{J} Will Cycle for Ice Cream

Loved my date with Jake today.  

We rode bikes (17 miles round trip and definitely up hill both ways) to Cold Stone creamery for some killer ice cream.  We both ate way more than we should have but when you're on a bike the options for leftovers just don't exist.

Love you Jake!

tackling the Pringles challenge

You know quarantine is taking it's toll on the country when then the biggest news after COVID-19 seems to revolve around people's ability to stack Pringles potato chips into a ring.

You can bet we weren't going to get left out of the challenge.  Our biggest opposition was the tendency for our family members to stack a chip, EAT a chip, stack a chip, EAT a chip - ha!

While nobody actually completed the challenge, I am proud to claim the victory of being the closest.

Stink Solution

When the car air fresheners aren't keeping up with the toots coming from the back seat, you are left with no choice but to take matters into your own hands... 

Family Photos

You may say, "family photos again???"

Many of our family members said exactly that!

But last year's family photos were missing one person (sorry Conner but there is actual photo evidence) and with K's mission papers submitted we know she will be gone for the next couple of years, not to mention Tanner and Haley are here in Oregon so the timing just seemed right.

(I pretty much would plan on family photos anytime we have our family all in one place since that is becoming a pretty rare occurrence)

Thanks to all of these smiling faces for putting up with my request for photos, yet again.

I love the silly shots as much as the serious!

{K} T-shirt Blanket complete!

As K graduated high school last year she had an entire bin of t-shirts representing all the activities she has participated in since approximately 12 years old...camps and trips and sports and races, etc.  

Back in December, while she was home for the holidays, she and I sorted through the shirts to narrow them down to a reasonable number for making a memory/t-shirt blanket.  I did the piecing of the shirts but hired out the quilting and was thrilled to be able to surprise her with the blanket today!

I guess you could say that this blanket was about 8 years in the making!

Mother's Day 2020

Last year, as K launched herself into the post high school world, I assumed I had had my last Mother's Day with all four of my kiddos present.  Having K home this year was unexpected (thanks COVID) but what a delight!  

As this will truly probably be my last Mother's Day with all four of these kids home with me, I want to remember the role that I have played in the lives of these beautiful human beings that I was lucky enough to have for their first 18 years of life.

My child isn't my easel to paint on

Nor my diamond to polish.

My child isn't my trophy to share with the world

Nor my badge of honor.

My child isn't an idea, expectation, or fantasy

Nor my reflection or my legacy.

My child is here to fumble, stumble, try and cry.

Learn and mess up.

Fail and try again.

Listen to the beat of a drum faint to our adult ears.

And dance to a song that revels in freedom.

My task is to step aside.

Stay in infinite possibility.

Heal my own wounds.

Fill my own bucket.

And LET MY CHILD FLY!

(by Shefail Tsabary)

I didn't get a photo of Tanner and Haley when they stopped by to bring this beautiful bouquet but their being here in Oregon this past month is another one of those COVID blessings.

{T} he's got PPE covered

"PPE" (personal protective equipment) has become quite the buzz phrase as of late with the Coronavirus in the news.  T may not have a solution for all the health care workers but he has come up with his own version of PPE.  

I am in LOVE with his endless creativity as well as his patience and ability to turn his ideas into a finished product.  I think we have a future cardboard engineer on our hands.

The finished armor is AMAZING....pay close to attention to the added detail of the six pack abs :)

{T} quarantine happenings

T had to send a video to his 5th grade teacher this week documenting what he has been doing during the current break from school....I think his video could pretty much be a promotional video for distance learning!

Cinco De Mayo...quarantine style

Ahhh....Cinco De Mayo!  The celebration of Mexico's victory in the Battle of Puebla.  

What better way to celebrate that a piñata and this year, with nothing but time on our hands, we decided to not just HAVE a piñata but to MAKE a piñata. It was flashbacks to elementary school for me and a great way to connect the kids and, best of all, it worked!

Happy Cinco De Mayo to all!

Midnight party

T decided that every quarantine needs a Stay up until Midnight party....so he planned it and we celebrated last night.

We may not have taken photos of all of the activities but that just speaks to the fact that we were all too busy participating :)

finding humor amidst the chaos

My brothers and I have a running text thread that consists largely of Coronavirus memes to get a chuckle out of each other.  Some are better than others but here are some of my favorites.

regarding 2020...

regarding TOILET PAPER....or lack of

 regarding HOME SCHOOLING.....

and all the other truths that have come to light as a result of staying at home for the past 39 days 10 hours and three minutes....