NOVEMBER

We kept our tradition of visiting a park on Thursdays before picking Phin up from school.   On this particular day there was still some snow on the playground.  

Millie saw snow melting off of the pavilion at the park and went over to try to catch some...so gross.

 

Millie and Silas attend childcare at our local high school on the days that I work.  This year the school has been great about sending picture updates of Silas.  It has been so fun to get a peek into what school looks like for Silas.  

Unfortunately our district took secondary students off of hybrid in November.  As a result they hit the threshold for a soft-closure by the second week in November...which meant that the daycare closed as well.  I debated trying to find temporary child care for Millie and Silas but felt that with everything we had going on as a family and the uncertainty of 2020...that they just needed me to be at home.  I ended up taking Family Extended Covid Leave which payed 2/3 of my salary up to $200 a day.  Hopefully we won't be put in that situation many more times this school year.  We spent the time going on walks/runs, making cookies and chilling out at home.

Our thermostat  started having problems in November.  I thought that maybe the heat sensor just needed to be cleaned...so I spent most of a day trying to get access to that part in the furnace.  That didn't end up solving the problem so we called in the professionals.  We had installed a nest thermostat about 5 years ago and learned that there is a common defect with the nest.  As a result the sensors wear out and when you have the thermostat set for heat...it eventually starts calling for air.  So we removed the nest and installed an old school thermostat.  When Seth was working on the change, Phin ran to get his play hammer to help out.

I think this picture pretty much sums up 2020.  I was making a Butternut squash soup and the lid came off the blender.  I had soup bits all over the kitchen....at least my kitchen got a good wipe down at the end.

We celebrated Thanksgiving at home this year.  We smoked our own turkey and it turned out so good.  I also made a banana cream pie from scratch that was a big hit.  It was the Lion House Recipe for the filling and The Pioneer Woman's crust recipe.

I also got very brave and gave Millie a little bit of trim on the day that I cut Seth, Phin and Silas' hair.

 

We made gingerbread houses this year with Pop tarts.  I assembled the houses the night before the kids decorated them so they would have time to set up.  We had M&Ms, Candy Cane Hershey kisses and Cinnamon drops to decorate with.  I had also bought Pull and Peel licorice...but it didn't make it to decoration day.  I loved the frosted sides on the houses...and they were delicious to nibble on in the days after we decorated them.

We also set up the tripod to get a family photo in November.  It is nearly impossible to get everyone smiling and looking at the camera at the same time.

My favorite thing about November was the prophet's gratitude challenge.  It was very inspiring to see social media switch from a negative space to such a positive space in a matter of days.  I loved seeing posts from friends that don't post frequently.  Here is the list of my posts:

Day 1: This summer we biked the Route of the Hiawatha trail.  About two miles into our 15 mile ride Phin crashed.  He was quickly surrounded  by loved ones who bandaged him up, encouraged him to get back on his biek and pedaled alongside him during the many miles that lay ahead.  I am incredibly grateful for loved ones that are there to help me back up when I have "crashed."  Thank you! 

Day 2: Today I am grateful for when the fog lifts and I am able to see clearly again.  *I posted a video of the Bountiful Temple.  Last January on a Youth Retreat we hiked up above the temple.  It was a very foggy day and the temple was completely covered with fog.  Slowly the fog started to lift...at first we could just see the Angel Moroni and eventually the whole temple was visible.  I think that our Heavenly Father's love is this same way...it is always there...sometimes we may not feel it when the fog of trials try to obscure it.   

Day 3: I am grateful for the temple.  I look forward to the day when the doors of the temple will open again.  I yearn for the peace that I feel there.  *I think this is my biggest hope for 2021 to see those doors open again. 

Day 4: For my 2-year old Silas.  This little guy makes me smile everyday.  I always tell him "I am so lucky to be your Mama."

Day 5: For my Millie.  She is my early bird, cookie dough loving, cuddly little girl.

