Family Pictures

 Family picture time! This time in our own backyard, with a lot of laughs and a lot of fun!

 

I can never quite believe anyone is actually growing up, until I see the old pictures being replaced by the new.  Everyone is definitely growing up!

They all want Daddy to swing them!

This little cutie is just as photogenic as can be!

We aren't going to the school this year, so we didn't get school pictures this year.  

These pictures are a much better representation of how we're spending our days this year.

Photobomber!

I'm laughing here because Jason didn't know what an Eskimo kiss was and boy did he make a face when he found out our photographer wanted to take a picture of us doing it!

Family pictures are always an adventure between finding clothes and shoes that fit and match for everyone, scheduling and rescheduling the shoot date due to weather, and hoping that everyone is in the mood to smile when the photographer finally gets here.  We take family pictures every two years and that is enough for me! It's always a lot of work and always so, so worth it to capture a fleeting moment  as the years go flying by.

General Conference

We all love and look forward to the traditions that we enjoy twice a year as conference comes around again!

Puzzles, note-taking doodles, treats and the conference store.  I always let the kids pick out the words to listen for, and I think the "pandemic" and "COVID-19" treats got eaten first!

In what might be the first Jason-ism posted on the blog, during one session he read off all of the words- "Scriptures... temple... covenants... family... pandemic... missionary... prophet... Jesus Christ... that's going to get eaten fast." And then we paused a second and then laughed and laughed at what a difference the punctuation made in that sentence!

The best part of conference is probably all of it, but this time around we espeically enjoyed the girls and boys time during the womens session.  We all started out together in the backyard, working on the treehouse and roasting hot dogs and listening to the talks around the fire. 

And after a bit the girls headed inside for a spa night while we pampered our faces, hands and feet.  We talked about the importance of using our mouths to speak good words and our hands and feet to serve others.

And outside Jason used the four pillars of the treehouse to teach the boys about the four pillars of the of the priesthood duties, which we coupled with the steps of the covenant path on the ladder a few days later. 

Now every time they climb the ladder they can remember the steps of the covenant path that will lead them back to Heavenly Father.

Now that Noah is seven years old he is officially preparing for baptism!

Asking Adam what "endure to the end meant", his response was... "You die".

It was a great weekend and is always over much too quickly! Now to revisit and apply the lessons we learned to our everyday lives!

Online Learning Week 6

E- Excuse me teacher? 

M- Yes dear? 

E- Can I go to then bathroom?

M- Of course.

E- I haven’t asked that all year and so I just wanted to say it. 

I have to give a special shout out to Emma - she has a LOT of work to do as a third grader.  She has a full schedule every day, she works hard, and she always asks me to check over her work before she submits it to make sure that she's turning in her best. 

The best part of school at home is still the time that we all get to spend together, enjoying meals, reading stories, playing, even learning chess!

And the trickiest part this week is managing expectations about how long this is going to go on. Some people say if the kids go back in January they will have to go to their online teacher's classroom and school.  Some say that they can do online learning all year long or they can get squeezed into a classroom at their home school.  Today we don't know how long we will be doing this, and that makes a bit of a difference in our approach to it.  Are we in week six out of 16 or six out of 32?

I've asked the kids many times if they would go back to school tomorrow if they had the chance, and the question is always met with deer in the headlights eyes and the response, "Do we have to??".  That tells me we're all doing okay with this weird year, at least for a little longer!

And who would want to miss out on mid-day fashion shows?!

In the Spotlight

Because someday they will laugh at some of these answers, and they will be delighted to see that some of these goals actually happened!

My name is Noah Mark Morales.

I’m 7 years old and am in 1st grade.  I go to Jordan Creek Elementary School virtually.

Something I’ve made that I’m really proud of is a HUGE Lego set that has nearly 1,000 pieces!

My favorite color is green.

I have a pet named Laney. She is a teddy bear dog.

One thing I really can’t stand is burs from our backyard.

The Primary song I most like to sing is "I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus".

My favorite subject or thing to learn at school is PE.

I’ve also lived in Ankeny. I was born here in Iowa.

The best thing my family and I do together is work on the treehouse.

My favorite holiday is Christmas because it's just really fun and we get presents from Santa.

One thing I do really well is build LEGO sets.

Something I want to work to become better at is spelling.

My favorite book is Dog Man and my favorite movie and TV show is LEGO Ninjago.

One way I try to choose the right is not be mean at everybody.

Something special I am looking forward to at my baptism is getting the Holy Ghost.

I would like to go to California and speak English on my mission.

When I grow up I want to be a police officer.

If I could go anywhere on vacation I’d go to California because I like that place.

*****

My name is Emma Grace Morales.

I’m 9 years old and am in 3rd grade.  I go to Jordan Creek Elementary School virtually.

Something I’ve made that I’m really proud of is a LEGO house.

My favorite color is sky blue.

I have a pet named Laney. She is a teddy bear dog.

One thing I really can’t stand is bugbites!

The Primary song I most like to sing is "I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus".

My favorite subject or thing to learn at school is creating writing and music.

I’ve also lived in Ankeny and I was born in Indiana.

The best thing my family and I do together is spend time outside building our treehouse or jumping on the trampoline.

My favorite holiday is Christmas because it's so happy and it makes me feel good, and Easter because it's bright outside and it's Jesus' resurrection.

One thing I do really well is talk to new people and be friendly.

Something I want to work to become better at is backflips on the trampoline.

My favorite book is the Whatever After series and TV show is Alexa and Katie.

One way I try to choose the right is not look at bad things on my Chromebook.

Something special I remember about my baptism was the good talks my two grandmas gave and the feeling of stepping in the water. I felt really good and I could feel the Holy Ghost.

