Seven Quick Takes - Jumping into 2021

Linking up with Kelly ... first time in 2021

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The Christmas tree finally came down... 

I hate to see it go but it was time and we were home for the Snow Day so we had some extra time on our hands. I would like to say it was my favorite tree and maybe it is in some ways. But it was really stressful getting it, we didn't have a fun family story - but we still have a good story, and it was definitely broke the cheap-tree bank. 

---2---

C is packed and ready to go... 

She is forever talking about going to her friend's house and having a sleepover so every so often she packs her treasures in anticipation of a sleepover that will never happen. Though we have promised them a playdate at the park when the weather decides to get warm and not monsoon!

---3---

Wacky Day!

A's class had wacky day and he loves going all out for it. He decided he didn't want his hair in pigtails like last year so we borrowed some gel from our neighbors (gag!) and spiked it. Wacky Days from years past... 2020 - which I never posted I guess because it was the week COVID hit but now I'll have to go back and find the pics, 2019, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2015, 2014, 2014,  2013

---4---

Food:

Lee made homemade pizzas before Lent started. IT. WAS. SO. GOOD. We are so spoiled. 

E (and Papa) made R's bday cake. It was also a huge hit. 

---5---

Sunday is Valentine's Day, so you know what that means...  

I can't say doing Valentine's is my favorite activity. Actually it is one that tries all my motherly patience especially because we do the pencil ones which easily break when stuffing the pencils in the slots. 

A had to write his name on all the Valentines for practice. He only got a little frustrated...  

I think he got progressively more frustrated as the writing continued. But I can see all 6 letters : ) 

---6---

A set up this during rest...

 

 

I'm still finding army guys in my room - some broken and some still in good working order. 

---7---

This guy...  

He's so cute. He got a few molar teeth this week and them woke up at 3 am one morning ready to play. He and Papa were watching This Old House by 4 and A wasn't far behind!

Just Because... Squats and Cobras

The kids decided to do cobras and wall squats one night. They had us time them and I will say that Lee and I were both super impressed. I guess all that swimming four or five days a week is paying off!

Linking up with Rosie

Just Because... the casa

So it has begun... nearly a year to the week that we were dared by our friends to put an offer in on a ridiculous foreclosure - which we did not do, the work - finally - started on phase one of the reno. We aren’t doing the kitchen or the master (looking at you master bath) but we think if we ever did phase 2 then we might actually have the space available to not have to move out. 

The cost issue of doing both together was the driving factor in the decision to divide but also there’s no way we could have lived here - with all the kids - without the entire back of our house and a kitchen for several months.

So when it’s all said and done - whenever that may be -

1. the chapel will be downstairs right next to the garage so no more traipsing upstairs across the boobytrapped playroom every morning to pray. And if you can’t believe we are making room decisions in our house based on a home chapel, I’d dare you to start praying (with or without kids) every morning. Setting aside the extra five minutes and making a point and doing it. In the beginning it is hard and annoying and there’s not time but I promise once you get in a groove and find a rhythm then your day will not feel right without it. Our prayer time is not silent and I routinely ask the kids if they are actually taking some time and talking to God and some days it doesn’t feel worth it but I know it is. 

2. Papa’s office will be freed up to give the big girls a lair upstairs. Hopefully that won’t turn into a huge deal project but I really want them to have some fun sleeping space.

3. The kids will have a study/library/reading space because we have so many books and I don’t foresee homework getting done at the kitchen table forever. 

4. The laundry will be a dedicated room with functional storage and places to fold and racks to hang - instead of on the shower curtain rod.

5. The pantry should be pretty awesome

I’m excited but I’m not getting over excited or impatient because to me all of this should have been done by Christmas last year because I clearly have no idea how construction and permitting and stuff actually works. All in due time and grateful this door opened 

Linking up with Rosie... Just Because

Snow Day 2021

We woke up to snow Thursday last week. It’s been nearly a year since it snowed so we were kind of ready for it. The ground was super wet before it snowed so it was a really wet snow that didn’t stick around long.

Lee ran out and turned on the snowflake lights which seemed super appropriate as the snow finished falling in the early morning.

Everyone got dressed early after breakfast and headed out. It was helpful the big girls could almost completely get themselves dressed.

J wasn’t super thrilled about the snow because it was really windy so he went out for the obligatory family pic and then retreated inside with Papa fast.

We got the sled out but it was basically pointless.

R worked on her snowman for a good while

The field after the snow before the sun. Some of the kids headed to the swamp and got pretty wet. I think we could use a morning and afternoon snow outfit for everyone

 

I think E would have liked more sledding options but appreciated the day off from school

M braved the afternoon snow even with wet boots and I’m surprised she lasted as long as she did

A said he wanted to stay the whole day outside and he did last quite a while and enjoyed getting to run with the big kids to the swamp.

