Carly's Corona 12th Birthday

Carly turned 12 in the middle of a global pandemic where social distancing is what we do.

We celebrated with sticky buns, bacon & chocolate milk for breakfast. Then we roped outside in our arena. Then we got lunch at Subway and ate it on the temple lawn.

Then we went on a social distancing scavenger/treasure hunt. We went to 6 friend's houses and just said hi on their front lawn, and then that friend gave Carly her next clue (I had texted all the moms to have them write down the next clue).

It was so nice to see people and talk to someone else besides our little family. Carly's friends were creative and wrote the clues on cards or gifts. Brett Olsen had wrapped a candy bar in like 5 layers of gift wrap with the clue in the middle. We went to Carly Bevans, Peyton Pilling, Peyton Murray, Brett Olsen, Trygg Olsen, and Katie Sommerfeldt. Then her treasure was some dollar store toys in a giant gift bag.

Carly had 2 friends also drop off gifts, Presley Butler and Maggie Salmon.

We grilled steaks outside and invited Grandpa & Grandma over and also Bob & Monica Wilson for dinner and ice cream cake.

Then we had a zoom birthday party with Jill, Hanna and my siblings. We had an online quiz about Carly and just visited for a few minutes.

Carly got a cowgirl shirt, a blanket (supposed to be electric but mom's ordering failed), a game of Clue (that hasn't come yet), getting her ears pierced (when the store restrictions end), and gifts from her grandmas.

The Stake Young Women's Presidency is going to every young woman's house in our stake and telling them they miss them and giving them candy. That's a huge project - especially for the out of town wards.

For not being able to celebrate normally, we had a fun birthday with Carly. #12 years old!!!

Spring Backyard Campout

 April 24, 2020

Cardston, Alberta, Canada

Since every possible thing in our life had been cancelled, we had to get creative. Austin decided that we were going to have a campout in our backyard. We set up the tent and built a fire. Lucy said she didn't want to sleep out there and I gave her a speech about how she needed to sleep out with us. Then partway through the night, Austin and I were so uncomfortable on our cots. Like old people, it was hurting so bad to sleep on those cots without an air mattress. So we both ended up inside in the middle of the night. Lucy will probably never let me live down the speech I gave her.

Hanna's Mission Call

Hanna had all of her online missionary requirements done before she left at Christmas. She got back to school and met with her Bishop and Stake President. Everything was ready except hitting "submit." She had to wait until April 9 to submit since August 1 was her availability date.

Then came the corona virus. Co-vid 19. Global pandemic. Thousands of missionaries were sent home if they were not serving in their home country. Her friends came home from the Philippines, Africa, South America, etc. Then the church gave missionaries until April 30 to decide if they wanted to delay a year to serve, or get a new assignment in their home country. New missionaries could also choose to wait a year or go now knowing they would need to be flexible in where they went.

Plus Hanna starting hanging out with Tate Cranney.

Should she still go?

Prayers. Advice from Dad. Advice from her Bishop.

Her mission call came. She didn't want to tell everyone.

She sat in her car by herself reading the call while Jill and Larsen and the rest of our family were on FaceTime.

"You are assigned to labor in the Dominican Republic Santo Domingo East Mission and will prepare to preach the gospel in the Spanish language. Please report to the México Missionary Training Center on Tuesday, August 4, 2020, after being set apart by your stake president. It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 18 months. Please note that circumstances in the country of your assigned mission may require that you begin with a temporary assignment in your home country. You will receive further instruction if this becomes necessary."

Okay. Now what? Should she still go? She prayed. We prayed. Then Heidi Cranney was in Logan that day and so Hanna was talking to her about it. She told her that she should go, that missions are so good for you. Hanna said, but I really like Tate. Heidi said that Tate is not ready to get married. Hanna needs to go, even for the sake of her future family. And Tate needs more time to decide what he wants in life.

That was the answer Hanna needed to hear. She committed to go. We called a quick Zoom meeting for Hanna to tell her aunts and uncles and grandparents. Then she was ready to post it online, and she needed to do it right now, during prime time social media hours (according to Hanna).

"After an amazing freshman year at Utah State, I have decided to serve mission! I have been assigned to the Dominican Republic Santo Domingo East mission! I am beyond excited to be serving my Savior and the people of the Dominican Republic! @ Logan, Utah"

It's a mission call from the Lord just for Hanna. She is excited for the adventure of an island. She is excited to learn Spanish, even though she is practically fluent from her one semester of high school Spanish. She is excited for it to be warm.

When Hanna was opening her call, Jill said that she could see a few people that she would teach. Hanna said that during general conference a few weeks before that, she kept picturing little black kids, but they weren't black. Then the night before her mission call came, she had a dream with the same little kids. Island kids.

Another tender mercy is that our neighbour, Ethan Bevans, got called to Argentina and he is starting the same day at the Mexico MTC. There is also a boy from Stirling, Orrin Smith, who is going to the exact same mission on the exact same day. (Update as of July 2020, they are doing at-home MTC, so they aren't going to the Mexico MTC together). But she is still hopeful that when she goes to the Dominican Republic, at least she will have someone to travel with.

Easter

The Easter Bunny found us even during a pandemic.

We had a zoom Nunn church and then for the first time we had a Waite siblings zoom church. It was a good Sunday!