The Day My Life Changed Forever

Apparently I don't like to blog during a pandemic.  Seriously.  It's because I'm too angry.  Remote learning with a toddler is the stuff nightmares are made of.  I felt like my head was going to explode all. the. time.

But even with fun canceled, we've had enough going on around here that I'm going to get back to updating this blog so things like me participating in The Amazing Race (and winning!), and Memorial Day, and Randy's pandemic project, and a bunch of other exciting-ish things don't go forgotten.

I need a drumroll for this big announcement......Marcus got his license!!  May 20, 2020 will forever be a day that my life changed forever.

I no longer have to spend huge amounts of my time driving Marcus everywhere, waiting for him to show up, or checking my phone to see if he's ready to be picked up.  It's been amazing!  I am suddenly so much less busy and Marcus is one happy camper enjoying his freedom to come and go pretty much whenever he wants.  He loves driving my van around and we can always hear him coming because the music is blasting.

Marcus was on track to get his license as soon as he turned 16 in March.  He passed the written exam with flying colors but then the DMV closed along with all the companies that offer driving tests.  So we waited and waited and then when they finally opened, he was one of the first to get his driving test scheduled.  We spent the previous night driving all over and practicing parallel parking all while he wore a mask so it felt like the real deal test.  He passed and we learned the hard way you don't actually have to take the driving test to get your license online.  You just have to check a box saying you completed it.  I'll have to remember that for my next kid and save myself $150.

Heading out for the driving test.  He was super confident and super nervous.

 We celebrated by leaving me at home while he took his brothers out to lunch at McDonald's.  I still can't believe I put my baby in the car with him because just looking at this picture makes me nervous, but it all worked out just fine.

In case you're wondering about the University of Utah hoodie, Marcus is still a BYU fan.  He's hoping to play lacrosse in college at either the U or the Y.  He gets a lot of attention in the red hoodie though.  The traitor!  :)

Stake Conference in my Pajamas

My life is forever changed.  Today was stake conference which means every six months we go to church and sit for 2 hours listening to our stake leaders.  It's great as an adult but horrible if you have kids and since I have five kids it's extra horrible.  My boys are usually antsy and asking "how much longer?" after about twenty minutes so the two hour meeting feels eternal.

Randy is in Utah for the weekend and I was dreading the thought of stake conference on my own but my friend/neighbor Barb, rescued me again.  She really is the best!  Her husband {named Randy} takes care of all the tech/video/broadcasting for stake conference so it can be streamed and viewed at 2 locations.  Barb emailed me the link enabling me to watch the live stream of stake conference from my house.  I watched conference in my pajamas, snuggling with my boys and enjoyed every minute of that 2-hour meeting.  It was amazing!  I wondered how something that wonderful could not be bad?  I mean it was just too good to be true.  But it was true!  Now my dilemma is how will I go back to sitting through stake conference at the church ever again?  It's like going back to dial-up internet.  Or black and white television.  Or horses instead of cars.  You get the idea.  But today I'm just thankful and so happy.

Landon wasted no time bringing in all the Legos and Ethan got extra comfy on the inflatable couch

Seeing my boys snuggling makes me happy

 Also, while we are on the subject of Sundays and church, I must share this story of the 2018 Epic Parent Fail.  A few weeks ago when Laura and her family was in town, we come home from church in three different cars.  Typically after church my boys come find me, begging and pulling on my arms to stop talking to my friends, and practically drag me to the parking lot.  This time was no different so I sent Landon to get Parker from his class as I rushed to gather up my things amidst the dragging and pulling.  I got out to the parking lot and all the kids rushed to jump in the cars and make the fastest exit possible.  We arrived home about fifteen minutes later and began our traditional Sunday lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches when Randy got a phone call informing him we had left Parker at church.  I freaked out.  Randy drove to Parker's very kind and hopefully not judgemental Primary teacher and picked up Parker.  When Parker got home, he walked right past me, throwing the picture at me that he made in Primary and burst into tears.  I immediately hugged him and apologized and hugged him some more and promised I'd never leave him again {fingers crossed}.  Once he calmed down I looked at his picture and almost started sobbing myself.  In his cute hand writing that I could barely decipher, it said:

Dear Mom, I love you  Thank you for loving me  Love Parker

Can you believe it?  Reading it was like being stabbed through the heart with a knife.  Seriously, I felt so bad.  I'm the worst.  The worst.  Now I know how the mom on Home Alone felt.  It's time to teach my kids what to do when they get left somewhere, not if.

I mean, who could forget this cute kid?  Me.  That's who.