The resident snow eater

After both of our snow jaunts and the kids take off all the snow hats, gloves, boots, bibs, jackets, socks - everything in the garage. I go out and collect everything and hang up and put over vents or put in the dryer. They are enjoying hot chocolate and not thinking about the behind the scenes - I feel very mom-ish. I cannot imagine all the times growing up my mom did the same thing for us because on snow days if you’re a kid who has time to think about how things will be dry because there’s hot chocolate and snow cream to be eaten.

Just Because... J

Just because this guy has been here 16 months. He is so stinking cute. He is still very much not walking. But when I hold my hands out when he’s holding onto something, he takes a halfhearted step forward and flails forward for me to catch him and he thinks it’s wildly hilarious. He probably could use a haircut but I know what haircuts do to baby boys - insta-toddler and I’m not ready for that. Plus he’s suuuuuper cute when he is crawling and he shakes his head and his hair goes flying. Everyone loves him around here and carries him around like he is theirs - and some people get in trouble for it. J loves to help Papa unload the dishwasher in the mornings even though Papa would prefer he didn’t. He is such a sweet, cuddly part of our family and I’m pretty sure we are way better off because he’s here.

Linking up with Rosie... Just Because

Have Yourself A Merry COVID Christmas

Christmas came just the same even with COVID swirling about our lives. Blessed to have happy and healthy kids at this moment and hopefully it will stay that way.

I got our Christmas cards out without much ado. Just that the cards were running late from Walgreens and the post office only had two books of Marian Christmas stamps. This year it took two takes of Christmas pics because of one unnamed rebel rouser - it wasn’t Lady C this time but of course she’s the ham of the group.

In years past we ALWAYS take our family Christmas pic in front of the tree at church but... COVID. I found out at noon on 12/23 that one of the preschoolers had an exposure on 12/18 - and we thought we had dodged the bullet. So that put our plans into a tailspin since we ALWAYS go to Grammy and Grandpa Joe’s after church on Christmas Eve. So all that got nixed. Papa took the big girls to church on Christmas Eve and our brave neighbor snapped the family pic before they left. You probably can learn a lot about a family when 1. Taking their picture and 2. When they are rushing to get out the door! J had been a screaming wreck all morning and was in his crib crying moments before the picture which is why he looks a mess but the Smarties he’s got semi- saved the day.

After church, we hung out and had an early dinner of homemade lasagna. It might be my favorite thing Lee cooks. It’s so good. Then we watched The Grinch and it was time for bed.

I said a number of times that I wouldn’t mind if we only put lights on the tree this year. I love sitting in the glow of Christmas lights. I eventually caved to A who was desperate to decorate it on the 26th. In the process I discovered C had thrown out her ornament she made at school - along with everything else in her party bag - and I could have cried.

The Christmas glow 

We are missing a few of sheep...

M’s stocking was backed and was a huge surprise for her! And a motivation for me to get As done - hahaha. I packed the stockings upside down. Candy first and bulky stuff last would have been the better technique but I’ve never had to solo pack stockings before - and hopefully I won’t have to either.

Christmas morning came with lots of excitement but everyone knows we don’t open presents until after breakfast and we try not to wake up siblings so I think everyone was around by 7:30? I did let them into their stockings when they woke up. They know there’s another Christmas PJ pic and of course Lady C steals the show!

After spaghetti squash egg bake - another Christmas only treat - it was gift time.

E thought an iPhone was wrapped up in this box - insert all the laughs - it was a FitBit.

This girl asked for new (specifically not hand me down cleats during the fall soccer season). We were perusing the cleats section online and she found some pretty expensive and very colorful cleats. Then she saw how much they were and decided she needed something not as $$$. So then I was on a mission to find them in budget - which I did on cyber Monday. Well ten days later I got an email saying the cleats didn’t actually exist in kids shoes sizes so my order was canceled. R would be the kids that it happened to. So I not so discreetly found a few of her other top choices. I will say it was the gift I was most excited to give and the one I was most let down about.

Not long after gifts A was ready to go out with his Nerf gun he cannot load because he’s left handed and his new overalls.

We had another quiet afternoon and evening with movies and dinner.

We missed Christmas with the cousins but Jibbe still came over a few days after Christmas for a few more gifts and dinner. I don’t know if I’ll ever recover from all the food food we’ve had over the last week.

J wasn’t into opening presents. Pushing paper around and eating it were his priority.

Lee and I were given some pretty cool new appliances including a new mixer and a four slot toaster and a wine aerator.

The MagnaTiles were given to C but I think everyone has gotten in on the building action.

So it wasn’t like a Christmas we had had or even the COVID Christmas we had planned but we still celebrated and have lots and lots of reasons to be thankful.

St Nicholas 2020

Two and a half weeks before Christmas, St Nicholas stopped by. The big girls and I were coming home from swim meet number one of the month and church. Papa was supposed to be bringing C and the boys to church but two of them had runny noses so we opted to keep them home.

