Scenes of the Quarentined....getting to the end of school

After figuring out the puppy schedule, we fell into a groove. 

Wake up at 6:45 take puppy potty

Breakfast and then the kids were suppose to brush teeth, comb hair, and tidy their rooms (this happened sometimes....sometimes I had to remind everyone to do it at 3:00)

The boys started on-line work as soon as it was posted because they wanted to be done as soon as possible, Miriam usually went to do yard work for some neighbors while I took Orion out for his morning walk. 

9:00-11:30 - School work & Zoom meetings, zone cleaning, and music practice. One or two puppy potty runs in-between everything.

11:30 -  Lunch for everyone including the puppy then "puppy active time" so the boys would help me entertain and control the puppy.

2- 5 - Entertain yoself! I am so glad the boys had each other during this time.  They usually play well together but during this time when there was no option the played nonstop! They watched every episode of Gravity Falls, and The Office. Followed Mark Rober's Science and Engineering You Tube Channel.  Lots of art work, Legos, video games, and puppy playing. They are also so good at imaginary play...they create whole complicated worlds and talk about them non-stop.  Byron had a few Zoom D&D games but they were never as fun as in person. Soren had choir over Zoom with the same result, good not great. 

Miriam learned how to make croissants, taught herself how to crochet, baked bread and would paint things randomly.  She taught a Facebook Live Ballroom class for Julia's dance studio, and tried her darndest to do on-line dance tutorials but they did become tedious.  She had some Zoom Ballroom lessons with Lee Rose twice a week.

Dinner then family walk with the dog. 

The boys and I are reading Harry Potter every night, we have a viewing party with Butter Beer and popcorn after each one.  We are getting through #4 and I added reading a chapter from "The Body Book for Boys" before we start.  The boys roll their eyes, but I can't pass up having an attentive audience to talk about hygiene and nutrition! 

The kids were usually asleep by 9:45 then Darin and I watched our shows: The Good Place, Wild Wild Country, and now on to Tiger King. 

We had a couple of chalk days, this one was just out of boredom, but we also participated in a neighborhood chalk walk, and then again to celebrate the Graduation parade for the Seniors in our ward. 

We watched Lora one day.  It was so fun and also more of a challenge with Toddler + Puppy. 

The teachers and staff at our school put stars on everyone students house.  Soren helped me with my allotment and then a teacher came and did our house. Such a cute fun way to show the kids the teachers were thinking about them.

Orion had his first Vet appointment and his first bath. We laughed so hard when we saw him wet!

Near the end the DVM finally opened back up so we took Miriam to get her licence.

  

A few scenes from on-line work.

Each of the boys took on the "dog crate challenge" spend the entire morning doing school in Orions crate.  They spent at least 3 hours each.

Finally it was over! The boys went to pick up their school stuff and say goodbye to their teachers.  They had to bike down because I was already there working!

Byron officially graduated from 6th grade! 

I cried watching his on-line video graduation but he had zero emotion.  

They did it!! All work completed! 

On to the longest Summer ever!

Scenes of the Quarentined Part 4

Everybody needs Darin on their team.  He is just an asset when it comes to figuring stuff out.  He may have been railroaded by this puppy decision, but he stepped up, mobilized and started ordering necessities.  I operate under a different system, the kind of system where I jump into things and figure it out as I go, which is kind of a chaotic way to do things.  Darin likes more preparation, sometimes that preparation turns into exhaustion and then not actually doing the thing he is preparing for.  Thats what makes us such a good team.  I do the jumping in.  He thinks through the details, and then we take turns talking each other off the cliff.

We had a vote survivor style on the name.  

Miriam went to work on a Sunday evening and texted me to say the building had been sold and that had been her last day of work! It was nice while it lasted but she wasn't too sad to have the opportunity pass, she has been surprisingly busy with on-line high school.

Tonight we are frustrated with Orion because he wouldn't give up a pice of rawhide and swallowed it when we tried to pry it away.  So now we wait to see if he pukes tonight, or if we need a trip to the vet tomorrow.  He brings so many sweet snuggles and loves, he makes us laugh, but he brings more than his fair share of stress as well. Today he was so good....and now this.

We celebrated Easter with all our traditions:

The Boys and I colored eggs

Miriam made a delicious coconut flower carrot cake

We had our family hunt, then the boys made deviled eggs for our dinner

Mark Dayoung and Lora came by to have a hunt with us

Lora met the dog but....

preferred the dogs toys to the actual dog.

