Week Eight, Phase Two

Makenna went to bed Friday night with instructions to wake her when quarantine is over.

Saturday, we spent the morning enjoying the gorgeous weather on the deck until it was time to head over to Erin's condo to wrap up some final projects. The results are beautiful. Sister has style.

She is having the kitchen cabinets resurfaced in the same light grey as the bathroom vanity.

One of two walk-in closets is being used as an office.

She plans to paint the door the same charcoal grey used in the feature wall in the living room.

Saturday evening we pulled the ultimate kid approved clean-up. Because of covid 19, garbage men are unwilling to pick up large trash (insert eye roll here) so we tossed all the old deck boards underneath the new deck. It was a lot like a kid cleaning his room by shoving everything under his bed. And then made smores like responsible adults.

Sunday, my mom visited. It's been four months since we last had her over and so we used Kentucky's mask mandate as an excuse to get together. My sister and parents will be required to wear them but they were unable to purchase any. I have two friends who offered to make them and given Mom's inability to locate a sewing machine or elastic, it was an excellent excuse to spend a gorgeous Sunday together.

Monday the kids had their annual physicals. Kate is now my height but I pointed out I weigh ten pounds more than her so I am still bigger. Miss Sass looked me in the eye and declared she wanted milkshakes for lunch. Other than that, things went really well. Both kids are relatively healthy and are cleared for sports participation should the world ever deem outside activity valuable again. This was huge for Kate, who has been ready to flip and tumble for months.

Kate needed this. Her best friend and her sister visited for the first time with a very literal six feet between them. Please note the tape measure required to appease Grace's mom. It was worth the stipulation.

I had a momentary lapse in judgment. Thank God one of us is essential and able to keep a level head right now. (Level head(ish) based on that puppy comment).

Ty's imagination has taken a strange turn. He has a box with a hole cut out of it and "needs" colorful locks with keys, plastic chains and additional nerf guns that will fit into the box. He has created clues to mate locks with keys and full size deck boards. He has friends on standby for whatever this game is that he has concocted but his mother is reluctant, to say the least. Call me crazy, but I imagine this going all kinds of wrong. Oh! And he really wants electric blue hair. Add that to his schooling on Tuesday completed while standing on a hoverboard and I wonder how challenging traditional school will be for him when he returns.

Makenna and Noah have been enjoying fishing and kayaking the last few weeks. She says she is a fisherwoman. He says she is a city slicker who won't touch bait or fish but she's cute.

Some blessings counted this week include the Curious George soundtrack, video chat with Kindergarten, a walk with a friend from church, 423 "crystals" discovered in the driveway with a hammer and safety glasses, Italian food for Cinco de Mayo because it's a weird year so we are embracing it, chicken in the freezer, no-bake cookies, Layla eating yogurt, tea on the deck, fresh salad, friend receiving chemo after a frightening hiatus, reminder God redeems through brokenness and nothing is a surprise to Him and video chats with Austin.

Greg had a down moment in the warehouse at work so he answered a google duo call from Austin and immediately responded to pleas for Cookie Monster reenactments. Lauren then called me howling because she hadn't realized the time when she let Austin call but loved how Pops didn't care one bit about an audience when it came to making that baby laugh. Have I mentioned we are big fans?

Two hours before dinner time, Layla started begging. Her persistence increased until she literally laid at my feet and rested her head on my shoe, quietly demanding I pay attention to her. A few moments later, I wish I'd been recording her as she sighed deeply and fell over flat as if sitting up had become too much for our dramatic girl.

Greg worked a site near our house so we had a tailgate picnic for lunch with him Thursday. He loves his job and we love a happy dad and husband. God was good mandating this move despite how uncomfortable it felt at the time. Life is often like that, it seems.

On my way to work Friday, I had to stop for a quick photo in my neighborhood. These really are confusing times.

Week Seven

We kicked off the weekend with a driveway meeting for the neighborhood HOA board. More driveway meetings need to be scheduled. I need my people.

Ty has been requesting a fondue dessert night and was delighted I conceded Saturday. Unfortunately we were already out of fruit for dipping, of course we were. This every two weeks of shopping is wearing on me. So I made rice crispie treats to accompany pretzels and marshmallows. Ty was delighted and no one else complained. Working within limited parameters is becoming a theme.

Speaking of working within parameters, as the end of our groceries were depleted I threw odds and ends together for lunch and everyone was delighted. Just because we didn't have much, didn't mean we couldn't make it presentable.

Sunday we broke social distancing rules and fed our friend and his family as a way to thank him for helping us build our deck. The rainy afternoon was full of laughter, stories and smoked pulled pork thanks to Greg's rainy day ingenuity.

Monday morning I sent Ty in to wake Kate. He came back moments later reporting, "I said coffee, bacon and chocolate chip pancakes but she isn't moving. She might be dead." That afternoon we joined the family who dined with us on Sunday for a hike. The kids were exploring and we hiked over two miles in the sunshine. It was perfect.

Monday was otherwise a tough day. I spent it fighting tears of anger over the unintended consequences of quarantine. My work babies are struggling in ways no five year old should and a friend battling cancer was hospitalized again. As she wrestles with her fate, she is alone and I am frustrated for her. Life is hard enough without well intended governors dictating our elderly and our ill are better off without their support people because less than one percent of people with covid-19 are dying from that virus. The numbers simply don't match the reaction and yet a more balanced response somehow equates a lack of empathy according to the mainstream.

Ty managed to attach his gopro to his helmet for epic video opportunities. I'm just grateful for the helmet. He is outside more than in and so in this season of quarantine, I'm grateful for non-winter weather.

He has been asking to get on the roof for about a year now. We've repeatedly denied his request. The frisbee "accidentally" landed on the roof this week so I consented. This is as far as he made it. The idea was much more appealing from the ground. We still have a frisbee on the roof.

The animals love this. Their people are home all the time and it's brought out some new personality traits in the cat. He has always been personable but he really likes being around us now. That being said, I often think I would like to know how to relax like him. I'm afraid I won't find out this side of heaven.

Makenna says she is a plant mom. Her daisies are growing quickly and she is quite proud. She has ordered them a larger pot, like a good mom whose children are outgrowing their clothes; or something like that.

I was able to meet virtually with a few of my Kindergarten friends this week and it was pure chaos; the absolute best kind. The teacher and I were texting each other comments as we listened to the endless banter about how much it reminded us of our typical mornings in the classroom spent corralling cats. Goodness it was good for my soul to see them.

Kate needs the letters FBI on her phone. I don't know why. She can't explain it. These are strange times.

Friday our storage chest arrived and Kate helped me assemble it. It's the perfect location for chair cushions given how many times a season we walk them around to the garage to keep out of storms.

Our week wrapped on the porch swing with ice cream.