Did You Know?

 Did you know that Erik had an expander AND braces on his top teeth for almost a year? He got them last year just after his 8th birthday. I remember taking his baptism photos with his gaping teeth, and then the next day he got a bunch of metal in his mouth. I actually didn't plan it that way, though I knew he would be getting some brackets on his front teeth, I didn't realize it was going to happen the same day he got his expander. I thought it was going to be a little later. 

He was supposed to get them off in April, more or less. I already know that when the orthodontist tells you a date for removal of the metal, it's not usually correct, so I didn't really hold much to that. I was thinking "sometime in the spring". Well, that was the middle of quarantine and since he couldn't go to the orthodontist to get things adjusted and for them to assess his progress, by the time we got back to the office in June, his teeth were not doing what they were supposed to have done. Soooo, they worked hard in bringing his teeth back the way they wanted them. 

Finally, a few days ago, they took them off! He has a retainer to wear at night, but I'm sure he'll need another round of something after all his molars become permanent. With his really bad under bite and huge teeth coming in in the front, this first round needed braces with the expander. 

Austin is now very excited that he has the green light to get his braces in January. That's his next appointment and I told him if Erik was all done by then,  he could get his. We don't need too many kids in braces at one time!!

At the orthodontist's office.

Look at that mouth!

Sweet 16🎈!

 Each year I'm surprised when my children are a year older, though I'm not sure why. Even though I kept rounding up her age recently, I still can't believe Victoria's 16!

This is an odd time to have such a big birthday milestone. There have been no church dances, only one joint youth activity since covid started (that was on Saturday!), and only a few activities with girls her age group from church. Of course, absolutely nothing with school and she finally had one live dance class last week. 

All those things are big deals for Victoria, being the social butterfly she is. Luckily, she has taken her social life into her own hands and has had some good interactions with church friends and school friends. She's even getting to where she can do school with a friend together online at their house or our house. 

She invited her 14 very best girlfriends to the park for her birthday celebration. (Yes, she has 14 friends that she considers her closest friends). She didn't invite her two very best boyfriends because one wasn't going to be able to go and that leaves the other as the only boy, though I'm sure he wouldn't have minded 😂. 

She requested I make tacos. I brought a big taco bar to the park with lemon bars, brownies, and apples and caramel dip for dessert. Besides that, nothing else was required of me! She has often met friends at the park lately and loves to bum around with them, so her plan was to use the 5-hour window we carved out to have her friends at the park together and just do whatever it is they felt like doing!

 Some left early, some came late, but it worked out very well. A couple of times I suggested a group game since there were so many. They had fun with Never Have I Ever, Truth or Dare, and Not Parent Approved ( a gross game made for 10-year-old boys that my brother gave to Austin, but all kids love it because it's about burps, farts, and other funny and gross things that make everyone laugh). At times the party girls would be off in groups at the playground, the gazebo, the volleyball court, the soccer field, or the pond. Dancing, talking, eating, and taking pictures were other favorites. I mostly hung out at the food table to balance it since the only way to plug in the crockpot for the taco meat and rice cooker, I had to have the table on a slant. Plus, I wanted to make sure covid approved procedures were followed when getting their food. 

I got her 16 balloons for decoration at the pavilion. 

Dinner!

Covid style cake. Just lemon bars and brownies, already cut. We sang and she blew out the one candle.

Payton and Taylor came later, so weren't pictured in any of the other shots

Game Time!

I did have a helper and person to keep me occupied for most of the time while I tried to stay out of the teens' way. (Jason was at Erik's soccer game most of the time, so he wasn't able to go for very long. My mom came for a surprise visit!) I picked her up on Tuesday while Victoria was doing school at her friend Emma's house. She surprised Karissa, Erik, and Austin at home, then Victoria when I went to pick up Victoria. It was so fun!

Erik's reaction after seeing Grandma Pat.

Next: surprising Victoria at her friend Emma's!

Victoria and her friends had a great time and I'm so glad they could celebrate with her. She was able to go afterward to the boy/girl movie night with the church kids her age. They watched it outside with a bonfire. The next morning, she got to go to church with Jason (it wasn't our turn to go, but Jason being in the bishopric was able to bring her). Our family was supposed to go that day and she was so looking forward to that because her birthday was on Sunday, but they changed it and it didn't include us this time. She wasn't happy about that! Though, she did end up going to church on her birthday and bearing her testimony.  We got to see her from the broadcast at home. 

All dressed for church with her new purse from her friends.

She has really grown up during this covid time, physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually. We have a good relationship that I hope will continue forever! 

After church, we played ladder ball, opened family presents, ate salmon, potatoes, and broccoli, and watched The Sound of Music. We had poppy seed bundt cake and popcorn, two of her favorite treats, after dinner, and during the movie. 

New game

New sherpa, that she picked out a while ago.

School sweatshirt

Her siblings gave her a longboard, which she really wanted.

Ladder ball

The balloons were very popular at home too.

Karissa and her friend Ash made these posters for Victoria.

16 candles!

Popcorn is one of her most favorite things to eat!

She would have her driver's license by now if we had it our way, but it's the covid way, so Segment 2 for driver's training was canceled for her and she doesn't even take it for another couple of weeks. I'm slightly annoyed because other companies have done theirs online, but not the one we chose, apparently. After she finishes that, she can take her driver's test, which has to be scheduled after Segment 2 is completed, then she can go to the Secretay of State and get her license. It'll be toward the end of November, hopefully, before she gets it. I know it'll be fine in the long run, but right now it seems so far away!

Until then, she gets to become a better driver!

Happy 16th Birthday Victoria!!

Life With a Mask

 I'm thinking that 30 years from now, as we look back on these times of mask-wearing and social distancing, we're either going to be like, "Wow, you had to wear masks indoors and for all social events outside??!"

 or 

"You remember what it was like before wearing masks to even think that was weird?? This is all I've ever known!"

I wear my mask all morning, singing and reading books to my students, trying to project my voice in the classroom. Luckily there are only 10 kids to project to, but it still is difficult. My throat was sore from that the first week. Not from a cold, but from wearing a mask, because no symptoms occurred afterward. No congestion or anything.

Then there's soccer, and doctor's appointments, and dance, and tumbling... showing up with masks after having made the health clearance. 

Not to mention virtual piano lessons, virtual violin lessons, virtual orchestra, and virtual choir. So different! 

We wear them to church, when we can go, to the store, to the pick-up at the library (can't go in there yet), and everywhere and anywhere. 

I had no idea life would be like this right now. 

So weird....

Berry picking in a mask.

What I look like in my classroom.

Picking out pumpkins, Victoria had to flash her pearly whites, though.

Austin's first game.

He's the one ready to go for the ball.

For the record, I'm not complaining. This life is so much preferred to what it was like in the spring!!