2020 In Review

• Winter sledding, especially in the dark, was our favorite
• Went to the Pompeii exhibit
• Ezra had his tonsils and adenoids surgically removed
• Mom came to visit!
• Ezra transitioned to a regular bed and we said good bye to the crib forever
  
• Went to Triple Play indoor water park and hotel in Hayden, ID
  
• COVID hit and the world shut down
• Lots and lots of hiking
• Took the kids to a cemetery to teach them about Easter, was a really cool experience
• More hiking
• Kayaking at Medical Lake
• Got to visit Christine for a weekend-my mothers day present
  
• Went zip lining through the CDA mountains on our 15th anniversary
  
• Taught the kids how to fish
• Purchased Bell Tower Funeral Home
  
• Annual friends camping trip to Liberty Lake
• More hiking and fishing
• Vacation home to Twin Falls-met little Lucy, saw Grayson's blessing, went to Cherry Hill water park (Kimball and Daddy went to Lagoon), Cox reunion at the Elba cabin, lots of swimming, fishing, four wheeling, girls shopping trip with the older nieces, stopped in Logan to see Laura and Josh Van Noy, kids went camping with Grandma and Grandpa
• Kimball discovered mountain biking
• More hiking
  
• Went to a demolition derby-Ezra was amazed
  
• Took the two older kids to Silverwood
• Potty trained Ezra
• More hiking
• Went to a monster truck show-Ezra was amazed
  
• Began actual home school
• Went home to see Bonnie and Kempton while they were on leave
• Ann passed away
• Christmas cruise on CDA Lake
  

COVID Continues

Before I forget, I want to share my thoughts about COVID-19 and how it was to cope during this past year of 2020. When everything shut down in the spring I knew we'd survive the two weeks quarantine and was actually looking forward to it. But then things stayed shut down. Home schooling through Zoom was a nightmare and Cora really regressed during that last half of the year. I ended up forgetting about Zoom and making up my own curriculum. We hiked 2-3 times a week, each hike being a different spot and being outdoors is what made us survive. The governor kept changing our state's status, in the summer things were more open and then they closed again at the start of the school year and throughout the election. Here's a list of some pros and cons of COVID.

Pros:

• More time with each other at home
  
• Lots and lots of extra time to be outdoors and really explore Spokane for the first time since we moved here 7 years ago
  
• Greater appreciation for our health!
• Our work is essential so we haven't been without work
• Being creative in our activities
• Being creative in using the resources we have at home (no, we didn't really dip into our food storage as grocery stores were still open)
• Under the direction of the prophet we had church at home, and it was a pleasant, short 10 minute meeting
• Having the technology to home school
• Great appreciation for doctors and nurses
  

Cons:

• Too much time with each other at home-we're driving each other crazy!
  
• Cabin fever
• Missing our friends
• 10 minute church - I, in particular, really miss seeing friendly faces at church and hearing other's comments and testimonies from sacrament meeting and classes
• Boredom
• Home school!
• No sports or any extra curricular activities
• No traveling - other states are closed as well
  

COVID has hit each person differently. For Lance, life hasn't changed one bit except he doesn't have extra meetings on sunday and is able to sleep in. 

For me, it has been extremely difficult. All of the ways that I fill my bucket to keep sane and grounded, were all taken away: getting revelation and encouragement from my church meetings, not being able to minister to my sisters, no play dates for the kids, no girls nights, no interaction with anybody outside of the family (except by text), no window shopping, no getting babysitters so I can have a break to think, no date nights, just getting out of the house and running errands. etc. With everything closed and people social distancing, my own little world distanced and closed, too. It has put a strain on my mental health trying to find other ways to cope or other outlets. A lot of people use Zoom or other virtual meetings, but it just isn't the same! We need to be in person where we can see all of those nonverbal language/cues. We need physical touch!!! I have been much more mindful of giving my kids extra hugs and snuggles because they don't get hugs from friends, no high fives from teachers, no helping hand on the play ground. Just those simple physical gestures really mean the world and speak louder than words. 

It has been a huge blow not to have in-person school. We make the best of it with home school but it just isn't the same. For elementary ages, social and emotional development is far greater than academics. So they're not getting the practice needed to just be around other people. I'd even say that some of their manners have been lacking/forgotten.

I'm just REALLY praying that in the fall school will resume and life will be mostly back to normal. I'm hoping that with vaccines just starting to roll out, an additional 8 months time will do us wonders in getting more people vaccinated and the economy opened up. COVID, I really hate you.

