Bike tune up

 While getting the bikes ready for the nice weather, Mimi took a minute to hoopla-hoop.

Easter Egg Hunt 2021

2021

2014

Who knows where Parker will be next year, and he is a little old for an Easter Egg hunt.  But he played along and we did a little photo recreation...

Fill in the blank

All the answers are the same.

1) Some time in 2014.

Me, "We should finally plan that trip to Europe.  You know the one we've wanted since we were first married and thought we would have done already."

Greg, "Yes, totally, how about the summer after Parker's senior year."

Me, "Right, that gives us plenty of time to save up and plan.  That would be... the summer of 2020.  Ok, that's our goal."  

We didn't go on that trip because __________.

 

2) When Parker was about to turn 16 and get his license.

Me, "We should get a 3rd car.  Parker will need to get himself to work and play practice."

Me, after looking into how much it will cost to buy a new car, insure him and a third car, "maybe we shouldn't get a 3rd car, we should save our money.  Greg, you've been working from home, we'll get by with 2 cars for now."

Greg, "agreed". 

We causally looked anyway and found a good deal on a car that had low miles, good gas mileage, etc.  We decided to go for it.  

A few months later, all 3 cars sit in our driveway for months because __________.

3) Spring time of Parker's sophomore year.

Greg, "We should take Parker on some college tours, maybe in the fall and spring next school year."

We did almost no college tours because __________.

4) Some time in 2019. 

Me, "We've never gone to General Conference with the kids, how about next Spring when we go on some college tours with Parker?"

We didn't do this because __________.

5)In January of 2020.

Me, "I'm going to do a food cleanse, I've done it before, I always feels better when I do, I will start the first day of Spring!"

I didn't do this because __________.

6) Summer of 2019.

Me, "I know we're planning our trip to Europe next summer, but we should maybe do another trip too!  Somewhere we've never been... Maine?  Michigan?  It's so silly we've lived so close to both and never been.  Let's make 2020 the year we finally do at least one!"  

We didn't go to either because __________.   

7) Summer of 2019. 

As a family we went to Cedar Point for the first time.  We planned out our trip and did everything in one day (going on a weekday makes it very doable).  We were exhausted but decided we HAD to go again in 2020 because it was so much fun.  

We didn't go because __________.

8) Things we're thankful for even though there was a __________

We've stayed healthy this year. 

The kiddos have kept a positive attitude and learned a lot even through school has been; remote, maybe it was going to be hybrid, then for sure remote, then hybrid, then remote, then hybrid, now all-in.  They are troopers! (I'm also glad our school has been cautious.)

We've had lots of game nights, watched movies we've never had a chance to see, and listened to so many audio books! 

Together or individually, we've had lots of walks, hikes, and playing outside in masks with friends.

At times I have thought our house it just a little too big, I can't really keep it clean.  But we're glad we've had lots of space to spread out for video calls, school work, work-work and places for me to be out of their way!  

Here's hoping that 2021 will quickly be better! 

Phone

 I got a new phone after years of putting it off.

Yoda is very into phones specs.  

Yoda, "how do you like having 5 cameras on your phone?"

Me, "uh, I see 4 on the back, that seems like a lot."

Yoda, flipped over the phone and showed me the shelfie camera, "5 cameras..."

Toy Story

Yoda loves a movie night.  Parker is gone a lot.  Mimi is hard to convince to sit still long enough for a whole movie.  But last Sunday the stars aligned and we all trickled in to the family room to watch Toy Story 2 after Yoda had started it up.  

Surprisingly Parker would say quotes from the movie and sing along to the orchestral music quite often.  When I said I was impressed, Mimi said, "this movie to Parker is like Princess Bride is to you."

*****

Just when Jesse's song was about to start I started to tear up--it gets me every time!  

Yoda said, "mom, don't cry."

Me, "too late!"

*****

Mimi does not care for me being too sentimental about things, but here she is dressed up like Jesse back in 2008

Mimi, "I'm Jessie the yodeling cowgirl doll!"

More Bread

On one of our snow days I asked the kiddos to try something new.  Parker combined my challenge and a homework assignment for his Spanish class.  He made Dia de los Muertos or Pan de Muertos or Day of the Dead bread. 

It's traditional for Nov.1 & 2, but when we need yummy bread and we're stuck inside who cares what day it is!

He made an orange glaze that was amazing. 

It went very fast. 

 

2019 Mimi's Garden

This post somehow escaped the publish button, it's from 2019... 

Ready for an awesome pun / potty joke???

Back in the day, my grandma told an awesome joke to her children, "eat every carrot and pea on your plate!"  So punderful!

When Mimi was deciding what to plant, she wanted carrots and peas so that she can eat "every carrot and pea in the garden!"

LOVE IT!

More Snow

The snow is still around.  I'll say it now during winter, I'd rather have winter and cold then a hot summer.  

 

 Yoda had a winter-wonderland activity with the youth.  It was a beautiful day! 

 

 

A few of our gutters are frozen solid, so we've had lots of icicles.  To prevent the all the ice from reforming on the ground, I've been putting out buckets to catch the drips.  Now we have all these funny bucket shaped ice blocks. 

It's very nice to have everyone home to help with shoveling! 

Probably the best thing I've seen on Twitter

Yoda's teacher captured a time-lapse movie of him solving the Rubik's cube and posted it to Twitter.  

https://twitter.com/i/status/1357730841779142658 

He's been pretty into it for a few years, it's a wonderful thing to fill his quaran-time -haha, get it?

Then another teacher saw the post and offered to lend him a 4x4 cube and a 2x2 cube and some manuals to help solve them.  He solved the 2x2 right away, but the 4x4 was tricky.  But he got it done a day later. 

This is what he calls the doughnut.  

And here's his checkerboard trio.

All that success prompted him to get out his 2x3/3x3 cube he got a couple years ago from my brother and his wife.  He's never been able to solve it before.  He ran into my room to tell me his good news!  I asked how he did it (there isn't a good tutorial online).  He said he took what he learned and used it on this one. 

Here it is mixed up, it's pretty cool mixed up too. 

Snow

So much snow, it felt endless.  Then after it did stop, it started again and we had a real snow day.  

Here are some photos...

Yoda on a snowy day when school wasn't canceled.  "I want to fulfill my life long goal of doing a face plant in a field of untouched snow."

Parker off driving in the snow and me holding my breath. 

Yoda's snowman after it toppled and I repaired it. 

When school was canceled, a family that like enough to leave the house for, invited us to go sledding. 

Here's Parker and Yoda, they liked the foam sleds. 

Here's Mimi on the left.  She liked the saucer sleds.  

And here's Yoda and ME!  I had to convince the other mom we were with it would be OK, but then I got nervous once we were up at the top of the hill.  It was very fun though, I'm glad Yoda was with me, he helped me to be brave. 

Speaking of baby photos

Parker's school needs a baby photo for the yearbook, and I can't decide which one to send in...  If you have a preference, comment below :)

A) Swing
 

B) Book 

C) Hoodie

D) Beach 

 

And here's his senior photo just for fun

Greg as a kid

 Greg's uncle texted him a bunch of photos of Greg as a kid, so cute