Thoughts on 2020

45 days into 2021 here goes on how I think 2020 shook out.

Wow. 

Who would have thunk this time last year we would have had the year we did. Yeah definitely didn’t see that coming.

I think 2020 forced me and Lee to dig deeper and be more flexible and more present for each other and our kids.

We tag teamed parented from mid- March until May that looked like us working six days and working from home and facilitating school work while keeping A, C and J at bay. It was no small feat but I’m quite sure other families had it way more difficult than us.

A and C probably had the best, dirtiest, free-est time of their lives 

Lee master planned and executed a garden - which seemed small considering the one we had at our old house. I think it’s going to be an herb garden this year and we FINALLY may have convinced him to till a few rows in the way back so we can have a proper garden - I’m looking at you broccoli and okra.

Pascha weekend we finally saw family for more than a honk and a wave. All the uncertainty - I have come to loathe that word - and distancing was just so weird. We also had some outdoor dinners with neighbors. Our kids who are used to being busy with swim, school, soccer and scouts were definitely going through withdrawal since all those things ended in an instant. We definitely leaned into our neighbors for socializing and our kids were even caught exercising together too.

Summer came along and our sitter came back - PRAISE. They didn’t have the summer that imagined but there was lots of crafting and activity and visiting the pool. We survived a full day at the pool just to prove to ourselves we could hack a whole day there - that was fun and hopefully a tradition. There was swim team - kinda. A and C took lessons. C went from chatting her way out of doing anything because she was scared to belly flopping in the shallow end - success!

The Y swim team also started back in June - PRAISE!!!! It was smack dab in the middle of rest but I knew we needed to make it work. So we did. A and C and J and me spent may afternoons at the parks within walking distance of the Y. At first they didn’t love it but they we discovered the pond and the heron and the secret museum playground - the one that’s further away. We got our exercise in daily and patronized the hot roped off playgrounds. A usually could be found with his shirt off running ahead to check out any wildlife. Sometimes we’d hit Nash Rec after Y practice and other times we’d just come home and anxiously wait for Papa who couldn’t have been busier. It is a blessing for him to be busy, no doubt, but it is definitely something our whole family feels the weight of.

My tan-legged boy

Speaking of work, we sent E to work with Papa a few Saturdays to clean pools. I think she just enjoyed the lunches but she did manage to make a few dollars. She took a dip in one pool by accident... ehem - a little dog was out. Lee built a pool close to our house so that was great because I got to take him to visit on more than several occasions. A brought his own digger just for good measure.

E and R got to go to sleep away camp twice. It was a shortened version but I think they were ready to do just about anything. They had a great time and are hoping to go back this year. 

We trekked to the beach with my family for a few days and got really sandy and tired and lots of sun and good food and great memories - including Grammy and J having bonding time at 2 am on the porch because the kid would not go to sleep and with a house full of sleepers a screaming J just wasn’t an option.

Summer came to a slow close - sometimes it’s more like a screeching halt. School and preschool started back - PRAISE. Obviously it was way different from year past but at this point everyone was thrilled to go back. Since school has started there have been 2 of 6 kids who have had to quarantine because of exposures but at this point we will take them for the sense of normalcy that is gained.

There was a shortened fall soccer season that we let the big girls do concurrently with swim. Not something we typically do but it was worth it. A and C had a blast. It will go down as one of my more interesting coaching seasons. Coaching a team that only wins a few games is tough. Also, forever known as the season we didn’t lose a game but weren’t winners - with M and Rs team. Par the course 2020, par the course.

As for some personal reflection maybe my single biggest (I jest) accomplishment would be camping with the big girls. I can now check camping off my list of things I haven’t done. I can say it wasn’t bad and I’d probably be caught doing it again.

Also a ran two half marathons in 2020. One before covid changed everything and one virtually. The pre covid run was a great race and it would be one I’d do again. The virtual run was awesome. A friend and I decided to form the mom- running-once-a-week club and we ‘trained’ for our half marathon by only running once a week. Not because that’s something we wanted to tout but because we really only had one day a week to give. We only almost got hit by a few cars running on the country roads and jumped over a few dead animals. It was the best running plan ever and I’d totally do it again and the $50 entry fee may have gotten us a hoodie but really kept us honest - especially on the 10+ mile runs.

Pretty prerace sun rise pic

Post race beverages. It was neat our girls cheered us on a few times 

Not going to church on a regular basis had been bizarre. Especially  since growing up we went to Mass every single week rain or shine. Covid started right in the middle of Lent so that meant no presanctified liturgies - which might be one of my favorite things. We did do stations of the cross in our chapel. I think I have grown increasing grateful that we have a dedicated prayer space in our house. It probably could and should be patronized more often but when we have done church at home on more occasions than we’d all like - it is great.

