Staying home....indefinitely

It is rare that I blog anymore, life is so busy and while I love to look back at stories of when Liam was my only child to dote upon I just don't have the mental capacity to blog, raise 3 children, work full time, make dinners and train a puppy. But the world has come to a screeching halt these last 2 weeks.

There is a new virus that has become a worldwide pandemic. Starting in China it has slowly made it way to the United States. COVID-19 has changed the way we live. The kids are out of school until May, possibly longer. All non-essential treatment is to be postponed, which means I have been furloughed until the government deems it acceptable for the dental world to go back to normal as well. Evan is working from home as all offices that can work remotely are being asked to do so.

While I have always enjoyed work I also always look forward to my vacation time as well. One would think that being told to stay at home and relax for 6 weeks or longer would be enjoyable. These are unusual times though and not knowing when I can go back to work has been...stressful. Filing for unemployment has been...stressful. Evan working from home while the kids are running around the house screaming at each other has been...stressful.

I am thankful though that we are all healthy. I am thankful that it is April and the weather is becoming more enjoyable which means more time outside. I am thankful that I have the extra time to try to plant a vegetable garden in our new home. I am thankful for my children, who shockingly, have been playing very well together.

A fun find on our walk

 So while there may not be a lot of toilet paper on the shelves at the stores and flour has also become increasingly scarce I am thankful that we are not stuck at home but safe at home.

A hike at Comlara Park

Our new normal consists of the kids hanging out in the morning until "school" begins. Liam currently has use of the dining room table and Caroline has her own desk in the living room. I have Lucy set up on the piano bench but she doesn't sit still for long. The teachers have sent home 'Choice Boards' for the week. The kids get to choose an activity in each subject to complete for each day. Sometimes for Liam it is writing a persuasive essay on why an Iguana would be a great pet and for Caroline it is writing her letters in both Upper and Lowercase. For math Caroline needs to count as high as she can go by herself and then write that number down on her piece of paper. Liam will sometimes play a math game on the computer or I will try to finish teaching him his multiplication tables. Caroline's school time is 30-60 minutes long with my attention 100%. Liam's school time is no longer than 2 hours. Some of the things he can do on his own but most of it requires help from me.

Once school is over I can finally take a shower, the kids eat their lunch and then Lucy goes down for her nap. The two older kids have been either having their quiet time or playing together. Today we went on a bigs only walk with Mom.

With our first week of remote learning we have learned a few things. The most crucial, in my opinion, is that the kitchen is closed between 8:30-11:30 and 12-3. These kids want to eat all of the time!

In all seriousness, while I would prefer for them both to be working at the same time it is not possible. Liam is requesting for me to sit next to him while he completes his work with my undivided attention (there is no way this is happening in his real classroom). I would prefer for us to do our learning in the morning so our afternoons are filled with playtime outside. Liam seems to do better with lots of breaks between his 'choices' therefore his school is taking up most of the day. I know we will find our groove. I am trying to remember to give myself and the kids grace in uncharted waters.

We are trying to find the fun in learning. Yesterday, Caroline and I went on an ABC scavenger hunt around the house. Liam and I made cookies where fractions and math were the main focus. The kids have been extremely helpful in planting our vegetable garden. They wanted to try carrots and sugar snap peas from seed.  I am interested in lettuce, broccoli, red bell peppers and eggplant. We have little knowledge but are enthusiastic!

I is for Ice Cream

Chopping up Oreos and Cookies to put IN his cookie dough

     

Archie

After Butters passed away in May we missed our dog greatly. We missed her on the couch sleeping, under the table sleeping, trying to steal the kids food and trying to trick us into serving her second breakfast. There were some nice things about not having a pet anymore such as going on vacation or going on short weekend trips to Chicago without worry of who would take care of her. The absence of dog hair was a nice feature as well but the kids missed having a pet. I missed having a pet. Evan could have waited another four years (he says) but it was time to add another family member to our group.

And so our search began in early December of finding the right kind of dog to have in our family. We both wanted a dog who did not shed. Evan was insistent on another medium to large dog. We decided on a goldendoodle and the breeder was in El Paso which is a short 25 minute drive from our house. We went out to meet some puppies one Saturday and fell in love with a shy (at first) puppy who we thought would be a great match for us.

6 weeks old

10 weeks old

 He was set to go home a week and a half before Christmas but we thought it would be a great Christmas present for the kids if we surprised them with the dog on Christmas. Especially since we had to travel quite a bit to Canton, Eureka and then back home which with a new puppy would have been highly stressful.

