Phase 2

After having been postponed two weeks, the elementary schools are now moving on to phase 2. So far the kids have been attending only two days a week on a short day schedule (out by 1:25), Tuesday and Thursday (because of our last name) and doing home learning three days a week. It's been tough getting used to it, but overall, not too bad. Now the kids will be attending 4 days (Monday through Thursday), but still on a short day's schedule (out by 1:25).

The boys were really excited to be going back to school 4 days a week. They both had many reasons to be happy with moving on to 4 days; one of which was that they could see their friends more often. I was happy because that meant not fighting as much with them to get their school work done while at home. 

Gabbi was bummed. They were told that they were going to go to Phase 2 along with the elementary school kids. Sadly as time grew closer, that didn't end up happening. They pushed them back to the end of October, but were told that that could still change. When I left to take the boys to school, she was adamant about going with me. I told her to stay home, eat breakfast and get her schoolwork done. She frowned, but went back inside. This will definitely be an adjustment to get used to.

Halloween decorating

While we were at Mom and Dad's last weekend, we grabbed our Halloween decorations. The kids thought that we'd put them up the following day, but we still had two weeks of September left. That didn't stop them from bugging me about decorating.

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. After church today, I told them that if they wanted to decorate they could help me, but they had to clean up first. They didn't like that I asked them to clean up first, but when I reminded them that their stuff was in the way, they quickly pitched in to get things cleaned up so we could decorate for Halloween.

First things first we decorated the mirror. We first started with the Zombie tape. When that was done, it was time for the decals. This is William's least favorite things that I use to decorate because they are decals that look like blood. He didn't mind hanging some up, but when we stepped back to look at it, he quivered.

When the mirror was done and out of the way, I gave each of the kids some decals so they could decorate the windows in their rooms. They thought that was awesome. I had extras that I wasn't going to use because I didn't want them hanging on the bathroom mirror this time. They didn't care about it being on the bathroom mirror and were all for them being in their room.

While they put those up, I finished with the items that I display in the front room. I pulled out my witches broom, caldron, and hat, my spider bear, my pumpkins, etc. It looked great. All I had left in the box was a handful of TY beanie babies. When the kids were done putting the decals up, they each came and chose one to sit on their dressers in their rooms. Now we were done.

Virtual church

A month ago we decided to attend our designated day back at church. It was a very different experience, but it was still nice to be back. Like all good things, that didn't last long. With the numbers now beginning to climb to heights that we haven't seen yet, we have been debating whether or not to continue to attend in person. After a long discussion we decided that it would be best to stay home since they broadcast sacrament meeting over a live link. 

Today was a day for a lot of virtual firsts. First Gabbi would be attending a virtual Young Women's class. It's not like she hasn't done Young Women's on Zoom before, but this time it was an actually lesson instead of an activity. 

When she was done with her class it was time for me to attend mine. It took a minute to get things started once all the bugs were worked out, but once they were Katie gave a beautiful lesson. At the end she told us that they were getting a hold of the Relief Society teachers or anyone who would be willing to share a lesson over zoom on the regular 2nd and 4th Sunday Relief Society days. It will be interesting to get use to, but at least this was a small way to stay in touch with the sisters in the ward.

When I was done, we had about 35 minutes to set things up for Sacrament meeting. Ben brought his laptop into the front room and connected it via ethernet cable to the T.V. When it was time he clicked on the link and we waited for the link to connect. When it did, we were able to see the front of the chapel and to hear the organist. When it was time, they got the meeting started.

It was hard to hear what was being said by who ever was speaking. We joked about how it felt like we were watching Charlie Brown and the teacher was talking. At least it was better than nothing. Since it was hard to hear, it was even harder to get the kids to sit and watch with some semblance of reverence. They have access to a room full of toys and it was hard to get them not to play with them during the meeting. In some ways I wish we still were attending in person, although our first time back wasn't the easiest either. 

