Finding Four Leaf Clovers in April

April is usually a very busy month at our house, with two birthdays and usually Easter worked in to the month as well.  This year, our stressors were different.  April was still busy, but instead of trying to fit the prep and celebration of three different holidays into our usually full schedule, our schedule was wide open but the prep and planning was a bit stressful.  Stores were out of lot of items on our list, and the shipping for online orders were delayed.  We wanted our kids to still have a nice holiday, and I never realized before how much of that was dependent on the ingredients we buy from the grocery store and the thoughtful gifts we intentionally buy in the stores and online.  Flexibility and setting expectations for our kids went a long way, and I am happy to say that all three holidays this past month went well, despite the above mentioned stressors.  I hope I will never take for granted again the ability to buy what I want and need, when I want and need it.

The first holiday we celebrated this past month was Easter.  Thankfully, our chickens supplied the eggs for our annual Easter egg dying, and we had food coloring already in our cupboards.  

The week before Easter I went grocery shopping for the first time in a month.  Lots of substitutions were made for the items on my list including flour, chocolate chips, and cinnamon rolls.  We still ate delicious food though, and I'd say the kids were still spoiled too.  The interesting thing was we made do with less, but still spent more, thanks to the higher prices on everything.

COVID didn't stop our annual Easter egg hunt, and the kids were excited that this year they didn't have to wait until after church to hunt for their eggs!

It was a little odd to not see family on Easter while being healthy, as that is the only reason we have ever missed celebrating with family in the past.  I have to say that it was a very quiet and relaxing day that went at a pace slow enough to savor.  I'm not sure how to take this bonus into the future, as we missed our family, however it definitely was nice to have a holiday that allowed time to savor it, especially at the point in our lives right now with young kids.

Two days after Easter was Emma's ninth birthday.  

Emma is usually our hardest kid to shop for, and add in COVID onto that, and it was almost impossible to find gifts that we thought she would really love.  We did though, and it was so great to see her surprise when she opened her presents.  Highlights included a giant Lego set she thought was out of our budget, Craftsman tools, books, a book light, Calico Critters, and straps that help you climb trees - think rock climbing wall on a tree trunk.

We ended up having to go to the Chiropractor on her birthday, due to Emma spraining her ankle the day before.  This was our first venture out as a family since Quarantine, and so Emma was excited to be leaving the house, even if it was for a hurting ankle.  We also enjoyed a birthday parade of friends, complete with homemade cards, signs, and even a birthday song blaring from our friend's phone, complete with Emma's name in it.

Emma wanted to have a mint chocolate chip ice cream cake roll for her birthday, and although I never made one before, it turned out delicious, if lacking in beauty and style.  

It is hard to believe that Emma is nine now, and it has been a privilege and a pleasure to watch her grow into her personality and God-given talents.  Emma looks so much like me when I was her age it is almost uncanny.  But although she resembles me on the outside, she is all her on the inside, and I love her spunky, sparkly, humorous, sweet and smart personality.  It is amazing to see her knack of figuring out how things work and how they are made, and how she can fix or build anything she sets her mind to.  She has a flair for writing poetry, especially limericks, and she loves to invent things.

After Emma's ninth birthday was Lucy's eleventh birthday.  Lucy, the girl who came bounding into our lives after Will and I experienced such great sadness.  Lucy is intuitive and always available to lend a hand and anticipate what family members need.  I am at the point now that if I am not here, I know that Lucy will take care of it - just as good, if not better, than I would have.  What a blessing her thoughtfulness, caring, and intelligence is to us, not to mention the delight we have when we see her creativity.  She has a knack for creating beauty wherever she goes, and I rely on her artistic eye whenever I am creating things.

Some of the highlights of Lucy's gifts include a Lego set, the Frozen 2 soundtrack, film refills for her Polaroid camera, a portable stereo, a book light, a Family tree book of famous people in history as she loves history, and, glory of all glories, a new to her Nikon camera!  She was beyond excited to receive this "real" camera, and we are so grateful to our Uncle Fred for making it a reality for us.  He is excited to share his love of photography with Lucy, and she cannot wait until quarantine is over to share the hobby with him.

As Will and I were wrapping her presents the night before, it occurred to us that besides the Legos, the rest of her presents were beginning to be very grown up, and we shared a moment of emotion at how fast our girls are growing up.  Here Lucy is below picking the rhubarb from our garden for her birthday dessert - strawberry rhubarb cobbler.  Lucy tended and cared for the rhubarb for weeks prior to her birthday, to ensure that the plants were ready in time for her birthday.  Her extra watering and love paid off, as the rhubarb was perfect.