I would like to go to Paris, France and speak French on my mission.

When I grow up I want to own a dress shop.

If I could go anywhere on vacation I’d go to California again because I want to go back to SeaWorld and LEGOland and the beach.

*****

 My name is Adam Jason Morales.

I’m 11 years old and am in 5th grade.  I go to Jordan Creek Elementary School virtually.

Something I’ve made that I’m really proud of I have put together 300+ Lego sets.

My favorite color is green.

I have a pet named Laney. She is a puppy.

One thing I really can’t stand is quiche.

The Primary song I most like to sing is "Scripture Power".

My favorite subject or thing to learn at school is math.

I’ve also lived in Ankeny and Indiana. I was born in Utah.

The best thing my family and I do together is escape rooms at home.

My favorite holiday is Halloween because we get tons of candy.

One thing I do really well is build LEGO sets.

Something I want to work to become better at is writing.

My favorite book is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and my favorite movie and TV show is Ninjago.

One way I try to choose the right is read the scriptures every night and morning.

Something special I remember from my baptism is the water was the perfect temperature.

I would like to go to the Midwest and speak English on my mission.

When I grow up I want to be a LEGO sculptor.

If I could go anywhere on vacation I’d go to LEGOLand in New York.

*****

My name is Leah Ann Morales.

I’m 13 years old and am in 8th grade.  I go to Stilwell Middle School virtually.

Something I’ve done that I’m really proud of is a flip on my trampoline!

My favorite color is turquoise.

I have a pet named Laney. She is really funny!

One thing I really can’t stand is people who don't have good manners.

The Primary song I most like to sing is "If The Savior Stood Beside Me".

My favorite subject at school is English.

I’ve also lived in Ankeny and Indiana. I was born in Utah.

The best thing my family and I do together is make happy memories!

My favorite holiday is Christmas!

One thing I do really well is play the violin.

Something I want to work to become better at is running.

My favorite books are Keeper of the Lost Cities and Harry Potter, and my favorite movie and TV shows are Miraculous, Alexa and Katie, and Tangled.

One way I try to choose the right is to be a peacemaker, not a peacebreaker.

Something special I remember from my baptism is that a whole bunch of people (even people I knew as a baby) came to see me and I felt joyful inside!

I would like to go to France and speak French on my mission or go to England.

When I grow up I want to be a mom.

If I could go anywhere on vacation I’d go to Hawaii or somewhere else with warm weather and sunny beaches.

Everything Has Changed

It is incredible to look back on the blog of years past and see just how much everything has changed.  Multiply that by the year of coronavirus, and it is just astounding to see the ways that change has been both solicited and thrust upon us as the days of 2020 march along. 

Change means we can't plan much for the future.  Jason turns 40 this year, and our original plans of taking a trip to Mexico have changed to conversations about maybe hopefully inviting some close friends over, but it will be the middle of winter so we will have to decide how comfortable we feel about gathering inside. 

The kids have started talking about Halloween, and they just don't know what to make of the fact that there might be no trick-or-treating this year.  Not only because we've moved to the middle of nowhere, but because, again, coronavirus. 

Around this time of year we start planning our annual 'escape from the Midwest winter' trip, but this year we aren't making any warm-us-up winter plans, and that could lead to a long and depressing winter. 

Everything has changed at home too, because we're living in a new house that still largely feels like it belongs to someone else.  Memories are slowly being made day by day, but home has changed.  Where we gather for meals, where we have fun, how we get to see friends, what it takes to go anywhere.  This one is fully self imposed, but it is still change and change is never easy. 

Friendships have changed.  Relationships have changed.  How we do school has changed.  How Jason gets work done has changed. How I teach piano lessons has changed. 

Some things have changed for the better- we have seen more of Jason this year because he generally works from home now.  We are enjoying incredible amounts of outdoor time in our own backyard and aren't constantly surrounded by dozens of other families trying to do the same.  We aren't constantly rushing to meet the demands of the clock to get to school, church or work like we have all our lives.  We have new opportunities to experience a new town- we made our first memory in town at Illumifest!  We made floating lanterns and got balloon animals and ate Casey's pizza while we watched a Disney movie on a perfect fall night.  The social distancing requirements made for a smaller crowd and we loved it! It was different because our town has changed, but I am confident this change is a good one.

Scripture study in our house has changed and now everyone has a weekly assignment to teach a topic and find a way to make it interesting when they share it on their night.  So far we've had a snowball fight for Samuel the Lamanite, found the hidden chicks to help gather Israel, scripture stories reenacted, hangman and Scrabble and word finds, several Lego demonstrations, an invitation to repent, videos shared, testimonies shared, lessons learned, experiences reflected on, and genuine excitement about our nightly gathering for scripture study.  That change has been a great one!

And we're meeting new people and expanding our circles and trying new things and sticking close together.  

Change isn't always good, and it isn't always easy, but we always learn and grow in some way from it, and I am grateful for that.  Change means growing up, learning how to make new friends, learning how to keep old friends, learning how to navigate new school situations, learning who you are in any circumstance.  And that kind of change is good.

Non-School Learning

Virtual school isn't the only learning going on around here.  After moving into this house we switched up our nightly scripture study.  Everyone has a topic to study and a night to share it each week, and it has made a world of difference in the joy and anticipation and learning of our shared scripture study each week. 

We're all learning how to take care of our new yard, 

learning how to build a treehouse, 

learning about all of the living things in the yard, 

and learning how to love all of our extra time together. 

The girls are learning how to do each other's hair- 

and apparently I'm learning how to stay warm while eating my dinner.