May 2020

More 8pm howling at the moon in May. We miss our pack.

I spent a couple weekends painting the basement to get rid of all our primary color/little kid decor. Dave built those awesome frames and wood thingies from beetlekill pine. Yes that's a pool table that had to be disassembled and reassembled in the basement. Yes, that's a 350# old school hydraulic barber chair. Yes, we are still married after I accepted both of those as hand-me-downs from a moving neighbor. Yes, they will stay with the house when we move.

We had a quiet day at home for Mother's Day. The girls made me a bath bomb and some sugar scrub to use for a spa day. Afterwards we did our nails and ate take out Indian food.

The old bridge with tongue depressors project, with the hot glue gun blisters to show for her work.

Some people mistakenly think of Naomi as quiet and serious. Here she is with her "actual reality" goggles, that she for realz cut out of a cereal box and wore around for a few hours.

Because, you know, actual reality can blow your mind. Naomi will sell you this pair. Or you can buy your own Reeses Puffs cereal. As if the Reeses puffs aren't their own reward for buying their cereal.

We still did ballet spring recitals.

There were still weekly classes and rehearsals.

It's just that the recital itself happened in the family room.

During a zoom recital, like this!

Annika ready for ballet.

And her headshot

And as a wolf for her modern dance number.

And Naomi for ballet

Her arabesque has come quite a way in nine years.

She almost looks tall here.

You get the idea.

And for modern...

We did the virtual Walk for Water with the Parsons -- a 6K is the average distance a person in the developing world has to walk for clean water. Bonus: being with our friends for the first time in so long!

Sarah's teacher stopped by each student's house a few days before the last day of school with a small gift, including a popsicle to be saved for the last day of school popsicle party. She was a really great teacher who knew just what to do with Sarah's "energetic" and "persistent".

We weren't sure we were going to collectively make it, but here they are, last day of school!

And of course one to remember how the school year ended. I can't imagine we could ever forget.

This is what the last day of school picnic looks like with your buds during a pandemic.

And how you do the traditional last day of school popsicle party when you can't be together.

And how you say goodbye to friends at the end of the year. I won't lie. This made me feel sad for the kids. We didn't miss out on proms and graduations and other major activities like so many did. But it was still a loss for our kids. They did great with it. Maybe it's just me. 

Besides, there was still the last day of school pool party to be had. Our community pool is still closed, but our friends bought this huge above ground pool that they so awesomely shared with us. The water was probably 65 degrees, but the kids didn't seem to mind.

And the community pool doesn't have these super cool portholes.

It was so good to have this tiny bit of normalcy on the last day of school. 

Early summer has been lots of driveway cities being navigated on roller skates.

It took a pandemic so that I could run in my own basement, but I finally ran my first Memorial Day Bolder Boulder!

The girls camped out in the backyard one night. I don't sleep well in tents, so I decided not to join them. So instead I didn't sleep well in my own bed thinking of all the things that could go wrong during the night. They didn't. It was fine.

We got Luna a pool for the summer so she could cool off. She doesn't like it. So I'm the idiot sitting in an empty kiddie pool holding a treat while she looks at me like I'm crazy.

The kids are studying different countries every week this summer. One of the days includes making dinner from that country, which theoretically means one less night that I make dinner. Theoretically.   This week was Costa Rica.

So we had black bean soup and fried plantains

And because it's where we honeymooned, they tried to make it a special dinner for us. By thrusting a sloth in our face. I apparently made it special by not showering for a few days.

  

We closed out the month by housesitting at our friends' farm. We were only two miles from our home, but it was like being on vacation... just the change of scenery after being in our house for the past few months. Plus they have chickens. And a trampoline. Without a net. Just like in the 80s. I mostly don't watch.

Except to take this pic of Naomi chanting "Namaste, six feet away."

The kids spent a lot of time in the 66 degree pool. I'm a wimp. I need 86 degrees before I can seriously consider a dip.

I'd rather just sit on the porch and stare at this.