Coping with Covid-19

I'm looking back at my last post and wondering how in the world that was six days ago. It feels like just yesterday, but also a year ago. Time under quarantine is weird. All the days blend together, everything feels the same, one hour bleeds into the next and before you know it a week has gone by with nothing but survival to show for it.

The boys are coping pretty well. They spend a lot of time outside playing basketball or riding bikes. Kyle has started to color pictures for his friends and then runs around the neighborhood to deliver them. Beckett liked that idea and took it a step further. He made a box of paper airplanes and handed them out to all the kids here. We take our friends treats when we can and wave from the sidewalk. I try to enforce a daily family walk. Sidewalk chalk has also been a fun outlet. We've also been doing daily PE on YouTube and the kids actually really like it. I also made Tayden help me peel bananas solely for the entertainment factor. He really hates the fruit. There is more TV and video games then I'd like to admit, but this is unprecedented territory, so I'm trying to give myself some guilt free slack.



















We needed an adventure yesterday, so we went to McDonalds (only the drive through is open) and got some lunch. Then we drove up to the windmills in the foothills and had a picnic. It was too cold to go outside to eat so we ate in the van. It was good to have a change of scenery, get some fresh air and do something out of our new normal. Its funny how something so simple can bring so much joy.

Church went better this week than last. Our Stake is allowing families to partake of the Sacrament inside the home. Its been a really neat opportunity to watch Scott bless our weekly Sacrament. Its humbling to have such a powerful priesthood ordinance done in our home. The first week we were much more relaxed than we should have been. Scott had a mandatory church meeting, so we tried to break the day up. Our rule is no TV before church. So we thought if we did our lesson before the meeting, we could do the sacrament when Scott got back. That way, if his meeting ended up going longer than anticipated, the kids could watch TV. When he got home, we had to round up the kids all over again to take the sacrament and they were rowdy. Then of course I was made because they weren't being reverent and on and on it went. Last week, we all dressed in church clothes to set the mood. Then, we had an opening song and prayer. Scott gave a talk, blessed and passed the sacrament and then I gave the lesson. After the lesson we closed with another song and prayer. It went much smoother and the kids participated and actually learned. It was so spiritually rejuvenating.  

We've been home for two weeks and the Governor of Idaho just announced a three week shut down to try to slow the spread of the virus. Thats five weeks isolated at home and it could just be the start. Who knows when this will end. Home school starts Monday and we are all looking forward to a bit of routine and normalcy. I'm trying my best to recognize that my kids memories of this time depend on me and my attitude and what experience I am giving them. Even though this is a time of scary uncertainty, I want them to remember it as a time of fun and safety. I want them to look back with fond memories of homeschooling and home church. I want them to reminisce on the family board games and dad working from home. I want them to remember all of us being safety gathered in.

We're surviving and with any luck we'll learn how to be thriving in the weeks to come. This is hard, but no harder than the trials of our ancestors before us. The wars, the pioneers, the persecution for their faith, the great depression, etc. We'll get through this and hopefully come out better because of it.

Social Distancing

Its crazy how much life can change in a week, or even a day. In December of 2019, China announced a novel corona-virus had manifested with in the city of Wuhan. It quickly grew out of control and while many people were fine, the older people and those with underlying health issues were dying at an alarming rate. It was half a world away and while I read the news about it, I didn't fully understand it or worry about it all. Fast forward two months and virus has spread across the world, causing a pandemic.

As we heard about the first case in the United States, my ears perked up and I started paying more attention. With every day, a new case was found, a new state effected. Within weeks, every state had a case of COVID-19, the official name for this strain of corona-virus. Including Idaho. The disease was closing in.

With the raise of illness, rose panic. Masses of people flocked to the stores buying out canned goods, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, soap, bleach, clorox wipes, over the counter medications. The shelves were literally empty. Toilet paper was sold out across the city. Mass hysteria had set in. Luckily, as the threat grew across the US, Scott become more and more aware of our immediate needs. We went to the store to stock up on flour, sugar, rice, canned goods and food storage essentials. A quick side note about our shopping. We learned very quickly about exact obedience to the Prophet of the Lord. We have been counseled for years to keep up on food storage and Scott and I were okay at following. But not good. Not exact. The time came to get prepared and instead of being able to turn to our food storage, we had to turn to the stores. We were lucky we did it before pandemonium hit. But we would have been completely prepared and not at all scared if we had followed the counsel of the Lord. We promised to listen exactly from here on out.

As things across the world get more and more uncertain the church has announced some unprecedented events. Church worldwide has been canceled. Families are doing church at home with some areas having authority to bless the sacrament at home. Temples have shut down proxy work and are only allowing living ordinances to be performed. Conference has been closed to the public and will only allow participants to attend. Even the music has been pre-recorded.

The changes have sparked some fear, but I can't help to see the modern revelation and Gods hand in all the details. Church has been canceled, but we have been practicing home centered, church supported church for a year now. We know what do to. We know how to teach in our home. We have been preparing for this.

Temples have been shut down, but living ordinances still continue. About a year ago, the Church allowed for sealings to happen any time after a civil marriage. Previously, sealings could only happen a year after the civil marriage was performed. This affects many people directly. While we were in Las Vegas, I was a beehive leader. One of those girls was planning to get married this weekend. She went to the court house to pick up her marriage license, only to find the doors closed and no access to the marriage department. She and her fiance were able to drive to St. George and get married in the court house. Because of the changes, they will still be able to get sealed this weekend. What a blessing!