When the meeting was over, they then cut the feed so at home Sacrament could be passed. Ben then prepared and passed us the Sacrament and once that was over the kids ran off to play. Church like this will be a handful and a test of our Faith. I am grateful we are attending in one form or another, but some things are easier than others.

Young Women's

The Stake Presidency sent out an email telling us that they were advised by the area authority that we could have in person activities as long as social distancing could be adhered to. Gabbi was excited to hear about that because that meant that she could have activities with the Young Women.

I got another email from the Young Women's presidency expressing the same thing and letting the girls know that they would have their first activity back since they had cancelled back in March. They would be having a BBQ at one of the counselors homes, well in her yard. She lived next to the Bishop so they were able to use the yard of both houses to ensure the social distancing. 

Gabbi was really excited to hear that they were finally getting together. She counted down the hours and minutes until it was time for her to go. When it was, she walked up to their house seeing how it wasn't to far from our place. Before saying goodbye, I told her to text me when she got there to make sure she made it. Like a good girl she did. She did not however text me when she was on her way home.

I waited impatiently for her to get home. She did finally walk through the door with her hands full of cookies. I asked her how the activity went and she said that she had a great time. She said it was nice seeing the girls that she hadn't seen in so long. They had hot dogs, chips, drinks, and cookies. She also said that there weren't very many youth there and were told to take some of the leftover cookies. She brought home 4 of them and they were huge, they were from Crumbl. She then put them in the kitchen and went off to get ready for bed. 

Family dinner

It was a nice weekend and we were able to finish it off with Family dinner with my family. It was Mom and Dad's turn and to ensure that we all felt safe to gather, they planned to have it outside. 

As it was getting closer for family to start coming the kids were getting antsy, so we went outside. Dad was out there getting the grill ready and stopped what he was doing to play with the kids. He grabbed a 4 square ball and they got a game of dodge ball going. It wasn't like you'd see during gym class, pretty much if you have the ball, throw it at anyone near you. All of the kids of course threw it at Papa, which he in return did the same. Eventually it turned into a tickling tackling pile and everyone was laughing. It was so good to see the kids interact and have so much fun with Dad.

It was then time for Dad to go back to the cooking and he and I went in the house to start bringing things out. We were having hamburgers, corn, and potato salad. Dad even made some homemade humus with crackers to go with it. It all smelled so yummy and I couldn't wait to bite into that very juicy looking burger.

Once everyone got there, we gathered in the backyard and said a prayer over the food. Then it was time to dish up. The kids went first followed by the adults. When I finally sat down, I took a huge bite out of my burger and it was amazing. Mom and Dad make the best homemade burgers. I ate so much my stomach hurt. At least it was worth it.

When everyone was done eating the kids were playing on the swing set and playing with the volleyball. It was fun to watch them play with the volleyball. They of course knew how to play volleyball, but without a net, it was a little more difficult for them. It really ended up being hit and catch the volleyball. Gabbi tried to serve once and she completely missed it. The look on her face was disbelieve. I couldn't help it but to silently laugh. While they were playing on the grass the rest of us sat at the tables and just talked. A lot has happened and we just needed to catch up with everyone.

When it was time, dad pulled out some ice cream and mom brought out peach cobbler. Her homemade cobbler that is absolutely amazing. It just came out of the oven and was still steamy. As Dad was dishing them up, the ice cream was instantly melting. It looked, smelled, and tasting like heaven. I of course took my without the ice cream, but it was still...so good.

When everyone was done, we all pitched in to clean up the patio and take the dishes and food inside. Once that was done, everyone said goodbye and we went our separate ways. Since the kids didn't have physical school tomorrow, just online, we decided to stay one more night and head home in the morning.

Lost Tooth

It's not very often that the kids have lost a tooth while not at home, but we are ready for anything. Gabbi's tooth has been wiggly for a while now and after messing with it the majority of the day, it finally came out. She thought I was weird when I put it in a zip lock bag. Not sure why, I do that with all of their lost teeth. Maybe she thought that since we weren't at home the Tooth Fairy wouldn't come. She was happily surprised in the morning to see that she did come and got a dollar.

