COVID Day 78 – Friday, May 29

Yay Friday! Who we kidding?  The weekend isn’t much different than a weekday around here. The nice weather held strong today so Jason got out and got the lawn mowed this morning which he counted as exercise.  Katie and Drew went on a long bike ride with me.  We biked down to the Seahawks park to ride the biking hills there.

It’s all downhill there which means it’s all uphill home.  Drew isn’t able to do steep hills so there was a lot of walking involved as we made our way back to the ridge.  Katie and I needed to leave our bikes at our local bike shop for their complementary annual tune up so we rode around a bit by the YMCA and then dropped them off and walked home.  Again, uphill.  Drew rode his bike when he could, walked the bike up the hill a lot and in between I would carry the bike.  Death hill is already a workout so climbing it whilst carrying a big bike was rough. We made it home though and they had great attitudes the entire way.  Popsicles all around were in order.  

I was wiped out so I relaxed for a while in my hammock before heading in to shower.  Drew noticed how cool the clouds were.

Carly made us homemade pretzels and mac & cheese for dinner.  We popped some chicken fingers in the air fryer for a little protein.  The combo of fresh out of the oven well-buttered bread dipped in the extra cheese from the yummy mac & cheese was amazing – I feel like I could eat that every day and it wouldn’t get old.

I got together with some friends tonight – outdoors, social-distancing – so great to catch up.  Justin took the kids to the park and took this video of Katie riding without hands. Girl’s getting gutsy!

• May 29: Confirmed cases in Washington state – 21,349 with 1,118 deaths.  Governor Inslee announced today that the stay-at-home order would expire on Sunday at midnight; however, King County would not be able to move into phase 2 as hoped.  Instead they can apply for a “modified phase 1.”

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COVID Day 77 – Thursday, May 28

I set an alarm last night for the first time in over two months – of course knowing I needed to be up at a certain time meant I didn’t sleep well and I woke up over an hour before I needed to.  Gurr! The lack of sleep was worth it.  I was meeting up with a friend to hike Teneriffe Falls, a new-to-me hike in North Bend.  We only saw two people on the way up and not too many on our way down. There were several spots along the way that you could see the falls and it was stunning.  So beautiful.  The hike is 6.5 miles with about a 1500 elevation gain so not too difficult, but a nice workout.  There are some really rocky areas but I think we could do it as a family.  Drew might need a little help on some of the big rocks but he’s such a great hiker I think he’d be fine.  It’s definitely a repeat!

I was pretty tired this afternoon and laid down for just long enough to nap for about 10 minutes.  Surprising that was enough and I felt much better.  I hardly ever nap and when I do I think I sleep too long that I’m actually more tired afterward.  My little power nap was just what I needed.

Both Katie and Drew had virtual meetings with their teachers this afternoon.  Jason refused to exercise and do his chores so he holed himself up in his room bored out of his mind.  It’s going to be a really long summer if he doesn’t find things he can do for fun that don’t involved electronics.  Abigail worked this morning then went into Issaquah in the afternoon with friends and Carly had her first babysitting gig since March 20. I know she’s excited to start earning money again.

We winged dinner tonight and then decided to watch My Girl with the fam (minus Abigail who was off to the park again).  The movie finished up at 10pm – late bedtime for the littles – so they fell asleep quickly – Jason once again outside in his hammock.

• May 28: Confirmed cases in Washington state – 21,071 with 1,111 deaths.  

COVID Day 76 – Wednesday, May 27

I got up and ready today thinking I needed to head into Issaquah for groceries.  We’re getting really low on milk and we need lettuce for dinner tonight.  Turns out both of those items are on sale at Safeway so I decided to postpone a Costco run until later in the week.  Guess I got ready for nothing – what a waste (ha!)

Carly was off on a hike this morning and was gone for approximately 8 hours – apparently they spent 2 hours at the top of Mount Si and took their time.  Since it was sunny – Carly came home sunburned. Totally the norm and somehow she still doesn’t seem to learn to slather up before.  Abigail went paddle boarding on Lake Alice – the little lake nearby that we’ve been biking around a lot.  

