Back in the Temple

Mike, Maysen, Stockton and I all got to go to the temple today. It was great! First time in a looooong time. There were a few things that were different, probably changed because of the pandemic. So that was interesting. It was really nice to be back in the temple, especially with my family. Jorja left early this morning for a hike and I got Preston ready to leave before we left. Jack's mom picked him up about fifteen minutes after we left. He had a great time. The boys all seemed to have a blast. Thank goodness! Grant's dad picked them up and took them out for pizza before he brought them home. I'm glad they thought of inviting Preston. I'm glad Sean was able to get out of his house and all the craziness that is his life right now, even if it was only for the day.

Mike and Maysen took apart her cromebook and replaced it with a new keyboard. I'm not sure if this will fix the problems it has been having, but it is worth a try. Plus they had fun doing it. Stockton made carne asada fries with Mike for dinner. Delicious.

Maysen & Mike

Jorja spent the entire day with Riley. They went on an 8 mile hike, played mini golf, dressed up for a fancy dinner, the fancy dinner was at Riley's house with his little sister being the hostess. Jorja had a great time.

Riley & Jorja

Broken Mouth

The school nurse called me back today. They are doing covid vaccines at Alta. Jorja wants to get it. I was wondering if she could take it since it hasn't been 90 days since she had covid. I had heard that somewhere. The nurse said she could get it but she might get a little sicker since her body is still fighting the disease. Or something like that. Anyway, Jorja decided to go ahead and get the vaccine. She is tired of being quarantined. She will become a star belly sneech. Jorja also got her graduation cords today. They are very pretty. I wish I knew about the cords for Maysen. I should buy the ones she would have earned.

Dani came over and hung out with Stockton. Jack was over with Preston. Preston wanted to roast hot dogs and make s'mores for his dinner. He also absolutely loves days when Jack comes over.

Preston & Jack

Jorja has had to wear a mouth guard thing since her surgery. Today she was in the drive thru at Swig and her mouth started bleeding. She got home okay, but then it started gushing blood again. It bled for almost an hour. I had her lay down with her head elevated and we had gauze pressing on the roof of her mouth. We kept putting ice packs on her cheeks. I was so close to calling the doctor, but luckily it stopped.

Jorja

 

Bananas

Jack's mom texted me today and asked if Jack could come over today instead of tomorrow. She said that Jack really missed Preston and was anxious to see him. Preston thought that was a great idea. We ordered pizza and they played and played until he had to leave. I wish I had taken a picture.

Jorja and her friends asked people to sweethearts today. Dances are so weird this year. The kids sure have to take initiative if they want to pull it off. Jorja, Giselle, Paige and Grace met here and then went to the store to buy posters and things like that. I decided to hurry to my dad's while they were gone. I wanted to drop off cinnamon rolls I had brought back from Camille's wedding and some books Jordyn had given me that were my dad's. Anyway, as I was backing up Jorja stuck her head around the garage. I couldn't believe they were back so soon! I went to my dad's and gave him the stuff and hurried back. The girls were all in the car pulling away when I arrived home. I couldn't believe it! They were fast! They neglected to take pictures though. I only have one that Riley's mom took. Well, Grace asked Brenton. I think she did something like BRENTON, will you be my VALENTINE? And then had rose petals that spelled her name. Paige did a solo cup thing and asked someone I can't remember, maybe Zach? Giselle did a Grease theme to ask Bode. Jorja did some monkey/banana theme to ask Riley.

Jorja & Riley

Preston's 14

I almost titled this Negative Again. Jorja got out of quarantine yesterday evening, only to find out this morning that Jake tested positive for covid. Jorja spent several hours in the car with Jake on Friday, and she also had dinner with him and his family. So, back to testing she went. Luckily it is a weekday, so there are more options. She went to the Overstock clinic and was able to do a rapid test. That came back negative as well. The other sad thing for Jorja is she found out Dancing with the Hawks has been cancelled. She was so excited for this. She has hoped for years she would be asked to do this. Her entire senior year has been one big cancellation, except it comes in drips. Little by little everything gets cancelled. The big fun things were cancelled in one swoop, but the little things that they had a chance to participate in have been getting knocked off one by one. Jorja sent me this screenshot and then texted, "I hate my senior year." I have to agree. Her senior year has been very hard.

Jorja consoled herself by putting a hat on Bear

We did have a great day with Preston though! Despite a rocky beginning. We had plans to all go to OHP. We went there for Maysen and Jorja's birthdays. Jorja is online on Monday and Tuesdays, so it was a perfect plan. Right as we were walking out the door we found out Jake tested positive. I told Preston we could bring Jorja back food, but he was so sad. He got tears in his eyes. I asked him if he would like me to order all the food and bring it back so we could eat together. That made him happy, so that is what we did. I asked for the birthday crepe, but they don't do that for take out orders. I told them I would be willing to pay for it and explained the situation. She had to go ask, luckily they said okay. I can't imagine they wouldn't give it to us if we were paying for it anyway. But... the crepes were delicious.

