Day 54

We are on day 54 of this craziness and the world is starting to re-open slowly. Death tolls are rising but the rate of cases is dramatically increasing which isn't a bad thing. The more cases increase and the rate of deaths stays steady that means less overall are dying from it. There is so much new data everyday and it's hard to sort out fact from hearsay. Texas opened up some restaurants, retail and other businesses with 25% capacity last week. I was allowed to start working again staying 6' away from clients which was a huge win for my sanity! Ady's school ended last week so she's watching a kinder camp on Facebook for an hour everyday along with doing her workbooks for school. Drew has 2.5 more weeks of school and has been a rockstar at completing his projects. Will is just craving attention and needs entertaining from time to time but overall he's pretty good and thankfully still napping 1.5 hours a day. At this point we have NO clue how summer will look. We cancelled our 15 year anniversary trip to Ireland that we had fully booked and will hope to take that next year. We booked a short getaway to a nearby lake with Gramma and Poppa to get away for a few days. Can't wait for a change in scenery. Jogging, walking and biking these paths every day has gotten mundane and I'm over these streets so much. We have friends who are getting babysitters and going out and already having playdates. And then we have other friends who haven't changed much and are still be uber cautious like we are. To me there are just still too many unknowns to risk that much exposure. Ady with her asthma and my parents both being high risk are our obligations to continue to shelter and minimize interaction. Boy do I miss it though. I'm a VERY social person and not being able to get out with my girlfriends is hard. Very hard. But we're still doing driveway dates to help. We have no clue if the pool will be open this summer or if any camps will happen. It's as if our entire lives are up in the air and in a waiting game. It's hard. The unknowns are very hard. I'm quite frankly just ready for 2020 to be over. It's not going to be a normal year by any means and there is mention of school being very different this fall. Can we just fast forward to the end of this pandemic and forget this all happened? Yes I'm very thankful for our house and all the entertainment we have here. I'm thankful for our health and the way Derek and I have been working out and eating right. I'm thankful for how our kiddos have powered through this. But I'm still ready for 2021. Like, now.

Will the Bookworm

Our littlest has become quite the bookworm. I've found him a few times this week in his bedroom or with a pile of books. I LOVE it and remember Drew doing that all the time when he was little.

Schoolwork

Sometimes we just have to take our electronics outside to escape if only for a moment. Yep, our backyard has been used to the fullest extent during this pandemic!

Family Biking

We got every night after dinner. Every night.... well almost every night. For weeks now. WEEKS. My legs better be super toned considering I'm running AND walking most days also. But I LIVE for our bike rides. The fresh air and getting out of the house is the best. And now Derek pulls Will because Ady has been solo for a few weeks so it's even better. Ha!

Entertainment

It's SO hard entertaining 3 kids on a daily basis. Sure they have workbooks and schoolwork and other academic ideas but I also try to stimulate them creatively  as well. We paint, draw, do puzzles, have free play time, raise ladybugs, do play-doh, bake, do science experiments and everything else out there.

 

Outside Play

We basically live outside once reading and schoolwork has been completed. It's been our saving grace every day. And not just for the kids! I got on a walk with 2 friends who live on my street everyday once Will goes down for a nap and the kids do their reading. It's SO good for my mental health to get out and away from the house for a bit.

Easter 2020

Easter is such a favorite Church day for me. Getting all dressed up and hearing about the miracle of the day is so glorious and I love it. So naturally, I made my family get all dressed up just to watch church on the TV. I cried and we held hands and we sang and it was as good as we could do for Easter at home.

I was NOT going to settle for my parents eating in their own home 15 minutes away from us on such a special day. So we set up a table and chairs and socially distanced a delicious Easter meal. They brought their own food and even though we couldn't hug them it was wonderful having them on the patio with us!

Our street decided to have an egg hunt that afternoon at the same time! We all did our own hunts in our own yards and Will actually did great! I didn't know what to expect with him but he grabbed several eggs and tossed them in his basket!

He is risen indeed.

Annual Bluebonnet Pictures

We ventured out to our bluebonnet spot a few weeks ago to snap our annual pictures in them. I was SO excited for these outfits this year! Drew agreed to match his siblings and they were going to be SO adorable at Easter so, yes, we did get all dressed up for that Holiday. Man my children are just beautiful.

Coronovirus Update: Day 42

Can't believe we're on day 42 of this quarantining stuff. There are so many things I want to say and so many thoughts that I would never be able to get them all down. I read this thing the other day and it summarized how I feel. It says "I'm fine. And then terrible. And then crying. And then laughing. And then screaming. And then grateful. And then over it. And then determined. And then terrified. And then anxious. And then happy. And then exhausted. .... all in the same minute". It's perfect. And so true. The emotions are exhausting.
Sure, Derek's job is secure and we don't have to worry about that like so many others. Sure we have our health and the kids are happy. Sure we are lucky to have a great home to be stuck in with plenty of resources for activities and enjoyment. But does that make the pain and struggle go away? Nope. I'm fortunate that Derek has been able to help me but I'm SO ready for a girls trip, or a solo trip. I'm ready to hug my mom and dad and see my brother again and hug him. I'm ready to stop worrying about when live will go back to normal if it ever even does. I'm worried about how hard this summer will be without Derek and no city pool, play places open or zoos, parks, etc open. I'm sad for the kiddos who didn't get to enjoy the rest of their year with amazing teachers. It's just tough.
And sure, our parents all had young children once but they did NOT go through this. No one understands the struggle unless you have children at home right NOW. It's just not the same. Today we went hiking (more pics on that later) and it was good to get out. I love my kiddos and husband but man am I ready for a small break of being with them all 24/7!!