Monday (4/6) We are starting our second week of online schooling and while it is a bummer that it takes up so much of our day it is going better this week than last. The kids are less excited but they are also understanding what's expected a little bit more and are figuring out how to log in and out of their classrooms and how to turn things in so that I don't have to do all of that. Today Mom went to Costco for me. She said it was really weird. She had to wait in line to get in and most people were wearing masks. I guess this is the new normal and it's kinda weird how you really do just adjust. I think we're all feeling a lot of things and are anxious to have this behind us but at the same time we're settling into this routine and figuring out how to make it work.
One thing our family has been trying out is an app called Marco Polo. It's basically like a running text message except it is all videos. So we've all been uploading things when we can of the kids and what we are doing. It's not the same as seeing people but it is some form of connection which I know I need to be thankful for.
Tuesday (4/8) The days feel a lot the same right now. This stage of life already felt a bit mundane and that feeling is even stronger now. There isn't much time or freedom for that matter for any kind of spontaneity. It's kinda just wash, rinse, and repeat. Brandon's in and out but mostly upstairs in our room working. The kids are working through their school work and riding their bikes mostly, and I spend my days trying to keep everyone on task, trying to keep babies out of trouble, and trying to squeeze in the necessary chores like cleaning the bathrooms and doing the laundry. Grammy has been wonderful entertaining Hazel for an hour learning letters while we home school, and we found a new app called Caribu. It's like face timing but Grammy can read the girls stories and do word searches with them. Of course they all want a turn to play with her so poor Grammy ends up on the phone for hours but I think it's good. It's been so weird not seeing her. The kids don't know what to do without their Grammy time.
We also had our bathroom cabinets delivered today. That's turning into a pretty slow project with all that is going on but at least we will have them when we are ready. It's looking more and more like this is going to last for quite awhile, which I'm sad about. Yesterday they canceled Brandon's company picnic which isn't until August, everything we're hearing says kids most likely wont be returning to school this year, and we probably won't be able to celebrate Aubrey and Maddie's 1st birthday with the family. All of these things are disappointing but I keep thinking how much more disappointing it would be if I had a kindergartner or senior who was missing out on graduation. I'm starting to think it's going to feel just as surreal getting to go back to our normal activities as it was giving them up. Although I imagine the return may be more gradual and we will obviously feel much more prepared and excited for the change.
Maddie (L) and Aubrey (R)
DAY 24
Wednesday (4/8) Today the kids got to participate in their first all school chapel via Zoom. It was a pretty cool thing to see some 200 families all connecting in this way. We watched a worship video and then Mr. K give a chapel talk. The weather is beautiful right now which is awesome because it means the kids can enjoy being outside a little more. We made our weekly grocery run this afternoon and Brandon had the drywall for our bathroom delivered. Otherwise just same old same old. The mornings are really overwhelming as I try to fit in schooling while the babies are fussing and the girls are playing and then the afternoons go pretty smoothly. The only issue is there is never enough time. By the time the kids are wrapping up school work the babies are waking up and there is just literally not a free second which really gets to me sometimes. It is honestly really hard needing to be on every second of the day, but then 7:00 rolls around, the babies go to bed, the bigs read and have their class meetings, and I take a big breath and remember how thankful I am to not be alone at this time, and how thankful I am that the kids have each other, and that if tomorrow I can remember to just take one or two deep breaths in the middle of it all then maybe it'll feel just a little bit easier than today.
Chapel
Puzzles
Homeschooling with Grammy
Sadie's constant companions Potato and Moo Moo Cowie. Her whole class has now been introduced to them.
Art Class
DAY 25
Thursday (4/9) Today was our last day of online schooling for the week. Hallelujah!!! The kids did pretty well, but it's definitely not how they'd choose to spend their day. Today it was 70 degrees outside which was wonderful. The kids had popsicles and would have been in their swim suits if I had allowed it. They truly are Oregonians. Grammy dropped of Easter eggs so that I can stuff them and so that the kids can still have a little egg hunt even though we won't be at Grammy's this year. We also Face Timed with Robert for awhile today and I made dough so that we can bake and decorate cookies this weekend. The babies haven't been nursing well, most likely due to Mommy's stress level, and yesterday we discovered Aubrey's 1st tooth poking through so it looks like they'll be weaning just in time.
