Coronavirus

So here I am looking back at this past month and thinking how much has changed.  The coronavirus has changed the way of life for all of us in a matter of a few weeks and it's hard to make sense of or know what is happening.  Day to day things change as new closures and travel restrictions were put in place and kids are brought home from school to start "home learning."  It has all been so sudden and crazy around here!  Josh and I had a trip to Costa Rica planned and missed the chance to do that as borders have closed in countries around the world.  Two days before our trip I was sure we would still be able to go.  And then, just like that, the border closed, we got emails from the houses we had rented to cancel our stay and we were issued refunds from Delta Airlines and VRBO.  We realized that we were getting into something that we had not anticipated and that life was going to slow down significantly for a while.  It seemed that in a matter of a few days everything that we had planned was cancelled or closed.  We settled in to a "new normal" as we were all home together doing school and Josh was home working.  It has been wild and crazy, but really simple all at the same time.  Who knows how long this will last or what life will be like in the months to come.  But here's a peek into the month that has been March...

Now that we had the time, we found some fun things to do together.  We made bread, played hide and seek at the school, admired the beautiful sunrises, laughed like crazy at all the memes going around about the pandemic and got a new wifi router to support all the computers and chromebooks that were trying to stay connected at the same time!

My suitcase from our trip stayed packed (because I was in a bit of mourning over our lost trip), we bought a truck and made room for it in the garage, realized that there was not toilet paper or bread to be found, visited Papa and Grammie who were camping at Deer Creek in their trailer and found out my marathon was postponed.

Costco trips became an event as we were limited to how many could be in the store at the same time and lists of items were out of stock, we made group crafts and got our favorite treat before the restaurants closed.

We took time for some group exercise and the kids worked hard at their online learning.  

We made an epic fort and the kids started requesting what has become our "Corona Sunday Meal" of roast, mashed potatoes, delicious corn, rolls and cinnamon rolls.  We have had this meal for weeks in a row now and no one seems to want anything different.

We took hikes and enjoyed the outdoors as this is one of the things that are "legal" around here now.  Josh bought me a mountain bike and we're looking forward to doing the outdoor things that might be all that we're able to do for a while!  And I will admit we have had to sneak around a little bit as gyms, restaurants, theaters and all gatherings over 10 have been banned for now - we do what we can with those that we feel we can still gather with.  The Tarbets have graciously let us use their home gym in the garage, the "basketball babes" became the "secret ball babes" to include only those that won't be offended that we're still playing during the pandemic, Josh and I and Mark and Shelley Chalk have taken up playing pickleball twice a week at our church (with the doors closed and locked so no one kicks us out), and we invite mom and dad Losee over almost weekly for home church with us and have loved every minute of being with them!  Grammie has become quite the "Secret Hitler" player and we play almost weekly with them.  So, it hasn't been all bad.  Though it seems like we've been so limited on what we can do, we have taken full advantage of family time and will not forget what we've been able to do together with nothing else on our calendars for the foreseeable future.  We are blessed and we know it.  But hopefully this pandemic doesn't last forever and we can start buying toilet paper again!

This is an interesting timeline of events and surely shows how quickly and widespread the virus has gone...

 January:

An outbreak of a virus in China starts to make headlines as the first death is recorded on January 11.

Jan 26th- The US has 5 cases

Jan 31st - American, Delta and United airlines suspend flights to and from China

February:

Feb 4th - Four Utahns among those quarantined on a cruise ship after passengers were infected

Feb 29th - China orders lockdown of 60 million people.  First US citizen dies from virus

March:

March 6th - First case in Utah is confirmed

March 11th - Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert tests positive for virus.  Jazz game against Oklahoma City is stopped before tip-off and the NBA suspends its season

March 12th - Utah schools dismiss classes and begin a 2 week "soft closure"

