Basketball Season

 Lucy played on the Cardston High School varsity basketball team with Shelley Quinton and Logan VanDusen as their coaches. They had a fun and tough season. They missed a whole year of basketball and the chance to have a junior varsity season because of stupid covid.

Even this year, some of the scheduled tournaments were canceled because of covid restrictions. We still had to wear masks to watch the games until the last week of the season.

Carly played on the Grade 8 girls basketball team with Claire Sala as her coach, and then Austin volunteered to be her assistant coach. They had a successful season, although Claire kept all 13 girls that tried out, a rookie mistake. It is such tricky to give 13 girls playing time. 

They did end their season winning divisionals and zones. 

The high school showed their school spirit for the boys basketball games.

 Here is Farmer's Day

The End of the Covid Pandemic

 Almost two years exactly after the Covid pandemic started, it finally came to an end.

It was an experience I hope to never live through again. 

We learned a lot, and there was some good things that came from it, but it was mostly really hard and frustrating.

In March 2020, the world shut down. We thought it might be for a week or two. We can clearly remember when we were driving to Lethbridge to go watch zones basketball games, and a message on the radio said that there could be no gatherings in Alberta over 250 people. Then they decided to cancel all of the rest of the basketball games for the zones tournament. Then within a week or two, schools shut down, churches shut down, sporting events were canceled, the Olympics were canceled, the borders closed to people outside of their own countries, and so on. Stores had restrictions on how many people could be in the store at a time. Then the mask mandates started. Then 2-week quarantine requirements started if you left Canada. The kids had online school from March through the end of the school year. By summer, things had improved a little bit and we were able to have a few outdoor events.

Then when fall came, the numbers increased again. School was back in session, but kids had to wear masks. We had sports in our school division, but only parents could come and watch. If any person tested positive for covid, everyone who had been in any of their classes at school had to stay home and quarantine for two weeks. Lucy and Carly each had to stay home for 3 different 2-week quarantines because someone in their class had tested positive. Then at Christmas they had an extra long Christmas break because the covid numbers were so high.

I had to quarantine twice during the pandemic from going to the U.S., once to pick up Hanna and her horse from school and once when I went to Jill and Larsen's college graduation. Luckily my job adapted through all of this so we figured out how I could work from home.

Finally covid vaccinations were developed, but it took a long time to get enough produced for everyone. At first, only the critically ill or people over 70 could get the vaccine. Then it would move through different categories. And it came with a lot of opposition. President Nelson encouraged everyone to get vaccinated 3 times. But still so many people did "their own research" and read forwarded emails about the hazards of the vaccine, and spread the statement that you would never be able to have children if you were vaccinated. We all got ours as soon as we could.

The restrictions in Canada were excessive. We couldn't sing in church for almost two years, even with masks on, because singing would send our germs into the air.  Did that really save lives? I could go on and on.

We didn't have in-person church for a really long time. We just had at-home church, and we did eventually set up zoom church with extended family. The Nunns met each week. The extended Nunns met once a month or so. We had Waite zoom calls occasionally. Then we could start going to church, but only half the ward at a time, and only for Sacrament Meeting. Then they did start broadcasting church so we could watch even if it wasn't our turn. The church did allow has to have the Sacrament in our homes on the days we couldn't go to church.

Temples were also closed for a few months. Then they slowly re-opened with only sealings, then only own ordinances, then really small endowment sessions. We were so thankful when all restrictions were opened, but they did keep the appointment system that started during covid.

Hanna endured extreme lock-down conditions on her mission in Toronto. They did most of their missionary work online. She went months without any dinner appointments. They would have baptism where only 10 people could be there. They were only supposed to leave their house to get groceries. It was so hard for missionaries. They can testify that the only way they survived was through the strength of the Savior.

Just as it started in March, the gathering restrictions and the mask mandates ended in March 2022. Our first gatherings without restrictions were going to the zone basketball games. 

Thank goodness we survived.

A Great Leavitt Sacrament Fast & Testimony Meeting

 Today, Sunday, March 6, 2022 was possibly one of the best Fast & Testimony Sacrament Meetings that I have ever been to. As with most wards, Leavitt Wards have our regulars who bare their testimonies most months, good testimonies, just regular. And sometimes interesting or crazy things get spoken or we sit for several minutes waiting for someone to go up.

Not today. Today was the first Sunday of church we have had without any covid regulations for almost 2 years. No masks. No capacity limits and social distancing. The Spirit of the meeting was the strongest I have felt for a testimony meeting for a long time. There was not one second of waiting. People were going up during others testimonies so they could get a chance.