Eleven years of being parents on earth has been the ride of a lifetime, and God Bless Lucy for being the child for us to learn how to parent on!  She has graciously accepted many an apology as Will and I figure out this gig.

It wasn't all parties this past month.  We continued to tackle a To Do list, and as I write this blog post, I'm happy to report that our To Do list has never been so checked off.  Thanks, COVID Stay at Home orders!  The photos below show us starting the seeds in our garden, as well as Will building necklace holders for the girls' closet.  The bottom, left hand photos below are of our first patch of violets for the season, and Will trading out our espalier apple trees on the west side of our garage for raspberries transplanted from our garden.  We moved the apple trees to the east side of our garage, and hopefully they do better there with more sunlight.  

Some days in April were warm, and spring-like while others were as cold as winter.  We took full advantage of all warm days.  Below the girls are painting in the backyard - they waited all winter to do this!

Lots of bubble blowing, chalk art, flower picking, and even the discovery of an empty robin's egg happened this past month.  Who knew chalk would be on backorder until June.  As I type this, it should be arriving any day, which is great timing as our normally abundant supply of sidewalk chalk is down to nibs and nubs.

We took walks every single day and really enjoyed watching the subtle changes of spring unfold before our eyes.  We saw a string of baby ducks swimming down the river, threw rocks into the water, and even learned that our favorite hiking trail on our street has a coyote den.  I'm glad that the city is allowing the coyotes to stay, and that they are instead educating the neighborhood on keeping pets and small children safe.  A coyote in the environment is a sign of a healthy and strong ecosystem!

 Of course, it does make me worry about Charlie.  In the below photos from top left: Opal trying to give Charlie a hug through the window, Charlie snuggling me outside, Charlie playing with Violet's flip flop through the kid's soccer net, Charlie snuggling Will, and finally, Charlie drinking water out of one of the kid's buckets.  When I found him like that, I thought his head was stuck, but I was disappointed to find out it wasn't.  Drinking water out of a bucket isn't nearly as exciting as getting your head stuck.  #quarntinelife

Violet's flip flops have fake diamonds on them, and the way they catch the light intrigues Charlie.  It annoys Violet to no end, as Charlie bats at her feet whenever she wears them.

Our bees arrived this past month, earlier than they ever have in the seven years we have been keeping bees.  I hope to never have them come this early again if I can help it, as they were super hungry and as a result, were harassing us.  Honey bees are not aggressive by nature, but because there wasn't enough plants in bloom yet, they were desperately trying to find nutrients.  Lucy had her calico bonnet on, and literally had a bee stuck in her bonnet.  We laughed about it afterwards, but it was a freak out show before the bee fortunately flew away with neither girl nor bee being harmed in the process.  We put the kids to work on stocking product for the business, and we experienced a great surge in online business for our signs and other products that we sell.  We aren't sure if it was a combination of Etsy's latest business tools being rolled out to support it's members, stimulus checks, or the fact that it is spring and people around the world are stuck at home with their yards getting more attention than usual.  Either way, it was almost a full time job for Will and I to keep up with the shipping demands!  I am grateful for this added income, as all of my shows and classes have had to be canceled for the season due to COVID.

We did lots of homemaking this past month.  In the photos from top left in clockwise order below: a stack of the girls leggings with holes in the knees that I cut and hemmed into shorts, a delicious Instant Pot roast with homemade gravy and mashed potatoes - comfort food at it's finest, Violet helping me bake a low-flour dessert - oatmeal bars, another Instant Pot comfort food meal - this time of roast chicken and homemade stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy and corn, and finally, more low-flour baking of a breakfast casserole we call pear pie, and actual apple pie with a crumb topping.

Cooking, sewing, baking, reading, puzzles, Legos... this is how we passed the time this past month on quarantine.  If we could have put the stressors of COVID out of our minds, it would have been such a cozy month.  The fear of procuring food, medical care, worrying about our loved ones, dealing with the learning curve that is classes on Zoom, and wondering how this will all impact our finances were heavy, and at one point I just had to stop watching the news.

We have insulated the kids from most of the COVID unknowns, and I hope that they remember this unique time in history as one of family togetherness and comfort.  Here they are below in clockwise order from top left: I came downstairs one day from putting Opal down for a nap to see the three oldest girls enjoying a self-made indoor picnic, Lucy and Emma entertaining Opal while I helped Violet with school, Emma, Violet and Opal dancing to music in dress up clothes, the girls playing with playdoh, and finally, Violet dressed up as Elsa, cracking me up by pretending that a doily a friend of ours crocheted was ice crystals.

