Another Week in Quarantine

When I talk to people on the phone or sit down to write this blog it becomes really hard for me to think of what we are doing. We have settled into a very nice routine here and I could do it always. I love having my kids around. Sometimes it is super crazy and we really miss the parks being open, but I love watching them learn. I love that they have time and energy to play. I love that they play so well together. The major thing I miss (besides parks) is the one-on-two time I had with my twins while the big girls were at school. I still really miss that because the twins are at my favorite 'baby' stage. I know its more like toddler but under two so baby it is. Anyway, the girls are getting the hang of school and the one-on-two time happens sometimes. Like today, the girls were playing amazingly in the basement and I got a good 30min or so with just the twins outside on the tramp. It was so fun and they were so cute and I remembered how much I love that time. However, having their big sisters home is hard to beat, because if they aren't doing school then they are playing with each other or with the twins and for the most part its really fun.

Anyway, this last week mother nature changed things up for us by dumping about 12 inches of snow. It was a lot of snow. The kids and Gaupo went out before school and work and cleared the tramp and sidewalks off. Then that morning we worked on school. By afternoon Tia was ready to be out again, so we practiced her spelling in the snow and then she played out there while waiting for Kylee to be done. Once Kylee was done with her school work she didn't want to go, but I finally convinced her to go out and those two played for about 2 hours out there. It was awesome. They had so much fun. Our deck will need to be restained now because they were sledding off it, and they did break one of the sleds, but you know they had a great time, and I got to read a book. I decided to pick up one of the books that Gaupo's grandma gave me for Christmas. It was really good to just read a really chill fun book. After reading the twins woke up, and I decided to stop being lazy and get them bundled up and let them go outside. Abby loved it minus her snow gloves. She hated those. She was always pulling them off and then I was putting them back on. Probably most of my time out there was spent putting gloves back on, but no ones hands got too cold. Kade was content to sit in the snow and pat any snow you brought to him. He was super apt to go crawl around and pick it up, but he liked what he did which was pretty much sit in the snow. 

Kylee and Tia in the snow.

Shoving off the deck. Kylee is the that purple coat just off the edge.

She is still there but now showered with snow.

Wishing they were big and could go play.

Also the day it snowed I hosted a virtual Activity Days activity. The real story is that I planned it sent out the link and then totally forgot about it. So, at 7:00 PM when I was on a mission to get my kiddos to bed my phone starts receiving texts like crazy. I just thought it was family chat, but Gaupo decided to look and said "Do you have an activity tonight?" AGHHHHH!! Yes, I did. So, I hurried up and started the meeting and got everyone logged on. Lluckily I picked a super easy activity. We made 3 ingredient Peanut Butter cookies, so I could just you quickly grab stuff as needed. I actually think it turned out well, but I just could believe I totally forgot. Like not even a thought about it earlier and then forgot, nope, I just strait up forgot. Luckily everyone was patient and we had fun and it was good to see the girls there.

Another change up this last week was we setup our big tent in the basement for the kids. We orginally set it up to watch a conference talk in for Family Home Evening and we just left it up. It has been so great though because the kids have finally started playing down there. As you know the weather was kind of yucky last week, so having another place for them to play was great. Plus, Gaupo decided we needed more light down there. So, when he went to home depot to pick up some materials for a project at work, he picked up the stuff to wire in 4 more lights in the back area. He started it Friday and it was completed on Saturday morning. It is so nice to have so much light down there and to have them on a switch, so the kids can turn them on themselves. Plus the switch Gaupo put in has an outlet on it so we can plug a space heater into it and then it warms up the basement too. Guapo was pretty proud of his handy work. He said he hasn't wired anything since high school, so he was very pleased it turned out. I loved it because not only did we get new lights which I LOVE, but we finally got all our storage put away on shelves and so now the whole basement is cleaned up and it leaves so much more room for the kids to play. They already had a ton of room, but I really think it helps them go down there when they don't have to walk past all our stuff anymore. The girls even helped us and discovered some of Gaupos treasures, and all parties involved thought that was so cool. Probably the coolest treasure found was some walkie talkies that we need to located a charging cord for, but the girls thought it was so awesome!

The girls modeling the new lights and switch.