Katie redeemed a bunch of points today (in the OurHome app that I setup for chores, etc.. when COVID began) for a Movie Day. She made sure to maximize that and pretty much had a device with her the entire day.  When I walked by her room I thought the glow from her curtains was pretty neat.  

While picking up some groceries at Safeway I also brought home some MOD pizza for Justin and I for lunch.  Each week they’ve been having a $6 pizza promotion on some featured combo so we’ve done that a few times.  We had been picking up lunch at Infusion each week until they decided to stop honoring our BOGO free offer on take-out orders.  Bummer.  

I don’t remember much about the afternoon.  It seems the kids haven’t had much schoolwork this week.  Jason made Mexican rice and beef tacos for dinner – Justin made some spicy salsa and I smashed up some guacamole as sides.  We had a zoom call tonight with our sister missionaries. 

It was funny when they asked all the kids what grades they are in Abigail said she’s a senior.  One missionary, fresh out of the virtual MTC this week, excitedly responded then seconds later just as dramatically sighed when she realized that being a senior in this COVID situation isn’t your typical end of the senior year hype. They challenged us to serve more and drew out family members name for each of us to serve this week.  Such a fun idea and something our family certainly needs more of.  It was a great visit and I appreciated that they kept it short (about 20 minutes).  A little ice cream after the missionary call felt appropriate.  

Abigail took off – again – after finishing up her night on dishes and met up with some friends at the park.  Drew wanted to start a puzzle tonight so he opened a Seattle themed puzzle that Justin’s boss sent us several weeks ago.  I’m surprised we haven’t done any puzzles until now, but I think Legoing is similar and has fulfilled that sort of activity for us so far.  Anyhow, the puzzle has crazy shaped pieces which I dislike – we also found that the puzzle had FIVE corner pieces.  Two of the same.  So weird. Not sure if that’s a good sign.

Jason has slept in the backyard in his hammock the last few nights.  Tonight he was prepared with an eye mask so the sun didn’t wake him up as early.

• May 27: Confirmed cases in Washington state – 20,764 with 1,106 deaths.  Governor Inslee announced today that religious organizations can now hold outdoor services with up to 100 people.  Proper social distancing should be practiced and attendees should wear face coverings.  In phase 2, indoor religious gatherings can be held at 25% capacity or with less than 50 people, whichever is less.  U.S. coronavirus death toll passes 100,000.

COVID Day 75 – Tuesday, May 26

This morning was a baking day – I had some buttermilk to use up so I made a double batch of biscuits – so yum!  Then I made a double batch of pizza crust to use later in the week.  I’ve wanted to try this recipe for a while, but it requires days in the fridge so it’s something that needs to be planned ahead.  I’m excited to try it – fingers crossed it turns out as it should – my yeast has been quite finicky lately.

Abigail went on a hike this morning and then lazied around until she was forced to get up and make dinner – much later than expected. Nothing notable during the afternoon – the kids did schoolwork, Jason is working on a little scientific experiment for me figuring out which portable chargers work best – ha!  Drew join me on my walk on his bike and did AWESOME communicating where he was heading and waiting for me at any streets we needed to cross.  While I was walking around the track at the park, Drew would lap me and then bike out to the parking lot so he could cruise down a hill just as I was coming around – on one occasion he came zooming down to meet me and then stopped, put down his kick stand and ran over a gave me a great big hug then ran back to his bike and carried on.  Drew gives the best hugs and still gives me a sweet little kiss on the cheek at night. I love it (and him) so much!

Carly had two families reach out today regarding babysitting – we had decided months ago that she shouldn’t babysit during the stay at home orders, but families are getting antsy.  In fact I’d venture to say that most of the people we know are no longer social distancing and have been getting together with friends for several weeks.  I get it. We’re coming on eleven weeks now and people are going stir crazy.  When our stay at home order was extended on May 1 we anticipated we’d move into phase 2 on June 1.  Well that’s next Monday.  There’s rumor King County, which we live, won’t advance to phase 2 but in the end I feel okay about Carly starting to babysit again.  My hesitation isn’t out of concern for the virus or our health, just trying to be a good citizen and comply with our government.  So Carly already got two gigs lined up and in no time she’ll be busy as ever.  I definitely have mixed feelings about that.