At this point we aren't sure how our annual June dance recital is going to play out because of COVID, but I still made the decorations for Lucy and Emma's dance class.  It was a fun project, and my hope now is that we get to use them sooner rather than later.

Lucy discovered a bin of old clothes that I had saved that were too torn or faded to donate, but had too many memories for me to throw out.  She proceeded to make clothes for hers and her sisters' American Girl dolls.  I really enjoyed watching the creativity unfold, as well as knowing that these worn out clothes were getting a new lease on life.

 Will did a quasi-Zoom meeting with the girls for Take Your Kids to work day this past month.  I'm not sure how Big Bird logged in - probably something that Will needs to adjust on his privacy settings.

 Will has been experimenting with his facial hair styles, since he doesn't have any face to face interactions with parents these days at his job.  His coworkers have gotten a kick out of his facial hair though, and when Zoom is all you have, sometimes that's all you need.  The photo of Lucy above is a quarantine bonus - we usually get our movies and shows to watch from our library.  Since the library has been closed since March, we are out of new and interesting things to watch.  Lucy dropped something behind the couch the other day, and when she moved the couch to retrieve her dropped item, she discovered a forgotten I Love Lucy DVD season from the library.  It was like Christmas morning!

Will has been a great technical support for the girls while they do their Zoom classes.  The girls even did a piano recital on Zoom!

 It has been such a relief for me to no longer feel 100% responsible for Opal's behavior while her family members are on Zoom.

Zoom brought my entire family together for the first time in ages this past month, and we had a lovely family chat.  It was so fun to see everyone's faces together at once, and joking and laughing together almost like we do around the dinner table.  With siblings out of state and out of the country, it was comforting to connect like this during these uncertain times.

We have enjoyed some social-distanced visits with friends with fences and gates in between.  Our kids have done fairly well with these changes, but we do have moments of anger and frustration as to why things can't go back to how they used to be.  Here the girls are below, FaceTiming with friends.

Most of our walks have been in the neighborhoods and trails by our house.  We decided one day this past month though to walk downtown.  It was eerie to see the deserted shops and streets, but also heartwarming to see the notes of love and resilience on the shop doors and windows.  I took photos to document this, as someday it will be hard to remember everything that COVID impacted.  My favorite was a local coffee shop that had photos of famous people sitting at the empty tables.

 I made face masks for us, which was another COVID stressor, as there is no elastic to be found anywhere - online or for store pickup.  So, I thought I would be creative and improvise with old bra straps.  Well, as Lucy pointed out when we put on the masks and our ears were bent and turning purple: "Mom, bra straps are meant to hold up things much heavier than ears."  True story, Lucy, true story.  But, the second improvisation worked like a charm - I found leftover loops from the girls' pot holder loom, and those are not only stretchy, but soft too.  Win, win!  Necessity is the mother of invention!  And, waste not, want not!  I did end up finding a mask-making kit complete with elastic later on in the month, and I ordered one just to be sure anyone I knew who needed a mask got one too.

 Lucy found a patch of four-leaf clovers in our front yard this past month, and I am in awe of how many are there!  We need all the four-leaf clovers we can find to get through this year.

The girls were all able to find their birthday flowers this past month.  These are the flowers that bloomed on the day each of them were born.  Violet with violets, Emma with daffodils, Lucy with tulips and Opal with crocus.

 

I would say that at the close of April, quarantine felt like the new normal for us.  We had pulled off three major holidays in our family during this time, and the worry and learning curve of procuring food and working with Zoom seemed to have leveled off to more manageable levels.  I am ever so grateful for our health, the health of our friends and family and the health of some of our friends who survived COVID.  I am grateful that Will and I have still been able to earn an income during this time.  I am also grateful to spend quarantine with my favorite people in the world, and to have a cozy home with plenty of supplies for cooking, crafts, reading and playing.  We are learning to make the most of this time, and it is my sincere hope that when COVID is all over, that we will take some new insights and improved ways of living into our lives for a better than ever life and world.

Quarantined with Opal at 25 Months

Opal started her first month as a two year old under quarantine.  Being in quarantine with a spirited two year old is like being on house arrest with a crazy, high-energy and high-demand person who makes dangerous decisions but is extremely adorable and affectionate.  Yup, a high price to pay for the adorable and affectionate part, but here we are.  In clockwise order from top left: Opal demanded that Will stop making dinner and "draw" with her, Opal looking cute, Opal with one little curl on the back of her otherwise "hair-challenged" head, and Opal sitting with her favorite statue at the library, refusing to go home without a fight.  This was taken on our last outing before quarantine.  As I told the librarian at the checkout desk - some people stock up on food before lockdown - we stocked up on library books, movies and music.  We took out a TON, and that was before we knew that the library would be closed indefinitely.  I'm so glad that we did!

