Sunday Lessons

Today was fast Sunday. Rick and I attended the ASL branch and were asked to be the interpreters for sacrament meeting. We then stayed after church in order to get our temple recommends renewed from the Stake. The Bonnys were in town and it was fun to visit with them. Betty Jones was also there and we hadn't seen her in a long time. We gave her a ride home after.

We came home and hurriedly finished dinner before the ASL sister missionaries arrived. We had marinated chicken and several salads. The missionaries did a fun activity with our family and then taught a little lesson and challenged us to look for God's miracles this week! Later that night we had our Come Follow Me lesson with the grandkids taught by Jenna. She did such an awesome job! 

She showed Evan and Eli the object lesson where you have a bunch of pepper in a bowl of water and then dip a finger with dishsoap into the bowl and watch the pepper scatter to the edges of the bowl. This shows how with the help of the holy ghost you can be "in the world, but not of the world." She talked about the things of the world compared to the greater gifts that Heavenly Father has in store for us.  

She told the boys that they could either have a treat now (a little marshmallow), or if they could wait a whole five minutes then they could have a big treat (no bake cookies). At first Eli (age 3) wanted the marshmallow, but Evan (age 4) knew better and said they would skip the marshmallow and wait for the "real" treat. 

We went outside and she had two pathways written in sidewalk chalk on the back patio. The said "Son of Man," and had a picture of an entryway to a path with bright colors, rainbows, and candy. The other path said, "Son of God," and had a picture of an entryway to a path with a few rocks. Then she asked Evan and Eli which path they would want to walk. Of course they chose the enticing colorful pictures. 

But then she had them look through a rolled up paper, that looked like a paper telescope to see what was at the end of each path. On the cement wall at the end of each pathway was a picture. The entryway with the picture of rocks had a picture of Jesus at the end. The other picture had someone who looked like he was in chains. The pathway with the colorful images had different steps such as parties, temptations, addictions and so forth. 

The pathway with the rocks had steps such as baptism, studying scriptures, going to church, and going to the temple. That pathway led to Jesus and the other pathway led to misery. She explained that it was easy to be enticed by the bright, colorful things of the world, but if we kept our eye on Jesus (as shown when looking through the paper telescope) then we would stay on the right path of making and keeping covenants. Then we went in at ate her yummy no-bake oatmeal cookies! Great lesson, Jenna!! 

Evan's Primary Program

The Sunday before Thanksgiving was Evan's primary program and so Rick, Jenna, and I went to their ward to watch. Evan did well! They had the teachers of each class come up and say a few words about their class and introduce their students. Then they had mock classes up on the stand near the sacrament table with two teachers holding a microphone and their class sitting in a half circle around them. They would ask their class questions and then have the students respond. Evan did well, especially since they accidentally put him in the wrong mock class and so he had to answer a question that he wasn't prepared for. But he handled it well and when it was his turn he answered "be nice," which was an appropriate answer for the question. 

Evan sang the songs well. The program leaders had the nursery kids come sing a song or two also and so Eli got to participate. There was a temporary hiccup when he dropped whatever it was he was holding for the song because he wanted a different one. But thankfully he recovered. The program was really cute! The one drawback was that it must not have been timed out very well and it went over by a good twenty minutes! The other ward was anxiously waiting to get in as everyone was leaving. We headed home and then Jase and Ellen and the kids came over for dinner later. 

Evan and Eli!

Jase and Ellen came for the weekend and went and saw Anastasia tonight at Tuacahn. Meanwhile I tended the boys! We had fun with the race tracks and marble machine!! We loved the orange race tracks growing up and often made elaborate designs with loops and jumps. These ones have seen better days -- I'll have to see if there are any of these tracks floating around the internet that I can purchase. As far as the marble machine goes -- we have had this for many years!! Our children often spent many hours building all sorts of cool contraptions with them!! Evan and Eli loved them too. I am glad that I hung on to them! 

