I like low-key holidays, and I was happy that the only thing we did for Easter was an egg hunt for the kids, a nice dinner together, and lots of learning about Jesus.

Has anyone else discovered the wonderful joy of squishmallows? When I was buying Easter candy I saw them for half off and bought three. Except when I was in the checkout line I realized I actually have four kids, and ran back and got another. I hid them for our kid’s Easter egg hunt, and Curtis found one and excitedly yelled, “I got a squishmallow!” The other kids loved them as well.

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The baby got his own little Easter egg hung as well. He would put the basket on top of his head, it was adorable.

There are good things about being at home. I love to see my children playing together. They fight less than when this all started. And it is so fun to see spring.

The boys play outside a lot. We have started to rediscover things we have but haven’t used in ages, like our disc golf hole and spikeball.

General Conference was awesome. Our kids were old enough to listen for quite a while, which was nice to see. And they even took some notes. (Offering candy helped.)

Also, this is incredibly random. I like processed food (it’s quick, easy and made to taste good, forget about what’s healthy for a second), and Thanksgiving. So here’s a processed food Thanksgiving. That I liked enough to take a picture of.

I knew this hike existed but never investigated enough to realize where it stopped and ended. We dropped a car off at the lower trailhead, and started in Mantua and hiked down. The first part was tons of fun and the kids who don’t normally like hiking had a lot of fun. It’s a pretty long trail for us though, and the end dragged on. We all made it without any complaining or dragging. The kids were actually going so fast, I struggled to keep up sometimes.

Here’s a collection of primary songs that go with the Book of Mormon Come Follow Me for 2020.

We are supposed to be staying home. But I’m not good at that. So instead we are finding adventures that allow us to keep up our “social distancing.” We drove out to the bird refuge. I’m the only family member who thought this was a good idea. The rest went on the promise of treats and snacks. It was beautiful. Most everyone else thought it was a waste of time.

Luckily I live with a bunch of people who like to play at home.

Last week, life was normal.

Then my school was canceled and all my classwork switched to online.

And there was this crazy virus and everything was canceled and everyone was basically quarantined so everyone didn’t die.

And then church was canceled.

And then school was canceled.

And then my Grandma died.

And then there was an earthquake.

And then it hailed.

And there is no more toilet paper at the stores.

Um…I wish I was just joking. All of this happened in one week. I am grateful for my faith that says the righteous need not fear.

On Saturday we went to the Zoo. We had free passes that expired by the end of the month. The zoo was not yet closed, so we went. The zoo is now closed.

And here’s some happy baby pictures my friend took because right now we all need happy baby pictures. And happy babies, because Mom is totally frazzled trying to homeschool everyone and do her own school.  (And in actuality the baby is probably teething….)

I took way too many pictures of Zack. But he just barely learned how to sit up by himself, and it’s the first time I’ve been able to get good smiling pictures with him.

Here it is. The Ultimate Kid’s Guide for when there is nothing to do.

Kid’s Guide

*This is still imperfect, but I thought I would share as so much is going on and lots of time with nothing to do.

I have been feeling overwhelmed occasionally. I would not suggest going to graduate school with a baby. But here I am. I don’t want to quit school and I love my baby. We are figuring it out, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t times when it is very hard.

Lately, I’ve been pondering this quote from President Russell Nelson:

Part of this endeavor will require you to put aside many things of this world. Sometimes we speak almost casually about walking away from the world with its contention, pervasive temptations, and false philosophies. But truly doing so requires you to examine your life meticulously and regularly. As you do so, the Holy Ghost will prompt you about what is no longer needful, what is no longer worthy of your time and energy.

As you shift your focus away from worldly distractions, some things that seem important to you now will recede in priority. You will need to say no to some things, even though they may seem harmless. As you embark upon and continue this lifelong process of consecrating your life to the Lord, the changes in your perspective, feelings, and spiritual strength will amaze you!

I’ve been wondering what I can cut back on and didn’t come up with any sort of answer for a long time. But yesterday as I was pondering, I wrote this list of things I need to cut back on.

• Self-doubt, feeling inadequate
• Past expectations
• Not asking for help
• Blaming others and myself
• Perfectly clean garden or home
• Tasks that don’t matter
• Ignoring emotions that should be dealt with
• Not thinking clearly
• Forgetting to ask God for help

It’s okay to be busy. But it’s also good to remember to enjoy the flowers.