Loving Stevie home for 4 months! Birthdays, BYU & Boston!

Quarantine doesn't stop the fun! Shopping with masks, Gyrocopter riding, Skye's chickens, Kas and Kenny's bdays, Stephen's first BYU online class (he got a 100%), beach playtime, Kas standleading & lifeguarding, lightsaber wars, Stefan's mission call to Chile, and Stephen's reassignment to BOSTON! 

Mother's Day Celebration at Boyds!  Someone asked my mom years ago her secret to being great friends with your kids. She said it’s just three words… “Hang with them!” I love that, because mom and dad have always been wherever the party is! Mother’s Day was no different, we had a great time hanging together as siblings and aunts and uncles and cousins… and extra bonus was being together for a beautiful sacrament meeting where our “inter-missionary” Stephen shared some thoughts about mothers and the grandkids serenaded us I don’t know what I did to get lucky in heaven when God was handing out the family assignments but I sure scoredl I’m humbled and grateful to Inger Schmutz and my sweet mother-in-law Joy Chalk for teaching me about compassion, generosity, introspection, and FUN! “Home is where you are loved the MOST...” ~Marjorie Pay Hinckley

Kids dressing up for Skye's sweet 16th birthday & Stephen's Spanish!

So blessed to celebrate this energetic, lively, UNFLAPPABLE girl turning 18 on her Golden bday! Kassie always keeps us laughing, and we’re grateful to family and friends who helped us shower her with love!! #PersonalityPlus. https://youtu.be/DSlVt2jHGz0

Stephen is called to BOSTON! From Stake President Bikman:

Temporary Missionary Reassignments

Thank you for your help in supporting missionaries who return home and were furloughed due to COVID-19. We have new information for Stephen Edward Chalk that we ask you to provide to him.

Elder Chalk has been temporarily reassigned to the Massachusetts Boston Mission. He will report to the mission the week of 7/14/20. The exact reporting date will be indicated on the travel itinerary that he will receive about two weeks before his departure date. The length of service in this mission is unknown, and reassignment to his original mission will be based upon conditions associated with COVID-19.

And Commemorating Dad... sweet Shannon and Julie coming by to honor him and us.

Stephen returns from Guatemala to quarantine!

And just like that, after 10 months... we got Stephen back home from Guatemala! He quarantined in our home for 2 weeks then we enjoyed 4 wonderful months with him before he was reassigned someplace else… We’re so grateful he is safe and healthy ~ We loved getting him at the airport, what a memory with our facemasks! Our favorite things was to watch his eyes as he slowly and gratefully walked around our home where he'd lived for eight years, appreciating the carpet, his soft bed, and running water! What a marvelous experience to see him again and hear the stories of his participation in this historic mass exodus from Central America! Here he is quarantining in his apt on his 20th Golden Birthday, playing Chapinopoly with us on the phone!

https://m.facebook.com/watch/?v=594806327909450&_rdr

Officially getting released 4 days after he returned. Transitioning to his missionary zoom chats, lots of movie watching, and cleansing out those parasites!

All the funny memes, our first General Conference at home together, Kas has a pre-cancerous mole removed on her tummy, and life in quarantine is unlike anything we've ever dreamed of!

So fun to have everyone home for my bday - wasn't expecting that!!

And Kassie's final seminary exam answers...

Acting in faith is suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuper important!!! Some churches think all we have to do is HAVE faith, but we MUST ACT in faith also! "Faith without works is dead". Boom.

 The tree of life is a dream Lehi had about his sons and people coming to Christ. Basically, the iron rod is the word of god, t'will safely guide us throuuuuuuuugh!! And the fruit is the gospel and big and spacious building is temptation! WE MUST NOT GIVE INTO TEMPTATION!!! BOOOO TEMPTATION!! Amen.

 We are held accountable for our own sins, and not for Adams's transgressions. Except, we kinda are. Cuz Adam fell and he sinned and now we all are forever indebted to Jesus for saving our butts from eternal damnation. So, I'd say we're being punished for Adam but hey that just me. Anywayyyyyys yeah! :)

 I think Nephi is very good and strong and hot. He is always pushing through the trials and helping his brothers when they sin and his hair is flowing in the wind when he walks, I bet. Yep, he's super impactful to me. Great guy, thanks for listening!