I guess after writing it out, our week wasn't same ol' same ol'. We had a pretty great week. I really am going to miss all this time together. I love Gaupo's lessened work hours. I love that the kids only have like 3 to 4 hours of school a day. I love the play time, and the imaginative time they have. I love that I don't have to worry about my kids not making friends, or being left out of stuff, because right now that isn't really a thing. Some times things are really rough like this morning when Tia could not remember anything we were trying to learn, or come up with any thing she could do to save the Earth, in short she was really struggling with school work. Kade was crying holy terror fits, because I wouldn't let him climb on the table which he can now do by himself as he has learned to climb onto the kitchen chair. Then if I held Kade, Abby wanted up and two babies is really heavy. Then sometimes amidst all of that Kylee would want help or attention on her work. Yeah it can be really overwhelming, and I don't always have great parenting skills in that moment--my voice gets loud. But, then there are other moments like how accomplished my kids feel when they 'cook' (mix up ingredients I premeasure) a giant cookie and it is so good. Or yesterday when the whole day was really pretty much amazing. The kids did there school work with almost no complaining and seemed to understand and do most of it on their own. Then we played and had a picnic lunch. Then Oma read them a book and we finished school work. The big girls played while I made lazagna. Then the whole family went on a bike ride where we actually talked to a real person (thank you Bro. Richards for saying hi). Also on the ride no one complained and really probably would have done more. Then it was dinner and bed. Maybe a little late on those last two things but it doesn't really matter because we are just around ourselves right now. Days like that make me wish my whole life could be like this, and mornings like today make me glad its not all up to me. 

Bike ride/ walk after snow fall.

One happy dirty little girl. This little one LOVES dirt.

Tia, Kylee, and Kade. The girls love to play with Kade.

Remnants of the giant Peanut Butter cookie.

Chocolate Chip Cookie

Cooking away.

The stay at home mandate lifts here this weekend, so we will see how that goes. The kids wont go back to school this year, so come August I will let you know how I am doing with all this, but right now most times I love it. I love the time to just be us.

We had take-out!

Chicago Dogs!

Easter and Week 4 of Quarantine

I am afraid if I don't take this time to write about Easter it will not happen and then it will be two weeks and all the feelings and things that go with it will be forgotten. Its amazing to me that events for the most part I can remember, but my feelings about them change as the time between when they happened and the present grows. Anyway, this weekend is Easter. We have been studying Easter or Jesus using the Come Follow Me program the last two weeks. I have really loved my personal study. Probably more so than normal, I asked myself, "So what? So what does this matter to me?" As I have taken time to write down how I feel about the Savior and His sacrifice for me I can more easily see His love. It has been so good to write my testimony down in my Journal. Without church to go to and discuss what I am learning, I feel like I am missing out on some of the bouy I get from those discussions. However, I have had time to read my scriptures in the morning this week (mainly because we I went running, so I read my scriptures before the kids awoke and then worked out instead of the reverse.) Anyway, this helps I wish I could do it all the time, because the discussions that sort of just 'happen' or that I bring up so they happen, happen more easily. Kylee has always had an inquisitive mind and its been going full throttle with resurrection, restoration, and pandemic questions. I love that I have had moments to share my testimony with my family and since we haven't had anywhere to rush to and no where to rush to they can all sit and listen to what I have to say and ask questions. I love it.

One moment, was this morning--Easter Morning. I slept so good last night I didn't really want to wake up like at all. So, I pushed it off as long as I could but I finally got up to pray and as I was settling in the read scriptures Kylee came in. We went into our closet (yes, it is big enough to sit in, its crazy.) Anyway, we read together in the scriptures of when Jesus came to the America's and how amazing it was that all of those people got to come and feel the prints in Jesus's hand and feet. Then I tried to get her to realize even though she can't physically touch Jesus she can know of Him. It was a little bit of a tough concept for her, but we still had the moment to be together. Tia joined us and I had them both watch the resurrection video and Jesus with his disciples on the road to Emmas. It was good too. It was kind of funny to have my closet turned into a little gospel study room, but it was great too.

After the videos, we got everyone up to go do the Easter Egg hunt the Easter bunny left for them. The twins got way more into it than we thought. Abby caught on real fast and Kade stuck with it longer, but the bunny set up a hunt for the babies to get the idea and then further back in the house he set up one for everyone. All the kids had a blast and now we have quite the little stash of Easter candy. It was pretty fun having a hunt in our new house. The Easter bunny hid in some new places and it took a little longer to find all the eggs.

