Seven Years Old

This is my annual post about my kids at each given age.  Although I'm about a month late on this one, here is my post all about Adelie at 7.

Adelie is officially 7 years old.  She weighs 46 lbs and is 48" tall.  She is wearing her size 7 and 7/8 clothes and size 12 shoes.  She is still long and lean.  Adelie is in the first grade in Ms. Malcom's class, although she will be finishing the remainder of her school year at home rather than at school due to COVID-19.  Prior to everything shutting down for quarantine, Adelie was participating in Stage Kids (Moana, Jr.), Broadway Dance (for her first time), singing lessons, and tumbling.  She also attended Kids Connection on Wednesday nights at church.  Throughout this past year, Adelie also took swimming lessons, participated in basketball clinic, and acted in Peter Pan, Jr. (as a mermaid and a fairy) and Frozen, Jr.  Adelie has lost 6 teeth, including her upper middle two that give her the cutest little gap-toothed smile right now.  Adelie sleeps for about 11 hours at night.  Although we put her to bed around 8 or 8:30, she is usually the last to fall asleep, often still being awake at 9 or 9:30.  Sometimes even 10.  She was always the hardest to wake up for school, but now that we have no schedule she usually wakes up between 8 and 9.

Likes:  Adelie has a large variety of likes.  She is still always tumbling, climbing the doorways, hanging upside down, and doing the splits.  She LOVES riding her bike, but also enjoys her scooter.  She has a great imagination and loves playing imaginative games with her siblings.  She and Briggs have a large variety of games that they have made up like "Baby Pud", "Mr. McGreely", "fairies and Spike", and "spy camp".  They have also had the best time with our big box that Aunt Jill gave us.  At various times, they have decorated it, made it into an umbrella house, hung up a clothesline in it, eaten lunch in it, and are often just hanging out in it.

Hanging out in the umbrella house

Adelie also loves crafts, drawing, writing, and making books.  She is often found writing and illustrating homemade books in the playroom.  Reading has become another favorite pastime.  Adelie is currently reading books in the "I Survived" series, but she has also recently enjoyed "Pollyanna", an abridged version of "Little Women", and a book called "Gooney Bird Green."  Adelie also loves playing with Staley and they will often play American Girl dolls or put on plays, dances, or performances together.  Adelie is usually agreeable to anything Staley wants to play as long as they can play together.  Adelie still adores her big sister!!

Craft activities are always a fun way to fill a day.

Adelie enjoys her extra-curricular activities but swimming and tumbling are probably her favorites.  She does enjoy doing Stage Kids with Staley as well.  We don't watch much TV, but Adelie loves family movie nights.  Ariel movies and various Disney movies remain favorites, but she's pretty easy-going about what movies we watch.  Adelie also loves playing games with the family.  She will play harder games like Scrabble and Monopoly, but also still enjoys games like Mermaid Island, Spot It, and Candyland.  Pictionary is a new favorite.  Adelie isn't too picky about what she wears.  She still enjoys dressing up and accessorizing.

All dressed up for the Daddy Daughter dance

Adelie is a pretty good eater.  She LOVES fruit and bread and sweets.  Main dishes are hit or miss but favorites are meatballs, tuna casserole, fish sticks, and chicken nuggets.  Adelie still loves mermaids and all things Ariel.  Favorite clothes, books, movies, and crafts still revolve around mermaids.  For my social little girl, she has a wide circle of friends including Aizlee, Zola, Jaci, Lola, Faith, and Max, but her cousins and siblings remain her best friends.

Sisters make the best friends!

Dislikes:  Adelie is very sensitive and kind-hearted.  She does not like disappointing people, being left out, getting in trouble, or feeling like she's missing out on something.  She does not enjoy being awaken in the morning before she's ready.  Being asked to use the restroom before we go somewhere, clean up a mess, or start on schoolwork before she feels ready are not her favorite activities.  She also does not like to go upstairs or to the basement unless someone else is up there.  Adelie prefers to be barefoot and does not like wearing socks.  She can sometimes be sensitive about how clothes and socks feel.

Life is better when you are barefoot.

