24 days under self imposed quarantine, 11 days since the county declared a "shelter in place" rule. So far things seem to under control in the Austin area, but the news can change incredibly swiftly. Todd and I have gotten to the point where we have made our peace with the "new normal" way of life and are doing reasonably well, all things considered. I've had more tough days than he has for sure, but we are making it. Just recently we've noticed that it is starting to hit the kids - more tears, more angry outbursts, more sadness out of nowhere. We've been able to talk through alot (which I'm so grateful for their ages and ability to reason and process a bit) and they've come through more peaceful on the other side of things. Lia seems more impacted emotionally than Erin and Halle - at least so far. It could also be that Lia's emotions come out differently (through frustration, anger and yelling) whereas Erin and Halle tend to (and always have) break down in tears and sob in their rooms until they feel better. I think the crying actually helps them release that emotion rather than Lia who may be bottling more up. We're working through it. I just feel so incredibly sad that this is happening in their little lives, but we've gotta work with what we've got. Today's fun thing to look foward to? Cinnamon cake. YUM.
I've done a bit of online shopping for some new things and I set them aside as incentives/bribery for completed tasks or whip them out when it is raining cats and dogs outside. This day's new treat? Fashion design!
Stephen and Birdie are in love.
One evening Todd and I were having wine on the back porch and Birdie was hanging out with us. She started wandering around the backyard and then barking incessantly at the deck. Our first thought? The mouse's family. But no! Thankfully - just a frog. Birdie had a great time with her new friend.
After the frog escaped, Birdie started going crazy - bizarre movements and rolling and twisting all over the place. We had no clue what she was doing. Todd picked her up and instantly figured out that she had fire ants all over her. Just on the way to the bathtub, Todd got bit 18 times... poor puppy. Baking soda bath to the rescue. She was an itchy thing for awhile tho...
Still writing our letters!!
This made me laugh so hard - totally Birdie. See below...
Miles - acting like a teenager
In recent letters to friends, I showed the girls how to make fortune tellers circa 80s/90s fun. They had a great time with it. One of Halle's answers was "give Halle $20.00" sent to Gramma... sneaky girl!!
Lia and I were goofing off sending funny face pictures to my friend Ashley and her daughter Burklee... just to make them smile.
Ashley won the prize with this steller shot... lol
Burklee - haha
Our reaction...
Zoom happy hour with Katy and Brian
Waiting in line for a turn on the new sit and spin!
I got in touch with my friend Beth to do a book swap. The kids had burned through all the books we have and I didn't want to spend a fortune buying new books... So - we traded! Wellie Wishers went to Brooklynn and Magic Treehouse came here! Lia read 5 books in 2 days. She LOVES them. Reading - CHECK!!
The end of the massive quarantine project - climbing wall installation!!!
I'm so happy with how it turned out!!!
The following video shows the everyday norm around here - no one is 100% happy 100% of the time... Lia was upstaged by her sisters... no fun. Since then, they have all mastered the wall and ninja course - time to make it harder!!!
Family Charades - so fun. Halle COULD NOT manage doing clues without talking. Hilarious.
Stephen and Todd have maintained sanity by fishing at the pond, mowing and grooming the back area and doing various pond projects. They took advantage of the recent rain and set up a pump to bring water from the (now full) creek to the pond to keep it at optimal level. We'll see how long it lasts before some punk kids mess with it or steal it... We've had a lot more pond visitors than usual lately...
Everyone was desperate to get out... fishing at the pond sounded fun until it started to rain and all four kids tried to shove under one umbrella.
Speaking of recent pond visitor - this random guy stopped by the pond one evening and caught 3 huge bass in under 30 minutes. Todd and Stephen were impressed and horrified since they've only caught little perch for awhile now... more fishing supplies were subsequently ordered because surely it is the lack of appropriate gear rather than skill.... lol
Bubble buddies
Since all hair salons and barbershops are closed... Todd got himself a new stylist!
It didn't turn out half bad... I was impressed.
Busted out the bikes!!
Less traffic means Lia gets to ride in the street!
The true definition of boredom - holding a mirror up to the Betta fish to see it fight itself.
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