President Nelson announced last October conference, that the upcoming conference would be one to remember and unlike anything we had experienced. While I am sure there are other factors to this because it happens to be 200 years from the First Vision, I am one hundred percent certain that he knew this would be happening. That little piece of information let the world know he is in constant communication with our Father in Heaven.

Schools across the states have been canceled. Many for the rest of the year. Our school has opted for online learning, which will start April 1st, the week after spring break. We have been advised to practice social distancing, which basically means stay home if you can. The objective is to flatten the curve of this disease and try to snuff it out quicker. We have been home for 8 days. Its been hard on the kids because they can't play with friends. But it has been nice to see them relying on each other and strengthening their personal relationships with their individual brothers. I have gone to the store once, but other than that, we've been home. Scott will start to work from home next week, which will take adjusting to, but I have no doubt we'll find a system that works. So far we have colored, played Monoply, gone on walks and played basketball,  tuned a new guitar and had private popcorn breaks. 

This is hard. And its scary. But we are doing our best to keep our faith and have good attitudes. We are showing our kids that in times of uncertainty, we can rely on our family and faith. We have a home, and all the privileges that go with it. Food, beds, blanket, internet, etc. We are comfortable and safe. We have seen good in the world as people donate their time and efforts to those less fortunate. The sun has started to shine and its been warm enough for the kids to play. I think of the hymn with the line, "All are safely gathered in". That warms my heart.

Through all of this I have prayed for direction. How do I entertain my kids without them spending too much time on screens or without a constant fight? I've wondering how I will teach them both spiritually and academically and still expect them to turn out better than before. What can I do to make working from home a positive experience for Scott. And through all of this, the phrase, "To be a stronger family." has parked in my mind. All of this will make us a stronger family. All of our activities are driven by making us a stronger family. I wrote it on my mirror and Cache said, "Mom, you should right, 'Fight to be a stronger family'". What an beautiful idea. Fighting to be a stronger family. So that is what we are doing. We are fighting together to become stronger. And it feels so good.

JoDells Wedding

For as long as I have remembered, I've prayed for my sister to be happy. I've prayed for someone to accept her for who she is and love her whole heartily. This past year, my prayers...and I'm sure hers too...have been answered.  She met a wonderful man named Shane and after a couple of months of dating, he asked her to be his wife.

The wedding was last Saturday, and it was beautiful. I was lucky enough to stand next to her as they said their "I do"s and see Shanes face as he promised himself to JoDell. It was a magical moments and one I was so proud to be a part of. I love my sister and am so grateful she has someone to spend the rest of her life with.

Almost five

Kyle has been with us for almost five years!! I thank my lucky stars for him everyday. He is joy. The past couple of weeks he’s been saying the silliest things that I never want to forget. 

-Coming out of the store one day he smelled a fast food restaurant. He said, “Smells like McDonalds! Speaking of McDonalds, I sure wish I could get some today.”

-On the way home from dropping his brothers off at school he was chatting up a storm and telling me all his plans for the day. When we got home he said with a completely serious face, “Mom, did you get all that?”

-Wondering why the snow hadn’t melted yet, Kyle said, “I think the weather people are having trouble with....you know....the snow machine.”

-I needed some fresh air the other day so I took Luna for a walk and left Kyle home with Tayden. When I got home he was on the phone through Alexa with our neighbor Jon. They were just having a causal conversation and I completely interrupted. He was a bit annoyed when I asked why he had called Jon and he told me just wanted to see who Alexa knew. 

Dirt Bikes

The boys got helmets for their birthdays and with the weather clearing up they have finally been able to put them to use. Their dad isn’t complaining much either. 

Especially when he gets to tag along on his own. This summer is going to be so fun! 

Growing Up in the Church

The phrase, “Growing up in the church” has been on my mind since Christmas when our friends invited us to a play at a different religious church house. At the Christmas play, my kids were uneasy and unsure of the building and people around them. They weren’t sure where to find the bathrooms or drinking fountains. They thought the chairs felt weird and the atmosphere of the whole building was different than they were used to. 

A couple of days later over our Christmas break, we played basketball at our Church. Our kids immediately ran to the gym with familiarity. Kyle headed for the nursery where he promptly got out the toys he wanted and brought them into the gym. Bathroom breaks and drinks were easy to find and there was not uneasiness being in the building alone. This is our church. This is their church.

I’ve watched my kids over the last two months while we’ve been at church. Both at Sunday services and for recreation. As I mentioned before, recreationally they feel at home at the church. They know the building and feel safe there. They are accustomed to the rooms, closets, where to find the bandaids, etc. They know this building. 

Sundays aren’t much different. They sit in sacrament, knowing how to act and what comes next in the service. They know the teachers, where their classrooms are and to meet in the gym after class to put away chairs. They know the people in our ward and what is going on in their lives. They understand what it means to have a ward family. 

I am so grateful for the blessings and privileges that come with growing up in the church. The sense of stability, safety, unity and home that it gives my kids is priceless. I know they are learning the truthfulness of the gospel while they are in class and feel community while in the building. The blessings of church are ever abundant!!