Weekend Wrap Up

Another weekend of quarantine and I have to say, it's not all bad. These guys have gotten to fish a lot. We love having Darrin home. Darrin told Miles tonight that he would never forget this time with him.

Since the weather was pretty all weekend, we spent a lot of time outside.

We played a lot of games too. Catan is our favorite. It has been for a while. It's really fun now that Miles has learned how to strategize. He was on a four game winning streak, which is really hard to do in this game, but Darrin finally broke it tonight. Darrin and I were having to team up against him to have a chance. How the tables have turned around here. We also love Rack-o and Qwixx right now.

Everyone worked around the house on Saturday. The boys worked outside while I worked inside. Even though it was beautiful outside, I wasn't in the mood to be out there. I think a long, stressful week at work finally caught up with me. Miles spent a lot of time on the lawn mower, mowing and mulching leaves.

Carson cleaned off his 'lawn mower' and his new-to-him 4-wheeler.

Miles got this 4-wheeler for his 4th birthday and it's been sitting in our shop for years with a bad battery. We've been meaning to buy a new battery for it, but we weren't positive that would fix it. I finally got the idea this weekend to put the battery from his lawn mower in the 4-wheeler to see if that worked. Miles and Carson worked together to move the battery all by themselves and it started working! Carson drove around on it all weekend. He loved it!

He just wanted one strawberry before going outside. He couldn't believe how big it was. And, these Croc boots are wonderful. They are so easy for him to put on and I love that I can spray them off, inside and out.

Carson was very thankful to Miles for making the 4-wheeler work and Miles loved seeing Carson so happy.

There were lots of rides on the big 4-wheeler too.

We had a pet for an hour. Carson really wanted him to stay, but we convinced him that he needed to go back to his friends.

He stayed on our patio during dinner. Carson sat in a chair that faced the patio so he could watch him. After dinner, we set him free and he ventured back across the yard. Carson liked watching him through the sun room windows.

Carson was melting down after two days without naps, so we set up a dinosaur swamp in the bathtub. He was really happy about that.

I bought him a bunch of clothes for summer and organized his drawers over the weekend. This is one of my favorite new outfits. He looks so grown up all the sudden.

Quarantine has allowed for many family dinners. I have new dishes which are just like the dishes we had when I was growing up. It feels nostalgic. I love how pretty they make the table look at dinner.

The boys informed me that it was time to get some popsicles...the true mark of summer. Watermelon Bomb pops are a staple for us.

So are the pineapple apples I already talked about. We use a corer to core the center of 2-3 apples and slice them the same thickness as pineapple slices. Then, we put them in a gallon Ziplock bag, sprinkle with lemon juice, and toss them around. They will stay good for almost a week.

This morning Darrin, Miles, and I watched our church service online while piled in our bed. Carson surprisingly kept himself occupied watching Mickey Mouse. I miss going to church, but this is definitely a good option during this time.

Today, Carson ate lunch in the laundry room b/c he wouldn't take off his boots. I think he was afraid that we would say that he couldn't go back outside. Outside all day is life to him.

I stayed up until 2:30am this morning binge watching Love is Blind on Netflix. I enjoyed the me time, but I was a little blah today. I don't know if it was lack of sleep or the anticipation of another work week. Last week was a very unpleasant week. I'm not complaining b/c I'm thankful that I'm still working and getting paid. Under normal circumstances I thoroughly enjoy my job, so it was just a rough week to have the joy stripped away. We will get through this though! Hoping and praying the week ahead is a little better. We are praying for everyone that is being affected by the virus and quarantine!

Less Words Wednesday

No school gives Darrin more time to teach him some important life skills.

He said he was keeping warm after his shower.

We went on a bear hunt last night and found tons of bears in windows.

More school work today.

We soaked up the sunshine after I got home from work today. Sunshine was good for my soul after a stressful day at work.

He's staying on his school schedule for the most part but bedtime is a little later and I think it's catching up to him.

We are all missing baseball, but he's still getting some practice in.

Randomness

Just a little randomness for this Tuesday. Even though school is canceled, Miles still looked like he was going to school when he walked out the door to go to work with Darrin.

He has school work in every subject, every day. He's been doing a really good job of keeping up with it. He and Darrin had to go to school to get more work one day last week. A lot of people are complaining about all the work, but I think it's good. Miles likes homework so it's not a struggle. I could see where it would be stressful with a kid that doesn't like school, especially if the parents are still working.

Carson is still coming to our bed during the night and bringing way too many stuffed animals. I think they multiply during the night.

We set some different rules for electronics and so far it's been working better. I still would like to throw them all out the window, but I'm trying manage for his sake.

Non-essential businesses are closed for the next two weeks. I used the Color Street nail strips for the first time to do my own nails. They were kind of a pain, but I'm liking them so far. Not a bad option at all. My hair, on the other hand, is going to turn into a desperate situation real quick.

We cored an apple and cut it into slices recently and now 'pineapple apples' are a thing around here. Just when he was getting sick of apple slices, they have completely reinvented themselves.