Looking to this year or the eleven months that are left of it, I’d like to be hopeful that things will go back to some sort of normal. I’d like to hope that I don’t completely lose it when A starts Kindergarten in the fall. There are so many things that were different about 2020 but so many more things we all learned about each other. I imagine we will continue to learn and cling to hope knowing that God has got our backs.

Corona-Tine Weeks Ocho y Nueve

Linking up with Kelly ... wrapping day 63

---1---

Passing on my LOVE for hammocks to my children...  

Speaking of hanging out.. 

Lee and I have been sitting out on the front porch most evenings and contemplating life and Corona and the weather and work and kids and everything and this showed up

It was truly majestic and the pics don't do the colors justice.  A reminder of God's covenant for sure. 

---2---

I still drag everyone on our normal morning and sometimes afternoon walks... 

I thought C was wearing one of the girls hoodies but it turned out to be mine.

No personality at all...nope 

R knows I love flowers

---3---

In my spare time (hahahahaha) I've been inspired to fill up the walls with puzzle and other assorted frames... 

I'll have to post my weekend progress on the girls room. E's begging for a wall color... maybe in the fall? 

---4---

The boy needs a haircut and I told him he could not buzz his hair like Papa just yet.

Great excitement around the house one day last week was... 

So entertained. 

My guy

He's getting so big, if I sat and thought about it long enough I could cry. 

---5---

Double Digits: 

She's got a book problem. 

I started reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (aloud) to the group this week (so we can watch the movie) and it is AWESOME. We are loving it!

Enjoying her new bday skates : ) 

E BEGGED to turn on the sprinkler Friday night and I made her call Lee to confirm which was oh so wise on my part because once she fiddled with the front sprinkler for 15 minutes she drug the back sprinkler all the way to the front - much to Lee's chagrin the next afternoon (but I told him he couldn't be mad at them because 1. he approved it and 2. she was being resourceful). C may have been better suited in a bathing suit because she didn't realize clothes are REQUIRED 

---6---

The Puzzle Report:

We are onto another puzzle... Six maybe? E has claimed this for the nursery and I tend to agree with her. The brighter evenings has afforded the big girls a little extra neighborhood freedom so puzzling into not what it used to be but its okay. 

---7---

Wildlife Report...  

The girls were collecting ladybugs for the "Ladybug Hotel" - they were having a hard time keeping them in so we opted for the hotel theory. M has to do a bug project for school and she chose a ladybug. I was hoping she'd find a round rock and paint it red (they have gotten into the painted rock selling business in the afternoons) but that didn't happen. The project is due Monday and all we have so far is a styrofoam sphere. 

Thanksgiving Dinner and St. Francis

E nearly stepped on this during one of our morning walks. We hoped that by not touching it, its mom would come back and teach it how to fly. 

Last night I pulled a tick off of Lee. It hadn't fully burrowed??? but it did bite him because a small part remains stuck under the surface of the skin. Praying that it is not a lyme carrying tick.  Oh and M saw a black snake slithering across the back yard today which was a topic of much conversation. 

Seven QTs - Corona-tine 4/5/6

Linking up with Kelly ... a hodge podge of weeks four, five and six...

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Phew! Has it really been six week?!?!? Pascha was two weeks ago today and that seems like it was at least 2.5 million years ago. Everyone has definitely settled into our daily routine and we still have come to appreciate our lack of scheduled weekends even more. Saturdays basically consist of cartoon watching until 10, chores, lunch and playing outside. 

But there's a reason I have this posted on the microwave. 

The daily grind has been challenging (as it always has been) but it ways that are becoming normal (but weren't until 6 weeks ago). This is tough. The kids miss their friends, their schools, their teachers, their coaches, their activities, their churches, their grandparents, their aunts/uncles/cousins - and Lee and I miss all of the above too. It's just a little easier for he and I to process the change and this distance. 

---2---

The school report: 

A saw R practicing her cursive handwriting during a Zoom meeting so after he wanted to get in on the whiteboard action. 

See the difference? I texted his preschool teacher (who I don't know who adores her more A or me) and she reminded him to pinch his marker (hello handwriting grip!) and he grinned so big and changed it up : ) 

During outside time there's a good chance 'the girl who drinks books' can be found reading. Fortunately Grammy is feeding E's book addiction and it is like Christmas when new books arrive. The problem is she is so excited about some she'll read them in a day or two and then mope around the next week because she 'has NOTHING to read'. Though she has gotten better about rereading books - something she stuck her nose up at a few weeks ago. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Also, she got to play librarian for our neighbors and I finally had to put the brakes on at about 12. I think she just wants other people to love books at much as she does!

It's been all pencils on deck for decimals and fractions this week. Showing your work in order to explain it has been harped on again and again. R was learning about money so we got change out and talked about buying things and do we have enough money to buy items. 

