Week 4
We made it through another week and it was a busy one for us. Birthdays are always a lot of work and I feel so much pressure to make the child or my husband feel so special. It takes a lot of energy and work, which I think is exactly what makes it special. Plus we had Easter to prepare for. Lily was a rock star kid this week though and prepared a craft for her siblings to do each day. She researched it on pintrest, got the materials and even pretty much cleaned up when they were done. They did sock bunnies, flowers made from a paper towel tube, salt dough creations and one day she printed off a bunch of egg shapes for them to color/paint.
Monday I did laundry, taught a few virtual piano lessons (totally awkward and weird but we're doing the best we can) and we cleaned and my kids watched Carmen Sandiego, which all of them totally love. We had a nice family night that included a family soccer game and chocolate mint cookies that Lily and Brandon made. Lily has really loved being independent in the kitchen and baking a lot and it usually goes pretty well. Well, at least half the time and when she messes up she just learns so I suppose that is okay too.
Tuesday I spent the day wrapping presents, reading, making a birthday treat, cleaning up the kitchen and going for a walk. That night we celebrated Josh's birthday so he brought home Nicolletti's and he opened his presents. We were supposed to be in Chicago eating at five different pizza places he had picked out so I was a bit intimidated as to how to make his stay at home 40th birthday special. I reached out to a bunch of friends, current but also from his mission and from high school and even his best friend from childhood, along with friends from other places we've lived, plus family, and asked them to send me a fun memory or something nice about him. I thought it would be great to have something from 40 people and it worked out that I ended up with 43. One of his buddies from Catholic school sent him a message (I found him on FB), his cousin, aunt, lots of local friends, his best friend from when we lived in Ohio, two of my sisters, our parents, some of my closest friends who love him and some work buddies. It was so kind of people to contribute and made me really grateful for so many wonderful people in our circle. I ultimately want to make a nice book out of it all but in the short term I numbered them and printed them out and left it on the keyboard the night before his birthday so that when he got up to work in the morning (he worked from home for an hour or so), it would be there for him to read. But I got him a few fun presents to open that night (a winter hat, churro maker, BYU sweatshirt, movie and book) and we had cookie dough brownies and then after the kids were in bed he asked me to watch Moneyball with him. He absolutely loves that movie and wants to watch it all of the time so he took advantage of his birthday and got me to watch it with him. Also the Schoenys were awesome that afternoon and brought over this huge birthday banner that they had made for Josh, but it was raining when they came so I saved it and put it up for when Josh got home from work on Wednesday. It was fun to say hi to them from a distance and I really appreciated their thoughtfulness.
Wednesday we sang to him, had his traditional birthday donut muffins, then he went to work and the rest of the day was pretty standard. Cleaning, eating, cleaning up from eating, some reading, TV watching, piano practicing and playing outside. That night Josh and Lily had youth activities, although Lily just ended up talking to the girls in her class but Josh's class played a fun game.
Thursday was Emma's 7th birthday. We had oatmeal pancakes, played a game she picked out (Bohnanza--my kids love it), had the amazing birthday parade that I already wrote about, the boys watched one movie while the girls watched another and I finished my book, I taught a piano lesson, made an angel food cake and wrapped presents. Emma and Brandon played with the water table for awhile and then we had a knock at the door, which was such a shocking sound. Sweet Noreen and her daughter Brianna stopped by and left a gift on the porch for Emma. We waved and said hello to them while they stood in the road and it was wonderful. I was so touched by how much Noreen loves my family. We had dinner (chicken pillows) and Emma opened her presents. She got Legos from my in-laws, money from my parents, and we got her a CD player with the Frozen 2 soundtrack (kind of regretting that choice but she loves it), Lily picked out an Elsa dress for her, and we got her some books and bath bombs. I also got her some Pop tarts because I never buy them (so gross) but the school lunch things sometimes come with them and my kids were fighting over them so I thought it would be a fun present. Then we had angel food cake with strawberries and whip cream and she went to bed a happy 7-year-old.
All I remember about Friday is that we took the prophet's invitation to fast with him and the world about the virus. I finished a book that day about Jesus and the third year of his ministry, including the crucifixion and resurrection. We had also been watching videos on the church's website as part of Holy Week, so the atonement and resurrection was really on my mind, appropriate for Good Friday. As I fasted all I could think of was deliverance. Just as the children of Israel were delivered from Egypt so long ago which started the Passover tradition, and then the Savior's atonement and resurrection delivers us from sin and death, it seemed appropriate on Good Friday to be fasting for deliverance from this virus and all of its repercussions. It was a sacred experience. That night Josh and I went on another "date" and watched Ready Player One, which I gave him for his birthday. I didn't go to the theater with him when he saw it but he loved it and while I was skeptical, I ended up really liking it too. Ironically I really enjoyed the escape from reality.
