That Year Masks Were Great for Costumes and Government Mandates

The year continues to make its attempts at normalcy-no holidays cancelled, school beginning, sports (some) resume.  But, the overall feeling is one of unsettlement and unease.  Who will come down with the virus next?  How many days will we make it to school before our next quarantine due to exposure?  Can we be with people in person or not? The questions remain but we push on because life goes on!  and October, in particular, welcomes the look of disguise, terror and masking up! 

So, we did our best to continue our regular terror-ific traditions- pumpkin patch...

We love wandering the rows and picking a pumpkin that has potential for decor and jack-o-lantern carving.  We miss our old pumpkin patch with the corn maze, but this one does have some swings and random farm animals (that I subtly avoid.  You never know what disaster making eye contact with an emu will result in).

We also made it to see the Witches this year, but we weren't convincing enough in how fun we are and to get the older kids to join us.  Ah well, a twist on this tradition too I guess.  Darn those kids for growing up! Ha!  Harrison was crying about the prospect of him getting older like Grant and Katelee.  

I was putting him to bed and he was just beside himself thinking about what he will be like when he is 15.  He said he likes hugging me and he is so worried that when he gets to join ranks with the teenagers, he won't hug me and love me like he does right now....(break.my.heart)...  He continued to explain how he loves being a kid and he is worried he won't remember how it feels and how he likes to be with his family.  You better believe I will be praying for those feelings to be brought back to him if he ever loses it!  Documenting this conversation is also going to come in handy if he ever doesn't want to be with us.  But really, he will always want to be with me and hug me, right???!

One thing he can look forward to will be high school dances.  Grant went to Girls Pref a couple of times -once with Makaylie

 

and once with Maddie.  We didn't get pics to one of the dances but he wore the same outfit, so at least he looked the same! ha!

The high school cannot technically host a dance-so no organized dances, stomps, etc this year.  The kids just group up and call it whatever dance it would have been.  Maybe next year? crossing our fingers and lots of prayers.

Katelee finished up her season of soccer.  She's a fun little athlete to watch.   It is extra fun to have family cheer her on that we don't see often, but being outside together in masks makes it a-ok.

 We loved cheering her on this Fall.  

Grant also tried out for the high school swim team and made it!  We look forward to being involved with that.  He is busy with work, school and swim, so he couldn't take off for spring break.  Dave was feeling busy too, but I decided we are tired of being at home, so the other 3 

and I hit the road and made a  little fall break trip down to Bryce Canyon.  

It was so fun!  Harrison thought he was going to die about half way into one of the hikes and I was questioning my ability to drag him across the red sand, but then we got to the cool part of zig zagging through the slot and he got a burst of energy-racing to the top.  

Man, there were some incredible views.

It was refreshing and gave me so much perspective about life as I glimpsed across the expanse

...then,  we were informed Katelee had been at someone's house while they were sick with Covid and everything we were getting away from came right back into view!  There's no running from coronavirus apparently.  It was still great to get away.  We tried to find  Dinosaur tracks on the way home, but mostly I just nodded my head and acted like I could see where they were when we found a marking!  I am definitely no archaeologist.

It was a prefect little jaunt and then we came home to quarantine Katelee.  She was allowed out in time for Halloween, which is good because she went south again with her friend Rian.  Rian's family invited her to join them for the holiday as they traveled for a baseball tournament.  While it was hard letting her go when we wanted to be with her, we said yep and she had a groovy time in St George.  

The rest of us were home  (well, Grant went to hang out with friends) and debated on the best (safest) way to celebrate.  Many people opted out of trick-or-treating.  We definitely didn't do our neighborhood dinner 'Eat Before You Treat' this year.  But, we came to the conclusion, going around in little groups with masks on would be ok for our kids.   Before the kids headed out, Porter and Jaylee stopped by to ring our doorbell...little cuties. 

When we happened upon Brenna and her friends, they were not wearing masks, so we did  give her a little reminder ;)  

not sure how long the mask was really worn.  She was a soldier, so you'd think she would be a stellar example of falling in line and taking orders...but went AWOL.

Dave walked around with Harrison (feeling safe from all space aliens as he protected the universe,  That's what Halo guys do, I guess?  Who knows?  not me and not Harrison, he just really liked the look of the costume.)

 I sat in the driveway handing out candy with a pair of tongs...for real.  I wanted people to feel comfortable -no spreading deadly viruses at our house, if we can help it.

I really think the mask added to the attire, I mean squids have more of a beak-like mouth, right?  The mask really works here-which is a good thing, because it definitely looks like masks are here to stay.  

Sunshine in September

Well, school started, as well as dance and some extra curricular activities.  Of course, because COVID is apparently not going away anytime soon, adjustments are being made-masks are worn, distance must be observed.  Thank heavens for the sun!!!  We can still be with people outside and we even felt good about having an almost normal Snowbird week!!  

