A "Hot" Week in the Life {Sunshine-y Days & High Fever}

Sunday, April 5th
Sunday was a mildly warm day and we used our time wisely and spent it outdoors.

I drew a life size chutes and ladders for the kids and we played several rounds.  They used it all week long, actually, and enjoyed it a lot!
What other games could we draw out?
The earth is warming and Natalee is bare foot.

Grandma Num came up and brought some supplies and treats and stayed for a distanced yard visit!

Zayden would like a hug from someone besides mom and dad and wants to know when distancing is over.

Evie talking to Grandma.  I think Evie is adorable and I imagine it's very hard for a grandparent to visit and not scoop her up.  I hate that she's missing so many weeks of her first year to this.

Drink break!  She's taken to the water cup quite well when she needs a little drink!

Our new window that Mike helped me with.

I'm sure she's thinking - they wouldn't let me eat leaves outside and now they are handing me one at supper.

Monday, April 6th

We marched through school pretty well and got some things checked off.

Xavier is working on a science environment.

Evalynn soiled one outfit and had to have another before 10 a.m.

Look at that hair growing in.  Ha!

Her pictures came for her family book and I got it laminated and put together for her! 

The day struggled with whether to be rainy or sunny.  The kids did get outside a bit, but we were all quite restless and stir crazy.  I text Mike and asked him what he though of a drive when he got home after work and he agreed.  We drove to tulip town and thought we'd see the tulips.  They weren't blooming yet but it was still nice to get out. 

None of the kids had been in the car in almost a month.  If you remember, we were actually prepping to car shop and that is now on hold.

Tuesday, April 7th

Tuesday was GORGEOUS.  Summer temps and the sun had us wanting nothing to do with the indoors.  We did out necessity subjects, and called "homeschool privilege" and spent the rest of the day outside.  Maybe mom should have thought it through because there were some pink shoulders when they finally came in 8 hours later.

 

Monday night we started supplementing Evalynn with a bottle of freezer milk.  I thought the stress of the pandemic was affecting my supply, but it turned out to be an infection (I supposed it could be coupled with stress).  Regardless, that one extra bottle a day has made her such a happy girl.

This outfit.  So cute. Thank you to Miss Debbie and her sister for the clothes recently!

Sleeping beautifully with a full belly.

After school, these 4 had a lunch picnic outside.  Then they played play-doh outside.

After an hour or so of play-doh, they asked to get out the water guns and water table.  They had so much fun!

Mike's grandma was moving back to the nursing home, so he made a trip to Lancaster to visit (safely distanced) in the yard with her.  He's so glad he got that chance.

When he got home, we were camped in the front yard, never going inside.  Ha.  I brought out our read aloud and read to the kids while they dried off from their water play.

This one was bored by my reading apparently.

 

Daddy took everyone on a long bike ride while I BBQ'd hamburgers and hot dogs and made an all American meal with mac and cheese and green beans.  We were going to eat outside but we were all pretty hot, tired, and filthy, so we came in and washed up well.  Mia was itching by this point (having had to much sun or gotten into something) so she needed a cool shower and aloe/lavender rub down anyways.

Mike brought home a birthday present from Lancaster from his folks!

Mike's eyes, Ev's eyes.  LOL

Evalynn tried unsweetened mandarin oranges.

not a fan...

Wednesday, April 8th
Another beautiful day.

Actually it started beautiful and then got kinda chilly.  The weather is having a hard time.
My cousins and I did something awesome.

Thursday, April 9th
Thursday the kids wrote a lot of letters.  Zayden made a hug for his buddy Theo - a green hug!  The USPS is making money on the Beelers this season.

Thanks Ness for the "mail a hug" idea!

Reading with my gal!

This girl...

Many of the kids were in a funk Thursday and so we put them in bed. Natalee had had a great, helpful day, and got to stay up and watch a show with us and have a mug cake! 

Friday, April 10th
Mike was off for the Good Friday holiday.  My sister, niece, and cousins met at our house to exchange ducks and turkeys (they are definitely living their best lives) so we got to have a nice yard visit.  I thought I had gotten cold sitting outside chatting, and could not get warm when I came in.  I piled on a couple of blankets and apologized to Mike and curled up in the recliner and fell asleep.  When I woke up I was definitely not feeling great.

This goes straight back to that infection I mentioned earlier that was affected my supply for Evalynn.  I'm so grateful to my sisters for suggesting it, because I don't think I would have caught it otherwise.  I really didn't have a lot of symptoms except low supply.  I've felt pretty crummy the last couple days and Mike has done wonderfully at holding down the fort.
Zayden built a castle and used my phone to take a picture. Mike even did the little bit of school that was planned for the day.

Caught this one practicing climbing.  Send help.

Do you hear her say OUT!?

Saturday, April 11th
This morning at 4 a.m. I could sleep no longer (my body isn't used to so much sleep) so I got up and showered.  Today we'd planned movie marathon day from our COVID Fun List, and I had really wanted to make some special snacks for the kids.  I'm glad I felt well enough to do them, even if it was at 4 a.m. 

When I was done....I took a nap. LOL.
The kids got to have ice cream for breakfast, which was also on the fun list.  So were puppy chow and chex mix.  Big day for our fun list!

Each child got to pick 2 movies, for a total of 8.  After the first one, they ate ice cream.  Then after the second one, dad took them for a walk. 

foot propped, enjoy the day

After the forth movie they went to jump on the trampoline, and pretty much collectively decided they couldn't sit anymore and agreed to save the other movies for another day.  Beelers are not good at all day TV.

I rested a lot during the movies, drank a lot of fluids, slept off and on, and let Mike handle life.  Marry someone who is a good partner to you, young gals.

Xavier asked permission to use a couple of scrap pieces of wood and made us a cross for our mantle.  He handled it all on his own.

Mike rounded out the evening with lots of protein for these kids who had snacked all day (although the protein balls were pretty junk free and the snack mix was made with amino acids - but still) and he is tucking them in as I type.  There is excitement in the air for a fun day tomorrow and I hope we can deliver!