Abby with her egg hunt basket.

Kade and Daddy with there stash.

Kylee getting one on the counter.

The whole crew still searching.

Tia on the hunt.

Kade discovering the insides of Easter Eggs.

After the hunt, we had breakfast. Nothing fancy. We had bannana oatmeal muffins, half plain half with raspberries and smoothies. Then we got ready for church. We were going to have the sacrament before singing time, but that didn't happen today. Our ward held singing time via Zoom. The primary president gave a short thought about Jesus, Easter and how cool it was that last week we got to do the Hosanna shout to start off Easter week. I didn't really think of it that way. It is really cool that on the day of Christ final entry into Jerusalem we shout praises and thanks to Him too. After that thought, they did singing time. The learned Easter Hosana and they enjoyed it. It was shortish and fun. After that we had our family sacrament meeting and then we have video chatted Grandma and Grandpa and had lunch, naptime and a piggy painting party.

Kylee, Me, Abby, and Tias' pretty toes.

We still have planned a video family Easter dinner with my family, a phone call to sing Grandpa-Great our Easter songs, and Grandma Hammond to sing and talk with her. It should be a good fun rest of the day. I have had a lot of candy, so my head kind of hurts and I am probably not has happy as I should be, but its okay I am just human over here.

Me, Gaupo, Abby, and Kade on a walk before family dinner.

Tia, Kylee, twinners, and Gaupo on the walk.

I am so grateful for Easter. Easter means death isn't the end. It mean Derek with live and be part of our family forever. It mean everyone that has died will be resurrected and I can meet and be with them again. It is like Matt in the Children's Friend today said "That will be one big family reunion." It will be and I look forward to the time that happens, but until them I am still so grateful for Easter. I am grateful Jesus went to Gethsemane for me. He went there and because he did He knows how I feel. He knows how I struggle. He knows me. He knows how to help and how hard to let things be or when things just need to work out. He made it possible for me to have hope in Eternal life and that it can be fill with joy. This week was a bit of a rough one. We had quite a few days with weeping, and wailing and honestly it made me so grateful for the atonement. That I don't have to look forward to that for eternity instead I can hope, live, and choose to be the best I can, so that I can have Eternal Life with God in glory and happiness.

Just a note on this week. Its been rough. Second grade is really rough this time around for me. It was kind of rough the first time, but this time is rougher I think. Or at least this week. Kylee had a presentation that she had to record. She worked hard on it and it didn't go as planned. As she and Guapo tried to record it the first time she dropped her cards and she came back okay, but we were having meltdowns trying to record it a second time. Like so much crying, and crying. However, we fed her breakfast, prayed and comforted her. Then we got it one more time. She did really well. It only last about half the time it was suppose to, but you know what I didn't even care at that point. She loved the video the last time, so we just went with it. Her and Gaupo worked on the diorama and it looked good to. I turned it over to him, so it didn't turn out how I would have done it which is kind of hard for me to be okay with sometimes, but its great really. Beside that project, we had some pretty big writing assignments which are kind of big anyway, but then she had to type them because of course it is all online, so that was so long and hard and more tears, but we made it. We made it to Friday she had a math test that involved a little more crying, but we made it and got our work done pretty quickly on Friday and just enjoyed the rest of the day. We needed a chiller day, so we took it.  Luckily, or blessedly kindergarten was easier this week. I really feel like Tia is getting some of the things, I don't know how it will go at school, but I am encouraged and we will just see how it all plays out.

Kylee and her diorama of the Arctic Tundra

We have been in quarantine for 4 weeks now, and it for the most part it great to be all together, but I look forward to being able to be around people, go to church, go to the park, and go grocery shopping again (Gaupo does it for me right now). My family and I joined the world wide fast on Good Friday for the current pandemic to be controlled, caregivers to be protected, economies strengthened, and life to normalize. I don't know when these things will happen, but I do know that God hears and answers prayers, but in His time and way. For example, on the last fast Sunday we fasted about the pandemic too, and some of the many stresses I had were school, no white flour, and low amounts of yeast. Well, the next day school went fine, Gaupo was able to get white flour at Sams Club, and I found a package of yeast (like a Sams club package) in the back of the freezer. I was given relief. The pandemic is not over, but those burdens were lightened. God is in the details. He always is and always will be as we turn to him.

