Farewell Kitty…

"The smallest feline is a masterpiece."
–Leonardo da Vinci

The weather warmed up enough to setup the pool again.  We weren’t sure if we were going to do it this year but with all the kids stuck at home we felt it was needed.  They’ve ben it every day since, sometimes twice, so it was a good investment of time.

One outdoor activity is not enough of course, so the kids came up with several things to do.  Sometimes it’s tossing a water balloon tossing challenge, jumping across streams, or scaring sisters with snake skins.  No children or snakes were injured during these events.

On a sadder note, one of our cats passed away this weekend.  Cats tend to stay away from playing children so we don’t have as many pictures of Kitty as we did of Rusty.  But that doesn’t mean she was any less a part of the family.  The kids grew up with Kitty and are sad that she’s gone, but they made Kitty’s last day as nice as it could be.  There were plenty of pets, sunshine, and pictures.  Ashlyn and James painted stepping stones to memorialize her and she was buried in the garden, her favorite spot to catch some afternoon sun.  Goodbye Kitty, thanks for making us, and especially Mommy, happier all these years.

Swinging and painting…

"What time do you change out of your daytime pajamas into your nighttime pajamas?"
-Hannah's Meemaw, Twitter

Entertainment during a quarantine can take interesting forms.  This week it involved synchronized swinging.  There were numerous false starts but the kids were determined to make it work.  James did his best to make Mommy smell his feet without kicking her and was mostly successful.

We had a social distancing visit when a friend cam by to pick something up and ended up sitting in a lawn chair at the end of our driveway for a bit.  It was around dinner time but the weather was nice so we decided to bring dinner outside.  The kids thought it was a fun way to eat.

We set a goal to paint all the stepping stones leading to the garden before the kids go back to school  Luckily it’s looking more and more like the kids won’t go back to school until the Fall so I suspect we’ll have plenty of time.  All the kids are taking time to paint and once it’s done we’ll have a festive path out back.

Happy birthday Mommy!!

"I remember when the candle shop burned down. Everyone stood around singing 'Happy Birthday."
-Steven Wright

Mommy’s birthday was on Saturday and since the weather was supposed to rain all day the kids decided to perform a circus act for her the day before.  It was an impressive display, with costumes, choreography, and a finish timed perfectly to the song circus song they picked out.  It was easily one of the best things the kids have done as a team and it was a great present for Mommy.

This was not an ideal time for a birthday.  Between the coronavirus and weather, we were basically stuck indoors with no way to see anyone.  We made the best of it by decorating the house and throwing our own little party.  Afterwards, we put on a movie for the kids so Mommy could have a virtual party with her friends.  I wish we could have made the day more special for her, but we’ll make up for it when the world gets back to normal.  Happy birthday Mommy!

And then Easter came.  Like Mommy’s birthday, it was a more subdued affair compared to prior years.  The rain prevented the Easter Bunny from hiding eggs outside so they were hidden throughout the house instead.  And our normal trips to visit all the grandparents for more Easter Egg hunts were cancelled thanks to the coronavirus.  The kids were disappointed of course but they seem to understand.  Maybe some makeup hunts will be arranged later on.

A new pet and creative activities…

"That's like a year in corona time."
-James

The gymnastics coaches started doing virtual conditioning this week with the girls.  Several times a week Ashlyn and Isla connect to a video conference with their gymnastics teams and run through coach led drills.  They take it pretty seriously too, dressing in their leotards and working hard to keep their skills up as best they can in the circumstances.

Life under quarantine leads to some interesting diversions for the kids.  One evening it took the form of Ashlyn and James making dinner in their pajamas (macaroni and cheese with mashed potatoes).  Another time it was the kids doing challenges like who could keep their hand in a bowl of ice water the longest.  It turns out James is a champ at that particular challenge.

James found a lizard this week and insisted that we keep it as a pet.  An unused aquarium was quickly turned into a terrarium and now we have a new animal to take care of.  Yay!  Isla wanted her own pet of course, and this took the form a pill bug collection which was thankfully returned into the garden later on.

What started out as some time outside drawing with chalk turned into a photography event where the kids created life size drawings which they could use as scenes.  Isla created a rainbow that she could hold in her hands, James became a super hero flying over the city, and Ashlyn was carried into the sky in a basket by a bunch of balloons.