Zion's National Park

We went to Zion's National Park with Jase, Ellen, Evan, and Eli. I think the last time I went hiking at Zions was in 2016! A lot has changed since then! It was crowded back then, but now it was insane! As we drove up there were signs saying that there was no available parking in the park and that visitors needed to park in Springdale. In Springdale there are hotels and restaurants with available parking, but each place was charging $25.00 just to park there. There were several kiosks with which to pay. So not only do you need to buy a pass to get into the park, you also need to pay another $25.00 just to park! It is ridiculous! 

After parking you need to ride a huge shuttle bus into the park -- which was crammed with visitors squished in with every seat taken and then everyone else standing with very little room. The driver announces interesting landmarks, but it is so crowded you can't see much of anything. The bus drops you off at the visitor's center and then you catch another bus to get to your desired trailhead. All of this took a long time. Two of the trailheads were closed. There were intercoms making announcements making it feel more like an amusement park rather than a national park. 

We finally got to the trailhead of a very short hike, since we Evan and Eli wouldn't make it very far. It was basically a half mile walk to a picnic area. That is as far as we got into the park! Then we ate some snacks and then rode the long bus back! After we got to our cars we went to a nearby park so that the boys could run around and so that we could eat our picnic. This was the most pleasant part of the journey! It is sad that Zions has gotten so overly crowded! 

We departed ways since we had the 40's dance tonight and Jase and Ellen and their boys went camping at a place they had found a ways outside of the park. Luckily it was a wide open space with nothing but land for the boys to run around! I am sure it was difficult camping with two young boys, but they said that it went well!    

Soccer Games!!

Ellen had come down the week before Easter with the boys and stayed with her parents and siblings at a place in Washington since it was their Spring Break. Jase joined them late Thursday night and we were able to spend some time with them over the weekend.

Thursday was a stressful day at work. I had just found out a couple of days ago about a presentation on campus that would require interpreters today. We were already short on interpreters since a couple of interpreters were out of town this week and almost everyone else was already working. So I had to interpret for it and do some re-arranging to get my regular class covered. I was a little nervous for the presentation, but it went well. There was just a lot going on today and several last minute changes to the schedule, which was stressful. Later in the afternoon, after work, I went to my friend's adoption party (they had just adopted two children). It was a ways away and I had Jenna drive me there for driving practice. 

I brought Jenna to and from dance (with her driving for driving practice) and then we went to Josh's soccer game. Ellen and Evan were already there. Jenna's dance was scheduled to finish later than usual tonight and then still went over and so I was chomping at the bit because I didn't want to miss the game! We didn't make it to the game until halftime, but I was glad that we made it for the second half. Josh's team played Desert Hills. It was a close game, which is always nerve-wracking, and we ended up winning by just one point. It was exciting with the lights and music and lots of cheering! It was so much fun -- just what I needed after a busy, stressful day! 

President's Day Weekend!

Thursday night after interpreting at SUU I brought Jaiden back home with me. Then Jase and Ellen came down later that night. Jase had a presentation at Utah Tech University on Friday and also on Tuesday. Friday I worked all day. Saturday Jase and Ellen went with Rick to the Parade of Homes while I watched the boys. We enjoyed a nice walk to the park. That night we had a nice family dinner and Jared came over and joined us. Sunday we all went to church. Jaiden was supposed to sing Sunday, but I bumped her a week since another college student was in town and it worked out for her to sing this week. Monday Jenna and I brought the boys back to the park for a walk. Monday night Jase and Ellen went to Sakura while Rick and I watched the boys. I was glad that we had nice weather for their weekend because the next week brought cold and snow! 

Heading Home

Janika and Brandon arrived home from Hawaii very late Friday night and stayed over at Brandon's parent's house. Saturday morning they picked up Evan from Ellen's parent's house in order to babysit him for the day. Ellen was finally released from the hospital today since her contractions hadn't started up again. Tomorrow she will be 32 weeks and then she will be able to go to the Riverton hospital which is closer to their home when she goes into labor again. 

Josh and I played with Everett and Evan and then got ready to head back home. We picked up Jenna from the Westra's and drove the four hour drive home without incident -- although I was very tired! Rick would be arriving home from his cruise Sunday afternoon and I was looking forward to seeing him! 

