap carving for one of their zoom activities! So they are getting pretty creative.
We get to talk to her on Sundays AND Wednesdays now! Its great! And she prepares a "talk" each week and sends us the voice recording for our home church. Which is so awesome.
For missionary work, she says they are staying really busy. They have taught a record number of member lessons. In some parts of Italy there is a 16% activity rate, so lots of room for improvement. They are working with a lot of the less active members in strengthening their faith.
Because there are no current missionaries in her last area of Treviso she is staying in contact with all her friends from that area too. She loves those people and is glad they get to stay connected.
They have three investigators (simps is what they call them) and they are all awesome and progressing. They have a lot of time to read right now and are interested and learning a lot.
She has also been doing some Facebook videos and is saying that it is not what they had hoped. Most of the responses are weird men. But like all finding, it sometimes is a needle in the haystack kind of thing.
She's happy and focused and that is reassuring to me. They have a daily schedule to follow that includes like three times to exercise. So she is doing that plenty. They have also been trying to eat healthy. So I'm glad that she is feeling good.
Here is where the contradicting feelings come in. There is a little part of me that wishes she could just come home. The whole world is coming home but her and the other US missionaries is what it feels like. I know that's not what she wants, but she'll get over it, right? lol. Not really. No while that sounds great to me to see her a little earlier than planned, I don't want her to come home to quarantine. Whats the point of that? But July sounds good! I'd love for her to come home with just a little more time to hang out before she goes back to school and moves out. But I don't get to choose and I don't have the big picture, this is just my mom-heart wishing for a little time with her. She is hoping that by August this coronavirus experiment will see some improvement and she'll be able to go to school, get a job, etc. She loves the outdoors. So I already applied for some hiking permits and hopefully we can go on some cool hikes together and go boating. She claims that she is going to spend a lot of time with us. So we will see if that actually happens when she remembers how fun it is to be in school surrounded by friends.
Thursday, April 02, 2020
18 years of Monet!
She's 18! I'm so happy I get to be her mom!
A couple things Monet has helped me with lately. Monet spent literally hours and hours helping Simone get organized for school and tutoring her in math. Simone was so grateful for the help, and so was I! She is a fabulously patient teacher. Remember when Monet taught Simone how to write her name, then later she taught her how to do a backwalkover? When we went ice skating at Christmas, Soren was tired and cranky and pouting. I was fine with just ignoring him. But Monet is a softy and she worked with him to try to help him learn how to do it. She's always taking her siblings to the store for Taki runs. I kinda hate that they love Takis so much but whatever. I think its pretty cute that they like to be together. Definitely something I've enjoyed watching develop more.
We had a fun day trying to figure out how to make a birthday special for a teenager without lots of friends is a little tricky. Friends are everything to teenagers. But it was still fun. We did a big breakfast with strawberry lemon crepes and bacon. And then we went hiking/sledding up by Tibble Fork Reservoir. I've been trying to get my kids to do this for years. It was a little softer because of new snow and wasn't quite as fast as it has been which was probably good.
We ordered a big sign for the front yard because you know 18 is a big birthday. And birthdays in quarantine just require something extra. I thought it might embarrass her a little. But I'm okay with that. ;)
And we set up a little dinner for a couple friends in Monet's room. It was cute. It was small and that is okay! The main thing was that I needed a project to work on and this sounded fun for me.
She wanted the Raspberry White chocolate bundt cake and it was delish. We got her some fun little gifts. Knitting supplies, Friends Lego set, a cute top, and some perfume. She was actually pretty excited about the knitting stuff. I love that she likes to do puzzles and work on things like that. I do too, its relaxing. She says she thinks she is going to do a lot of quilting and knitting when she is older. She and Jared ordered some new tennis shoes she's been eyeing! Monet has quite a collection and its pretty much the only thing she ever wants to buy.
A couple things Monet has helped me with lately. Monet spent literally hours and hours helping Simone get organized for school and tutoring her in math. Simone was so grateful for the help, and so was I! She is a fabulously patient teacher. Remember when Monet taught Simone how to write her name, then later she taught her how to do a backwalkover? When we went ice skating at Christmas, Soren was tired and cranky and pouting. I was fine with just ignoring him. But Monet is a softy and she worked with him to try to help him learn how to do it. She's always taking her siblings to the store for Taki runs. I kinda hate that they love Takis so much but whatever. I think its pretty cute that they like to be together. Definitely something I've enjoyed watching develop more.
