'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.