Weekend Work

My family has never been so excited to work! After a long winter and weeks in quarantine, we were finally able to get up to Ashton and work on our property. Between us and the Snarrs we had a mini crew of 2 dads and 5 working boys. The moms build picnic tables, watched the little boys and prepared the food. The boys even had a chance to ride dirt bikes.

It was a great day and just what we needed. It was nice to get out of the house, change scenery and spend lots of time outdoors and away from screens. I can't wait until we can get the trailer up there and start some actual camping. We're thinking a couple more Saturdays worth of work should do the trick.

Surprise visitors

Grandma and grandpa Packard are home!!! They got home from their mission in New Zealand about two weeks ago, but had to self isolate due to the virus. We knew they were home but didn’t tell the boys, so when there was a knock at the door yesterday and Grandma and grandpa were on the other side they were shocked! The boys immediately started hugging them and we even had tears from Tayden. That one is my child. I was just as excited as my boys! I felt like it was Christmas all morning as I waited for them. 

Scott and I videoed the surprise, but then didn’t take one picture the rest of the day. Bummer!! We had a great day of chatting. They brought the boys and me some greenstone necklaces and seashells. And I was just happy they were in my home again. 

I’m so grateful for their service and example to my boys. For the past 18 months we’ve prayed every night for them in our family prayers. We’ve talked about the sacrifice they made and how they were helping the missionaries get the work done. I’ve watched my boys first hand experience what it’s like to have family on a mission. How proud they are of their grandparents and how they loved to tell everyone about them any chance they got. I know because they saw them go, it increased their desire to serve. And I’m so thankful. 

Easter LockDown

Like everything else, Easter was different this year. We’re still under the shelter at home order, so we had to make the best of our circumstances. It just so happens that we live in one of the best neighborhoods around and we had a visit from the Easter Bunny on his golf cart. We were able to go out and wave from the street while he threw candy to the kids. It was fun to see all the families out in the yard playing and waiting for the solo parade to start. It was a huge act of kindness that I’ll never forget. 

We dyed eggs as well this year. It’s not my favorite activity, but the kids loved it and it was nice to do something out of the normal.

And we still held our annual egg hunt. We didn’t fill the eggs with candy this year and we thought for sure the kids would complain about it, but they didn’t! We had every intention of trading the eggs for candy, but it never came to it. Instead, they filled them up with candy from their Easter basket and Scott and I walked away with our bag of candy. 

Church looked different than a usual Easter as we worshiped in our home. We partook of the Sacrament, sang songs and Scott gave a great lesson about the resurrection and importance of the sacrament. My heart was warmed as I looked at my rag tag kids in their wrinkled church clothes and realized this is what it means to live the gospel. This, inside our home and teaching our kids and strengthening our testimonies is exactly what we are supposed to be doing right now. I love this picture of Beckett cuddling with Kyle. It shows just what my heart is feeling.

We had a delicious dinner. Scott bought the biggest ham in the store and it was entirely too big for my crockpot. I was extremely impressed with my ingenuity to fix my problem. I used the lid to my cake tray.

One thing that will never ever change is the purpose of Easter. I am so grateful that through all the chaos in the world right now, one constant remains the same. Our Savior Jesus Christ. He lived for us, he died for us and then he rose again for us. This gives us the power to be resurrected as well and the ability to live with our families forever. That is the greatest source of joy and peace. 

General Conference

This weekend was conference weekend. It could not have come at a better time. With the world in a state of chaos and confusion, I was really looking for words of hope and peace. As I listened to all five sessions, my faith was renewed and my spirits were lifted. 

Last session President Nelson told us it would be a conference unlike any other. He asked us to prepare by learning more about Joseph Smith and the First Vision. All the while, I thought we were supposed to be gaining knowledge so that we could relate more to the talks that would be given. Or have a better understanding of them. And while I am sure there were multiple things to take away from the conference and the preparation for it, I love my lesson I learned. As I studied about Joseph Smith and the First vision, I gained a greater testimony of the prophet and the visit from Heavenly Visitors, namely God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. I learned that if I believe in Joseph Smith then I believe in the Book of Mormon, modern prophets and revelation and all other aspects of the church. You can't have a true testimony of that Prophet and his vision without believing in everything else about our gospel.The strengthening of my testimony over the past six months prepared me for this epidemic. It gave me the strength to rely on a loving Heavenly Father. It gave me the faith to understand in a higher plan. It allowed me to know that He is in control and to not fear things that are temporal. 

 I also learned how hard the life of Joseph Smith was, but how he handled it with grace and faith. Is there any better example on how to react to COVID-19? There is still time for God, goodness and grace. There is still room to be positive and look for opportunities to serve. I learned that no matter how hard or scary things get, the Church of Jesus Christ is true. And that will never change.

Even though the format was different, I loved the messages of love and peace this weekend. Talks were about family, family history work, world kindness, covenants and everything in between. Everything was taught with the spirit and applied to my life. I sat down for all ten hours and soaked up the goodness straight from Heaven. President Nelson introduced a new Proclamation about the restoration and we did the Hosana Shout as a church afterwards.  

I felt peace as we were told that COVID-19 would be overcome and life would return to some sort of resemblance of normal. But I also felt an overwhelming feeling that this is the beginning of the Second Coming. We are here to prepare the world for the coming of the Lord. Now is the time to keep our faith and share it with those around us. The work is hastening and the time is at hand. I hope I live to see the day when the Savior returns and reigns. I hope that I can prepare my children for that great and marvelous day. It helps me to face hard challenges by giving them a purpose. I can say, "This is hard, but it is in preparation for the return of Jesus Christ". And that immediately changes my attitude and outlook. It gives me courage. And hope.

