Week 6- So this is it, huh?

Yesterday we got the expected, but still impactful, news that schools would not meet in person the rest of the school year.  I'm not sure how to sort out my feelings about this.  I was telling a friend that I have seen many in my same situation (i.e. not really affected by the pandemic financially, haven't gotten sick or had anyone close to them get sick, can handle the kids at home ok) talk about this time being "traumatic".  I don't feel that.  I haven't really been afraid during this time and haven't felt like my world is caving in.  I feel like we have it pretty easy and though this isn't sustainable for many reasons, my family is relatively happy, healthy, and safe.  We've had some fun family time together.  We've had less stress.  We've exercised more and slept more.  Allie is getting tired of not seeing any friends, but thanks to our wonderful neighborhood, the rest of us have been able to have limited social times outside.  I miss my preschool kids and this isn't the way I thought my last year at BCP would end (though they haven't called the school year off yet).  We didn't even know the last day I was there that it would be the last day, as it was the Wednesday before they suddenly called for an extended break.  There have definitely been some disappointments, but most of them we've dealt with early on.  There may be more to come with summer plans canceled, but for now, I think I'm mostly sad for other people.  Many of my friends have kids who are finishing up their last year at our beloved elementary school and they do some really fun events to close out 5th grade.  They are missing the big 2 night field trip, the graduation ceremony, the 5th grade party...stuff they have looked forward to since they were little and remember for years to come.  Well this will certainly be a memorable school year.

I think I also feel relieved.  This year I have done okay managing the 3 jobs and kids' schooling and activities and housework and all.  I can definitely do it.  But I can breathe so much more in our current situation.  I was a little worried about being thrown back into the chaos again, though I know it will get crazy whenever we do go back (and add high school into the mix!).  Also I had thought I'd have such a short summer with the kids this year because of the new job.  Now I've gotten to have this time to be with them, do things like clean windows and clean out closets that I would normally do in summer, so I will feel more ready when the time comes to start again.

As for my kids, Joshua is most disappointed about not going back.  He hasn't been as social since we've been home and he says he is bored, though he's usually busy and does schoolwork most of the day.  Gray doesn't seem to care a bit.  Julia got a big smile when I told her the news.  I think she feels very capable with the current school situation.  She has some choice about what to do, she can lay on her bed and work, it's review so she isn't struggle, she can manage her own time, and she can work in a space where there are no distractions.  She does miss her friends and teacher, but overall she's living it up.  Regardless of our feelings, this is what we're doing.  Summer is still a big question mark.  I have signed my contract for the new job that should start end of July, but my start date is conditional on when the school meets in person and all that is so up in the air right now.  So I guess we just readjust our thinking a bit and get used to the idea of 6 or 7 more weeks of quarantine life.  And for us, it's really not a bad life.  Here's what we've been up to this week:

Julia finished Harry Potter #4 and we all watched the movie.  The kids have been waiting to watch it since before Allie came home.  :)

Togetherness.  No shortness of that with these two.

We have a new weightlifter!  Some days there are 4 of us using the garage gym throughout the day.

Still doing zumba and loving it!  This day our instructor brought out jingly skirts for us.  So fun!  Julia and her friend were on a bike ride and watched.  Her verdict was that the skirts were really cool and the dancing was weird.  

Our enrichment this night was a photo scavenger hunt.  Matt and I partnered up and had a nice walk.

We paired the middle two to force them to work through some of their problems.  They ran into some roadblocks just a few couple minutes in.  :/  This pic is after they recovered from a huge fight in the yard and were forced to carry on.  See how much fun they were having?  But they did it.  They made it through and back home.  Which was definitely up in the air at many points in the evening.

We had to have at least part of one team member in every picture.  Most of Gray/Julia's looked like this.  Can't you see his finger?

But these two had much more fun as partners.  We spotted them by the creek, Joshua jogging in order to win, and Allie huffing along behind him calling out a few concerns to us about not being able to keep up.  So Joshua grabbed her and carried her along.  They won by far.

Allie can sound out lots of words now and we have "school" a few times a week.  The glasses are essential, clearly.  

We met new friends in the neighborhood and Julia loved her social distancing bike ride.  

Matt and I had another date night.  We picked up some dinner and ate at the park.  And of course did lots of riding in his prized possession.  I think this was the part of our date where he had to speed up to 60 and slow completely down 10 times in a row to warm up some new brake part...or something like that. ;)

Joshua loves using Pa's bb gun in the yard to scare off squirrels.  Those boogers have eaten one of the wheels on our grill!

We had a pizza and movie night and watched the animated Ferdinand, which was so cute!  Allie was giving lots of snuggles and I was just watching her and holding her little hand when I noticed Matt was holding her foot.  She's precious.

We did a paper star enrichment the other day.  Most of us did an easier star but Gray got motivated to make a really complicated one.  Proud of him for pushing through his frustration and completing it!

Allie made this "home" for her animals after being inspired by her stuffed animal yoga.  She loves doing yoga every day and calls the British woman that leads the videos her "workout teacher".

Today Julia and Allie were playing hospital.  Allie was the sullen patient.  

Julia enjoyed getting to release one of the Baker kids' butterflies this week.