It’s strange to be blocking time like this. Sometimes it makes me so sad. The things the kids are missing out on or will potentially miss out on for the foreseeable future. I hate that part. Week 8:

Butterfly release: 🦋but the cutest thing happened. Cole had this one butterfly with a broken wing that wouldn’t leave Cole. For days, he could put that thing on his shoulder and it would just stay there. He would play outside or do his work inside and that butterfly would just stay. Cole kept him in his butterfly house and fed him and he made it til just a day ago. I don’t know how long butterflies live for but that one had a life like no other.

New recipes: 🥬 lettuce wraps. Nana sent Cole a kid cooking subscription called Raddish Kids. This one was from there. It was good and on our menu for this week coming up. We did homemade pizzas too. I don’t really care fir them but the kids love the whole thing.

Dinner in the park: 🌿 we met Grandma and Grandpa in a park in Sayville after we did a grocery pick-up there. It’s so weird to do a dinner like that but sit separately and all but it’s still a visit. And flowers finally making it seem like spring time 🌸🌸

Movies: 🎟 though not completely out of the loop, Santa Clause has taken a back burner to Jumanji and The Wizard of Oz.

Haircuts: 💇🏼‍♂️ I.cut.Cole’s hair. Shea says he doesn’t want his cut. Let’s just say I texted our barber halfway through to give him the proper respect due for a job never considered so difficult before.

Games: 🎲 puzzles up the …. mixed with dominoes, coloring , scavenger hunts, matching games… lots of them though most get only the full 6 minutes of real attention they deserve.

Outside time: 🌈 Shea is very obsessed with the play cars. He has gotten really good driving these things! And bike rides. And walks. So many walks. And now that it’s warm… water balloons and sprinklers. They ask every day. Even when it’s raining 🎈

Naps: 💤 an appreciated and needed time to get my school work done. Thankful he still likes them too.

Collins has shifted here “full-time” after quarantining mostly in EH because of his early trips to the school to continue doing school work, his assistance distributing food through a food kitchen, and things like that. So now we’re trying to reestablish this whole thing working another person’s work schedule and all in. It’s such a funny thing to see the “work” behaviors after not knowing that aspect in its entirety.

And a dog. It’s been a week. So far so good!! She just hates when anyone leaves her eyesight. Potential issue there but hoping it’s just a one- week-in puppy thing.

I know people are getting tired of the scene. It’s so difficult. I am so thankful for the uninterrupted time with my kids though. Wishing, of course, it wasn’t for the reason it is but loving the silver lining we have. 🤍🤍