Picture Overload

 It has been a long time since all my kids were together, and sadly we have reached the stage in our lives that we don't know when this will happen again.  So while I have them all together for 5 weeks, I am taking a lot of pictures.

Blake sad because he was booted to bottom step by himself.

Each of my kids were awarded the All-Star for the tournament in their grade 9 yr at the Cat's Classic.  We thought that was pretty cool. 2013, 2016, and 2019.

Being vERy careful as they took just a few steps into the field.  Don't want to damage any crops.

Welcome Home Cora!

The day finally arrived.  Cora was coming home from her mission.  We got her room all ready for her, and groceries all bought.  She needs to quarantine for 14 days, and we got prepared.  Dave got off work a little early. We had been tracking her flights all day.  I knew the poor girl would have been up for about 25 hours by the time we got her home. We got parked, and into the airport.  But we were sent on this strange loop all around and could not find where we were supposed to go.  We walked in right where we usually pick up arriving passengers, but nope.  We finally found one worker, it was so strangely empty, and she helped us find the correct stairs.  At this point she had landed 13 mins ago.  We figured we were still good.  She would have to clear customs, and covid tests.  The stairs came down right beside the luggage carousel and it happened to be from Cora's flight.  Cases were already going around.  We were still searching for where she would come out when she walked up to us with her suitcases.  It really was odd. We didn't have our banners ready.  I felt bad at her welcome :(  But it is strange times and we made up for it.  She had done customs, covid tests, and all quarantine info in Vancouver.

Atwoods put up balloons as we passed by on Deerfoot.  It was fun to watch for those.

My parents had come up just before we left and put up yellow ribbons and left Tim Hortons and a lovely card for her.

We drove through Grandma Puzey's yard on the way home.  Cora waved hello from the car.  G Puzey had made her some English toffee.  Blake ran up and got it for her.  Uncle Jared and Armin were in the yard also and Emry came over.  She chatted briefly with them and then home.  Cora was so exhausted.  But then I thought I saw someone in our yard.

Maycie, Emily and Avery had come over to surprise Cora as well.  They added balloons to the front of the house and were hiding in the ditch to jump out.  Cora was so excited to see Maycie.  It's been two year, since Maycie left before Cora.  They stayed at a distance in the rain and swapped stories for a short time.

Cora wanted to show us her souvenirs that night and we heard more stories and just enjoyed being with her. By the time she went to bed she had been up for almost 28 hours.  She slept well that night and being up so long helped get her back on our time.

It is so good to have her home.  She is trying to keep busy and loves working around the farm.  She served a fabulous, hardworking, never stop, mission.  She has grown and matured.  Her testimony and love for the scriptures is so fun to see.  We had two impromptu lessons on the way home.  It was so funny, she just couldn't help it, so ingrained to teach at every opportunity. I know she was a great missionary.  Welcome Home Cora! Well done!

Grade 9 Grad

We celebrated Blake's grad this last week.  He had wanted a vest and orange tie.  When most stores were closed I decided to try to make one. We went to the fabric store and let him pick out any fabric he wanted.  I had never sewn a vest before and some of the steps I had to read over many times to make sure I understood exactly what to do.  The grad started a little later than usual.  At first it was planned to be all outside to stay within health guidelines.  And because there was a slideshow for the grads that was going to be on the side wall of the school it needed to be dark enough.  But just a few days before there was a thunder storm forecast and the restriction were lightened a little.  

Leah comments Keepin' it real on every one of Blake's Instagram posts.

Cora has asked many times since March for Dave to stop shaving until she gets home.  It bugs him to not shave, but apparently a few weeks ago he gave in.  One more reason to be excited for her return. :/

Look at my handsome men.  Blake's grad started with a parade.  Our little town is so supportive, it is fun to see all the people that come out. 

I snapped a quick picture of Blake and his friends before going into the hall. These are great boys.  I am glad he has had them the last couple of years. They sure like to joke around, but it is fun.

The awards were given out and Blake earned Male Athlete. 