We had a fun day trying to figure out how to make a birthday special for a teenager without lots of friends is a little tricky. Friends are everything to teenagers. But it was still fun. We did a big breakfast with strawberry lemon crepes and bacon. And then we went hiking/sledding up by Tibble Fork Reservoir. I've been trying to get my kids to do this for years. It was a little softer because of new snow and wasn't quite as fast as it has been which was probably good.
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| Miles brought Cate sledding. They are so cute. |
And we set up a little dinner for a couple friends in Monet's room. It was cute. It was small and that is okay! The main thing was that I needed a project to work on and this sounded fun for me.
She wanted the Raspberry White chocolate bundt cake and it was delish. We got her some fun little gifts. Knitting supplies, Friends Lego set, a cute top, and some perfume. She was actually pretty excited about the knitting stuff. I love that she likes to do puzzles and work on things like that. I do too, its relaxing. She says she thinks she is going to do a lot of quilting and knitting when she is older. She and Jared ordered some new tennis shoes she's been eyeing! Monet has quite a collection and its pretty much the only thing she ever wants to buy.
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| Matches the shoes! |
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
La più brava Mama nel mondo/ Feste del papa
I got a letter from Elise a couple weeks ago after a freak out day. I sent her a voice memo and told her about it, and she sent me back this letter and it really made my whole life. I love this girl and I'm grateful she sees my flaws and loves me anyway. She's so good at that. She wrote one for Jared too, so they are both here:
To prepare for conference I decided that I'm going to write someone a note every day telling them how much I appreciate them leading up to conference. And so naturally you're the first person on the list. I just wanted to thank you for how much you have sacrificed for me, literally pretty much sacrificed everything. I could not do anything without you and I wouldn't be on my mission without you either. I'm so impressed with how in tune you are with the spirit especially on matters concerning me and my well-being. That was such a big testimony to me of how close you are with the spirit and how you aren't afraid to act on the promptings that you receive. I also love how you turn to the scriptures and you turn to prayer when you have a trial or a question and that was an example for me growing up and even now when I have a question about something I would always go to you first but now that it's a little trickier I always think to pray because that's what you would've done. I think it's so cool how you're the mom that everyone goes to for everything and that all my friends would tell you everything as well Haha, partly because you were super chill and would always be on our side but also because you knew exactly who everyone would be because you had already stalked them on Instagram hahaha. Jk but i think it's so cool that one of your spiritual gifts in your patriarchal blessing is the gift of discernment and I've definitely seen you use that in my life and I think right now you're using it as well and that's really cool! One thing that one of the elders invited everyone to do in our mission was to read our patriarchal blessings with our current situation in mind to know what we need to do right now and I think that would be a cool think for you to do as well because it's a tricky situation for everyone right now. I did it and it was so cool to see how so many of those things were coming to pass again specifically in this situation when I never thought it would apply to something like this. On top of all of the cool gifts that you have and how I wouldn't be able to do anything without you, you're just a cool mom, rolling down sand dunes on your face and sledding and rollerblading all the time. You're easy and fun to be friends with and most moms aren't like that. most are pretty cute and nice but they are also pretty lame. But you're cute, nice and way cool so that makes you the best Haha. I love you so much and I miss you a lot and I hope I will be able to be just like you when I'm a mom.Ti voglio bene!!
- Sorella Winger
Here are some quotes you might like:
"We need women with the gift of discernment who can view the trends in the world and detect those that, however popular, are shallow or dangerous.”
Today, let me add that we need women who know how to make important things happen by their faith and who are courageous defenders of morality and families in a sin-sick world. We need women who are devoted to shepherding God’s children along the covenant path toward exaltation; women who know how to receive personal revelation, who understand the power and peace of the temple endowment; women who know how to call upon the powers of heaven to protect and strengthen children and families; women who teach fearlessly."
Years ago the First Presidency proclaimed: “Motherhood is near to divinity. It is the highest, holiest service to be assumed by mankind. It places her who honors its holy calling and service next to the angels.”
The Lord’s Church needs Spirit-directed women who use their unique gifts to nurture, to speak up, and to defend gospel truth. Our inspiration and intuition are necessary parts of building the kingdom of God, which really means doing our part to bring salvation to God’s children.
