On Sunday of last week, Megan and Ammon decided to move up their wedding date from May 23rd, to May 7th! They decided, "What are we waiting for?" They have no temple date since we know temples are officially closed at least through the end of May, no big reception to execute, no MCAT scheduled for Ammon, and Hawaii, the place of their planned honeymoon, officially all closed up through the end of May.

Last Sunday, not related, but looking over a cliff might be compared to making the decision to just get married already!

So, we have been making new, smaller plans. We will have family only in our backyard--that still adds up to 28 people, but since Utah now okay'd gatherings of 20, we figure since its our family (and Ammon's) and in our yard, we are still following the spirit of the law. We have ordered silk flowers and hanging lights online and Ammon and Megan have been busy weeding in the backyard and have planted some new flowers, too! We will have music and food and Kevin got a certificate online to be the officiator. It should be really lovely and when all this COVID19 stuff is over, we will have their temple sealing and a really, really big party!

Mariah finished her Dixie classes this week! Yay! She officially finished her first year of college. Way to go Mariah! She continued to work with Sarah all week. Megan even worked with them for a couple of days to "up" the sisterly bonding, ya know! She is great fun to have around and has gone on runs with her sisters and walks when they need to get out. She even played some basketball with some guy friends who are "temporary" RMs. She won, of course.

Mariah took this picture while walking with Chey and Ben!

Chey and Cali continue to work hard on school. I've heard there are kids who have just given up on their classes. I'm really grateful for these two who care so much about getting their work done. I'm proud of them! I also sense a relaxing in them as the pressures of sports and friends have become nonexistent. They can tell they are less stressed too, and have even expressed appreciation for some of the changes this quarantine has forced on them. I think that shows valuable reflection in them.

Beth does really well with her work, as well. She doesn't have as much as anybody else but she is very diligent and gets everything done quickly. She still plays with the girls across the street, and with the weather getting nicer, playing outside is easier, even for Beth's favorite board game, Betrayal. We have had some rainy days, but Beth and Annaliese have started playing Barbies through Facetime. It totally works!

Giving new meaning to "board game!"

Ben has gotten his work done but it takes him most of the day, and like last week, by Friday he's just had too much and the complaints hit all-time highs! He has very much enjoyed some of the rain storms. He grabs an umbrella and goes out to jump on the trampoline! (I know the umbrella makes zero sense, but just try to talk that boy out of something! Not worth the effort and besides, he looks cute.)

Savannah is much, much happier without homework or deadlines hanging over her head. She can now give all her attention to work. It's a good thing she is free because Grandma and Grandpa Gazdik are working on a 1000 piece puzzle and they've called on her a couple of times to, "Come help!" and she has gladly done just that!

Sarah and McKay sometimes get drafted, too!

Kevin was scheduled to fly to a conference this weekend and teach a workshop. He didn't, of course, but he did get to teach it online and had about 150 attendees. I for one, am a fan of these virtual conferences! They keep my husband home!

The kids have been rewatching an old favorite, Sunny with a Chance!

We bought a spike ball set and Chey took this artistic shot! It's been fun to learn to play.