I had spent several weeks talking to Preston about what he wanted to do for his birthday. We let the kids have a party every even year. This was Preston's party year. I told him he could take Jack to do something fun. Like indoor skydiving, or zip lining. Preston didn't want to go anywhere. He said it wasn't a good idea with covid, this was even before the governor's mandate. All Preston wanted was for Jack to come overland to have homemade eclairs. Luckily Jack was still able to come. Jack is immune right now so his mom felt it was okay. Thank goodness! What a weird time to be alive!

Stephanie, Mike's head and Preston

Preston got a giant game called Gloomhaven. He also got a glow in the dark mini golf set, a new water bottle and headphones. Maysen gave him a gummy worm making kit and Jorja gave him a duck egg/pancake maker.

I managed to pull off eclairs

Birthday eclair

Preston & Mike

Jack was able to stay over for a long time. Preston had a lot of fun. His birthday ended up being a great time, even though it was super low-key. I mean, what's not to love about birthdays?

99 Days

I felt a little sad this morning. I was looking through Jorja's texts on her phone when I saw that she said something about me. She was texting Jake and said sorry about being in a bad mood last night "my mom was being so mean." WHAT? When was I mean? When I made her breakfast? When I made her lunch? When I checked her out of school so she could sleep? When I talked Mike into letting her go to Cornbelly's when he didn't want her to go? Even though I don't like Riley and knew he would be there? We literally had no disagreements yesterday. How was I so mean? I asked Jorja about it. She said she was in a bad mood so she blamed me. I don't mind her using me as a scapegoat when she wants to go home or get out of an uncomfortable situation, but I'm sick of being the villain in all of her stories. Her friends must think I'm the worst mom ever. I miss my babies. I loved being a mom to my little ones. It was hard, but I loved every second of it. Even when I was alone in Georgia, I would look around my life and try to memorize it because I loved it so much. Now my kids don't need me and I hate it. I know they will want me to be a part of their life again, but now I just feel so unwanted. Mike is and has always been awesome. I just want my kids back. Preston did spend time with me today though. He asked if I would take him to get an eclair. He LOVES those things. We shared a pizza and brought home eclairs for dinner. We got a pumpkin doughnut for Maysen.

Jack couldn't come over today because he has covid. He found out on Friday. Luckily he cancelled last week because of Young Mens. Mike and I were downstairs watching the World Series when Jorja came down and mentioned that Stockton had 99 days left. WHAT! I was so sad! I missed the clock turning! I was probably at lunch with Preston when the clock turned, but drat!

Jorja went with Brenton after dinner to answer Ella to the Halloween dance. I am glad she was able to hang out with him for a bit, he has been a really good friend to her.

Little Jorj

Jorja and her friends have been playing Among Us lately. Jorja added Preston to the group chat and he plays with all of Jorja's friends. It is pretty funny. Preston is 'littlejorj."

Jorja stayed after school to talk with Packer. He told her they might get some stuff for homecoming. At this point she will take what she can get. I don't think anyone realizes how hard Jorja is working to pull even a tiny tidbit of homecoming week off. It has been so frustrating for her.

Bear and Jorja

Jorja has been trying to meet the student body officers of other schools. Today they had planned to have the Alta SBOs and the Jordan SBOs to get together. With Bode testing positive that plan was postponed. Jorja did meet one-on-one with the girl she had been talking to from Jordan though. She really liked her.

Jordan SBO and Jorja

We bought tickets to the lantern festival tonight. Well, it is for next Saturday. Jorja was been wanting to go to this for a few years now. She has talked to me about it often. They only do this twice a year, and usually it is on a school dance. With most of homecoming getting shut down, this should be fun for her. She got tickets to go with Ella and Giselle. If it seems that these blogs right now are focussed heavily on Jorja, you're right. First off, things have been impacting Jorja more than my other kids. Second, I am two weeks behind, so I can find texts from Jorja and pictures on her phone to remind me what actually happened! I need to catch up!

Jorja

I do know that Jack came over today. Preston choose his meal to be today and he chose to roast hotdogs. Haha. Too bad I didn't bring my phone to get a picture of those two cute boys! Preston has LOVED his weekly hangouts with Jack!

Clam Chowder

Today was... interesting. Some good, some bad. The good: Jack came over to hang out with Preston. I have talked to Jack's mom and we are going to try and get the boys together every Wednesday. I'm so thankful she is willing to do this. With Preston doing virtual learning we thought this would give him some social interaction. Preston and Jack get along so well! They played board games and went swimming. Jack brought Pandemic. We have played Legacy Pandemic and love that game. Jack brought over the regular Pandemic game which was fun to see how it differed from Legacy.

