COVID Strikes

We set up the workbench for the kids, and it's a real hit. I wasn't feeling well, so I took a COVID test and it was positive. Joshua tested positive as well. So we stayed isolated for awhile. Thankfully, it was relatively mild for both of us, although we each had a day where we had a fever and felt pretty badly. David was sick too, so presumably he also got it.

In the midst of being sick, we continued to settle in. We had our first fire in the fireplace.

Mary went on a bug hunt.

 The kids discovered many fun little places to play amongst the boxes.

Christmas in Modesto

On Sunday we headed for Modesto. David got to help make the traditional veggie soup for Christmas Eve dinner.

It seemed especially good this year.

Dave and Joshua had lots of help making shortbread cookies.

It rained some the next morning, and the kids were excited to check it out.

Solace brought over an ice cream counter that she got for Christmas, and all the kids had fun playing with it. We had a delicious dinner and a nice gift exchange.

Photo: Joy

Christmas in Visalia

We enjoyed a quiet Christmas morning in our new home.

The kids had fun opening their giant present and helping Joshua put it together.

After breakfast there was a little time to play with the new kitchen before heading out to Mom and Dad's house.

In addition to the many goodies in our Christmas basket, there was something suspicious this year - crickets. 

Isaac was the first to try one.

He didn't give anything away.

But a number of us also tried one. They were gross to look at, but once you got it in your mouth it was just a little crunchy and tasted like the flavoring on them.

The kids wore their matching pajamas made by Grandma.

Photo: Heather

The gift exchange included some great items, like David's doctor kit from Aunt Heather.

 We finished everything off with a delicious dinner.

Christmas Eve

We had our first visitors the same day we moved in. The Starbucks were in California, so they came by to spend the afternoon with us. The kids unpacked a giant box of toys, and we had a great time visiting.

We had soup and our first batch of Gist bread for Christmas Eve dinner.

The kids had a great time playing on the stairs at church before the service.

Things at the house are still a bit chaotic, but we were excited to return to our new home after a lovely service and host friends there during the day.

The Renovation Continues

We got back to work Monday by starting to install the flooring. It turns out that Isaac is an old pro at installing vinyl flooring because he worked with a floor installer for a summer as a teenager. He came by to help us get started.

I worked on filling in the holes in the grout.

In the midst of all the work, the kids had their first trip to the dentist and now have shiny and clean teeth.

We had some extra helpers on Wednesday who worked on helping me get things cleaned up and ready for unpacking.

They also brought the table in and assembled it in the dining room, which now has a new floor and baseboards.

The neighbors brought over a plate of treats. 

Trying to figure out the transitions between the vinyl floor and the carpet was challenging.

 We got our fridge delivered on Friday, Christmas Eve. We were hoping to move in before Christmas, and it was a big push all week to get it ready in time, but we mostly made it. We didn't finish everything we were planning to do and there are still loose ends from some of the things we were working on, like finishing up the painting and those tricky transitions, but we got enough done and cleaned things up enough that we brought our beds over to sleep in the new house Christmas Eve.

Christmas Cookies

Photo: Michelle

Sunday we decorated Christmas cookies.

I appreciated Mary's method of squeezing the tube to get out as much icing as possible because it was exactly what I used to do.