What a difference a few months make . . .

Who would have guessed 2020 would turn so crazy so fast??  But despite the Covid19 pandemic and resulting lockdown, we have drawn strength from our faith and have grown even closer together as a family.  And we have made some great memories and received some wonderful blessings during this difficult time. But we are all very, very eager for things to start returning to normal soon!!

Before the lockdown (quite literally the few days before Disney shut their parks in the U.S. down) we enjoyed a Spring Break trip to Florida and Disney World the second week of March. The new Stars Wars world and rides were a blast as were all the usual attractions!

Also before the lockdown, I was able to attend my Grandpa Mac Call's funeral with my family and extended family in SLC. Grandpa Mac was 90 and led an abundant life. He now is at his eternal home with my dad, his oldest son. It was the first time all of his grandkids were in the same place at the same time in several years. I feel bad for my Grandma, who is in a rest home alone without him and cannot have visitors because of the pandemic . . .  :-( 

In the couple months before the shutdown and throughout it, everyone has been engaged in scholastics and extracurricular activities.  Emme went to NASA for a daddy-daughter date and is finishing 6th grade via remote online learning! She also was continuing with tennis lessons before everything got shut down. 

Harrison's rec basketball team came in second place. He scored some baskets, set some great picks, and got some key steals and rebounds! He is finishing 7th grade via online classes and got to help put on the Jungle Book with his Theater group before the pandemic hit!

 Bella finished her dance season in style and just found out that she made the varsity Clements Stars team last week! She turned 16 in quarantine but still had a fun birthday, with drive-by visits and lots of deliveries (and some renegade visitors)! She is finishing 10th grade and taking driver's ed online!

Sophie made the big decision of where she is going to college in the fall -- BYU!  The pandemic put a damper on her gap-year travel plans for Spring and Summer, but she has been a great helper and tutor with all the online schooling going on these days!

In quarantine, we have watched a lot of movies, had a lot of game nights, installed a basketball goal in the driveway, worked on our music skills, worked on our art skills, binged Netflix and Disney Plus series, worked out and gone on lots of long walks and runs, built blanket forts, dipped in the pool and hot tub many nights, done a lot of school work, had church at home, and stayed up and slept in too late most days! We have also cooked more than we ever have before!

And we have been able to sneak in a couple of Pointe West beach trips, one a day trip and one a three night/three day trip, which have provided some much appreciated breaks from lockdown routine!