Week in the Life {No Sleep, Leap 6, Tulips}

Sunday, May 3rd
We had some warmer temps on Sunday. 

Mike filled the kiddie pool to let the kids splash around in - I made them wait until the sun tried to warm the water and hauled out pots of boiling water to try to warm it up, but I think it was still pretty cool. 

I eventually made them clear out.  This tiny shivering swimmer wasn't pleased but he was shaking.

Jumping to dry off.  I love their laughter.

I had to try my hand at some hair cuts for the men in my life.  Mike hadn't had one in over two months and was ready for me to try.  I practiced on the boys first - such brave boys they were.  I am not confident around the ears at all and would like to refine my skills to scissor cut the tops so that the cuts don't look so "my mom buzzed my hair at home" but hopefully they can go to the pros next time around and the pros won't laugh too hard at mom's/wife's attempt.

Brave Mia wanted to try Xavier's old bike.  It's an 18".  She could handle it perfectly and loved the hand brakes, but she couldn't get on or off it yet on her own so she had to fall over to get off.  We put it back away, with some tears that she felt like it had bested her (I assured her it hadn't) and are keeping our eyes open for a 16" bike.  She loves her bike she has so she's not eager to set it aside except that she really likes the grown-up feel of hand brakes!

Getting our mail ready to go out for the week!  Letters and pictures for loved ones.

I love this soccer player Mia drew.

Monday, May 4th

Mondayest Monday ever.  Mike was working at the office and Ev was in such a mood.  She tested boundaries, grumped, and fussed alllll the day long.  The cushions are a boundary to keep her in the living room.  She climbed them all like a billy goat.

See how grumpy?

Xavier did teach her to play roll the ball.

And I told her that her whine sounded like a baby goat.

Phil and Sara brought us up a deep freeze and we had a nice garage visit with them.  I'm sad, and proud, at how good my kids are getting at distanced visits.  It shouldn't be this way.

Tuesday, May 5th
Nannie has been telling us about GoNoodle and I finally remembered to download the channel on our Roku TV.  My goodness kids are cute little GoNoodle dancers.

Another long day with Ev.  You'll see that was the theme of the week.

Is this where my pants go?

Wednesday, May 6th
For the first time in 2 months I went into a store.  I masked up and stayed my distance and it was not actually as bad as I'd psyched myself out for it to be.  My glasses were so foggy.  I forgot the tips my sister gave me - I'll do better next time.  Almost everyone in Hy-Vee was masked and being politely distanced.  I went mid morning, right after the hour for the elderly and it wasn't busy at all.

Mike took a half a day off and we decided to drive up and see the tulips in Pella.  We naively though it wouldn't be busy at all.  It actually probably wasn't "busy."  We parked right on the square and during an actual festival we wouldn't have been able to do that.  We stayed away from everyone, but even at that we only stayed out of the van for a few minutes.  It was no one's fault but I started getting really anxious.  We walked the outskirts away from people and let the children see some of the flowers and then we drove around a bit after we loaded back up.  It was a nice drive, but hopefully we'll be able to do it right on a year when things just don't feel so uncertain.
They are beautiful, though, aren't they?  The flowers, too.

When we got home we finished our read aloud and this paragraph just really pierced my heart.  The book was The Winged Watchman.  Set in Holland during WW2, it was about a windmill family and their experience with the German occupation during the war.  It was a wonderful fictional account, although it was easy to see how it very well could have been non-fiction.
"Mother" as she was in this book, was not the highlight of the book, however her handling of the home gave it that calm steady vibe that mothers tend to give.  She recovered the infant of a German family who was taken away in their flower garden and took her home as her own.  In the end of the book, after raising her for 3 years, the baby's mother came back - the only remaining survivor of the concentration camp they'd been sent to.  Seeing that the little girl was scared of her and saw her as a stranger, the biological mother made to leave her with "mother" and the family, and yet "mother" knew, even though I'm sure it broke her heart, what was right.  And so, gradually, they transitioned the little girl into learning who her mama was, and eventually she went home.  "Mother" also cared for 2 other little girls during the second half of the book, in addition to a rescued English pilot, and a run away Dutch soldier.  Mother was not a character you dwelt upon a lot in the reading, until you got to this second to last page, when Father gave her 3 cheers (well done, Father).
Such a good passage to reflect on during Mother's Day week, and during a quarantine when this Mother is charged with being the "never daunted, never giving up, keeping it in stride" lady of the house.

Thursday, May 7th
Thursday was a gray, brisk day, but Friday was supposed to be worse, so we decided to do a much requested fire pit supper.  Everyone was very eager to light the first fire in the new "brick oven." 

Evalynn had a horrible terrible day on Thursday.  She and I actually spent some time inside during roasting night trying to sort things out.  Thursday evening was the start of a nursing strike that is still going on.  She simply will not nurse.  I keep offering, pumping in the meantime, and am grateful that she is dream feeding still at night.  It's been a long few days.  She's also in wonder week leap #6 so that brain growth, I'm sure, has a lot to do with all that's going on.

Friday, May 8th
A new book for my big preschooler.

Still on strike...

We did introduce Evalynn to lentils and gave them to her cooked and warm with ground beef and she LOVES them.  She has such dynamic taste buds and is a brave eater.

Saturday, May 9th
Waking up after a long night with this pet, yet she looks so much fresher than daddy or I...

Still on strike...

We've been cleaning on Saturdays, everyone pitching in.  Daddy and Evie drew bathroom duty...Evie could have gotten off if she would have played nicely.  She liked being Daddy's helper, though.

Natalee has had hummingbirds, robins, and a cardinal at her bird feeders!  (none in this picture - but hoping to get pics of our new friends, soon)

Zayden and Daddy called me out to take his picture using the saw....and being the mother I am, I asked if he could maybe wear safety glasses...

He was making a mother's day surprise that I couldn't know about, but I did get to see how brave he was with daddy, even though I know he was fighting the urge to cover his ears.

Zayden so proudly kept his gift a secret and didn't ruin the surprise!

The challenges of Evie this week.  Trying to escape during diaper change.

Xavier offered to read to Mia.  My heart...

Ahhhh, shall we sleep tonight?  For a bit, and then awake from around midnight to 4.  It's a good thing she's so cute.

Another week behind us.  We were a bit bored this week, with cooler temps meaning less outside time.  School is marching on and we are about 6 weeks from slowing down our schedule for the summer (we started later after our move so it was planned that we would go into June).  We are hoping the upcoming days bring sunshine!