new "normal"

It's pretty crazy that this pandemic is still a thing, but it is, and we've adapted to create a new "normal" for our family.  Work is still the same for Kevin, so he leaves the house about 7:45 each morning, but the kids sleep in until about 9 since they aren't going to bed until 9:30 or 10.  I've started exercising each morning (normally riding our recumbent bike) while I read my scriptures and check email, and then it's time for Mom duties.  

We were doing school each morning, but as the temperatures started rising, we began venturing out for bike rides early in the day and pushing school work to the afternoon.  Sometimes this turned into a power struggle with Brooke, but for the most part, it worked out. 

And did I mentioned that we bought Brooke a new bike?  This was an early birthday present and an amazing find on NextDoor.  I was on the app quite a bit selling items we no longer needed, and when I saw the bike, I knew my girl needed it.  It was just SO cheerful and happy, and she was thrilled when I showed her the picture.  We took Kevin to look at it that night, and he also thought it was a great purchase ($50 for both the bike and matching helmet).  After getting it, the first thing Brooke would ask each day was go ride her bike. 

We weren't really venturing far from home, but every once in a while we made a special trip out for a fun treat.  They both LOVE Bahama Bucks. 

We loved going on sunset bike rides, and even took a few during the week. 

I love our big Texas skies!

At the pond, the kids walked down to the water to check for turtles. They struck up a conversation with the man fishing, and before I knew it, he was giving the kids different lures that have worked well for him.  He was super friendly and the kids thought it was their lucky night to come home with a few new lures. 

We spent lots more time at the lake, especially on the weekends because we had nothing else going on!  These pics were from an outing with the Hawkins family...

Since Colby was too big for this balance bike, we decided to sell it, but not without taking a picture first.  Although Brooke never really had success with this bike (she didn't ride it fast enough), Colby did, and it was strange to part with.  I guess just another reminder that my kids are growing up more quickly than I would like. 

Colby started keeping a tally of the kind things we would do, and the whole thing was pretty funny. He would ask each member of the family what they did nice, then would say "good", and make a little tally mark. 

He isn't really sleeping in this picture, but was showing me how he snuggled all his stuffies.  I figured this would be something I would want to always remember, so I took the picture. 

The highlight of this particular week was catching a lizard.  The poor little thing ran into our garage while I was out doing yard work, so I helped Colby catch him in an old blueberry container. I didn't think Colby would really be able to hold it, but the little one (affectionately named Lizzie) wasn't as quick as I thought. 

At one point, she jumped onto Colby's foot, and we all had a good laugh about it.

After holding the lizard on and off for probably 20 minutes, we moved to the backyard, where Colby made her a swimming pool and a green habitat from recyclables. Can you see how bright green she turned?  The ability to change colors based on surroundings is pretty amazing!

Then Colby begged me to take the lizard on the trampoline and I finally agreed.  Can you spot her on Brooke's dress?  After another 30 minutes or so, I convinced Colby that I needed to put Lizzie the lizard back in the front yard so she could hunt for food.  

Speaking of food, we decided to try out the school lunch program. My kids don't qualify for the free and reduced lunch program at school, but I kept getting emails about how ANY student in the district could pick up the free meals each day (which included breakfast and lunch).  I figured we would check it out, and the kids LOVED it. They loved the novelty of driving through the High School parking lot and getting free food, and they kept raving about these tiny pancakes, haha. Colby was pretty stoked about the chocolate milk as well :)

We probably only went once or twice a week, but it made for a fun outing and something to look forward to.  Most days, they would want to eat their breakfasts outside and then ride bikes. Hence the reason they are still in their pajamas in this bike photo.  Anything goes during quarantine, right?

One afternoon, Uncle Jeff called to ask if we were home and if we'd be up for a visit. They were checking out a car at a dealership near our house, and we were all excited to see them! We wore masks to make sure we kept little Emery safe, and Brooke and I thoroughly enjoyed those baby snuggles.

I don't even remember why Brooke was wearing my sunglasses in this picture, but it's pretty classic and I love it.  This girl loves sourdough toast and it never lasts long in our house!

Another Saturday at the lake, but this time in matching swimwear :)  After seeing numerous ads for them on Instagram, I finally asked Kevin if he would consider it. Shockingly, he was on board, so when they went on clearance at the end of the summer, I quickly ordered all four for only $35.

Colby loved his trunks, Kevin felt like they were a bit short (but still comfy), Brooke's bum cheeks peeked out, and my back straps were totally uncomfortable...but it made for a great picture, haha.  We had originally planned to wear them on our cruise this Spring and get a cute picture, but since our cruise was cancelled, we settled for a self-timed picture. 

Brooke now loves her suit and wears it quite often, but since I knew I wouldn't wear mine much, I wanted another picture with my very toothless little girl. 

These guys are cute!

We tried our hand at fishing again and were completely unsuccessful.  Not even a nibble!!  Maybe we really did have beginner's luck that first time. But we still had fun trying...

