Memorial Day Weekend

Sometimes when I blog about things a week later I have to think to myself was that really just last weekend? Most of May has seemed that way for me. I mean my birthday was the very beginning of May and it feels like that celebration happened an eternity ago. I have heard and seen on social media making jokes about how March was the longest year, but for me it has been May. It has seemed like a year and its only been a month. This whole week has seemed like it should be June because it has been after Memorial Day, but nope still May. Oh well, tomorrow is June and that means a whole new month to live to the fullest.

Last weekend was Memorial Day weekend and it was also Gaupo's last Friday of Covid-19 leave. This leave is what city employees have been able to put down to still get paid for their full hours even if they didn't work all the ours (or in some cases any of the hours), but its gone now. So, we decided to live it up. I let the girls do no school for 4 days which was really weird because in some ways having a little bit of school works seemed to jump start their imaginations, but they still enjoyed it. It was nice to have no school and no work but mostly because we had some good family time together. Friday morning we worked on the yard. The girls are wanting watches, and I don't want to out right buy them for them, so we decided that their are some jobs they can do to earn the money. One of them is pulling weeds. So, Friday morning we had them help us weed the rocks. They actually were really excited about it and worked on it for about 30 minutes on their own while I finished cleaning up breakfast. Then Gaupo and I went and help the girls. They stuck with it for awhile, but were so done with it by the end. Then as one thing usually does it led us to finally find out the answer to the question of does the sprinkler system actually work and where is it? So, Gaupo got to work while the kids and I hung out around the yard. He finally got the heads doing what they should and replaced on of the heads and so then everything was working. Or so we thought. We ended up looking at the back flow valve later that night and found out it was totally cracked and we needed to get the repair kit, but we still felt pretty fortunate that we only had to replace one head and that there was plenty of coverage from all the sprinklers.

After that work in the morning, it was time for lunch and naps. After that we had a family night out. We went up to Loveland and picked up take-out from PF Changs. We got there a little early because there was hardly any traffic. Since we were early we took a walk around the African sculpture garden that was there. The kids did really well walking around and it was fun to see some different scenery. The statues were a little weird, but there was lots of trees and grass, a few ponds, and great walking paths so it was a win for us. We also walked past the mall there and it was EMPTY, it was so crazy, usually it is packed cars and people everywhere, but nope not this time. Sometimes it seems like COVID is not real, like when I stay home and just am with my family, but then I got out somewhere like that and its like nope, this is really happening. Anyway, we picked up our dinner and headed to the temple. We found a good spot of shade across from the temple it like a little basin-ish type area. That is where we setup our take out picnic. The kids did pretty well with what we got. Kylee like sweet n sour chicken if you don't make her have it with sauce. Tia like the rice with a little of the sauce and Kade and Abby like the chicken and then we somehow ended up with noddle beef thing that was actually really good and they kind of liked that too. It was just so nice to be out be together, be near one of our favorite places. After dinner, I took some family pictures. I took some earlier this year, but I didn't like them. So, I decided to try one more time and I like these way better. I would really love professional pictures, but it is so expensive, so we will do what we can. Anyway, after a pretty fun picture shoot, we headed to the temple. We were going to walk around the outside of the grounds, but then our car started acting kind of funny. So, Gaupo puttered around with the car for a little while the kid looked at the temple. Okay they did not just stand and gawk at it, they tried to stand on the gate before I told them to get down. They stopped down to pick up the landscape rock. They tried to press a button they saw and really they had a great time at the temple. Blessedly for us the car started acting normal again, so we went while that was the case. We haven't had a problem since and the emissions light turned off on its own, so we think it was only gas that had sat too long. I haven't filled my car since March 12 and it is barely a half of a tank as of this moment. I just haven't driven and I think it wasn't that great for the car especially since it doesn't have very high octane gas in it. Anyway, we enjoyed the car ride home and everyone stayed awake which was great because then everyone was ready for bed when we got home. The twins are actually really good travelers or at least so far. We will see how they do when they have to take some long trips. After this adventure was when Guapo and I went to check the back flow to see if it was still leaking. It was and so thats when we found our cracked internal parts which though it sounds bad is actually how its designed to protect your pipes. Thus, we now had our adventure for Saturday.