Another good: Maysen made clam chowder today. It was delicious. She followed a copy-cat Ivar's recipe. It was easier than I expected. We ate outside by the pool. Jack and Preston were able to come out and eat with us and then jump back in the pool. Perfect.

The bad... I got frustrated with Jorja today. She told me that she was going to get matching volleyball clothes with her class after school and then try to find a math book for her 1040 class and she would be home in time for dinner. Okay, no big deal. Then she told me that she couldn't find the book but she was working on math homework. Awesome. I asked her where she was and who she was with. She was with Riley. She said Jake and Aiden had to go to work. She was doing homework at Riley's house but was in the main room with his family. I was super annoyed. I had assumed she had gone shopping with girls. It did not cross my mind that she would be trying to get matching volleyball clothes with boys. Although I'm glad she was not alone with Riley, I was annoyed she was hanging out with him. I don't like him. I don't like her with him. He is starting to earn Jorja's trust back, but that scares me. So, I was annoyed about that. Then... Jorja didn't come home in time for dinner. I was livid. I texted her and asked if she had lost track of time. She said she thought I was going to text her to tell her when dinner was. Grrrrrr. I spent forever on Sunday making sure everyone was clear on the time of dinner. I said that if a conflict arose we could change the time, but I wanted a set time so everyone would know. I asked Maysen if I was clear. She said I was very clear. Jorja said she didn't remember that at all, which means she tuned me out... again. Plus, if she didn't know what time dinner was, why did she say she would be home in time for dinner and not ask what time dinner was? I was super annoyed. We waited for Jorja to get home before we ate. Dinner was nice and the weather was perfect. After dinner I asked Jorja when she wanted to talk about today. She decided she wanted to talk now and get it over with. So... we talked. Mike was there, which was awesome because he is super calm and level headed. It helped me be calm. We were able to tell Jorja why we were worried and what we were worried about. She says we are punishing her by not allowing her to hang out with Riley. We told her she was allowed to hang out with him, just not alone. She told us we were controlling. I reminded her how we let her go away for a weekend and have sleepovers with a ton of boys. Mike told her that our job was to protect her. He talked to her a long time and I can't remember everything about that now. I know that we didn't end the conversation angry with each other. Jorja turns 18 exactly two months from today... that is a scary thought. Jorja asked if she could go drive around and clear her head. She ended up picking up Brenton and Bode. I love those two boys. They watch out for Jorja. I am so thankful for them.

Jorja & Sami

Jorja, Sami, Luke, and Ryan I think

Jorja, Bode, Brenton

Bucket List Check Off

Our ice machine is broken and we don't have one that is hooked up in our freezer. Maysen wanted a breakfast shake this morning. I tried getting ice out of the frozen water bottle, but that didn't work. I did run to the store and get two bags of ice, so we should be good for awhile.

Stephanie

Mike's duck pond progress

Stockton called as I was leaving the store. I LOVE it when he calls each week. Lots of times we send pictures back and forth while we are talking. Stockton sent me a picture of his journal. Four more transfers until he comes home. Unreal. I love it! One transfer is on my mom's birthday and one is on Preston's. Haha

I sent Stockton pictures of Mike and I painting the cabin. He laughed when he got this one of Mike. He said, "Give me a second."

A few minutes later this showed up on my phone. Hahaha! I love him!

I sent Isaac Bingham pictures of Maysen's burns. He told me some things to get at the store. The pads he said to get were tefla or adaptic (I think) He said to get kerlix gauze. Also to get come coban to hold the gauze. It was late when I got Isaac's message. I hurried to Walmart, but they were closed. I went to Walgreens. They didn't have anything I needed. I talked to the pharmacist and she helped me pick out things that should work. Fingers crossed they do!

Jack came over and played with Preston today. His parents came and picked him up to go to dinner with his grandpa, then they brought him back over. When Jack's mom came to pick him up she asked how things were. I told her about Maysen's burns. She said she was an expert on burns. Jack had been burned badly when he was little. She came in and helped me wrap Maysen. I told her how frustrated I was that I couldn't find the supplies I needed. She had some coban at home. A few minutes later she brought it to me! She was so nice!

Jorja had a date with Conner today. They went hiking to the Draper suspension bridge. Jorja came home very happy and was super excited that she got to check off an item on her bucket list. Kissing in the rain. Hahaha. She makes me laugh.

Jorja and Conner

Conner & Jorja

Jorja & Conner

Check off

Masked Mike

Mike was so proud. He figured out how to make a mask out of underwear. Haha. These are his compression shorts that he used. What a weirdo.