We look forward to week 36 all year.  It was especially great because we got to see family that doesn't live around these parts.  Grace came down a little early so she and Katelee had quite the fashion show at Grandma's.

Haley and Gage drove in and entertained little people for hours...

Blake, Suzanne and Caleb were there, which was a special treat for Harrison because Caleb let Harrison join him in some serious games on the court.

This beast brought his A-game when it was the cousins...and then he quite literally turned into a beast monster.  Everyone had to evacuate the scene as we calmed the storm.  There was a situation with who threw the basket last, who fouled who, you know typical flagrant fouls during a hugely important competition.   Luckily, he took some deep breaths and came back to congratulate all players on good game...between the hyperventilating recovery breaths.  

We played game after game-Curses and cards, Double Ditto, Scattergories, you name it, it was played.  Loads of movies were viewed, delish treats were consumed.  We've become well known around the Iron Blosam for mixed drinks...with Torani sodas and Perrier, of course.  It is just a week we all enjoy. 

 And while it seems to be mostly about family, it's the mountains that steal the show...

The hikes are invigorating and gorgeous, apparently a little romantic, as well.  

We can't wait for next year already!!!

We decided to keep getting our money's worth out of our Lagoon passes and hit up Frightmares a couple of times in September.  It was the best, not crowded at all, fun Halloween decorations...I mean it's fun to see your kid looking like he's chopped in half, right?

We even brought friends a couple of times.  Perfect fall evening! 

And so, September has given us hope in the idea that life will continue on as normal as it can while keeping that corona virus always in the picture.  Schools are not able to do official dances but groups of kids are trying to make the best of it and organizing their own dance memories.  Grant was asked to go to his first one!  Can't wait to see how it goes in October.  

Yes, this school year will be different.  Yes, some things are cancelled, but yes, there is the sun, there are mountains and Snowbird...and on a lucky day, there are puppies! 

 

Partying Pandemic Style

Well, we made it to the end of summer.  At the beginning of August, Dave and I should have been on a dream President's Club trip to Ireland and Scotland... but ya know, global pandemic and all canceled those plans.  Everyone has things they missed out on this year and that is one at the top of our list!  We had made arrangements with Shannon to babysit while we were away, so she kept her reservations in the canyon and took the kids on another campout!  They are some lucky peeps.  This time, the excursion was girls camp themed since Katelee and Ellie were missing their girls camp...which puts a little hole in my heart, but we are strong and love that Shannon did this! 

They had crafts, scrunchies/head bands, learned some of our favorite camp songs, ate delicious mountain meals, did a hike, etc  so I think they hit a lot of the camp highlights!  Go and Do was the theme and I think we are all learning to go and move forward no matter what.  I love it! 

Dave even came up one evening to sit around the campfire and hang out.  We have incredible mountains so close.  It's pretty incredible we just can drive up and down to places like this in no time at all.  It was the last time we got to see Bucky and Emmalee before they hit the road on the way to Baltimore.  

Fun adventures ahead for everyone!  One of our fun adventures includes starting school...in person!! Wahoo!!!  The schools are taking tons of precautions- masks for everyone, sanitizers, virtual Friday learning day, emergency meetings for when a school gets a certain number of covid cases, etc  So, we will take it as  long as we can!  If anyone is exposed at school, they will have to stay home quarantined for 14 days following to watch for symptoms, so I will not be surprised if it is brief that all my people are in the school building, but we are giving it a go!!

Grant started first...

Tenth grade at Riverton High- officially at the High School! 

Katelee was up next 

Eighth grader right there.  

Our first days were in waves, so Brenna started elementary school a day before Harrison.  Here is her first day picture...

She was thrilled to start her 5th grade year! 

It's a good thing I had an extra couple of days with my little buddy.  I started to have small panic attacks when I thought of him going to school and not being there to hang out with me all day.

.

  So, I was hovering big time that last week.  We spent some time on a little lunch date.  We are smiling, can you tell?!

This kid is honestly the best.  He is so much fun and smart and unfortunately so ready to start first grade!

He had his picture taken, donned his mask

and we were off to the bus stop so that dreaded cheese wagon could haul away my baby. 

The crying that began didn't start as soon as I walked away, I waited till Dave left for work and lost it for the rest of the afternoon and laid in my bed.  Ha! The worst part for me was knowing that I can't go in and see him and help this year.  No volunteers in the building with the virus circulating the world.  So, I teared up thinking of my little buddy in his mask and not getting to be a part of his day.   But, the thing is, before I knew it, it was time for Grant to come home.  The next day I realized I sure missed my kids,Harrison in particular, but there was a lot less empty time than I thought there would be!  And honestly, who knows how long they will be gone with this Covid nonsense, so I went from broken hearted to seize the moments pretty darn quick!  