Jase, Ellen, and Evan

Friday, October 15: After doing baptisms at the Draper Temple we went to Chick-Fil-A with the Williams and then Josh, Jenna, Rella, and I went to go visit Jase and Evan and see their new place. We weren't able to see Ellen because she was still in the Murray hospital. She and Jase had gone to the Murray hospital last Monday (at 31 weeks) because she was having contractions. The next morning she was dilated to a six and they had given her an epidural, expecting imminent delivery. We were all very nervous about this and praying hard for her. Then a few hours the contractions slowed way down and then dilation did not continue, and so they ended up taking out the epidural and eventually moved her out of labor and delivery. So she was still in the hospital, but it was Jase's day off and so he was taking care of Evan. 

Jase gave us a tour of their new place in Herriman. Below is a picture of the house (they are in the basement apartment). It definitely has some quirks (notice the picture of the outlet -- they are all like that, ha ha), but is spacious and roomy -- 2000 square feet! They seem to like the area and ward, and the  landlords who own the house and live upstairs have a couple of young boys and so they get along well with them and have been able to trade babysitting. Jase and Ellen have enjoyed living there and are exciting to finish furnishing it when they can. They have a lot on their plate right now! 

Maryland

Rick and I left for Maryland Tuesday morning at 8:00. Rick drove us to the airport and Jaiden came with us to drive the car home. We ran into Susan and Doug Howard at the airport and enjoyed visiting with them. Several of their children were in our caroling group through the years (they are all married with children of their own now). Rick and I flew to Denver where we had a layover for a couple of hours and then we flew to the Dulles airport in Virginia and then drove an hour to Baltimore to the apartment where Jase and Ellen have been staying all summer. It was down Maryland Avenue -- a very narrow one way street with lines of cars parked on both sides of the street, putting Rick's parallel parking skills to the test! We arrived at 9:00 p.m. Evan had woken up and so we were able to see him for a few minutes before he went back to bed. 

Jase and Ellen gave us a tour of their temporary home. It is very different -- and very old! From the street you walk up the cement steps to an extremely weathered looking door into a little hallway which leads to another door which opens up to their apartment (Airbnb). The hallway also has a staircase which leads to the apartments above theirs. When you open the door to their apartment, you walk right into the "family room," where you are greeted by a couch and a queen-sized bed! We aren't sure why the queen bed is in the family room instead of the bedroom downstairs. The family room also has a fireplace and a couple of couches, which open up into beds should the need arise. 

The room also includes a narrow, steep staircase which lead to a door at the bottom of the stairs, which is where the majority of the apartment is. This opens up into a roomy kitchen, with a kitchen table and chairs. There is no dishwasher or disposal -- but there IS a washing machine (right there in the kitchen so you can cook and do laundry at the same time, ha ha) -- no dryer though. There is only one bathroom in the apartment, on the other side of the kitchen. There is this random open area where two bunk beds are placed. The open area has several doors -- one leading to the kitchen, one to the bathroom, and one to the bedroom. The bedroom is big and has a closet and two couches that open up into bed. This would be a much more ideal place for that queen bed. Evan slept in that room in his little pack and play crib and Jase and Ellen slept on the couch beds that opened up into a bed and they gave us the queen bed upstairs. But normally they have the queen bed and they can hear Evan through the baby monitor. Pictured below is the door leading into their apartment. 

Wednesday morning Rick and I brought Ellen grocery shopping at Walmart. They have been here without a car and so shopping has been difficult. Ellen walks to nearby grocery store a couple blocks away with Evan in the stroller and so she can only get a few items at a time. So we loaded up the cart with tons of food that should last the whole time we are here and hopefully longer for them to use after we leave. When we got back we fixed lunch and then went for a walk nearby Johns Hopkins campus, past the park where Ellen takes Evan, and to the Barnes and Noble bookstore. We met up with Jase at the book store after he had finished his internship for the day and he walked back with us. Rick and I then fixed dinner -- yummy tacos! Then Rick cut Evan's hair. He was NOT happy about that and was mad at Rick for days! 