Skills:  Adelie is still a coordinated little girl.  She runs fast, loves to climb, and can ride her bike well.  She is now riding with one hand.  Adelie also does well in tumbling.  She can do the splits, a cartwheel and round-off, and a back bend kick over.  Although it's been awhile, Adelie can swim underwater as well as flip onto her back for the backstroke and her freestyle is emerging.  Adelie writes well, is good at drawing, and has great attention for craft activities.  She has become a good little reader and is now reading shorter chapter books on her own.

Adelie is pretty independent.  She dresses herself (including tying shoes and doing fasteners), showers independently, does her hair (she can do ponytails and is learning to braid), brushes her teeth, loads her dishes into the dishwasher, and completes her weekly chores.  She does sometimes need reminders for speed and thoroughness.  Adelie does well in school. Her most recent standardized test scores have her in the 88th percentile for math and the 97th percentile for reading.  She can do addition and subtraction, as well as telling time and counting money.  She does get almost daily reminders at school about talking in class, but otherwise behaves really well for her teachers.

Adelie is a very sweet, kind, and loving little girl.  She is very thoughtful and loves to make and give gifts to others.  She is empathetic and truly cares about others.  Adelie is very funny and loves to make people laugh, which leads her to be my child that engages in potty talk and inappropriate things that make others laugh.  If there's going to be a kid with underwear on their head or shaking their booty in my house, it's Adelie.  Adelie has a true heart for God.  She asks very thoughtful questions, is quick with Biblical insights, and shares sincere prayers.  I love her sweet heart and fun spirit.

Our life, our home, and our hearts are more full and fun because of this girl!

Quarantine Haircut

During this quarantine, I am many things.  I am a mom.  I am a healthcare worker.  I am a grocery deliverer.  I am a cook.  I am a house cleaner.  I am a teacher.  I am a playmate.  I am a runner.  And now, I am a beautician.

It was getting long...

...and so I cut it.

And he looks pretty darn cute!

Things I Haven't Done...

Our quarantine has surpassed a month now.  In this past month, I have done way more cooking and meal preparation. We run the dishwasher almost every day.  Our quantity of books read, family games played, and homework completed have far surpassed any previous records we might have set.  But there are some things that I have not done, not even once, during this past month.

I have not worn jeans.  I have worn yoga pants, scrubs, running tights, and sweat pants, but never jeans.

I have not done my hair.  I have washed it.  Thrown it in a ponytail.  Put it up in a headband.  But I have not once thought to plug in any type of hair appliance.

I have not gone to Target.  It almost never happens that I go a month between trips to Target.  I've ordered some on-line necessities, but have not set foot in a Target store.

I have not had anyone other than my immediate family inside my house.  We've had people stop by for short outdoor visits, but no one has ventured inside our house in over a month.

I have not had to take the kids anywhere.  No appointments.  No activities.  No playdates.  No haircuts.  No place at all that my kids have to be.

In the same way, I have not had to take the kids on any errands.  With Zach working from home, all grocery store trips or other errands have been solo excursions.

I have not woken up the kids.  With nowhere to be and nothing on the schedule, there is no need to wake the kids up by any certain time.  Sometimes they are up around 7.  Sometimes they sleep until 9.  It doesn't matter.

I have not cried.  I have laughed.  I have yelled.  I have felt peace.  I have felt sadness.  I have felt frustration.  I have felt love.  I have felt grief.  I have felt relief.   I have experienced all the feels...but I have not cried.

This is a time in life like no other.  There are many things that I have done for the first time, like completed school at home on a daily basis with my kids.  There are many things I am doing more of, like hiking with my family and going on bike rides and playing family games.  And then there are those things that I am not doing. I don't know when life with return to normal.  I don't know if life will return to the normal that we once knew.  I don't know what the next month, 3 months, 6 months will look like.  All I know is that, right now, life is different.  And in this different time, I am just doing the best I can...while wearing my yoga pants and headbands.

Happy Birthday, Zach!

He doesn't ask for much.  All he wanted for his birthday was a new pair of running shoes and the chance to try them out.  Done!