Saturday we did all of our non-Savior related Easter celebrating. We did a big egg hunt outside (he hid 60 eggs and we found 59 so pretty good :) then the kids played a bit, Josh and I went for a lovely walk, and then we dyed Easter eggs, which I really enjoy. I love the bright colors and how happy the eggs look when we're done. Then we watched Onward. I had heard mixed reviews but I ended up really liking it. I love Chris Pratt and thought he was really funny as the older brother. Lily ended up breaking out into sobs at the part where the younger kid doesn't get to see his dad and it startled us all. She's always been really sensitive to movies but this may have just been built up emotion and a needed release for her. After the kids were in bed Josh and I watched The Aeronauts, which was totally stressful but an interesting story. I admire people who are brave and willing to do dangerous things. I thought they were both completely crazy and never in a million years would I have gotten in that balloon.
Sunday was a beautiful day. First off the kids had to follow the jelly bean trails to find where their Easter baskets were hidden. Then we had a wonderful church meeting for adults at 10am and then the youth one was at 10:30. We had special musical numbers in both and they were both so beautiful. Then I led the kids in primary singing time and we reviewed some songs they learned earlier in the year, sang an Easter song and then played a game with Love One Another. It is tough to play the piano and have my back to them while they are singing but Josh comes in and makes it really fun for them. Then we did the resurrection eggs, had the sacrament, read from the New Testament about the resurrection and then we watched a video my brother-in-law made of him singing I Stand All Amazed. It was so inspiring and beautiful and I felt the spirit so strongly. It was a wonderful Easter worship.
Afterwards I started the rolls and ham and tried to make strawberry cupcakes. We had a zoom meeting with all of my family except for two nephews and it was a bit crazy but fun to see everyone. Then I made the potatoes and made up the rolls and while I was doing that Lily tried to make the frosting for the cupcakes, which turned out slimy. I think I put in too much strawberry puree and the batter was way too wet, then Lily used regular sugar instead of confectioner's sugar so we had slimy cupcakes with crunchy frosting. They were so gross and after a few minutes of frustration, we were able to laugh about it and then later Josh threw them out for us. Thankfully dinner turned out really well. I tried resurrection rolls for the first time and they pretty much turned out. You are supposed to use a big marshmallow and I only had small ones so the open tomb thing didn't totally happen, but it did a little bit, and they were delicious. We also talked to Josh's parents and sister so in one day we saw almost every member of our family. It was a wonderful Sabbath day and a spiritual Easter and I'm so grateful for Jesus Christ. I just can't express how much I love him or how grateful I am that because of his sacrifice, I don't have to fear death, I can repent and change, I can have eternal joy and happiness with my family and I can find peace and comfort in his love for me. I loved the book series I just finished because it is a fiction book about a family in the times of Jesus and so it helped give the perspective of what it might have been like to know him and be around him and not know all that we know today about him and the gospel and even to understand the resurrection. What a miracle and blessing it is and my heart just glories in the Savior and all that he suffered for me.
Monday I did laundry, taught a few virtual piano lessons (totally awkward and weird but we're doing the best we can) and we cleaned and my kids watched Carmen Sandiego, which all of them totally love. We had a nice family night that included a family soccer game and chocolate mint cookies that Lily and Brandon made. Lily has really loved being independent in the kitchen and baking a lot and it usually goes pretty well. Well, at least half the time and when she messes up she just learns so I suppose that is okay too.
Tuesday I spent the day wrapping presents, reading, making a birthday treat, cleaning up the kitchen and going for a walk. That night we celebrated Josh's birthday so he brought home Nicolletti's and he opened his presents. We were supposed to be in Chicago eating at five different pizza places he had picked out so I was a bit intimidated as to how to make his stay at home 40th birthday special. I reached out to a bunch of friends, current but also from his mission and from high school and even his best friend from childhood, along with friends from other places we've lived, plus family, and asked them to send me a fun memory or something nice about him. I thought it would be great to have something from 40 people and it worked out that I ended up with 43. One of his buddies from Catholic school sent him a message (I found him on FB), his cousin, aunt, lots of local friends, his best friend from when we lived in Ohio, two of my sisters, our parents, some of my closest friends who love him and some work buddies. It was so kind of people to contribute and made me really grateful for so many wonderful people in our circle. I ultimately want to make a nice book out of it all but in the short term I numbered them and printed them out and left it on the keyboard the night before his birthday so that when he got up to work in the morning (he worked from home for an hour or so), it would be there for him to read. But I got him a few fun presents to open that night (a winter hat, churro maker, BYU sweatshirt, movie and book) and we had cookie dough brownies and then after the kids were in bed he asked me to watch Moneyball with him. He absolutely loves that movie and wants to watch it all of the time so he took advantage of his birthday and got me to watch it with him. Also the Schoenys were awesome that afternoon and brought over this huge birthday banner that they had made for Josh, but it was raining when they came so I saved it and put it up for when Josh got home from work on Wednesday. It was fun to say hi to them from a distance and I really appreciated their thoughtfulness.Wednesday we sang to him, had his traditional birthday donut muffins, then he went to work and the rest of the day was pretty standard. Cleaning, eating, cleaning up from eating, some reading, TV watching, piano practicing and playing outside. That night Josh and Lily had youth activities, although Lily just ended up talking to the girls in her class but Josh's class played a fun game.