I went in the car for the first time in 4 weeks. It still runs. We went to the post office. We all stayed in while Guapo ran our package in.

Written: 4/13/2020
We did end up calling Grandpa-Great and Grandma Hammond and singing 4 songs for them. Kylee also played them a song on the piano. My tender moment was when we were singing to Grandpa-Great and we were singing the song Gethsemane and we sang "Jesus loves me, So He went willingly to Gethsemane." In that phrase my heart just warmed and I really feel like it was the Savior personally reminding me that He willingly went for me. He loves me and my kids and Gaupo. He loves us, so he went and did what had to be done willingly, so that I could return to live with Him and Heavenly Father again.

Virtually family Easter Dinner was fun. It was really funny to hear kid comments that we usually don't get when we just do adults. I kind of missed the calmness in my life when I do it after everyone goes to bed, but it was fun to be a family for Easter. I miss gathering with my family for holidays. Quarantined or not we wouldn't have made it to family for Easter, and I miss that because I love Arizona at Easter and Easter picnics and being with people I love on one of my favorite holidays. So, I loved that we all got to gather and the craziness that was there would have been there in real life too, so it was just fun to visit and be together.

Other Family Events by photo:

Setting up to color eggs.

Here we all are coloring eggs. The kids all thought it was awesome.

The finished product.

We had dinner on the deck this week. Its rare, so we took a picture.

What Covid-19 Is Like For Us (this was started 2 weeks ago just finished it)

I have been wanting to do a post like this for a little while now, but with my kids home all day everyday, I am a little fried by the end of the day, and so my writing isn't as often as I would like. However, I jump ahead of myself.

We were hearing about the virus in the US shortly before Kylee's baptism, but at that time it seemed like a joke. People hoarding toilet paper for a sickness like the flu. It all seemed so weird. However, things kept spreading and getting worse and by the next week (Mar. 13) Boulder County had its first confirmed case of Covid-19. With that confirmed case the schools closed and all crazy broke loose. I knew with the panic that was already being felt coupled with cancelled school that the next day would be crazy at the store, so I went that night. It was really crazy. The line to the check-outs was clear to the last isle of the store. We really only needed milk and I got milk and couple other things. It was so hard to not fall prey to the chaos that was all around. People had huge carts of food--HUGE! One thing I worry about the debt people might have incurred 'stocking up', because there was so many huge carts. We were really out of cheese which is a bad deal for us, so I made a pick-up order for Sams earlier that week for cheese a few other things. Cheese got cancelled on the order, but because Gaupo went to pick-up he went inside and found us a substitute for it. He feel a little prey to the choas and bought 30lbs of cheese, but you know what we eat a lot of cheese, and they have since put a limit of 1 bag on the cheese, so we would always be running out. Anyway, we got pretty much what we needed. It was so scary thinking I couldn't get food that I know I 'needed.' I put needed in quotes because really we would manage without cheese, but the complaining would terrible. I totally got caught-up in the panic as far as the feeling of unprepared. We had food, we have money for a rainy day, but I still felt unprepared. Anyway, it was a very emotional day for me. Then the weekend came. Gaupo was home. I had time to thing through ideas of what to do for my kids. I wasn't worried about being home with them. However, Kylee and Tia are kind of struggling in school and I don't want them to fall more behind by forgetting what they do know. I was planning to do a little something over the planned Spring Break (Mar. 20-27), but it came faster because of the virus. We figured out a plan that's been working well, but beginning tomorrow we have to do what the school sends us, so we will see how that changes our lives.

This is the checkout line the night school was cancelled.

As time has worn on, I have had ups and downs emotionally with all this virus stuff. No Sunday meetings, temple closures, and missionaries coming home have sometimes caused me more stress because I trust the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and so when they start making changes I know that it isn't just a joke. I really don't understand it to be honest with you, but it does kill people and so I am trying to abide by the social distancing protocols, and the stay at home order that was recently mandated statewide in Colorado. It was so hard for me to decide to tell my brother not to come visit me. I really could use some family out here and our kids would have so much fun, but I just didn't feel now was when we should do it. Its lovely to have so much time to play, and hard to not invite friends to do our fun things with us. So, there are ups and downs all the time.