NCAA cancels March Madness

Disneyland announces closure

Gatherings limited to 100 people

April General Conference announced as virtual event

Hale Center Theatre announces postponed shows

Megaplex theaters announce closure

March 15th - Utah reports 28 confirmed cases

March 16th - Governor Herbert announces closure of all Utah restaurants to dine-in customers

March 17th - Utah concerned about toilet paper shortage as stores cannot keep it in stock

March 18th - 5.7 magnitude earthquake shakes Salt Lake County

LDS church announces temple closures

March 19th - Salt Lake County bans gatherings of more than 10 people

LDS church transitions to at-home church

March 22nd - Thousands of LDS missionaries return to home from their assignments

March 24th - Olympic Games scheduled for Tokyo are postponed

March 27th - Governor Herbert issues "Stay Safe, Stay Home" directive for Utah

$2.2 trillion relief package signed by President Trump

Running mis-hap

So...this happened.  I may or may not have run too close to the guard rail up Provo Canyon and ripped my pants.  Luckily I have a good husband who works close and was able to run to Target and buy me some new pants to I could finish my run.  But I did run for 5 miles this way before Josh caught up with me.  It was mildly embarrassing when I passed the few people that were on the trail, but...oh well?

 

Principal's Pride

Keen got the Principal's Pride award today!  He is such a good student and loves school and his teacher this year.  So proud of him!

 

Rhen turns 11!

Rhen turned 11 today! And she shared a birthday celebration with Aunt Hayley, whose birthday is the day after hers.  She requested an Oreo ice cream cake and since that's one of my favorites too, I was happy to oblige :)  This girl is one of the very best around and we loved treating her like the golden girl on this special day!

Stats from Dr. Erickson:

Height: 5'4" - 99%

Weight: 102 lbs. - 80%

 

My favorite things about 11 year old Rhen:

1) Rhen has always, and I hope will continue to be, brutally honest in all she says and does.  She is not afraid to tell you the truth when asked, even if it may not be what you want to hear.  

Mom: What do you think of this shirt?  

Rhen: Actually it doesn't look that good on you mom.

Or..

Mom: Sometimes I feel like I'm not doing everything right.

Rhen:  Well, sometimes you do yell and get mad about really dumb things.  

Or...

Mom: I can't right now Rhen but I promise I will do that with you as soon as I get back.

Rhen: You say that a lot and most of the time you don't actually do what you say you'll do.

Ouch...

But truthfully, this is one of my favorite qualities that Rhen has.  It keeps me on my toes and makes me remember who I need to be and what I should be doing.  Love the honestly and I hope she never loses that.  

2) Rhen is super artsy.  She loves to draw and doodle, but also has started doing clay, making jewelry, boondoggle, tying bracelets and taking pictures with her camera.  She loves to watch "Grand Designs" with Josh and says she's going to do one of her own someday.  I hope she does!

3) Rhen is a great big sister to her brothers.  Sometimes she likes to do her own thing, but mostly she is the first one that wants to play a game, do levels, play on the hammocks, ride bikes or color with the boys.  She is a great friend and example to them and I appreciate that so much about her.

I love this girl to pieces and mostly love her uniqueness and eclectic way of living.  She's the best! Happy birthday girl!

Cabin clean up

Papa and Grammie decided that it's time to do some major work getting the cabin updated and remodeled.  They have been working with a builder going through plans and ideas and are going to start the process next week.  So we decided that a clean up day was in order before the building starts.  We hauled out furniture, removed wall paper, took out old carpet and sanded the old wood floor in the bedroom.  It was a lot of work and a long day but we got it all done and ready for the real work to be done!  We're so excited for the new update and know we'll continue to love the cabin as much as we have already!

 

Sleepy

Sometimes when you gotta sleep you just fall asleep wherever you can...

 

Beck Term 2

Beck has done some of the cutest art and writing projects this year.  I love seeing what he brings home every day!  Mrs. Hernandez always has the best things to say about this boy and I'm not surprised by that!

 

Keen Term 2

Keen has done an awesome job in 2nd grade this year and has loved having Mrs. Butterfield as a teacher!  He works hard and she says he is very helpful in class.  So proud of this young man!