Dayoung brought some of her amazing macaroons!

Scenes of the Quarentined - Orion

If you go look at puppies, you will end up with a puppy.

This decision was both thought out and spur of the moment. We have been talking about fostering a dog for over a year, but we were always busy doing something else. Especially me, I didn't want a dog enough to do the leg work to foster a dog. I knew a dog would be great for our family because therapists told us so, also my Grandpa Young suggested many times we get one (actually what he said was "Every boy NEEDS a dog".  I just wasn't going to mobilize on this one when I already felt so busy every day. 

Then came the pandemic, and all our plans were wiped clean. With every canceled event, with every disappointed child, with all the unknown I held things together. Then came the earthquake, and again I calmly packed supplies in the car and filled the tank with gas. I pretended it was not a big deal with the kids, soothed nerves, read Harry Potter to put them to bed.  All the things weighted on my mind...how do I do my job? Will Darin have a job? Will friends and family have jobs? How sick will we get?  Will someone I know die? Will an earthquake destroy our home? Without realizing it, I was comping with this anxiety by holding on to our revamped Covid approved Spring Break plans. When I felt overburdened I would just think about Lisa's cabin, the quiet beautiful scenery, the firepit. I just imagined us there relaxing.  I needed a break from reality:  a change of pace, somewhere to escape, something in my control to look forward to.  

Then Governor Herbert gave "Stay Safe Stay Home" and told all Utahns to stay in their own county.  I felt very angry, I am all about slowing the spread of Covid, I AM doing my part, but this is where my emotions burst to the surface. I turned to Darin right then and there and said "We are getting a dog, and a trampoline".   I sent 3 emails about fostering a dog that evening.  I got 3 emails back saying there were none available at this time. So I texted a friend about her puppy's, they were sold.  I got on KSL and I found some puppies 1 hour away.  

2 days later we went to meet some puppies.

So we have a puppy, and we shall see about the trampoline...I think its a good idea but I can't push it right now.

Scenes from the Quarantined

It's Thursday in our Groundhog's Days of being Quarantined.  The reason I know it's Thursday is because the trash was picked up...but other than that it could be any day.

It's snowed a few days ago (who knows when??) and we stopped our on-line schooling to sled before it all melted. Fielding and Greta came out to join us.

I think Sunny is loving having us home all day.  He is hap hap happy!

After our last resort Spring Break plans were canceled because of "Stay Home Stay Safe" directive from our Governer, I tried to foster a dog.  They were all gone, and no one wanted to pull them out unless we were sure we wanted to adopt....the point of fostering is to see if you like the dog.  Then I contacted a friend about her puppies but they were all sold. THEN I got on KSL and started searching. We ran out to check out some puppies in Tremonton.  The house was 20 min from Promontory Point, and since Soren is still singing "Iron Wheels keep turning down the new built track!" from his 4th grade program, we had to stop by.  It's one of those "been there don't need to make the trek" again things.  If you were expecting train engines,  let that dream go, I think they only come out for special occasions. 

However, it was a beautiful day, and we stopped at Golden Spike Drive in for some delicious juicy burgers.

Speaking of food, Miriam took the opportunity to make some cinnamon rolls... I am mostly a Rhodes girl so this was special.

She also made 2 amazing batches of chocolate chip cookies.

Dimond Art!! This was so fun for Darin and the kids.  I stayed out of their way but it looked so fun!

I loved hearing the conversations that took place while crafting over the kitchen table.

Sunday walk after the weather cleared up.  At noon on this day we as neighbors all went out on our driveways and we sang a couple of hymns...it was lovely. So great to check in with our neighbors who we hadn't seen them in awhile.

More art.

This one Gravity Falls inspired 

This was suppose to be a gift, but our disappointment early on in the quarantine required we break it out for Miriam.  She finished it, but it was broken back down before a photo.

Our latest disappointment was that her DMV appointment was canceled the day before she was suppose to go get her licence.  Who knows when she will be able to go get it now?

The boys and I went on a picnic hike to the hills.  

There is no quarantining mother nature! Spring is on it's way

The kids have been Minecrafting together almost every night. 

We started season 1 of the Office.

We've also done a lot of yard work and Spring cleaning, one of the many perks (and a huge downside in the kids view) to being quarantined together!

Miriam got a new job.