LaFeber Life Lately: Enjoying Fall and Celebrating Grandma Helm's 83rd Birthday!

 

Nothing says FALL like homemade caramel-apples!!

 This has been a crazy month full of homeschooling and all sorts of random fun activities that I came up with to keep our sanity while we trudge on during a global pandemic. Life feels so lonely and limiting these days, but I do my best to keep all of our spirits high and get as much loving rays of sunshine as possible! None of this is in order by the way.... I only have so much time to write this before the baby wakes up from her nap so it is as crazy as my life is nowadays! 

Josh and I each took the kids with us to vote, I took Evie and Josh took Austin. It was such a powerful way to teach them about our government and to explain to them why it is so important to vote and why we chose our candidates. The kids got really excited about it and we were all so disappointed when President Trump didn't win. There was obvious cheating this year on the Democrats part and it was ridiculous. President Trump is not a very eloquent man and doesn't mince words. So there are a lot of Democrats who hate him and our country has been very divided because of it. It doesn't help that all the black Americans are protesting and burning down their own cities. I'm serious, this has been the most insane year and we are all soooooo incredibly sick of being told to quarantine because of the pandemic while we watch black protests happen all over the country where no one is social distancing. Kids can't go to school but black people can riot, loot, and burn down buildings. Does that make any sense? If I wasn't a staunch Republican before, I sure as hell am now!!! But sadly, we are living in the last days and Jesus can't come soon enough because I can't even imagine what is going to happen now that Joe Biden and his evil wench Kamala Harris has been elected President. People wanted Kamala as the VP because she is black AND a woman. But for some reason nobody bats an eye when she states that full term abortion is fine!!! AM I MISSING SOMETHING?! Even our Mormon friends and neighbors voted for Biden/Harris and it totally blows my mind! How can any Christian in his/her right mind vote for full term abortion and feel right about it?! Like I said, we had LOTS to teach our children this election and I'm sure we will have LOTS more as time goes on....

On a happier note, we got to visit Grandma Helm yesterday (Veteran's Day) and celebrate her Birthday! She turned 83 this year and I hope she lives to be 100!! I seriously cannot imagine life without this woman and it makes me so happy that she gets to be involved in my children's lives and in their happy memories. We brought her coffee and donuts that morning for breakfast and then spent the day laughing and playing at her house :). Nathan called and asked if he could come visit and I told him we were in Boulder City, so he stopped by to visit her too! I love that despite my parent's divorce and their inability to be in the same room together, nothing has changed with the rest of the family. Nathan loves my Dad's Mother like his own and it melted my heart watching him change her car battery and put coolant in her car so she could drive again. I might have some pretty sad, disappointing parents, my I scored in the StepDad department! What made me even happier was that Grandma started the day being nervous and even shaking because this quarantine has limited her ability to go anywhere and she has become a hermit alone in her house. But by the time we left, she was happy, laughing, and her shaking was gone! She even called me later that night to thank me and to tell me how happy she was and how amazing her birthday turned out to be! This Pandemic has been so incredibly hard, and I feel so sad for the seniors who live alone. Technically we aren't supposed to have anyone over for Thanksgiving or Christmas this year (Governor's Orders) but I don't care. I invited Grandma Helm to my house for Thanksgiving and the Governor can go to hell for all I care! I have realized from the year 2020 that it is worse to live in fear than to just accept that everybody is going to die someday and there is nothing you can do about it, so you might as well live while you are alive!!

And to add to the insanity of 2020, Wells Fargo decided to make changes and transferred Josh's whole department from small business loans to Mortgage again! If you remember, that was the department he was in a couple years ago when they closed the Las Vegas Branch and laid everyone off! He got lucky and somehow got a promotion instead of a layoff (thank you Jesus), but it was still dramatic nonetheless. So now he is back in Mortgage and despite the craziness of the transition, we are really excited about it! He has had THE WORST schedule since he has been in small loans, leaving me alone with the kids and struggling to do everything as a single parent. It has been so hard and we have been praying for a change ever since they put him there. And to make everything even more exciting, he won't have to work weekends anymore AND he will get to work from home permanently!!! He started working from home when COVID-19 hit and we were all forced to quarantine. And since it is going so well, the company has decided to smarten up and make it a permanent situation! HALLELUJAH!! These are all things we have been praying for and even though it has taken years for it all to come to pass, we are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel and it is SOOOO EXCITING!!

After Dad and Austin voted, they stopped at Krispy Kremes to bring home some donuts for us!

While we were standing in line to Vote (6 feet apart of course due to social distancing rules), Evie announced to everyone that she is voting for the 49'ers!! hahaha! When I told her that's not how it works, she said, "Well I'm voting for whoever is wearing Red then." :) It made me tear up to have my daughter be a part of this day with me, and when I told her that there was once a time when women weren't allowed to vote, she was so confused why anyone would think boys are smarter than girls hahaha! Oh how I love this daughter of mine!

Painting pumpins and getting into the Halloween spirit!

Spending every beautiful fall day outside that we could before the weather changed! We went to the park during the day and went for walks as a family at night :).

Isla's first time on the swings was a success!! She loved it! The swings have been chained up all year due to COVID so she was a little late getting here but it was worth the wait! ;)

Making caramel-apples and having fun in the kitchen while Isla supervised ;)

After the caramel, we dipped them in melted chocolate and added sprinkles! Then we went on a family walk to the park for family home evening and had these delicious treats for dessert when we came back!