Tia and Kylee at PF Changs.

Kylee, Tia and Abby eating dinner.

The picnic

Abby, Tia and Kylee at the temple.

Saturday we had a griddle breakfast. I love griddle breakfast because it gives flavors and hints of camping but I don't have to go camping. Also its a great way to start off a weekend and a holiday. After it was cleaned up Gaupo spent the morning and actually somewhat into the afternoon going to every hardware store in Longmont to find the kit we needed. While he was gone I recruited the kids into some cleaning. Then we were getting close to finishing and I knew there was a graduate parade that would have a few of the kids from our old ward in it and decided it would be fun to go see that. So, I loaded them all up super fast and headed to our old corner. The parade was fun. I think the kids that chose to participate really enjoyed it and the end had about 20 corvettes that Gaupo loved. I totally thought Kade would wig out over the fire engine siren at the beginning, but he did great. While were were gathered on our corner we saw our old neighbors. It was so good to see familiar faces. We chatted it up with them and also got to see the new deck they put on. It felt so good to be a part of something. To see people I know and that care about us and to also feel part of a community. One thing I feel like Covid has done is made life kind of isolating, which for the most part is fine. My kids and husband are my favorite people and are where I love spending my time and energy, but sometimes I want to have bigger than that. I like friends and neighbors, and community. So, Saturday was really good for that. I also decided that I need to show my support to a few of the grads around and so took my girls to drop off a few cards. It was good to see those families. One of them we visited with for a while and then we got to take a spin in her Jeep. I have some really good friends, so it was fun to see them. We got home and made the last drop-off with Gaupo and the twins and then came home had pizza for dinner and then played video games and called it a night.

Gaupo, Tia, and Kylee cooking breakfast

Sunday was cloudy. After church we did our after church walk hoping to squeeze it in before the rain. We started it dry, but it began to rain and so we headed home. On the way home, we decided that this rain was the perfect for a drive. It was getting kind of close to lunch time, so we just took a quick drive up to Lyon's and enjoyed up there. It was fun to all be together in the weather. We came home and had lunch and then it was quiet time/nap time. Part way through that quiet time it decided to down pour and the girls went out and played in it. I was watching them think, Oh that looks so fun, wish I could do it. Then I was like what?! Why am I not, just because I am an adult now, LAME. So, I went puddle jumping with my girls and it was so fun. It was so fun to walk in the gutter with the water rushing past, finding giant puddles to jump in and then trying to get each other wet by splashing. It was time well spent. After getting soaked we came in to change and talked to Grandma and Grandpa. After that it was a pretty normal Sunday, just dinner and chatting.

Monday was the last day of our weekend. It was pretty low-key. Its been awhile (its now 6/7), and I don't really remember anything super exciting about Monday except that while chasing around town Gaupo picked up a slip-n-slide and a little pool for the kids. This summer the pools aren't opening until at least July and so we needed to have our own way to cool down. Anyway, we pulled all that stuff out and let the girls play and when the twins woke up they played too. Kade wants almost nothing to do with the water, although he does get warmed up to scooping up cupfuls and dumping them on the grass. He will also get in the pool if it is warm enough. Abby just does what she wants when she wants. She loves the water and in usually mad when I make her stop. That night we watched Zootopia for our holiday family home evening. We had hotdogs and rice krispy treats for dinner.

Kylee

Tia

Tia and Kylee

Kade and Abby.

It was a fun weekend. It was good to do some 'normal' things. It was great to take a break from school and work. It seems weird to still love having 4 days of just us time, but its true I loved it. I love my family time.