And for me, the most undeniable part of the meeting was that three of the four members who are on the list of being considered as our new Bishop (maybe I shouldn't know that??) all stood up to bear their testimonies. The fourth one was out of town with his family. Our current bishopric will have been in 5 years in May, so the Stake Presidency has been discussing and pondering who the Lord wants to be the new bishop. President Ferguson even came today to our ward, for that very reason. President Nunn (Austin) was also there.  And the 3 testimonies were not just your average testimonies. They were strong and specific. And all 3 of them told that they have had the feeling they should stand up to share their testimonies since last month, and they felt so compelled and prompted to stand up today. There is no denying the power of the Holy Ghost for these men to stand up today, Darcy Wright, Michael Bevans and Tim Eaton.

The new bishopric will likely not get called until April, since they will still have to pick a name and have it approved, and then we have Stake Conference and then General Conference.

The Lord's hand is in His work.

Update: Our new Bishop is Wade Walters, the one who was out of town. 

William Austin Perkins

 Jill's due date was February 15, but her doctor said she would induce her up to a week before due date if everything looked good for Jill. So they said, why not? So Jill and Larsen went to the hospital early in the morning on February 8. They started her on pitocin. Then we all waited. And waited. Do we dare text and check up on them? I left to head south that morning, and I kept waiting for the text, "he is here." About 3 pm Jill text and said he was never coming out.

I got to Idaho Falls about 5 pm and was heading to go out to eat at Costa Vida with my parents when Jill text and said I need help - the doctor told me that I could either go home or they could break my water. Don't go home. They took her off the IV for an hour or so and then put her back on and broke her water. Then shortly after that they gave her an epidural. Still waiting. I would wake up in the night to see if I had missed their text. Nope. Then in the morning Larsen text and said he would be here soon. Then at 8:41 am Larsen text and said that the baby is here!

I didn't think I could go to the hospital because of covid restrictions which are that each patient can only have one visitor - which would be Larsen. So I visited with my parents on Wednesday morning and stopped at a store. Then I stopped at Doug & Emily's to wish Henry happy birthday. The last grandkid of the first generation and the first great grandkid will now share the same birthday. That's kind of cool. Henry is hilarious. He has a zest for life and doesn't stop talking. He was so excited about every single part of his birthday.

Then Larsen said that I could come to the hospital. It is a good thing Garfield Memorial is a small, hometown hospital, because when I got there and told them I was there to see Jill, they said she had already had her two visitors for the day (Larsen's mom had come to see the baby) but she would ask the nurse's if I could come in. Luckily they were fine with it.

Then I got to meet William Austin Perkins. He was born at 8:30 am and weighed 7 lbs 11 oz and was 21 inches with lots of black hair. There is nothing like a newborn. And he is so cute.

Larsen stayed a while and then he asked if I would stay the night with Jill and he would go home and sleep. He was so tired. They had been up lots of the night since she was in labor for 24 hours. So I got to sleep at the hospital and help Jill with Will through the night. As I laid on the hospital chair/bed, I thought about how we could be welcoming grandkids for the next 20 years by the time Carly has her last child. 

It was so great to watch Jill be a mom. She was so patient (not always one of her dominant qualities) as the baby tried to learn how to eat. It is really such a miracle that a human fit inside her and then came out as a healthy baby.

The nurse came in to check the vitals of Jill and Will and said she would be back in 3 hours to check again. A few minutes before it was time for her to come back, Jill was holding Will and said, "Hey buddy, do you think we can sneak out of here before the nurse comes to push on my stomach again?"

The next morning Larsen came back so I headed to their new house to have a shower. They got all checked out of the hospital and got home at about noon. I had the privilege to stay with them for the next 10 days to help them and figure out how to take care of newborns and just be able to hold Will. 

He is really content for a baby. When his needs are met, he is chill - that is if he is being held.

Jill started to feel a little better everyday. Recovery is still a process and nursing a baby is also a process as your milk comes in. But everything really went well for Jill & Will. The first night Jill came and woke me up and said, mom, I think he is tongue tied. He ate and I don't think there is anything left in there and he is still crying. So we decided there wasn't quite enough in her yet since her milk hadn't come in, so we gave him a bottle. Then he settled down and was good.

Austin, Hanna, Lucy & Carly came down to meet Will. The contest started for favorite aunt status. We all loved holding him as much as we could. 

Blessing of Will

It was a tough decision on which day to bless Will. Austin wasn't going to be there on a Sunday.

But we didn't think they wanted to wait months until we could come back.

So they blessed Will on a Monday evening.

It was a terrible snowstorm that day. We will never forget driving over Bear Pass to get to Panguitch - cars and semis sliding everywhere.

So none of Larsen's family that didn't live in Panguitch could come.

Larsen gave William Austin Perkins a very nice baby blessing. Larsen wore this same outfit when he was blessed.