Channing's 9th Birthday!!

This week we celebrated Channing turning NINE! She was pretty excited about her upcoming day and had a count down for a couple weeks. I was a little hesitant of how it would go since we are in quarantine, but surprisingly it was a nice day!

She woke up to a heart attack at her door.

Then the company I work for, Sign Gypsies, let me put up a sign for Channing in our yard and she was so excited. It made me smile how happy it made her! 

We had our regular birthday donuts to start off the day!

We took the day off of school since it was her special day and we could!

We played games and then she wanted to make her own bunny cake.  

It was a perfectly "Channing" cake. 

Here is her cute bunny.

She had a drive by birthday parade from her friends and she was happy so many dropped by to say hi to her and wave. Her grandparents and Aunt Natalie and cousin John came over to celebrate with her and have dinner from Chick fil A. 

Then we opened presents and had cake. She got several American Girl doll accessories, art stuff, jewelry, scrunchies, LOL dolls, and many other things. She was pretty excited. 

We set up all her things in her new closet and we watched The Parent Trap.

That evening we had a birthday sleepover and it included games, a pillow fight, a dance party, and fun conversations. She is fun and I enjoy being with her. 
Channing is a very cuddly, loving girl. She is so sweet and always drawing people pictures and writing them notes. She loves to draw and craft. She is always singing or humming. She has a beautiful voice and loves music. She is learning the piano as well. She enjoys reading and is always so helpful. She is always wanting to help me do anything or brush my hair because she knows I love it. I am proud of how confident she has gotten and am excited to see who she becomes. 

Easter and Cavin's Birthday!

Easter weekend was a simple but nice one. Cavin’s birthday happened to fall on Easter this year and so we got to celebrate his life and the life of our Savior! 

We started the weekend with the tradition of dying Easter eggs!

We also celebrated Cavins birthday early on Saturday afternoon/evening with dinner at Culvers (drive thru of course) and then a water balloon fight!

Easter morning we started with an egg hunt and searching for baskets.

That morning we had a birthday donut and Cavins favorite meal of omelettes.

He then wanted to decorate his own cake, so we made it into the shape of an egg and away he went decorating.

He really loves to bake and cook with me!

Here is his cute little peep egg.

We had sacrament meeting and then a zoom church since we are unable to meet together with people and then we ate a nice ham dinner. Afterward we FaceTimed with Ragnar's family and mine and then opened presents.

He got a chrome book from my parents a couple weeks ago as an early present since we are doing online schooling now. He also got mechanical pencils, socks, a water bottle, a couple switch games, a switch remote, a nice watch, and a computer mouse. His list was very random and he was pretty excited about the pencils 😂

We had cake and ice cream and played games together. Then he got a surprise visit from his grandparents and aunt Natalie and cousin John who is serving his mission with my parents right now. Due to quarantine we just talked on the back porch, but it was nice to see them and it made his day! Cavin is 12! I am so grateful they changed the church policy last year and so he received the priesthood in January. If it would be right now, then Ragnars parents wouldn’t have been able to attend.
Cavin is still very competitive. He really likes to play games and has a math brain. He is still really quiet but is a hard worker. He tries hard to excel at school and anything he can succeed in. He has improved a lot in the cello in the past 6 months of starting and he really is great about practicing. He is a great big brother and is always playing with Deacon and Deacon looks up to him. He still plays soccer and does well. He is now 5’3 and everyday puts his hand by my head to see if he’s taller than me! I still have 3 inches on him 😉
He has had a harder year trying to figure out who he is and who he wants to be, but I am praying he will see his worth and know his great potential! Happy Birthday Cavin, we love you!

Bluebonnets 2020

This corona quarantine has changed our lives in ways we never expected. Each day I try and write a blessing or something positive that has come out of it. Today it was that the bluebonnets that haven't grown in this field close to our house have grown back this year and we got to take advantage and take pictures. I love my kids and am so grateful they are healthy and being great sports about this challenging situation. I also do love Texas and our state flower!!

Love these cute kids and they are getting so big! 

