Week ending 3-29-20

This was a great week just like last week. I love having no scheduled activities and plenty of relaxing time at home. We're still fasting and praying that this Corona virus goes away and doesn't affect too many people and that the economy doesn't get too bad, but in the meantime I'm loving having everyone home. Last Sunday afternoon Kylie's mission president wrote that the missionaries were now quarantined but everyone was well and happy. Then that night he wrote that they were being sent home. Monday I got the itinerary. Kylie would be leaving that night and arriving Tuesday at 2:20pm. I couldn't believe it. I'd had a premonition that she was going to be coming home on Tuesday but when it was real I was really sad for her and mad at this whole virus thing. She should be out teaching people and fulfilling her missionary dream. Hopefully she gets reassigned soon but she's desperately praying she'll get to go back to Santos by the fall.

Last Sunday: Everyone happily playing. I love looking up and seeing all my children hanging out, getting along, and content in their activities. 

Monday: Doing school with 2 kids we were watching. 

Tuesday: Kylie's second leg was cancelled and she was able to get an earlier flight but had no way to tell us so she waited at the airport for an hour before we came and got her (she finally found a phone and called us.) We weren't allowed out of our car so Kylie hopped in and everyone was so excited to see her. 

 

She looked so tired from not sleeping in 2 nights but was so good natured about it. I would have been a wreck. It was awesome to have her back with us but so sad that she had to leave her mission and all the people she loved. 

The little kids always flock to her, want her to tuck them in, hang on her, and love to show her their drawings. She's the best big sister. 

We kept planning to leave Kylie alone to unpack and settle in but ended up standing at her door and talking for much of the day. 

Spencer got his ACT score! It's a 29. That's good for our family because we're terrible test takers, don't study, and hope to get into colleges with other talents, haha.

Alexis made Kylie 3 layer brownies, her favorite. Funny that just last week Kylie was sad she wouldn't be having them for 16 months and suddenly she's home eating them. Who would have thought? 

Wednesday: Every day I brought the school sack lunches home and loved seeing all 10 kids happily eating. Sometimes I couldn't even participate in the conversation I was just so happy to have everyone home despite the terrible circumstances. 

Kylie distributing different Brazilian candy she brought home. 

Working on vision boards with Kaitlyn and Makenna, another highlight of my week.  

Thursday: After lunch Spencer declared a game day and all the kids played games for the afternoon. Again, it makes my heart so happy to have all my kids home without all the distractions of friends and activities. Reminds me of old times in NC where we stayed home all the time. 

Friday: I took the 5 little kids to see Nathan's office which his parents and siblings redecorated for him. It looks fantastic! 

 

The blood pressure cuff is a favorite toy. :) 

Talea and Makenna playing princessess. 

It's the best thing ever having a missionary in your home, playing beautiful missionary songs on the piano. I didn't want the afternoon to end as she brought a wonderful spirit into our home and everything was so serene. 

More vision board fun. I love talking about our goals and desires for our life. 

I also loved hanging out with my older girls each night. We all just wrote in our journals and read our scriptures but it's also a moment I never want to end, that's why I take pictures of it.   

Sunday: Using a scrunchi a friend brought back from Mexico.

Week ending 3-22-20

We had a great week! I hate to say that though with all the depressing news and anxiety about the economy and such. I feel bad for those who are sick, out of a job, hating being thrust into homeschooling, etc. It's hard for me to be happy with all that's going on. But when I don't think of that I think we really did have a great week. I love having no scheduled activities, meetings, events going on. I love having all my kids home every day. I know the classes they took at the public school were good for them (orchestra, band, theater) as I couldn't teach those at home, but I hated having to pay attention to their schedule and plan around it. This week was wonderful not having any of that. We did school until lunch, got the school lunch and brought it home, cleaned up, then played all afternoon. Kids had plenty of time to practice their instruments, organize their closets, do yard work, and do projects like cross-stitch. We all ate dinner together at 5, watched the news, and then had time for a long scripture study and tuck-ins. Everyone was cheerful, cooperative and easy going. It was quite a peaceful, relaxing week despite all that's going on. Oh, and we had an earthquake on Wednesday! The first one we've ever felt.

Last Sunday: While we tried to have a little church Andy and Talea would hold hands and sing the ABC song really loud. Then they'd laugh and start over. Nathan would carry them both into the front room and they'd go out the front room and back into the living room through the garage, still singing loudly and laughing. They were hilarious and adorable. I didn't get a great picture but it was funny. 

In the evening we went to an extended family gathering. I thought it would be fun to make this a regular thing while not having church but apparently not as now we can't gather with more than 10 people. Glad we at least went last week and catch up with everyone. 

Nathan's mom was in town from Florida so it was great to be able to see her. 

Cousins! 

 

Talea asked me to take this picture after she flopped over the couch.  

We had a movie party for FHE, watching the season finale of Relative Race. 

After getting the little kids in bed I went to the store. It was fairly well stocked except for the freezer aisles. I didn't need anything there anyway, but I took these pictures to show the kids. We were all curious about what the stores looked like after watching the news. 

All the sweet cereals were gone but there were plenty of Cheerios, my kids' favorite. 

Tuesday: We got the grab 'n go sack lunches from the school and took them to nature school. It was so relaxing sitting in the sun eating and talking. Later we read while the little kids played in the creek. 

Sitting and singing.  

What a great life. Sitting and reading and enjoying the sun. 

Thomas and Madalyn playing swords. 

Random selife Tilly wanted. 

Saturday: Our neighbors are building a tree house so Andy asked Nathan to build one too. They worked on it all day and it's coming along. It's just going to be a little platform in a tree since we're just renting.  

Week ending 3-15-20

 We had a normal week, nothing too exciting.

Wednesday: Spencer's first track meet this season. And it may be his last too with schools cancelled for corona virus. Here he is doing the 110 meter hurdles and starting out in first place.

He's about to win! 

First place! 

Spencer's cheering crew. We had a lot of fun watching and chatting. 

Alexis cuddling Andy and Tilly when it got cold. Actually, it was cold the whole time. 

This picture is kinda pointless to post but it's for Spencer to remember that he did the 400m relay. 

Doing the 300 meter hurdles. He came in first for that too! 

Samuel and Talea were so cute walking back to the car. 

When we were leaving we saw these two geese just sitting in the parking lot. 

I love to see everyone lying around reading. 

Thursday: We went to nature school again. First I played on the playground with Talea who was adorable. I wish I had been able to record helping her across the monkey bars because she giggled the whole time. Her little voice is the cutest thing. 

Then we walked down to the ravine where the rest of the kids were. 

This is the entrance to the house. 

Playing in the creek. It was about 54 degress that day, so not exactly wading weather but we had fun anyway and at least there were no clouds in the sky so the sun felt hot. 

Kaitlyn had little collections of rocks and leaves and things. 

After playing for awhile we all sat and read and sketched in the sun which was really relaxing. 

One of the bedrooms. 

Makenna being cute. 

I took this to send to Madalyn to show her we're having her favorite burritos. She was at Aunt Sara's. 

Friday: We've been doing a drop-in daycare on Friday nights so parents can go out and I took this to show Remi's mom she was having a great time. 

 

Saturday: My cousin dropped off this pie for pi day as well as a bunch of bags of clothes for the kids. 

After the little kids were in bed Kaitlyn and I had a little date making vision boards. 

We had a great time and it was one of the highlights of my week.