Masks

Masks

Masks

Masks

And more masks! LOL

Covid sure has kept things... uh... interesting! But it hasn't been all bad. Though we have limited school hours, the kids are still able to go to school here in Idaho. Which is not the case everywhere.  Though we have to wear masks everywhere in public, we are getting outdoors and exploring more to avoid the public mask wearing locations. And as you can see above, we are getting creative with our entertainment. This is an avocado face mask that Lilia made me. I've never been pampered in such a way!

We've been able to get out and go hiking a lot. And because we get out so much, the kids legs are getting stronger. This was a pic from doing the Lower Palisades Lake hike up and back. According to my fitbit, it clocked in at just under 9 miles from the lower parking area and Ebony hiked the whole way! I felt like this hike was very much about the journey and not so much about the destination. We were all disappointed by the lack of access to the lake. BUT, the hike up was beautiful!

We've visited the Greenbelt a dozen times and every time we find something new. We love going to the beautiful river, seeing the temple up close, taking advantage of great photo ops, and petting every dog walking past!

The Greenbelt has so many unique benches that make the walk fun for all the kids. I'm grateful to the many generous folks who were creative and generous in their donations. My kids very much appreciate this feature. And I appreciate their appreciation! It really is cool that people are willing to give for the enjoyment of others.

Meet Marshmellow. This kid ate so many she adopted the name. And assigned other nicknames... Makayla became Donkey, Andrew became Penguin ("cuz they're evil"... what?!?),  Sam became Shrek, Jaedyn became Dora. Her names caught on and Dallin began calling himself Baby Jaguar. So fun! There may have been some others.  I absolutely love camping with family. The summer before 2020 I don't feel like we got to go camping as much as I would have liked. 2020 brought with it more opportunities and we found many really cool places (Granite Falls was amazing and will be revisited, for sure!). Not to mention,  there was more family that were willing to join in, as their schedules were more flexible because they were working from home. I love going camping. I love the space, the sounds, the smells and the break from the norm. I even love this dirty face... though I have to say the dirt took time to appreciate! It's just not in my nature to appreciate a mess 😆. I am learning to embrace what outdoor play looks like on kids though. 

Outdoor hot-pots turned hot-tubs. Cuz who doesn't love a nice warm bath in the outdoors? Especially when everyone fits! LOL. After seeing all of those kids crammed in, the adults all hesitated and decided not to take a turn. 😂

A picture of cousin love. I really do adore this picture and what it represents. My girls have such great cousins who look out for each other, tease and play with each other, love each other, and even protect one another from a little rain. Thanks Makayla and Sam 💗

I love these girls of mine and the relationships that they are developing. It is so fun for me to have the opportunity to closely watch sisters in action, what the relationship is, how it develops, what strengthens it, and how fierce it can be! 💗💗💗