December

Marie got COVID from her work. Luckily she didn't pass it along to anyone else. The girls stayed at our house while she was sick so they wouldn't catch it. 

As December kicked off we got the house all Christmas ready, which includes getting out all the Christmas books. I found this picture on my phone of Rachel reading one of the Christmas books to everyone. 

Our ward decided to host a virtual Nativity Art activity. Ryan and Annie both created a nativity out nature. Ryan's:

Annie's:

My friend, Karolee, hosted a small drama club this semester with a few families in her backyard. Rachel and Annie had a lot of fun. They had their performance the first weekend of December and it was great. 

Rachel's best skit was probably the Phineas and Ferb one, and Annie's was the tea party one with all the ladies trying to best the others with stories of "when *I* was a kid...." The whole group was part of a big Star Wars parody that was very funny. 

They all did a great job. The kids that weren't in the drama club are begging to be included next time. 

We've been kind of hit and miss with Light the World this year. We're kind of just on survival mode, doing what we have energy for, and letting the rest go, and it's working just fine for us.

After Marie was recovered I was nervous about going to help with school at her house in case her roommate had caught it, but wasn't symptomatic yet, so Marie stayed at our house for the following week until we were sure Michelle hadn't caught it. One of the days while Marie was staying with us the Light the World suggestion was to show appreciation to a healthcare worker. McKenzie pointed out that her mom was a healthcare worker, so we decorated her car windows.

Another day the kids made a lot of snowflakes and some Merry Christmas notes, which we later took to a couple neighbors' houses to decorate their doors.

The cousins come up with some fun games together. I think so often of how blessed we are to have cousins that are so close to each other. They treat each other like siblings, for the good and the bad. 

The girls wanted a haircut and Marie gave her approval for me to put my scissors to use. While I was cutting McKenzie's hair she asked me how I got my hair cut. I explained that I go to a place where there are professionally trained people, unlike me whose only training is 13 years of experience cutting my own kids' hair and one Relief Society lesson somewhere along the way where I learned a few good tips. 

She was unconcerned with my lack of qualifications and very happy with the finished product.

Every year my mom and I get together and make Christmas treats. This year every batch of fudge we tried failed. Even Grandma Jolley's "No Fail Fudge." At least the candied pecans and caramels turned out good.

Savannah roped those of us 10 and older into helping with a food drive last Saturday. Rachel, Jared, Todd, and Savannah came, too, I just didn't get a picture of them. 

We got full credit for being willing to help for 2 hours, but we were the last shift and after about a half hour we had run out of food to distribute/box up, so we headed home.

December is Grandpa's birthday, and a week later Grandma's birthday. As Grandpa turns 65 this year he just barely squeaked in to the requirements for receiving the COVID vaccine earlier than the rest of us. Well, he and Grandma. 

A couple of days after his birthday the FDA approved the first COVID vaccine to be distributed first to healthcare workers, and emergency workers, and next to a group that includes those 65 years old and over. We are all excited about the vaccine and hopeful that as they distribute the vaccine we will soon be able to return to life that is a bit more normal. Remote/hybrid school, wearing masks everywhere, keeping 6 feet between everyone not in our household and not being able to get together for normal activities is getting old and we're all looking forward to life back to normal sometime next year.

Speaking of not normal, Annie had to miss her last week of school before Christmas break because someone in her class tested positive for COVID, so her whole class was quarantined and had to stay home for 2 weeks. It was a real bummer because that is supposed to be the most fun week of the year. 

Annie was able to find some silver linings, though, and realized that because she got done with benchmarks quickly she had basically the whole day without school work for multiple days. She got to have PJ days every day if she wanted, and she didn't have to put on shoes or go out in the freezing temperatures every morning last week. 

Saturday was our family's turn to help clean the church building. Annie had to go help clean and set up at Grandma's house for our activity later in the day since she was still in quarantine and not allowed around people outside our household, but since we all did some service, we deserved some donuts. 

To add to the sugar rush Grandma hosted a cookie decorating party at her house. There was a lot of frosting and candy involved. 