“How is it that a human being can love a child so deeply that you willingly give up a major portion of your freedom for it? How can mortal love be so strong that you voluntarily subject yourself to responsibility, vulnerability, anxiety, and heartache and just keep coming back for more of the same? What kind of mortal love can make you feel, once you have a child, that your life is never, ever your own again? Maternal love has to be divine. There is no other explanation for it. What mothers do is an essential element of Christ’s work. Knowing that should be enough to tell us the impact of such love will range between unbearable and transcendent, over and over again, until with the safety and salvation of the very last child on earth, we can [then] say with Jesus, ‘[Father!] I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.’ ”
Hi Dad!
It was Fathers Day in Italy this week so I thought I would right you a little email telling you how much love you!
I've always looked up to you so much for how generous you are whether it be when we are in a different country and you try to buy as much as you can to help them out or when you give waiters huge tips and make them cry. I'll also always remember when there was a little girl selling candy at a lacrosse game to pay for dance lessons and nobody had bought anything yet so you bought all of it and gave out the candy to everyone at the game. Another thing that I want to be like that I learned from you is how you're instant best friends with everyone! All of my friends thing you and mom are the coolest parents ever because you will talk to them like they're your friends haha, plus you remember absolutely everyone's name and face so at Costco we can never leave because you always find at least 5 people you know.
There are so many things that you have taught me that I've been able to apply on my mission all the personal development books and podcasts have really come in handy and one thing I think is so cool is that all the principles in those books are taught in some way or form by the church. But more than anything I read in the books your example of always being calm and being optimistic has helped me a ton on my mission I also love how you never get discouraged or down on yourself you just set new goals, that's something I'm still working on. Thank you so much for always being my friend, supporting me, talking with me, taking me out of school to go get Thai food and showing me random basketball highlights or videos of people singing on YouTube haha. You're the best dad ever and you could not even imagine how grateful I am for you. I love you!!
- Sorella Winger
Saturday, March 21, 2020
Homeostasis
I told Jared the last week felt like 9/11 and the 2008 mortgage crash in a way. It is very surreal. I keep forgetting what is happening, then remembering again and my heart sinks again. I'm obsessed with the news and Facebook. Which I think primarily is because of Elise and wanting information about the situation in Italy and also about the missions.
For me the hardest part of this is knowing how this is affecting so many businesses. I don't know anyone who has been sick so it isn't personal yet for me and hopefully it won't be. But so many friends have small businesses, or are employees and I hate to see this negatively impact them. It makes me super sad to think about all the many complicated employment situations that are arising because of this. I feel like we are as prepared as we could be. But I feel for our friends.
I also feel bad for Monet. She worked so hard in track and lacrosse. It is just a real bummer to practice this much and not have a season. And then there are all the senior things. Track, lacrosse, 18th birthday, spring break trip with friends, prom, graduation, senior trip, etc. All likely cancelled. Kinda sucks.
But in hindsight, I'm very grateful for what we've been able to do. Monet has had a pretty great senior year. Even if the last part stinks. Nationals in cross country! Seriously a dream come true. We got an awesome Hawaii trip in January. They finished first in the city league basketball. I'm glad she got her indoor mile race (and such a great time too for a season opener, 5:22!) and also her lacrosse tournament a week or so ago which they looked so amazing. She was voted captain again by her lacrosse team. Got into the college she wanted. Was offered scholarships to each school she applied for, full tuition at the U, UVU, USU, and more than half tuition to BYU. In her AP classes, she has scored really high on the practice tests so she should be set for those, and I think they are going to find a way to let the students take them at home. So at least she can still get those credits.
Simone got to compete at Nationals too and did so well! Something else that is really cool. In November, Simone's old climbing coach Jon was looking for a new place to live. Simone mentioned that we have an apartment in our basement. We've never really thought we'd rent it out, but hearing how hard it is for people to find housing made us reconsider. Anyway, now the climbing gym is shut down, and Simone has a coach living in our household who took her and Monet up the canyon today and taught them some stuff. So I'm sure grateful that we are able to take advantage of all this free time and she can still climb. Jared and I don't know enough yet about lead belay to feel comfortable with it even though we got certified. So hopefully we can learn more from Jon. Monet likes to climb, but never had the time before. So now they can both go. Simone has been wanting to homeschool all year and absolutely hates Junior High. So she's one happy kid!
