Pandemic 2020

With a pandemic spreading rapidly across the world our lives changed very suddenly!

As we listen and watch General Conference the First Presidency sits in an empty tabernacle in chairs several feet from each other. I fluctuate between anxiety and fear as things grow worse and peace and faith as I listen to the speakers. We have been isolating ourselves at home for the last few weeks. Church is temporarily closed and we are having church at home.

In some ways it is an amazing blessing! James is able to bless the sacrament and Max to pass it. Each of us have prepared talks and played hymns. Zane has flourished as he prepares talks and scriptures to share. We are able to bear our testimony and have the sacrament in our home.

It is sad to not be able to invite Grandpa Keith over. We pray that our families will be okay. We stopped holding Family School and I have been putting the lessons online. We don't go to music lessons and have playdates. The boys are a bit tired of not being able to be with friends but they are doing pretty well and as spring arrives they spend more time outside. 

I am grateful for the forced break that is also giving me time to breath and assess. I was really getting burned out; by the school and the friendships that have somehow wrapped around every part of my life. I am evaluating everything; every podcast, book group, friendship, school activity and my own reading life. I have been tired and overwhelmed and am strangely grateful for the forced isolation.

Feb 2018

Max showing off his Christmas wolf cap with his two tiny huskies.

FHE WITH SISTER ERMA MATTHEWS
The boys take turns planning FHE and we visit with Erma every couple of weeks.
She has toys for grand kids and they are happy to play after FHE.

SNOWMEN
The boys had a blast building snowmen, tasting snowflakes and goofing off together.

ZANE AND HIS TOOTH
For a language arts assignment Zane chose to write about how he lost his tooth...

(Should I be worried that blood tastes yummy?)

MUSIC EXPO

We attended the Music Expo where the boys tried out different instruments.

By the end of the night Max was convinced that he wants violin lessons.

BOOKS, BOOKS AND MORE BOOKS!

Kellie's friend was getting rid of all her many years of homeschooling books and wanted them to go to someone who would use and appreciate them. So Kellie sent us 6 packages from Malaysia and it was Christmas all over again! It was so much fun to get packages and add so many great books to our library.

VALENTINE'S DAY

Every year Max reminds me to string the house. And every year he gets so excited for a new stuffed pet.
So the traditions (that I might not do otherwise) continue.

They love their new stuffed friends.

~~~~~~~~~~

PINE WOOD DERBY
Max had fun making another derby car and enjoyed the races. 

January 2018: Girl's Night, Cousins and Fire Truck Museum

After a very busy December we were finally able to get together for a girl's night.
We were finally able to take a picture with all of us in our Christmas hats.
Jessie, Hannah, Kate and I were able to go to a late night showing of "The Greatest Showman."
I love these girls and am so grateful for the friendships we have formed!

~~~~~~~~~~

Cousins Evie and Dom came for a play date.

They enjoyed playing veterinarian with Max and his Christmas vet kit.

 They gathered all the stuffed pets and take turns giving checkups.

~~~~~~~~~~

This time we went to cousin Jessie's to play vet.

Shortly after this Dom got very sick and they were quarantined for a few weeks.
I had fun putting together and mailing a care package for them.

~~~~~~~~~~

The boy's enjoyed a field trip to the Tooele Fire Truck Museum.

 Max spent a lot of the time surrounded by a gaggle of girls.

Zane's favorite was the old green fire truck.

Christmas 2017

HILL CHRISTMAS PARTY

We got to host the Hill party this year and it was a huge success! The food was delicious, our big open house fit all the family and ALL the presents easily and it was nice to not have to travel.

(When Grandpa Marshall and Grandma Robyn arrived we helped carry in presents and discovered they had completely gone overboard spoiling their grandchildren!)

LOTS of presents!

Max LOVED his veterinarian kit from Grandpa Keith.

(We couldn't find him a kit that had a good selection of items and didn't seem too little kiddie. So I designed one. It was so much more to collect all the items I wanted in his kit and to design him a logo and make labels for everything with his name and logo.) It also came with the Usborne Vet Academy book for him to learn more about being a veterinarian. 

Max's Lego sets from Cael and Marble Run from Grandpa and Grandma Soares. 