Thursday was Emma's 7th birthday. We had oatmeal pancakes, played a game she picked out (Bohnanza--my kids love it), had the amazing birthday parade that I already wrote about, the boys watched one movie while the girls watched another and I finished my book, I taught a piano lesson, made an angel food cake and wrapped presents. Emma and Brandon played with the water table for awhile and then we had a knock at the door, which was such a shocking sound. Sweet Noreen and her daughter Brianna stopped by and left a gift on the porch for Emma. We waved and said hello to them while they stood in the road and it was wonderful. I was so touched by how much Noreen loves my family. We had dinner (chicken pillows) and Emma opened her presents. She got Legos from my in-laws, money from my parents, and we got her a CD player with the Frozen 2 soundtrack (kind of regretting that choice but she loves it), Lily picked out an Elsa dress for her, and we got her some books and bath bombs. I also got her some Pop tarts because I never buy them (so gross) but the school lunch things sometimes come with them and my kids were fighting over them so I thought it would be a fun present. Then we had angel food cake with strawberries and whip cream and she went to bed a happy 7-year-old.All I remember about Friday is that we took the prophet's invitation to fast with him and the world about the virus. I finished a book that day about Jesus and the third year of his ministry, including the crucifixion and resurrection. We had also been watching videos on the church's website as part of Holy Week, so the atonement and resurrection was really on my mind, appropriate for Good Friday. As I fasted all I could think of was deliverance. Just as the children of Israel were delivered from Egypt so long ago which started the Passover tradition, and then the Savior's atonement and resurrection delivers us from sin and death, it seemed appropriate on Good Friday to be fasting for deliverance from this virus and all of its repercussions. It was a sacred experience. That night Josh and I went on another "date" and watched Ready Player One, which I gave him for his birthday. I didn't go to the theater with him when he saw it but he loved it and while I was skeptical, I ended up really liking it too. Ironically I really enjoyed the escape from reality.
Saturday we did all of our non-Savior related Easter celebrating. We did a big egg hunt outside (he hid 60 eggs and we found 59 so pretty good :) then the kids played a bit, Josh and I went for a lovely walk, and then we dyed Easter eggs, which I really enjoy. I love the bright colors and how happy the eggs look when we're done. Then we watched Onward. I had heard mixed reviews but I ended up really liking it. I love Chris Pratt and thought he was really funny as the older brother. Lily ended up breaking out into sobs at the part where the younger kid doesn't get to see his dad and it startled us all. She's always been really sensitive to movies but this may have just been built up emotion and a needed release for her. After the kids were in bed Josh and I watched The Aeronauts, which was totally stressful but an interesting story. I admire people who are brave and willing to do dangerous things. I thought they were both completely crazy and never in a million years would I have gotten in that balloon.
Sunday was a beautiful day. First off the kids had to follow the jelly bean trails to find where their Easter baskets were hidden. Then we had a wonderful church meeting for adults at 10am and then the youth one was at 10:30. We had special musical numbers in both and they were both so beautiful. Then I led the kids in primary singing time and we reviewed some songs they learned earlier in the year, sang an Easter song and then played a game with Love One Another. It is tough to play the piano and have my back to them while they are singing but Josh comes in and makes it really fun for them. Then we did the resurrection eggs, had the sacrament, read from the New Testament about the resurrection and then we watched a video my brother-in-law made of him singing I Stand All Amazed. It was so inspiring and beautiful and I felt the spirit so strongly. It was a wonderful Easter worship.
Afterwards I started the rolls and ham and tried to make strawberry cupcakes. We had a zoom meeting with all of my family except for two nephews and it was a bit crazy but fun to see everyone. Then I made the potatoes and made up the rolls and while I was doing that Lily tried to make the frosting for the cupcakes, which turned out slimy. I think I put in too much strawberry puree and the batter was way too wet, then Lily used regular sugar instead of confectioner's sugar so we had slimy cupcakes with crunchy frosting. They were so gross and after a few minutes of frustration, we were able to laugh about it and then later Josh threw them out for us. Thankfully dinner turned out really well. I tried resurrection rolls for the first time and they pretty much turned out. You are supposed to use a big marshmallow and I only had small ones so the open tomb thing didn't totally happen, but it did a little bit, and they were delicious. We also talked to Josh's parents and sister so in one day we saw almost every member of our family. It was a wonderful Sabbath day and a spiritual Easter and I'm so grateful for Jesus Christ. I just can't express how much I love him or how grateful I am that because of his sacrifice, I don't have to fear death, I can repent and change, I can have eternal joy and happiness with my family and I can find peace and comfort in his love for me. I loved the book series I just finished because it is a fiction book about a family in the times of Jesus and so it helped give the perspective of what it might have been like to know him and be around him and not know all that we know today about him and the gospel and even to understand the resurrection. What a miracle and blessing it is and my heart just glories in the Savior and all that he suffered for me.
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| Looking for baskets |
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| Making salt dough creations |
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| My beautiful red bud tree |
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