August 2020 Highlights

Here's what we were up to in August 2020!

My parents drove all the way down from Seattle for Jane's baptism - I blogged all about it HERE. We did a LOT of stuff and Chris' birthday happened at the same time, so that's definitely worth a read too.

Janey girl helping me with my Paramount campaign.

Foxy boy helping me with my Paramount campaign.

YAAASSSS! It's August 31st as I write this and I'm just about halfway through Midnight Sun. I am savoring every moment and trying not to rush through it even though every fiber of my being wants to read until I finish!

We went over to Jay and Haylie's to celebrate Kylie turning 1! Haylie made such a cute balloon arch for a photo backdrop. Jane got in on the action.

Rachel LERVES Arby's. There are only a few meals she'll hop up on the table for: Arby's, El Pollo Loco (we don't even have one here in Colorado), and Totinos. She's also erbsessed with Triscuits'n'Cheese. She's so funny.

Rachel is always nearby. I say that every month, because it's always true :) Wherever I go, she's sure to follow.

Perfect summer afternoons.

Hey it's me! Popping in to say hi once in awhile!

We went on a late afternoon walk and the neighborhood sprinklers were on so the kids played in them like kids do.

Prepping for our at home school days.

We go to church once a month, with masks, socially distanced, for 45 minutes.

Every other week we meet online with my family for church and we take turns who gives the lesson.

Pretty in pink.

There have been several incredibly large and devastating fires this month in Colorado. For weeks the skies were eerily red.

Yay for playdates!

Beautiful Colorado.

We've been taking advantage of our rec centers and the twice a week max pool reservations.

My order of Go the Scenic Route arrived on a palette on a big freight truck! The lift system broke so we had to carry down each box one by one. The same exact thing happened to the truck in January with my Bloom Street order, what are the chances?!

We watched the school Principal's introduction to how the school year is going to look.

Fox's friend took him to Freddy's and he got a dirt'n'worms ice cream which he likes now all of a sudden even though we've tried to get him to eat one for years lol.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! Fox is in 4th grade and Jane is in 3rd grade.

We are on a hybrid schedule for now: in-person Mondays and Wednesdays and at home learning Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. We've hired a tutor, Ms. Lemon, to help on Tuesdays and Thursdays which has been great.

Crumbl cookies for a "congratulations on finishing your first day of school in five months!" treat!

Jane was all smiles when she came out after her first day of 3rd grade which was really good to see.

She likes Eileen's Cookies best. Especially when they frost them with pink icing!

The first Friday of at home-learning with live instruction was really hard for them and for me. Sitting at a computer on and off from 8:30am-2:30pm while I was trying to work simultaneously was/is so stressful. But we will get through this.

Micromanaging at-home school Fridays.

Tender moment with Joey.

We went to the Denver Zoo!

Sleeping rhino.

Pretty flowers.

Unintentionally matching of my mask and shirt.

Super cool murals around every corner.

Janed FLIPPED when she saw the flamingos. She love love loves them. Notice her shirt.

We saw lots of really cool animals.

Posing. This is gonna be on a layout for sure.

I NEED these flowers in my yard.

There were amazing sculptures made from Lego all around the zoo.

All Lego.

So many varieties of birds!

We had tons of fun at the Denver Zoo - our first time when it's been light outside to see the animals - the other time we visited was for the Zoo Lights Christmas of 2018.

It reached 100 degrees for the first time this summer. I think I've finally decided I'd rather be hot than cold so I'll take this any day over snow :)

We're going to replace our floors and stairs (most of our main floor and stairs is carpet) with this hardwood hickory in the coming weeks so stay tuned for all that fun! Our first ever renovations!

We've been (not-so) patiently waiting for movie theaters to reopen and after the many delays we were able to actually book tickets on the app!! We counted down the days until...

...we had our popcorn and snacks in hand and our butts were in our seats! YAY!! We saw Unhinged which was super good.

