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| Lydia was content to sit here eating snow for the majority of the time! |
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| We have the place to ourselves! |
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
Sledding at Mt. Baker
I was supposed to work Sunday night, which meant Kyle was planning on hanging out with the girls on Monday. However, the census has been down at the hospital and so I was able to get the night off. We took advantage of the 'extra' day off and went up to Mt. Baker on Monday. On the drive up, we had sun, rain, and snow so we weren't quite sure what the day would hold. It definitely snowed on us, but we had so much fun! And we were the only people up there so we had the entire sledding hill to ourselves.
Social Distancing and the Coronavirus
We are now into week two of 'social distancing.' I know that years from now, when I look back at the photo albums that I put together based on these blog posts, that I will appreciate a post or two regarding this crazy pandemic and abrupt change in our daily routine.
So first, a quick summary: There's a virus (COVID-19) that has quickly spread from China to the rest of the world. It's now at pandemic levels, and it's hard to say how many people actually have it because very few are able to get tested. (Blame it on the government, limited number of tests, limited testing facilities...who really knows?) People are dying, resources are limited. And nobody is quite sure what to do. They say 80-90% of the cases are mild. They say it's mostly the elderly that are dying. They say there aren't enough ventilators and hospital beds to treat those who need it. Hand sanitizer and toilet paper are hard to come by. Store shelves are empty. And so we've started something called Social Distancing. School is canceled for 6 weeks; restaurants and bars are closed or limited to take-out; sporting events are postponed; group events larger than 50 people are prohibited and it's recommended that you stay 6 feet away from everyone else. And as of yesterday, all non-essential businesses are closed as well.
So here we are, stuck at home for 6 weeks (at least.) The goal is to establish some sort of routine so we can continue school via an online app, keep everyone happy and healthy, and Kyle and I both still work. He can easily work from home and I, obviously, still have to go to work. There is a 'stay-at-home' order in place, but we are still able to get outside and get some fresh air - just not with anyone else. This means lots of time playing with one another, crafting, and reading.
So first, a quick summary: There's a virus (COVID-19) that has quickly spread from China to the rest of the world. It's now at pandemic levels, and it's hard to say how many people actually have it because very few are able to get tested. (Blame it on the government, limited number of tests, limited testing facilities...who really knows?) People are dying, resources are limited. And nobody is quite sure what to do. They say 80-90% of the cases are mild. They say it's mostly the elderly that are dying. They say there aren't enough ventilators and hospital beds to treat those who need it. Hand sanitizer and toilet paper are hard to come by. Store shelves are empty. And so we've started something called Social Distancing. School is canceled for 6 weeks; restaurants and bars are closed or limited to take-out; sporting events are postponed; group events larger than 50 people are prohibited and it's recommended that you stay 6 feet away from everyone else. And as of yesterday, all non-essential businesses are closed as well.
So here we are, stuck at home for 6 weeks (at least.) The goal is to establish some sort of routine so we can continue school via an online app, keep everyone happy and healthy, and Kyle and I both still work. He can easily work from home and I, obviously, still have to go to work. There is a 'stay-at-home' order in place, but we are still able to get outside and get some fresh air - just not with anyone else. This means lots of time playing with one another, crafting, and reading.
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| The shelves at Fred Meyer. |
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| Lunch in the tent. |
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| The sunshine last week was amazing! |
It will be interesting to see how this all unfolds. Hopefully, this 'social distancing' works to slow the spread of the virus, and hopefully, we can appreciate the slower pace of life and all the time spent together as a family.
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
Haleigh...6 years old!
Haleigh turned 6 last weekend and we spent the whole weekend celebrating her! She spent the day shopping with Grandma and eating lunch with Grandpa and Grandma. They brought her home late afternoon and we had pizza and chocolate cake with the cousins/aunts/uncles. Haleigh basically spent the entire day smiling and laughing.
On Sunday afternoon, we met up with Mallory and Alessandra, the two other girls in her class at school, at a place called Creativitea and the girls painted little jewelry boxes. The plan was to get donuts at the donut shop right up the street, but apparently, the donut shop had closed and was replaced by an ice cream shop! So we had ice cream cones instead...followed by some playtime at Fairhaven Park. Once again, Haleigh was all smiles and it was so fun to see her with her friends.
Haleigh has grown a lot over the past year. She is in Kindergarten and absolutely loves school and has learned a lot so far! She regularly uses Spanish words and frequently asks really good questions. She always runs ahead at school and would prefer that I just dropped her off at the door and didn't come inside!
Bedtime has stayed pretty consistent over the years; she still goes to bed around 7:30 and wakes up between 6:30 and 7:00am. If her purple bunny is nearby she likes to sleep with it, but it's not crucial. She's woken up the past several nights crying and it appears to be some sort of nightmare. In the middle of the night, still asleep, she told me "I don't want to do it. I don't want to write the little letters."
Clothing is size 6/small in the girls section and shoes are toddler 11. Her feet seem to be growing rather slowly which means she is getting good use out of her shoes. The current favorite is a pair of little black boots with a heel. She wears them everywhere!