We enjoyed a few play dates with our friends Evie, Logan, and Jack Jack. One of their favorite activities was definitely water balloons on the trampoline! 

Hot summer showers call for marching through the puddles in swimsuits and galoshes!

And ice cream afterwards!!  My kids LOVE the Costco version of a Haagen Dazs, and lovingly refer to them as Haagen Dogs since that's what Brooke used to call them. I kind of hope they never stop calling them that :)

I've written about this before, but hanging out with the Hawkins has been such a saving grace during this pandemic.  And as temperatures continued to rise, so did their popsicle consumption. 

Our next door neighbor James became a police office, and his wife Vicky coordinated a "drive-through parade" to honor his accomplishment.  She gave the kids a posterboard ahead of time to make a sign for him, and even gave them noisemakers to blow during the parade.  They loved the whole experience, but especially having time to play with their adorable puppy, Ace. 

We had MORE rain, but this time it was a bit chilly, hence Brooke's sweatshirt and head wrap...

Kevin flew to Utah for Grandma GG's funeral, so the kids made signs and a banner for his return. It was sad that we couldn't all attend, but we watched the graveside service via Zoom, so that was really special.  Most of the service was done by the grandkids in attendance, and it was obvious the love they all had for her. Bob and Bobbi (Barbara) had quite the legacy, with 22 grandkids and 69 great grandchildren!

We're always happy when Daddy comes home, but especially when he was away for a few days!

I've already written about Brooke's new aqua bike, but when she came out of the house also wearing an aqua dress, I started calling her Aqualicious.

We had another fun playdate with the Funderburks, and this time it involved science experiments!  The first trial of the volcanic explosion was a flop, but luckily we worked out the kinks and trial two was a success. 

Although Logan is Brooke's age, him and Colby have the BEST time together.  They will spend hours playing Legos, Beyblades, Star Wars, spies, or bad guys together.  On this particular day, they are "teenagers", which involved an old laptop, phones, graphing calculator, notepads, and a broken Spanish/English mini translator they found in my secretary desk. 

Brooke begged me to dig out this old baby carrier, and has been carrying her babies around ever since.  She can unload the dishwasher, take a pretend phone call, and still manage her baby :)  Multi-tasking at its finest!

We normally play out front with the Hawkins, but one day Marlie came over for a backyard playdate and it most definitely involved water balloons. 

We normally stick close to home on our bike rides without Kevin, but I was sure that I could figure out the bike hitch and take us all to Katherine Rose park.  We made it, and enjoyed our ride around Katherine Rose and over to Town Park.  It was pretty muggy towards the end, but such a beautiful morning to be out and about on an adventure.

They rode in circles at the bottom of the amphitheater where Brooke had her Fall Festival for dance several sears ago.

His helmet hair was too good not to document...

The highlight of the ride back was probably the huge caterpillar Brooke spotted. The kids named her Clara and were so excited to tell Kevin all about her.  

This little girl loves to pretend that she's a Mama to her babies, and she does a pretty awesome job of taking care of them :)

One Sunday, Kevin made a random comment about not liking most of his t-shirts. I told him that he should go through his shirts and see what he still wore and get rid of the rest.  It then turned into him going through his entire closet and getting rid of bags of clothes, some of which we sold, some were donated, and some went to members in our ward.  The kids were coming and going from the closet while we worked, but of course they wanted all of the stuff Kevin was getting rid of.  I let the kids each pick 4 shirts, and Colby also ended up with this awesome blue hat.  

Who needs to buy new nightgowns when you have giant t-shirts to sleep in??

This is the longest post ever, but as I look back and write this, I realize how much we truly did as we transitioned to a new "normal".  I loved the freedom to slow down and just be home more, but we still had quite a bit of variety to our days. 

Like the day my kids created a little cafe, complete with a tiny tablecloth.

Brooke was invited to her friend Claire's birthday party, but her mom assured me that it was only going to be a few friends.  We were still being encouraged to keep gatherings to less than 10 people to prevent the spread of the virus, but I felt comfortable with Brooke attending.  Since it was a swim party and Brooke hadn't been in a pool since last year, I was nervous about her being over there without me. She's a good swimmer, but I just wanted to be extra cautious.  I asked Claire's mom, Rheta, if I could stay, and she said of course!  She also invited Colby, and we had a great time spending the afternoon together. 

Claire, Zalaya, and Brooke (Side Note: Both friends are older than Brooke, but she towers over them!)

And finally, the beach opened up and we had a blast on our first outing of the season.  We didn't invite any friends to join us because I wanted to just give my kids all my attention, and I'm glad that I did.  We built a castle together, swam out to the yellow line, ate a picnic, and played in the sand some more. 

Although the last few months have been different than what we've been used to, it has also been a really great opportunity for connection as we've shifted some of our time and attention back towards the family.