Abigail cooked spaghetti and homemade meatballs for dinner and according to the meat-eaters she nailed it.  It was already 8pm when we wrapped up dinner.  Drew asked me if I could come up and Lego with him.  I jokingly replied, “Buddy!  I’ve been waiting all day for you to ask me.”  This was my first time Legoing today. Katie came in to help and within minutes found 3 pieces I’d been looking for for days.  It’s amazing how many times you can look through a pile for a particular piece and miss it completely.  Jokingly I told her if she found another specific piece I’d been missing I would give her an entire container of ice-cream for herself.  Five minutes later she had it.  Amazing!  

Once I got going I couldn’t stop until I’d completed the complex ninja dragon I started yesterday – hours later I headed to bed.

• May 26: Confirmed cases in Washington state – 20,406 with 1,095 deaths. 

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COVID Day 74 – Monday, May 25 (Memorial Day)

This might be the most uneventful Memorial Day of my life.  It was a cold rainy day so doing anything outside wasn’t at all enticing.  Jason and Katie did go out on a bike ride around Lake Alice and the YMCA in order to earn some tech time – though they didn’t have to put forth too much effort because Carly agreed to pick them up so they didn’t have to ride back home uphill.  They came home MUDDY, but I’m so glad they were willing to go do that together.

I spent ALL DAY Legoing – I probably logged over 8 hours in the bonus room working on putting together sets.  Drew was the kiddo most into it today and he and I teamed up and worked on the same set for a while.  Justin even got in on the action – though he seems to choose the smallest set possible.  I’ll take whatever help we can get though so any effort is appreciated.  I can’t wait until we can clean up and actually vacuum that room.  

I didn’t take a single picture today, but when I mentioned via Marco Polo to some friends about my Lego filled weekend one sent me this meme which is absolutely perfect for my weekend.

• May 25: Confirmed cases in Washington state – 20,181 with 1,078 deaths.  

COVID Day 73 – Sunday, May 24

We were planning on having sacrament at 10am; however, Justin got a late start making some omelets and didn’t wrap up until closer to 11am, but no complaints here – they were the best omelets he’s ever made.

Jason led our CFM lesson today and focused on how we can do good in our communities and how we can respond when others don’t believe the same as us.

Once again I got going on the Legos and spent HOURS in the bonus room working on completing a few sets – Drew, Jason and Katie helped a lot today as well.  Slow and steady.  I’m not sure how much I enjoy it – I don’t hate it per se, but I don’t love it either – I do get a sense of satisfaction when I can put one up on the window sill and declare it 100% complete and accurate.

Katie was the only kiddo willing to go on a walk along the river with Justin and I this evening.  It’s the same little stroll we discovered several Sundays back.  

I was loving all the ivy!

Justin pointed out to Katie that the new growth on the trees is a different color

Justin wanted to go on a little drive afterward and took us up into some off roads near Mt Si – I’d never been back there, but apparently it’s one of Abigail’s favorite places to go watch the sunset.  This is also the area that had a fatal cougar attack two years ago – eek! Pretty though!  We even spotted some elk drinking along the river.

• May 24: Confirmed cases in Washington state – 20,065 with 1,070 deaths.  According to the Department of Health, 330,598 people in Washington have taken a test for coronavirus and 6.1% of those tests have been positive. 

COVID Day 72 – Saturday, May 23

The girls had a paid gig this morning helping a friend of mine pack and organize for a house remodel.  The rest of us decided to go on a bike ride on the Snoqualmie Valley Trail.  Jason went along SUPER reluctantly – only because he was told he wouldn’t have any time on electronics unless he came along. (In hindsight we should have made a bargain that a good attitude would be required as well).  Turned out that Katie and Drew didn’t love the ride either. Our plan was to ride out along the mostly flat trail (eastbound) for five miles and then turn around – we stuck to our plan even with the kids asking to turn around every time we stopped to regroup.  Aside from the attitudes it was pleasant.  We spotted our local elk herd both directions which is always neat to see.

This was our turn around point so we didn’t have to cross the busy road

On the way back we stopped at Torguson Park where they have some biking hills.  The kids enjoyed that until they didn’t.  

