insta-january

 Just one little lonely instagram post this month: 

{1.25.21}

Oh, hello. Is it 2021 already? What? The end of January!?
Sometimes I have so many words and thoughts and things I want to remember that I can't post anything at all.

Tonight I bear witness that the Lord is with us, aware and supporting us through our hard things.

Also, unrelated, today I have decided that it is a miracle that any parent in the history of the world has ever managed to put their children to bed every night for 18 years without going completely insane.

(There you go, this is why I haven't been posting- because these are the only things I can get out of my head.)

Also, Lucy. 😍😂 

Church --- @ Church vs @ home

What we are doing for church right now is that our ward is alternating each week; half of each ward meets in person at the Chapel for the 1st Hour and the other half watches the Sunday Worship Service remotely via technology. Immediately following the Worship Service, those at the Chapel participate in the Sacrament and those at home (where authorized by the Bishop) administer the Sacrament in their homes.


That means that we are attending church in person and having home church every other week. As I was looking through these photos it was amusing to me to see the stark differences in the two meetings.


Church @ Home
We are still getting dressed in Sunday clothes (mostly). We try to make sure our family room is clean for the Sacrament, with peaceful music playing and we sing a Sacrament Hymn from the Primary Music Book. After that, things usually relax and we end up snuggling on the couch while the kids listen/play nearby. 

Church @ Church

These kids really know how to clean up when it's time to go to Church! We went back to church for the first time since August, now that our holiday quarantine (and the lengthy lead up) has passed. We pack a sacrament meeting bag with notebooks, The Friend, small toys, and - of course- granola bars. We wear masks and aren't really able to talk to anyone else, although it always feels really nice to be worshiping with our Ward Family. 




Even though our Sundays may look different week-to-week we are blessed to have the spirit of the Sabbath with us regardless of where we are worshiping. I'm grateful for the Sacrament and the blessing that it is for us and for the way that it has sanctified our home during this special time of being able to do church at home half of the time. 

Of other note: The kids primary teachers have been amazing at reaching out and connecting with each of the kids. Lydia's teachers have started sending out videos with discussion questions and a challenge each week. Austin's teacher, Andrea Wardell, has consistently brought by coloring pages/lessons with a small toy or treat almost every week for most of the pandemic. Caleb's teachers brought him by a Sunbeam welcome kit with yellow playdoh and a yellow sucker (a Sunbeam!?), and Lucy's nursery teachers just barely brought over a little snack with a note attached. She loved it. 

I've been so grateful for those who are stepping up to fill their callings and connect with my kids so that my kids will stay connected to Primary. 

Home Phone

We have been planning for quite a while to get a home phone. Shantel in particular has been very set on getting a home phone, not even a cell phone that sits at home. There are lots of reasons we felt this was very important. 

1) We don't think our kids are ready for cell phones (even a cell phone that doesn't belong to them). Even if it just did calling and texting, that is too much for our kids right now. 

2) We want our kids to learn good phone manners. How to answer the phone and be polite. 

3) We want our kids to be able to call their friends and have a number that people can reach them. 

However, we were not willing to spend $30 a month on a phone that may get used once or twice (if at all) during certain months. Fortunately, we found a really good deal. This phone from Ooma costs about $150 to buy the unit, but then you only have to pay taxes and fees, no other monthly phone cost. So we only have to pay about $7 a month. 

We are excited to have the phone and the kids were excited too! We really hope this will be a good thing for them growing up. It is really the first part of teaching them responsibility with phones.