November 2020 Roundup

Another month has gone by, but not much has changed in our little world. We are just marching along, one day at a time. I celebrated my birthday, turning 35, and now Dave will turn 37 in just a couple weeks. Winter is on it’s way and our mornings have gotten really cold, but pairs of shorts still make their way into the laundry on occasion so it's not here yet! Every week our neighborhood gets more Christmas lights up and we have enjoyed driving around to look at them before bed. I love this time of year and am looking forward to all the fun things we have planned for December.

Our November was nice enough to squeeze in a few bikes rides

It was a nice day and Perry the Bear was out to say hello

We got to watch Emery for a weekend while her mom was out of town. We had fun swimming at Town Club, which helped wear them out so they wouldn't stay up too late.

With colder weather on the way, all the kids wanted to have their own "warm." They picked out their own fabric at Hobby Lobby

With the growing season finally at an end it was time to do some yard clean up. I pruned all our bushes and trimmed back the roses, and the boys helped rake up lots of leaves. We filled two dumpsters with all the debris!

Griffin came out to watch us work in the yard, but he has really started moving and kept slowly making his way off the blanket into the grass to explore. I kept running back and forth after each bush to get the grass and leaves out his mouth that he was trying to taste.

Thanks to Alexa, we found out that Charlie would turn 1000 days old in November, so we had a little party with ice cream to celebrate the occasion.

Davey as a firefighter at preschool

One day Davey told me, "Charlie is for sure wearing a diaper!" which was code for "I did something I shouldn't and you should check Charlie right now!" Sure enough he had taken off Charlie's diaper and put him in underwear to start potty training. Luckily I caught it before there was an accident.

We're wearing long sleeves and pants now, but still getting nice enough days to go out on walks or to the park. We did our best to soak up as much sunshine while we could!

The kids went through a magnatile phase for a few days and built many amazing things

It's always a battle with Griffin over who gets to hold the spoon

We love roasting tri tip for dinner, but it hardly ever goes on sale. I talked to the meat department at Sam's and found out I could buy some in bulk for a great price! Now we have about 15 roasts in our freezer that we will be happy to eat our way through.

One day it was so windy that the garage wouldn't close because leaves kept triggering the sensor. I was in a hurry to get somewhere and had to leave it open and when we returned a nice pile was waiting for us inside. 

Now that Charlie does not take regular naps we find him sleeping in random places at random times

Davey looking like the Princess and the Pea to watch his afternoon shows

We put up this snowman when we got out our Christmas decorations at the end of the month. Davey insists that the red circles are eyes instead of cheeks, so our snowman often looks like a zombie.

We had a fun virtual game night with some of our best friends. We played Drawful and chatted about life. Hopefully we'll be able to see most of our friends over Christmas when we go to Dallas.

November 2020 Video Clips

Griffin at 8 Months

The best word to describe Griffin at 8 months is busy!! He either wants to be in my arms, or down crawling around, getting into EVERYTHING.  His crawling has progressed to the point where he can move from room to room, so we're going to have to start a whole new level of baby proofing. He's also starting to pull up on things to extend his reach. 

Another month has passed with no teeth, but he loves eating and will attempt to gum pretty much anything. So far his favorites have been rice a roni and melon. He babbles "dada" when he's happy, "mama" when he's sad, and has the most mischievous grin. We sure love this goober!

Griffin at 8 Months

• Wearing 12 month clothing, although he can still fit into some of the smaller sizes . As the weather gets colder, I actually don't have a lot of warmer clothes this size because Charlie and Davey were both chunkers and in bigger sizes when winter came. 
• The other day I picked Sophie up from school and she looked at Griffin and exclaimed, "Mom! Look! He has brown eyes, just like we do!" I'm not sure how she didn't notice that for the last 8 months. His eyes are as big and brown as they come!
  
