Day 1 of “Who knows for how long” spring break went pretty well. We had few moments but for the most part the kids got along and said it was “actually” a good day! I’ve ordered workbooks for the younger kids. Tony and I are brainstorming what Carson can do that is stimulating and educational. Learning that I need to be involved and 100% committed to follow the same schedule for it to work. I’m excited to see where this takes us. #socialdistancing #homelearning #wecandothis
Day 2: Lincoln got the flu. Throwing up and fever. My shift tomorrow night has been canceled because the restaurant is super slow. I guess they only had 3 tables all night. We stayed as close to our schedule as we could. Lincoln napped through our morning walk and I’m trying some essential oils to ward off any other sickness. #socialdistancing #canitbedonenow
Day 3: We got the bitter sweet news that my parents are being sent home early from their mission. They were serving at the Mormon Battalion Museum and loving it. Lincoln is feeling better and so far no else is sick. The younger boys got their workbooks today and are enjoying them. The boys played chess and Alaina picked back up her Ukulele. I’ve saved our family when I found my “bottle thingy” that I got after having Lincoln. The weather wasn’t as nice today but we still went out for some much needed time outside. After dinner Tony and I took the kids to get ice cream because we’re all going stir crazy. #cabinfaver #socialdistancing
Day 4: another hard one. Got the news this morning that my last surviving Grandparent passed away this morning. My feisty Grandma of nearly 97 years passed away quietly without any suffering. I love her and love that she’s been reunited with my Grandpa. The kids and I took a bit of a long walk this morning through the “country”. We got a new game. My kids played it at my Aunt and Uncles on Sunday and loved it. So we got one of our own. Then this evening we took the family to shoot our bows at the outdoor range. It was pretty busy. I guess everyone is as stir crazy as we are. #familiesareforever #socialdistancing #archery
Day 5: there was certainly a cloud hanging over heads today. We still managed to trudge along. But had a wonderful surprise this afternoon. We got to see my parents! It was so hard not to hug them and have to keep our distance. We got to chat for a few minutes. They’re now up at the family cabin for 2 weeks. Then they’ll be home for real!
Day 7: took the kiddos to Bruno Sand Dunes. It was really busy but thankfully the dunes are big enough that we were able to keep our distance from others. We hiked to the top of the big dune and enjoyed the views. The little boys had energy to spare. We all enjoyed the fresh air and sunshine. Going down was the fun part. Then we all had a contest to see who had the most sand in their shoes. #socialdistancing #familytime
Day 15: rainy gloomy day outside so it made for a hard day inside. We ended on a good note celebrating Tony’s birthday. I wanted to do something special for his 40th birthday but that’ll have to wait until all this is done. #socialdistancing #happybirthdaytomylove #chocolatecakemakesthingsbetter
To be honest I feel it’s a bit over the top, but my over the top girl LOVES it!
Day 49: was wonderful taking in the fresh mountain air. The trilliums were in bloom everywhere. Took the chance to shoot our bows, ride the 4 wheeler and explore the last few patches of snow.
Day 56: Mother’s Day! Got woken up by the kiddos that couldn’t wait to tell me “Happy Mother’s Day!” Had ribs for dinner as requested. They were delicious. Got to see my wonderful mom today and be there when my mother-in-law opened her mother’s ring from all her kiddos. My kids were pretty sweet to me. They all used their own money to pick out gifts for me. Charlie got me some purple mini roses. Lincoln got me a watering can. He was so excited about it too. Alaina got me my own stash of Almond Joys and remade a key ring she had made me from kindergarten. Carson got me some flowers for my flower bed. My gift from Tony hasn’t come yet, but Charlie spilt the beans. I feel so blessed to be a mother and surrounded by so many wonderful mothers themselves. #blessedbeyondmeasure #happymothersday
Took the family to float the river! Two of our tubes ended up with holes in them so 3 of us just floated down in our life jackets. The weather was perfect. The water refreshing. The time together was wonderful. The kids kept saying how fun it was and how come we hadn’t done it sooner. #boiseriver #middletonidaho #fundoesnthavetobeexpensive
A few months ago Tony accidentally killed our front lawn. He was spraying weeds and fertilizing the grass, but used the wrong chemical which resulted in a burnt dead lawn. It made us so sad to see all our neighbors lush green lawns next to our dead brown one. So we replanted, fertilized, and replanted again. The lawn is “mostly” green and we have new grass coming up in areas there wasn’t any before. It’ll still be awhile before the lawn is looking it’s best again but it’s nice to see progress and the fruits of our labors. Life is like this. Sometimes we sabotage something that’s been doing good. We feel sadness and heartache over the loss of that thing. So we get to work. We replant, we fertilize, we water, we nurture until it comes back. It takes time patience and healing but in the end we come out a little wiser and healthier then we were before. I pray that we can all forgive, love, nurture, and have patience in these times for it will grow back.
Spent the weekend on an adults only backpacking trip in the Sawtooths. The scenery was beautiful! The company was wonderful! The food was pretty good. The hiking was hard, sweaty and dirty but so worth it! Will totally do it again. #themountainsaremysanctuary #abrightspot
t’s finally here! The kids were all full of anxious excitement. Carson 10th, Alaina 7th, Charlie 4th, and Lincoln kindergarten. They’re all so grown up! #schooldaysarehereatlast #kindof
About 2 years ago I was diagnosed with Bipolar Type 2 or in Layman’s terms Depression. It was a long rocky road to get the point of managing my mental illness. Through counseling and medication most days are filled with hope. Thankful for the effectiveness of modern medicine and the stigma of mental health problems being removed. #givethanks
After delivering all our Christmas goodies to friends and neighbors we took the kids out Caldwell to see the lights. It did not disappoint. Although next time we’ll dress warmer! #christmaslights #merrychristmas #brrrr