Sagez get together

Tonight was the Sagez get together. We debated whether to invite everyone or not to. It's been hard hearing them say over and over again that they can't come. After bouncing back and forth on the matter, we put it out there and if they responded, great, if not we wouldn't plan on them. We went ahead and made our plans without hearing from any of them. So we decided to do sloppy joes, jello, chips, dip, and drinks. It would be a simple get together of dinner and games.

When we got there, I helped set up dinner and once it was ready to go, we gathered in the kitchen and had a prayer. Once that was done, everyone got in line to dish up a plate. The kids sat at the small table with Grandma Sagez and Nelson, Deann sat at her computer desk, and both Ben and I sat at the bar. It was nice to visit with them while eating really yummy food. I love Deann's sloppy joes. I've tried to replicate them, but unsuccessfully. 

Once we were done eating, the boys went and played with Gunner while we cleaned up the table and brought out another one. Ben and I planned to teach them a the card game that we learned while in Bicknell with Beth and Parker, Arizona Rummy. Once the two card table were set up and ready to go, we all sat down and Ben explained to them how to play. For the most part everyone caught on pretty well. There were a few times we had to stop and explain something, but overall, it was a smooth game and everyone seemed to enjoy playing.

When the game was over, we helped to clean up the cards and then dished up some dessert. We ate it quickly and then it was time to head out. It was great to see them, visit with them, and even more fun to play games with them. Until next time. 

Reading

School may be back in session, but there are still so many things up in the air. The kids have been stressed out of course because nothing is certain. The teachers have been aware of this and concerned. They have had a few discussion with the kids about it and what they can to to make sure that they feel safe, they feel like their learning, and getting all that they can out of school.

Owen's grade has been working on what they call WIN. WIN stands for What I Need. This acronym has been put together to help the students focus on what they need, not just physically and mentally, but intellectually. They divided themselves into book groups to help them focus on their reading accuracy, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. These groups have been beneficial to the 4th graders in many ways. It has allowed them to help each other out with their reading along with being able to be outside to get some sunlight, fresh air, communicate with one another, as well as working on their social interaction.

To further the importance of this WIN attitude they told the kids that its important to be able to determine how to WIN each day. They can become aware of what they need, whether its academic, emotional, physical, or social and then have the skills to communicate those needs to others. They start each day asking themselves and each other what they need. So far it has made the school adjustment a lot easier. 

Star Wars

They had so much fun making the movie set last time, they did it again. Not as grand, but they had a blast changing it over and over again. Owen was very proud that he was able to make it look like one of them were flying.

PTC

Today was the first Parent Teacher Conference of the year. I was surprised how soon they were having them considering they have only been in school for a month. I guess they were early because they didn't really have a back to school night. Maybe they don't have them with her now being in Middle school. At least the elementary school said that they would be having parent meetings within the first few weeks of school to explain how school would be this year (although they never actually had them) maybe this would be the same. 

Gabbi told me that they had announced PTC's at school and that they would be held at the normal schedule. They have four quarters in the school year and since she now had 10 different classes and 10 different teachers that change every quarter, I guess that meant it was time for PTC. 

This would be a crazy experience, for the first time ever Parent Teacher Conferences would be held over zoom. Each of the teachers sent out email explaining how and where to sign up for a time slot. Each time slot would be 5 minutes long. I wasn't really sure how you could have a productive PTC in 5 minutes, but seeing how they really only have been in school for a month, how much was there really to talk about it.

I signed up with every teacher that Gabbi had and tried to do so with with a few minutes in between each meeting time just in case we went over. All her classes with 5 minutes in between each would take us almost 2 hours. It would be a long afternoon.

When it was time Gabbi and I sat down at the table with her computer, her notebooks, and anything we might need for these meetings. We then connected to the first one. It was a weird way to Overall, they all had great comments about Gabbi and offered her some words of advice on how to excel this quarter in their classes.

After 2 hours we were finally done, but after talking to her teachers, I'm not worried about her. She's doing a great job adjusting to a new school and a new way of life at school. She's just thriving.

