Early Christmas Present

We sent Linz an early Christmas present that she opened while we talked to her on her preparation day.  We defintely love that we get to see her and talk with her every week, and I think she loved her present!

 

Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving Day with just the 5 of us (plus Jett)

Started the day off with some bowling

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Did a Zoom call with Aubsa nd her family at Bear Lake; Mike, Katherine, Bobby, and Chris in Illinois, and Papa & Grandma in California

Lindsay also got to join our Zoom for a bit from Missouri.  Love that girl!

Ate a wonderful feast, focusing on the things were are most grateful for

and finshed the night off with some Virtual Reality

and arcade games.

The adventures of this years Thanksgiving Day 

 

Top Golf

Looking for a fun pre-Thanksgivig activity, so we headed to Top Golf.

Hittng golf balls, eating food, and getting out of the house was just what we needed.

 

Representing SoJo

As the Student Body President, Brenna was asked to represent South Jordan Middle School at this week's school board meeting.  She did awesome!

 

Sunday Girls

I can't belive we are down to 2 girls at home.  We love the time we get to spend with them and love seeing them grow. 

 

Zoom Sacrament Meeting

Aubs and Elan spoke in Sacrament Meeting in their new ward on Sunday and we got to watch them speak via Zoom.  Though churches here in Utah are open, worship services (not inluding the ordinance of the Sacrament) are being Zoomed so that those that are not able to attend in person, can still participate in real time through technology.     

Oh man, they did such an awesome job.  They both spoke about Loving Our Neighbors and who that is and what that means.  Sje spoke about receiving and acting upon a prompting form the Holy Ghost to not wear her air pods when she was out so she could talk to and better connect with others, instead of focusing on what she was listening to.  Elan shared about a time we was hiking Delicate Arch and saw a group of women sitting and thought he should ask if they needed help.  He ended up carrying one of the women to the Arch and back and later learned she was dying of cancer and desired to see Delicate Arch before she passed.  They spoke about how it is easy to see and serve those we know and love, but Christ taught is in the parable of the Good Samaritan that everyone is our neighbor and there are no limits to our kindness and care for others.  I have seen these 2 welcome so many into their lives through service over the years.  Just recently they have connected with an older couple in their new neighborhood who is not of their faith, but have fallen in love with Kai, as they live far away from their grandchildren. It is such a blessing for both family's to have each other as neighbors. 

One more thing I want to add about this experience.  Aubrey, Elan & Kai attend church in the same building that Aubrey was baptized in 15+ years ago. Their bishop is someone Robert has played early morning basketball with for years and the man seated to Aubrey's left in the picture, helped us moving into our house on Stornoway 19 years ago and was our neighbor for many years and our family's will forever be friends.  Just a reminder of all of the good people in this area and throghout the world.  The Lord has asked us to Love our Neighbor and we will continue to strive to do that.   

 

Missionaries

Tonight we had the missionaries over to the fire pit to share a message with us.  We have always loved the missionaries, but when you have a missionary out serving, you feel an even deeper connection to them. 

The people in Columbia and Bear Creek Missouri have been so so good to Linz and we love that we have missionaries serving right here in our area that we can visit with and be taught by.  One of these elders had just arrived in Utah to begin his mission on Wednesday, so it was fun to think back about Kay and Linz first week in the mission and how everything was so new and they were trying to figure out what they were suppose to be doing and that fresh excitement and trust in their trainer.  

I know I've said this before, but missions change lives, and not just the lives of those who serve or those they teach.  The spirit of missionary work changes anyone who becomes involved with it whether through reading email, sending emails, feeding or visiting with those serving, sending packages, learning from them or their leaders.  

I think all the time about the senior missionaries who left their family'sa nd grandchildrent to serve the Lord often by serving and helping to care for our younger missionaries.  The couple who jumped on a ferry to travel to the island Kayla was on to be with her when she had Dengue.  Sister Romero, who worked in the office in Cebu Coty who got to give Kay packages form home and just love on her like she was her own.  And the senior missuinaries out in Columbia who help Lindsay with her mission car and keeping it running and in good condition and those that checked on her multiple times a day when she was down with Covid.  

Or the sacrifices and opportunities that Elder Chrostianson and Jacobs left behind when they chose to serve missions 25+ years ago.  One was already 26 years old, much older than most missionaries, and the other was already producing music albums and making a lot of money, but both chose to leave their families and the lives they had built to serve the Lord for 2 years.  I have such love and admiration for all those involvd in sharing the love and gospel of Jesus Christ in whatever capacity, large or small.  So thankful for the wonderful opportunites the Lord provides His children to learn and grow during this mortal journey.