The day after Christmas we had one last present for the kids to open with some dog toys, treats and a collar. The kids were ecstatic when they figured it out and even more so when they found out they were getting the dog that day.

Evan and I had meant to decide on the dogs name prior to the kids opening the present (to reduce fighting) but we couldn't decide between our options so we all piled in the car and told the kids our thoughts. Murphy, Rudolph, Ralphie and Archie were our top 4 names. And while Caroline had a good idea about naming him Max (Grinch's dog) we all ended up deciding that Archie was a wonderful name.

The kids were so excited to meet him and he was very interested in them as well. He wasn't as shy as he was the first time we had met.

It's now been 6 weeks since we brought him home. While he is exhausting, due to his never ending puppy energy and rambunctious, he is also very smart.

It took 2-3 weeks to house train him. He knows sit, shake, stay, drop it and is working on down. He walks well on his leash staying right by our side (mostly) and enjoys running short distances with Evan. I have not signed him up for any obedience training at this time. The kids are so busy and I truly feel that I remember most of what Butters and I learned 10 years ago.

He really loves the kids but his nipping at them is still a work in progress. At 5 months old we think he has now lost all of his baby teeth so the nipping is almost nonexistent.

It will be a long year or so of training him but we think he's going to be an amazing dog and love him so much already.

First road trip to Canton

5 months old-35 lbs

Liam at 9 years old

Here is my long overdue post about who Liam is at the age of 9. It will be long and is more for us to document our boy at this time in his life. (And apparently I never did one when he turned 8, massive fail on my part)

Liam is currently 4 feet 3.5 inches tall.

He made these cookies with minimal help
'Me Want Cookies' Cookie Monster inspired

Liam is a very active boy who enjoys sports. He has always been excited about baseball but this past year was able to spend his summer on the same team as his best friend. While we do not have live TV (the White Sox weren't good enough for us to sign up for Comcast this year, ha!), we did get a satellite so Liam and Evan were able to watch the post season including the World Series. Liam was rooting for the Houston Astros, mainly because that was his summer team that he played on, and Evan promised to wake him up in the last inning of the final game so he could fully experience the series. It took some time for his sleeping brain to fully wake up but once he did he was appreciative that Dad kept his promise.

Liam played winter basketball again this past year. He improved on some of his skills from the year before and even though he complained that they never won a game it was still a good experience for him. He learned some good defense skills and even made a few baskets.

If there is one subject in school that Liam thoroughly enjoys it is reading. He enjoys many of these series; Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Dog Man, Captain Underpants, I survived.. but also enjoys going to the library and finding a fiction book as well.

He also enjoys writing and in his third grade class has had more writing projects that have him using Google Classroom. I think he enjoys being on the computer and making the graphics to go along with his project.

Learning how to play baseball cards with Dad

While starting a new school at first was a bit nerve wracking for Liam he has excelled and fit in very well in his classroom. He has many friends including Luke, Andrew and Evan. He enjoys his teacher, Mrs. Williams and Mr. Meyers the music teacher.

Liam is still continuing piano lessons with his teacher Mrs. Close. We drive back to our old neighborhood once a week for a 30 minute lesson. He tells us that he doesn't like piano but as his skills are growing there are many times that he will voluntarily sit down to play one of his favorite pieces from a lesson or a new song that Grandma Fink has sent to him. He is excellent at sight reading and many times Mrs. Close will ask him if he has already played the next song since he has played it so well the first time. We are still working on rhythm and the note names but overall he is doing very well.

He enjoys riding his bike and we now allow him to bike around the block on his own. (which mainly started on walks together but then turned into him going way ahead of us and making it home before we could catch up)

Learning how to play Othello with Mom

Liam prefers sweat pants and a T-shirt to wear to school. He will occasionally wear jeans but its usually only if he has no other option.

His favorite TV show is Teen Titans Go and Lego Masters. When he is allowed he enjoys playing Roblox on the computer. His favorite movies are Jurassic World, Spider-Man Far From Home and Monsters Inc.

Liam is very responsible and a rule follower. He will help get things for his little sisters if asked to and can now get himself entirely ready in the morning without Evan or I reminding him to do things. He enjoys playing with Archie and will do training with him as well. He does get frustrated easily as training a puppy can be difficult at times but we think this is a great skill for him to learn.

