Covid 19

Covid 19 hit America in March and we have now been in the middle of a worldwide pandemic for two months.  Everything has shut down including school, church, and Cory's work.  We have all been staying at home except for the occasional trip to pick up groceries.  All of the kid's schoolwork has moved online and no one knows when things might get back to "normal".  

The kids have had pretty good attitudes throughout this whole process, but they are really starting to miss their friends.  Luckily, we decided at the beginning of the shutdown that the cousins would be part of our "quaran-team" so we've been able to see them a couple of times a week.

The kids are getting used to doing school at home and figured out how to play some of their math practice games together.

One of Lily's assignments was to make a thankful wall listing all the people/things she was thankful for during this time.  She and Aubrey worked very hard on it one day and filled up an entire window with things they were thankful for.

Since we are home 24/7, we borrowed a few 1000 piece puzzles from Emily and have been working on them a little at a time.  Parker and I finished two puzzles together and Eden helped me with another one.

Maggie decided one morning that she wanted to do school with us too!

Drive-by birthday parties have become very popular these days since kids can't have friends over to celebrate.  We took a walk one day up to the Tennison's house to wish Carter a Happy Birthday!

On the way home, the girls and I went on a virtual Easter egg hunt around the neighborhood.   

The girls have also made plenty of forts the past few weeks.  

One day, we had to get out of the house so our housekeepers could clean, so we grabbed Subway and headed to the park for a few hours.  The weather was perfect and it felt nice to have a change of scenery for a while.

A few weeks ago, I started feeling tired and achy.  A few days later, I became short of breath and was worried I had caught Covid.  I got tested and luckily it was just allergy induced bronchitis.

We've spent a lot of time Zooming with Granna and the cousins.  We even figured out how to play games together over the computer.

Lily occasionally goes over to Granna's and helps her bake.  It's nice for her to be able to get out of the house for a few hours.

Like I said, the cousins were part of our "quaran-team" so they came over almost every weekend to swim and have dinner.  

Maggie has loved having us home all of the time.  She can be found snuggling with someone several times a day.

We've also done a few special deliveries to Lily and Eden's teachers during the quarantine.  Lily loves when we drop something off at Mrs. Click's house because she gets to say hi to her dog, Charley.

I don't know when this pandemic will end and things will go back to life as we know it.  Until then, we will continue to be thankful that we are all staying healthy and that we have a new pool to swim in every day!  

Mother's Day

Mother's Day started with breakfast by the pool, flowers, and some of my favorite treats and ended with a family dinner and swimming.  The kids (and Cory) did a great job of making me feel special!

Emily and I also treated ourselves to a Mother's Day trip to Starbucks!

Several of the kids enjoyed playing cards with Granna and Nadine, who was visiting from New Mexico.

I'm so very thankful for my mom who is always willing to step in and help me navigate this crazy, busy life!  Happy Mother's Day, Mom!  I love you very much!

13 Years Old

 Parker-

Today you become a teenager!  I can't believe how fast the last 13 years have gone!  You have kept us busy this year with all of your activities and there is nothing I love more than watching you succeed in all of the things you love to do!  Here are some of the things I want to remember about you as you turn 13:

- You are getting taller every day! You are almost 6 feet tall and weigh 140 pounds.  You passed me up a long time ago and it is strange to have to look up to you when I talk to you.  You are wearing a men's medium and size 12-13 shoes.  I have a feeling you will be taller than dad in a few months.

- You are so smart and making good grades comes easily to you.  You work hard and study hard and always give your school work your best.  You have really missed being at school during the quarantine but have done a great job with your remote learning at home.

- You have loved participating in middle school sports this year.  You did very well at cross country in the fall and you also tried football for the first time.  You didn't love football but I'm glad you gave it a try.  I think you would have regretted it if you had never tried it.  Your favorite sport this year was basketball! You loved playing for Coach Ellis and your team played very well together.  I can't wait to watch you again next year! You also loved running track and were sad that Covid cut your season short.  

- You still love playing trumpet in the band.  You joined the jazz band this year and even though it took you a while to get used to a new style of playing, you now enjoy it a lot.  You even earned a chance to have a solo in one of your concerts this year.  You love Mr. Hiller and being in the Wind Ensemble under his leadership.  Your proudest moment this year in band was earning a spot in the Region Band- something that only a few 7th graders achieved.

-You are still an avid reader.  If you aren't playing video games in your free time, you have your nose in a book.  I hope reading is something you will enjoy all of your life.

- Speaking of video games, you favorite thing to do in your free time continues to be playing video games.  Two of your favorite games this year have been Fortnite and Roblox.

- You eat a lot!!  Your favorite foods are spaghetti, tacos, hamburgers, pizza, and chips and salsa.  You also love to drink milk.  You can go through 2-3 gallons of milk a week all by yourself. 

- Your best friends are friends you've had for a long time- several of them since preschool.  Kayden S, Kaden H, Cole, and Robert are all great friends and I enjoy when you have them over to hang out.

- You do not willingly give me hugs anymore but you still like to crawl up next to me and let me scratch your back.  It's not perfect but I'll take anything I can get these days!

You are such an amazing kid and I'm so thankful that you are mine! Watching you grow into a young man is an adventure every day and I'm glad I get to be a part of it!  I hope the teenage years are full of exciting and wonderful things! I love you to the moon and back, Mom

Happy 13th Birthday Parker!

We officially have a teenager in our house!  It wasn't the 13th birthday that he had planned, but we had a fun day celebrating Parker with our family.  We surprised him with a huge yard sign in the front yard.

I went and got Parker his favorite donuts for breakfast and then we let him open presents.

His birthday was announced on the Smith Middle School email that they send out each morning.

All of the cousins came over to swim and we ordered pizza for dinner.

The babies adore Parker and he is so sweet to play with them.

All of the cousins wanted a picture with Parker and his yard sign.

After dinner, we let Parker open presents and had cake and ice cream.

Parker and Holland

Covid ruined Parker's plans for a swim party with his friends but we will reschedule it as soon as it is safe to be together again.

 We are so proud of Parker and all his accomplishments so far!  He is an amazing son and I hope the teenage years bring him a lot of fun and happiness!