Family Reunion Day 1

With negative tests yesterday everyone felt comfortable coming to our house to start our family reunion. We spent the day swimming, playing pickle ball, games, and eating lots of food. We all had a lot of fun and it was a great way to kick off the weekend!

 

Covid

 Well I was shocked we steered clear of covid as long as we did, but after 18 months we finally got it. Josh started getting sick (low fever, sore throat, dry cough) but we didn't think to get him tested. He just stayed home and worked from home. Then Josh's brother and dad started getting sick. Then another brother. At some point his brother and his dad went and got tested and were positive. By then Josh was pretty much better, but we assume he had it for sure since the rest of his family all tested positive. I barely got sick...I mainly just had sinus pressure that felt like when I got my concussion last year. I kept waiting for the fever and cough but it never came. After Josh's family tested positive I went in and got tested and was positive. I knew I had covid bc I lost my taste and smell, but wanted it documented in case we have to show it at some point. I tested positive on July 26 which of course was 5 days before our family reunion was supposed to start at our house and end up at our cabin. So we put that on hold while we figured out our timeline and when we would be in the clear. Josh took a test on Thursday and it was negative so he was good. I took all the kids to get tested on Friday the 30th and we all tested negative!!! It was such a blessing and even though I knew it had been long enough since my symptoms started that I wasn't contagious anymore, it gave my family peace of mind so we could enjoy the family reunion and not cancel it. We just changed our plans so we were always outdoors and not in the cabin with 25 people. 

We feel blessed that Covid wasn't too bad for our family. I'm not sure if the kids ever got it bc none of them were sick. Unfortunately Josh's dad wasn't so lucky. He got sicker and sicker and finally was sick enough that the hospital took him. Josh was able to visit him on the 31st and Steve was talking about funeral arrangements. He really didn't think he was going to make it. This was extremely hard on Josh and on all of us. By Sunday he was on a ventilator and no one could visit him anymore. So we all just prayed and tried to text him to keep him motivated and fighting to survive. He turned a corned by Tuesday and we finally were able to breathe a little easier. A few more days in the hospital then he was able to go home and continue his recovery. He is still weak, gets winded easy, and has a cough that will probably last a while. We are so grateful that he was able to fight hard enough to survive and are grateful for a loving Father in Heaven that allowed him to stay here when so many are dying. 

Bedroom Reveal

Brooklyn finally got home from girls camp and Brynlee and I were ready for her surprise. Of course she started catching on bc she thought it was so strange I was following her up to her room. Brynlee hid behind the bed to record her reaction. She loves it!!!

 

Brooklyn’s Bedroom Makeover

It's amazing how quickly a girl turns into a teen. And once they do they are ready to get rid of everything little girlish. Brooklyn informed me she wanted a white comforter for her bed which got us talking about new ideas for her room. We quickly fell in love with the idea of black, white, and gold. We talked about it occasionally and looked at ideas online but Brooklyn had no idea I was busy designing it to surprise her. I started ordering everything and hiding it in the garage and in my bedroom. While she was gone at girls camp I got to work! Brynlee helped me a bunch and we took down half her gold dots (they had driven me nuts ever since I put them up...just way too many) and started working on everything else. It was a lot of trial and error but we finally finished it and I am in love with it! I still need to get some black bins for her shelves, but we can't wait for Brooklyn to see it!

 

Sod and Tramp!!!

We have been waiting and waiting for sod! Finishing the pool, getting concrete, putting in a fence, and landscaping everything else has been quite the summer project. We started in April and it just has taken so much time to coordinate all of that and get it all done. But finally everything was done and we were ready for the grass and to finish the trampoline hole. The girls have been dying without a tramp and ask about it all the time. So they were beyond thrilled when I called them down and they were able to jump. I think I have been the most anxious for the grass bc I have spent the last 9 months sweeping up dirt and mopping up mud off my new floors. It's been so hard and not fun especially with a dog. It will be nice to not have the dirt tracked in! We absolutely love the grass!!!

 

Josh’s Birthday

We made it home from the cabin the kids were excited to give Josh his presents. Brielle had spent the weekend painting a Jazz symbol for him which was super sweet. We gave him a basketball hoop for the swimming pool and we can't wait to use it!

 

Cabin Trip Day 3

We spent another day relaxing and going on more 4 wheeler rides. Josh's parents and Rachael Ben and their kids came up late last night so it was fun to be with them today. Rachael brought a giant bag of carrots so we could feed the horses and the kids loved it. It got a little intense when the horses started fighting over the carrots, but it was fun. We cleaned up in the evening and headed home to finish celebrating Josh's birthday.

 

Cabin Trip Day 1-2

We finally were able to make it up to the cabin this summer. We have been so busy with landscaping, dance, and having a pool that we haven't been able to go up yet. But luckily it worked out to head up like we always do to celebrate Josh's birthday. We headed up Thursday afternoon and enjoyed the evening. We spent the 24th of July relaxing. The girls painted a lot and we played a lot of games. Brayden was extremely excited bc we finally let him drive the 4 wheeler by himself so we went on lots of rides. We put the younger 2 in the basement for a movie and we watched the Sixth Sense with the older 3. It was fun to watch that movie with them and see their reactions. They love scary movies, but we have to be careful bc if any of the girls get too scared they have issues sleeping and freak themselves out. 

 

When it Rains…

We didn't know this would be a problem until it was. The rain came so fast that within 15 min the pool cover was full of rain water. So we had to get creative to scoop off the water so the girls could swim again. Britney thoroughly enjoyed being small enough to go on the cover. It was as good as swimming! Needless to say...we bought a pool cover pump immediately following these pictures.