All the school is sprinkled in between feeding times (because everyone is starving all the time) and me working. It's funny because I think there's increased home background noise on some of the calls I'm on. Especially if that person is working from home and we've talked about having to juggle remote working and parenting/schooling/life currently. Funny the things you can bond over... 

---3---

Miss C..

She is basically living her best life every single day. She is so cute and so naughty. 

Most days after the morning walk and snack, she and A are banished to the outside (which they are mostly fine with) so the big girls can get school work done. They always shoot straight for the back yard and to the ditch that is full of muck and leaves and dirt. They were 'building a bridge' across it. Several days she had to get showered BEFORE rest because she was so dirty. I have legit concerns about snakes so we are making a very concerted effort to steer clear of the ditch. She and A have also got into a few ant hills this week. A knows better than to stick his foot in them but C is just starting to test the waters and has come up to the house more than twice screaming about her newly acquired ant bites. 

She is basically a daredevil too. I am constantly reminding/pleading with her to wear a helmet. She thinks she's about 13 and tries to keep up with all her older siblings so she races around on her bike. There's one spot in the front side yard with a small hole in it - perfect for riding bikes in and getting a little bump on the way in and out - that spot is frequently part of the path they ride in daily. 

Case closed. She's a lunatic but we LOVE her

---4---

Everyone else living their best lives:

A always said he wanted a little brother and I think this is why. J doesn't even realize how great of a big brother he has yet!

I love our little street that has about one car per hour going down it. The trash truck came the other day and I got a bit nervous from my work perch so I ran out to check on everyone and of course everything was fine. One morning A and C wandered and C found a puddle and came back with wet brown shoes but that's not bad for three weeks of this. They were scolded and haven't left the yard again. 

We've given the girls a bit more freedom to play outside at the neighbors house and come home as they please. If we didn't love our neighbors before (which we did) then we really love them (even more) now. This week there's been several later evening soccer games. Friday night Lee got home from work and J was in bed, A and C and Papa watched a cooking show and me and the big girls got out for a neighbor pick up game - it was a blast!

This could have been categorized in the next section but wasn't because A is a cat. He was shoveling out dirt for the garden and took a really big step (out of the truck) and Lee and I watched in horror (like the slow-mo kind) and he landed on his feet (thank the Lord!). Lee put the gate up to the bed after that. He and the kids have been busy on a garden. I am encouraging it but keeping my distance just like I will if Lee builds the chicken coop he's been talking about. 

J isn't forgotten in all this but he's so chill and quiet and undemanding of my attention (when other people are) I like to give him extra attention getting ready for bed. For some reason he can be super chatty and giggly that time of day and it is really cute. 

He's basically an eating machine now and that is about the only time he does pipe up and let his presence be known. He is super impatient around dinner time so I've learn to have my ducks in a row or our ears will all pay the price. 

---5---

Injury Report: 

Pretty sure some of the marks on C's face near her mouth are some food remnants and not injury. She basically moves a zillion miles a minute and should where a helmet at all times and continues to be fearless through all her bumps and bruises. The older girls would have been reluctant to play as hard as C does because of her battle scars but C shakes things off much easier. 

A fell off the couch a few weeks ago and I was almost at the point of taking him to the dentist because it looked so terrible but she said to give it a day or two and it was completely fine. 

---6---

The Turtle Report:

Lee texted me the afternoon I was at work a few weeks ago and said he found another turtle about the same size as Yertle. I told him to keep it because I wanted to see it and come to find out this turtle was MUCH bigger. 

The shell was gorgeous and I don't know if it was the size compared to Yertle or the coloring or what it was but the turtle 'looked' mean. #turtlejudging

I don't know what kind of turtle it was but we put it out by the ditch and R was distraught. I told her the turtle might come back one day and I don't think she believe me but we couldn't have two turtles. 

I broke down and got turtle food - yes its a thing and it is about $3 on Amazon. So now I feel good about Yertle getting food because I was really worried he wasn't eating the fruit we were putting in his container. It is super fun to watch him eat. He definitely prefers the shrimp to the pellets and he is very much a focused hunter when there's food around. 

---7---

Puzzle Report: 

We finally finished the Star Wars puzzle and it was a challenge. The black parts of Vadar were basically a try every piece everywhere it can possibly go. 

I think we thought this puzzle would get put together much faster than it did. These piece were cut in neat ways but were were cardboard-ish so didn't snap together like a Ravensburger puzzle. 

Anyhow it is a really neat NC puzzle that I've already got a spot for

E and I just finished this (whimsical) Noah's Ark puzzle before bed last night. There are dinosaurs and polar bears drinking soda and owls reading - which I didn't realize until we got a close look at the box. It was a fun one because of the colors and textures and patterns. 

I've stocked up on puzzle glue. Between the puzzles and the extra time I've had to think about wall projects - we won't have a bare wall. Now I just need to channel some of my energy/effort to A's stocking and knock it out!