Everyone got to decorate a cookie in the shape of a Christmas sweater. There were some good looking cookies. And some were just covered in way too many sprinkles.

Everyone made 2 for themselves, then decorated the rest to give away. Christmas cookies are always a fun part of the season. 

 Now we're all off of school for 2 weeks. After the break we go back to remote school for 3 weeks so not as many classes will have to quarantine after all the traveling and catching COVID from family members from far way. Hopefully that'll be the last 3 weeks of remote learning we have to go through, then back to hybrid, then hopefully eventually back to just regular school. Now to enjoy the break!

Thanksgiving week

 We had plans to celebrate Marie's birthday on Sunday at the same time as Rachel's birthday, but she had been exposed to a patient who had tested positive for COVID at work so she opted to stay home and asked us if we could keep the girls here longer than normal, at least until she got tested Monday. We said of course. 

This is the nightly view after personal scripture reading. The 3 girls reading on their own for 20-30 minutes every night. 

Marie's test on Monday came back negative so we made plans to bring the girls home Tuesday to do school, but thankfully Marie changed her mind sometime overnight as they got a couple more cases of COVID showing up where she works. She got tested again on Tuesday and this time it came back positive. Because the girls hadn't been in close quarters with her since the previous Friday we felt pretty confident that she was not contagious at that point (I think I've read that people can be contagious a couple days before symptoms start). She started to feel tired on Tuesday, and by Wednesday had a cough and couldn't taste or smell. She mostly slept for a couple days straight and by Friday was feeling a lot better. We took the girls in a few times to talk to her through the window while she stayed inside and they stayed outside. They miss her, but Facetime and in person visits have helped. 

It's unfortunate that it was precisely over Thanksgiving break that Marie was sick and had to miss out on the traditions. 

We did our 3rd annual turkey trot. Grandma and Grandpa Campbell came down to join us for Thanksgiving, and Grandma joined in on the turkey trot, too. 

The kids are troopers and B and Megan came in first (since they were both on scooters), and Ryan was the first kid to make it running the whole way. He is quite a runner. He was on a very fast pace for a kid with legs that short. I don't remember what Savannah said his pace was, but I'm thinking maybe under 9 minutes per mile? 

After the turkey trot the participants got these turkey cupcakes some of the kids helped Grandma Knight decorate the day before.

Just before Thanksgiving dinner was served we had a piano recital. Since Ryan, Annie and Rachel all take piano from Sister Bauer, and we couldn't do a regular recital with all her students at the same time because of COVID, she asked us to pick a time when the kids could play for an audience. It turned out well. I don't think they were quite as nervous as they would have been in front of non-relatives, and maybe didn't practice quite as much as they would have otherwise, but they still did a good job and it was nice to hear their lovely performances.

Thanksgiving dinner was an outdoor affair with lovely weather. Afterwards the kids enjoyed classic Donald Duck cartoons for quite a while. It was a great Thanksgiving.

The following day Grandma and Grandpa Campbell headed back to Utah, and we pulled out the Christmas decorations to begin transforming the house for the season. 

Rachel topped the tree with hardly any help since she has gotten so stinking tall.

For lunch we headed to Reid Park for a picnic and some outdoor playtime.

The Knights joined us at the park. After playing and eating I took Peyton and McKenzie up the street a bit to visit Marie again for a while before we came back and picked everyone up to head back home. 

Saturday was Ben's baptism. After the baptism the kids headed to Grandma's to decorate some Christmas ornaments from Color Me Mine. 

They enjoyed painting, then Savannah took them on a walk to play in the tunnels underneath the car bridge to Mesquite Elementary, then back to her house to watch a movie. With all the kid-free time I went to a couple stores, then Jacob and I put up some outdoor Christmas decorations. Now Christmas has come to our house and we are done decorating and ready to just enjoy the season. :) 

Rachel is a teenager!

Rachel turned 13! We officially have a teenager. Because of COVID she didn't have a friend birthday party, and didn't really want a family birthday party other than some cake at our normal Sunday dinner with everyone. 

