Water leak anyone!?

     Cute baby Beau! She was just home from a walk and woke up in her stroller with a bug-eyed look for her Joey.

      So April Fools day was no fool and caught us with a water leak! There was a small puddle at the front of the yard and McClane knew right away his Dad needed to be notified. Lucky for us Greg is a rockstar with these kind of fixes and has connections with people and equipment that made the job go quick, fairly easy and way less money then if we'd had to hire someone. The Lord has blessed us with more then we even comprehend! The yard's going to be a mess for awhile but it wasn't that great to begin with. Greg really is a legend when it comes to fixing things!

     And I attempted to prank my kids but they didn't really react like I expected. This video isn't necessarily funny but something to remember for the future.

The yard is a mess!

And are there enough pets on this bed?! I'm thinking.....NO! 

     Well our 6 months of waiting has come to an end. I'm so excited to listen/watch General Conference tomorrow! We were supposed to be traveling to Oregon this weekend and listening while we drove but that's ok, I'm happy we can be home and can maybe focus a little better. I have a feeling it's going to be epic! (It already is epic but lets hope there's more to it then just the weirdness of our world right now.)

Just another week in 'Coronaville'!

     We've survived another week of staying home (as much as possible). I managed to do my bi-weekly shopping and it went way better then I expected. There were items on my list that weren't available but I definitely got enough to survive another couple weeks and beyond. The shopping at Costco was definitely a little different but it went quicker then I expected and there were many tender mercies throughout my shopping experience. Now if these crazy Utah people could all just calm down and let the shelves be restocked properly that would be great!

      Of course we've been staying busy with all the pets and home schooling kids. The kids are doing well enough with what we have. I'm definitely not stressing over their school work, one term lost won't flunk them out or stop them from moving forward to their next grade. That may not be the popular opinion but it's how I feel and how I'm going to avoid unnecessary stress and frustration.

These two are definitely learning how to interact with each other.

Carter during 'school' hours!

Charlie getting her pet cuddles.

   And we're never sad when this little cutie pops in for a quick visit. She's dressed and ready for a Harley ride.

    And cute Georgia had her first professional grooming this week. They wouldn't trim her hair on her first session but she definitely is fluffier and smelling pretty. She's so adorable and really figuring out the doggy door and potty training. She's really been a dream and a welcome distraction from this strange world we're living in.

     Well we've had missionaries in the neighborhood arriving home throughout the week. There are yellow ribbons lining streets everywhere you go. We're sad for the ones who were not ready to end or pause their missions but I know we'll look back some day and see the miracles that occurred because of this 'change in plans'. I'm looking forward to our weekend and the opportunity to fast for Heavenly help to stop the spread of this virus and speed up the process of getting our country and world back to normal life.

We're living through major history!

     What a week!! I don't know if I want to live through all these prophecies being fulfilled! First a pandemic! And if that wasn't enough to stress over we got to add a small earthquake to the worries. Seriously, I hope the 'higher-up's' are getting a chuckle from all this craziness and our reaction to it. Utah has gone above and beyond in the hoarding/shopping department. I'm scared to death to try shopping next week for my normal purchases, I have a feeling I won't be able to get everything on my list but only time will tell. 

     Meanwhile, we did our best to move forward as normally as possible. Obviously the kids are home from school and getting all this 'home-school' stuff figured out has been interesting but over all we've managed to get along and avoid socializing too much. We have spent time chatting with neighbors but haven't left the neighborhood much. Greg still is working like normal but most of our neighbors are working from home so they're anxious to get out to chat at the end of the work day. We also had a sweet little sacrament meeting Sunday morning with all the kids, including Kayli, Tanner and Beau. It was the first time Mark and Isaac have been to 'church' in quite awhile, so that's a positive spin on this home-centered church option. We'll see how things go this Sunday.

Beau could not be any cuter!

     And did I mention how grateful I am to have our own playground in our backyard!? Putting up the trampoline was a must to keep these kids from going too stir-crazy. Now if we could just convince the weather-controllers to send sunny and warm weather we'll be all set. It's also been fun to have a cute puppy to distract us. Georgia is so sweet and fun!

      I will definitely be joining the masses in prayer this weekend. We need peace and comfort more than ever in this uncertain time and I really hope we can remember who brings that peace. Without the Savior, Jesus Christ, we're going to be lost and confused. I hope the majority of the world will see what's missing in their lives and come to Christ so we can have the help we're so desperate for. What a blessing to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints!

Pets and MORE pets!!

      So.....what a week!! I've never seen such drastic events in my life but I believe we're witnessing history that will hopefully only bring about positive outcomes for our country and specifically our local areas. I'm a little put off with all the mass purchasing of basic supplies at all the stores and causing unnecessary panic but I guess it just comes with the territory. I'm just glad I was prepared and didn't feel the need to join the insanity. As for us, we're just going along life as if all is normal, at least as much as possible. School is canceled for at least two weeks maybe longer, but that's a good thing, I think, as far as preventative measures go. 

       We dog sat our neighbors dog over the weekend, which was fun. Greg always wins the dogs over. We treated Judy to lunch for her birthday last Saturday AND we decided to take on a dog guardianship for the cutest mini-bernadoodle. We named her Georgia and she's adorable.

Greg with the neighbors dog and Smalls

Charlie on a cellphone in a phone booth at the soda shop.

Lunch with Judy at Chubby's. Fun time!