Thursday (July 28) was our anniversary!! 28 years!! (I am just now realizing that it is 28 YEARS, on the 28th DAY of July -- ha ha.) Ellen and Evan and I walked Jase to the bus-stop where he catches the bus to go to Johns Hopkins Medical School. When they said they were only a half mile from campus I thought that they meant they were a half mile from the Medical School. But I guess this is the regular campus and the medical school is a few miles away. So he walks to the bus-stop by the University and catches the bus to the medical school for his internship. When we got back I worked out and then we had lunch. 

Rick and Ellen and Evan and I went to go visit Fort McHenry -- birthplace of the National Anthem. We watched a touching movie on the history of the war of 1812 and the National Anthem. It was well done -- I cried! At the end of the movie the screen goes up, revealing a beautiful view of the hills and sky and the American flag waving in the breeze, as the National Anthem plays. It was very touching. We took a tour of the Fort -- which was neat -- but cost $15.00 a person. It is really too bad that they don't make this available to everyone for free. We enjoyed it -- but it was fairly hot. Evan did great though and didn't cry at all. He was happy to be pushed around in his stroller! 

We dropped Ellen and Evan back off at their place and then Rick and I headed to a bed and breakfast to celebrate our anniversary. We found a quaint little place called the 1840's Carrollton Inn and we really enjoyed our stay there. We checked in at 3:00 and cuddled up to watched a movie (The Accidental Husband -- it was cute). We took a nap and then went for a walk to find a place to eat. We were just a block or so away from "Little Italy," which is basically a whole street with various Italian restaurants. We chose one and there was a half hour wait and so we walked around the inner harbor, which was fun, and then went back to the restaurant. This place had gluten free noodles and the dinner was delicious. Then we watched a fun movie called, One Small Hitch on Amazon Prime. Neither of us watch movies very often and so we enjoy watching a movie together when we have an over-night stay somewhere.

The next morning (Friday) we ate a full breakfast outside in the pretty courtyard. I usually don't eat breakfast, but made an exception, ha ha! We tried out the jetted tub and then headed back to Jase and Ellen's place.

After we returned, Rick and I went with Ellen and Evan to the Maryland Museum of Art. Evan must have loved the acoustics, because he kept wanting to yell out, ha ha! We didn't stay very long before heading back for a quick dinner. We saw lots of homeless people in Baltimore. In fact, there was this big median with grass in between two sides of a highway and there were tents along the median with piles of clothes and other belongings around them. I was surprised that homeless people were allowed to live right there on the median. It is sad to see so many people living like that. Several people could be seen holding up signs asking for money as they walked in between cars at a stop light. At one of our stops there were also children who would walk through the line of cars and try to sell water bottles to people in their cars. 

We were planning on going to the National Aquarium in the Inner Harbor tonight, because it was half price on Friday nights from 5:00 to 8:00 ($20.00 a person instead of $40.00) Still expensive though! After Jase got back from his internship we had a pizza dinner and then headed out. We had decided to take the bus so that we wouldn't have to pay for parking. We walked a couple of blocks to the bus stop and it was starting to drizzle. Jase said that it would be a full thirty minutes before the bus got there. We talked about walking back to get the car, but by that time we would only have one hour left at the aquarium and Rick didn't want to spend $100 for one hour (for tickets and parking). So we decided not to go. I was really disappointed though because I was really looking forward to it. Instead we drove to this really nice mall in Towson. It was a really pretty drive and Rick and I were glad that we got to see another part of the area that was so different from where we were staying. After the mall Rick took us all out for ice cream at Baskin Robbins. 

Saturday we were planning on going to the beach. We got a late start though since we all slept in and ate and it took a while to pack everything up. We were planning on going to Sandy Point State Park and drove an hour to get there, but the park was full and so they blocked off the entrance and waved everyone on. So that was disappointing! We drove around looking for other beaches, but they were apparently on private property. We stopped at a library to ask for directions and let Evan play in the play area. The librarians were very nice and helpful and printed off a few maps for us. We finally decided to go to the Tucson park in Annapolis. I was disappointed that we couldn't go to the beach, but Evan probably had a lot more fun at this pool and splash pad anyway. The water felt nice and I swam laps in the big pool. We stopped at Chilis on the way home and that was fun. 

