Drivers license for real?

After waiting for 2 hours at the DMV Cael turned in his paperwork and is now a provisional driver for the next six months.  He can drive solo or with his siblings... this is going to be so great to have another driver to take the kiddos to practice and games— hooray!!

* Except on the first night that Cael took all the boys to soccer practice he forgot his wallet back here at the house with his ID to get back on post, so we still had to go drop that off at the gate! He is still learning and still finding a way to “ruin” my peaceful evenings... jk.

Part of the story begins when Cael took his drivers test and failed the first time after he almost hit a pedestrian in the DMV parking lot. It was at the end of the test and the parking lot really can get congested and people pop out of their cars... so bad luck for Cael. I had really gotten after him in the morning for dressing nicely and combing his hair for his test... which he ignored... so it seemed to me he deserved the little slice of humble pie when he did fail  😂

But seriously how did my baby boy get so big and like a man?!? He’s smart, funny, and tries to do the right thing. Cael really is a fun sport and playful— we have a great time together with him.

Summer solstice midnight sun run (walk)

I have really fun neighbors that decided to celebrate the summer solstice by going on a family run/walk/scooter ride around the airfield which is about 6.1 miles. We had gone camping the night before and I was so tired and so actually I was in my pajamas ready for bed but  Brielle was going with her friend Gwen. When we saw them leave their house and walk down the street I looked it Connor who was also in bed reading with me and we said “we should go too”.... even though I was super tired and ready for bed I have major fear of missing out or FOMO. 

The Bangerter‘s were about 8 to 10 minutes ahead on the trail but Connor caught up to them very fast on his bike but I was walking. It was raining a little bit and cloudy but not in a bad way it was actually quite enjoyable to be out there. There is a nice trail that we stayed on all the way around posts off the beaten path for the most part and really a lovely sunset as we ended there was even a rainbow!! I’m glad that I didn’t let my exhaustion keep me from joining in on a fun evening with my kids and friends. Brielle and Gwen  were in the lead and they saw a baby fox run across in front of them. 

Sunset at 12:20 toward the end of the trail

Cael Sweet 16 Happy!

What can I say about this kid? He’s fun to be around, always the life of the party, and find ways to bring lots of people together and have fun! 

Cael has a job this summer working landscaping maintenance and upkeep on some apartments in town. He is also helping friends mow lawns as a side business— which is really nice that he is working and busy. So after a full day of work- plus some tennis with friends- we picked him up to have a little party in the backyard with our friend the Aiton’s and the Bangerter’s. 

We had mandarin orange Cake and vanilla ice cream, and long spanking machine, and a reverse piñata (Cael swung the piñata while the kids stood around in a circle into hit it) Thankfully no one was hurt and the candy flew out when it broke on its own.

Olnes Pond campout

Memorial Day weekend camp out with friends up to Olnes pond. The weather had really been warming up so everyone was itching to get out of our houses and camp out. The kids go riding on the four-wheelers around the pond and on the trails by the river... they always have a good time while the adults chat around the fire. 

This early in the season the pond was really full of water which makes it fun to take the four wheeler‘s in on the bank that goes all the way around. However, you have to know where the bank goes around or you will go into too deep of water for the four wheeler. So one of our friends tells Ben that you can drive all the way around and he tells Cael to go ahead and try it. I don’t know why they did but of course I did a video the whole event. Cael driving out into the middle of a pond not knowing where to go because the water started to get too deep the he was going in reverse and then our friend going out on her four wheeler to show Cael where to go. Danielle‘s four wheeler ended up going into deeper water and shut down completely so then she  pushed her machine out and Cael  was able to go a little bit under the water and make it out safely hook up the tow hitch/wench to Danielle’s machine to pull it back around the other side of the pond where we were waiting at our camp. The next couple of hours were spent trying to get Danielle‘s four wheeler running again because everything was flooded and it was not turning on or turning over at all. It was about a month later Ben and I went over and took her carburetor apart and put it back together and then it was running again!

This is the yellow four wheeler that Cael took across the pond and it was having issues getting full power because the belt container was flooded. So we pulled the plug and tipped it up in order to drain some more of the water out hoping that would help our machine. Ben actually had to do more work on it at home in order to drain out the rest of the water and get it running to its full power.

This is our 24 foot “toy hauler camper trailer". We have all of our camping supplies and four wheeler’s loaded in this beast... So when we get to camp and unload all of our four-wheelers we set up our beds all inside and try to keep warm for the night. It was really cold sleeping but better than nothing. It is also nice because it doesn’t get dark at night and then cargo trailer at least helps provide some darkness for sleeping.

Cannon was the last want to get out of bed because it was still so cold in the morning I even had on my big pink sleeping bag coat it was just so cold!

