Family Reunion Respite

 Tanya and fam came to town and it was a pretty nice time. Addison came early to our house and we had a great time with him. I bbqed for him for hi healthy diet and he watched Celia's game play. He seemed to be interested in Roseville and I was more than happy to give him a tour. Celia had a stake youth ice cream social to go to and Emmy came into town that night, so it was a really great time. We hung out with the grandparents and had lunch and dinner with most all of us at the grandparents house. It was surreal to have gatherings again and to feel the warm of summer on its way. Bri still took Spence for his Sunday ride and I was pleased to hear they had a great time and Spence seems to be pretty happy. The water had been turn off and not back on due to some work next door and Brian got it figured out and them back in business. Bri is such a handy helper and so smart, He can fix almost any problem or situation. I'm so grateful to have him in my life. We've had a bit of challenges these last few weeks, but bringing the family together make the gratitude abound and the happiness more apparent.

A New Chapter for Some

 Schedules for college for the kids made it hard to get together for Easter and Joseph's birthday. Emmy saved the day and went to Rexburg to gather with Joe. I'm sure he would have been fine with his new found friends, but I wanted him to have family around and Emmy too. Things have been evolving quickly with Celia growing up and being opinionated and Joe being away so long. I had a dream last night where I could tell that it is hard for me to give my all to the life to the details of caring deeply for each child and them have the move away! I know we will have time again. 

General conference was full of talks of hope and healing. Celia watched a bit with us and I'm glad Emmy watched it too. Every time Celia goes to seminary via zoom, does her module, attends young women's or goes to church with us in person,I'm taking it as a win. 

The gospel and its teachings are so important to me and I would love for my children to grab hold and build their own testimonies.  I sent the kids and Bri a group text sharing a great come follow me app that is so easy to access for scriptures and  thoughts to ponder. The Lord's guidance in my life is an anchor to all I do and has proved well to be a guide to great decisions in my life. Its seems like it would be hard to Remember Christ all the time, but he is such a help and healer and life is so tumultuous in the world right now, it doesn't have to just be about Easter or being  a super spiritual person. His kindness and charity make it to everyone can feel loved guided, appreciated and valued.

Growing Stronger

Change can be hard, but exciting. new growth can be beautiful. I find myself a little concerned about how fast time is going and how every one of my kids are growing up. I do think it is good to see them grown nd all of Celia's teachers talk about her growth and improvement. Even though with all of us there is quite a way to go, each strength or weakness we worth to better ourselves, counts. Effort and not quitting is where its at. I can be happy knowing I'm giving my best effort or trying in all things. I'm glad the lord subsidizes our efforts. We are bless with help from others or strength from within ourselves. I'm determined to be happy more and worry less. The Lord has shown his strength and care for me, I need to move forward with faith and action. I love how loving and kind and supportive Brian is and I love that we have family in town to share dinner with or chat about things. We have the necessities of life an even though we all have trials, things aren't too much beyond us. I like my new bike, I'm excited to sign for another year for Spence in his current place. I'm glad Emmy turned in her first Lit review and that Joe picked a new major and that Celia past her 3rd quarter classes her freshman year. I'm grateful for stimulus right before college tuition is due and that spring as sprung.

Quality Time

Celia is pretty lucky to have both parents home on the weekends to spend time with her. We went to Costa Vida this last weekend, saw Rah Rah and Papa, and hung out in the sunshine at the park. We went to church in person and after hung out listening to her many Spotify playlist dedicated to anime boys.

I am pretty lucky to have her around to keep me learning, growing and stretching and keeping me young. We went to the park to play basketball and I saw some gals from the ward there and loved catching up. After that, the next day was park days for the ward so we went even though I thought I'd be too old compared to the young mothers there, we went and had a great time. Celia liked meeting a Pomeranian doggie and we had fun in the sun. I've loved getting the backyard ready for spring, planting succulents and decorating the side of the house I can see from Celia's window.  I have to remember this, sometimes I get bummed because of the teenager angst around here, but actually all is well. Gratefulness and a little bit of sun helps me to feel healthy and happy and that is so fabulous. My folks want to jump in on our every Friday at In n out so we'll see if we can get some cool traditions going with that. I'm glad to not be carpooling anymore, we dodged the flu with that decision. We have more time to focus on seminary, school and the beauty of the world without feeling sick and to me that is quite the quality time.

 

Morphing

The weather has been all over the place, ,but Spring has sprung. I love seeing the bulbs coming up in the yard and the popcorn popping on trees around town. Spence has been doing great riding in the black car, so that can be a new and exciting thing for him in 2021. This year has been quiet with Joe gone, but still we are moving right along. We've changed every room getting the office going, but now we are changing around the cars. We are selling the van. Its time, but what great memories we had in their and it has served our family well. Laurie is interested in having it for her daughter, so we'll see. I like that they still have the Landcruiser and that we can see it sometimes. It makes me feel like we take good care of our cars to have them have such long life with little to no problems. The van just need brakes and some TLC, but I'm okay with having less stewardship in the car department.

We are still taking our Saturday and Sunday rides, they have morphed in to date night. We go to various that's cheap stores and ride around town with Celia. We still hit up game stores although that has morphed into Brian playing Arkham horror or Lord of the rings on his own.

We had a good Valentine's Day going out to lunch with my Folks at Il Fornaio. It was so yummy and nice that their outdoor seating was an indoor feel and warmth. Celia and I went to TJ Maxx with Brian and picked our cute clothes for Celia and some necklaces for her and I. She is spoiled, but needs all the love right now, Highschool with all its drama can be hard. We are just taking it one day at a time.

She loves cosplay so we got her a wig and I had to put it on to style it for her. Its not perfect so she is disheartened, but I thought it looked nice and it was fun styling it. Each of our children have had a big impact on the family and who I am, I believe its Celia's turn to shine and get all the attention, should be a fun ride.