Ann Spark's Funeral & John's Talk

When we heard that Ann  passed away we were sad but grateful. Her latest cancer of her brain quickly changed her personality and she wasn't able to do most of the things she always did. I can't remember when the diagnosis was, I think around September 2020. She wasn't walking straight, she was always dizzy, had vision problems, and would say odd things. It quickly progressed to changing her personality-instead of the quiet and go with the flow Ann, she became very outspoken and mean. But she couldn't help it! Its hard to say how much of that was the tumor and how much were the medications to blame. 

At the end of October Ann went to stay in Cary with her sister Carolyn for about a week. Ann needed around the clock help just to get up to go to the bathroom, she was too unstable on her feet. It became too much for Carolyn so in anticipation of her coming back to Twin Falls to live on her own, Donna and us girls (Stephanie, Bonnie, myself and Cora) went to Ann's house to do a deep clean of her front room so she could access things more readily without help. Her home teacher also built her a ramp before she got home. I don't remember if she spent a day in the house or not but she took a turn for the worse and was in the hospital. Ann's needs were just too much for any one person to do alone, she needed 24 hour care from nurses. She was at the hospital for a bit before she was moved to a care facility. Because of COVID nobody could visit her, they had to talk on the phone through the window of her room (Ann would hold the tv remote up on top of her head to talk on the phone). It was sad and very, very lonely for her. Two weeks before she passed, she told Donna she was ready to die. Being that isolated is no way for anybody to live.

I tried to think of every logical way to go to the funeral. I could drive down with the kids, I could find a babysitter so that Lance and I could go together, we thought of flying some family member up here to be with the kids so Lance and I could go. Nothing stood out to me and I just didn't have a good feeling about going. I REALLY wanted to go but the spirit was telling me no. I'm glad I didn't because Lance drove the casket down to TF so it would've been me and the kids alone. Christmas night we got about 3" of snow and the day Lance drove back home we got another 6" of snow. I'm glad I didn't go for that reason alone, the road were awful. But the kids had fun playing in the snow, especially Cora. She really loves the snow.

I won't put the musical number recordings on here but Lance, Kempton, and Jerusha did an amazing job at Ann's funeral. And John's talk was wonderful as well, here is a copy of it.

 

Good morning---I give thanks to Ann's family for this opportunity, and I'm humbled by it. I'm sure I speak for the family when I share gratitude for your attendance---I know there are many here who were taught by Ann in Primary---also coworkers, the Carey class of '75, and temple worker friends. A special thank you to Glen Leavitt and his family for their years of service for Ann.

 I've attended many funeral services in my life, and I'm always impressed by the way that families come closer to together in a deeper way than in the routine, everyday life.

Also, there is almost always a great deal of talk about the next life, reunions with loved ones, and resurrection. Some have concerns about the reality of this, and it's with you that I would like to share today.

It wasn't really a very long time ago, that Stewart and Beth held a new baby girl in their arms. They very likely had a moment of complete awe at what they were experiencing---something that's likely happened to most of us at sometime, when looking at a newborn. "Who is this person?" "She wasn't here yesterday, and yet she is here today." "How can this be---this is a miracle." 

Now we say, "She was here yesterday, and now she isn't---Where is she now?"

My father was a private person, and we never spoke of spiritual things---that is, until a short discussion when my father knew that he had few days remaining of his mortal life. I wouldn't say that my Dad was an atheist, but he was a skeptic. He said, "I wonder what this was all for?" That's a fair question---it's a fundamental question. I told him that when the time was right, he would leave this body behind and he would soon be with loved ones again---including his mother who died when he was five. He said, "Do you believe that?" And I said, "Yes Dad, I do." He said, "I hope you're right."

My Mother told me that Dad felt that all this talk about the next life, and resurrections and stuff like that was just an emotional crutch based on wishful thinking. That's not an uncommon world view.

Sometimes I wonder if we aren't missing what has been in front of our faces for our whole lives.

Recently Elder Lawrence Corbridge spoke to a mostly LDS audience about belief, and I will close by reading a portion of his remarks, which I think are profound:

Finally, believe. Believe "with God all things are possible." We may all be taken back from time to time by the extraordinary - such as walking on water, multiplying bread and fish, raising the dead, translating gold plates with special lenses, and the visitation of angels. Some people are hard-pressed to believe extraordinary things. Which it is understandable that we may be challenged by the extraordinary, we should be, because ordinary things are actually far more phenomenal.