Throw in a coffee cake, a family hike, some homemade gifts from the kids, and a meal of his choice and this guy had one happy birthday.  Zach is our rock.  He is grounded by his faith, loves his family, runs with dedication, and finds the good in all circumstances...even while celebrating his birthday in the midst of the quarantine.

Happy birthday, Zach!

We are so lucky that you belong to us!!

Just Read

When you are stuck at home for days on end...

...just read.

When the weather is too cold or windy to play outside...

...just read.

When you need a little quiet time alone...

...just read.

My kids have filled hours of their quarantine days reading books.  Briggs loves when someone will sit down and read to him, but he is also quite content to look at books on his own.  Adelie has grown as a reader this past month, polishing off at least 3 or 4 chapter books along with all the other picture books she reads for school or to Briggs.  And Staley has been devouring books at an alarming pace.  Most of the longer chapter books she has read take her a few days, while she might polish off a few 100-200 page books within a day.  I hope that the library opens up before we run out of books in the house for her to read.

We have found plenty to keep us busy during our month of quarantine.  We do school.  We play games.  We go outside.  We write letters.  There have been lots of plays and concerts and dance shows and imagination and fun.  But when all else fails...

...we read.

Easter: Quarantine Style

Our Easter is usually a full and busy day.  We typically get up, get dressed in our Easter finery,  take pictures, go to church, enjoy Sunday School and brunch, attend the Easter service, rush home, find Easter baskets, head to Zach's aunt's house for lunch and an Easter egg hunt, head over to my aunt's house for a another Easter egg hunt and dessert, and then come home tired from our full day.  We love the time with family.  We love the scrumptious food.  We love watching the kids' excitement about Easter egg hunts and Easter baskets.  But sometimes the true significance of the day can get lost in the hustle and bustle of the festivities.

Our Easter in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic gave us the opportunity to slow down and really focus on the true meaning of this day.  We slept until the kids woke us up, read the Easter story together as a family, and then the kids got dressed for annual Easter pictures.

Adelie still wanted to wear her Easter dress and do her hair, while the other two opted for a more casual Easter look.

We headed to the basement for the kids to hunt for their Easter baskets.  Their baskets were filled with quarantine essentials.  New books, new games, new underwear, and squirt guns.

Since we have been doing virtual church, Staley often follows along in her Bible during the sermon readings.  Adelie has been sad that she does not have a real Bible as she keeps trying to find the verses in her story book Bible, so she was SO excited about getting her own Bible in her Easter basket.

I love that all 3 of my kids love books and reading so much...and I loved catching them all reading together from their new stash.

After Easter baskets, we headed out into the back yard for an Easter egg hunt.

All 3 kids had a great time hunting for eggs.

I know they enjoy the candy inside, but I truly think most of the joy is just in the search.

Although we couldn't enjoy the day with extended family, Grammie and Grandpa did stop by to watch the kids hunt for eggs and share a little family time with us... from a safe distance.

We then headed inside to attend our virtual church service on the couch as a family.

And then we enjoyed a scrumptious Easter brunch.  Although we couldn't share our table with others, we did deliver some Easter brunch to a few neighbors to share a little Easter cheer.

We then spent the rest of our day playing our new Easter games, napping while the kids read their new Easter books, taking a family walk, and then enjoying a yummy dinner of ham, sweet potatoes, cheesy carrots, fruit, and rolls.

We were not all dressed in our Easter finest.  We did not get to enjoy time with extended family.  We were not able to fellowship with our church family.  But regardless of how we celebrated, our Savior is risen.  And that is something we can celebrate in our sweatshirts and headbands.  That is something we can rejoice in from our couch and around our dinner table.  That is what Easter is truly about.  It may not have been a typical Easter, but it was a wonderous Easter nonetheless.

Rejoice!  Jesus is ALIVE!!

Spring Break: Quarantine Style

The kids have been on spring break from school this past week.   A few months ago we planned a 4 day trip to Chicago to visit museums, eat at fun restaurants, play at cool parks, go to a White Sox game, and explore the city as a family.  Obviously those plans were shelved.  Instead our spring break looked more like this:

Playing outside, riding bikes, going on walks, and putting on plays (complete with face paint, of course.)

While I worked my 2 days, Zach and the kids built these elevated garden beds, filled them with dirt, and planted a garden.