A New Normal

The kids are working on school, piano practice, and finding ways to stay busy. The snow has all but melted off of the roads and so we have taken our bikes out in the neighborhood for some epic rides. Connor especially has been asking to go on the most rides when it isn't raining. We brought out the sidewalk chalk and decorated our driveway. It was really surprising that all the work we did to keep the driveway clear, even though we weren't always successful, the snow still melted around the same time as everyone else.

We had our first Sunday school lesson with some friends from church and it was good to see those people who joined in and to talk about how things are going. Some technical issues at the beginning but we made it through.

Some observations from the 6 weeks we've been at home:

Cael has been the hardest to cooperate with the social distancing measures from the beginning. As with all teenagers, he decided what he wanted to do and would disregard all other advice and recommendations. He did create a family chore chart with a weekly rotation that has been helpful in getting everyone to cooperate because they know what they are supposed to do. I am still involved in helping the little kids with their work, but for the most part they are doing in on their own. Without any "responsibilities" and he doesn't have any real work from school. The school district decided that any work that was turned it could help their grade, but would not be "graded" in an official sense.

Brecon somehow finds ways to wander around the house "looking busy" and he completes most assignments and is cheerful to be around, except when he isn't. However, for multiple step process project or assignments from school, he doesn't finish the work because he shuts down. We've had to make adjustments with what electronic/internet devices he can use because of some issues-- and we are hoping that he can stay focused on his goals and make good choices for himself. He does a good job entertaining and chasing after Cannon, tickling and making loud noises.

Connor is the hardest worker with the best attitude, usually done with all of his piano and homework before the other kids have gotten out of bed. I have really appreciated his helpfulness and good nature. He is appreciative and says "thank you for dinner" (or whatever meal we are eating.. sometimes I feel like we are eating all day). We did have a moment last week when he took a math test and got a 60 %. What had happened was he became frustrated with the work and would just click through the practice problems without practicing them. When the test came he really didn't understand how to solve the work and thus the poor score. Ben and I went through some more problems with him and he was able to retake the test with a much better score.

Brielle is creative and loves to draw and color. She has been watching tutorials on YouTube and shows me her final pieces and they look pretty great. We are trying to help her with math and knowing the math facts a little faster, but she begins to stress and get all worked up with the "race the teacher" portion comes on. I've started reading to the kids in the morning- they are quiet (or sleeping) but I've found it is the best time. Brielle requested Pippi Longstocking and we are both getting a kick out of what a silly girl she is.

Cannon has been happy to have his siblings home to play with. When we first had everyone home I charged up our amazon fire tablets and Cannon had the oldest and worst one that he would use, however, I began to notice some anger and frustrations from this little guy-- so I had take his away and after his initial ANGRY ELF... has been doing much better. He and Brielle are doing all sorts or playing and having fun creating and making messes. He especially loved the beds on the stairs and the hours of sledding, jumping, and climbing on them was worth the mess.

Brielle's Birthday

IT'S GREAT TO BE 8... except when you can't have a birthday party with friends because of the social distancing measures and COVID-19 and it's one of the biggest birthdays of your life and you are excited but it's still a bummer...

ummm...... HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Even though all of that seems like it was a bit of a bummer, we tried to made it fun. Ben came home early from work and sent me to grab some *goodies from wal-mart (*essentials). The birthday banner, streamers, and balloons, and 2 exploding confetti cannons. A huge mess, but a way to add to the party atmosphere. Ben helped make the Funfetti birthday cake per Brielle's request.

Brielle says: What I like about my birthday is that grandma and grandpa Hoopes were there (on facetime) and I got my favorite kind of cereal- (Cap'n Crunch Berries.)

We had curry for dinner and watched the new Dr. Dolittle. It was a fun family party at home edition.

Coronvirus... what next?

It has been an interesting few weeks to say the least. At the end of our spring break, the school district notified the parents that school would not be back in session for another 2 weeks... which then turned into the end of the month... which then changed until (maybe) May. MAY?!?! What a roller coaster to be on considering all the closures and precautions our town (and the United States) is making because of the serious respiratory virus. We had been watching the news and hearing about the COVID-19 and the havoc it was reeking in China in January- an epidemic- and then in spread worldwide over the next few months and recently the World Health Organization officially called it a pandemic. Sports, concerts, broadway= CANCELLED. Restaurants, churches, schools, and non-essential offices= CLOSED. It is very surreal to me that something microscopic could cause such upheaval everywhere.

Our "first" day did not go well for me. I'm usually a roll-with-the-punches kinda lady-- but my teenager felt the need to see how far he could push my buttons and something snapped. All the frustration, anger, uneasiness, fear... and more frustrations- yelling and yelling some more. I don't know why, it was the worst-- I was just the worst!

but then the storm passed and now...

There is less bad days than good. A better schedule and routine has helped to alleviate the worry and keep us all busy. We have assignments from everyone's teachers and I'm grateful for the sunshine and that the kids can go out for "recess"-- but health recommendations are to stay 6 feet away from people that are not living in our home to minimize exposures-- to flatten the curve.