And then the next week for fun we saw Jurassic Park. Still gives me nightmares but I love it, worth it.

Cousin Evelynd visited from Oregon and Tom & Margi invited us to go with them to try out SNÖBAHN. It's an indoor skiing experience! I wanna try! The kids both did great for their very first time ever being on skis. They'll be ski bums before we know it!

And then the sad news. My Grandma Doris passed away. I just really don't have the words, I feel it all inside. She was amazing.

Here is her obituary which tells all about this fantastic woman:

Doris Maybelle Stroud Warner, beloved mother, grandmother and great grandmother, joined her dear husband, Ted, when she passed on August 28, 2020 at the age of 91.

Doris was the eldest of three children born to Mabel Robinson Stroud and Emmett R. Stroud, sharecroppers on a tobacco farm in Swansboro, North Carolina. Believing that an education would redirect the trajectory of her life, she put herself through East Carolina Teachers College, earning a degree in Home Economics. Upon graduation she worked as a dietician at Duke University Hospital. When a teaching position opened up in Southern Pines, North Carolina she took it. It was there she met her future husband, a soldier stationed nearby at Fort Bragg.

She and Ted J Warner were married June 19, 1953 in the Salt Lake City Temple. They were together for 61 years until Ted’s death in July 2014.

Doris earned a Master’s and Doctorate degree in Education from Brigham Young University – both while teaching full-time and raising three teenage daughters.

She taught home economics for over 40 years, earning many awards for her outstanding work. Generations of students can thank her for teaching them how to combine a “basic mix,” to cook a pizza, and how to sew an A-line skirt. Sadly, her three daughters were not among those students. She pioneered Vocational Education at Provo High School and was proud to be the first teacher in the state of Utah to allow boys in her Foods classes. She often pulled all-nighters helping students finish their entries for the annual Make It With Wool contest.

Together Ted and Doris traveled the world. They were directors of several BYU Semester Abroad programs to Madrid and London as well as tour guides through BYU Travel Study. They also enjoyed accompanying the Young Ambassadors on tour throughout the world. When both retired, they spent a year in China, teaching English and History through the China Teacher’s Program. They also served missions in Nauvoo, IL and at the Madrid Spain Temple. A convert to the Church, Doris loved the Gospel of Jesus Christ and found joy in serving others.

Doris was generous with her time; if you asked her for help she would not just assist you she would give it her all. She was also generous with her home. Over the years, she took in numerous international students who needed a place to stay for a semester or two and in exchange she would ask them to teach her their language. Alas, while Doris was granted the gift of gab she was not granted the gift of tongues. Of course she spoke perfect English - with a Southern drawl.

She loved working in her yard at the family home on Apple Avenue in Provo; her flowers were enjoyed by all who passed by. When she wanted to build a stone wall in the backyard, she taught herself masonry. Her finished project was christened, “The Great Wall of Doris.”

Doris was a serious shopper, one skill her daughters would inherit. She loved a bargain and never left a sale empty handed. She could tell you where she purchased any item in her house. She could also quote how much she paid for it – always after a deep discount or even some haggling. Some of her happiest times were at the Rastro in Madrid, Spain or on Portobello Road in London. Her purchases in China had to be sent home in a shipping container.

When her beloved “Tedder” passed away she moved to St. George, Utah where she served another mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She was an ordinance worker in the St. George Temple and she helped serve meals at the local homeless shelter.

Doris is survived by three daughters, Kathryn “Katy” Warner Christiansen (Steve); Cecelia “Cissy” Warner (Dave Burnard); and Carolyn Warner Taylor (Tom); 8 grandchildren and 19 great grandchildren.

She will be laid to rest at Provo City Cemetery next to her husband.

If you've been reading this blog from the very beginning (I've been blogging since April 2008) we lived in Utah then and every Sunday we'd go over to my grandparent's house for dinner. Those are some memories I will forever cherish. I'm so glad we got to go to Utah for Thanksgiving last year and see her one more time.