15

It's hard to believe we are celebrating her fifteenth birthday already. Wasn't she just turning fourteen, or even just four? Time flies when you are having fun because she is still delight with a side of sass. I have a little ache in my heart as I lean into the season we are entering; high school, boyfriends, peers replacing family on the priority scale and the natural growing apart that happens next. I am still very much in love with this rainbow baby of mine that continues to color my world with beauty, poise and wisdom beyond her years. How I am once again going to let her grow independent of me I haven't yet figured out even with three prior practice runs under my belt. I wish you the happiest of birthdays Kate Ryan. I love you.

'Rona Pets and Other Craziness

Saturday we kept the girls so our friends could celebrate a well deserved promotion. Their dad is now Ty's school principal and we are pretty excited for everyone involved.

She told me she wrote something so easy to read, even I could read it. I requested a clue. "It's funny". I needed a little more help so she told me a story about bottoms and toots. Of course she did.

Choosing to include another family in our social distancing was wise. We need friendship and people we can share some life moments alongside. They have taken a grumpy fourteen year old off my hands and I have swooped in to rescue a tired momma a time or two as well. It is healthy to not live in total isolation in order to have a decent immune system as the world begins reopening.

Ava traced Kate's hand and then exclaimed, "wow Kate! Your hand grew!"

The spicy one brings a needed element of humor to the situation. It's her job. And she does it well. But is also the reason her momma needs a nap some days.

Someone forgot to wear gloves while rinsing his hair.

Saturday, Ty's electric blue hair dye arrived. He allowed me to trim up around his ears and his neckline before applying the product. He asked about bleaching it out first which stopped me in my tracks. How on earth does my ten year old son know anything about color processing? Despite the decision to not bleach and give him the vibrant result he really wanted, he is happy with the temporary result.

Saturday night, Kate locked herself in her room for an art project or two.

Mother's Day was bittersweet for me as I processed the news a friend's chemo is not going well. Knowing she was still in isolation in the hospital after two weeks and disoriented was brutal. I simply wasn't feeling festive and didn't have the energy to fake it while still running my home as I would any other day. And then a conversation about what decisions I would make differently than my friend made a daughter cry angry tears that I don't have the right to choose alternatively. So a happy mother's day it wasn't.

PS.....waiting is hard.

Monday we took the cat to the vet for an abscess on his leg. They offered curbside service and Oliver after having his leg drained, an antibiotic shot and some pain relievers made a full recovery within a few days. By the time he was up and running, Layla stopped eating and started sleeping a lot. It's never a dull moment around here. Never. (Layla also recovered fully after a day or two.)

We discovered some siding damage after a windstorm Monday. 

We woke Tuesday to the news Ty had met all e-learning expectations for the quarter and was therefore finished. He is officially a fifth grader now. We were impressed with his e-learning work ethic and how well he managed his time. Getting the final week off was a sweet reward. However, Kate's school operates a little differently so whereas she has also completed all her assignments to date, she still has another full week of schoolwork until completing the eighth grade. She took the news well......

I took her Wednesday to clean out her locker and she declared she was experiencing PTSD as we pulled into the parking lot. Sister wasted no time in the school, completing all three stops in nine minutes flat. But she was bored and got dressed up one afternoon to tease a friend who claimed she always looks homeless and asked for a quick snapshot to send the friend.

PTSD or not, she can fake it with the best of them.

Austin calls daily with something silly to say or skill to show off. This week included football, animals he sees on a local farm they pass when they get "Mommy's coffee" (he cheers for Mommy's coffee), dressing himself and animated stories about the dog chasing rabbits. We are missing him fiercely.

Wednesday Kate scheduled her upcoming oral surgery. Wearing masks for the first time to enter the hospital was uncomfortable and highlighted just how ridiculous the requirement is. I had to adjust my glasses and the mask countless times which of course meant I was touching my face repeatedly. All this after seeing an interview Dr. Fauci gave stating they were there to make us feel safe but are not helping made the requirement that much more irritating.

Wednesday evening, Lauren and Taylor introduced us to our new grand pup. Her name is Remi and she is adorable. Rumor has it some other grandparents really had their hearts set on an actual grandbaby and Lauren laughed at them. We just hope this little bundle doesn't prevent them from visiting as soon as the Army permits travel again. We miss them and now need puppy snuggles too.

Not to be outshone, Ada posed for her mommy that same evening. She is quite the diva.

On Thursday I conceded to Kate's pleas and let her drive around the high school parking lot. Despite her brother's insistence from the backseat he was going to die, she did a great job. 

The weekend ahead promises birthday candles in banana bread and dinner with friends. 

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.