Jonas’s preschool graduation

Better late than never! Even though Jonas hasn’t been to school since March, his teachers were determined to hold a graduation once the state’s restrictions were eased. Jonas was super excited to “graduate”! He was sad, however, that he didn’t get to immediately start kindergarten. I’m sure that excitement will wear off by the time he hits middle school! Still, he was happy to see his teachers and some of his friends again. The ceremony was short since only half of his class was there due to restrictions with the number of people who are permitted to gather at this time. Jonas had to recite a nursery rhyme (Jack and Jill) all by himself. He did awesome! He didn’t seem nervous at all. They also sang songs then had a processional to receive his graduation certificate. I know it’s silly, but I got teary-eyed several times. He’s growing up too fast! I love that he works hard. He’s a smart boy. I don’t know if I’m ready for him to go to kindergarten, but he is.

Happy Father’s Day

I know Jeff is never one to want us to fuss over him, but he is the one man who deserves all the fuss! I don’t think I could ever describe what he means to this family. He is the glue that holds us together. He is the calm in the storm. He is the anchor of our faith. He is our guiding light. He is our biggest supporter and are most passionate corrector. He loves fiercely! He is the BEST father our children could ever have. He never stops loving, giving, or fighting for each of us. So what do you give the man who gives all of himself? Time! Jeff is notorious for buying whatever he wants when he wants it so it’s hard to come up with actual gift ideas, but what he wants most is to have his family close...and that’s what we did. Saturday evening, everyone (including Laurin, Casey, Amber and Jacob) gathered for a fun pulled pork BBQ taste-off. We decided to gift him an experience. We purchased kits through Utah Taste-off. They pulled together 6 different BBQ vendors to provide 3 lbs of meat in each kit to compare, contrast, and enjoy. In addition to the abundance of meat, we had sides to enjoy plus Dad’s Rootbeer (only appropriate drink for the holiday!). We enjoyed our dinner and overall, Bandera BBQ was the top favorite. It was fun to debate what we liked or didn’t like about the meat. 

After we finished eating, we simply enjoyed spending the evening together. A few months back, Jeff helped all the older boys get a bow and arrows. They brought their bows and did some target shooting. Even Jonas joined in the melee with his toy bow and arrows!

Now lest you think we didn’t get Jeff any gifts, that evening Jonas begged Jeff to open at least one gift. I think Jonas was more interested in the gifts than Jeff was. Still, I let them open the gift I got for Jeff (the boys chipped in to pay for the taste-off experience). This is the first time I got Jeff a gift...for me. Haha! This is a typical Southwick way to give gifts - get someone else something that you could use for yourself. Well Jeff has destroyed our duvet cover with his rough feet so I got him a new duvet cover and some lotion and pedicure products to help his rough, dry feet. We all laughed pretty hard!

Following that, we stayed up until nearly midnight playing games. It was the simplicity of being together that was the most important part of the weekend for him.

And the celebrations continued into Sunday! Laurin and Casey stayed overnight and through the following evening after dinner. They presented him with probably the BEST Father’s Day gift...or should I say “grandfather’s” day gift! That’s right! Laurin is pregnant!! She gave him a shirt that had “Dad. Established 1996” embroidered above a pocket on the front of his T-shirt; however, once he unfolded the shirt, there was another thing embroidered under the collar on the back “Grandfather. Established 2021”! Jeff was both surprised and thrilled! We are all super excited to welcome Baby Irons in January!!

The rest of the day was much like the previous evening - just spent with family. Dallin called and chatted in the morning then we went to church for the first time since March. It was a little strange not being able to associate with friends like before. We were all spread out in the chapel and most people were wearing face masks. Still, it was nice to be gathered together in faith and to hear Jeff speak (he had been assigned to speak in two wards that day). That evening, Amber and Jacob joined us again along with Katie, Greg, Gma Penny, and Grumpy. We enjoyed a yummy burger BBQ, more games, and simply time. Time is the one gift Jeff can’t buy for himself, and it’s the one gift that means more to him than anything else in the world. Happy Father’s Day!