Mike

I was working upstairs and got a text from Mike to come to Preston's room. I told the kids that I bet Dad is sleeping on a bed with the dog. Yep. That is what he wanted to show me. He was sleeping in a bed with Bear. Bear is NOT allowed on our bed. The kids love having him hop on theirs though.

Mike & Bear

 Found this picture of Grandma Parry, Mike and Grandpa Parry ~ I miss them!

We let Preston's friend Jack come over today. He wore a mask and they practiced social distancing. Preston was so happy. We could hear them giggling constantly. I went outside when Jack's mom came to pick him up. I stayed six feet away and talked to her while she was in her car. We talked for a long time. It was really nice to be able to interact with someone out of the house. She is super nice. I'm so glad Preston and Jack have so much fun together!

Jack & Preston

Visitors

Jorja spent all of the day in bed. She had some friends come and visit her, which made her so happy. The place that took out her wisdom teeth sent her flowers. They were so pretty. Too bad later in the day they got knocked over and spilled water all over her friend Cam.

Jorja

 Cam

 Cam & Jorja

Jack and Ellie stopped by from student government. Jorja LOVED that. They brought her a smoothie from Jamba Juice. They were so nice and talked to her for a long time. Jack got his wisdom teeth out a few months ago. He did it as a part of a study. Half of the participants get pain medication as they are recovering, half of them get a placebo. Jack is positive he received the placebo. The recovery was awful. He said he's glad he did it now, but he wouldn't want to do it again.

Jack & Ellie

 Jack, Ellie, Jorja

Her friend Mallory stopped by super late at night. Around 10:00 I think. She stayed until 1:00 in the morning. Jorja wasn't tired and had slept most of the day. Me, on the other hand..... I have been sleeping with Jorja, so I just crawled into bed and fell asleep while Mallory was here. She had just come back from Lake Powell, which is why she came so late. She is getting her wisdom teeth out on Monday.

Mallory

BYU played Boise State today and WON! BYU has only won three games this year, and all of them have been against teams in the top 25. They lost two games to teams they should have destroyed. Anyway, I was watching the game by myself and BYU scored on an amazing trick play. I was cheering and Mike was walking down the hall. I said, "Mike! Hurry you got to see this!" He kept walking at his same speed and said, "I'm good." It annoyed me so bad. I couldn't pause the game, so I couldn't show him the play. It made me so sad. I went from cheering to being really sad in a matter of seconds. I hate that I am alone and no one will enjoy this with me. Mike didn't like that he made me feel sad, but he doesn't understand that he makes me feel like he thinks he is better than me because I like sports. I gave up watching sports for years when the kids were little, but it was such a big part of my childhood and it has been fun getting back into it. This is how I bond with my brothers. We have a group text that we use and text during the games. It is my main interaction with my family. I love that, but sometimes I want to enjoy with someone in the same house as me. It did prompt me to ask Jorja if she would marry someone who liked sports just a little bit so I would have someone to talk to. She would not agree to my stipulation. Anyway, I was watching the football game and following the baseball game on my phone. I didn't have the channel of the Astros/Yankees game. If the Astros won (which they did) they were going to the World Series. I had walked into the guest room to check on Jorja. Mike had spent most of the day with her. I looked down at my phone and said that Altuve was up. He's my favorite player on the Astros and I thought it would be amazing if he hit a walk-off. Which he DID!!!! Anyway, Mike said, "Is he the one that throws the football?" Hahahahahaha Oh my gosh! I hate it that no one enjoys sports with me, but sometimes you get gems like this that will make me laugh for days. BYU scored a touchdown and Altuve hit a walkoff homerun as I was leaving the room. Wow! What a fun day for sports!

Jorja's Teeth

Jorja got her wisdom teeth out today. The procedure went great with no complications. Hopefully she'll recover quickly.

Jorja

 Jorja being wheelchaired out to the car

Jorja kept sending videos to people on the way home. Here are a few of them. She couldn't drink water, and she somehow convinced herself that her friend Ben died. He was killed by a spider. It was very logical. I couldn't find the clip where she was scared of a triangle. So...

"I shouldn't drink water"

Ben killed by a spider

Hailey went to Ben's funeral

Jorja sent a message to Cam saying that Ben died. He wrote back saying, "I heard. It's so sad." So, that convinced her Ben died for sure, didn't matter what I said.

Cam hacked the system from heaven

From Ben

Volcanoes in Utah, but I'm Jorja's favorite

Poor Porge

Hailey and Spencer came over to see Jorja today. They came separately, but ended up being here at the same time. Spencer brought Jorja a lemonade from Swig.

Hailey, Jorja, Spencer

Jorja felt better toward the end of the day and really wanted to go to U-Swirl. She mostly wanted to get out of the house. Jack was over playing with Preston, so we brought him with us. These two get along so well, I love it.

Jack & Preston

Jorja