Life Happenings and The Holidays

 

Life is happening at such a rapid pace. It seems like just yesterday it was Halloween, but now it is almost Christmas! The days kind of just roll into each other with the isolation and stay-at-home orders in place. I am an introvert (I am normally very happy to be home enjoying space and time alone with family), but even I feel a growing desire to be around people again. And that is saying something! 

I do not mind being home so much right now, especially being very pregnant; but I am starting to miss normal things like going to Church. I miss the love and connection that comes from being a part of a congregation. I miss simple things like teaching the gospel in Sunday School, and serving with the youth. I have been thinking a lot about how much I miss teaching the youth like I was before we moved, and before Covid. One day, those cherished opportunities will come again. 

I can be patient. 

We are still so new here in Spokane, our connections have been limited due to Covid, but the people we have met are wonderful, and I look forward to one day being a part of Church activity again. 

However, one thing I have learned is that my testimony of the gospel really has nothing to do with the ability to go to a Church building, it has everything to do with the love I have of the Savior, and that reality has not changed one bit by not attending a building to worship the Lord. I love Jesus so much, my heart has been steadily turned to Him through each and everyday of my life, through the good, the bad, and the ugly. He has always been there. I am grateful to be able to participate in home Church, and I am especially grateful to be able to have the Sacrament with my family. It is a cherished blessing, to be sure. 

We were going back to Church for awhile with masks, and social distancing; but because I am so pregnant, I was encouraged to stay home until many months after the baby is born, just to be safe. (Our bishop is a doctor.) The concept of staying home for so long from Church is crazy for me; but I am not willing to risk infection, and illness, if it can be avoided. I know sickness and death is real, and it can happen to anyone, at anytime. I will not mock that reality by being foolish during this fragile time. It is a little scary being pregnant during a pandemic, especially since I am at an "advanced maternal age." Giving birth to my fifth child during this very unsettled time in the world was certainly never on my agenda; but I know God will guide me through this time, as He always does. 

I need to kind of catch up on pictures from the past few months... so let's take a look back at some of the happenings during the holidays and stay-at-home time. 

In no particular order... 

Here we have our Thanksgiving feast. Sammi and Daniel cooked ALL of it. They took over in the kitchen and created a marvelous feast of food. We opted out of the Turkey this year, and they made all sorts of other yummy things instead. It was SO good! 

I am in that weird phase of pregnancy where it feels so close, yet so far away. I am currently scheduled to be induced on January 21st, at the latest. Because I am SO old, they will not let me go beyond that point. I have only ever been induced (4 times), and I would kind of like to go naturally if possible, this time. Being induced is so hard with the forced contractions. I don't know any other way, because it is all I have known; but maybe if this baby could come naturally, it might be nice? Only time and fate will tell... I wake up each morning thinking, "One day closer... I can make it!" I feel generally pretty good, but oh man, I can't wait to breathe, walk, and sleep more normally again with my body. I have bursts of energy and bursts of exhaustion, and so I try to take advantage of both, by getting stuff done when I feel good, and resting when I feel gross. 

Grandma has been making us homemade cookies and sending them in the mail, so we can feel her love from far away. With both Grandma and Grandpa in the high risk Covid category, and me too, well, it might be awhile before we can visit together in person again. So receiving homemade love and goodness in the mail has been super sweet! 

Gingerbread men. YUM! 

We watched all of The Lord of the Rings together as a family. It is tradition this time of year. I sure love those movies, and the Epic story. 

This is what Sammi looks like most of the time. It is quite the look for her first year of college online, at home. ;) Sammi is preparing for a mission, with just a few more things to get done. 

These wandering turkeys make me laugh every time I see them. It is so weird. They don't care about stopping traffic at all. They just take their sweet turkey time to do whatever they want to do. 

We went on a little day trip to Coeur D' Alene. It was beautiful. We needed to get out of the house and into nature. 

It is nice to be so close to so many wonderful places. We have so much more exploring to do, and we will, when the world is a little more normal and safe again. 

I feel bad for Sammi and Dan. They are at the time of life when dating, performing, adventure, and fun should be a part of life. Instead they have had to enjoy family time, and a LOT of it. I am grateful these kids all get along so well (most of the time), because family has turned out to be the new source of friends during quarantine. Sammi and Dan are both working towards their missions. Sammi will go hopefully in the early Spring, and Daniel will be going in the Summer, after he graduates from high school. 

Walking on the boardwalk. 

It has been fun to make the home magical for Christmas. The light really helps too, because it gets dark here in Spokane before 4:00pm! I love the darkness though, it reminds me of Alaska, and I love to enjoy the Christmas light illuminating the dark. 

David and I took a night time trip out to Coeur D' Alene. We went on a date, back before everything shut down again. 

The boats were lit on the lake. 

It was FREEZING! It was also awesome, because no one was out there, except us crazies. 

SO COLD! 

We ate at a super yummy Italian restaurant. It was amazing food. 

Here we have Dan and Will comparing growth. William, who is 13, has now grown taller than Daniel, who is 17. 

Now let's rewind back to Halloween days. We decided to go all out for Halloween this year with a Pirates of the Caribbean theme. The kids all dressed like pirates and were out and about (keeping their distance), and so many people came by to Trick or Treat. We had a table out by the sidewalk full of candy and fun decor. Even a News station came by to check out our home and decorations. It was super fun to put on a show, and make people happy during this time of isolation and social distancing. It was nice to be able to connect with our new neighbors in such a fun way. 

The kids even built a pirate ship! 

I was so impressed with their "set building" skills. These theater kids were so happy to be creating something awesome, during this time where their normal activities have all been put on hold. 

Such a fun time! 

We just found things at thrift stores, and looked around the house for things we could use to make it work. 

It was a Halloween to be remembered, for sure. 

Next week is Christmas... can you even believe it?