• He's going through a rough patch with naps as we transition from 3 to 2 each day. Right now he's very unpredictable and sometimes we even end up with a surprise 4th nap that was definitely not part of the plan. 
• Even though he is not winning in the nap department right now, he always wakes up sooo happy. When I walk in to get him up he is normally bouncing and singing.
• When he is mad he starts to repeatedly kick his right leg. It can make changing him and putting clothes on very difficult. He has started doing his wookie cry again after stopping for a few months.
• He can push himself back into a sitting position from his stomach, which makes it easier to play with toys after he crawls to a new location.
• He loves the oven control panel and tries to grab the oven handle to pull himself in for a closer look every time we walk by. He likes to hear it beep and slobber all over the interface.

This kid is the messiest eater. Most times we just feed him naked and then he goes straight to the bath afterward. He especially loves to take food and rub it in his hair.

Hiding under the Christmas tree, looking for ornaments to pull down

He is drawn to the dishwasher like a moth to a flame

Thanksgiving - Stay Home, Stay Safe

We were all just a little disappointed with Thanksgiving this year. Covid exploded in our community early in November, so lots of stuff closed back down and Dave's parents (with our support) decided it would be best to not come visit. Then the kids had a rough few days and fought constantly about everything, Dave and I were tired, and our dinner was a bust - the rolls never rose, the jello didn't set right, the meat got overcooked, the beans burned... 

However, we are grateful to be happy and healthy during what has been a challenging year for many. We have an amazing family, great friends, steady employment, a roof over our heads and a stocked fridge and pantry, plus many many more things to be grateful for!!

Me and Griffin in our festive fall outfits

The remains of a failed dinner. At least the potatoes were good!

Even though I had no energy, we started decorating for Christmas after dinner and it turned out to be just what I needed. All is calm, all is bright...

 

For My Birthday I Want Good Smiles :)

With Christmas just a month away, I still hadn't taken any pictures for our annual card/update and I was starting to get a little panicked, so I told the kids that for my birthday all I wanted was for them to cooperate for 10 minutes for a quick photo shoot. The real challenge in Amarillo is finding a day that's not ridiculously windy, and luckily we got one on my birthday! 

After school we played at a park for a bit to wait for golden hour, and then when the sun starting getting low we hopped in the van, changed clothes and drove to meet Dave. Our shooting location was an empty lot behind the gas station just minutes from our house. It hadn't been mowed and had lots of long, golden grass and the photos turned out amazing!!

I'm still a little in awe that I managed to get good smiles from the kids, with the correct lighting and focus. Normally one or two of those areas come up short. I not only got a couple good group photos, but also nice individuals of each child. It truly was the best birthday gift!! 

We used the vertical photo for our Christmas card, but also got a great horizontal one as well. It was nice to have the luxury of choosing!

Sophie - Age 7

Davey - Age 4

Charlie - Age 2

Griffin - Age 7 Months

I also hopped in a few photos, since it was my birthday after all. Sadly I did not get one with the older kids because they had already run back to the van.

Until We Meet Again

My dearest Grandma Mimi passed away on November 15th in her home, surrounded by her children. I don't even know how to express all I feel or explain how wonderful she was in just a few paragraphs. I will simply say that my grandma was truly one of the most beautiful people, inside and out, and I hope that I can honor her legacy by living and loving with the same strength and spirit that she possessed. 

I will miss her birthday cards, doing puzzles at her house, going out for lunch, telling her about my days through letters, and hearing her sweet voice.  I am heartbroken that she is no longer on this earth, but know that many sweet reunions, some long overdue, were awaiting her in heaven. I know this is not goodbye, but until we meet again. Thank you so much for being the most wonderful grandma.

There was not a formal funeral due to Covid, but hopefully the family will be able to gather together this coming summer to celebrate and remember her wonderful life. We were able to view her graveside services over Zoom.

The white roses on the bottom left were from my siblings and me, as a way of being there, when we could not actually be present.

Not the best picture of me, but Grandma knew how much I loved Harry & David pears and had a box sent as a surprise just the month before she passed. I sent her this picture of the golden pear to let her know how excited I was about her gift!