Sunday we drove to Washington D.C. to go to the Deaf Branch. Rick had contacted the Bishop there to tell him that he would be in town if they wanted to get together to discuss the seminary program for the youth in his branch. The Bishop was excited that Rick was coming and arranged for Rick to come to their Ward Council before church. The Bishop also set up a Linger Longer after church with cookies so that Rick could meet with all of the youth and tell them about the Seminary and Institute program for the Deaf. We had been excited to meet our college friends, Heather and Billy Kendrick, who attend that ward, but they were home isolating because of Covid and so we weren't able to see them, darn it! 

By the time we left the church it was around 4:00. I wanted to see the monuments, but it was starting to drizzle and Rick and Jase wanted to just go back to the apartment. I had already been disappointed about missing the Aquarium on Friday, the beach on Saturday, and didn't want to miss the monuments today! We only had a couple more days before we needed to fly home. So we ended up going. Apparently parking is free on Sundays and we were able to park fairly close. We enjoyed walking the loop to see the monuments and the light rain didn't bother us. When we were close to the end, however, it started raining harder and harder and so we were forced to leave and by the time we got to the car we were completely drenched!! Oh well, it was an adventure! 

Monday we slept in and said goodbye to Jase and then later ate lunch and said goodbye to Ellen and Evan and headed back to Washington D.C. to see more of the sites. We decided to go on our own and get a hotel that night since we would be flying out of the Dulles airport near DC the next day and we didn't want to have to drive the hour to Maryland and back. 

First we went to visit Gallaudet University and a student there gave us our own private tour of the campus (in ASL of course!) So that was fun! The only thing we did not like was that they required masks inside the buildings, which is ironic, because the deaf of all people have a strong reason to NOT wear masks, so that they can read peoples lips and see the grammar of ASL on the face. They had masks available for us and they were very tight and uncomfortable -- I could hardly stand wearing it and wished I had brought my own! Other than that, it was neat to be able to see the campus and we saw the room that is named after our friend, Ron Burdett, from St. George, so that was cool! 

Then we headed to our hotel -- the Comfort Inn in Washington DC (we stayed on the 7th floor!) Rick went and parked our car in the hotel's parking garage a couple of blocks away. He got lost trying to find it and took forever getting back and I was starting to get worried! We took a little nap and then decided to walk to the monuments, instead of drive, so that we wouldn't have to move our car and pay parking again. It was about a 2 1/2 mile walk. So by the time we walked there and then walked around the monuments, and then walked back my feet were really starting to hurt! On our way back we ate at a restaurant called the Shake Shack and Janelle called for her weekly zoom call. She normally calls on Sunday nights, but her p-day was changed this week. It was fun to talk with her, but difficult to hear in the noisy restaurant! We continued talking with her on our walk back. Janika got on the call too and even Jaiden did while working at Tuacahn! (She was working the indoor show and was the only worker and so she had a minute to call). 

Tuesday (August 2) we decided to take a tour of the Arlington Cemetery. It was a "hop on hop off" tour where you ride a shuttle and the tour guide gives explanations and then you hop off and look around the stop for as long as you want and then hop on the next shuttle bus. It was really interesting (and sad) to learn more about the civil war and see the hundreds of grave markers. We were glad that we decided to do the tour. 

Then we headed to the airport and waited for our flight to Denver. We had a two hour layover and ate at the Chick-fil-A in the airport and then caught the flight to St. George. We ran into one of our friends, Janene Gough, who was also flying into St. George, so it was fun visiting with her. I slept on the plane, which was nice. We arrived about 10:00 p.m. and Jared picked us up from the airport. It is SO nice flying straight into St. George instead of Vegas and then having to face a two hour drive home after a long day of flying. I guess Vegas had a ton flooding this week and loads of flights were cancelled and Rick kept saying, "I am SO glad that we are not flying into Vegas!" Anyway, it was a nice trip. We are glad that we got to visit with Jase and Ellen and play with Evan and see where they have been living all summer! It was also humbling and awe-inspiring to visit the historical sites and ponder the sacrifices of so many who gave their lives so that we can enjoy the freedoms we have today! 

Baby Evan 11 months old!

