March 2020

With both houses fully under contract and a moving date of April 1st preparations were kicked into high gear.  And Covid-19 also kicked into high gear.  Which caused some extra hiccups for the moving prep.  We had been eating through our food storage to prevent having to move it.  Little did we know the panic that would ensue and the empty store shelves that would follow.  I ended up having to join in the panic to restock our storage since we had no idea whether thing would shut down or not.  What a crazy time to be moving in...

 Quincy's book report...

 We were able to go the Real Soccer Game with Shannon and Cory and Mom and Dad Payne.  It was nice to have a break from all the craziness and always fun to be with these guys. 

 Addie just keeps growing up.  She decided that it was time to deposit all the money that she had been saving and got her first debit card.  

She also spent a lot of time serving in the temple this month.  So proud of her and her willingness to serve. 

 This kid loves her new piggy bank!

I decided that my sidekick needed some time with me that didn't include packing or cleaning.  So we headed to the butterfly biosphere and just enjoyed being together.   

When they aren't fighting these 2 are so cute together...

 This is the point when things really starting getting crazy.  Because of Covid-19, things started shutting down and lines to get into Costco looked like this...

Movie night cuties...

We held a yard sale and it ended up being pretty successful. We were mostly trying to get rid of a bunch of stuff that we didn't want to pack and I was so happy that even with some rain and the uncertainty of the coronavirus we were able to get rid of most of the stuff we wanted to (minus 1 truckload that we took to the DI). 

Grandpa Payne stopped in for a visit with Dilly Bars!

As we neared the end of our time living in Lehi we attempted some good-bye hangouts (which was more difficult due to the social distancing mandate). Our Sandy friends always come through though and we love the time we have with them!

And then we found out that schools were closing.  Definitely not what we had planned on but online school was put into place quickly and started as smoothly as possible.  The kids were really disappointed as this would mean that they would miss their last 2 weeks of being with their classmates.  Luckily with the technology we have they were able to meet with their classmates and friends online which helped.  Homeschool was interesting... especially while packing and moving.  Each kid had their own computer and space to work in...

Homeschool projects...

Addie's artwork...

Just can't get enough of this cutie...

With social distancing in place we had a zoom call with cousins which was fun...

And we waved from cars to welcome home Sam Nielsen during his "inter-mission." (All missionaries in foreign countries were sent home temporarily because of Covid-19).

Playin' the day away...

Zoom meetings for the win...

One of the things that Addie missed was doing her Images of Greatness presentation.  So instead, her teacher had parents film the kids doing them.  Addie was Marie Curie...

  Once again saying goodbye was tricky due to Coronavirus but we were lucky to get a few in with our closest friends...

Quincy and her BFF Faith

Brinlee and Kate stopped by for a social distancing goodbye.  It was really hard for Addie not to be able to spend time with her BFF before we moved but it was good to see her even from a distance before leaving.  

Tess and her BFF Kassidy.  Not even a deadly virus can keep these 2 apart!

Last few nights in an empty house...

This was definitely a weird time to move in.  We school and church cancelled and a social distancing mandate in place we didn't feel like we were able to have much closure.  There weren't the usual goodbye parties or visits, we didn't speak in church for the last time, the girls didn't get final playdates, we didn't even get our families together.  It really was such a weird time and a difficult way to move.  But with all the work that we had put in over these last few months we were really looking forward to April and settling into our new place.  

February 2020

February came quickly and we knew it would be jam packed with birthdays, Valentine's Day, and moving preparations.   

First we started with Great Grandma Wayment's 80th birthday party.  It was fun to see the whole family gather together to celebrate this lady.  I have adored my Grandma since I was little and it was fun being a part of this night. 

 Next we had a celebration of Quincy's and Coco's birthdays with the Grandparents...

The following day was Quincy's 10th Birthday!  Its hard to believe that our second kid is now in double digits! There was a huge snow storm on this day and the schools were closed... she thought that was a pretty great present!  We have loved watching Quincy grow.  She is always up for a laugh or a hug and is usually the one giving them out.  She is a tease at her core but a kind kid at heart.  She loves slime, Roblox, and being with her sisters and her friends.  She loves to draw and do gymnastics. We sure love this 10 year old! 

More house preparations...

Since the school was closed on Quincy's birthday, she got to take treats to her class the next day!

 Bath time fun...

 Next up... Coco turned 2!  It's so hard to believe that 2 years have passed since this little caboose was born.  We just love watching her grow and seeing all the things that she is learning.  She loves saying her animals and the sounds that they make. Her favorite song is "Popcorn Popping." She loves Mickey Mouse and Elsa and is a little obsessed with the TV.  She is a pretty good eater but loves pizza and mac&cheese the most as well as all things sugar.  Mom is still her favorite but Addie is a close second and she getting comfortable with more and more people.  She has the loudest and most shrill scream and will use it to get what she wants. She loves puzzles and moving items from one container to another. We adore this little sweetheart! 

Notice the pillow right behind her?  She prefers to sleep on marshmallows...

We also changed her crib to a toddler bed in preparation for her getting a big girl bed once we move. She has done really well with it and has yet to get out of bed on her own.  Crossing my fingers that will last for a little while longer.  

One of Quincy's presents was to have her tips dyed.  She was so excited and thrilled with how they turned out. 

 And suddenly it was Valentine's Day! Our little Valentines got a few surprises in the morning...

And had their Valentine's Boxes ready to go.  (Side note... Quincy waited until the last minute, came up with a complicated idea, and still managed to pull it off!)

Tess really loves Sloth's right now and was super excited to make this box...

And big 6th grader Addie is too cool for school...

I was able to help at Tess' Valentine party and it was so fun to see her pass out her Valentines for the first time ever. 

Then I got to help at Addie's Valentine's Party.  I always love being with this group of kids.  They have been together since the 4th grade and I love seeing how they interact with each other.  

Meanwhile...

We also had our annual candlelit dinner and had an opportunity to have the missionaries join us.  Unfortunately, I failed to get any pictures this year. Bummer!  Right after, Tess was invited to have a late night movie with her BFF Kassidy.  Cute girls!

Just darling...

 Addie and her bff Brinlee did a Science Fair Project together.  They won at their school level and moved on to District. They also won at the District level which means they move on to State in March.  They were so excited! 

 Selfie Fun...

 Sometimes she is absolutely determined to do things.  Like carry a diaper bag that weighs more than she does...

 And eat her toes...

 Family Night at Provo Beach...

We have started letting Addie babysit more and more.  She is such a responsible kid and it is amazing how life changing it is to have a kid who can babysit!

Devin and I were able to go the BYU vs Gonzaga game as part of celebrating his upcoming birthday. It was a good game and a fun night!

Silly kid...

And then suddenly it was Devin's birthday.  He spent the day with his dad and uncles watching high school championship games.  

And then we celebrated with Thai food and Scotcharoos...

And lots of loves...

For his birthday, I was able to get my mom to come stay with the kids so we could go to St. George for a night to see the progress of the house and start some preparations.  It was so fun being down there, having a chance to explore a little bit more, and start to feel excited about our upcoming move.  We went to a late movie and we were almost the only ones in the theatre!

When we got home, my mom had made a special birthday dinner for Devin and we all got to enjoy the pie after!

 After all the negotiations, inspections, appraisals, more negotiations, finally the due diligence time was up and we knew that the contract for our house was secure so we were really able to start packing.  Having a month feels good and stressful all at the same time.  Having plenty of time to pack but also not being able to pack the stuff that we need to live.  We had to get comfortable really fast with living in craziness and knowing that it would be like this for the next month...