School's "out"? Summer begins?

This was not the end-of-school-year I was expecting a few months ago. Gone were the final concerts, awards ceremonies, parties with friends, preschool graduation, etc. Instead, there was a day assigned for Danny to go to the junior high to grab his things and that was it for him. He completed all his new assignments on May 15th then the last week was just for make-up work.  Jonas also finished his preschool assignments on May 15th, but I have yet to tell him school is over. Haha! We actually keep doing little worksheets so he can keep up with his work in preparation for (hopefully) kindergarten in the fall. Jonas did have his final recital in music lessons via Zoom and was able to go (face mask and all!) to his final gymnastics performance, but that was it for him.

The world is still a little crazy, but things are starting to open back up. There is talk about returning to church services; restaurants are opening their indoor seating; waterparks are starting to open. In fact, I enrolled Jonas in swim lessons again. I told Jeff that I am more concerned about him drowning than him contracting the virus at this point. We have become a little more relaxed with our social circles. We are seeing family more often and allowing contact with certain friends. However, we are not taking this lightly. Hand sanitizer is being used in abundance and we are still cautious about where we choose to go and who we choose to have contact with. Facemasks are still a part of the norm, and "social distancing" is a natural part of our daily vernacular. Even Jonas has "planned" events and described where we would all be positioned so as to maintain proper social distancing. We still spend most of our time at home. Jonas and I get a little creative to try to survive the mundane routines of home. One day, there was a flyover by military jets in honor of the healthcare workers who have been battling this pandemic on the front lines. It was kind of cool to go outside and watch for them.

The weather has warmed up, which means more water activities. We played with water balloons one day, and Jonas went "hunting elk" in our driveway (aka shooting his bow and arrow at his plastic, inflatable cow).

On National Chocolate Chip Day (yes...that's a thing), we made yummy double chocolate chip cookies. Anything to make the day just a little more fun!

The weekend before Memorial Day weekend, the girls planned a little camping trip to Strawberry Reservoir and invited the rest of us. Danny was excited to finally get out of the trailer (where he's been for a week and a half because he was sick). He went up with Laurin and Casey on Friday night. Jeff, Jonas, and I joined them on Saturday afternoon (Amber and Jacob came up that evening). We got to go canoeing and fishing (for those who wanted to) on the reservoir. Most of the time, we just hung out at the campsite. It was nice to be outdoors with no agenda. It was even nicer because I didn't plan it! It's great now that the girls are older and plan their own stuff. I only had to pack food for the boys, Jeff, and I. We only spent one night. Sunday morning, we did a little hike. The terrain was filled with wildflowers. It was so pretty! It was worth sacrificing a night of good sleep to be with family and enjoy the beauty of the outdoors.

The following weekend was Memorial Day weekend. We had originally planned to camp at Lagoon with the Told family like we'd done last year. However, with the uncertainty of this virus and the park's opening, we opted to push that trip back to Father's Day weekend. That left us with a wide-open holiday weekend. There is always plenty of work to do around here so Saturday we spent catching up on a few chores around the property. Sunday (May 24th) we roasted S'mores at Gma and Grumpy's house in the evening since they would be going to Idaho Falls for Memorial Day. On Monday (25th), we decided to join Amber and Jacob at Payson Lakes for a picnic lunch and a little fishing. The lakes were beautiful! The weather was perfect too! Jeff, Jonas, and I enjoyed walking around the lake while Danny and his friend, Noah, set out to catch fish in the canoe. We eventually found Amber, Jacob, and Mitchell, who had joined in our fun. Jacob and Mitchell had been out fishing and caught 3 fish. Jonas decided he wanted in on the fun so Jacob showed him how to fish from shore then took him out on the dingy. Jonas actually caught a fish! He was so excited to show us. Jeff showed him how to clean the fish and yes, when we got home, Jonas ate his fish. Once we left the lake, we all congregated back at our house for a traditional burger BBQ then ended the day by watching Captain America. It may not have been an expected start to our summer, but it's been a good one!