Wrapping Up January

January is wrapping as quickly as it arrived. Ty is finally ending his extended quarantine. There are so many interpretations to CDC guidelines. He has missed the entire month of school. May the force be with us as we reprogram in the coming days.

She entertained us with Air Pictionary so much, I ordered the game for her youth group.

Kate was a last minute addition to my travel plans to spend time with girlfriends last weekend. Kristil was dropping her son off at the University of Dayton and wanted a grown-up sleepover. Kate fit right in. She makes the best sidekick for long car rides. 

A Thursday snow day was exactly what we needed around here. Kate had five teachers assign snow play and Ty was given very similar orders. I was ready to spend a healthy day at home with the kids who have been learning mostly independently while I work.

In counting gifts this week, I noted my freshly mopped floor and moments later, one covered in snow tracks. They are both blessings with the right perspective. 

Not everyone appreciated the snow day this week. He is ready for spring and nighttime escapades. 

E-learning has gone well overall but the boy needs to be in school. He announced he needed one more e-learning day so he can cheat on a test. We couldn't be prouder. 🤦‍♀️

This knucklehead ran into the sliding door twice while playing in the snow. Sister is a mess.

Climbing Walls

 

 

I was sick for three days. No one else in our house contracted the virus. The people climbed the walls. Literally. But we scored a very small snow day in the midst of quarantine and it was good for our souls. 

Some treats were slipped into grocery orders and everyone was delighted by the simple surprises. 

All of us except Ty has been cleared to return to work and school. His school mandates another ten day quarantine after the positive person's quarantine expires. He grinned from ear to ear when he learned he'd scored the entire month of January out of class. E-learning is very much his first choice.

We have an air track in the living room, stem projects to occupy evenings and and his largest ever purchase arrived yesterday. Ty saved birthday money from July and combined it with Christmas cash to purchase a new game system. He is beyond excited and I suppose the timing is perfect. Apparently the fifteen year old wii is outdated. I knew this; just reluctant to concede to additional screen time. 

Our 2020 family album arrived and every member of the family poured over it's pages, reliving the memories it produced. Despite the unusual year, our album wasn't all that different from year's past. Family time spent together is always the theme. 

Covid, Weekends and Quarantine

Greg and I slipped away for a weekend; our Christmas gift to each other. Our goal was rest and relaxation when we booked a cabin promising solitude. I was so proud of myself for napping and resting so well until I lost my sense of smell mere hours after we returned home. As it turns out, I am likely no better at resting in 2021 than I was in 2020. I was getting sick. Denial was my first instinct. My smallest friends were returning to the building Monday morning for the first time since before Thanksgiving and I was beyond ready to support their re-entry. By the evening, it was clear I would not be working for at least ten days. 

As the reality of our situation settled, both Makenna and Greg let employers know they were going to be out of work for awhile. We Baughmans like to work and every one of us loves our jobs so we struggled a bit. Kate and Ty still had virtual class work to occupy their days whereas Greg and Makenna looked around, wringing their hands. I napped. A lot. 

Our 2020 family album was ordered and it reflects so many constants in our lives, namely time spent together celebrating the mundane. Simple cakes were baked and groceries were delivered to our front porch. We are grateful for the option. 

The week prior to Covid, I made a last minute drive to Dayton to see a friend. Becky spent 2020 battling an aggressive cancer and had to endure all her treatments by herself. Some of her hospitalizations lasted weeks; time she was alone facing her own mortality. It was cruel. In December she was told she won. The cancer was dead and she was given strict orders to gain weight in the new year. We laughed about the unusual New Year's resolution. However, the chemo and radiation left her too depleted to defeat pneumonia. Hospice has been involved and once she got home, she declared quarantine was over for her. She wanted to see her people before she passed. Her daughter called to say it had been a good two days and Becky mentioned me. I surprised her with a brief visit after work and it was beyond good for my soul. I have experienced bedside goodbyes in the past but in those cases, my friends were already too far into their transition to be aware of my presence. Becky and I were able to say a final I love you in a meaningful way. I am forever grateful her daughter welcomed me into that sacred space. 

 

Piper was not as impressed with the skateboard as the kids hoped she would be. That amount of joy this little creature has brought our home is ridiculous.

Erin is raging against her own cervical cancer diagnosis. Sister is mad and taking names. Her latest consultation takes place in February where a hysterectomy needs to be scheduled. Having an oncologist sign off is imperative when working with someone so young. The "my body, my choice" argument only holds when the unborn is involved it seems. If only those who scream the loudest took the time to hear.

 

Austin called one afternoon requesting another zoo visit. I pled with him to understand it is too cold at Mimi's house for the zoo so we need to plan that when it is warmer. "Okay, tomorrow." As far as two year olds go, he is pretty reasonable. Another evening, he called and with the sweetest little voice asked how I was feeling. Touched by his adorable inquiry and not wanting to be honest in that moment, I deflected, "aw, thank you for asking." A few moments later, I asked him about his day at school and he ever so quietly mocked me, "Aw, thank you for asking."