After 13 weeks in quarantine, our ever-so-cautious governor started to loosen up last week. He declared that our state's shelter-in-place order would be lifted at midnight on May 31st and also announced that our county has permission to move into Phase 2 on the evening of June 5th. Phase 2 allows retail shops and restaurants to open back up with limited capacity and if certain heath restrictions are in place as well as barber shops, salons, and pet grooming businesses. Also, gatherings of 5 people or less in addition to the people we live with have been allowed. Although these changes from last week still have not significantly changed our lives, it is a step in the right direction and hopefully the beginning of life returning to normal for us. I am still home schooling our children, Ron is still working from home, all activities and events on our family calendar are still cancelled and being cancelled for the summer months, Ron and I only leave our house to go grocery shopping or to run an errand, and the children never go with us and only leave the house to go on a family outing or bike ride around the neighborhood. In fact, the only real change that has happened in our lives since the governor's announcements last week is that we started having play dates. Ella was able to get together with the neighbor girls, Poppy and Daisy, two times last week and we invited the Hanson kids (Sienna, Conner, and Aria) and their mom over for a group play date in the backyard, too. Although Lia, Logan, and Ella really have done an amazing job entertaining each other these past several months, it felt so good to have some friends over last week and to just have one thing back in our lives after so many months of not being able to do so many things.
With the exception of experiencing so many disappointments from having so many wonderful activities, events, and trips cancelled since the quarantine started the middle of March, we really have made the most out of this time together at home. Although home schooling has definitely had its ups and downs for the kids and me, the schedule that we settled into by the second week at home has really worked for us and helped our week days to go as smoothly as possible. Although I am sure that the children all would have learned more had they been able to attend school full-time these past three months, I know that they have continued to learn and progress at home following their teachers' lesson plans with me as their "teacher." I also have really appreciated the calmer pace of life--especially the slower and less-busy afternoons and evenings. It has also been wonderful to have so much family time even though we have not been able to go out and do as many activities since so many different places have been closed down. In addition, it has been so nice to have Ron work from home as his hours are not as long and his work has not been as stressful resulting in a happier husband and father who is more available and willing to help out--especially in the evenings. Overall, I am grateful for the "positives" that have resulted from this quarantine, but I am also very ready to be able to plan an activity or trip, put it on the calendar, and not have it cancelled a few weeks later.
Although I forgot to take any pictures of our first play dates with friends last week, here are a few from today. Ella had Poppy and Daisy back over to play and Lia had her good friend, Rian, over, too. Logan is not in any of the pictures since he was over at Rian's house playing with her brother, Mason. Here is a picture of Ella and Poppy playing in the pool.
Lia, Rian, and Daisy posing on our giant mermaid and pegasus floaties.
Ella insisted on doing a cannonball for me before I walked away and this is the fun picture I got of this girl flying through the air. She is fearless around the water.
Another shot I got of Ella before she went splashing into the pool.
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