Dry Ice

Ben had a Dentist appt in Ogden and asked if I needed anything before he came back home. I of course was kidding, but told him that the only thing I wanted from Ogden was a shake from Jake's over the Top. I was totally kidding, but when I saw the charge go through, I thought he was crazy. 

When we came in the door I was surprised that he had our cooler from our shed at Mom and Dad's. Inside the cooler was my Raspberry shake and a whole bunch of dry ice. Well it wasn't a bunch, but enough to keep my shake from melting. I was very surprised at how well it actually worked. It was soft, but not melted. I put it in the freezer for later and went to clean up the cooler. That meant getting rid of the dry ice. Ben told me to put it in the sink and just to let it melt. 

So I grabbed the bag and dumped it in the sink. When it hit the sink, it started to smoke. It wasn't a lot, but then Ben came out and asked the kids if they wanted to see something cool. They of course said yes and Ben came over and broke off a piece of the dry ice and put it in a container with some water and placed it on the counter. They kids gathered around and were amazed by the smoke that was coming out of the container and all over the counter. I then turned on the faucet to a small stream and the sink within seconds was full of the smoke. The kids got a kick out of the fact that the smoke was cold. It's the first time they had seen anything like it. We continued to let it run until the dry ice was all gone. Made for a fun science afternoon.

Owen Ortho

At Owen's last orthodontist appt the orthodontist told Owen that he could possibly get his braces off at his next appointment. That appointment was today. Owen was really hopeful and happily checked in when we got to the office. After checking in they asked us to have a seat and they'd call him back when they were ready. 

As we were about to turn around, they asked Owen if he had received a mask yet. He said no and they asked him what color they wanted. After picking teal, we went and sat down. He of course tried it on. It looked awesome and the best part, it had a smile on it. With masks you can never see if anyone is smiling or not, now when he wears that mask, he's always got a smile on.

When they called him back he excitedly walked to the chair and waited to see what would go on. The technician did her check up and then had the Orthodontist come over to check. He looked him over and his chart and then said that they wouldn't be coming off today. He wanted one tooth to move just a little bit more and if it did, they would definitely be off at his next appointment. 

Owen was bummed that today wasn't the day to get them off, but was hopeful that the promise of them coming off at his next appointment they would stand. The technician then put his new bands on and we walked out to the front. We made our next appointment and crossed our fingers that things would move as he wanted them too and that he really would get them off next time.

Church

Ben and I talked about attending Sacrament meeting in person for a while now. We finally decided to give it a try. They started doing in person Sacrament meetings back in June, but because of the number of limitations they divided our ward into two. Half of the ward would attend one Sunday and the other would attend the following Sunday. 

I wasn't sure what to expect, all I could remember from the emails was that we had to go through a specific door and that they wanted the seating to go every other row. We of course pulled into the parking lot and there were no cars there. Ben was sure that it was one door and I was pretty sure it was a different door. Ben and the kids then walked to that door, but it was locked. Someone was on the inside and came and opened the door for us.

We walked down the hall to the chapel. I noticed the signs on the outside doors saying which door we were supposed to enter. I pointed at the sign when Ben was looking and he shrugged his shoulders. I was right and I wanted him to know that. I smiled when I did so and he just gave me a look. We then went inside the chapel and found every other pew blocked off. We picked one that wasn't blocked off and sat down.

We waited in the pew as others slowly started to show up. There weren't a lot of people there, but I didn't really expect there to be. As we sat there, one of the Bishopric members came up and asked Ben if he wouldn't mind helping to pass the Sacrament. He of course said yes and went to sit in front of the Sacrament table. 

When things got started it was weird. They played an opening hymn, but no singing was done, which was really weird. Then they did the Sacrament which was different. Well the prayer of course was the same, but each of the bearers had two trays. One to take the emblem from and one to discard the cup in. They were taking every precaution to make sure that no one would get sick from attending church. 