Haleigh loves gymnastics, is constantly doing cartwheels in the living room, likes coloring, and has no interest in riding a bike. She likes playing with her cousins, is excited to learn how to read and would do math homework all day if we let her!
On Sunday afternoon, we met up with Mallory and Alessandra, the two other girls in her class at school, at a place called Creativitea and the girls painted little jewelry boxes. The plan was to get donuts at the donut shop right up the street, but apparently, the donut shop had closed and was replaced by an ice cream shop! So we had ice cream cones instead...followed by some playtime at Fairhaven Park. Once again, Haleigh was all smiles and it was so fun to see her with her friends.
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| Chocolate cake with raspberries...per her request! |
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| Showing off how the dress spins! |
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| Skyping with Grandma Kelley and Grandpa Jay in California |
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| Giving each other hugs! |
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| Alessandra and Haleigh busy painting! |
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| Mallory, Haleigh, and Alessandra on the counter at the ice cream shop...it was the only way they could see all the options! |
Haleigh has grown a lot over the past year. She is in Kindergarten and absolutely loves school and has learned a lot so far! She regularly uses Spanish words and frequently asks really good questions. She always runs ahead at school and would prefer that I just dropped her off at the door and didn't come inside!
Bedtime has stayed pretty consistent over the years; she still goes to bed around 7:30 and wakes up between 6:30 and 7:00am. If her purple bunny is nearby she likes to sleep with it, but it's not crucial. She's woken up the past several nights crying and it appears to be some sort of nightmare. In the middle of the night, still asleep, she told me "I don't want to do it. I don't want to write the little letters."
Clothing is size 6/small in the girls section and shoes are toddler 11. Her feet seem to be growing rather slowly which means she is getting good use out of her shoes. The current favorite is a pair of little black boots with a heel. She wears them everywhere!
Haleigh loves gymnastics, is constantly doing cartwheels in the living room, likes coloring, and has no interest in riding a bike. She likes playing with her cousins, is excited to learn how to read and would do math homework all day if we let her!
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| Putting together the fairy garden she received as a birthday present. |
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| Helping to bake the chocolate cake! |
Favorite food: Green beans
Favorite color: Purple
Favorite activity: Coloring
Favorite subject at school: Math
Wednesday, March 4, 2020
Lydia...3 1/2 years old!
Lydia is 3 1/2 today; she seems more and more like a little girl and less and less like a baby. She has a strong, bubbly personality, loves to smile, gives great hugs and can brighten up anyone's day in an instant. On the flip side, if she's not happy, she can be kinda mean. Like pulling hair, pinching, and scratching. She loves to talk, is super excited about starting school, helps me with all my chores, and is finally starting to figure out how to play by herself!
Sleeping: Lydia sleeps on the bottom bunk in a room with Haleigh. She still sucks on her two fingers and needs her blankie to go to sleep, but once she's asleep, she sleeps all night, usually from about 7:45pm-6:30am-ish. She naps at the babysitters house but when she's home with me she rarely sleeps anymore. Even just having a quiet time is a struggle!
Activities: Lydia loves doing anything that her sisters are doing. She loves going to the park, coloring, helping me clean, playing Candy Land, and snuggling with Shelby. Sometimes she will sit and do puzzles, read books or play legos but usually someone else has to be doing it too! We started a preschool gymnastics class this past week and she loves it!
Clothing: Lydia is wearing 3T clothes, but she will also occasionally pick something out of her sisters' closet and decide to wear that for the day. She picks out her own clothes every day and is able to get herself dressed, although she usually puts things on backwards. She has a few favorite outfits, like her flower pants, tank tops, and any sort of dance outfit. Lydia has been fully potty-trained for several months now and loves picking out what panties she is going to wear.
Favorite Color: (long pause) bblllluuuuueeeeee...and purple. and yellow. andredandblack.
Favorite Food: peanut butter and honey
Favorite Song: Kings and Queens by Audio Adrenaline
Favorite Toy: Legos
Sleeping: Lydia sleeps on the bottom bunk in a room with Haleigh. She still sucks on her two fingers and needs her blankie to go to sleep, but once she's asleep, she sleeps all night, usually from about 7:45pm-6:30am-ish. She naps at the babysitters house but when she's home with me she rarely sleeps anymore. Even just having a quiet time is a struggle!
Activities: Lydia loves doing anything that her sisters are doing. She loves going to the park, coloring, helping me clean, playing Candy Land, and snuggling with Shelby. Sometimes she will sit and do puzzles, read books or play legos but usually someone else has to be doing it too! We started a preschool gymnastics class this past week and she loves it!
Clothing: Lydia is wearing 3T clothes, but she will also occasionally pick something out of her sisters' closet and decide to wear that for the day. She picks out her own clothes every day and is able to get herself dressed, although she usually puts things on backwards. She has a few favorite outfits, like her flower pants, tank tops, and any sort of dance outfit. Lydia has been fully potty-trained for several months now and loves picking out what panties she is going to wear.
Favorite Color: (long pause) bblllluuuuueeeeee...and purple. and yellow. andredandblack.
Favorite Food: peanut butter and honey
Favorite Song: Kings and Queens by Audio Adrenaline
Favorite Toy: Legos
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