Opal's second to last outing before the lockdown was a trip to the dentist for her three older sister's teeth cleaning.  Come to find out, Opal likes dentist office music, and free-styled her dance moves without a care in the world while I stifled my giggles in the waiting room.  The handful of other patients in the waiting room cracked a few smiles, but were still on edge from moments prior to this dance party for one when Opal choked on the snack she was eating.  Come to find out coughing in public is not looked upon too kindly these days, even if it is choking related.

 They say that children's play is therapy, and I think that would apply to Opal's recent obsession with making each of her family members "wash" their hands at her play kitchen's sink.  Seriously, she drags us by the hand while telling us "wash hands, wash hands".  Interestingly enough, she puts up a huge fight when it is time to wash her hands in the real sink.

 This little cutie is very proud of the fact that we call crocus "Opal's Flowers".   Each of my girls have a flower or two that were blooming when they were born, and those flowers have now become "their" flowers.  Opal not only will proudly point at a crocus and say, "Opal's flowers!" but she also recognizes and calls daffodils "Emma's flowers!"

 Opal has us all wrapped around her little fingers and this is good and bad.  Good that I have backup when Opal's demands are just too much for me but bad in the fact that if I am holding my ground and telling Opal no, she has three sisters to choose from to get that answer to be helped into a yes.  Parenting a fourth child is no joke, and I'm hear to say that the most challenging part is managing how her older sisters interact with her.  Her love for her sisters runs very deep though, and I hope that it continues for the rest of their lives.

The photos above in clockwise order from top left: Lucy getting Opal to almost take a nap, Opal painting with a new kit from her Godparents for her birthday, Emma and Opal proudly wearing matching outfits all the way down to their socks, and Lucy giving Opal a ride on our tree swing.

People keep asking us what we are doing with all of our free time during this quarantine.  It mostly is just life as usual.  Besides us being able to go places, most of our days were already scheduled around cooking, eating, cleaning and sleeping schedules while keeping Opal happy and safe, leaving little time for much else anyways.  I am grateful that I have four girls close enough in age that they are their own playmates.  They have been contentedly (for the most part) playing together as they usually did before quarantine.  Opal adds just enough spice to our family that our days are never boring, and usually there is at least one family member who has the patience for her antics at any given time.  Opal, you are very loved, and your feisty personality and zest for life keeps us from getting lazy or bored on quarantine!  And, despite my exhaustion, I am so glad to be quarantined with you!!!

Man Cannot Live on Bread Alone in March

March was historical, for our family and for the entire country.  At the beginning of the month, we were just starting to hear and know about the virus COVID-19.  Will called around to different stores and found toilet paper that he went out and bought early one Saturday morning, despite my teasing.  Little did I know that his early preparations saved our butts in more ways than one.  Who knew that a part of dealing with a virus would include a toilet paper shortage?  Before our state went on official lockdown, we were already starting to avoid large crowds and shopping with the kids.  Our kids have been homebound for at least six weeks as I write this.  Here they are below, brining out the fairy garden supplies for the season.  Our crocus also bloomed, and we loved starting to see buds and other early spring flowers come out.  The photos from top left in clockwise order below: a Fairy Door at the base of our maple tree, yellow crocus, three of the girls reading outside, Emma climbing a Ninja rope she got from her uncles for Christmas, Violet holding a skateboard that she and Will made for her dolls with some old wooden wheels that Violet found in our garage from a previous homeowner, and finally, three of the girls setting up their Fairy Garden.

Who also would have known that sidewalk chalk would have been another hard to come by item this past month?  Our kids were inspired by others who have been making colorful sidewalk art to uplift people as they pass by.  We very quickly ran out of chalk.  Fortunately we still have a supply of bubbles on hand.

Earlier this year Will and I had serious discussions about the merit of having chickens.  They cost far more than they lay in eggs, and they make it challenging to go out of town.  Wow are we glad that we still have our chickens!  Every egg they lay is precious, and worth it's weight in gold now that eggs are hard to come by in stores, and the pure fact that we have a way to obtain protein without having to risk going to a store to begin with.  We have been eating every single meal at home, and it has become an interesting feat in strategic planning to obtain the food we need in the safest way possible. Limits in stores on essential items like bread, milk and butter (not to mention toilet paper if you can even find it!) are challenging with a family of six.  We make most of our food from scratch, and so ingredients like milk and butter are items that we go through a lot of.  In the photos below from top left in clockwise order: a few days worth of eggs laid by our chickens, the fuse box in our house, our St. Patrick's Day feast of potato soup and Irish soda bread made by Lucy, a sandwich Lucy made that she was so proud it's delicious beauty that she took a photo, and finally, my attempt at making beignets for breakfast one morning.

