We are encouraged to wear masks, but there are only a few places, like Costco, that require it. Clothing store have opened back up, but they aren't allowed to open their dressing rooms. (So you can go into a store, touch whatever you want, use the bathroom, but you can't go into a dressing room.)
But let's first back up to where I left off on my last COVID update. The beginning of April was more of the same as March. We were told to stay home. Most people were working from home. Essential workers could go to work. Our business was still up and running, but had slowed down. We had reduced the hours of our office staff. Originally we were told by the school that they would be closed until the beginning of April. Then they said until May. Then a few weeks later they said no one would be going back this school year. This was expected, but hard to hear. Homeschooling is hard. Since both Anthon and I had to go to work every day, it was hard to come home and then have to work on school work with my kids. Luckily Jr. was able to be home with the kids so that I could continue going to work. It was still chilly outside, the parks were all closed and we don't have any grass so I tried to find indoor activities to do. We did a few online workouts and bike rides.
Quarantine or not, Sophie always dressed up and did her makeup...every.single.day.
On April 2 my grandmother died. Not from Corona. Because of COVID her children weren't allowed to visit her at the same time. Only one person could be in her room at a time and only her immediate children. My grandmother had been planning her funeral for years. She knew who she wanted to give talks, who would do musical numbers, what songs would be sung. Everything. The ward she had attended before she moved to the nursing home contacted my mom after they found out and told my mom that they knew what song Grandma wanted them to sing and that they would be happy to have the funeral at their chapel. She knew what she wanted. Because of COVID, we didn't get to do any of it. On April 8, we were only allowed to have a short graveside service. Only 10 people were supposed to be near the grave at a time and everyone else was supposed to wait in their cars. We didn't really obey that. Not everyone was comfortable even attending because people are scared to be near other people. I brought my whole family. Grandma designated my husband to be a pallbearer. We are not, were not and never will be afraid of this Corona thing so I brought my whole family to pay tribute to my Grandma Moses. I did leave my kids in the car for most of it, but mostly because they would be disruptive. My two older brothers attended, my mom and my uncles and their families. Not everyone was ok hugging, but I told everyone I was giving out free hugs. (Kind of funny because I am not a hugger.) I was really glad to be able to hug my Uncle John tight as he cried on my shoulder. We all missed being near family and loved one. We had all been segregated for a month and that's not how humans are supposed to live. It was a nice service. Not what it should have been, but it was all we could do.
Before Corona, my mom was watching Sophie on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings while I worked. She would bring Sophie with her to visit my Grandma and Sophie loved it. She would always tell her Great-Grandma to put on lipstick, which Grandma would happily do. My mom said that if she went to visit without Sophie, Grandma would ask her to bring Sophie with her next time. When I told the kids that their Great-Grandma had passed away Sophie said, "I wish she didn't die. I have so many great memories with her." I hope she will always remember her visits with Great-Grandma Moses.
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| The only put out 10, spaced out chairs for us, so everyone stood in their family groups. |
We felt like it was important for Anthon Jr. to continue going to going to work at Costa Vida so that he could have some interaction with kids his age and also allow him to get out the house and do something productive. Because of this and also because Anthon and I were still going to work, Jr.'s mom would not allow Jr. to go visit her and she would not allow Avery to come visit us. When Danielle came home, she stayed with her mom and she was told that if she came to our house, she would not be allowed back to her mom's house. It was really hard for Jr. to feel like he wasn't welcome at his mom's house anymore and it was hard for us to not because to see two of our other children.
The little kids weren't able to play with any kids in the neighborhood. The little boys at least have each other to play with, but Sophie doesn't really have anyone that she can play with on her level. Because of this, she has become very obsessed with her dolls. Particularly the baby that Grandma gave her for her birthday. She tells me all the time that it is not her baby, but it is my baby and her sibling. She is constantly saying, "Mom, hold my sibling. Mom, where's my sibling." If I mistakenly refer to the baby are her baby, she immediately says, "No mom, it's your baby and my sibling." She has since given her the name of Rose, but still often refers to the baby as "my sibling." She brings her sibling with her everywhere. She sleeps with her at night, unless she decides that my baby wants to sleep in my room, in which case she brings her little doll crib to me and sets it up next to my bed. It's really cute and sweet, but I think she is in desperate need of interaction with other little girls.