Harrison got to start school and have a birthday all in the same week!  Wahoo! We spent the day up in Park City to ride the Mountain Coaster and Alpine Slide.  

Then, we went to the Drive In that night to watch Shrek.  It was lots of fun!  We had his family dinner the next day.  He got a lot of Titanic stuff from Shannon, because ya know, that's what every 7 year old wants!  Only our awesome Harry!  Here we are trying to put together the Titanic Lego set...

He was excited about his MLB puzzle from grandma 

and he got an Angels jersey from us.  Harrison gives us so much joy in our home...and the world.  We love him more than he will ever know.   The other night Harrison took a bath, we combed his hair down and went to go call it a night.  I told him his hair looked slick and he told me it looked Italian, threw off his covers, stood with authority on his bed and belted out some opera.  This kid is one of a kind, I tell ya.  

He chose an "ANGEL" food cake...so the decoration is nothing to be proud of, but we sure like the taste!  

A fun party- and we all know Dave loves to party!

Overall, a pretty great birthday in a different kind of year!  School will definitely feel different, but a couple weeks in and the kids have adjusted just fine.  Church has been signficiantly different this year.  HOw awesome is it that we were prepared with a home based study program before corona virus hit.  Hello, true prophet, people!  We have worked each week to spend some time taking the sacrament and having a little lesson.   Dave and Grant have been going each week to our next door neighbor and spending time administering it to Susan and her sister.  It's been pretty cool.  

Some weeks are fine, some are not a success at all, and occaisionally we have a good lesson and feel!

  There's been every fast Sunday where Brenna weighs the options of which bread piece is biggest and water bowl holds the most liquid to help quench the hunger and thirst pains...btw our pieces of bread at home sacrament are giant.  There has been a day where Harrison just rolled his piece of bread and told me he was going to harvest it in the backyard.  We had a good lesson where we each took turns preaching as Samuel would have done on the wall, of course we had to throw things at the preacher, but no one was injured...just like Samuel.  

Something must be getting through now and then, though, because Harrison's night time prayer time is often my favorite and most uplifting part of the day.  He has long and thoughtful conversations. He pled with Heavenly Father to bless his brother, his sister, his other sister and his "other" brother.  I was a little worried he was going to tell me I was supposed to have another baby...problem there-the factory is shut down and I don't want to re open....but Harrison continued with his other brother statement being "Jesus...you know, that guy."  

He feels what he is saying and it is like he is teaching me too.  I love it.  He prayed the other night "Please bless my dad won't struggle.  Please bless my mom won't struggle, please bless Heavenly Father and Jesus-the ones I am talking to right now.  Please bless we will always hug cousins, the prophet and our family.  Please bless we will still feel the spirit even as we grow up.  Please bless those with corona in their home."   

There was so much that I loved from that little plea.  I love seeing how we can observe if someone is struggling, I love the need to stop and see if we are maintaining the spirit like we maybe had at a different time or age. I love that Harrison knows who he is talking to.   There might be a lot of struggling going on right now, but that heavens there are people like Harrison who are keeping an eye out for us all! 

Heaps and Mountains of Fun

One thing this year is teaching us is to be creative in our pursuit of entertainment and gathering.  We haven't had family dinners for months, but it is hard to give up our holidays!  So, along the same lines as our Memorial Day get together, we needed to think outside of the box for Fourth of July.  It is way too hot, like Hades hot, to just chill outdoors with the family. 

So, we had our festive food indoors, while annexing the elder family members to their own table so no covid droplets were potentially being shared during the meal!  ha!

Riverton City did not hold the Freedom Fest where we always go to watch fireworks, understandably.  Hundreds of people packed into the park like sardines could potentially be a super spreader event.  Because we weren't going to the park, we parted ways with family after our dinner and fourth of July fashion prep and spent the evening at a friend's house to swim and watch whatever pyrotechnics surrounded their place.  It was pretty amazing.  

So, big thank you to the Martin's for letting us enjoy our holiday in a new way!  

While we were sad not to spend the entire holiday with the fam, the kids got lots of family time at Spruces campground for a campout!  Because Shannon is a camping guru and super Aunt extraordinaire, she offered to let the kids sleep up there with her-Dave and I wouldn't even have to go.  Don't get me wrong (or Dave for that matter) we both love love love the mountains, hiking, spending time in nature, the views, the fresh air, the disconnecting with the fast pace of 'real life.'  But...we also really like showers and a bed that includes a mattress.  I took Shannon up on her offer and helped set up camp, spent the day, then came back to sleep at home.  

We had never been masked in the mountains before, never thought we ever would need to be, but now we can check that off our of bucketlist...

It was a special occasion treat because Haley and Gage drove over from Colorado to join in the fun too.  