We re-homed the new baby chicks from the garage to the chicken coop today.
Maddie loves to rub her food in her hair. Why?!?
Cooper's project for science. His unit is all about weather.
Hazel helped me stuff the eggs this year.
These two have discovered the mudroom and its their new favorite place. So far they haven't tried to get into anything. They just want to watch the big kids play outside.
Friday (4/10) Good Friday! Today we didn't have school which was nice. I've been looking for a time to bake and decorate cookies with the kids and today was that day. It took the entire day to bake, and frost, and clean up, but the kids had a lot of fun and that's what matters. In other news Aubrey and Maddie are 11 months old today. I can't believe how fast it's gone. 11 months since those first days in the NICU. I've thought about that so much these past couple weeks and I've thought about how grateful I am that the Coronavirus didn't hit last year because man how different would our experience have looked. Brandon couldn't have come to my last doctors appointments with me, he wouldn't have been allowed to stay with me at the hospital, and he definitely wouldn't have been allowed to come and go every day for work and to check on the other kids. I just can't even imagine how much more stressful it would have been.
Anyway, so we had a pretty normal day and then ended it by watching our church's Good Friday service online. We put the kids to bed a little bit early, after service, because it didn't feel right to go straight to watching a movie or back to playing and then Brandon and I watched the Passion of the Christ. I've only seen it once before, back in my college days, and I'd forgotten how devastating it is. It really makes you feel the weight of our sins and the price that was paid for our salvation and redemption. How easy it is for us to forget as we go about our lives the brutality of the cross and the extravagance of the love that was shown to us while we were yet sinners. I cried and my heart felt so heavy as we went to bed thinking and feeling the weight of sin and death.
Happy 11 months to our Twinkie's! These two continue to keep us busy. They are no longer containable so the messes that are happening are unreal, as is the constant crashing and falling. They've gotten really confident standing but inevitably as soon as they let go they fall. So that's fun! Aside from that they continue to be adored by their siblings, love being outside, and Aubrey just beat Maddie to cutting her first tooth a couple days ago.
The girls weren't so cooperative today. Their dresses were a little big and they were a little bit grumpy. I think we will try again tomorrow, although these are still pretty cute.
DAY 27
Saturday (4/11) More bathroom demo today. It was warm yesterday and today. Well warm if you call 70 warm. Haha! The kids played outside and played in the sprinklers this afternoon. Then after the babies were in bed tonight we made smores outside in our fire pit and made resurrection rolls in anticipation of Easter. This is a new tradition which in the past I've never gotten around to but was excited to try this year.
Take #2 for 11 Month Photos
Aubrey
Maddie
Aubrey
We made orange chicken and chow mien tonight. Yummy!
Smores
Why Cooper loves to burn his marshmallows we do not know.
Resurrection Rolls
DAY 28
Sunday (4/12) He is Risen! Today was Easter and though we couldn't celebrate with family it was a good day. Grammy dropped off Easter baskets first thing this morning which we hid away to give the kids later in the day. We baked our resurrection rolls for breakfast. They didn't turn out exactly as I'd hoped but it was still a meaningful experience for the kids and got them talking about what Easter really means. After that it was church online and then out to play before quiet time and lunch and then finally the long anticipated egg hunt and the surprise Easter baskets which the kids loved! One of the gifts in the basket for the boys was a squirt gun so from here the kids moved back outside for a squirt gun fight while I called my Mom and Robert. As the day wrapped up I kinda felt sad thinking about how much longer this could last. I want to say it can't last much longer, but what if it does. What if it goes until June like some are speculating? That's such a long time and I really do miss my family and I'm sad that the babies especially are growing and changing so much and they're missing it. Time never slows down and you can't get it back and knowing this made me feel sad today.
This one is funny because as I was busy taking pictures I forgot to put the break on the stroller and caught this as Brandon rescued them from crashing down the hill and into the car. Oppps!
I don't think the tulips are going to last much longer but they sure have been beautiful!
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