I'm grateful for our Prophet. I believe him to be a true Prophet of God. I see him modern revelation at work. I trust him and sustain him. God is good. The church is true. 

Five

Yesterday, we celebrated Kyle as he turned five years old. How is it possible to be simultaneously heart broken and proud at the same time? Its hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that my youngest is five years old. But I feel incredibly blessed to watch him grow and experience new things.

Sadly, we had to celebrate his special day at home while we shelter in place. I was nervous it wasn't going to live up to his expectations, but we made do and he had a great time. Normally, we don't open gifts until the evening, but we opened them after breakfast so he could play with them all day. Beckett gave him one of his old dinosaurs for keeps. Tayden gave him two free hours of Tayden time. Scott and I got him a monster truck toy and legos. To no surprise he opened up the legos and first and got building. I love that my red heads share their passion for building. And yes, we had to wrap the gifts in Christmas paper. 

For lunch we went through the drive through and got Kyle a happy meal. It came with the best toy ever and he favored it above all else the rest of the day. Honestly, we could have just taken him to get a happy meal and he would have been as happy as could be.

We spent the rest of the day loving on the birthday boy and giving into his ever woe. Just the title of Birthday Boy brought a smile to his face. He requested sweet and sour chicken for dinner and we ended the evening with cake. He loves the lights off whenever there is a candle lit. About 4 seconds into the birthday song he realized a light was on down the hall so he stopped the whole thing and went to turn off the light. When he came back he said, “okay, I’m ready!” 

Kyle is a bright light in our life. I'm not going to lie, he is hard. He has melt downs and is majorly physical with his brothers. He is kind to everyone else, but when he comes to his brothers, he feels the need to hold his own. On the flip side, he is quick to hug and cuddle. He loves to be one of the boys and keeps up the best he can. He has common sense and a keen understanding of the world around him. Quite often, he is the one yelling at me to slow down at a yellow light.

Even though he's not a baby, he'll always be my baby. He's the perfect ending to our crazy train of boys!

Online Learning

This week marks our first week of online learning as well as Scotts first week working from home. To say its been an adjustment is an understatement. But to say its been horrible is untruthful. To be honest, the adjustment has gone better than I anticipated. Of course we've had our hiccups here and there, but over all I think we will fall into a routine rather quickly.

Scott started his week off commandeering the computer room. He deep cleaned it, moved things around and got his stuff set up. He ordered a new computer chair and made himself right at home at work. If the door is closed, that means do not disturb. A cracked door means, working but available. An open door means come on in. He isn't insanely busy which is nice for the kids and I. We get to see him from time to time and I enjoy having another adult around. And as long as he has a supply of buttercream mints, he's happy. 

The kids week started off strong as well. When I learned that they would be learning from home, I immediately started praying for help along the way. I knew I would struggle with daily flexibility for the kids. I like things structured and predictable. I like to sit in the same spot every time, I like to know what is going to happen and when. I like a pattern. I do not do spontaneous very well. I have a hard time going with the flow. But my kids are teaching me to loosen up and its actually been really great. 

The first day we all sat down at the table and started our work. We read scriptures, wrote in our journals and then did school work. I walked around the table supervising and helping the boys where they needed it. We were done before lunch and were able to play the rest of the day. 

Today looked quite different. The kids each had an online video chat with their class and teachers. The time slots were spread out over the morning. Cache was at 9:10, Beckett at 10:30 and Tayden started at 11:50. Which meant school was spread out over the morning as well. Cache started school right after his phone call and only had about 45 minutes worth of work. Beckett did a little before his meeting, but did the majority of it afterwards. Tayden waited until after his chat to start and didn't finish until the early evening. I was being beckoned most the day to help with one thing or another and trying to do my stuff in between. 

As stressful as it was, and frankly a bit annoying, there was a lot of good that came from it. The kids enjoyed that type of pace and learning, which meant less fight from them. Tayden came into my room while I was folding laundry and did his math on my bed. I loved that one on one connection with him. It felt like a moment that would become a memory. Beckett liked snacking while he worked and Cache liked being able to move while he learned. The rules stayed the same, no screens/privileges until school was done. But they got to be responsible for the pace of their work and were not tied to their brothers. 

I think we will implement a little bit of both structures. Monday and Wednesday when they have video chats with their teachers will be a bit more relaxed. While Tuesday and Thursday will be more structured. And with any luck, we'll have everything done by Friday so we can enjoy our days off with Dad.

Home isolation has been hard, but we are happy to be getting back into some sort of normalcy. Things that have kept us sane have been daily school lunches. We drive to a school up the road and pick up lunch. Its a fun surprise for the boys to see whats in the bag and its nice to take a ride and chance scenery for a couple minutes during the day. Another thing they've enjoyed is their homemade indoor basketball court. That's provided hours of entertainment. There have been times I've had to get creative and provide activities. We've played games, done dice drawing, learned how to make paper ninja stars, gone on lots of family walks and watched movies. Cache and I have also enjoyed doing crosswords together.

I think we are in this for the long haul. I have a feeling it is going to get much worse before it gets better, so I'm trying to keep a positive attitude and appreciate the freedom we have right now. We are starting to feel a little cooped up, but hopefully once the weather warms up a bit we can spend more and more time outside. I'm looking forward to that day. But for now, we are safe and healthy and that's enough for me!