Beautiful girls. 

All my handsome boys! 

The kids insisted Ragnar and I had to get our pictures taken if they had to :) We obliged.  

This is a time we will never forget, but I am so grateful I have a healthy family by my side through it all. 

Spring Break and COVID-19

These past couple weeks have been part of history that has never happened before. So many unprecedented things have been happening and we have been taking it a day at a time. We started Spring break as normal and we went to the park and then on Tuesday we went down to the Houston Rodeo and Livestock show which I love to do each year.

My kids love the farm and seeing the animals and especially the carnival. 

We started at Fun at the Farm where they pretend they are farmers. Even Ella still likes this, even though she pretends she doesn't :) 

They have petting zoos and pig races which I love. 

We did the carnival last, and it was so much fun this year. They kids really worked together to try and win big and they were so excited with their winnings! Cavin used most of his tickets on trying to score a basket so he could win this huge sloth prize! It was as big as him, but he was so proud of himself and SO excited! 

Then Deacon tried his size basketball shot and won two of these basketballs.  

He traded them in for this HUGE ball!  

Ella won this adorable pig!

Then Ella and Cavin helped Channing win this cute unicorn. 

Here they are with their loot. They were so happy and had such a fun time. I loved watching them work together to make sure they all got something they loved.  

After the rodeo, we went over to Ikea and hung out until we went to the Toyota Center and to see a Rockets game. 

We had an awesome time as Ragnar was able to get us a suite by ourselves and it was so nice to just relax in the suite after a long day at the Rodeo! 

The girls were having fun taking pictures! They are cute!

The day after we went to the Toyota Center and the Rodeo, the world shut down. The world had been hit with the Coronavirus (Covid 19) which started in China 3 months ago and has taken over the world. Everything has shut down. No one except essential workers can go in, so Ragnar has been working from home for 2 weeks and there has been no church or school or anything and it's supposed to last for at least another 2 weeks. We will see how it all goes. The NBA suspended their season and so that has hit Ragnar's job pretty hard, but surprisingly I have felt calm about it. I had not felt good about getting a job and wasn't sure why, but have been so grateful I don't have a job to worry about right now as I am able to be home with the kids to teach them.
There have been some blessings for sure.

My birthday was on Monday and it was very uneventful as it was the beginning of a modified stay at home mandate. Luckily my parents and sister were at least able to come over and celebrate as we are not supposed to be with more than 10 people. We played some games, Cavin and Channing made me a Kahoot and we ate a hamburger and cake and then watched a Hallmark. Not a terrible day, but not too exciting as we can't really leave the house. My sweet friend Rachael took me to a pedicure a few days before, so that was nice. Hopefully 37 won't be a year full of some of this crazy stuff going on.

The kids have been being pretty creative! They miss basketball and sports since they are all suspended, so they made a Lego court!

Cavin put together this court and Ella did the stands.  

Channing helped with the concession stand.

There is a ticket booth.  

Also..a food truck! 

They are creative kids and I have loved having some extra time with them! We have been trying to adjust to our new home school schedule and make sure they get their work done and continue to progress.

They put all their beanie boos to good use and buried Deacon :)

Some of my highlights about the quarantine are the MEMEs that come out. I thought these two were funny. 

Ella and I have been working with her Young Women to make masks for the nurses and Doctors who are helping treat the victims of the virus since there is a shortage. They have NOT been easy as we have a really old sewing machine and I am NOT experienced.  

Some of the things I have been saying since all the kids are in school this year is that I so miss them cause they are gone all day! This has been a special opportunity to have a lot of time with the kids. It was so sweet to have Deacon fall asleep for a nap in my arms!  

Ragnar, Cavin, and Ella have been practicing and playing the cello together since the Lamb of God performance got cancelled. 
All in all, we are doing fine. We have food and shelter and we are healthy and together, so we feel very blessed. 
We are praying for our nephews Fabian and John who just started or are starting in the mission field and everything has been turned upside down. This virus has turned our economy upside down and we pray it doesn't take years and years to recover.