I have really hard time expressing the feelings I have had throughout this pandemic--thus far, but one I feel almost everyday is gratitude. I know the pandemic is awful. For some it means a loved has died, for others it means they feel like they want to because they are sick, for others its so tired because they are trying to help those that have it, others have lost their jobs and are worried about what that means for them and their family, others struggle with the demands of working or having or not having kids home, and some have other troubles I haven't thought of. So, I feel so blessed. Gaupo has a job and is getting paid his full salary despite the fact he has worked far less hours these past couple of weeks. He feels blessed because he does get to go into work and work on a project that they have been trying to complete for the last year and finally have the time without people to do it. I love the extra time with him, but I also love that he has some place to go to work on something he loves. I think he would feel slightly lost here at home with no work after awhile, even if he was getting paid. Because we have food, although our supply of white flour is very quickly depleting, Gaupo has work, we can pay our bills, and none of us our currently sick I feel so blessed. I hope that if any of these circumstances change I still look for causes to rejoice.

So, what does our life look like for us. It looks a little different everyday, but has similar routines. For school, I made checklists for everyday. Everyday, had the same objectives that varied depending on the child--Reading, Writing, Spelling, Math, I-Ready prep, and Piano. At first I just tried to cram it all into the twins naptime, but that wasn't working very well, so then we tried to do two things before we left on an adventure which before the stay at home order was a visit to a park via biking or walking. After the stay at home order we still went on walk or ride we just didn't stop at parks. Then we would do the remainder of the activities after the twins were down for a nap. The girls got better at just getting it done and usually had sometime to spare before the twins woke up. As the weather has been wonderful this week, I have used that time to call my family to chat with them. I learned the first week that I really still need my time to chat with people. It really helps me feel better. Anyway, the twin LOVE being outside and the big girls have gotten quite creative out there and so even after the twins are awake we spend until about 5:00PM outside. Then we come in and the big girls watch a show while I start making dinner. It works pretty well. Although, I will be honest Monday was AWFUL! No, one wanted to do anything and the girls were not playing well together the twins were demanding my attention, and it was just rough, but we survived and luckily the rest of the week was better.

Playing throw the ball through the hulu hoop.

Kade 'fixing' daddy's lawnmower.

Abby carring stuff around

Gaupo and all the kids fixing out wagon.

At the park in the sand before our stay at home order.

The twins in the sand.

Sliding on their snowman.

Hunting for worms

Jumping while its still cold out.

Still using the little trike.

Family bike rides.

These two ride up and down the driveway in this wagon.

The side effects of having school shut down and doing our own thing here is that I have been able to help my kids with things that I think they need help with. For example, I noticed Tia was having problems with writing her numbers, so I looked through her math books found the lessons on that and she worked on that. She obviously found it kind of boring, so we changed it up with somethings she thought were more interesting, but she now does pretty well with them. Kylee has been working hard on math facts and we think we have passed off 3 second addition. I don't know for sure, but I do know she has gotten tons better at it and has better confidence in her ability. Another benefit is that the kids seem to not be so grumpy at the days end. There was one day and I remember it being a hard day, but I don't know exactly why and we finished with family prayers and Tia looks right at me gives me a big hug and said while smiling, "I love you, Mom." I haven't had that said to me with that much sincerity at the end of the day in a long time. Not because my kids don't but because we have had to spend so much time getting homework, dinner, and whatever else done that its not whats in their minds at the time. I told Tia, "I love you too." Then once she left, I told Gaupo "this moment brought to you by Covid-19 school cancellation." I feel like that with a lot of the moments both good and bad, but its true. My kids have jumped on the tramp and tired doing flips and cartwheels, learned how to ride the wagon down the driveway, ridden bikes, played in the sand, laugh, been bored, played, played, helped with chores, looked for worms, been silly, watched movies, gazed through a telescope and a bunch of other things, because for the first time in a long time we have time. I love the time we have to be together and I am so grateful that we have this time.

Had time for giddle breakfast,Yum!

Enjoying it together.

The girls made this Enos diaorma one Sunday afternoon.

The first Sunday we didn't gather for church we took time to learn about Joseph Smith. Then we took everyone out the the habitat area and had them write in their journals about thoughts that centered on Joseph Smith. It was pretty fun to be outside for church.