Liam will sometimes play with his sisters but has a harder time being flexible with that playtime. He enjoys fighting with Caroline the most and enjoys making her mad. He likes rough housing with both Caroline and Lucy.

Liam does not go to AWANA anymore but he does participate in our church's youth group which meets monthly. He still remembers many of his Sparks verses though as I try to teach them to Caroline he will chime in with the rest by memory. He also goes to ROCK choir at our church.

We really enjoy watching him grow up into a very funny, still cuddly, thoughtful boy. He makes our hearts beam with pride.

Interview with a 9 year old

Favorite color: Blue
Favorite food: Mac and Cheese
Favorite restaurant: Monicals
Favorite dessert: Chocolate Chip Cookies
Favorite toy: Legos
Favorite stuffed animal: Bear
Favorite game: Hotels
Favorite sport: Baseball
Favorite book: Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Favorite animal: Shark
Favorite movie: Jurassic World
Favorite thing to do at home: Play video games
Favorite thing to do at school: Play outside for recess
Favorite place to go on vacation: Wisconsin with the waterpark
Favorite activity to do in town: SkyZone
Favorite TV show: Teen Titans Go
Favorite superhero: Spiderman
Favorite Disney character: Mike Wazowski - Monsters Inc.
Favorite thing to do with Lucy: Chase her
Favorite thing to do with Caroline: Torture her and make her scream
Favorite thing to do with Mom: Play games
Favorite thing to do with Dad: Go to movies

What can you do now that you're 9? Stay up later (not gonna happen)
What are you scared of? pitch black dark
What are you good at? Baseball, sports. Reading.
What is the best thing about you? I'm strong so I can hit in baseball.  I'm funny.
Who is your best friend? Evan, Luke, Andrew and Jonathan
What do you want to be when you grow up? A famous baseball player

Lucy at 3

This is my long overdue post about who Lucy is at the age of 3. It is long and is for us to look back and remember our girl.

Lucy at the age of 3 is still our most social and outgoing girl. She loves to say hello to people in the store and before leaving daycare will very loudly say goodbye to all of her friends. The "terrible twos" never really happened for Lucy but we are beginning to have some outbursts now that we have crossed into the "threenagers". I sometimes get "UH! MOOOMMM!" and "NOT FAIR!"

 We like to watch Daniel Tiger especially since he has lots of fun songs to sing about good ways to calm yourself down. Lucy's other favorite shows are The Incredibles 2, Elsa from Frozen and most recently Scooby-Doo.

It is hard to say what Lucy enjoys eating the most. Macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese and peanut butter sandwiches are still at the top of the list but most meals involve her not eating most of her food. It takes a very long time for her to finish a meal. Sometimes breakfast can take over 2 hours if I leave it out on the counter.

Lucy loves to wear fancy dresses or her princess dresses. If she had her way she would wear her Elsa nightgown, her Belle dress and her Moana nightgown. Since most days we have to leave the house and for ease of potty training we put her in pants and a shirt. Dresses are really hard to hold up by yourself when you're only 3.

We began potty training with Lucy around September of 2019. In the house, for the most part, she was golden. During church, errands or daycare we were not so lucky. To be honest, I gave up trying. If we left the house she would be in a diaper (I'm pretty sure that was not the case with the other two). Sometimes in mid-December it finally clicked. It is rare now that we have accidents with her.

Lucy still loves to sing and loudly at that. She loves to sing Elsa songs both 'Into the Unknown' and 'Let it Go'. She enjoys listening to Caroline's Frozen II soundtrack in their room. Her favorite toys are her princess figurines and also her stuffed animals. She also likes to "read" to her stuffed animals. She loves playing in our bathroom in the master tub. She is pretty content to play by herself but loves it when her siblings are home to play with. She enjoys baking with me and always pulls up a chair to help.

Lucy still naps for about an hour and a half every day. There is the occasional day where that doesn't happen but the next day she is a bear so at this point it is still needed. She does have a hard time falling asleep at night though so naptime may not last too much longer.

Lucy knows all of her colors and can count up to 14 without help. She is 37 1/4 inches tall bypassing both of her sibling by over an inch at the same age. I still have yet to take her to her wellness exam so not sure on her weight.

Lucy loves to make her family laugh and has the most silly, expressive faces to accomplish this task. She is a great little girl and I can't wait to watch her grow up.

Caroline at 5 years old

This is my long overdue post about Caroline and who she is at age 5. It is mainly for us to look back on and remember all the things that make her who she is.

