June 2020 brought the end to what was the most odd forth quarter. We kept thinking they would go back to school at some point... and they just never were able to. But the last day came, all the end of school celebrations were a bit sad because they couldn't be what the kids all hoped for. No end of school plays or shows or awards ceremonies. We organized a 'retirement parade' for Mrs. Tyree, David's precious K-3 teacher who we hadn't seen in months&months, but it was poorly attended and felt sad. I didn't even take any pictures, but I'm still glad we tried. Never the less, the boys were happy to have their last day, & I commemorated it with the chalkboard sign & photos.
I'm honestly amazed the zoo was open at this point. If you had asked me to remember this, I would have said 'certainly not'. But apparently we went to the zoo to see the Dino exhibit! The boys were THRILLED because we hadn't gone anywhere except the beach and to their grandparents' house. We didn't even wear masks because at this point no one did- there were mask shortages everywhere for the medical professionals so none of us regular people had any. You couldn't buy them. If you had them this early, it was because you made them yourself. I think Matt had bought some hazmat style ones, haha! for us in an emergency.
The boys has their favorite day of all time: play with the lorikeets in the Australia exhibit. The trainers let the boys coax them with water bottles and bracelets and hair ties and watches. They were so curious! We stayed there for a really long time, but loved every minute.
Matt was on call for work and had to drive up to St. Simons Island in GA. So we decided to explore their beach together! I love a good drive and a change of scenery. We beach combed for a bit and found some little treasures, but no shark teeth.
To be honest, I cannot remember where we went beach combing, but since it was safe to go again and the beaches reopened, we went relatively often. I find it the most wonderful stress relief. We found a fair few!
The joy in the simple things and the laughter of my children, I cannot pass by without capturing. These are the faces I hope to carry in my mind always. I with my memory could lock away the sound of their giggling, but thankfully the Live Photos should preserve it for me!
Despite Covid, my YL girls&I decided to get together for an end of the year dinner. We missed one another so much, and decided to spend most of our time together outside. I sent the boys out with their daddy, and I tried to make the best decisions I could. It was such a great joy to be together after such a hard lockdown time. These girls are pretty special to me.
Our sweet friends the Wests started a swing company! We got together one evening to swing & jump on the trampoline. My boys LOVE trampolines but I'm so thankful not to have one. It's great to have friends that do! We had an outdoor picnic together & enjoyed the company.
We drove out to Hanna Park to beach comb one day. I love taking the opportunity to snap a group picture of my boys, but even better the jumping! Seems so much more appropriate to what our normal life is like, haha!
You+Me. Thankful for you my dear, especially on days when I wear no make up and you never mind.
Gotta love these faces.
Our biggest covid purchase! The Peloton! Matt was so generous to me- when we found out the kids weren't going back to school any time soon, I asked him for this. I usually run when they are at school a few times a week, but with them home I never had a chance to work out. I tried some videos, but couldn't accomplish much. The peloton really came in perfect timing. I loved using it daily, and it really helped get my body back into a stronger place. I got a PR in the Gate River Run after using it for 8 months! (I spy Zac's shoes in my front hall)
More block building and shark teeth hunting. Climbing trees at soccer practice!? Oh yes, we started back to practice twice a week to make up for the season that was canceled in the spring. I absolutely loved being at the field for fresh air and exercise. The boys loved seeing friends!! What a gift- soccer summer practice. We went through the whole summer.
Hip hip hooray for Father's Day! The boys all piled in our bed to give Matt his gift. Socks with their faces!! They have been the best present- he wears them all the time.
Who even knows, but we went bowling. I think everyone was practicing 'social distancing' at this point, but every time we did something like this, I thought we were going to catch Covid. We never did! My Dad sent me a picture of him with his 'daddersaurus' t-shirt. Happy Father's Day Dad!
One of James' bucket list wishes was to have a sleep over. Sadly, we don't have any family members that are up for sleepovers, so I had just told him the answer was probably always going be no. I was lamenting not being able to satisfy his wish to my friend Lindy and asking her how they navigate sleep overs, when she suggested we have one! I had never even thought to ask her- but it was the most fun! We got together for a morning to play, swapped a kid or two, and then met up again the next day. Calvin got to have her son Gus come over to spend the night at our house, and James&Hayden went down to their house in Orlando. I have known Lindy since she&Kris came to our wedding, and I even lived with them for 3 weeks before James was born! They are dear friends that I trust, and trusting them with my children is a gift. Dreams do come true! haha
When soccer started back, we were able to ask two families over to celebrate Calvin's birthday from April! He was sooo happy, and it was such a blast. Those families had kids all the ages of ours, so between the 3 couples, we had 12 kids! It was the perfect was to round out his celebration. We missed having Mimi&Grandpa come, and we missed having Mimi's amazing cake. But Covid made things a bit harder sometimes. How about that balloon swag!? I thought it was awesome.
A few pokemon snacks, some fruit and pizza, and an ice cream cake. Swimming with his friends really made his day!
This is a page from my gratitude list- just a sweet snapshot of some of the things I was thankful for during these days.
Our friends the Knapps had a big garage sale to prepare for a move down to Equador, and Hayden picked out a raft. Unfortunately it had a leak and didn't last long, but it was pretty fun for $5 and a couple of days playtime.
One last beach day for June! No better place to relax & breath deeply.
Lord, thank you for June. Thank you for the time we got to spend with friends, for school ending on as positive a note as it could, and for getting to schedule a birthday party for Calvin. Thank you Lord for soccer practice as a great surprise, for shark teeth and beach combing days, and for all the swimming we got to do in our pool. Thank you for Calvin's birthday party & getting to celebrate him. Thank you for daily snuggles and celebrating Father's Day with those that are dear to us. Thank you for the ways you kept us connected; thank you for my young life girls and getting to see them before summer kicked off. Thank you for Lindy & the books we read together & the sleep overs & our deep conversations. What a blessing she & her family is to us!! We thank you for our friends the Wests & the Cowaps who live close and we can see often. I sometimes take for granted my friendships but as they all had to be put on hold doing lockdowns, it was a joy to be able to connect again face to face. Thank you for seeing us through these days full of anxiousness over daily decisions, and thank you for keeping us well. Thank you for the time & space to look back on these days and write them down. Praise you Lord for your faithfulness to us! Amen.
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