It was straight up leftovers for lunch.  All these great dinners results in several leftovers throughout the week so we need to clean out the fridge periodically.  I hate to throw away food so we eat anything that isn’t moldy – ha!

The rest of the afternoon/evening was electronics for the kids.  Jason really likes to listen to audiobooks and would do it ALL DAY and ALL NIGHT if we let him.  Justin and I get irritated that he always has his earphones in his ears and he can’t hear us talking to him.  I also just want him to have more time without any stimulation – audiobooks, movies, computer homework, etc…  It’s one of the toughest things about parenting – regulating electronics – ugh!

Drew asked me to come help him find a Lego after dinner – and that turned into my Legoing until 11pm.  Once I put my mind to something I get it done.  Finished a set with strained eyes, a sore back and a slight headache, but I got it done.  Somewhere in there Justin and JKD watched some ninja obstacle course show but I was zoned in.  I was heading to bed around 11pm and then like the days of old – ended up staying up until Abigail got home at midnight from a friend’s birthday party.  I don’t miss those late night with kids out. Doubt there was much, if any, social-distancing going on for her little get together.  Another tough part of parenting.

• May 23: Confirmed cases in Washington state – 19,828 with 1,061 deaths.  Twenty-one of Washington’s 39 counties have now been approved to move into phase 2 of our state recovery plan which allows for gathers of less than 5 people outside your household per week and the opening (at limited capacity) of restaurants, retail and professional services.  We live in King County (with Seattle) and remain in phase 1.

COVID Day 71 – Friday, May 22 (Drew’s 7th Birthday)

Drew requested donuts for his birthday breakfast and Justin surprised him by bringing home a big donut just for our birthday boy. 

Drew watched a lot of Mickey Mouse today!  He finished all his homework yesterday and I guess since it’s his big day he could do whatever he wanted and Mickey Mouse was it. Grandpa Fletcher popped in this morning for some help attaching a document to an email – I am is on-call tech support and apparently this case required a face-to-face tutorial.  He wore a mask while in the house which felt strange, but I guess that’s the reality these days.  He also commissioned Carly to make him a few more masks which she whipped up in time for us to drop off at his house on our way to lunch.

Justin was able to take most of the afternoon off of work and join us in heading down to Covington for lunch.  Drew requested Chick-fil-A and got to get his very own large cookies & cream shake – I’m guessing that was probably his first large shake ever. He finished it no problem-o. Since we can’t eat in the restaurant we drove to the Costco parking lot and sat on the curb to eat our lunch, then I ran inside to pick up a few groceries.  

Justin and I also got some groceries at Fred Meyer – all the while the kids hung out on the curb and/or the car while waiting for us.  Not the most fun, but we can’t resist picking up needed items while we’re already out and about.

We made it home just in time for Drew and Katie’s virtual piano lesson and then it was more Mickey Mouse for Drew while I finished up dinner.  He wanted “chicken, carrots, and rice” which used to be in regular rotation around here, but everyone – except Drew – is OVER it.  We suggested several other dinner options and even throughout getting pizza, but Drew’s mind was set so it was chicken, carrots and rice for dinner. He also requested Oreo Madness for dessert (a family favorite ice-cream dessert) which most of us prefer over a big fancy cake.  

After dinner we let Drew pick out a movie to watch – he chose Chicken Little – which again thrilled nobody but Drew, in fact ACJ didn’t even join us in the bonus room and Justin and I both spent most of the movie on our phone/computer (shhh, don’t tell Drew).  

KD and I Legoed a bit, even though it was WAY past bedtime and then I let Drew sleep in Katie’s room in her fort.  Because we were already hours past bedtime they didn’t play around TOO long before falling asleep.

While we were out at lunch Carly was gathering some of her favorite photos of Drew off of the blog.  I couldn’t resist looking back on a few of my favorites. 

For some reason seven sounds so much older than six – six is still PreK or kindergarten appropriate, just a step above toddler, but SEVEN?!?  Seven is definitely a kid, thankfully a little kid, but still a kid.  We sure love our Drewbee to bits – he’s basically our family mascot and is adored by all!  

• May 22: Confirmed cases in Washington state – 19,585 with 1,055 deaths.  

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