I mentioned in my Easter post that my brother John and his family had stayed a couple of weekends with us in April. They had strictly quarantined for the first 3 weeks. John had reduced work hours that he left the house for, but his wife and kids stayed home that whole time. By April they were ready to start living their lives again so they came and spend a couple of weekends at our house. The little kids were happy to have a couple cousins to play with and we adults were happy to be around other humans again. We had to keep our visits a secret because at the time, if other family members knew we were letting other people in our home, they would think we were making a bad choice, but again, we are not, were not and never will be afraid of the virus.
On Saturday, April 18 we got a big surprise. Danielle had been with her mom for the 3 weeks since she got home from her mission and she was ready to come see us. Since her mom would not allow her back after she left, we weren't really sure how long she'd be staying, but we were so happy she was ready to come. After she called me to tell me, I told Anthon, but not the kids. We wanted to surprise them. I picked her up that afternoon and brought her home...a home she had never seen before. I got to briefly see Avery when I went up there. She wouldn't hug me, but it was nice to see her. When Danielle and I got home, I had her go up and ring the doorbell and Anthon let the little kids answer it. You never know what kind of reaction you are going to get from kids and they did not disappoint. Monson looked at her and then immediately walked away (I think he was surprised and didn't know what to do) and Damon and Sophie got really excited and quickly hugged her. It was really sweet to see Anthon get to hug his daughter after not seeing her for 8 months. I rarely get to see him get emotional so it's a big deal when he does.
Jr. was at work when Danielle arrived, but when he got home they had a typical teenage boy greeting. He said "hi" and then pretty much walked away.
It has been a lot of fun having Danielle live with us. We have never had 5 out of our 6 kids living with us full-time. She adds a lot of fun, albeit LOUD fun, to our home and all the kids love having her here. We all love cooking together and having spiritual time together every night. We immediately started working on finding a job for her and after about 2 weeks, she was hired on at Liquidation Team. She is working full-time and loves it. She is earning money to help pay for college and gets to work with other people her age. She has been planning on going back on her mission just as soon as she can, but she found out recently that because of her respiratory issues, she will not be able to go back anytime soon. This was definitely hard to hear for all of us because Anthon and I really wanted her to be able to go back too, but for now she just needs to move forward and figure out what is next for her.
Most places in Utah are going to be able to start attending church again starting next week. We are excited about this, but it has also been really nice having our church at home. All of our kids have been able to practice giving talks and bearing their testimonies. Administering the sacrament in our home has been very special and uplifting. It will be nice to be able to attend church with other people again, but I will always remember this time that we worshiped in our home.
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| I taught a lesson on King Benjamin and then we went to the park to "play" King Benjamin. It was surprising how far back we could go and still hear whoever was on the hill yelling down to us. |
By the end of April the weather was getting warmer, the COVID numbers were not rising like everyone thought they would and we were all getting pretty ready to live our lives again. Neighborhood kids started playing with each other again and allowing our kids to play in the yards. Since we don't have grass, the kids are always looking for a place they can run around and play. Danielle and I went running together and got to know our Vineyard area better by running through the neighborhoods.
The first of May they started allowing businesses in Utah to open again. A lot of people were still hesitant to go out, but we embraced it. We met my sister Becky at a nail salon so we could all get pedicures. They told us we had to wear a mask. I didn't have any masks. It is really hard to get any gloves, hand sanitizer, masks or sanitizing wipes right now. The salon told me I could buy a mask from them for a $1 each. It was our first time wearing masks and they are really annoying. It's hard to breathe and no one can tell when you are smiling. But we still had a fun time. The pedicures were quick...only about 20 minutes...but it was nice to be out again.
Other things we have done since the state has started opening up again:
Going to the park:
Visited the dentist:
Make new friends:
Eating out:
And one of the best things right now is that school is done! No more homework, projects, required assignments, and hours spent trying to help the kids figure out what is due and when. Jr. finished with A's and B's which we are very proud of him for because for the first month of quarantine he had a few F's. The little boys passed all their classes and that was really all I had the ability to care about for them. Life is so much easier now!
Life is still crazy. Most states are still shut down and there are riots in almost every state because a cop killed someone. 2020 be crazy, but all we can do is let our children know they are loved and teach them to love others.
