February

February was a little quiet around our house. We were focused mostly on DeVaughn and keeping busy with school. Miles is kind of my little shadow, so he definitely gets the bulk of the pictures lately. Like his cat nap? He also painted snow one day. 

Barry and I went on a little date with my Mom and Don to the Lagoon Biergarten one night. That was fun!

Warren painted a snake for a primary activity.

Miles has been socializing a little bit more with friends. He played with Jimmy Huff one day and they went for a bike ride.

 

Grandpa Jenks

Grandpa DeVaughn Jenks passed away on February 12, 2021. He had been very sick for a couple months and they discovered in January that he had a type of cancer that wasn't easily treatable. He passed away quicker than we thought, but we're grateful Barry was able to visit with him before he couldn't talk much anymore. It was a big gathering as we said farewell to him. Barry spoke at the funeral and everyone shared some wonderful memories of him. It was bittersweet as we will miss him here on earth, but know he was finally free of all the sickness he had battled for forty years.

DeVaughn always had a special way of making me feel welcomed into the Jenks family and gave me big loving hugs at every visit. It was fun to see him lie down on the floor to build blocks with his grandkids or tease them lovingly - Miles has the middle name DeVaughn after him. He was such a great example of strength and faith to our family. We will sure miss him!

 

Logan

We took our yearly escape to Logan, but it was the day Grandpa Jenks passed away, so it was a bit more somber than usual. The hotel at our pool was especially fun, though. And we got a bunch of ice cream to drown our sorrows. 

January

Not too much happened during January. Barry played videogames one day with the kids while I went on a one-night getaway to Pocatello/Lava Hot Springs with my mom and sisters. We watched News of the World, had dinner, and went shopping. Then soaked in the hot pools the next day.

The most exciting thing was probably that Quinton moved up to the Teacher's quorum and was ordained. Barry also attempted ice fishing with the kids again to Pineview Reservoir and they FINALLY caught a couple fish.

 

Train Ride

We've wanted to take the kids on a train ride for a couple years and finally made the time to do it. Traxx runs all throughout our part of Utah. We caught it at Farmington Station and rode to downtown Salt Lake City. We walked around City Creek and got Zeppe's, but it was super duper cold!

 

Miles

Miles is growing so much. We often go on walks to wear him out and keep him busy since he misses everyone during the day. He loves to go down our street and take pictures with the horses and cows. He has also stopped taking naps, so when he does fall asleep, it's a treasured moment. 

There was one afternoon when he got all suited up to go out and play in the snow, but he was so tired he fell asleep on the stairs before he even went out!

Sledding

We got pretty much zero snow this winter. We kept waiting and waiting to go sledding near our house and one day there was finally enough to go, though it ended up being very crowded and muddy.

 

Quick Visit to Rigby

We took a quick trip to Rigby and celebrated Connor's birthday. We went sledding on pure ice at Rigby Lake and mini golfing at Fat Cats. The kids loved Grandma's hot tub!

 

Hogle Zoo

We managed to squeeze one more visit into the Zoo before our season pass expired. The kids really like the reptile house and the meerkats. It was a little chilly, though!

December

Fun times in December included:

Miles looking for Luna under our bed.

Finding Sawyer asleep at 11pm on the bathroom floor (he denied everything the next day).

Hanging out with Grandma Decker.

A young men's fireside for Quinton.

Fourteen years of marriage.

Normal Crazy Stuff.

PomPom Soup.

A new dress for Clara!

 I've seen so many people write or talk about 2020 and how it changed their lives. I'm not gonna lie, it was rough. This pandemic has pushed everyone to their mental limits, I think. We've tried to keep life as normal as possible for our kids and it's great to see them so resilient - more so than me, I think - but I hate that they're missing out on things like primary, field trips, and seeing loved ones.

If I've learned anything this year, it's probably to realize that we are accountable for ourselves and our own decisions and we can't let others hurt us with their opinions and actions. The world is nutso, but we can keep our homes sacred. If we have a good heart and rely on the Lord, I think we'll be okay. Life's hard sometimes, but family can help us get through it. I hope we've been able to come closer together this year and that we can remember mostly the good. And also to keep a good supply of toilet paper.