bart turns 40!

Bart turned 40!  Let me just say that it is a huge bummer to have such a huge milestone birthday during a pandemic.  He's been planning for years to go to Florida and got to a Gators football game for his 40th birthday.  Well, there are no fans at football games this year, so that is not even an option.  In fact, there aren't very many things we could do to safely celebrate his birthday, and definitely nothing that would even come close to being what he deserves.  

He did get his traditional gift of Peanut Butter Oreos (his absolute favorite)

We tried to get him some gifts and let him know how much we love him, but it still wasn't a very good birthday. Hopefully he can go to Florida next year and watch his Gators play!

We were able to pull off a pretty fun surprise though.  His brother, Bret came to visit for a long weekend.  I asked Bart to come get a few things from Costco with me, and when we walked in, he grabbed a cart, and then this random guy came and tried to take the cart from him.  Bart was mad and confused, until he realized that the random guy was his brother!  It was awesome!  We loved having Bret here for a few days and it totally made up for the missed Florida trip!

We took a family hike while Bret was here, and I'm mostly posting about it to remind my kids that sometimes when mom and dad suggest an activity that sounds boring, you should give it a try and you might end up having fun.  All 4 kids were complaining the whole way (12 minutes) to this hiking spot about how badly they did not want to be going.  Of course, after only a few minutes of being there, they were all smiling and having a blast!

 

october fun

We're getting more used to doing school virtually again.  One of the benefits of doing school from home is having siblings to play your math games with.  These two wanted to do as much of their assignments together as possible.

Another benefit is being able to play with your siblings on your lunch break.  I'll never be sorry about the extra time these two had together this year.

After not going to any stores for months and months, Krew got to come to Target with me.  A quick stop at the Halloween section turned hilarious when he put this bird mask on.

Another benefit of doing school at home is that I got to do so much of her Kindergarten with her.  Seriously hours each day of doing kindergarten together.  I loved watching her learn, and although it wasn't the kindergarten year I had hoped of for her, she has been loving it anyway.

It's not October without me sewing someone's Halloween costume for days

Bart and I snuck down to Madison for a couple of days the weekend before his birthday to celebrate.  It was nice to spend some time just the two of us, especially considering that I've been at home with all 4 kids all day and all night for 97% of the time the past 7 months.  I think the highlight for Bart was this Venezuelan restaurant we stopped at for lunch.  He loved it!

let's pick some apples

I've always loved apple picking as a fun, fall activity.  However, I never loved it more than this year.  After being stuck at home, with not much to do for the past 7 months, it's amazing how exciting it feels to get out together as a family and pick our own food from a tree!  It's a little sad that this was one of the biggest outings our family had taken in the last 7 months, but it was.  

I'm thankful for this family of mine who helps me enjoy even the little things in life, and I'm so glad for the time we've had to spend together this year, making the most of a pretty tough situation.

I wish you could see her whole smile, but pictures with masks on has become normal this year.

Also, we picked 20 pounds of honeycrisp apples (the absolute best variety) in about 8 mins.  Also, we ate them all in less than a week!

more september highlights

When Ky and Kade have orthodontist appointments, we aren't allowed inside the office with them, so we find ways to pass the time outside while we wait.

Because we had experienced so many sports seasons being canceled due to the pandemic, and not being sure if they would be able to have flag football or fall baseball, we signed Krew up for both, hoping he would get to at least do one.  Well, neither got canceled, so he's been busy playing both sports this fall.

I love this one of Bart giving Krew some pointers between innings.

It may have felt like a busy sports schedule for Krew, but it's honestly been nice to have something scheduled.  It gives us something to do outside, away from our house.

Also, it's not fair that my 6 year old is more stylish than I am.

About three weeks after school started, the district shut down and went completely virtual again.  Ky only went to 5 days of high school before it shut down, due to the hybrid schedule and having to quarantine for 10 days due to having someone in one of his classes test positive for the virus.  The twins aren't too disappointed about it. Krew doesn't like school in-person or virtually, so he doesn't know if he cares yet. But poor Everly is crushed.  She loves school.  She loves being with friends and learning every day.  Sitting in front of the screen for hours a day, trying to learn from a teacher on a screen is a rough, disappointing way to do kindergarten.  I know it's for the best, but my heart aches for my children.  I hope they find some things they like about doing school virtually, I hope they keep learning and growing, and I hope this doesn't last too long.  Everly is making the most of it, and wearing her Belle dress to virtual Kindergarten.  She is the best!
 

2020 strikes again!

This has been a rough year!  It has given us so many disappointments, cancelled countless things, made us adjust to new ways of doing so many things, kept us from being around friends and loved ones, and so much more.  It also brought our family's first broken bone.

On September 16th, while playing outside with Krew, Everly fell off the trampoline while trying to get off.  She fell backward and caught herself with her right hand.  She immediately started screaming, and when no stuffy, treat, cuddle, or show could distract her from the pain, I knew something was really wrong. A trip to urgent care confirmed what we suspected: broken arm!

Even though she was in a lot of pain, and she was scared, she was brave and let the doctors take good care of her.  Tucking her in that night, hoping that she would be comfortable enough to get some sleep was one of the hardest things I've had to do.  I just felt so helpless and worried.

  

Luckily, we were able to get in to see the orthopedic doctor the very next morning. She was scared again, but managed to smile while we waited.

They hooked her up with a super cool, high-tech, removable cast.  I'd never seen anything like it.  It made bathing and cleaning it so much easier than a traditional cast.

Later that evening, she was back to her normal, happy, energetic self.  She even got back on the trampoline right away!  Not even a broken arm can keep this girl from smiling and playing.

 

everly turns 6

A few days before Everly's birthday, we celebrated with her friends.  Because of the pandemic, we're not letting our kids play indoors with their friends, but they have spent the much of the summer playing outside with the kids in the neighborhood.  We decided to throw Everly a "Not birthday party." This meant we would serve cupcakes and have a few games, but anyone who was outside playing was invited, and presents weren't expected.  It was such a change from the big themed parties I like to plan for my kids, but it was honestly quite perfect, especially considering current conditions.

Everly helped decorate her cute unicorn cupcakes.

We had a  cute little unicorn bean bag toss game

I love this neighborhood we live in.  She has so many friends that live so close and get along so well.  It was a great way to celebrate her birthday!

On her birthday, she woke up to one of her favorite traditions: streamers in the doorway!

After school, she helped me finish decorating her unicorn cake.  It turned out super cute!

I can't believe my beautiful daughter is six!  She is still the happiest little girl I've ever met.  Her favorite thing to do is play with her friends, which hasn't always been an option the last several months, but despite that, she's continued to smile and make the most of every day!

Opening presents.  I love that Krew is right there, excited for her as she opened each gift.  They are still such good friends.  It's precious!

Happy birthday, Everly!  I hope this is the best year ever!