Day 379-380: A Perfect Spring Break Day

Yesterday was the absolute perfect spring break day. We surprised the kids with a trip to the zoo, but the major surprise was Brad took the day off, too:

We are really loving the zoo in these Covid times. They are limiting capacity, so everything is less crowded and so much quieter. It means the animals are coming a little close to the front, and we got to see some really cool animal encounters yesterday. We saw the elk released on their habitat, and watching them run and graze so close to us was amazing. We also saw one of the red wolves with a huge joint:

I didn't take a ton of pictures, but the giraffe and ostrich were just too perfect:

Issa loved the ostrich and needed her picture taken with her:

Dad wanted to match the pose:

And I insisted on the team shot:

When we got home, the kids set up the new inflatable pool that was Monday's surprise:

We had looked for one all season last year, but there were none to be had. I snagged this one as soon as I saw it! The decided to try each other's "thing." The dancers:

And the ninjas:

With dinner, we watched Secrets of the Zoo, which was filmed at our zoo. It is so cool to see a place you love behind the scenes, and one of our favorite zoo guides is the narrator!

Before bed, we all finished our D&D characters for a game we plan to start this weekend:

 

It truly was a perfect day. We all laughed so hard, and it was just lovely to enjoy the nice weather and slow down a bit.

Day 377-378: A Truly Fabulous Weekend

We had a truly fabulous weekend! Friday night, Brad and I got a date night, which is always lovely. We livestreamed a Wardruna concert, which was amazing, and we did a little shopping at Wegman's and Bed, Bath, and Beyond. We are loving our new comforter:

Saturday, we went to Mom's. We girls ripped all of the bushes out of her front flower bed while the boys built the patio furniture.  We also took a break in the middle to color eggs:

I love that the kids still have fun doing eggs:

And the patio is really coming together:

We just have to hand lights and plant a few more pots:

Yesterday, we went back over to finished decorating eggs. This will be the picture that wins Easter:

Brad has fallen in love with Easter egg engineering:

And we all love some good process pictures:

Aunt Shannon made a peacock egg this year:

Issa has a party in an egg:

Evan made a car egg:

This is my stEGGosaurus:

 

Inspired by the winner, T-REGGs:

The kids have spring break this week, as do my student teachers, so we are all looking forward to a quiet week ending with an Easter celebration. It doesn't get much better than that!

Day 376: Dance Pictures

One of the silver linings of Covid is we get all of the dance competition videos and pictures! 

Tap pictures are never fabulous, but we got a couple of good ones:

The jazz ones were much better:

Issa is the one kicking on the left:

And we had lots of good musical theatre pictures:

Issa wasn't in love with any of them, but I think they are pretty good! Two more competitions in the season!
 

Day 375: Puppy Snuggles

One of the benefits of virtual school is the slower starts in the morning. We are not rushing to a carpool line, and if the kids aren't hungry when they wake up they can wait until the first break for breakfast. I'm actually going to miss these unhurried mornings next year, but I won't miss them nearly as much as the pups:

 Almost every morning Evan has a snuggle session with them, and they don't mind one bit.

Day 374: It Worked

The kids are each still taking one night a week to make dinner. Issa is now completely independent, which is really lovely. Last night, she made one of her favorites, jambalaya, and she used a new technique for chopping onions:

The goggles actually worked! She didn't get teary, which made her very happy. And we now have a pair of goggles in our utensil drawer--like you do.
 

Day 373: I Did It!

I did it:

 I have been using Duolingo to learn Italian since I started leading study abroad programs. I've been on a streak for over a year now, and last week I finished first in the top league. It's a little thing, but I'm proud of it.

I'm getting more fluent, and I've even started to dream a bit in Italian, which is funny. I'm looking forward to being abroad again in Summer 2022, and I'm hoping to be able to have conversations with adults next time and not just kiddos!

Day 371-372: A Fabulous Weekend

We had a really fantastic weekend!

Saturday, Issa had her third dance competition. We were in High Point this time, and we had to be there at 7:30 am. It's been a minute since we had that early of a start, but we made it:

Issa and her team danced so well, and we are anxiously awaiting the competition's pictures. We came home and crashed, but it was really nice to be able to be home by lunch!

Sunday, I managed to finish my first full-hour flow yoga practice since my ankle injury! I'm slowly rebuilding strength, and this was a huge milestone. I spent the rest of the morning spreading mulch on our front flower beds. A neighbor had ordered too much and just needed it gone by Sunday afternoon, and we were thrilled to help. I was about to order some mulch, so this saved us some time and money--bonus!

We spent most of Sunday at Mom's house working on her outdoor spaces. The boys built the pergola with just a little help when it came time to actually connect all four sides:

We girls made another Home Depot run for stone, potting soil, and the first plants! We were so excited to actually get something in the pots:

The stone is finished aside from topping off some thin spots, and all of Nan's herbs are planted:

 Next weekend, we hope to build the patio furniture and start ripping our the front flower bed so we can plants her perennial garden!

After a rough week, we are so grateful for a fabulous weekend filled with fresh air and sunshine. This is the kids' last week of school before break, and we are so ready!

Day 370: Some Crazy Weather

 We are coming off of some crazy weather this morning. For the past couple of days, we have been getting ready for a strong line of spring storms. By yesterday, though, it looked like the storms had fizzled and we would see nothing. Issa headed to dance, and the boys headed to the dojo.

Then the storms hit. We got word that the dancers were taking shelter; the boys were out of the path. The dogs and I took up residence in the closet. Here is the deal. I don't like storms when my people are scattered across the county. Thankfully, it passed quickly and there was no real damage in our area. The boys made it home in the rain, and the girls had a great time chatting while they sat in the hallways. 

This morning, it is raining and super windy, but that is supposed to clear out by noon. We are looking forward to a busy weekend ending with some yardwork at Nana's, and we are hoping that was our only big spring storm this year.

Day 369: We Have Finally Done It

After years for trying recipes and fussing, we have finally done it:

 A gluten-free pie crust that you can actually roll out, pick up, and shape in a pie plate. It's a miracle.

Day 368: A Little Lucky Magic

We are big fans of St. Patrick's Day around here. Brad proposed on St. Patrick's, and we love any excuse for a little magic--especially this week.

This morning, Buddy appeared with pots of gold for the kids:

They were filled with Ferrero Rocher, and both kids were thrilled.

The leprechauns also came! We think the hopped in the upstairs window to start a trail of sparkling shamrocks:

They ran all the way through the house:

And ended with some Lucky Charms:

 

I have beef stew in the Instapot, complete with every root vegetable known to man, including a rutabaga. This afternoon, I'll make soda bread, and we have a virtual ticket to a Flogging Molly concert tonight. 

May the Luck of the Irish be with all of us...

Day 367: Goodbye Sweet Friend

We said goodbye to our sweet Frosty last night:

She spent most of the day sleeping, but she would move to be closer to us throughout the day, and we all took turns snuggling and saying our goodbyes:

When Issa came home from dance, we cast her pawprint in plaster. We have casts of Viv, Nuzzle, and Tumbler, and Issa wanted to be sure we added Frosty even though she was passing at home. When we finished, she snuggled Issa with her signature head boops and kisses, and then she settled into the bathroom. 

Brad and I knew we were nearing the end, and when we checked on her just a few minutes later she was gone. She truly just passed in her sleep, and we are so grateful for such a peaceful end. 

We buried her outside her favorite window, and we are really missing our giant Potato this morning. We are so grateful for the years of snuggles and head boops, though, and we are glad we could give her a graceful exit.