 

Visiting Kay at Work

Today Kai and I went to visit Kay at work suring her lunch break.  Kay works for the U of U Health Services Human and Ecomonic Recovery Outreach research program, also known as the HERO project.

She was hired onto this project near the beginning of the school year and she seriously LOVES it!  When school is cruddy because most of her classes are online and hard, and lacrosse is cruddy because it gets shut down due to high covid #'s, she still looks forward to going to work (and being with her awesome roommates)

Let's seeing if I can explain her job.  She might have to do her own post about it later, because it is ever changing and I may not get it all correct. 

She started by doing Covid testing for asymptomic persons that were pre-selected solely for research purposes.  She works 10 hour shifts (not including drive time) on Tues, Thurs, Fri, and Sat, somewhere between Spanish Fork and Odgen, which is an 82-mile span.

  She receives her location information for the week on Saturdays and she is not usually in the same location for more than 1 day,  and even sometimes changes locations part way through a day, so lots of driving (Tender mercy to this is that she gets to listen to her class lectures over and over again as she drives to her work locations - always so many blessings)  

Today she is working at the University of Utah Health Center in South Jordan. She almost always works outside doing drive up testing in parking lots.  Today she is inside this little cream colored shack that was built in this parking lots over the weekend to provide shelter for workers. She's feeling pretty spoiled with a roof over her head, versus a canopy.  And today she was testing only current University of Utah students, as a new mandate went into effect that all University students in the state of Utah have to be tested.  So again, he job has shifted based on priorities and need.

We wre so happy she was close today and that we got to go see her.  This guy loves his Auntie Kay and can recognize her even when she's wearing mask and face shield.  So grateful that he's getting to 

grow up with so many people who love and adore him. 

 

U of U Intsagram

Kay attends BYU, but is employed by their uptown rival, the Univeristy of Utah.  So while she wears a lot of blue and BYU lacrosse gear on Mondays and Wednedays,  so is always donning her red U of U gear Tues, Thurs, Fri, & Sat.

Today she got tagged in a University of Utah social media post while she was working up at the U of U football stadium doing Covid testing (she got assigned to a station on the upper floor of the stadium versus the parking lot)  She had lots of friends reach out to her and she is happy to represent both the U and the Y.

 

Online School

The girls have been lucky to be able to attend school in person most of this year (minus a few school quarantines for Emily)`Due to an increase in Covid case, the school board voted last week to move 14 schools (Em & B's included) to online learning for the next 2 weeks.

B loves her new set-up in her room and starting the day in her pajamas

Em is still able to go into the school for drill practice in the morning and then does the reminder of her classes online.  Snacking on some Cheez-It's during her painting class

If one had a break or had completed their tasks for a certain class they would join the other's Zoom class, just for FUN!  Brenna taking a few minutes outside with Jett during her lunch break.

They both loved having Jett in their classes with them, and I think Jett liked having them home all day as well. 

I have to say as a parent, I have been so very impressed with their teachers.  This is is not easy to move from in person to online in 2 days and to stay on top of everything and change lesson plans to work better over Zoom.  There is nothing easy about this for the teachers, administrators, or students. But they have stepped up and been so AMAZING!!! 

I got to sit in on most of the girls classes this week and their teachers are happy, optimistic, flexible, and love seeing their pets and family members on their screens.  I have seen their passion for teaching and their compassions for their students, who they truly care about.  I know this not an optimal situation for anyone, but there's no one I'd rather have my girls learning from and spenind their school hours with than this group.  We will all forever be grateful for their 2020-21 teachers!!!

 

Future Home of Sunny Decals

The new shop is coming along.  We were originally scheduled to be in by Dec 1, but there have been a few delays, and we're just happy to see it coming along.  Yay!

 

Gender Reveal

Aubrey & Elan went infor an ultrasound today to find out the sex of their baby

The technician wrote the sex down on a piece of paper and placed it in an envelope labeled 'Gender'.

Then Aubs drove the envelope to Kay at work, who later opened it and planned a quick Gender Reveal Party for later that night.  

Knowing  we wouldn't have much time, I bought supplies for both genders, and once Kay got home after work, she started making cupackes with the approapriate gender color candies inside of them. She also chose the correct confetti cannons to go with the gender and got those ready outside.  It was fun to learn the sex of their new baby all together and to celebrate his arrival in April.  Congrats to Aubrey, Elan, Kai and baby boy Maynez!



 

Bingham PSA

I was over at the school and happened to notice this Public Service Annoucement poster.  Em and Ellsie encouranging the Miners to 'Mask Up'