Caroline at 5 years old is 3 feet 5 inches tall and weighs 34 pounds. She wears 5T shirts and 5T pants that she just got tall enough for this past fall. She likes to wear a mix of dresses and pants/shirts for school.

Eating her birthday breakfast crepe in bed

Caroline started kindergarten this past fall at our new school. She is doing great and working very hard to always be a good listener. Her teacher told us that while she was very quiet the first month she is now starting to share more and has opened up during class time. Caroline knows all of her first 25 sight words, all of her upper and lower case letters but apparently is still struggling with counting. Her teacher told us she could only count to 12 by herself and with no prompting (in October). We have been working with her very hard so that she can feel more confidant in the "tricky teens."

Caroline took swim lessons twice a week in the summer and loved every minute of it. She has always been our water baby. She moved to Sparks in AWANA and enjoys that as well. She keeps asking me to do dance so we may try to sign her up for that next to see if she would be interested in that as well.

Caroline is stubborn, feisty and can be dramatic at times. We were working on a phonics book the other day and after we finished reading it she said, "I will NEVER do that again!" She recently got her flu shot and despite bribery of getting ice cream after she still screamed at the top of her lungs and kicked the nurse. *She did not get ice cream afterwards.*

She still loves to play with her Calico Critters or any little figurine. Her newest game that she enjoys is taking all of her stuffed animals and putting bows in their hair. *she won't wear them in her hair so its good that they are getting used* There are many times that she likes to play by herself but she will also play with her siblings as well.

Caroline loves art time. She usually has paper and markers in her hand and is very good at drawing. In August we went to Chicago for a couple of days with Aunt Adriane and spent the morning at the Art Institute. They have a great kid area and she loved doing all of the crafts that they had set up there.

Caroline will watch TV if it's on but likes to play with her toys more. She likes to watch Barbie, Spirit, Tru and Frozen.

Caroline is a good big sister to Lucy. She will include her in play most of the time but she is beginning to be a bit more territorial with her things. She is trying to figure out how to be a good little sister to Liam. She doesn't have to do much to get on his nerves. Sometimes that is on purpose and she uses it to her advantage to annoy him and get him into trouble. Other times she is trying very hard to get him to laugh at her and its a bit of hit and miss. She is beginning to be really goofy to try to get people to laugh at her. She is extremely imaginative with her play which is lots of fun to hear.

She is a good sleeper going to bed between 8-8:45 and waking up on school days by 6:45ish. She is our slow riser and it takes a lot for her to get of bed in the morning. Sometimes she sleeps in on the weekend until 7:30.

Caroline is a good eater most of the time. She enjoys trying new things such as Brussel sprouts. Her favorite meal is cheese tortellini with sauce and also Spaghetti with Pesto meatballs.

She still thinks that she wants a cat as a pet. Now with Butters gone she is always asking when can we get another dog to replace her.

We love any time we get to spend one on one time with Caroline. It's been so fun to watch her personality develop into a kind, loving, creative little girl.

And so it begins

Earlier this week at our family dinner Liam had some news.
L: "Mom, guess what Caroline did today at the after school program!"
M: "What?"
C: starting to smirk
L: "She held hands with this boy!"
M: "What!"
L: "Yeah, I think they were planning it on the bus. And he said he already has another girlfriend at school! He's in first grade!"
C: still smirking
M: "Caroline, doesn't your school have a no hands policy???"
E: "Why are you getting upset by this?"
C: "We held hands the whole time. And he says we are going to get married."

Once dinner was over Evan and I had this conversation in the kitchen
E: "It's really not a big deal."
M: "Yes it is! How are you not worried about this!"
E: "Why are you worried?"
M: "Because she has no understanding of what is appropriate and what is not! He could tell her that they should start kissing and she would totally do it!"

Despite our many attempts to rein her in Caroline has a reputation in this house of continually not understanding what is appropriate. An example; pulling her pants down and mooning people to get a laugh. There may or may not have been guests present while that happened. She has no filter yet.

The next morning while brushing teeth before school:
M: "Caroline, I suppose if you want to hold hands with this boy that's ok but if he suggest that you should kiss each other then you say, No thank you! Kissing is for mommies and daddies only!"
C: "But we're going to kiss."
M: "What?!? No. You say NO THANK YOU!"
C: "He said we're going to get married. So I'll have to kiss him when we get married!"
M: "Yeah, ok when you're 26! Sure. NOT ANYTIME BEFORE THEN. (under my breath) Not sure what he's telling the other girlfriend at school but sure."