Week 11- Getting Out Again...well, a little bit

Well, our glorious spring is gone and this week was either rainy, hot, or humid, or all three, but we are trying to make the most of it.  Other than working on filling in low places on the patio (which isn't really working so we will probably just call it good enough!), my projects have really wound down, which is perfect timing for our upcoming beach trip.  I don't mind a rainy day with a good book at all, but really would like the library to open soon, as we are running out of resources!  Since NC officially moved into Phase 2 of quarantine, we decided to slowly adjust our lives to and got out a little bit this week, among other new activities and same, old, same old....

Speaking of same old things...Allie got in some couch snuggles and tv with Matt this week with all the rain.

On our first really hot day in awhile, the girls and their buddies put together a homemade water park in the yard...plastic boxes were their pools and you should have heard the squeals of delight at the gymnastics mat "slip n slide".

Allie wanted in on the weightlifting.  She knows what to do!

We had such a nice time at Nanny and Pa's for a Memorial Day lunch.  The food was great and it was wonderful to sit and talk with the family.  We were just missing Emoni to have the complete crew.

The Cameron Park teachers planned a parade through all the students' neighborhood.  The girls did some chalk art and waited excitedly for them to come.  And waited.  And waited.  We eventually heard the horns coming but sadly, though our street was listed as a parade route and many students live by us, they turned halfway down the street and the girls had to run down to the end of the block, only able to catch the end of it.  We are over it now, but at the time, it was so frustrating that no one told us the plan.

More chalk work-- Julia and Addie, renamed "Ava" and "Eva", a safe 6 feet apart, of course.

Julia needed swimsuits so she and I went shopping on one rainy afternoon.  Besides the strawberry picking right outside our neighborhood, this was her first time out of the neighborhood for her since March 13.  She was pretty excited.  We just planned to go to Target and it was my first experience waiting in line to get in, but their selection was minimal so we headed to Old Navy.  I think it was love at first sight.  She found perfect suits and had the hardest time decided what to spend her $10 on.  So many possibilities.  I see Old Navy giftcards on her Christmas list this year.  :)  It was nice to have some time with just her.  

Then it was Allie's turn to get out and boy was she pumped.  She got all dressed up and was disappointed that only I could join her because clearly no one else would want to miss the pure joy of going to.....the dentist.  "It's a special day for both of us!  Twinsies!" She said, to acknowledge my own inevitable thrill at getting to be the one to take her.  She did a great job there and was super excited to find out she can go back in a few weeks to get some stuff painted on a back tooth.  Sighing contentedly that afternoon, she laid her head on my shoulder and told me, "I wish I could go back to my dentist right now."  May we all be so blessed.  :)

After days of staring at computers for schoolwork, we decided to get away from the screens and have a family night in the loft.  There was air hockey, darts...

...music and dancing...

...some wagering of screen time between the boys (Gray won it all)

...and some learning to crochet.  

Not pictured on this family night:  arguments, tears, sassiness, and ending on a bad note.

A highlight of everyone's week was our adoption group being able to get back together.  Only 4 families, but we are 25 strong so we couldn't gather until the Phase Two 25 person limit came out.  We assembled four areas to eat lunch...

...then everyone took off playing frisbee, football, chase...

...and climbing trees.  Most of the younger kids were really into this.  Both this pictures are of fearless Gray, who claims he doesn't like heights, but "climbing is different!"

Such a good afternoon being outside and with friends like old times!  It was so good for the kids especially.  Thankful for Phase 2 and looking forward to Phase 3 and normal-er life.  

An eventful and rainy Week 10

This week seems like it lasted a month.  I think part of that was the days and days of rain, which had my kids so crazy.  I knew they were spending a lot of time outside but I didn't fully appreciate it till that wasn't an option.  And then after the rain, we had a theme of mud.  Mud on white sweaters, multiple pairs of muddy shoes, muddy towels that retained said mud and an earthworm post-laundering, muddy floors, mud cakes and pies, muddy deck, muddy bathroom, you name it.  I just kept telling myself that this is so healthy for the girls' brains to get all this creative sensory outdoor time.

We had a lot going on this week.  Some exciting news- Matt was offered a daytime, weekday job at UNC.  As I was vacuuming the guest room where he sleeps during the day, I was pondering taking down those blackout curtains that make the room cavelike in the day, not having to creep around being quiet, soon having no nappers (Allie takes one maybe every other day), no rushed dinners and evenings of just me and the kids, being more free on weekends, and most importantly, Matt being able to get enough sleep.  We are thankful!

A big transition- I finished my job at BCP.  I cleaned the class on Monday and saw most of the kids in the parking lot, then said final "I love you! Have a great summer!" on Wednesday zoom.  Which was so strange so say that, end the meeting, and sit in my empty office trying to process the end of this chapter.  It was such a great job for me.  I really never dreaded work, was able to teach what I wanted, had some really great kids, and learned that I belong in the classroom.  My favorite part was reading and learning with the kids during our carpet time.  I will miss it.  But I'm hopeful that my new job will be just as great for me...whenever I get to start it, which is as up in the air as everything is these days.