Jon also knows a ton about fixing cars and is helping Miles with his Trans Am. Miles has been so busy working on his car this week. It makes me happy that he's not bored at all.
Not to mention that all my husbands weird purchases are really coming in clutch right now: the bio-bidet, massage chair, Peloton bike, Tesla, Bunker and the hugest collection of essential oils and supplements you ever did see! Plus he works from home. We are all set for this coronavirus.
Our yard is something that is very overwhelming to me. I love gardening and flowers. But we have an acre with some enormous amounts of dirt which turns to weeds pretty quick. It is not a low maintenance yard. Well, now we have time to work on it and to make it less maintenance. Which is going to require lots and lots of mulch. I've got a long list of things that we have wanted to get to but never had the time to do because we are at games all the time. We love our games. And I like my on-the-go lifestyle. But I'm going to have a great yard this year! Hopefully we will knock some big projects out. I need to learn how to train the grapevines, prune roses and fruit trees. I always hire everything out, but it would be good for us to learn how to do some things.
My goals for Soren right now is to spend more one on one time with him. I bought a cheap bike and am planning to do some bikerides and work on his reading. He loves having all the big kids home. We got another cat because our cat Greta disappeared this winter. The kitten is so, so adorable. Soren is a big time cat lover so he is so happy. We found that without a cat, we got a rodent problem out by the goat area. They are attracted to the feed apparently. So hopefully this little kitty gets to be a good hunter. The dogs are pretty excited about the kitten too. Lewis and Annie can see that it is a baby and they are so curious. The kitten is a little afraid of them right now. Lewis wants to lick the kitten and the kitten swatted his nose with its sharp little claws. So we have to be kinda careful while they get used to each other.
Monet has been mourning a little bit, but also sweet with her siblings doing puzzles and playing video games. She and I had talked about making a jeans quilt awhile back. I think we are going to start cutting out squares tomorrow. And I love those cute sugar cookies with the royal icing. I think Monet would be really great at that kind of thing so we are going to try our hand at learning a couple new skills.
And lastly, Elise is really motivating all of us to be better at our scripture study and family prayer and now that we are all home all day, its easy. Plus we get to talk to her on Sundays now too! She gets to help with our Come Follow Me home church. I think that is pretty special. I'm glad that for now she gets to stay in Italy. Everyday brings new changes. But for now it looks like they are doing a lot of good via technology and should be okay to stay.
So while I would love to never hear the word "Coronavirus" again, I think we will learn from this. I would love to wake up and find this was all just a dream. But, sometimes we have to get kicked out of our little homeostasis to experience growth and with time we'll adjust and we will not be so stressed by these changes. Just crossing my fingers that the economic fallout won't be super hard to recover from.
For me the hardest part of this is knowing how this is affecting so many businesses. I don't know anyone who has been sick so it isn't personal yet for me and hopefully it won't be. But so many friends have small businesses, or are employees and I hate to see this negatively impact them. It makes me super sad to think about all the many complicated employment situations that are arising because of this. I feel like we are as prepared as we could be. But I feel for our friends.
I also feel bad for Monet. She worked so hard in track and lacrosse. It is just a real bummer to practice this much and not have a season. And then there are all the senior things. Track, lacrosse, 18th birthday, spring break trip with friends, prom, graduation, senior trip, etc. All likely cancelled. Kinda sucks.
But in hindsight, I'm very grateful for what we've been able to do. Monet has had a pretty great senior year. Even if the last part stinks. Nationals in cross country! Seriously a dream come true. We got an awesome Hawaii trip in January. They finished first in the city league basketball. I'm glad she got her indoor mile race (and such a great time too for a season opener, 5:22!) and also her lacrosse tournament a week or so ago which they looked so amazing. She was voted captain again by her lacrosse team. Got into the college she wanted. Was offered scholarships to each school she applied for, full tuition at the U, UVU, USU, and more than half tuition to BYU. In her AP classes, she has scored really high on the practice tests so she should be set for those, and I think they are going to find a way to let the students take them at home. So at least she can still get those credits.
