15 Years

This year has been one of Alyssa's best!  While the rest of the world struggled, she seemed to thrive!  She made some fun, good friends, really improved in volleyball, had a "real" job during the summer and got to go to Mexico twice, lucky girl! She has grown into a beautiful young woman!  Happy birthday Lyss!

Her dad brought her lunch at school.

Her mom got up at 6am,
went to Daylight Donuts and 
 brought her a maple bar for breakfast.  
She must be loved.

They escaped!
CSI escape room

FROZEN

I am not a fan of the cold, but this is pretty cool...

#UtahLake #Frozen #thisworldisaamazing

Walking on water!

#icefort

#perfectsnowangel

"Let's Go Out With a Bang!"

 "Here we go!"  (One of my favorite songs from 2020.)

We went out of 2020
 and entered into 2021
with a bang!

We had Huff over for the evening.
Tiago, Alyssa and Ayzha went to parties.

Happy for a New Year!

2020 A World In Commotion

The best way I can describe the world in 2020, is commotion and calamity.  We entered the year thick in the Impeachment trial of President Trump.  It was one thing after the next from there:

-The Chinese threatened war with the US. 

-Coronavirus was released in Wuhan, China and became a global pandemic. 

-We were asked to quarantine in our homes.

-The economy plummeted while suicide rates skyrocketed.

-Toilet paper and disinfectant wipes were difficult to come by.

-Schools were shut down.  Children were forced to learn online.

-Church was canceled.  We studied scripture in families and were given special permission to participate in the sacrament at home.  Temples were closed.

-We couldn’t enter public places without wearing a mask.

-Rioting in the streets broke out due to the death of George Floyd, an African American who was killed by a white police officer. 

-There were many natural disasters; wild fires, tornados, hurricanes, a "Firenado" in California, earthquakes, a locust plague in Africa, murder hornets from China.

-There was a massive explosion in Beruit, Lebanon, airplane crashes, the assassination of a top Iranian General (and terrorist) with threats of retaliation.  

-Mainstream media spewed"fake news."  They intentionally hid stories that were not in line with their ideology or that would disparage then candidate Joe Biden.

-The Presidential election was emotionally draining. Our country became even more deeply divided, and a political puppet, Joe Biden won the election. 

-There was suspicion of rampant fraud in the election. 

 

Our family faced additional challenges:  

-Because airlines were shut down and then functioning at lower capacity, Ben's company nearly lost funding.  A few pay checks were late in coming and if things don't improve, he may be looking for new employment in 6 months.

-My sales slowed considerably.  Labs across the country are focused on testing for Covid-19.  Selling their used equipment is the last thing on their minds.  

-A wild fire broke out to the south of us.  Strong winds blew it north and it threatened the homes in our neighborhood.  We were evacuated.

-I broke my foot/sprained my ankle.

-Holly had MCL surgery and is still recovering.

-Ben and I both became infected with Coronavirus.  

-We were scammed.

-We faced additional financial hardship due to some unexpected legal battles over custody.

-The transmission in our car went out, an additional financial burden.  

Phew, it was one crazy year!  Could this be the beginning of the end??  Time will tell.  

Third Christmas

 Got the girls back today, yay!

Holly loves mugs!!
Especially her new ones!

Alyssa is hand knitting a very soft, cute blanket.

Update:  Alyssa finished her blanket!

Second Christmas

On Christmas night we got Ayzha, Tiago and Reyn and opened more presents.  

Reyn always has the best reactions!

Roller skates!!

Umm...you got us kids chewable Tylenol?
No sillies, open the box.  

First Christmas

Santa brought Q a mountain bike
so he can ride with Tiago and dad.

Christmas dinner at my dad's was wonderful.
We got to know Jennifer and her children a bit better.
They might become my brothers and sisters some day.

Qyntn is really good at crossing his eyes!

Alyssa and Holly spent Christmas with their dad.