The advent project for the week was going through toys, desks, space - anything to find for St Nicholas to take. Next year we need to have a bit of ramped up effort I think but St Nicholas came just the same.

This should be the last year St Nicholas visits this chapel. Some time in the nearish future the addition will be started and the chapel will be right next to the garage - strategically placed for daily prayer time and no more traipsing upstairs every morning before school and praying you don’t step on a lego or Barbie shoe! Addition talk is for another time but I can tell you everything is purposeful and utilitarian about the whole thing.

The kid received their Christmas outfits - which I’ll have to get the older girls in on next year because they weren’t fans - all the eye rolls. Everyone got two packs of the same Pringles because Pascha baskets had a variety of flavors and mom had to hear all about that, sugary cereal to share - all crowd pleasers, the big girls received new coats which seeing Es reaction was great because she informed us weeks ago that she wasn’t going to wear her pink and orange coat from last year so she had been wearing a fleece and hoodie to school because it was getting cold and she was standing her ground on the coat. I told her she needed to add a coat to her (not a single toy) Christmas list (sign of the times, I was sad) so when the coat I had in my closet for a few weeks came early she was thrilled.

And of course there were plenty of gold coins to go around because that’s really what St Nicholas brought right? That and a great selfless example. 

Our family celebrates St Nicholas Day much differently than others - some people get their shoes or stockings filled with treats, some people have St Nicholas come on December 25 and leave presents under the tree. I’m not really sure how we got to this point of giving St Nicholas toys and other items to take to give to other kids and in return receiving a small mixed lot of goodies and clothes by everyone’s icon - but I can tell you, I love the tradition for our family and it makes me want to find other ways to celebrate the lives of the saints in our house so we can all be encouraged by their examples.

The Masked Swimmers - and other COVID swimming musing

Unmasked for racing of course but we have been blessed to go to two swim meets this month due to serious COVID masking and distancing during the meets.

The first weekend of the month the girls and I trekked out to Greensboro for a Friday night and Saturday morning meet. I wasn’t super thrilled about staying in a hotel but we did. The place was dead so that made me feel a bit better.

It was strange being in Greensboro because we were there nine months to the weekend - the first weekend in March - the last weekend that there wasn’t a care in the world about masking or distancing or anything. 

No spectators. A clerk of course. One timer per lane. All have been implemented at both meets we went to, in attempts to keep COVID at bay and allow kids to still participate in meets. Far from ideal but at this point we will take it.

This past weekend we headed down to Goldsboro. After the Greensboro meet I thought we’d be done for the year but the girls dropped a lot of time and wanted to do it. It worked out with our church schedule and we didn’t have to spend the night so that was that.

M has been hoping/dying to do the 500 free so she could earned the highly coveted swim bag - it’s earned not given. Her coach gave her the green light and she was on it. A seven year old doing 20 laps of free - in a race against 11 and 12 year olds - isn’t a huge deal I guess if they’ve practiced - and of course they swim double or triple that in a practice but it still makes me nervous. M was insane. She did awesome. She only finished a minute or so behind the 10 and 11 year olds in her heat. I wish I had the bag in hand to give it to her right after the race. Very proud of her and only have the above pic to prove it because I don’t know if you’re supposed to take pics on deck : )

Saturday rolled around and it was everyone to the meet except Papa who was on church pierogi fundraiser duty. Taking non swimmers to swim meets has never been the best of ideas but add some COVID action and they cannot come in. So I sent the girls in marked up with their events and wished them fast swimming.

A C and J and I settled into the park in front of the Y. Thank goodness for the novelty of new parks - except it was more like exercise area but we called it the park.

2.5 hours we spent out there with the occasional bathroom break and trot over to the window of the swim meet to catch the girls swim. They all swam in the same heat of 100 free - to which E reminded us she hadn’t swam in months. 

The eight sandwiches I made were all consumed before we left the parking lot. So we headed to CFA for a 30 count nugget and lots of chik fil a sauce. We shot over to Raleigh for church and made it home.

Sunday morning was cold and wet and made me especially appreciative of the nice weather we had with the littles because two hours of sitting around in the van would have been tortuous.

Overall for the two weekends of swim meets the girls took off tons of time and tried new events - R and the 100 fly, M and the 500 free. We are so grateful to have had a swim season at all during COVID. It has been a constant in our lives since June. While the girls practiced over the summer it gave me lots of time with A C and J to explore the parks and pond. Given the situation, I think we have made the best of it. The girls keep motivated (maybe sometimes because they earn screen time for going to practice - earned not given), they get to do something they enjoy and swim with their friends (and maybe chat more than they should when they are doing kick at practice). We are extremely blessed to have coaches who have made this happen for our family and all the RMY swimmers.