Since Darrin's job is on the non-essential list, he has been sent home for a couple weeks. We cleaned off Miles' desk and it's the new homework spot every morning.

Carson got a haircut just before the salons closed and he LOVES it. He and Darrin like it short. I like it a little longer, but I'm totally okay as long as he's this happy about it. He was having a fit every it fell on his forehead, so this feels much better to him.

COVID-19 has created such a weird time at work, church, home, and in our community. When it first started, I was so disappointed by everything that was getting canceled and how interrupted our lives felt. There are two good things that have come out of it. We love having Darrin home and the slower pace of life at home. We eat together and play games every night b/c there's not much else to do. There's just not as much to think about every night. The most entertaining thing that has come out of this are the memes. I crack up daily when looking at Facebook and as stressful as work has been, the laughter is very needed. Here are just a few of my favorites.

I'm not a fan of loaded teas, but I like to joke about people that are :) I'm pretty sure this is accurate for the loaded tea cult following.

How quarantine feels for me on the weekend. I stay busy and yet it still feels there are 36 hours in a day.

This is 100% accurate for me. I ate all weekend. Quarantine + gym closed = Big trouble when this is over.

My quarantine experience compared to the quarantine experiences I see on FB are two totally different things. I am very thankful to still be working and getting paid, but I would love a day or two of sitting at home.

The memes are keeping me going :)

I'll leave you with this. We have a cell phone at home that Miles can text us from. The other day I got this text from him while I was working. 'A' for effort.

Weekend Wrap Up

Since Darrin's job has slowed to a halt with no practice, no recruiting, and now no office hours, he's been using his free time to take Miles fishing. Miles would rather fish than do anything, and I mean that literally. We bought Darrin's dad a fishing license for TN so the three of them could go fishing together. They didn't catch much on Friday, but Miles was happy that he caught the biggest fish.

We played a long game of Phase 10 with Granny & Pa. I'm not sure I've ever played an entire game, but we did on Friday night. Pa won!

Carson was so cooperative. He watched TV, played by himself, and sat in random laps while we played. His behavior has improved so much in the last couple months. It's such a relief that he is finally manageable!

The boys helped our neighbor cut up and haul off some fallen trees in his yard. I have never talked to these neighbors and Darrin has only a handful of times in the six years we've lived here. It's been nice to see that the quarantine is doing some good things. Darrin normally wouldn't have had time for this.

Darrin told our neighbor that the boys like to be outside and we just don't have much to do right now. Miles really does love to work with Darrin and Carson just loves to be outside.

He got in some playtime when the work was finished.

It was a cold day to be outside.

Carson worked some puzzles with Granny. It's always nice when he wants to play something that you can sit at the table and play quietly.

Carson picked a 'flower' for me. We bought him these Croc boots for Christmas and he has finally started wearing them. I bought them b/c I thought they would be easy to get on, easy to clean, and they would also be light. I think he loves them b/c he can put them on himself.

After twelve straight days of rain, the sun came out this weekend for a little while. It was so nice and made me excited for spring. We woke up to rain again today, but the sunshine was beautiful while it lasted.

Miles and Carson both had a little congestion this weekend, probably from allergies. We introduced Carson to a nasal rinse. Miles showed him how to do it and he rocked it! I should known since he does so well with medicine and doctor's appointment. He did three over the weekend and did great every time.

We visited with Marmee over Facetime. It's very important that she stays home during this quarantine, so we are sending lots of pics and calling too. I know she misses the boys and they miss her too. Poor Carson asks her when she's coming to our house every time we talk. We will be so excited to see her when this is over. Praying it's sooner rather than later. We love you, Marmee!

Carson played in the cold rain today while Darrin worked in the shop. This boy needs fresh air everyday. You can't tell, but the rain was coming down hard in this picture. He was unfazed.

He did some work too, all while it was still raining. He was soaking when he came inside, but he was happy and content after some outdoor time.

We had a Zoom meeting with our small group time. I've never participated in one before. I was a little skeptical, but I have to say that it was really fun and it felt like we met and talked. Our leader spent some time praying and reading scripture. We were able to hear how everyone is doing and how the quarantine is affecting them. I'm already looking forward to next week.

We wrapped up the night with a game of Catan and Racko. Miles stepped up his strategy and won! He was so happy. It was cool to see his smart mind work :)

The governor shut down all non-essential jobs today, so Darrin is off as of tomorrow. Carson will still go to daycare and I will still go to work. Darrin has plans to help volunteer with our small group at a local grocery store. Unfortunately, Miles is too young to help. He has plenty of school work to do anyway. He's doing such a good job keeping up with it by himself. It's times like these that I'm so glad I never inserted myself into his school work. Carson is getting a haircut tomorrow before the salons shut down for two weeks. He's been complaining about the hair on his forehead so we have to take him tomorrow! It's been a nice weekend at home. I will hate to leave my crew tomorrow, but I have a busy week ahead as all my office transition to drive thru only. It's going to be another busy, strange, unprecedented week. Take care, everyone!