Once the Sacrament was done, they had two speakers who were new to the ward. Well new a while ago, but this was the first time that some of us were meeting them, seeing how we haven't been in church for a while. They did a great job and shared a sweet message. I would have enjoyed it more had the kids stopped bugging me about being bored. I didn't bring the church bag with us, I thought Church was just the Sacrament being passed, no speakers. The kids were having a hard time sitting there, sitting still, and listening. 

Once they were done, they had the closing song, the closing prayer, and thanked us all for coming and hoped that they would see us again next time.

It was nice to get back to church in person, but it was really weird. So much has changed and I know that all of it was done to ensure everyone would be safe, but it would definitely be something hard to get used to and in a weird way, I don't want to get used to it. I want things to go back to normal. Sadly, I'm afraid that that won't happen anytime soon.

Purple Witch's Hat

After posting the green Witch's hat, I got a request for another one. This time from my cousin. I happily agreed to make her one and asked if she had any specifics or ideas for the hat. She responded back saying that she didn't have any special requests for the hat and just to do what I do best. After hearing back from her, I then set out to get supplies. 

I had a bunch of embellishments left over from the green hat, but still needed the base color of deco mesh along with some black. I headed out to the same stores in search for the colors I needed. I ended up having to go to three different Dollar Tree stores to find enough of the purple. I was surprised at the fact that less than a week or two ago I was getting supplies for the other one and still had a lot to choose from. After bouncing between stores, I finally had all that I needed.

Once I got home, I began to assemble the hat. First things first, I had to start with a frame, so to speak. This time I had bought a science fair board to get my card board from. It was a lot thicker than the cardboard I used for the last one. I hoped that meant I didn't have to cut out two layers. When I was done cutting the first layer I did a test run with the deco mesh and it felt pretty sturdy. I took that as the okay to only worry about one layer of the cardboard.

Once that was done, I started assembling the hat. Again it came together much faster than the normal wreaths I'm used to making. Within an hour of starting I was done. I took a picture of the hat and sent it via Facebook to my cousin. She took a while to respond, but once she did, she said that it was exactly what she was thinking of and was surprised that I had it done already. We then passed a few more messages to coordinate dropping it off. I actually dropped this one off at the same time I gave Teri her Witch's hat. I was able to drop it off to her son, who just happened to be visiting his grandparents that lived up the street from Mom and Dad. Once in his hands, I just crossed my fingers that it got to her in one piece.

Halloween Wreath

After posting the picture of the green Witch's hat Jenny commented on my post saying that she wanted me to make her a wreath. She didn't want a Witch's hat, just a Halloween themed one. I had a bunch of embellishments left over, but still needed a few more. I also needed to pick up some deco mesh. I also had another Witch's hat that I needed supplies for. I was able to "kill two birds with one stone." I first went to Dollar Tree and picked out a few more embellishments that would work for Jenny's, but not the other hat. I continued my journey to the other craft stores and was able to pick up what I needed for both Jenny's wreath and the other Witch's hat.

Back at home, I pulled out everything that I had bought and everything that I had left over. I was super excited to get started. I of course started with the deco mesh. I did the ribbon technique, which like usual, went by quickly. It was a little bit trickier because the deco mesh from Dollar Tree wasn't as long at the ones from Hobby Lobby and had to tie and start a new roll twice before finishing the wreath. Once the deco mesh was on the frame, I could not start with the embellishments.

Now for the fun part, I started with the centerpiece, the sign. I loved this saying and missed mine. I hoped Jenny liked the saying as much as I do. Once that was in place I started on the ribbons, flex tubing ribbon, and Halloween themed foil garland that I cut off balloon weights. I tied them in groups and placed them around the wreath for depth. I then had some ornaments, little Witches hats, glittered sprig, and a few spiders. I arranged them around the wreath to complete its look. Last but not least, all I had left to do was to add the Witches legs. 

After it was done, I hung it up to take a picture. I absolutely loved how it turned out, one of my favorites. If Jenny didn't like it, I would keep it for myself. Unluckily for me, she loved it. It was exactly what she was hoping for. I told her I would bring it to the next family dinner. She said that she looked forward to it.

