Valentine's Day and February

February 4th was the third anniversary of what I like to call Rebecca's heaven birthday.  A couple days later, Dallin (Elder Price) messaged me this picture and asked me if it was Talmage that had his arm around him.  I responded that it was.  Dallin said his tears had frozen his eyes over and he never knew who it was that helped him so much that day.  He had seen this picture for the first time that day and was trying to identify the "angel."  It warmed my heart.  

After a day at seminary with James, we had salmon to celebrate our favorite Valentines.

We had an amazing sunset show recently.

One of James's friends happened to be in Norwich and took Talmage out to eat.

From February 20, 2022 letter to Talmage:

It’s very quiet here today.  Hyrum, Rex, and Lyle are at Hayden’s house in Yakima.  It’s President’s Day weekend and they have been looking forward to a cousin sleepover for quite awhile.  It seems to be the motivating factor here and at Hayden’s house.  Friday, before I drove Rex and Lyle there, they were doing dishes, sweeping the floor, and being super helpful and pleasant.  I think when we did the math and they realized it would be about $30 in gas for the trip they were feeling a little guilty.  I’m just so grateful we have cousins close enough that they can have times to be together and make memories.

Hyrum has had an especially busy weekend.  Thursday night he stayed at Specht’s because there was supposed to be AAU basketball practice that night and it happens quite late in Connell.  He wanted to go and Dave helps coach so he was just going to go back to Specht’s with Dave.  Well, practice got cancelled but Hyrum wanted to go to Jhett’s house anyway.  He got here off the bus Friday just in time to shower and changed his clothes before he headed off on the Deacon overnighter to Immigrant Springs down by Pendleton.  Bryant did a good job of organizing that outing and I think they had a good time.  When they planned it 6 weeks or so ago they were thinking that they would be sledding and playing in the snow, but it’s been fairly warm this week and Hyrum said he didn’t even use his snow clothes.  He came back smoky but not wet.  He went with us to Mattawa for Sariah’s game and we met up with Dax and Hyrum headed to Yakima to join the party.  

Our last zoom call with Elder Hales.  

James had a busy week in seminary.  He had the "Rebekah Challenge" as well as pottage.  His classes actually liked it okay though our kids thought they were going to die due to the smell.  Sariah said she was dry heaving as soon as she woke up.

Russia invaded Ukraine.  James and I watched the news with tears in our eyes on Wednesday night while all the kids were gone to activities.  James work the traditional Ukranian costume to school on Thursday.

Thursday, we finally actually opened Rex and Lyle's mission accounts.  Their earnings from several years have been piling up in ziploc bags and we finally made an appointment.  They each started out with about $1500 towards their mission funds.

This was two years ago on February 26th.  A few tears that early morning and a very quiet ride back from the airport.

This was Talmage's post on February 26th this year:

Two years today.

In two years, the world changed. In two years, MY world changed.

To all those I have met in my service as a missionary, I express my gratitude. How I hope to remember the things I've learned and the experiences we have shared.

I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know that He saves, and I know that He heals. I bear my witness to the world that His church is true and I want to follow Him.

Yesterday was Sariah's "Galentine's Day" party with her girlfriends.  She did a lot of work to get everything clean and ready and she looked so pretty.

The kids and James and I ate in the utility room.  Lyle made it "fancy" for us.

The last Sunday before he comes home, his plaque finally made it to the display case.

 

First Date and Bryant's Big Day

The boys got to finish their Chinese lanterns for the Chinese New Year.  Last year Talmage had a big celebration for the Chinese New Year, I think we reminded him of it when we talked to him on Monday.

Sariah's FIRST DATE!

They are off to the BYU Ambassadors Dance production.

Out on a late night date and up early for the 5:15 seminary baptismal session.  What an amazing Dad we have!

Bryant was invited to go to the Spanish Sunday school class in our ward today.  I didn’t even know they had one.  There weren’t even any natives but just the Spanish speakers of our ward.  He said he understood most of it.  He’s had two preliminary language lessons and gave our dinner prayer in Spanish one night this week.

I went with Rex and Lyle on Friday on their field trip.  We went to the Allied Northwest Potato facility over on Glade North.  Among other things, they grow and ship a potato specifically for Frito-Lay potato chips that is a really round potato.  They ship all over the world, Guatemala, Japan, Malaysia.  It really is pretty incredible.  In their quality control room they make potato chips to test for color and defects so the kids each got a Ziploc of fresh potato chips.  Afterwards we went to Rhoads house for some potato games.  Brother Rhoads had rigged a potato launcher on a trailer to shoot at cardboard boxes like in angry birds.  It worked well most of the time.  When Rex was launching it however, somehow the plastic holder flipped and it shot the potato right back at Rex.  It gave him a pretty good thud in the chest.  Glad it wasn’t his nose.  He was on the ground for a bit, sat in the van for a bit, but eventually tried it again.  I was glad he “got back on the horse.”

Saw this on Facebook this week, pretty fun!

Sariah’s regular season is over.  Monday there had been a mask mandate protest by the students at the high school and junior high and so some of the varsity players were not able to practice because they were marked absent in their classes.  Sariah was pretty worried that she would have to start the varsity game on Tuesday.  The administration made some policy adjustments to exempt protest absences and she didn’t end up starting.  She was torn—relieved to not have the pressure of starting, but she doesn’t like it when consequences aren’t enforced and she felt like those starters got off the hook.  Friday night was the last regular season game.  It was against Wapato and we got beat by 14 points.  When we aren’t ahead handily, Sariah doesn’t play.  Despite the fact that she didn’t play she got to climb the ladder and help cut down the net because the team earned league champs.  She didn’t know any better and got a pretty stubby piece.

Hyrum had a big weekend.  He went to his first math team competition in Spokane on Friday.  He was NOT excited about going.  He did get a sweatshirt and dinner out of the deal.  They didn’t get back to Basin City until 11pm so he crashed at Specht's.  Saturday he went with Dave to the AAU basketball games in town.  We didn’t commit to the team because practices are in the evenings in Connell and the transportation is too much, but they have been short on players so Dave has been taking Hyrum.  

What a great family!  Was so good to have them there and feel of their love and support.

So proud of the way Bryant chooses to live his life.

Finally got Talmage's plaque made now that he is almost done.