Our house is 100 years old this year, and we just discovered that the old electrical system is actually making Lucy and I feel sick.  We ended up having a Building Biologist that specializes in electricity come out and do an entire day analysis of our wiring.  Come to find out that the original wires are creating a very large and unhealthy magnetic field where Lucy's bed and my bed happen to be and it is affecting our sleep.  The craziest thing about this entire thing is, we have discovered the root cause of Lucy's nose bleeds that she has been having when she wakes up in the mornings for the past several years.  Our solution right now is to unplug the offending fuses before we go to bed each night and sleep in the pitch dark.  We have noticed improved sleep for me and no more nose bleeds for Lucy.  And if to test the theory out, one night we forgot to unscrew the fuses, and Lucy woke up with a nose bleed.  I want to tell everyone who has an old house to get their electrical wires tested.  It has been a game changer for us, and is a hidden danger that most are not aware of.  The Building Biologist who came out and tested our house was a retired science teacher, and he took such great time with us, and involved the kids on all of his testing.  Emma told me after he left that it was the best day of her life, and she now knows what she wants to be when she grows up - an electrical engineer and a building biologist.  Will also seems very interested, and now I have the not so hidden dream of Emma and Will having a family business together.  I promise not to pressure them into anything, but a girl can dream.  In the meantime, we need to assess long term solutions to our electrical problems, because we will soon need our window air conditioners and ceiling fans at night as the weather warms up, as Violet does not have sweat glands, and these items cannot be turned off.

The below photos show a glimpse into our official quarantine.  The photos below in clockwise order from top left: chatting with our friend through the window, Will showing me a photo of him and his coworkers maintaining social distancing during a meeting (that's Will's knee at the bottom of the photo), me visiting with a friend while maintaining safe distances, Will disinfecting the groceries, a meme that shows a thought that I related to, and finally, Emma showing the game she got for her birthday, and the photo directly above is us doing a Zoom call with friends who also have the game, and us playing it together over Zoom on a Friday night in quarantine.  It was hilarious chaos to say the least!

We definitely have a leg up on the learning curve for school at home, since we already homeschool and are used to that part of being at home.  However, my kids are in a lot of extracurricular activities, which are very important to us because we homeschool.  We are having to adjust to Zoom piano lessons where one person holds the iPad while the other plays, and Zoom dance classes where we all try to corral the toddler who wants to participate.  This was very stressful for me at the beginning, as I felt like when Opal was being Opal, I was the one that everyone blamed.  After a family meeting, I have helped adjust everyone's expectations, including my own, about what can and cannot be controlled during Zoom classes.  The girls now do their dance classes in the basement away from Opal, and piano is a team effort with everyone working together to make it happen.  I cannot do it all.  One of the favorite things the girls have discovered during this unique time is Lunchtime Doodles with Mo Willems, the author of the Gerald and Piggy books.   The photos below in clockwise order from top left: Lucy holding the iPad while Emma is at the keyboard during their Zoom piano lesson, all four girls on a Zoom dance session, Lucy and Emma doing their dance class on Zoom in the dining room (which was a huge stressor because it was the only space big enough in our house, yet right in the center of our house and in the way of going to any room in the house - we have since moved to the basement), the three older girls drawing with Mo Willems on the iPad, and finally, Emma helping Violet with her reading.

 Will's new work schedule has him going to work Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and working from home on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  This has also involved a learning curve, with me as the affected party as well, and although it is nice to have his help in the morning for breakfast, it has been a challenge keeping Opal from him while he is working.  If Opal even senses Will in the house, she cannot be separated from him.  All of our expectations have evolved, and Will now works in the basement, and Opal is starting to understand that she cannot be with him when he is working.  And I have given up the belief that I can or should keep the kids quiet.  It is what it is.  We are spending more time with Will because of this quarantine, and for that we are all grateful.  His new schedule allows him to do a lot of work when the kids are in bed, and just take conference calls on the two days he is working from home.

In the photo above, Opal just yelled, "I WON!!!"  in the middle of the game.

 We are also grateful that Will is still getting paid and has a job, and that we at least get to be quarantined with our favorite people.  I know if my kids were grown and out of the house, I would be missing them something fierce right now.  In the photos below from top left in clockwise order: Violet making homemade PlayDoh with me (this was before it occurred to me that another key ingredient that is in scarce supply is flour.  When Will pointed that out to me I told him, "man cannot live on bread alone"), the girls playing with PlayDoh while Will tries to work (this was before he realized he needed to move to the basement for more efficient work), three of the girls snuggled under a blanket watching a movie, three of the girls bouncing around the house on their bouncy balls, and Lucy giving me a tour of the cruise ship she built out of Legos.

