Camp Quarantine March/April

If there is one phrase I've heard the most it's this: "We are in unprecedented times"... Due to the worldwide pandemic, "Coronavirus", or "COVID-19", the world is literally shut down. Here in Oregon, we have had "stay at home" orders since mid-March, and the rest of the school year is cancelled (or in other words, are now doing distance learning from home). Travel is only allowed for essential business (groceries, essential jobs that can't be done from home, medical visits, etc). So, our family has been staying home, with only one of us going out for essentials. This has meant a lot of family togetherness, and chances to grow in our relationships.

We are thankful for a big backyard, stretches of sunny weather, a large house to spread out in, internet access, full provisions, our health, our live-in therapy dog, and so many other things. We are staying connected via Zoom, Google Hangouts, Facetime calls with our friends and family.

Still, with all the blessings it is hard sometimes. We all have melt downs occasionally, and we are continually working on giving each other GRACE while we pray and wait to see where the world ends up.

Some highlights of our time in quaratine: a snow day, sharing art online with cousins, studying the CDC map daily for worldwide updates, making silly signs, baking lots of treats, home haircuts, playing Hangman on the boys' whiteboard before bed each night, Chess, random millions of other board games, lots of walks, mustache growing, music playing, reading, lots of cooking, mask sewing, bark spreading, learning to wear masks, a 20th anniversary family celebration (so sweet, we got out our wedding videos/pics), firepit gathering, church at home (including Easter!), stargazing on the chicken coop roof, and honestly so many more wrestling matches and overall shenanigans that I cannot even begin to list them all!

We are sad that our 8th grader will not get to "graduate middle school", in the traditional way. We are sad to be missing a lot of special things this spring, but then again, so is EVERYONE ELSE IN THE LIVING WORLD, and we have so much to be thankful for.

Thank you, God, mostly for Your presence and comfort during such a weird time in history!

May Your kingdom come, and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven - Matthew 6:10 (Bible)

Our sweet tiny Mormon neighbor posted this

Before the world shut down...

It's funny to look back on our activities in early March, before everything changed with a worldwide pandemic. The effect was slow to hit Oregon, and by mid-month everything had changed. But for the first two weeks, life went on as "normal" with the gradual realization that things were changing quickly.

Interesting things we did before we couldn't anymore: Momma got a haircut and flew on an airplane to visit family and do some estate planning, while Dad and kids enjoyed a weekend at home with lots of yardwork and feasting (oh wait, that's exactly what we do now ALL THE TIME!!! ha ha)

Marcus Moments

Moments with Marcus: bike riding, character trait winner for Cooperation and Teamwork, losing his two front teeth, reading his favorite books, basketball, tree climbing with brother, letting Mom teach his class' Junior Achievement curriculum (my highlight!!!), enjoying our school's Family Fun Night, a 2nd grade school musical, and FINALLY getting his very own body pillow (he has been concerned for some time that he was the only child without one). And my personal favorite, a note he slipped me pondering why he gets so much attention from his BFF cashier at Winco (ps. she hugged and kissed him ONCE, he has never forgotten it, ha ha ha ha)

Max Moments

Moments with Maxy: Christmas gift redeemed (taking a friend to Sky High trampoline park), reading day and night until his eyeballs fall out, getting glasses (probably due to all the incredible reading, ha!), earning the character trait award at school for Service, and completing/presenting his science fair project (he tested "which propellant is most explosive when shot out of a home-made potato cannon"). Topped off with some home-made musubi's :)