Green Witch's Hat

While at Swiss Days Teri kept sending me texts of pictures of wreaths that she said I should look into making. Not necessarily for her, but just to make them because they were cute. She was right, they were; they were really cute too. 

After we got home, she sent me another one, but this time she wanted to have me make it for her. The picture was of a green and black Witch's hat. I have never made a wreath that wasn't in the shape of a circle, but Teri gave me a challenge and I was taking on that challenge. I would figure something out. The only thing specific she asked for was that the main color be green. Otherwise, I had creative discretion.

With that simple request, I went about looking for supplies. I of course found myself first at Dollar Tree. I grabbed whatever I could that may or may not look good in the wreath. I also made a stop to Michael's, JoAnn's, and Hobby Lobby. I couldn't believe that Hobby Lobby had nothing. Luckily everywhere else I went, I was able to find some fun things that would really make the hat look amazing.

After I had all that I wanted I went home and contemplated how I could make the shape of the hat. The only thing I could think of was to make it out of cardboard and hope that it would hold. To make sure that it would, I glued two pieces together to make it extra sturdy. Once I had the frame, it was literally all downhill from there. The rest of it came together easily and within an hour. I was surprised at how quickly it came together. A lot easier than some of the other wreaths I have done.

Once I was done, I sent a picture to Teri to see how she liked it. She sent all sorts of happy faces and said that she absolutely loved it. We then made plans to meet up at Mom's the next time I was in Ogden for her to pick it up. I'm so glad she liked it and I couldn't wait to give it to her. If I do say so myself, it turned out great. Challenge accepted and blown out of the water. 

Labor Day

Melissa texted me a while ago saying that she wanted to get together. She asked if we were busy on Labor Day and I told her that we weren't busy. She suggested going to a park and doing lunch somewhere. We decided to find a park that was half way between them and us. She did some searching and found what looked like a phenomenal park. It was called the International Peace Gardens. After agreeing on that spot, we made plans to meet there at 10.

Ben had school work to do, so the kids and I went ahead without him. The drive wasn't bad and we found our way to the park. We found a place to park and waited for Melissa and her family to get there. When they did, we got out of the van and walked over to them. We gave air hugs and air high fives and then walked towards the entrance of the garden.

The gardens were beautiful. They had all sorts of flowers, bushes, trees, and even sculptures dedicated to all the countries from around the world. It became a game for the kids to guess what the countries were before we saw the signs. Some of them did a great job guessing, others not so much.

When we were done in the park we walked over to the playground the kids wanted to swing on the swing set. The even had enough swings for almost everyone. When the swings were getting old, we walked over to the field and played a few games there. The kids started to play tag, we did relay races, cartwheel races, summersault races, and even a really weird water contest. 

The water contest was between two individuals at a time. They had to hold a mouthful of water and the person who held the water in their mouth the longest one. There was a catch though. Everyone not with water in their mouth could do anything they could think of to make the two with water in their mouth laugh enough that they spit out the water. I surely wasn't going to play, but it was hilarious to watch them play. 

After the handful of games the kids started talking about them being hungry. We decided to drive around the corner to get Arby's for lunch. We went through the drive through and then decided to take it back to the park to eat it there. 

When we got back to the park, we went to a different part, one that had a pavilion with tables to sit at. Lucky for the kids it also had a little playground right next to it. After the boys were done eating they ran over to play on it. The rest of us stayed at the table and talked for a little bit. At one point we were visited by a few squirrels who really wanted our lunch. Not only were we visited by them, we were visited by some bees. Their oldest two kids decided that they would try to catch them. As long as they weren't coming near me, I was fine with that.

After a while it was time for them to get going and I guess that meant it was time for us to head out as well. I rounded up the boys, we said goodbye, and headed home. The rest of our Labor Day was relaxing at home. I felt bad that it wasn't so much for Ben being stuck doing homework all day, but we were able to end it with some fun. We brought home Cafe Rio for dinner and watched a movie together with the kids before sending them to bed.