Week 33

 Another week has gone by. It was okay. Monday was laundry, ironing, I made homemade bread for dinner and taught piano. I love that Mondays we don't go anywhere and so it can be my domestic day. I still spend a lot of time with school work but without any outside activities, I can spend time doing home things and I like that. 

Tuesday I helped a lot with school, taught piano and then dropped the girls off at dance while the boys and I went to Target to get some school supplies for Brandon. Wednesday morning we actually did the school thing for the first time since March 13. Only one kid of four but it was still exciting and weird/not weird to make a school lunch and pack a backpack. It was so fun to watch him get on the bus (only 3 kids actually rode the bus) and say hello to our bus driver that my kids all like. I was a bit sad and cried for a minute but Emma was super sad and upset that he went on the bus without her so we snuggled for awhile. We ended up having a nice day together because without him home, I could help her more. She came with me to get Curtis's trumpet from school and we picked up lunch and one-on-one time with her was enjoyable and unusual. I was able to get some cleaning done and it felt good to check in with all the other kids and not have to do kindergarten all day. I was thrilled to get him off the bus and he was happy and had a good time so that was wonderful. It is different because I know his teacher way better than I have ever known any other teacher because of all the virtual meetings. It was easier to send him away knowing exactly what he was going to be doing and with whom. There were only seven kids in his classroom (all girls and him) and on the way home it was just him and our one neighbor on the bus, so he basically had a private bus ride home. Lucky kid! He said it was his favorite part. Already they have pushed back a day so instead of going back tomorrow, he won't go again until Wednesday but whatever. We'll take what we can get. He is happy to go to school but also happy to be home with me and Emma so I think hybrid will work just fine for him. 

  

Thursday it poured and that made for a sad Curtis who had both his Thursday and his Friday baseball game cancelled. We did grocery pick up and it was miraculous--they actually had everything I wanted! No substitutions and nothing out of stock! Miracles still happen! I taught piano all afternoon and took Lily to dance. Josh picked her up on his way home at 6:30 and then was in church meetings from 7-10:15. His work wasn't quite so busy this week but he still hasn't been around much because he had a lot of church responsibilities this week. 

Friday was kind of disappoiting because Josh actually stayed home on his Friday off for the first time in three months but then he literally spent from 7am until almost 4pm working on a recommendation for a guy that did an internship with his group, as well as church stuff. But at least he was here so I could go to BJs alone. The kids finished up school and we had a guy come take a look at the basement to fix the drywall and we had hoped the carpet but he doesn't do that so we have to find someone else to put that back down. He is going to send an estimate tomorrow and hopefully fix it in the next few weeks. I had hoped to carve pumpkins but since Josh was busy until Lily left for dance we didn't have time. We did go for a nice walk though and ordered pizza for dinner and watched Coco while Lily had a virtual birthday party with her friend who moved away. 

Saturday we had breakfast, Josh left to conduct a baptism, I took the kids to the library then to Lily's youth activity where they planted trees at a park. We got home and finally got to carve our pumpkins then had an early dinner and got ready for Halloween. I set up a table outside with bags of candy on it and my cute candy corn lights. We walked around our whole neighborhood and it was fun. Mahi came with us so she and Lily hung behind us a bit and laughed a lot while Brandon ran everywhere super fast because he was the Flash. My favorite was one guy set up a pully system and had a bucket bring candy down to the kids another lady had a scary mask on and was sitting in front a big cauldron and ladled the candy to the kids like it was potion. So clever!  I don't have any memory left on my phone so Josh took all the Halloween pictures and he is in a meeting now so I'll have to post those later.

Today we had a nice sunday school discussion and then we actually went to church for Sacrament meeting. It was fast and testimony meeting today and it was wonderful. I really felt the spirit and I literally felt it cleansing my heart from all the frustration and emotional fatigue and replacing it with peace. Lily shared her testimony for the first time right at the end and it was interesting because I had been thinking of getting up and then she did and what she said was right in line with what I had been thinking. I was going to share how I know the Holy Ghost is real and can bring feelings of peace and comfort to our hearts, as well as teach us truth. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that He lives and that we'll only experience true happiness when we follow him and live his gospel. I know the Book of Mormon is true and I know Joseph Smith saw God and Jesus Christ and that we have a prophet today and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Jesus' true church restored on the earth again with all that we need to be ready to return and live with him again (covenants, ordinances, opportunities to serve, etc). I know all these things through repeated witnesses from the Holy Ghost and I'm grateful for not just one time feeling that these things are true but over and over and over again in my life. I was proud of Lily for following the promptings she felt today and being brave enough to get up in front of everyone for the first time. She is a wonderful girl and I love her so much. It was wonderful to be with at least a piece of our ward family today.