Some Things in 2020 So Far

Claire got twinkle lights for Christmas and was so proud of her new set-up in her room!

We found an unidentified substance on the ceiling in the kitchen. AK climbed up to investigate and concluded that it was flarp. How flarp ended up on the ceiling I'll never know.

Claire made jewelry for her whole class at school.

AK played with her fairy garden that Nan gave her!

We have been working on the never ending kitchen reno.

Owen had a fun basketball season.

Claire and her friend Madisyn won a Bible memory challenge at school.

Anna, AK, and Owen played wheelbarrow during band practice.

We went to snow mountain with Dobby.

AK put her belly in the face hole.

We camped at Indian Springs and enjoyed putt-putt and a day at Dauset Trails.

Claire finished a really thick book.

Miss Madison gave AK a marble maze for her birthday.

Mrs. Kylee posed with Claire and Gabby at school.

Ebie continues to love these girls.

AK and Owen enjoyed some swing time with Dobby.

Owen had his first baseball game!!! This is the CUTEST baseball player I have ever seen.

Unfortunately his baseball season was put on hold due to COVID-19, but I'm so glad he got to play a game first!

Claire made a pretty awesome pizza for supper one night.

She also did 600 sit-ups one night, just because.

AK had a giant cookie for her birthday.

But first, she requested croutons for her birthday breakfast.

Owen looked so cute at school one morning that I just had to capture the memory.

How We Are Surviving the Great Quarantine

It is always a curious thing, living in the present tense. You never know how "today" will look when it becomes "yesterday," when present becomes past. How will we remember these days, the first time in my history when we choose to stay at home to protect the most vulnerable in our society? How will my children remember it?

If nothing else, I hope they will have pleasant memories of...

Lego challenges. Every day we have a different Lego challenge that our friends from CC send out. This is the challenge to create a set from a tv show or movie. The girls made a scene from "Little House on the Prairie."

Here AK responded to the challenge to design the blueprint for a house...

Every day we send out our own challenge to our friends - a fitness challenge. This day was a one minute challenge to do as many pushups, situps, squat jumps, and plank shoulder taps as each person could do in one minute for each exercise. AK chose to do her squat jumps in roller blades.

Which sometimes looked like this.

Owen in beast-mode.

Here are a couple of snapshots of an Uno Fitness game.

And the challenge to roll the ball across the yard doing a bear crawl/crab walk.

Wall Squat Challenge

I might have to engage in my own fitness challenges to maintain my sanity...

Along with our normal homeschooling and our community challenges, we are trying to spend lots of time in the yard and on walks, and sprinkling in some special activities and projects along the way. The kids tie-dyed t-shirts one day this week...

And made cookies on St. Patrick's Day...

We started the seedlings for our garden...

Enjoyed popsicles...

And had many road races.

Who knows what the coming weeks will hold...Well, actually I know who knows. And I'm thankful that He is in control, a refuge and strength, a loving Shepherd, a very present help in trouble. As for our family, I hope the coming weeks will hold many opportunities to grow in grace and patience, to love our neighbors well, and to make the kind of memories that only come with the gift of unhurried time together.