One of my favorite parts of quarantine so far is all of the walks we have been able to go on with Will home with us.  When it is just me and the girls we stick close to home, as I am not strong enough to get both Opal and Violet home when they get tired.  Will is, and I swear he is at least as strong as a pack mule.  I am so grateful for the natural beauty and the river and the hiking trails within walking distance of our house as well as our extra free time to take these long walks together.

 On the days that Will goes to work, the girls and I stick to our regular walking route, which has us walk to the local cemetery.  I love the enormous several hundred year old trees there, as well as all of the history.  I have taught the girls how to be respectful, and yet still have fun in the cemetery.  Headstones are not for playing on, but gates and fences are fair game.  And the best part about it, the people there have been maintaining social distancing practices for years - six feet under!

I have experienced so many emotions this past month.  As head coordinator of all things at my house, it has been stressful, frustrating, and anxiety-inducing.  The grace of God and humor have been getting us through this, and it is my greatest hope that we will emerge as a stronger family, into a stronger world.  This is my number one prayer.  Please, let this hard work be working towards the greater good!  In the meantime, I am trying to focus on gratitude, gratitude for our health, gratitude for the food and the people who make our food possible, and gratitude for my five favorite people, that I can be with them during this time.  I am tired, but I am grateful.

Opal is 2!

Last month, I wrote about how much Opal had matured, and what an easy child she had become.  Multiple times since then, I have shaken my head at these incriminating words.  Opal defies expectation and has proven that she is in fact, still very much a force to be reckoned with.  She has probably spent one week since Christmas healthy, and her congestion and coughs have wrecked havoc on our sleep and our moods.  She is lucky she is so cute.  In the righthand photo below, she is picking toe jam.  When she finished, I said she had to wash her hands.  She started running away from me while sniffing her fingers.  Then she started dry heaving from the stench, and decided that yes, she will come with me and wash her hands.

 Opal is proud that the flowers that were blooming when she was born are crocus, and they started blooming this month.  Here she is below, showing them off.  I just love her little pink boots and how cute she looks when she walks and runs in them.

I had Lucy take the above photo of this landmark moment - it has been almost two years since I have been able to sit in the backyard and read a book while the kids play.  I was barely able to read a single page, but it is a start.  Here's to Opal playing more independently outside this summer!  In the top, right hand photo below, Opal is being taught how to go down the stairs "the safe way" as she calls it.  This translates to crawling backwards down the stairs which is safer for her than attempting to walk down them.

 Opal is talking so much and it makes us so happy to hear.  Some adorable things that she has said this past month include talking about herself in the first person.  For example, "Opal do it!" She also says, "I missed me!" when greeting us if we have been gone.  In the left hand photo below, Opal loved the drawing I did of Elmo so much that she kept saying "Opal hold it!  Opal hold it!"  In the right hand photo below, Opal saw a photo of a bald man on a book cover at the bookstore and said, "Daddy!!!"  I of course got a photo of it and sent it to her real daddy.

 Opal is now big enough to ride the tricycle we have, and it makes my heart so happy to see all four of my girls riding bikes together.  When I was pregnant with Opal and waddling behind the three older girls on their bikes, I imagined this moment when Opal was big enough to join her older sisters.  The moment did not disappoint.

 Will made a Montessori type sensory table for Opal's birthday this past month.  I'm hoping that this helps provide structure and fun for her while I work on school with her older sisters.

I made a fabric dollhouse for Opal's birthday, and it about killed me.  Given that Opal is skipping naps these days and all the other stuff going on with four kids, I literally had only 15 minutes maximum at a time to put this together.  What was I thinking?!  Trying to keep it a surprise was nearly impossible, and I gave up on that after a day or two into making this.  I just told Opal it was for her birthday, and that was that.

Will and I took Opal to the balloon store the day before her birthday while her sisters were at dance.  The sisters were disappointed to miss this purchase, but we promised to take plenty of pictures for them.  Opal was so proud to pick out her Elmo birthday balloon.

Opal is now officially two, and was completely spoiled on her birthday.  We had a laid back day, and enjoyed watching Opal open her presents on her own timeline, a little here and a little there.  She knew exactly what to do, and kept saying, "Opal open it!  Opal open it!"  Lucy made her felt chocolate chip cookies on a mini cookie sheet complete with a little spatula from the dollar store that was a big hit.  Emma and Violet got her some Sesame Street characters from the dollar store and scored an Elmo play phone and an Elmo book at another store on clearance.