 Zane's new superheroes from cousin Cael; a dinosaur dig from Grandpa and Grandma Soares and the Perplexus from Grandpa Keith.

They look so grown up posing in their new clothes from Grandpa and Grandma Soares!

~~~~~~~~~~

FESTIVAL OF TREES
Another fun year at the festival (provided by Aunt Kathy, Aunt Colleen and Aunt Carol) making fun crafts, playing fun games and admiring the many Christmas trees and gingerbread creations.

 Max's favorites were of course those decorated with puppy and vehicles.
And he got his third origami puppy from the Origami Lady.for his collection.

 Zane's favorites were the Minecraft tree and the upside down tree.

Favorites for both were the Charlie Brown and the Wizard of Oz trees. (James has been reading the Wizard of Oz series to them and they have finished 6 of the books so far.) The puppy and Salute to the Military were the favorite gingerbread creations. We had fun tracking down the creations that Aunt Kathy, Carol and Colleen made for the festival and found the gingerbread tree and centerpiece.

All the boys liked the race car tree.

As it does every year all the standing, walking, watching along with the noise and crowds worn everyone out.

This year I tried a few new flavors of fudge. I made chocolate, peanut butter, ginger and chai flavored. It was fun to experiment but a lot of work and the chocolate is still the favorite. 
I put together boxes of fudge with ornaments for each of the cousins. Unfortunately our cousins' party fell apart and Kate, Jessie and I were the only ones who could make it. Kate got hats for all of us and Becca stopped by for a minute and we got a picture.

September 2017: Jayden's Bday, Family School, Gateway Museum

Jayden's Birthday

We celebrated Cousin Jayden's (Harting) birthday by attending the JDRF (Junior Diabetes Research Foundation) walk.

We met at the park on a cold wet day where we joined with hundreds of other to walk around Liberty Park.

Then we had a nice lunch provided by Paradise Cafe.

(Zane comparing muscles with Aunt Hannah. :)

And afterwards yummy fruit, treats and birthday cake.

Hannah brought us all little honey bear jars filled with sweet treats.

 The kids were able to enjoy the playground, see a Fire Engine, play on the bouncy slides and jungle gym,

 wander the park and see the ducks...

And the favorite activity of all...The Bouncy Fight!

Cousin Hannah and Jessie (and baby McKenna.) I love these girls!

It was a great day with my boys!

~~~~~~~~~~

Family School

Colleen Hunting and I planned a Family School themed around the Transcontinental Railroad. When planning she mentioned that she had been wanting to do an activity with her kids about the railroad. I knew that it would be something my boys would love AND that I would have so much material for us to use. We started by watching "Charlie Brown The Building of the Transcontinental Railroad."

Then we read parts from the books "Locomotive" by Brian Floca and "Ten Mile Day" by Mary Ann Fraser. We split the kids into an older group and younger group and made watercolor shape trains and played a folder game with questions from the books. We finished up by decorating train sugar cookies and building train tracks.

~~~~~~~~~

Gateway Discovery Museum

I am so grateful when museums have Homeschool day!

We were able to go to one of the boy's favorite places for very little cost.

 The construction zone is always the first place they want to play.

There was a new Lego Pine Wood Derby building station with a huge track. Max has been very sad that he will only get to the participate in a pine wood derby three years so this was an awesome bonus for him! They built many variations of vehicles and raced them against several other kids. Max was especially good at building winning cars!

The ball zone may be the all time favorite for both of them.
This is the one that when it is time to go they choose to return here for the last bit of play.

~~~~~~~~~~
These large fort building pieces were a fun Saturday yard sale find.

New exciting school items: Robot Turtle coding game, Zane's Life of Fred Kingie doll and Max's Good and Beautiful reader in his favorite reading spot.

 I was sick the night before cousin Becca's Bazaar so much to all of our disappointment we were unable to go. Max was determined that we would still have a bazaar so he spent the morning setting up booths for us. We had boat floating, paper airplane toss, a stop motion movie, vendors with art and delicious muffins. He even included a map. It was a fun way to spend the day and he showed such a great attitude and sweetness!

  Pack Meeting: Live Tic-Tac-Toe

Snuggles and cuddles