Simone got to compete at Nationals too and did so well! Something else that is really cool. In November, Simone's old climbing coach Jon was looking for a new place to live. Simone mentioned that we have an apartment in our basement. We've never really thought we'd rent it out, but hearing how hard it is for people to find housing made us reconsider. Anyway, now the climbing gym is shut down, and Simone has a coach living in our household who took her and Monet up the canyon today and taught them some stuff. So I'm sure grateful that we are able to take advantage of all this free time and she can still climb. Jared and I don't know enough yet about lead belay to feel comfortable with it even though we got certified. So hopefully we can learn more from Jon. Monet likes to climb, but never had the time before. So now they can both go. Simone has been wanting to homeschool all year and absolutely hates Junior High. So she's one happy kid!
Jon also knows a ton about fixing cars and is helping Miles with his Trans Am. Miles has been so busy working on his car this week. It makes me happy that he's not bored at all.
Not to mention that all my husbands weird purchases are really coming in clutch right now: the bio-bidet, massage chair, Peloton bike, Tesla, Bunker and the hugest collection of essential oils and supplements you ever did see! Plus he works from home. We are all set for this coronavirus.
Our yard is something that is very overwhelming to me. I love gardening and flowers. But we have an acre with some enormous amounts of dirt which turns to weeds pretty quick. It is not a low maintenance yard. Well, now we have time to work on it and to make it less maintenance. Which is going to require lots and lots of mulch. I've got a long list of things that we have wanted to get to but never had the time to do because we are at games all the time. We love our games. And I like my on-the-go lifestyle. But I'm going to have a great yard this year! Hopefully we will knock some big projects out. I need to learn how to train the grapevines, prune roses and fruit trees. I always hire everything out, but it would be good for us to learn how to do some things.
My goals for Soren right now is to spend more one on one time with him. I bought a cheap bike and am planning to do some bikerides and work on his reading. He loves having all the big kids home. We got another cat because our cat Greta disappeared this winter. The kitten is so, so adorable. Soren is a big time cat lover so he is so happy. We found that without a cat, we got a rodent problem out by the goat area. They are attracted to the feed apparently. So hopefully this little kitty gets to be a good hunter. The dogs are pretty excited about the kitten too. Lewis and Annie can see that it is a baby and they are so curious. The kitten is a little afraid of them right now. Lewis wants to lick the kitten and the kitten swatted his nose with its sharp little claws. So we have to be kinda careful while they get used to each other.
Monet has been mourning a little bit, but also sweet with her siblings doing puzzles and playing video games. She and I had talked about making a jeans quilt awhile back. I think we are going to start cutting out squares tomorrow. And I love those cute sugar cookies with the royal icing. I think Monet would be really great at that kind of thing so we are going to try our hand at learning a couple new skills.
And lastly, Elise is really motivating all of us to be better at our scripture study and family prayer and now that we are all home all day, its easy. Plus we get to talk to her on Sundays now too! She gets to help with our Come Follow Me home church. I think that is pretty special. I'm glad that for now she gets to stay in Italy. Everyday brings new changes. But for now it looks like they are doing a lot of good via technology and should be okay to stay.
So while I would love to never hear the word "Coronavirus" again, I think we will learn from this. I would love to wake up and find this was all just a dream. But, sometimes we have to get kicked out of our little homeostasis to experience growth and with time we'll adjust and we will not be so stressed by these changes. Just crossing my fingers that the economic fallout won't be super hard to recover from.
Monday, March 16, 2020
Corona Crazy
Well, everyone is sick of talking about it I'm sure. But here is the update on us over here.
One minute, we're like, oh we got this! No problem we are excited to do fun at-home projects, work in the yard and do puzzles and make quilts.
The next minute, I hate everyone. Don't try to rally me. I just need a minute to mourn my normal life because this seriously sucks.
But we did see some positive things this week. Miles and Soren built a bonfire yesterday and bonded over that. Miles taught Soren how to do a flip on the trampoline. Simone worked in the yard all day getting her goat enclosure looking nice. Jared got the hot tub cleaned out and I picked up dog poop for a solid hour and a half. Haha! Fun times!
Actually it did feel really great to be outside. I finally knocked some things off our to-do list that we've been meaning to get to.
I went to the dump today and the line was an hour long, so it sounds like everyone is doing the same thing.
I've never been so happy to have a yard with so many flipping projects! Staining the chicken fence tomorrow I hope if the weather is good.
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