 (Ellen's write-up):  

My cutie baby turned 11 months old?! After Jase and I’s graduation at the beginning of the month, we moved up north for a few weeks, then to Maryland for the summer - so it’s been a month of transitions for our baby boy! Before we moved we were able to celebrate Mother’s Day with the Jensen, and this year we dressed up as toy story aliens! In Salt Lake Evan took his first trip to the zoo, curtesy of some of his best friends Teri Finlayson, and lived his life to the fullest for his few weeks at grandma and grandpa Bake's house. Then, we made our way to our summer stay in Baltimore and Evan had his first plane ride! I’m so proud of how well Evan handled all of these changes! 

Evan loves to eat whatever we’re eating, even if it’s a lime from grandpa Bake's drink. With the formula shortage, we’ve started his transition to whole milk. It’s certainly an adjustment to make sure he eats enough human food to compensate! Luckily the man loves to eat. He still takes 2-3 naps a day, which I love because then I can work/get things done around the house. He’s super close to crawling, but for now we’re happy that he’s become a rolling master over this past month and that he finally chooses to spend time on his belly. We had a visit with his physical therapist shortly before leaving Saint George, and he’s already improved his movement so much since we’ve been gone. We also had a visit with his urologist, who confirmed that his kidneys are still looking good! We ended the month on a high note with the birth of Evan’s first cousin, baby Everett! We’re so happy for Janika and Brandon and can’t wait to meet him!

 

Evan: 10 Months Old!!

(From Ellen's Facebook Post): 10 months. This boy has had a busy month swimming, mastering sitting, celebrating Easter, and getting his first haircut! Evan loves to eat absolutely everything but doesn’t have any teeth yet so sometimes we have to slow him down. He’s also turned into quite the wiggle worm and always wants to be a part of what’s going on. We even got to take some cute family photos with Lexie yesterday. We love you, Evan!

 

Evan 9 months!!

 (Update from Ellen's Facebook Post) 

Evan turned nine months on April 1st! He is getting more and more fun everyday, and somehow we keep falling more and more in love with him! This month Evan graduated from physical therapy! He also had his first weekend stay with the grandparents (I was in San Francisco and dad was working). He did great, and loved getting to visit his aunts and uncles that live up north. He decided that his new toy is a fidget spinner (thank you @shantell_boulter ) but it got left at grandma and grandpa’s house! This month we also took our first family trip! We went to Las Vegas to celebrate Jase and I’s second wedding anniversary! We love our boy and he has started showing so much affection towards us! His favorite is when he gets to sleep in mom and dad’s bed. He lives to kick and swing his arms around all night!

And some pictures of our kids with Evan! 

Evan, Eight Months

(From Ellen’s social media): Evan hit 8 months yesterday and weighs in at 15 lb 2 oz! Our big boy graduated from physical therapy, started baby foods, is just learning how to hold his own bottle, and LOVES petting his cat (AKA pulling her fur). He always loves having something to chew on, it doesn’t matter if it’s a binkie, his hands, or a random toy; but doesn’t have any teeth yet!! He absolutely knows who his parents are and doesn’t enjoy being held by many other people. However, he is very social when mommy is holding him and loves to smile at people. We love our Evan!

 

Evan: Seven Months Old!!

Janelle requested that I send her pictures of Evan. She said that they had to unfollow everyone from home from Facebook, so I will post the pictures and an update from Ellen's Facebook and send them to her! (When it is on my blog I can just copy and paste all of the pictures together and so it makes it easy!)

Evan has become quite the binkie baby! He rolled from his back to his belly for the first time this month and tried baby food! He loves his mom and dad and all the attention we give him. He doesn’t like being away from mom and dad. Evan also started sleeping through the night! He goes to bed around six and wakes up around seven! We’re super grateful for that with school having just started back up for our last semester of college!

 

Evan: Six Months Old

From Ellen's Facebook...

SIX MONTHS with this perfect boy!

Evan loves chewing on his fingers, rolling out of tummy time, and spending time in his baby jumper! He’s even slept through the night a few times! I can’t believe you’ve already spent six months with us baby boy. I love you!