What does a new year bring?

We are well into COVID.  Who would have thought?! How is your new year going?  Ours is going well.  Though we are missing getting together with people.  Right now Virginia only allows 10 people at a social gathering.  With a family of seven, we can't really get together with many people.  

The middle schoolers received their school photos, which I didn't buy, but still fun to see.  I need to find Shanna's.  I thought they turned out cute. 

Lee got an official motorcycle jacket.  He tried to find one that was more colorful.  For wanting to stand out and be noticable on a motorcylce, Lee couldn't find brightly colored jackets.  This one was marked "highest visibility". So weird. I'm surprised the clothing companies don't make more brightly colored jackets.  I need to get one sometime too. 

One evening Clark asked if he could help me bake cinnamon rolls the next morning.  It was very cute.  He helped me the whole way! They turned out great. 

Clark had his buddies Daniel and Zander over for calculus studying.  It was funny hearing them argue about calculus. 

Jammin in the jammies.  I love hearing the kids play the piano. It's even more fun when they play together. 

We brought some of the Peterson kids to our house on a Wednesday.  Gracie fixed Shanna's hair and Shanna fixed Gracie's hair. It was so cute. 

The kids hanging out. 

We pulled out the ping pong table again for a couple of weeks. 

One night Shanna was writing out her agenda for the next day.  I thought it was very organized of her. 

Something else a new year brings is moving up with kids in youth programs!  All of our kids are in they youth program right now!  Wow!  I am excited about this time for all of them to be together in the youth program.  

In addition with that Elden recieved the Aaronic priesthood and was ordained to the office of a Deacon.  And Cal was ordained to the office of a Priest.  Lee did the ordinations at home.  Some family joined in over Zoom which was really special. 

The kids have enjoyed getting on the family night chat with the other cousins.  One of the boys came up with a name for the palm tree virtual background....Pickle Island.  Clark and Elden rotated their screen and had faces drawn on their chin. Anyway, it was pretty hilarious. 

A new year always brings date nights!  Lee made some yummy lava cakes one night.  

Our dryer broke for the fourth time in 2020.  The third time it broke we talked about needing to plan for a new washer and dryer.  We wanted to get a new washer and dryer when we had a better, more insulated place for the washer and dryer since our back laundry room gets really cold in the winter and hot in the summer. The fourth time was the charm and we decided not to put another $60 in to fixing the dryer.  We bought our first brand-new washer and dryer ever!  Lee got the hooked up and they are working great!  The best part....the dryer stops all on it own! We've had to turn off our dryer manually for years.  We did have several days of drying clothes around the house.  Having the dryer out isn't a big deal in my book.  Now the washer not working....that would be stressful for me!  The clothes weren't drying well in the laundry room because it was so cold in there.  But if we dried them inside they were "done" overnight.  Cal and Clark moved our old washer and dryer to the curb.  That evening two guys asked Elden if they could take them.  Elden was outside playing and came in to tell me.  Clark passed along the message that they could take them.  I told them that the dryer didn't work but the washer did.  The guy said "That's okay.  My daddy just wants them for scrap metal." Off they went and we didn't have to figure that part out which was great!

We bought an LG washer and dryer set.  We got the second largest dryer offered for LG. 

I got a couple pictures of the boys during their "virtual" school.  They will go back to school two days a week starting in February. 

Lee's team members got us gift certificates to Old 33 Beer & Burgers for a Christmas present.  We don't do the beer part, but we're all over the burgers.  They are very yummy!  And a fun treat for a January night. 

I had Haley help me make some french bread one afternoon.  It turned out great!  

Later that day Elden helped me make some chocolate chip cookies. 

Clark often scores great deals at Food Lion.  He got all of this for under $1 because of coupons. 

I am hoping the young women in our ward will be excited and eager to do ministering this year.  I put together some ministering "boxes" and gave them to each young women who has a ministering assignment.  Hopefully they'll see ministering as being a friend to someone, and that it's not hard, but rewarding.  I'm excited because Haley is my companion and Shanna is with our friend Mindy Franke. 

A new year, and every new year, Cal will come up with fun little challenges he likes to do to push himself.  Like jumping over this bush. 

What is your new year bringing?!  I hope there will be great things ahead!  I also hope we've all learned a little more about being more physically and spiritually prepared and actually do something about it!