Rest of Spring Break

After Alex and her family headed for home, here is how we spent the rest of our Spring Break:

- We played outside as much as possible each day. We missed the sun shinning, but we were grateful the rain stopped for a bit so we could get outside and take in some much needed fresh air.

Mrs. Arens' sent home some worksheets for the kids to do. By this point, we knew Eli wouldn't be going back to school until April 3. That has changed now, and schools are closed until the end of April. Some states have even closed school for the rest of the year. I'm balancing being a homeschooling mom and I enjoy it. I've always loved teaching my kids preschool so now we're just taking it up a level and incorporating 1st grade work! Here is math time with some M&Ms.

And here is Aaron conducting a science experiment. 

Austin can ride a bike!! I love watching my kids learn new skills. He's been practicing a little bit each day and he's getting better and better. 

We've played lots of games and done lots of puzzles. My favorite part is being together so much during the day.

More bike riding practice!!

On Thursday afternoon the weather was so WARM that we decided to have a picnic for dinner and bask in the sunshine. Also, Eleanor has become obsessed with this bee costume and she loves to put together singing and dancing shows for us. She likes Aaron to sit on this motorcycle while she does her performances. 

As I was cleaning out my diaper bag, I found a talk Eli wrote for primary. 

Grandpa Volk popped over for a few days. He was supposed to go on a work trip, but it ended up being canceled. He brought a few things to deliver to their new house. We were SO grateful for his help in putting up our new screen door! 

We really have been doing our best to stay at home as much as possible to avoid spreading this virus. On Saturday evening, I did run to Target and it's crazy to see so many shelves empty. This is the shelf for puzzles!! I haven't been the best about having food storage, but I have had enough to last for several months. I see people panicking to get food and I'm grateful for the example of my parents to be prepared for a time in need.

We did enjoy church at home again. I love the spirit we feel in our home as we sing hymns together and partake of the sacrament. The kids sang, "My Own Sacred Grove." They memorized the words to that song and were going to sing it next Sunday at church. They sang it for Grandpa Volk instead! This time at home has allowed us to pause and focus more on each other. I recently finished reading all of the previous General Conference talks from Oct. 2019 as well as the chapters in Doctrine and Covenants that President Nelson asked us to read as we prepare for General Conference in April. We are SO excited for General Conference, probably more than ever before. 

I'm grateful for the kindness of so many people. When we're out for walks or playing outside, everyone waves and says hello. The people in Missouri are generally very friendly anyway, but I feel like more than ever, everyone is smiling and waving to each other as a way to say, "We're all in this together."

I spoke with a lady from our ward last night who is 80 and lives alone. I called to check in on her and said, "I feel like I'm in jail." It broke my heart thinking about people that are extremely lonely during this quarantine time. Each night I fall into bed exhausting... I'm trying to keep up with my regular homemaker duties as well as making sure we're getting our school work done and using our time wisely. I'm working on being patient with everything, including myself and having patience is definitely not one of my best qualities. ;)