We have still been reading lots of books together and playing lots of family games.  We keep adding to our game repertoire.  Skip-Bo became the new weekly favorite.

We got "egged" by some neighbor friends.  The kids enjoyed hunting for the eggs and then paying it forward by egging another friend.

I don't know what the kids liked better...finding eggs hidden in our yard or sneaking into someone else's yard to hide eggs for them.  Such a fun way to connect with others during this socially distant time.

We cleaned out the garage.  There is nothing I find more attractive than a man with his cleaned out and organized garage shelves.

We attended a "drive-in" communion service at our church on Good Friday.

It wasn't how anyone a few months ago would have thought a Good Friday service would look, but it was nice to at least be with our church family, even if all we could do was wave at each other through our car windows.

The kids got a surprise visit from the Easter Bunny courtesy of NTA (their acting group).  You know it's a theater arts Easter Bunny when they show up with a fully coordinated dance routine.

The kids and I made resurrection rolls while reading the story of Good Friday and Easter.  They enjoyed discovering that their marshmallow Jesus was no longer in the tomb.

We ventured to Farmdale Reservoir to expand our hiking grounds.

The kids enjoyed the more rugged terrain, the teeter-totter bridges, the water crossings, and the new area to explore.

We hiked about 3 miles and all the kids did great!

It might not have been the spring break that we had planned, but it was still a good week.  We were thankful for sunshine, some beautiful days, no school work, and some more fun time together as a family.

Three Weeks In...

Three weeks in, we have settled into a good routine of school, work, life, and fun.  This is what our weeks look like:

We sleep in until about 8:00-8:30, eat breakfast, do devotions, and then start our day of school.  Briggs works at the dining room table.  He has been working on his preschool workbook, writing his name, memorizing his address and phone number, doing alphabet or number activities, sounding out simple words, and watching videos his teacher sends of herself reading stories.  He likes when I do school activities with him, but will also work diligently on his own while I help out the girls.  He usually does about 30 minutes of school each day.

Adelie sets up her workstation in the mudroom.  She has daily worksheets and some digital activities on her school Chromebook.  Her teacher posts a daily book that she reads to the class, which Adelie really enjoys.  Adelie likes to check in with me after each worksheet or activity, and I always check her work for accuracy and thoroughness, but she is getting better about being self-sufficient during her school time.  Adelie also does daily reading and writing activities.  She has been enjoying a few different chapter books and has loved writing pen pal letters to cousins, friends, and to a group of ladies at the local nursing home.

Staley's teacher posts daily assignments on Google classroom.  Staley has a few textbooks and worksheets, but most of her work is done on her Chromebook.  She rarely needs my assistance and is very diligent about getting all her work done.   Staley has also been devouring books in her free time and writing pen pal letters.  She has been writing to friends and cousins and has a group of 2 men at the local nursing home that she writes back and forth with.  

While the girls finish their school, Briggs likes to play and do art projects.

Or help me in the kitchen.

After school and lunch, the kids do quiet rest time (where the girls do their reading and pen pal letter writing activities), and then we head out to enjoy the weather.  We've been going on lots of bike rides, venturing into the realm of riding around town.  Riding to the post office to mail their pen pal letters has been a fun outing.  I still walk along with them, but it's getting harder and harder to keep up.

Another new favorite activity is going on "adventure hikes" at the lower lake park.

The kids love to leave the trail and forge their own paths, climbing up and down ravines and balancing on fallen logs.  Of course, they often make up songs to sing while they are adventuring along.

They call themselves the "adventure kids."

There has also been a fairy garden play (the girls were flower fairies and Briggs was the gnome)...

face painting fun...

the "gift" of a super big box that has brought hours of enjoyment...

sending love out to the community with hearts on our door...

the chance to try out Staley's telescope she got for Christmas to check out the moon...

and a social distancing visit to wish our niece, Olivia, a happy 13th birthday.

We also have plenty of time for reading books, playing games, going on walks, attending virtual church and virtual Kids Connection, family movie nights, lots of play time, and getting jobs done around the house. 

Looking at our April calendar, it appears that we have another month of more of the same.  And you'll hear no complaints from me.