Summer Days During a Pandemic

I woke up this morning at 5:00.  Did an exercise video (it was low intensity) and then went on a walk while I listened to a BYU devotional talk.  Did I mention how much I absolutely love starting my days like this?

Due to the pandemic, school next year will look differently.  Lizzie will be home-schooled through Gorman, like last year.  I'm hoping she will be able to attend classes once or twice a week.  Bryce will be going to school (Del Sur) 2 days a week (wearing a mask the entire day) and he will be doing school from home for 3 days a week.  We decided to keep Mason and Caitlyn home for homeschooling this year.  I just think that them going to school and wearing a mask the whole time will not be enjoyable for them.  We would much rather keep them home and allow them to run around and be mask-free.  I pray we made the correct decision for them.  It's hard making these types of decisions for our children.  I just hope we don't ruin them by some of the decisions that we make.  Most decisions are good, but a few I just don't know.  I know that we are trying our best and so I hope that counts for something.

Bryce literally played with Legos all day! It is nearly dinner time and he is still in his pajamas!  He didn't even go outside with the rest of the kids for a water fight because he was so focused on finishing his Lego creations.  Legos sure are messy...but I do love how they hep with the kids' creativity.  I'd rather have them spend all day playing Legos than being obsessed with video games.

The rest of us went outside, ran through the sprinklers, had a water gun fight, and ate Popsicles while relaxing in the shade.

Then William took a bubble bath with all of his animal friends. A favorite activity of his.

Jon is working on building a nice entertainment center/shelving system for this large TV cubby.  It has looked somewhat messy for the past year because it has been full of toys.  I'm so excited to see him work his magic.  Jon is so talented.  He dreams up what I wants it to look like and then he builds it.  Amazing!

I made energy bites for the kids.  They love these things!  Peanut butter, honey, flax seed, and oats that have been ground in the food processor.  I usually put chocolate chips in them as well.  Today I ground down the chocolate chips with the oats so the chocolate turned to powder.  Yummy!

I also made these Plan of Salvation felt pieces.  I have been wanting to make one for years but the thought came to me today so I quickly created it.  Caitlyn will use these on Sunday when she gives her talk in our home sacrament meeting.  During these troubling times, I don't know where I would be without the gospel and the knowledge that I have.  The Plan of Salvation is the thing that motivates me every single day.  I feel so sad for those who don't know this plan and who may be feeling so lost in today's world.  I need to do more to share this good news.  Maybe I will post something on Facebook...although the majority of my Facebook friends are already members of the church.  I struggle with missionary work.  I have a desire to share the gospel but I don't find myself in many situations that make sharing the gospel a natural occurrence.  This is why I feel like I need to get a job.  Then I will be exposed to more people and perhaps have the opportunity to share the gospel.  As of right now, I spend the majority of my time with the people within the walls of my own home.  Especially during quarantine, ha ha.  My children are my investigators for now, but I hope to be able to share the gospel message with others one day.