Day 6: For my Phin.  He made me a Mama 7 1/2 years ago.  Every night before he falls asleep he asks me "What fun thing are we going to do tomorrow?"  I wish for a lifetime of fun tomorrows with this guy.  *Phin is totally thrown off if we ask him this question first.  Last night I asked him this at dinner and he said "I sure hope my wife is a planner."  I hope so too bud.

Day 7: I am so incredibly grateful to have had Seth by my side of the past 10 years and for the eternity ahead. *Seth has been my rock in this crazy year.  He is so calm and reassuring.  When we got married lots of people told him how lucky he was as they greeted us in the reception line...I don't think they had any idea that I was really the lucky one.

OCTOBER

 

We found a new park up by the Centerville baseball complex...the dino was a huge hit.  The kids also loved the diggers that you can see in the background.

 

 

We have been trying to limit Silas' dairy intake since he had some tummy problems in July and August...sometimes he finds ways around the limitations.  One day he walked into my bedroom carrying the block of cheddar cheese from our fridge...with a few big bites missing.

 

I love when the kids are getting along and being kind to each other...one evening I found Millie and Silas cuddled up on the couch together watching a show.

 

 We said goodbye to Kim, Carver and Conrad before they headed back to Arizona for the year.  We sure love when they are up here for the summer.

 

 Silas playing in the sand table at school...

 

 Silas enjoying a dirt cup at school.

 Silas playing puzzles at school.

One Saturday we headed up to Ogden to hike the Birdsong trail.  It started close to the Dinosaur Park up there.  The leaves were gorgeous and we had such a great hike.

As we walked through a neighborhood to reach a different section of the trail we found a Mermaid skeleton...Millie was a fan.

 Silas took a little break mid-trail to catch up on some reading.

 We found some old car ruins along the trail.

I had a student that reached all of his speech goals and was released from speech in October.  I have worked with this student for five years.  I was overcome when I walked into the meeting to release the student and saw this beautiful flower arrangement. This is a hard year for educators...and this gesture reminded me to show gratitude to the teachers that positively impact my kids each day.

 Over Fall Break we went to our favorite Fall Festival at Cross E Ranch.

 Silas now knows what a pumpkin is...and he loves them.

 We decided to stop at the donuts shack early on in our visit...so delicious.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also made a trip to Pack Farms to pick out pumpkins.  The kids had talked about this for weeks and we finally made it happen.  They were thrilled to finally get pumpkins.

 

 

 

 

 

 We finally made it to the "teeter totter" park.  Millie and Silas were thrilled.

 

 Whenever I start to cook...I have lot s of willing helpers.

 

 We made it out to Gardner's Village to see the witches.

 

 

 

We woke up one Sunday morning to a few inches of snow...the kids were excited...I was not.

 

 

I had some items to sew for the kids costumes as well as more masks.  Phin and Millie love to help and their favorite job is to push the peddle.

 

Millie and Silas had their school Halloween party the Tuesday before Halloween.  It looked different than years past.  Instead of visiting all of the classrooms in the school to trick-or-treat, they stayed in their classrooms and did some fun activities.

 

 

 

 Silas was able to count pumpkin seeds...

 

and make witch's brew.

  

 

 

Phin and I celebrated Halloween at school the Thursday before Halloween.  If you can't tell...I am Velma.  Most of my co-workers couldn't tell who I was with the wig, glasses and a mask on.  I was able to volunteer in Phin's class for his classroom party.

 

 

We carved pumpkins the Thursday before Halloween.  We were hoping to enter them into the Centerville Pumpkin walk...but it was cancelled due COVID numbers spiking.  It was fun to see Phin be able to independently carve his pumpkin. 

 

 

 Jack the Skeleton King.

 Forky.

 

 Spiderman.

 

We have been looking forward to Halloween for months.  The kids loved getting dressed up and planning costumes. We spent lots of time together making Scooby Doo masks and The Mystery Machine.  We loved that Halloween was on Saturday this year.  We ended up watching an outdoor movie on Halloween night because the kids cleaned up at Seth's work trunk or treat the night before. 

 

 

Happy Halloween from our gang to yours!  Love Shaggy, Velma, Fred, Daphne and Scooby Doo.