 

Rhen Term 2

Rhen loves 5th grade and continues to do really well in school! She has some really good friends in her class that have made it a really fun year.

 

Liev Term 2

Liev has been doing lots and lots of writing in 3rd grade and I love reading through his stories and journal entries.  He has done so well this year and has developed some really incredible handwriting!

 

Rease term 2

Rease has loved middle school so far and is doing great in her classes!  Her math class continues to be her hardest one but she is managing just fine and we're so proud of her!

 

Dr. Seuss Day

Beck has the cutest kindergarten teacher this year, Mrs. Hernandez, and they celebrated Dr. Seuss Day in a big way today.  Wearing pajamas and reading Dr. Seuss books was super fun for the whole class.

 

February Running

I'm smack in the middle of my marathon training and starting to get up there in my miles.  I have been feeling really good about my speed and consistency.  And also have a love/hate for the ice baths that I take after my long runs.  I love how I feel after and how I don't get as sore from the long miles.  But I do hate and dread doing it...

I'm really hoping for another Boston qualifying time this year.  If I can keep it up I think I'll make it!

 

Biz Town

Rhen has been excited for Biz Town for weeks!  This is such a fun event for the 5th graders to be a part of and to feel a small part of what it takes to have a job and manage their own finances.  It's done so well and really fun for them!  Before they get to the actual day of Biz Town, they each apply for different jobs and are given those assignments.  Rhen applied for and was chosen as the CFO of the Salt Lake School District.  Once she got there, her responsibilities included submitting and giving out the paychecks for all the employees and helping them each be able to balance their checkbooks before they spent their remaining money.  They all have bills to pay as a company and personally and then the rest can be spent throughout the town on whatever they want.  It is a darling town and so good for the kids to think about a be able to play a part in a "real grown ups day."  Because Rhen was the CFO she also gave a speech to the town along with the officers from the other companies.  She did awesome and had such a fun day at Biz Town!

 

Uncle Greg

It's always a good time when Uncle Greg comes to town!

 

Ski Week

One of our very favorite weeks of the year has come and gone - with lots of good times and crazy memories to keep!  We absolutely love the time we get to spend at the Brighton cabin and could never ask for a better place to relax, enjoy and ski our hearts out.  It's like a little slice of heaven on earth!

We took loads of pictures and the kids got better and better as the week went on.  They love the terrain parks, going through the trees, The Slide, Wren Hollow, jumps, skiing fast and most of all just being up on the mountain for days and days in a row. 

Some new things we did this week:

Rails and boxes

Wren Hollow Pro

All the rollers on Candyland Terrain Park (mom)

Great Western as a family

Jumping off the roof of a cabin

Choosing our walkie talkie call signs for the week is one of the hardest, but most satisfying thing when you come up with the perfect one.  Our call signs this year were awesome!

Josh - Ski Daddy

Nat - Mommer Bomber

Rease - Volkl Girl

Rhen - Clammy Clam

Liev - King of Snakes

Keen - 

Beck - Powder Boy

Such a great week with amazing snow and blue skies! Desh joined us for a day to ski and we had lots of visitors: Andy, Kristi and Ladd, Grammie and Papa Losee, The Baldaufs (who we love and have wanted to ski with forever!), The Flint/Johnson family, Matt Turner and Grammie Beutler.  

The kids are amazing skiers and have no fear.  They are so good at sticking together too and taking care of slow old mom who always brings up the rear slowly but surely.  There is nothing like seeing my kids do something they love and letting me do it along with them.  We all made great strides in our skiing this week and loved our time together on the mountain.  But all good things come to an end, and we were surely sad to leave this place.  But we didn't leave without giving out awards for the week.  So here are the winners and reigning champions...until next year!

Rease - Supermodel Award.  For perfect ski form.

Rhen - Show Stopper award.  For falling 2 different times by the chair lift and stopping all chairs until she was clear.