Something weird- My occasional fluttery heartbeat had been getting more frequent over the last month or so and then last weekend became almost constant, even keeping me up at night.  So I went and got an EKG.  So weird to be at the doctor and see no other patients.  I'm now wearing a heart monitor for another week or so to try to figure out the trigger, though the doctors are confident it's nothing serious.

More yard work!  We refinished the surface of the patio before the rain, then had a few days of rest, then built a wall and did plants and mulch.  Many long days of work, but I do love a good project.

We also played some board games this week and the kids continued to enjoy outside time with friends.  The tennis court reopened and the boys have enjoyed that.  Gray continues to find creative ways to get soaking wet while on a bike ride/creek walk.  And I'm currently listening to the girls and their constant companions squealing with delight in their homemade water park in our yard.

And keeping me going this pandemic, my unexpected bonus in all this-- the cul-de-sac zumba.  Love it so much.  Surprised and happy this week to have a long-lost friend I hadn't seen in years join us, who is a sister of a new friend in the neighborhood.

Week 9- All about that backyard

This week was full of outside time again...playing and projects!

Project 1: Allie and I painted a couple of shelves...Yes, I let her do the sides of this little nightstand in our room.  I left her painting and went to pull weeds.  She laid it on a bit thick so the result was...eh...but it was good for her to try and it's hers, so we'll take it!

The one I did for Julia turned out really nice and she was so excited to have something to put her plants on by her window.

The middle kids continued to take a daily bike ride, often to the creek, after school every day.  Above, Gray is getting creative and playing frisbee across the creek.  His other activities include retrieving tires from the creek, and accepting bet $ from friends for doing things like jumping in the creek off the above pipe, letting someone push him off into the creek, hopping across the pipe on one foot, etc.

We did a talent show one night.  Some of the talents were more entertaining than others.  The first two pics show Gray's talents- identifying jellybean flavors (the siblings were a little disgruntled with this "talent", feeling it was a little self-serving) and hugging.  Julia did some gymnastics.  Joshua did jumping and touching the ceiling.  Allie did a Frozen "formance" and I did a Zumba dance, which they politely clapped for when I cued them to at the end.  

Julia got to join the outdoor playdates this week and the girls borrowed our zumba jingly skirts for dance performing and Aladdin pretending.

We spent Mother's Day at Matt's parents' house at their request.  I think they are done social distancing when it comes to family.  It was so nice to have a taste of "normal life" again.  

Boys practiced for the big concrete pour, by wheeling Pa around in the new wheelbarrow.

Matt had to go to work, but the kids and I stayed till bedtime and enjoyed badminton and conversation.

With all of us home together so much, we have moments of insanity where the kids are just crazy.  Exhibit A above.  That's Julia's hula skirt.  Upon discovery of the stealing of the skirt, a chase scene unfolded between Joshua and Julia.  Always welcome in your home at the end of a long day.  ;)

Next week marks my last week at BCP.  I will have our last two zoom meetings and on Monday some of my students will stop by the school and get an end of the year gift.  I made a bunch of playdoh this week while processing the end of this chapter for me.

As I've said many times, so thankful for our neighborhood for times like this...on a walk with a friend and run into Gray and friends playing frisbee.  So much community for us here making quarantine not so bad.

The big thing this week for the girls was improving/creating this fort/cafe/home on the left side of our backyard.  There is a kitchen, eating area, chairs to relax in, dishes, meals, sometimes rose petals on the well-swept bath, and welcoming hand sanitizer scented bird bath with floating flowers.  They have worked and played for hours here, served mud/leaf meals, done schoolwork, and eaten their breakfast.

Allie's big job was "sprinkler".  She would scrape two pieces of wood together and make wood shavings for use as various food ingredients.  Sometimes under pressure of big sister shouting orders at her.

Meanwhile on the other side, we continued to make preparations for the patio pouring.

 Finally the day game for the concrete....

There was wheelbarrow practicing and dirt tamping.

There was waiting for the concrete truck and finding out he would be an hour late.

There was receiving instructions and chatting about this and that.  (Good to spend some time with our nephews!)

Then there was pouring, using lots of muscles and patience, and long hours of leveling.

So much leveling.

It took us so long to finish the patio that we sent home some of our help and eventually sent the kids in to find their own dinner.  We learned a lot--namely that you should work on the concrete finish while it's still really wet.  Thankfully, we can still make a few improvements if we had some repair stuff and even more thankfully, we are okay with imperfections around here.  Can't wait to beautify it with plants and furniture and then use it!  Huge thanks to all our family that helped!!

Meanwhile, little super hero Allie amused herself in the fort.

Finished...well, finished for this day at least.

Then we ate and relaxed.  Allie got her favorite seat in the house, Daddy's lap.  We have been enjoying John Krasinki's Some Good News as a family these days.  And also finished The Chosen, which was so good.