There is nothing like camping out- I bet!  Ha!  Really, there is nothing like the great outdoors.  It is refreshing and fun, a time to bond, 

a time to let it all out.

Mountain Magic

The girls were lucky to spend more family time in July-this time with the McArthur side in the blazing heat of  Arizona.  Dave met Kimber half way, dropped of our little ladies and they spent 5 days with cousins and grandparents swimming and summering just as it should be done every year!  

The boys stayed home with me.  Grant worked (he got a job at Iceberg Drive Inn in May), hungout with friends and bummed around.  Harrison spent one of the days at  Lagoon with Porter and Jaylee, Paige and Shannon.  Really, it was the people mentioned minus Jaylee most of the day.  

Jaylee wasn't having the Lagoon atmosphere.  It was our first time trying Lagoon a Beach.  I wish I could say it was our last time, but I am afraid my kids will drag me more.  There are few things I despise more than water parks- the pruney fingers and toes might be the number one reason.  Shrively digits are the textures of my nightmares.  Anywho... it was so fun to spend the day with them there (once we got to the rides)!  Harrison loved the water slides and I am sure he will want to take the other kids there soon.  I will endure the agony.  

I am actually not a huge water play fan, in general.  I would regard myself as brave, but deep ocean makes me a little leary, if someone is trying to swim in open water without a life vest, I am on high alert. I don't want to go scuba diving, like, ever.  Harrison has become fascinated with ocean travel lately, particularly the Titanic disaster.  Why?  who really knows?? He is constantly looking up facts about it, printing off coloring pages, and explaining what went wrong.  Here is a lovely diagram of what happened that he illustrated.

He did do marvelously at swim lessons this year, so he has no fear of water.  It has been nice to have things to break of the routine of the every day.  

 We have all been home a lot doing the same old things...you know, lockdown and all that.  

We had a lot of trips planned this year, Girls Camp, EFY, youth conference, family vacation, Ireland/President's Club...can't even hardly talk about that one!  It has been a tough pill to swallow to give those adventures up.  We were yearning to hit the road and wanted to do it in a safe and quick way, so we packed up the sanitizer, masks, wipes and took a long driving, quick road trip to see Blake and co.

Wow, people weren't exaggerating with the whole Coeur d'Alene is breathtaking description.  

We drove all day, arrived at night and in time to take a stroll at the lake.  Wading revolved into self inflicted wedgies, apparently, and frightening the ducks that were trying to enjoy their evening.  

We stayed in a hotel, but fully sanitized the room, hardly went through the lobby, wore a mask through our entrance and stairway and pretty much isolated in the accommodations.  We ate at some fun restaurants, took the kids with Blake and Grace to the lake to swim and jump in from the rocks, met up with Suzanne and Caitlyn for food, and the girls slept at their house one night. 

 By far, the best thing we did was the bike ride on the Road to Hiawatha. It was incredible and unforgettable.  Picture a mile long dark tunnel, a dirt path down a mountain, train trestles, trees and lush scenery, and you can almost imagine what it was like.  

We weren't sure if Harrison would be able to bike the entire 15 miles-it is downhill, but he is a newbie to the whole bicycle feel in general.  So, we decided to rent a bike that was pretty much Dave pedaling and Harrison connected on the back to a small bike, but he couldn't steer or regain balance.  At the  beginning, when those two tried to attempt a ride, Harrison jumped off and screamed that he would not be joining us.  That sums up his dialogue.  We had to send Blake and the rest of the crew ahead while we coaxed Harrison back onto the bike and encouraged him through his loud screaming that he was going to be great and love it! Eventually, Master Harry got on the vehicle, but every time Dave stopped to check on someone, or if they ended up in the last spot, the tantrum ensued.  Despite the yelling and crying, he loved it!  Haha!  We all finished up muddy and looking like a diaper exploded up our backs, but I would do it again in a heartbeat.  Next time, we would just get Harrison his own bike! 

It's funny to me how we see our own behavior as perfectly reasonable, but when someone else may be exhibiting similar reactions, we find them to be irrational.  When Brenna was yelling at me, Harrison turned and said, "um, mom, is she having a breakdown?!"  It is nice to know other people go through our emotions and experiences.  We have one person leaving the braces camp at our house ...(David-30 lbs lighter, teeth straighter, shortened and whiter-hopefully preventing any gum grafts)

and little miss Katelee is embarking on her orthodontic journey.  

Before shot..

to picking junk out of her teeth...I swore I took a pic right  out of the ortho office, but this will have to do because I can't find it.  

We are so grateful for these fun things we have been able to do this month!  It's amazing how the little things start to matter so much more.  This may be a bit crude for some, but Harrison ran into the bathroom the other day and had a really long pee...then he exclaimed, "that was heavenly."  Isn't it funny how things we don't think twice about become heavenly??  I think that mind set is one I want to always keep and we can thank this year for teaching us that.