All four kids enjoyed playing with Opal's new gifts.

 I made her a banana chocolate chip cake with cream cheese frosting for her, and she knew exactly when and how to blow out her candles.

 

She enjoyed her second birthday to the fullest, and we all loved sharing the day with her.  Here's to Opal's second year and may she never lose her zest for life or her ability to make us all smile and laugh!

February 2020

February, the shortest-longest month of the year for me.  Little did I know what March would bring this year!  But, I will stick to February in this blogpost.  This past month we continued to have car troubles.  It has gotten to the point where I believe we have PTSD if any of us hear the beep beep beep of a tow truck lowing it's lift.  We know the tow truck drivers by name, and even have a favorite rescuer.  After months of dealing with Will's car and various age-related and accident-related issues, it continues to randomly not start.  Multiple dealerships have "fixed" the problem and we paid the hefty bills, but his car continued to be unreliable.  And then, as an answer to prayer, the auto shop teacher at Will's school fixed the problem for free.  I feel as though we could never repay him.  I hope that we never take for granted a car that starts when you want (and need!) it to start.  

Ironically, due to sickness and car problems, we have spent so much time at home in the few months that have started off 2020.  More foreshadowing of how 2020 will continue to unfold for us!  In the meantime, here are all four of my earthly children below, in two photos that were taken exactly one year apart to the date.

Charlie enjoyed our time with him outdoors this past month.  Opal loves Charlie so much and whenever she sees him says, "Hold Him!  Hold Him!" as she squeezes her own arms to her chest.  She is not allowed to hold him yet as they are practically the same size, but one day soon she will be big enough.  In the meantime, Charlie is not only tolerant, but I think actually enjoys her attention and petting.

 The kids got a scare when they went to take a photo of their snow fort and didn't realize that Charlie was hiding out in there.  I love the two photos above - one of him hunkered down in the fort, and the next with him fleeing.  He probably got a scare too, thinking he had found the perfect hideaway.

If it's going to be cold out, I much prefer there to be snow.  That way, there is something pretty to look at out of my window, and even more importantly, something for the kids to do outside.  When there is snow, I do not need to force them to go play outside, but where there isn't any snow and it is just plain cold, it is almost impossible to get them outside!

By the end of February, the snow started melting and you could feel the coming of spring in the air.  Here my kids are below, with a homemade "river" that they made with melting snow.  In the righthand photo below, is my earthly family joined together even in our shadows.

I had a booth at the annual Birds and Bees Festival this past month at a nearby nature center.  I think this is my fourth year as a vendor/teacher, and each year gets better and better.  It is such a great group of people and visitors there that I always spend the entire time with a giant smile on my face.  The other great thing about it, is that they embrace my kids tagging along and it really is a highlight for our entire family.  Here Lucy is below, making more lavender rice eye masks to sell at the event.  Lucy is allergic to lavender, but doesn't let that stop her from making something she knows will sell.  When I saw her with a makeshift mask on, made out of a handkerchief, I asked her if she was doing okay with the lavender scent.  She replied, "Of course!  It's the smell of money!"  

School went on as usual this past month, with some additional interest added in when we took a break one morning from our planned schedule to watch a tree get cut down across the street from us.  Imagine all five of us clapping when the tree fell exactly where the workers had planned.  Timber!!!

Violet still loves playing with PlayDoh, and also eating my homemade chicken noodle soup.  Lucy loves being creative with flowers and cameras - sometimes even together.  Emma loves playing wherever the action is.

Friends of ours had a day off this past month, and took my older three with them to the park to give me a little down time.  It was so lovely, on many fronts because I felt very loved, and my kids had a great time too.  I have been taking an online class on Homeopathy, and the semester is sixteen weeks long.  It has been a challenge to get the assignments completed without extra help or something else dropping out of my schedule.  As I type this I am more than halfway through the class, so it looks like I will be able to pull it off.  In order to take the next class though, something else is going to have to give.  The top photo below is my kids and their friends at the park, and the bottom photo below is me finding an hour pocket of time in the parking lot after I dropped my older three off at catechism.

We had a simple Valentine's Day, which of course is my favorite way to celebrate.  Homemade cards and chocolate to and from the ones we love.

 We headed north for a long weekend with friends this past month, and rented a house together.

 The weather was super cold, but the company was warm and the kids all got along so very well.  We had a great time and lots of memories were made.