Liev - Dare Devil Award.  For...well...being a dare devil

Keen - Tour Guide Award.  Always telling us where to do and leading us down the right path

Beck - Silent but Deadly Award.  He's a silent killer on the slopes and is rockin it as a 5 year old!

Special award this year was given to Keen and Liev - Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum Award.  For doing some of the dumber things of the week: dropped gloves from the ski lift, forgot their passes in the cabin and had to go all the way back, left without telling us where they were going,  and falling down a slope between two trees and getting skis lodged.

Dad - King of the Slopes Award.  That pretty much says it all.

We have an amazing video of Liev at the end of the week as we're walking back to the van.  He was crying and saying how much he's going to miss ski week and said, "I just don't want to forget all the jumps that I learned this week."  Cute boy.  We will never forget.

 

Breakfast

These are moments a mommy heart can't resist...

 

Magic Show

We got together with some of our favs and went to a magic show/dinner at Gardner Village tonight.  It was a blast!  And I'm always pretty amazed at magicians and how they do what they do.  So I was completely entertained!  We love these people that we get to call our friends.  

 

Basketball Ladies

I've been playing basketball with a group of girls for 7-8 years now.  I've come and gone during pregnancies and having babies and the group has changed a little bit over the years, but these are some of the core ladies that have been there since the beginning.  I LOVE playing ball with all these wonderful girls and hope that we can keep it up for the next 20 years!

 

Play-Doh

Gotta love these Play-Doh Hamburgers that the boys made today!

 

Crazies

When you get your phone back from your kids and realize what they've been spending their time doing...

 

Ski lessons

The kids officially finished their ski lessons for the year and had such a great year with lots of improvement and success!  Beck did awesome and has turned out to be an awesome little skier.  He can totally keep up with the rest of the group when we all ski together.  I love it. Keen and Liev were in a class together and have improved their technique so much just since the beginning of the season.  They are fearless and amazing.  And Rhen and Rease were in freestyle lessons again this year and absolutely loved it!  They had great teachers and fun kids in their class.  They can ski anything and want to go everywhere on the mountain.  We have loved being up on the mountain together this year and have so much more ahead of us before the season is over!

 

Liev's 9th Birthday!

Liev turned 9 today and we celebrated all day long with this boy! He requested german pancakes before school and also wanted a Pokemon birthday cake.  That was a tall order but we figured it out and got Pikachu as the cake and some other characters as cupcakes.  He was so excited how it turned out! We celebrated with family this year and had a fun night opening gifts and eating cake and ice cream for our 9 year old.  We sure love him!

9 year old stats from Dr. Erickson:

Height: 4'8" - 84%

Weight: 69 lbs. 7 oz. - 62%

My favorite things about Liev at age 9:

1) Liev is a big helper around the house and is usually the first one to volunteer whenever I need a job done.  He takes out the garbage bags like a champ and runs back and forth to the storage room for me when I'm cooking.  He is a great help to me!

2) Liev loves to be the oldest boy and takes the responsibility seriously.  He tries really hard to be a good example to the other boys and also is quick to apologize when he knows he hasn't done something right.  He loves to help his dad come up with good ideas for projects and always looks forward to spending alone time with him.  He's a very sweet boy and we're lucky to have him as our oldest son.

3) Liev has gotten some special privilages as the oldest boy and has been able to stay up later than the younger kids this year.  He helps me get the other boys to bed and then when they're asleep he gets to stay up with me a little bit longer.  He loves to make a bag of popcorn and just sit and hang out doing whatever we're doing.  He has learned how to play Settlers and most nights he wants to get a game started as soon as the boys are asleep.  I love seeing him be one of the big kids.  He is such a fun boy to be around!

We are so proud of Liev and all he stands for and the person he is becoming!  Happy Birthday!

Gaming

Maybe it's because we don't have a gaming system of our own at our house, but this is exactly what happens whenever the kids get their hands on a phone to play games.  Completely engrossed.