Because her birthday was on a Friday all the kids were home for the day (hybrid learning has Fridays as remote learning for everyone so the teachers can have time to make videos for remote learners and connect with them through conferences). Rachel opened her presents right after family scripture study to get the most important part of her day taken care of early.

She was very happy with her new Mathemachicken shirt (which has a picture of a chicken doing math on a chalkboard) and her new Llamas Unleashed game. New books and mint M&Ms were a big hit, too. 

Her friend, Eliza brought by a couple more bags of mint M&Ms as a gift later that day. Since we would be celebrating Ben's birthday that evening with pizza, Rachel got to choose lunch, and I was happy to comply with her request for Panda Express. 

She mentioned that it was her best birthday every because she didn't have to go to school, got Panda Express to eat, and extra screen time that day.

All she wanted to do to celebrate birthday was a Ninjago marathon. She watched a season and a half over the course of the following day (Saturday). We did make everyone get up and go on a bike ride to get a break from the TV, which she was unhappy about. Later the kids went over to Todd and Savannah's to play, and Rachel stayed and watched Harry Potter 7-part 2 (HP8?) with me. 

Sunday Rachel wanted to decorate her own cupcakes, so she made a variety of designs, including one just piled with frosting because frosting is her favorite. 

Grandpa Knight got her some *lovely* dangly clip on earrings. They actually looked better on her than anyone expected. I guess her long hair and dangly earrings go well together.

Rachel is turning out to be a great teenager. I've been looking forward to having a teenager for a while (though also not looking forward to it at times when my kids remind me of their stubbornness). I've had previews over the last year of how fun it is to have a teenager living in our house, with her sense of humor, fun friends, her creativity, ability to babysit and hold down the fort when needed, and having a buddy to watch more mature movies with (not always cartoons). I look forward to the coming years as she learns and becomes more independent and capable and hopefully ready for the real world. In the meantime, we'll enjoy her humor and what a great big sister she is. I'm so thankful to have her in our family.

"I am the Lorax and I speak for the trees!" 
 

November

 November has been a pretty low key month for us. (Ignoring the tumult and tension in the country because of the election.) We've gotten into a new groove with McKenzie and Peyton doing school at their house all week now, then staying at our house over the weekend while Marie works. So I go help on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Grandma helps on Mondays, and Michelle (Marie's roommate) runs things solo or with Marie's help on W, F. So I have had time without any children in my care for 5-6 hours in a row twice a week (M, W) for the first time since the pandemic started in March. It has been good and productive. 

Everyone had the day off of school for Veteran's Day, so we went to Saguaro National Park for a hike.

We hiked along the Cactus Forest Trail up to the Lime Kilns. We found a super tall saguaro, too.

The weather was lovely.

Savannah took a picture of all of us at the lime kilns. 

In all we hiked about 3 miles. It was perfect and lovely to get out in nature.

Look! A screen! As soon as the kids hear something that might indicate a video being played on the computer they are drawn to it like a bug to a light. They mobbed Jacob in this instance because he was watching Studio C.

Annie got a lunch/shopping date with me as part of her birthday gift. After a bit of shopping we headed to Eegees for lunch together. It's always fun spending one on one time with the kids.

Happy Anniversary to us! We're celebrating 14 years of marriage this coming week. Usually for our anniversary we use it as an excuse to buy something that's a little pricier than we would spend on an every day purchase. This year we took advantage of Prime Day being later in the year and ordered a new exercise bike that is big enough to fit Jacob. It arrived well before our anniversary, but we finally got around to putting it together a week ago. Jacob modeling the styrofoam that came with the stationary bike:

Yay! It's big enough for his long legs! 

Friday morning President Nelson exteneded an invitation/challenge to be grateful by 1. posting on social media for 7 days what you're grateful for, and 2. sharing your gratitude in prayer. Since our kids don't use social media we used our driveway as their social media to share what they're grateful for. 

(Yes, that says "farts" below the E. Bet you can guess who wrote that one.)

I'm grateful for many blessings, most especially the gospel and my family. I feel so blessed as I reflect on what a joyful and fulfilling life I have with my family and because of my understanding of the plan of salvation and my Savior.