Breakfast of Champions

Ian and I have been enjoying reading the paper over tea and coffee on the porch post-workout and pre-kids-up.  Lovely way to start the day!

Fort Ward Family Time

A walk to B&R

"I think Daddy secretly loves Piper"

Remote work

Loving the cool start to this summer and working remotely!

Father's Day Feast

Scratch-made chocolate cake and a low-country boil.  Happy Father's Day!!

Relaxing

Evelyn starts her day with her brush and mirror, math, and snuggles each morning.

Reading the paper, eating breakfast, and staying out of Roomba's way.

Snug as a bug

Evelyn has taken to appearing in our room in the middle of the night to catch snug zzzzzs by my side.

Meanwhile, Max has rearranged his room again so that ALL of his stuffies can watch out the window and sleep snugly at night.

Walk on the Wild Side

Evelyn has been leading a girls' walk through the woods many afternoons.  She loves to explore, to adventure, and to hear about famous explorers and their adventures.  She hopes to be an explorer when she grows up!

Catching up

Loving the beautiful blooms in from our garden,

and time spent catching up with each other on the porch during the unseasonably spring-like weather this weekend.

Mom is excited to be starting training for fall race season,

while Evelyn has never been more excited for an overnight than she was for her BEST SLUMBER PARTY EVER with Dad this week (complete with pillow fights, drawing lessons, and a sneaky trip to McD's for milkshakes!).

Creative Cousins

Evelyn, Louise and Tricia enjoyed an art class together.  They loved it so much they already have plans to do it again!

You gotta have friends

We are so grateful for the Siglers during quarantine!  The conversations, explorations, and games this bunch comes up with keep us entertained and allow for escape for a couple of hours every day.

Dial it in

Evelyn and Piper enjoyed Facetiming Tricia over the weekend.  This girl loves her dog!

Tea Party

Evelyn hosted a tea party for the family and the stuffies on Sunday afternoon.  We enjoyed cucumber sandwiches, banana bread muffins, shortbread cookies, and fruit salad along with our chamomile tea and each other's company.

Style

Max lost his corona virus mop-top this weekend.  Ian gave him a great haircut, much to the girls' entertainment!

10 and 7 year check-ups

Evelyn - 43 lbs, 12.8 oz - 6.36% for weight, 47", 11.37% for height
Max - 71 lbs,9.6 oz 51.63% for weight, 56.6", 74.89% for height

Wrapped Up

I can say with total confidence that this school year ended a way that would have been truly inconceivable to us at the start of the year.  We are so, so proud of the way the kids handled 4th and 2nd grades.  From Day 1, they were enthusiastic and confident.  They came home from school every day happy, excited, and marveling over their luck at landing in such a great place.  They never acted like outsiders, fully embracing and being embraced by their classmates and teachers.  They worked hard to catch up on subjects that they hadn't been exposed to before, and were gracious when material they already mastered was covered.  They worked hard, growing as public speakers, writers, and creative artists in multiple media.  

Then they took the quarantine in stride, switching to school from home with equanimity and focus.  They stayed committed to doing their best work, showing respect to their teachers and classmates, and having some fun in the mix.  They learned to balance competing Zoom calls, shared office space, and social time with friends online.  They held it together when technology failed, when instructions were unclear, and when the fun parts of school became burdensome.  They learned to adapt, doubled down on their determination, and found renewal in rediscovering outdoor free play.

I thought Max's reflection on what was different about the end of this year summed it up perfectly:

"yeah, who would have guessed we'd have a dog?"

Jump up!

One of the advantages of remote school is that Mom and Dad got to eavesdrop on Jump Up Day.  Lots to learn about the fun to come in 3rd and 5th grade.  Can you BELIEVE we have a 5th grader?!

Wave goodbye

Thank you, Ms Shannon and Ms Richie, for sending 2nd graders off with a final farewell!

Bye-bye Drive-by

It was a strange, fun, and emotional thing to drop off our supplies from quarantine school and pick up the materials left behind when we left for a "two week" learn-from-home experience.  What a strange, challenging, rewarding journey to celebrate.  And how glad we all are that school is almost done!