Oh Covid-19, you ole bugger.  How we abhor you.  How we wish you would GO AWAY AND NEVER EVER RETURN.

(Don’t worry…this was a doc visit for a “normal” malady)

But until then, we will carry on.  With all the FEELS…the ups and the downs…the laughs and the tears.  And armed with hope and gratitude for the abundance of God’s goodness around us. 

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
― Romans 8:28

We are thankful for…

Outdoor Family Fun

Hikes

This was just before the lockdown began…Occoneechee Mountain with cousins

Neighborhood Birthday Serenades

In costume…incognito…in crazy-land-o!

And yes, a pink tutu may have become part of my daily wardrobe.  Plus yoga pants…cause nobody’s got time for real waistbands these days!

Thinkin’ Time (a.k.a. School)

My Poor Little Chumps didn’t get a break…seeing as though we are already Crazy Homeschoolers.

Reading, reading, and more READING!

With many clutch “book assists” from awesome neighbors and grandparents!  We are counting down the days until the library re-opens.

Hey, that’s ordinal numbers!  MATH class – check!

(Though seeing as though there isn’t a planned opening date yet, I guess we’re really talking about algebra here, and the quest for the unknown variable.  Err…Verification?  Victory?  Vaccination?!?!?)

(Awkwardly) Socially Distant Playdates with Neighbors

Connection, connection, connection.  How we all need connection!  And fellowship!

Family Time GALORE

…And cuddles, and hugs, and awkward hair-cuts, and play, and forts, and bickering, and screams, and fights, and apologies, and talks about feelings, and reconciliations, and cuddles, and hugs…

“Free tikl
Free Bear Hug”

“Free Ressle”

And SUSTENANCE

Jogs + Cookies + Drinks = Mama Sanity

Our journey ahead feels long.  The path seems unclear.  But we’ll make it.  Grey-hairs, coo-coo brains, cuddles, math problems, margaritas and all.

“You have listened to fears, Child,’ said Aslan. ‘Come, let me breathe on you. Forget them. Are you brave again?”
― C.S. Lewis, Prince Caspian

“Push gaily on, strong heart! The while
You travel forward mile by mile,
He loiters with a backward smile
Till you can overtake,
And strains his eyes to search his wake,
Or whistling, as he sees you through the brake,
Waits on a stile.”
― Robert Louis Stevenson, Consolation

“I know that the experiences of our lives, when we let God use them, become the mysterious and perfect preparation for the work. He will give us to do.”
― Corrie ten Boom, The Hiding Place