 I'm so glad that our families have found ways to make moments like this happen.  I was a stress ball trying to pack for the trip while Will was at work, and my friend was in a similar boat.  Fortunately we had the drive north to decompress and by the time we all arrived, we were ready for a weekend of fun.

 We arrived back home the day before Luke's 12th birthday.  For the last few years I have been feeling a pull to pare down and transform how we celebrate our child in heaven.  This year I feel like we may have gotten it just about right.  So many of the traditions that we have built up over the years have started to feel heavy and binding.  To pull off most of these traditions, involves work on my end.  I just want to have a simple and relaxing day.  I don't mind working to pull off magical birthdays for my children on earth, but since I don't get to see the payoffs of Luke's happy face, the work seems empty and exhausting.  This year we simplified - Will still took the day off of work, we bought yellow tulips, made a trip to the cemetery and ate a few tootsie rolls, and then did some flying wish paper instead of a balloon release (to save the environment) that evening after we had a simple dessert (store bought pizzelles, ice cream and hot fudge) and sang Happy Birthday to Luke in heaven.

The sun shone so brightly most of the day, so despite the chilly temperatures, it was good to be outside.  A dear friend sent a beautiful angel figurine in memory of Luke's birthday, and my sister sent a pink tulip card written in German all the way from Austria where she is living this year.  Both of these items arrived smelling of tulips, which is my sign that Luke is with us still.  

After the cemetery and our regular bi-weekly chiropractor appointment, we came home and enjoyed streaming the new Frozen 2 movie which we hadn't had a chance to see in the theaters due to sickness over the holidays.  It was a great movie, and a great day, and maybe, just maybe next year I won't dread Luke's birthday or the month of February nearly as much.  It is hard to believe he is 12 now, and hard to believe that it's been 12 years since we held him last.  We still miss him every day, and thanks to his sisters, his name is mentioned multiple times a day still.  He will always be a part of us, and never forgotten.

Opal at 23 Months

As much as the last two years have flown by, in my mind Opal is already a two year old.  She has matured so much in the last few months, and I am breathing a sigh of relief in many ways.  She is talking so much more, which is helping her frustration and patience levels as we can understand more fully what she wants or needs.  She is becoming less of an endangerment to herself, which helps us be able to relax more on our constant diligence to keep her alive.  We are not out of the woods yet, but she is starting to have her curiosity balanced with a healthy sense of caution.  She has a great sense of humor, and loves playing with each of her sisters in different ways.   Here Opal is below in clockwise order from top left:  Lucy, bouncing Opal on the ball which is something Opal persistently demands from us, Emma feeding Opal "bites", Lucy putting homemade lip gloss on Opal that we had just made, and Violet getting a great big hug from Opal.

 In this past month, Opal has started doing "make believe" play.  It is so cute to watch.  I think this is part of the big change we are noticing in Opal - instead of her usual destroy and conquer play, she has moved into actual playing which is helpful to all of us on many levels.  Here she is below in clockwise order from top left: driving three daddies and one little girl Barbie around (Opal loves Daddies), Opal drinking pretend tea, Opal taking her "guys" for a walk, and Opal giving her favorite two "guys" a donkey ride.

When my dad comes over he likes to play the game Othello with the older girls.  Opal now refers to this game as "Gandpa's Game".  One of my favorite things that she has been saying this past month though is after she gets hurt and we ask if she is okay, she says "Fine, fine" and moves on with her day.  She either has a high pain tolerance, or just can't be slowed down by bumps or bruises as she continues to live her best life.

Emma still has taken it upon herself to teach Opal all there is to know about the world, and now has Opal counting to 10, and naming most of the colors correctly.  At this point, I'm anticipating that I will not have to teach Opal to read - Emma's got it under control.  Speaking of read, I am so happy to report that Opal now has the attention span and desire to sit for stories.  I absolutely love reading stories to my kids, and the older they get, the less they want me to read to them.  I still do, but there is something to be said for a child snuggled in my lap with a story of their choosing.  Especially with my fourth child now, I have so many favorite books and memories from her three older sisters, it is such a bonus to be able to enjoy them a fourth time.  Here Opal is below with her favorite Daddy, playing Barbie and dress up with him, and in the next photo, taking a nap on his shoulder.  If she has a choice, she chooses Will over me when she doesn't feel good and wants to be held upright while sleeping.  I can't blame her.  I love them both, and am so glad that all four of my girls have such a special bond with my favorite guy.

Opal, you are a full-fledged two year old in our eyes already, but we can't wait to see your joy and excitement on your birthday this coming month!  We are so very glad that you joined our family two years ago, and we couldn't imagine life without you in it!  Our family just wouldn't be the same.