 Well deserved. Mr. Jackson always has a great speech.  He says something that is special, meaningful, and funny about each kid.  This year he compared them all to Disney characters.  For Blake he said he really couldn't decide between two:  'a  few of the girl would admit to having a secret crush on Blake throughout the last year or two, so it had to be somebody quite suave, but it also had to be someone resourceful, determined, and a hard working'. Prince Eric and Russell from Up :)  

He talked about Blake's kindness, making people feel important, how he works hard, is a bit of a goofball, he is an animated storytelling, makes you laugh, and is up for anything. It was nice to hear he can behave himself out in public.  Just kidding.  He is a good kid. 

After the awards we all walked or drove to the softball diamonds were the town had fireworks as a surprise for the grads.  (I stole this picture off of the village town site.  I loved how it captured just the grads watching their special surprise just for them.)  Great fireworks.  Next they all stayed for a movie as everyone else went home.

He had a nice grad and it was good to see his friends again.  Since they don't all have a license, Blake hasn't been able to get together with them like Leah has her friends.  So it has been since March that he was able to.  They enjoyed laughing and being together.  I really hope school is back to normal in September. Blake needs the interaction and sports. A big thank you to all the community members and staff that made it such a wonderful night for these kids.  Happy Graduation Blake!!  Off to grade 10.  Crazy.  My youngest is in high school.  That is so weird.

Grad 2020

A quick catch up first. Cora is still doing well.  She got to go on a road trip last week.  She needed to take a sister to Poole (6 hour round trip) and then pick up another sister. She was very excited to get out and drive around. They got to cross the Prince of Wales bridge.  It is 5km long and she said it was so neat.  She has just over a month left.  Yesterday they did a zoom zone conference with Elder Rashband. She has been able to FaceTime us and join us for church a couple times.

I am loving having Blake home from school during calving season.  I love checking the cows with someone, but I don't like doing it on my own. He will go out multiple times a day as Dave is at work and has fixed fences and chased cows back in.  The other day Dave and Blake were out feeding cows and doing the water, when they came back in Dave said he went to thank Blake for helping him with the chores and he realized that is has been a long time since Blake just helped with the chores.  They are working side by side and together.  Much more than helping. He is grown up and does it right along with Dave. 

Now to Grad: Leah and Blake have finished seminary.  Leah got 100% attendance and 100% on all her assesments.  They very much enjoyed not doing early morning the last few months. As they worked on their test together they assured us that it was team work, not cheating.:) 

Each year the Bio 30 teacher has the kids in her class paint a ceiling tile.  Leah got volunteered in her class to be the one to paint it.  She had to think of a design and get it approved.  She had done all that and started on it when Covid hit.  She was kind of sad about not getting to do it and one day decided to ask if she could go grab it.  It then sat in our house for the next 2 months as she would pull it out and work on it.  It worked out so good that she had decided to do each student as a germ or bacteria, she just added Covid right in and made everyone far away from it.  I think it turned out awesome.

We picked up Leah's gown a few days early.  She had asked me to sew pockets in it to hold snacks.  Each student had to buy their cap and gown, so we figured we could do whatever we wanted as long as it looked the same as everyone else's.  I did hidden pockets so you could not even tell.  But when she pulled something out and her principle saw, she was not pleased. Haha Leah did not care. 

Trying it on to see where pockets should go.  Not much caring about this.

Leah started debating last May (while still in Grade 11) if she was even going to go to her grad. She started looking at dresses and knew exactly what she wanted.  First grad meeting in the fall they were told they had to wear cap and gown. We told her that we thought she should at least go to part of it.  Get her diploma and the class picture.  She did not have to do the dinner, dance, and she certainly was not going to the after party. In January she made her final decision.  She would get a simple nice dress to wear under her gown and that she could also wear to seminary grad.  After she had a few friends that she wanted to go rock climbing, dinner, and longboarding or a movie with. And then when Cora got home, we were going to dress up and do a dinner out together as a family. After we found out there was not going to be a traditional grad we were so glad we had not spent hundreds of dollars on a dress.