Homeschooling has gotten a million times easier as we have all fallen into a routine. Isla is always a distraction, of course, but it has gotten easier now that she sits in her high chair and snacks on Cheerios!

An after school picnic in the park! We finish homeschooling by lunch time and figured we couldn't let this beautiful day go to waste!

Briana and Gracie came to visit and we had a blast at the park! It was so nice to have company and to feel lighthearted again!

We had a girls day and left the boys alone to play their video games because Austin said to his Dad that "girls are too bossy and I need to get away from them." hehe! But it was HIS loss because we found a new park to play at after we got breakfast and smoothies at our local cafe!! It was definitely one of our better days :).

The kids built a fort to keep Isla out, but then decided it was wayyy more fun letting her destroy the place as she tried to get in! :) They did this for hours and I loved hearing their laughter! And anything that keeps Isla entertained is a plus in my book!

We had a crazy morning that called for Starbucks and snowman cookies!! Cheers to it only being Monday!

We sure do love Grandma Helm!

The kids were so excited to give Grandma their homemade birthday cards :).

She loved them so much and proudly hung them up on the refrigerator!

As you can see, despite all the drama and chaos, it has really been a beautiful time. I have to keep reminding myself of that on the hard days. The sun will always come out tomorrow :).

Happy 36th Birthday Josh and the rest of our Utah Fun!!!

 

Happy Birthday to our favorite guy!!!

  After the funeral, we drove to St. George to pick up where we left off on our original plans for Josh's birthday weekend. Briana brought Austin and Evie to St. George and we spent a couple days there having a great time with Grandma Wiegel! She is such a fun Grandma because she is always up for anything! She refuses to be left out of the party, even if it is an indoor trampoline park and she is almost 80 years old :). I love her so much and was so happy to get this time with her. Once we got home, we had a Birthday Party for Daddy at home and it was lots of fun! We made all of his favorite foods, spoiled him with presents, and the kids made him cupcakes equipped with some trick candles ;) ;)... This week wasn't what we had planned, but it somehow turned out even better than we expected! Thanks to all the family members who made that happen :). We are very blessed! And we are so blessed to be celebrating another year of Josh! He is a wonderful father and my best friend. We couldn't ask for more!

I loved getting to spend quality time with my sister and beautiful little niece, Gracelynn!!

Grandma hanging out with us at the trampoline park!

This was such a wonderful day spent as family! It was so nice to not be worrying about work and viruses and homeschooling and to just enjoy each others company!

Aunt Nana had a great time too!

We spent a day at this super cool exploration park and ended up coming back the next day because we had so much fun and the weather was so nice! The kids LOVED riding the train!

Isla was obsessed with the water area of the park!

Seriously, this place was so cool! And it was free to boot!

Once we got home from our adventures, we had a birthday party for Daddy!

The Raiders have moved to Las Vegas now, so he has no choice but to become a fan! :)

The kids had fun making spooky Halloween cupcakes for Daddy!

And of course they helped him blow out his candles ;). I hope all of his dreams come true!

 

Our Trip to Utah for Grandma LaFeber's Funeral

This was the last time we saw Grandma LaFeber at her Nursing Home. It took her a while to remember who Josh was, but she was the sweetest woman in the world and was just so happy to have visitors (even ones she didn't remember)!

Josh and his brothers were Pall Bearers along with their cousins. The masks were because of the pandemic. This is life now. We wear masks everywhere :(.

 Josh's sweet Grandma LaFeber passed away and we made a trip up North for her funeral. Ironically, it happened on Josh's birthday week so he already had the time off from work! We just had to change our plans a bit to accommodate this sad event. But it ended up being such a blessing to be around family and to get out of Nevada for a little while. We are still in the middle of a Pandemic and life has been rough. So getting out of the house was exactly what we all needed! Millie LaFeber was the sweetest woman and I loved hearing stories about her during her funeral. There is a huge family feud in Art's family and it was a little awkward, but we talked to everyone and did our best to show people that we aren't a part of their drama. After the viewing we went to Aunt Becky's house (Art's sister) and talked for hours with cousins and family members. It was so fun and they all loved Isla. **We left Austin and Evie with my sister, Briana, in Nevada because it was going to be a quick trip and we didn't want to expose them to COVID-19 by bringing them around a whole bunch of strangers at a funeral. Isla has to go wherever I go because she is breastfeeding and I felt that breastfeeding provides her extra protection from viruses.** It was also so nice to only have 1 kid to take care of! It truly felt like a much needed vacation!! Like I said, the circumstances were sad, but they were also positive. Millie had Alzheimers and her mind had been gone for years. She was 98 years old when she died and she lived a full, happy life. So I was actually happy for her to be able to go home to heaven finally and be reunited with her husband and son (Art). With how insane this world is getting, I know for a fact that she is in a better place. What is interesting is she was born during the Spanish Influenza Pandemic and when she was 3 months old, her mother died from that virus. Then she died during the COVID-19 Pandemic! Crazy huh!

Some sweet pictures of Millie's life

From what Josh tells me, she and her husband fought constantly, but remained married their entire lives.

Her childhood. She didn't have an easy life by any means, growing up without a mother. But she was always happy. That was what everyone remembered. Such a beautiful reminder for the rest of us going through such a hard time right now.

Isla loved having all the attention to herself at Grandma and Grandpa's house :)

I am so grateful for such wonderful, supportive inlaws. Even though the death was on Art's side of the family, they came and supported us by watching Isla so we could take part in the funeral.

She tried so hard to push that stroller like a big girl, and was so proud of herself once she did it! :)