    Oh and Carter, his buddies and Greg did a little fishing at the local pond. Carter was on FIRE!

    And the biggest downer of the week was eating my last handful of jelly beans! What's worse is not knowing when I'll get more now that traveling is a lot more complicated. Farewell Glucojel, it's been a great four months!

    And here's GEORGIA!

She's a sweetie!

     It's a little stressful to think about our future and witnessing what is truly events we've been learning about our whole lives. It's one thing to see and hear about them from a distance but when they effect your regular day to day lives it can all seem a little too real. I'm so thankful I have a knowledge of Jesus Christ and the hope and promise of peace and joy His teachings bring. We may live in some hard times but even in the difficulties we can still find joy in Jesus Christ. I'm not as scared of what the future holds when I know I have a loving Savior to lead the way through it all. I pray the Lord will keep my family and friends safe and well through all this uncertainty.

Enjoying the warmer air.

    Warm enough for a motorcycle ride, YES!

    My two buddies.

Kayli and Beau came by for a quick visit Thursday and Beau didn't like Isaac for a minute.

     Thankfully she warmed up to him and got smiley again.

She's adorable!

    And McClane gets a break from braces for a few years. He still has to wear retainers indefinitely but, they come out, making it easier to eat pretty much whatever he wants. He's a happy boy! He told me to take this photo so he could remember this feeling of adjusting to life without braces because apparently it feels so weird.

Cute boy!

    So that's the weeks highlights. I'm seriously so happy about the warmer weather we've had all week. I hope we don't see anymore days with lows in the teens until next year!

A warmer week!

     We finished up basketball season this week for Brock and McClane. They both learned some new skills, had fun and are happy it's over. Greg and I had the opportunity to spend the majority of the week in St. George for Greg's water Conference and it was a blast. The weather was great, the rental car was so FUN!! I need a Toyota Camry Sport model in my life!! Going 100 mph felt like going 30! So fun!!! And believe it or not, I might even take a white one if that was my only option. I had the best time walking in the sunshine, never having to make a bed, no dishes, no meals to prepare, no laundry to do and lots of free time to read, relax and even do a little shopping. I might need these get- aways a little more often. And with how well the kids got along without us it might just be possible to leave them on their own more often.

Brock with his basketball team.

     The only negative this week was finding myself opening my very last bag of Glucojel's. Maybe our next getaway needs to be to Australia to restock my jelly bean supply.

NOOOO!!!!

     The sun felt so nice after church on Sunday. There's nothing better then chatting with the neighbors and soaking up the sun.

    On our way down South we passed a couple gnarly cars. The station wagon was pulling the black 'race' car. Pretty crazy that the station wagon was even running.

Griswald's?!

    And it only took 4 months and a trip to St. George to finally meet our newest niece, cute baby Zena! We had fun meeting up with the whole Springville Kmetzsch clan our first night in St. George.

     I had to document my morning jog/walks. I love these awesome walking trails in St. George. I also loved walking with just a light jacket instead of two layers of sweats, gloves, earmuffs and neck warmer.

     Greg got to shoot his shotgun for the second time in less than a year, which might be a record. He did ok but with the wind it made for a cold afternoon and by the end he could barely feel his fingers but he had fun anyway.

     And our last night in St. George we treated ourselves to probably the best steak dinner we've ever had. We went to this restaurant four years ago and haven't stopped talking about it in 4 years so we were thrilled to finally get back. It was delicious!

Anasazi Steakhouse is the BEST!

    We really had such a fun week! The kids survived without us and the break from our reality was much needed! Now I just have to find a way to rearrange my budget so I can buy myself a sports car, ha ha!

This is not the exact car we drove but it's identical and so sexy!

Cats!!

     Adding a cat to our family didn't seem like that big of a deal. I was told to have her spayed around 4 months old but I probably should have researched that a little more because.....Saturday morning we had an appointment at 9:30 a.m. to have Sapphire spayed and at 3 a.m., out of the blue and for the very first time, Sapphire used the dog door to go out on an adventure. I watched her go out the door and thought for sure she'd stay close and we'd find her waiting just outside the door in a short time. Well by 8:40 she was still nowhere to be seen and Greg was convinced she was out getting 'knocked up'. Well just when I was about to call the animal clinic to cancel our appointment a neighbor text me telling me they were pretty sure our cat was up in their tree. Sure enough, three doors down there was Sapphire clear up in this massive tree. We tried shaking her down with no luck so Greg went to grab a ladder from work to rescue her. While he was gone the neighbor boy was trying to reach her with a long tool, which wasn't close enough to touch her but close enough to encourage her to make her way down, which she did all on her own just as Greg was walking up to the gate with the ladder. So, long story short, we got her to her appointment on time and found out she was actually in heat, which explains her late night adventure. She's a bit of a floozy! Thankfully she's all fixed up now and there should be no more issues or worries of kittens in the future. And for future reference, you can spay a cat as early as 8 weeks old!

It's hard to see but that's Sapphire in the tree, a close up on the right and the far shot on the left.

And Charlie's always looking for a chance to practice her smile for photos.

     Thankfully we've had sunny days this week but the temperatures have been lower then I like. I'm really looking forward to spending a few days in St. George next week and really hope the temperatures are a little higher down south. The kids will hopefully survive on their own! Good luck Carter!! (He's going to be the main kid, he's even been practicing fixing Charlie's hair.)