Leah had picked up her cap for Grad back in February as she wanted to paint it.  She has many friends from all over southern Alberta and wanted everyone that has had a positive influence on her high school years to sign it. She spent many weeks driving around to collect signatures. She has a few that she hasn't been able to meet up with yet and then Blake and Cora will sign it also.

What they ended up doing was fun.  We did a drive in style grad.  They had a stage set up.  We all stayed in our cars.  It was perfect for Dave and I, we didn't have to talk to anyone. The program was broadcast over the radio so we could all tune in.  At their appointed time the grads got out and walked up to receive their diplomas, Ms Mattatall read out their future plans, and then off the stage they went.  All while keeping a save distance from each other.  Everything was cleaned and wiped down after each speech. 

Each grad was asked to do their own write up for the future plans. Back in Grade 11 while in physics 20, one day Leah was not having a great day with the material.  Mr. Monts, one her favorite teachers was trying to help her and commented that if physics didn't work out she could always have a plan B to marry rich.  She looked at him and said, 'Oh that is Plan A, plan B is school". He laughed.  Ever since that, each time he would see Leah with anyone, anywhere, he would always ask if that boy was Plan A.  It became a joke between them. So for her write up Leah said she was going to NAIT in the fall, working towards going into the lab and x-ray program unless Plan A presented himself sooner rather than later. He loved it.  But then a different teacher read them out and she forgot the last part.  Later Mr Monts stopped and talked to Leah saying he missed having that part read and that he wanted to be invite to her wedding. He really wants to meet Plan A.  She had already planned on it. 

After the program the Grads met on the rugby field at previously marked out spots for a group photo.  They were each given a little gift.  Inside was a snack, water, and a funny hygiene kit.  Some of it was one square of toilet paper that had 'never forget' written on it, kleenex and a mask that said Grad 2020.  For one of the pictures they all wore their masks. During the week before, the town had hung the grads pictures, banner style, down main street.  After the group photo each grad stood by their picture as the town did a drive by parade.

I was so impressed by the support of everyone.  The parade was miles long.  It took 45 mins for all the cars to drive by.

For us it ended up being a really good grad.  Leah went to all she had planned to anyways.  She got to see a few of her friends.  We will still do the dinner as a family at some point. And now she just has a few week of school to finish up. She has been getting together with friends as much as she can.  Leah has had some great teachers along the way.  Some she has built great relationships with.  Her high school years were filled with travelling around to support all her friends in their activities, playing basketball and softball and making  many friends along the way.  When asked what her greatest memories from County Central were she said she couldn't answer.  All her greatest moments, except being on the basketball court, were not made at her high school.  It was every time her boys won provincials (football and basketball) and she had been there for every game of the season to cheer them on. Girls nights with everyone and doing nothing. Laughing, driving around and singing loudly with Emily.  Getting scared in the barn.  Surviving her first broken heart (and broke a few), slurpees, concerts, Timmy's wedges, late night chats, hikes, movie nights, and so much more. All done with kids that didn't go to the same school as her. She has had a blast and yes learned lots along the way. She is ready to move on and take the next steps in her life. Way to go Leah!  You did it. Congratulations graduate of the class of 2020!!🎓

Just another update

We are on week 9 of isolation.  Cora has had a few days that she was bored and said the days were very long.  They have a tiny patch of lawn that the suns hits just at the time of their language study.  So they go out and sit in the sun for that hour. I was confused why she had language study time as she is in an English speaking mission.  Haha stupid me, she was like, mom my companion is from Denmark.  But it is funny to hear her talk about the study time.  Cora has always struggled a little with reading and such so she says it is quite the time since she doesn't do well in English and is supposed to be helping a companion learn. :)  They have been reading the book 'Saints' for their study.

It is also fun to listen to her stories each week of the adventures they go on to get groceries. They have been kicked out of stores if caught together.  They try to be stealthy and try new things each week.

We had a fun Nerf Gun war with Dave a couple of weeks ago.  We haven't done one like this for a few years.  We left Dave a warning and a loaded gun on the back stairs for when he got home from work.  Then we all hid and prepared for an ambush.

Leah and her friends have continued to find safe social distancing activities to do together.  They meet in a field, parking lot, or diamond and hang out.  Tonight they are doing an outdoor movie.  She went on a picnic with Toone's one day as well.

