First Week Back to the Grind

It was a bit rough getting back into school after a long and fun Christmas break. Our first week back was a slow one, but hopefully we will be back in the swing of things quickly. Most of the week was pretty slow, but we threw in a couple of fun things that helped (Marshmallow catapults for Science!). The kids had these things to say about the week:

Hyrum: In Science, we are learning about energy. We learned how to blow up a bag using baking soda and vinegar. We also got to see who could shoot a rubber band the furthest. Those are examples of different types of energy. In math, I had to take two tests. They took a long time, but I got a candy bar when I finished.

Andrew: We made soft pretzels with my Grandma for our cooking class. We had to boil the dough first and then bake it. They were so yummy! In history, we learned about the Great Wall of China. They didn't have enough stone in some places, so parts of the wall were made by compacting dirt so that it was like cement. That was super interesting.

Christian: I was able to finish all of my semester classes before we went to Idaho for Christmas, which was nice so I didn't have to do them over the break! I got my new classes now and am already several lessons into them. In Science this quarter, we are working on an energy unit. To learn about potential energy, we shot rubber bands and made marshmallow catapults. That was fun!

Andrew also started his basketball season. He is excited to be on a team with his friend, Jake, from school. Unfortunately, they practice clear across town due to COVID junk. Apparently, the district only wants to have to deep clean one school, so everyone has to use the same gym, even if it is far away. It is annoying, but I am glad that Andrew has the chance to socialize with other kids his age.

The beginning of the new year has been a big change. It seems like everything that had been cancelled for the last year due to the virus suddenly started up again (most with some slight changes). We went from having no weeknight activities to almost too many. I got called into the Stake YW Presidency, so I have meetings on Tuesday nights and Christian has Scouts on Tuesdays. Jonathon, Christian and Andrew have mutual on Wednesday night, and Andrew also has his basketball games. Then Thursday is Andrew's basketball practice. I am also still the Primary chorister and make my videos weekly that take hours and hours to do. Gah! Jonathon and I are running around like crazy people some nights. I didn't realize how much I loved the slower schedule and more family time that the pandemic provided. Obviously, I am SO DONE with this virus, but it just reminds me that it is nice to slow down on occasion.