Day 2001 | Yard Signs
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We’ve never put out a yard sign before. Somehow, this year it feels necessary. Robbe declared that he has seen more Biden signs than Trump. That’s got to mean something.
Day 2000 | 2000!
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Two thousand days of blog posts. Two thousand. That’s crazy, right?
With everything going on right now, I thought adding a “feeling thankful for” category was appropriate for this round of team updates. The world is so full of stress and uncertainties right now, it’s nice to be reminded about all there is to be thankful for. And we’re very aware of how privileged we are to be as comfortable as we are.
SARA
FAVORITES: The sound of leaves crunching, reading (I've been impressing myself during Covid!), eating so many apples, making buttons, enveloping myself in all things politics right now, playing the role of teacher, dreaming up Halloween costume ideas
FEELING THANKFUL FOR: Two kids who enjoy each other's company and make this crazy existence as easy and enjoyable as possible for all of us.
DREAM FOR THE FUTURE: A trip to Chris's hometown. I miss my in-laws.
CHRIS
FAVORITES: Planning a Halloween escape room, showing off his mad video game skills to the boys, feeling handy around the house, thinking of where we’ll travel when this is all over
FEELING THANKFUL FOR: The luxury of a stable job
DREAM FOR THE FUTURE: Being able to leave the house without all the stress (remember when we could do that?!?)
CHASE
AGE: 8.5
FAVORITES: Playing Legos, reading fantasy books (Wings of Fire are the current favorite), practicing typing, video-gaming (Zelda is the current favorite), playing Zelda outside (IRL), watching movies/tv shows (really anything on a screen), expressing his opinion, saying “bro”
FEELING THANKFUL FOR: Having a lake house (thanks, grandma and grandpa!)
DREAM FOR THE FUTURE: Being back in school full time. He misses his friends.
ROBBE
AGE: 6.5
FAVORITES: Playing just about anything with Chase, wearing masks (kids are so resilient), free-choice time at school, video-gaming, learning to read (he's doing SO well), drinking tea, talking (and talking and talking), making people laugh, eating sloppy joes (thanks, school lunch program)
FEELING THANKFUL FOR: Being alive. (no joke, that’s what he said)
DREAM FOR THE FUTURE: Playdates with friends. Why is everything so difficult right now?
Looking back at 2000 posts
Day 1999 | Back Indoors
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At least someone is happy to be back inside with the cold weather looming.
Day 1998 | Fall Stroll
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We did a bit of exploring on the Ice Age Trail yesterday. The sound of leaves crunching beneath your feet just never gets old, you know?
Day 1997 | Happy Fall
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Kids + leaf piles. Is there anything better?
Day 1996 | Vote
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Vote. Just vote. Ok?
Day 1995 | October Swimming
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It wasn’t a particularly warm day but it was sunny so we went for a final swim of the season thanks to some sweet friends. The boys had a blast and I enjoyed listening to the giggling and antics.
Summer 2020 was a bummer in so many ways, but this pool brought us much joy and saved my sanity on many occasions. Also, the boys are practically expert swimmers now, so that’s nice.
Day 1994 | Fall Fun
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Today was a good day. Really great, actually. We enjoyed a new hike (Area 178 in Chippewa) in some beautiful, sunny weather. There was even some epic rock-scaling. I’d definitely make a trip there again. On our way home, we stopped at our favorite apple orchard (Bushel and a Peck) to pick up our second round of freshly-picked apples and even some pumpkins this time.
I love fall.
Day 1993 | Mask Washing
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Seven months ago, who would have thought face mask washing would have been added to my weekly to do list? And yet here we are. Thank goodness for a talented mom/grandma that keeps us stocked.
Day 1992 | Branches of Government
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Check out this fun activity we did today as part of remote school. We’re learning about the branches of government as a stepping stone to get excited about the upcoming election. I’m not embarrassed to say I’m learning a few things, too.
Here’s the link to the lesson details, in case you’re interested.
Day 1991 | School Pictures
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One of the staff at the boys’ school snapped photos during the official school photo shoot days. I can’t handle the cuteness! I’m hoping the real ones turn out just as adorable.
Day 1990 | Light Fixture Update
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Out with the old, in with the new! Chris put his electrical skills to the test with this one. Pictured above (on the right) is our beautiful new chandelier over the rounded staircase leading up to our second floor. The old fixture is pictured on the left as a comparison.
It was a big job. We ended up having to call in ladder-holding reinforcements (thanks, dad!). But no one almost died and the light fixture actually works and looks so so good. Another project off the list.
Day 1989 | Cane Pole Fishing
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My dad found this sweet cane fishing pole in the garage. And it was a lucky piece of equipment for Robbe. He caught something on his first three attempts!
Day 1988 | Autumn
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The leaves are changing colors here and I just can’t get enough of it. I think the boys are getting tired of me pointing out, “there’s another really pretty one”. Can you handle how beautiful autumn is? I feel like I never really appreciate the crazy size trees are until they’re bright orange or red against an otherwise ordinary backdrop.
I just love it.
Day 1987 | Morning Commute
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I was hoping we’d luck out with another warm spell before Fall officially hits…and it’s here! We biked to and from school the last two days and it just makes me so happy. The river, the bridges, the changing leaves, the fresh air, the exercise…the list goes on and on. Fingers crossed we get a few more days of this before we’re car-bound for the next six months!
Day 1986 | Fisherman
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Another shot from this weekend: Robbe was thrilled to be back catching fish again after a bit of a dry spell. It doesn’t take much to make this little one happy.
Day 1985 | Apple Trees
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Robbe and I were living our best lives today. Apple picking. From our own trees. Technically they’re my parents’ trees, but close enough, right? They might not be the cutest specimens but they taste good and we had fun. It’s a win!
Day 1984 | Schoolwork Success
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Chase did a crazy amount of work over the last three days. He missed in-person classes Monday and Tuesday so a friend of his grabbed the work he missed from those days in addition to the work assigned for his remote learning days (Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday).
It. Was. Intense.
There were some rough moments along the way. But there were many many more amazing moments that made up for it. We’re learning how to work together when it’s just the two of us. We’re learning how to be challenged and frustrated and overwhelmed without giving up. Everyone can relate to that, am I right?
I’m incredibly proud of this small human.
Day 1983 | Remote Learning
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This is what remote learning looked like at our house today. Eek! The hyper-organized, control-freak in me was losing my mind. But these assignments and resources are new to all of us and we’ve just got to dive in before we can figure out a system.
The boys rocked remote learning today, I have to say. Not only were we looking at today’s assignments for both boys, but the last two days for both boys because they were out sick. And…the next two days for Chase because he does remote learning tomorrow and Friday. It was a lot to keep straight but we buckled down, worked hard, and even had some fun.
I feel so incredibly blessed to have the flexibly in my job and our life to be able to be the at-home learning coach that the boys desperately need to navigate this crazy year. For parents doing this under different circumstances, I see you and hope you know that whatever you’re doing is enough.
Day 1982 | MIA
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Sorry I’ve been MIA lately. It’s been a crazy few days. We had a fun weekend away (see photo above) and then came home to sick kids. With the new protocol at school, Robbe had to be Covid-tested yesterday (hello, stressful!). We got the results back extremely fast and found out he was negative (whew!). Unfortunately, getting a negative test result doesn’t actually make any of us feel better health-wise so we spent the day continuing to rest and recover. It felt like a turning point, though, so I’m hopeful tomorrow will be a vast improvement.