Blake convinced her to play Fortnite with him.  I decided I needed to document that occasion. Probably will never happen again.

Dave's work is going well.  He did have 2 weeks were they only worked 3 day that week.  We were not sure how long it was going to last.  Then they decided to put in a new line and he is very busy again.  A good busy. He has had lots for Blake to do.  They have been picking up sticks in the sand and doing a lot of projects around the farm.  Blake always does the calf check during the day when it is our week.  Dave is teaching him to do the tagging so one day soon he can do that as well.  School is still going well for both of them.  We have had a few meetings about what to do for both their Grads. Leah and I were talking yesterday after yet another meeting.  I mentioned that I really do feel bad for these senior, it is a bummer to not get those last high school moments, but I was getting a little sick of hearing it.  Yea, they got a bum deal, so did Cora with her mission in lockdown, so did all those that lost their jobs, so did businesses going under that may never recover.  Every single person has things they are missing that they will not be able to get back.  She said, 'yep, I AM a Grad and I am also tired of the whoo is us.  Lots of people have it way worse.' 

Cora's companion's mom can send her packages that arrive in just a few days.  I sent one in February and it still has not arrived.  Go figure, but anyways, she sent a 1000 piece puzzle that they finished in two days.  Turned it over and did it and then drew pictures all over the back as well.  It is a really good thing she gets along with her companion.  And has wifi.  Their wifi was down for about a week and she said the days were soooo slow.  That is how they are doing all their missionary work right now.

Leah has had pain in her chest/shoulder/arm for months.  It was getting bad enough that I had actually decided to take her to a Dr. when covid lockdown began.  So nope, not going to a hospital.  Avoid, avoid.  Sunday May 3 we did a birthday parade for Emry.  We have been trying to do as many with the fire department as we can, but this day we were going to be away during that time.  Yet we still wanted to celebrate her birthday, so before we left we each took a car, so it would still be a parade and all drove through her yard with balloons and signs.  It was kinda fun.  Hopefully she enjoyed our little parade.  Anyways as Leah was waving something popped more than usual and she had such intense pain she almost past out while driving. Not a great time to pass out.  She made it home, took some Advil, and layed on the floor.  That afternoon, after church we went out to my parents for a picnic. As we were sitting around Leah could hear a loud popping in her sternum. So I thought I guess I will have to take her in sometime.  I know, I am a great mom.  Later during the night Dave started panicking a bit and woke me up.  We called HealthLink and long story, we ended up taking her to emerg. Many breathing tests to rule out lungs, ECG to rule out heart and they eventually  determined that she has inflammation in the ribs.  Leah had recorded the popping sound. 2 nurses and 4 dr. listened and said they we not sure what it was, had not heard that before, possibly the ribs trying to move around and line back up.  The Dr did say when he saw her that he recognized her because she was 'the one that never came to the Dr when she should. Left things for a very long time.' So apparently she has Chostocondritis.  Sounds like it will flare up from time to time.  We think she must have crazy bones that just don't like her.  With her knee issues and now ribs it is good times for Leah. 

Cora getting sunshine and fresh air where she can.

Blake is back to work with Sis Smith.  His first day he texted me 5 mins in and said he had forgot how much he loved working there.  It is the perfect situation for him, and us.

Dave had us all go down and help pick up stick yesterday.  I do not enjoy picking up sticks.  I did loads of it growing up and it seems to be a never ending task.  But it was okay with my family. We had a nice walk and found some cool bones as well.

We learned that long boards are not essential items.  But finally a month late, Leah received her birthday gift and loves it.

We got an email from Cora's mission President and it sounds like things will very slowly start to open in the next few week.  They are opening a bit slower then we are here.  There is some hope, however, that she may be able to do some street contacting and a little more getting out before she comes home.  Probably not church or baptisms but it is a start. We have her travel plans now and passport and license have been found.  We are enjoying the days that the sun shines, doing school work outside and reading.  Dave said he loves the commute to church right now.  We are soaking in the last few months we have with Leah and it has been great.