low key Spring Break

This past week was our Spring Break.  The boys were off school and I was off work but between crummy weather and many COVID restrictions still in place, it didn't feel much like the typical spring break.  Our saving grace was that Boppa and Diyah came to visit us so that made it special.

The weather cooperated so Ty was able to show grandma and grandpa his RC airplane flying abilities with his new airplane.

We also put them to work on a puzzle that had us stumped and they came through for us.

We had Jake make his homemade ice cream for Boppa and Diyah and they were very impressed.  At the end of the week we went out to dinner and picked up Handel's ice cream for a sweet treat and we all left commenting that Jake's ice cream is better :)

{T} booming bottle business

During COVID Ty started picking up recyclable bottles when he would come across them and he began turning them in for the cash deposit.  Ten cents here and there has really added up which has motivated Ty to seek out the bottles more purposefully.  He hits up the high school about once a week now.  His efforts clean up the track area and in exchange he gets cash = win win!

{J} no more brace face

Today was Jake's big day to get his braces off.  

I had to work so I asked Jake and Rich to make sure to take a photo documenting the big day.  This is what they sent me.....

Gratefully, they knew what I was really after and they took the 

BEFORE

and the AFTER

 

{T} aeroscout acquired

Ty loves his remote controlled airplane and has become really good at flying them.  He has been saving up his money as of late to buy a larger, more expensive plane and the day finally came.

Ty is now the owner of the "aeroscout".  And, yes, the wingspan is as tall as Tyler.

 

{K} staying put

Transfer news again.

For the first time in her mission Sister Dougall is staying in the same area (Springville) but the exciting news is that she is going full Spanish until she goes to England.  

Look at that smile, showing off her "Hermana" tag!

She is also staying with Sister Gomez until Sister Gomez leaves for Mexico in three weeks.  In the meantime they will be in a new trio and have welcomed Sister Holt, a new missionary, that they are training. 

(for more updates on Kaitlyn, check out www.sisterkaitlyndougall.blogspot.com)

{J} & {T} first day of (in-person) school

After an entire year of no in-person school, the school district has finally opened the option of in-person instruction for those kids/families that want to enroll.  Jake and Ty are going back and Cason has decided he will finish the year with the online instruction that he has been doing.

The schools staggered the kids returning.  Ty's return to school was last week and he was really excited.  The teachers were excited to have the kids back and, despite the masks and assigned "cohorts", it felt like we were making one more step in the "back to normal" direction.

Jake returned to in-person instruction today.  He is in 8th grade so he is returning just in time to be graduating from middle school in two short months.

One Year

This would be funny if it wasn't so painfully true!!!!

Exactly one year ago (yesterday) I was in Corvallis, OR watching the WHS basketball team play in their state quarterfinal game on the road to the state championship.  Twelve hours later the season would end abruptly and the boys would come home confused and in tears.  My mama heart still aches seeing these photos and thinking of what was lost and how the losses spiraled.  At the time we had no idea how much our world would change over the next few weeks and months and how long those changes would last.  

So I guess today I express gratitude for making it through this past year.  We still aren't back to "normal" and I don't even know that we know how to define normal anymore.  What I do know is that my kids are more resilient that I gave them credit for and our list of what actually matters is a lot shorter than we originally thought.  There are probably a lot of additional emotions that I still need to unpack (evident by the fact that I'm crying as I write this) but, for now, let's all give ourselves a high five for making it through the past year...however "making it through" looked for you.  No right or wrong.  Everyone's a winner.  Trophies for all.