The most phenomenal occurrences of all time and eternity - the most amazing wonders, the most astounding, awesome developments - are the most common and widely recognized. They include I am; you are; we are; and all that we perceive exists as well, from subatomic particles to the farthest reaches of the cosmos and everything in between, including all of the wonders of life. Is there anything greater than those ordinary realities? No. Nothing else even comes close. You can't begin to imagine, much less describe, anything great than what already is.

In light of what is, nothing else should surprise us. It should be easy to believe that with God all things are possible.

The healing of the withered hand is not nearly as amazing as the existence of the hand in the first place. If it exists, it follows that it can certainly be fixed when it is broken. The greater event is not in its healing but in its creation.

More phenomenal than resurrection is birth. The greater wonder is not that life, having once existed, could come again but that it ever exists at all.

More amazing than raising the dead is that we live at all. A silent heart that beats again is not nearly as amazing as the heart that beats within your breast right now.

The wonder is not what the human eye may see, rather, that it sees anything at all.

How can you believe in extraordinary things such as angels and your divine potential? Easy, just look around and believe.

I don't know if pigs will ever sprout wings and fly, but if they do, flying pigs will never be nearly as amazing as the ordinary pig in the first place.

Thank you again to Ann's family. I wouldn't be surprised if Ann has already heard or felt the words, "Well done thou good and faithful servant---enter in to the Joy of thy Lord."

Merry Christmas

Christmas Eve we opened our traditional gift of pajamas and this year each of the kids got a book. We had a special treat and watched a movie together downstairs as a family until it was time to go to bed.

Christmas morning came quickly and the kids wanted to eat breakfast first because they got individual boxed cereals from Santa in their stockings. It was a wonderful morning of squeals and joy. Lance got me a large Christus statue for the mantle!

Lance ended up snoozing on the couch while I went around for hours to each of the kids helping put their new toys together. We just played and snacked all day, what a wonderful way to spend Christmas together!

Santa Found Grandma and Grandpa

 

Homeschool Win

This paper from Kimball's home school made me proud and laugh at the same time. He was supposed to write a letter to the president of the U.S. about what species of animal he would save from endangerment and why. It says:

Dear Mr. or Madame President,

I like pandas because I think they are cute, so why not save almost every animal in the world because they are all part of our ecosystem and plus, it's not fair. Remember the GOLDEN RULE and it would just be boring to have a surrounding of plain and dead trees. i think it should be beautiful.

 

CDA Cruise to the North Pole

One of the unique Christmas activities we did this year was take a cruise on Coeur d'Alene Lake to the North Pole. We got hot chocolate and cider and some delicious sugar and chocolate chip cookies. Then we boarded the ship and cruised past all the light displays around the harbor - so cool! The dragon one even breathed fire. When we got to the North Pole we saw Santa with a suped up sleigh that shot fire out the back of his sleigh, now we know how he goes so fast around the world. Santa called all of the nice boys and girls on his list and even read out loud Kimball, Cora, and Ezra! This was the most exciting part for the kids, knowing they were on the nice list.

Oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open....cruise ship!

Christmas Activities

 We decided to support a local  business who is going out of January 1st if they didn't receive more customers, all due to covid. So we went to Amy's Donuts and order a half dozen for ourselves (the kids chose their own) and then four dozen to take to the local police.

The first police station was super quiet with only one guy in there. We decided to hit the fire station and take the fire fighters some donuts but we couldn't get in the door so we went to the police academy instead. This stop turned into a field trip! I asked Kimball if he had any questions for the offers or about what they do and he said he wanted to see the shooting range. I told him he wasn't allowed back there but the officer said, "Absolutely! Let's go, bud!" He gave each of the kids a swat badge and we walked out to the shooting range where a dew DEA agents were practicing. It turned out that day was graduation day and 22 new officers were called, 4 of them stayed in Spokane and the rest went to other areas of the state. Right by the shooting range was a mini obstacle course, turns out that's where they train the police dogs. It was all pretty cool and they were very thankful for the donuts.

Making gingerbread houses

This year for our ornament we made melted snowmen out of felt

My perfect view - a fire going right by the tree and stockings, so warm!

For therapy Cora got to write a letter to Santa. This is what hers says:

Dear Santa,

I want a doll set for Christmas and my own garbage can. I want these because I have gum at home.

Cora Cox