February fun

We had a good February, despite still not being back to "normal".  Nathan and Jared were still in zoom classes, just switching over to an in-person hybrid schedule this past Friday.  After spring break, they'll go in-person two days a week and be at home on zooms for three days.  The elementary school went to a hybrid schedule the week before, but I decided to finish out the homeschooling for the year since we only have a few months left (and they're not going every day, have several restrictions and wear masks all day).  Things are going well with homeschooling; it's hasn't been overwhelming at all, and we get done with our work pretty quickly.  The kids like the extra play time and no extra "homework"  (it's all homework these days... but they don't have extra assignments to finish up). The kids are still consistent with running 3 mornings a week, so we're staying in shape.  

We have been organizing and de-cluttering around the house quite a bit.  The foosball table had been out in the garage, slowly getting covered by stuff.  It had been moved out of the Lego room, due to lack of space, and our "junk room" / "dog room" had accumulated a lot of things.  So we finally went through it and made it a more usable space.  We were able to bring the foosball table back inside, so there is now quite a bit of foosball playing going on between classes and in the evenings.  Savannah also set up a table out there, so I caught her laying up on the table doing her reading one morning.

The other few random pictures here are Savannah at a small birthday party (which was actually for Owen, but Savannah got a special invite), Savannah looking cool in a backwards hat, and Savannah on their way to hiking with Alex and Kai.  Alex has been doing a lot of hiking, nearly every weekend.  I think the boys are getting tired of going, so he's been either going by himself or talking one or two kids into going.  Kai is always ready for a hike!      

This Valentine's Day goes down as my favorite, and not because of any gifts or food, but because it was a great spiritual experience.  Nathan received his patriarchal blessing, which is a special blessing from the stake patriarch who has been called to give these one time blessings that provide counsel, guidance, and declare their lineage in the house of Israel.  The blessing gets recorded and then sent in written form so that it can be read often.  Generally, you get them when you're old enough to understand the purpose and ready to receive it.  Here's an explanation of these blessings, in case you don't know much about them:  patriarchal blessings or here is another link.  

Alex and I got to sit in on it and listen, which was a great experience.  It was interesting to listen from the perspective of a mother who knows her child, but to hear it from the perspective of a Heavenly Father who knows His child even better than I do.  It confirmed some gifts and talents we knew and have seen in Nathan.  There were some specific things mentioned about his future opportunities and potential, as well as some general counsel to help guide his life.  I remember getting my own patriarchal blessing when I was 18 years old and thinking about some of the things I was worried about.  I remember wondering at that point if I would find someone to marry (that was probably my biggest concern about my future).  I remember getting the counsel I needed for that concern, as well as counsel in other aspects of my life.  It was a great source of peace and comfort for me, along with promises that I could obtain if I stayed faithful and true to my covenants.  As we talked with Nathan after his blessing, he also had some questions answered and some things to think about as he prepares for future opportunities.  I know it will be a great source of peace and guidance in his life.         

As far as the rest of Valentines day, I did get some flowers and chocolate from Alex.  The heart-shaped pizza was from earlier in the week, when Savannah and I went to a little outdoor lunch get together with some friends.  We exchanged valentines and had a potluck picnic.  We had shepherd's pie and chocolate cake for Valentine's dinner and dessert.