Grandma in her youth

Grandma with Roger, with whom she is now reunited after so many years apart

Grandma and me in New York in 1989, with the Twin Towers in the background

In grandma's beautiful backyard

Grandma dressed as Professor McGonagall for one of the family Harry Potter parties

Grandma at our wedding in 2006

Grandma was able to meet 3 of my 4 children in person. They all loved her so much! She was also able to see Griffin over Facetime just a couple weeks before she passed.

Four generations - I am part of a great legacy of women

One of our many, many lunches at Chuck a Rama. We loved seeing her often during our time in Utah and she was also so good about treating us to lunch.

Saying goodbye to Mimi before moving to Texas

After moving away, I was able to go back and visit her twice. Once with Charlie when he was about 6 months old, and again the next year for her 90th birthday celebration.

Her obituary, to have here for my own records:

Jean Romney Parkinson Isaacson Lee

February 24, 1929 ~ November 15, 2020

Jean Romney Parkinson Isaacson Lee passed away peacefully at her home, surrounded by her children, on Sunday, November 15, 2020 due to natural causes. She was the matriarch of a large and wonderful family. She lived a long, beautiful life.

Jean was born to Vivien McDonald and Owen Thomas Romney on February 24, 1929 in Provo, Utah. She was the youngest of three girls. Soon after her birth her family moved to Guthrie, OK; then to Tulsa when she was four. As a young girl she learned the value of hard work. At the age of 14 she started working at the public library near her home. She had a passion for books and loved to read, a legacy she passed on to her entire family. She was a gifted seamstress, sewing all of her own clothes from Junior High age through her college years, including her own wedding dress.

Jean attended Brigham Young University where she was a Cougarette, Homecoming attendant, and active in Y Calcares Honor Society. It was at BYU that she met Roger West Parkinson. From the moment he first saw her, he knew Jean was the girl he wanted to marry. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple on June 6, 1949. After their marriage they moved to Bethesda, MD so Roger could attend George Washington University Medical School. Jean worked as a secretary at the Department of Agriculture in Washington D.C. for 4 years supporting their family. In 1954 they moved to Salt Lake City where Roger was an intern and resident at LDS Hospital. In 1958 Roger was called into the Army Medical Corp. and the family moved to Fort Huachuca, Arizona. In 1960 they moved to Salt Lake City, UT where Roger started his OB/GYN practice. They had been married for only 16 years when Roger was tragically killed in November 1965 in an airplane crash leaving Jean to raise their 5 children.

In 1967 Jean married Richard A. Isaacson. Together they raised her children, traveled the world and were actively involved in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A devout member, Jean served in many capacities in her Ward and Stake. She served for 4 years as a Hostess at the Church Office Building. Jean was a life-long learner and instilled in her children the value of education. She loved to sew, quilt and do needlepoint. She expressed her love through service, especially to her family. She enjoyed gathering extended family for fabulous dinners at her home and in Park City. She was famous for her pound cake, Valentine sugar cookies, brown sugar rolls, and caramels. Affectionately known as Grandma Mimi, she cherished her time with her grandchildren and always tried to engage in things they found interesting. She hosted memorable Harry Potter parties. She was a long-time member of Ex Libris Book Club and the Salt Lake Country Club. Jean was an avid traveler, visiting over 30 Countries and journeying around the world twice.

Richard passed away in 2003. Jean married John Franklin Lee in 2005. They enjoyed taking road trips and cruises. They were married for seven years before he passed away in 2013.

Jean’s greatest love was spending time with her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren as well as numerous friends, many of whom she had had since kindergarten. She will be deeply missed.

Jean is survived by her children David Parkinson (Cynthia), Alan Parkinson (Christina), Susan Jackson (Robert), Karen Blake (David), Mari Anne Lambert (David), 25 grandchildren and 73 great grand-children. Preceded in death by her parents, husbands Roger Parkinson, Richard Isaacson, John Lee, and sisters Marilyn Beck and Shirley Pardoe.