- "Camping" through COVID -

Did someone say, "IT'S ROADTRIP TIME?!?"

YASSSS, yes, indeed!  We'd been following [most of] all 'da social distancing rules and sheltering-in so hard since mid-March, and I could feel all four of us starting to crack at the beginning of June!  Besides me going to and from work [and stopping at the grocery store on the way home from work], Brian and the kids had basically been home all day, every day.  The kids are homebodies in general, but heyyyy hi, all of this COVID business is just a recipe for cabin fever to the MAXXX!  I knew that we wouldn't be able to safely travel overnight anywhere with any family/friends, but I still really wanted to plan a little roadtrip/long weekend getaway just for the four of us.  I surfed the web for a few nights and found this really cool treehouse/cabin park in Branson, and boom!  We hit the ground running and put a whole new meaning to the phrase "CABIN FEVER!"

We only had to stop twice on the ride down [once for a potty break and a second time for food + children's Dramamine ...I'm sure by now everyone knows my kids' reactions to long car rides!  It was a near miss with Harper, but after a stroll through WalMart and a dose of Dramamine and a hamburger Happy Meal, all was swell for our oldest princess again.].  Upon arrival to the cabin, we self-toured the property and then Scarlett quickly started unpacking her suitcase!  #COVIDwho? #heretostay

 

The hiking trails were a little more challenging for the kids than I thought they'd be, so on the first afternoon we stuck close to the cabin and enjoyed some water events [which did not disappoint!].

The kids were getting hungry around 5:30pm, so we decided to start a campfire and roast the hot dogs and s'mores we brought...

...but apparently Brian's Boy Scout skillz had rusted over the years, because [even after wadding up 1/2 notebook worth of paper that we found in my car + stealing some wood chips and sawdust from the trash can in the middle of a construction mess next door] a fire WOULD NOT start!  At 6:45pm, all of us were hangryyyy and we decided it was a totally lost cause.  I headed out to the nearest store for charcoal and lighter fluid while the kids stayed home and ate through the snack suitcase..... :|

...and thankfully, that good ole' lighter fluid did the trick! Nearly 2 hours after starting to mess with making a fire, we were roasting hot dogs and marshmallows like pros! :)

Saturday's main events were playing at the playground...

...chugging hot chocolate...

...and hiking the trails! Marching through the Ozark Hills in June heat/humidity was nottttt for the faint of heart.  God love Harper for blurting out literally every thought that was silently going through my head:

"It's sooooo hot!"

"Owww, I just tripped over something and hurted my ankle!"

"Are we almost back to the cabin?  I'm out of breath!"

"Wooooooo, I'm sweaty!'

"Daddy, can we go to the pool instead?"

Eventually, we made it back to A/C and TV and junk food.  I'm thinking these girls are their momma's daughters through and through!

We brought our A-game [armed with charcoal and lighter fluid] to dinner on night #2...

...and roasted some prettttttty perfect marshmallows for s'mores, if I do say so myself!

We packed up and bailed on Sunday morning!

Despite the heat, it really was such a great weekend full of quality family time!  Harper is ready to go back, but next time she wants to stay in a treehouse instead of a cabin! :)

- Strawberry Picking -

YAY for our annual trip to the strawberry patch with Grammy Resa!  COVID couldn't even dream of raining on THIS outdoor/socially distanced parade! :)

We picked a ton and taste-tested a few...

...and left with our work cut out for us!  Do I smell some of Grammy's strawberry pizzas and homemade jam in the future?!? ...I sure hope so!!!

- COVID Diaries: Weeks 12 & 13...and 14 & 15, too! -

Welpppppp, life gave us a *sniff* of normalcy and .justlikethat. I got distracted going here, there, and everywhere and fell completely off of the blogging bandwagon!  Cheers to COVID Diaries: Weeks 12, 13, 14, and 15+...to infinity and beyond!  I say it's about time to start penning this pandemic into the history books so we can keep marching forward towards the life we once knew!  Ahhhh, sweet freedom, I can smell you!

Even though parks and museums and other places we used to frequent are still closed, we've been quite a bit more lax lately with mingling with friends and family just like we did way back when [pre-March, you know].  We're also venturing out with the kids a little more frequently, and they're LOVING life outside the four walls of our humble abode!  Between a morning at the strawberry patch, a weekend away at a cabin in Branson, and a full day at the zoo, the last couple of weeks have been more exciting than the last few MONTHS combined!  Just last week, I got a haircut [and color!], Harper had her kindergarten screening with her brand new teacher [who she adored!], and we've been extraaa busy picking out and putting in landscaping lately [phew, thank goodness that is a one-time job!].  In between the new-found busyness, we're also still reveling in the small joys and still REALLY enjoying having Brian working from home Mon-Fri every week!  

Alas, the photos always say it best; here is our life as of late!

- Sissy keeping up her cutting skillz, Brian building a pot stand for my new favorite indoor snake plant...

- Bike rides and bubbles and chocolate ice cream on the driveway with our long-lost cousins...

- Homemade taco bowls [OLE!] and Chinese carryout [LOL, cannot get over this curbside pickup situation, and the cashier collecting my cash with tongs through the plexiglass window was the cherry on top]...

- Strawberry picking [and eating]...

- More strawberry eating, muffin baking slash eating...

- MORE EATING [but Grammy's homemade strawberry jam is the new coveted item in this house!]...

- Crafting/gluing [Harper's masterpiece was dried and displayed within minutes, and I'm still hoping Scarlett's isn't dripping glue globs come Friday or mebbe Sunday]...

- Food shopping for camping vacation, scoring an adorable hand-me-down playhouse for the back patio...

- Enjoying said back patio...

- Sleeping in, getting hair cut and colored [next time there's a global pandemic, I definitely vote for hair stylists to be essential!]...

- Visiting Grammys and Aunts...

- Passing a kindergarten screening, dominating the balance bike...

- Playing Go Fish...

- Taking care of the neighbors' cat while they went on vacation, "installing" [?] a new mailbox...

- Hanging with cousins - AKA "the girl gang!"...

...and as the photos showed...

- ENJOYING THIS BLESSED LIFE!

:)))

To be continued...

 

- COVID Diaries: Week 11 -

Another week up and another week down!  This weekend was Memorial Day weekend, and we kicked it off with a bang on Saturday evening!  After trying very hard to place an order for curbside pickup from At Home and growing everrrr more frustrated with their website with each passing minute, I switched the curbside pickup to the next closest location in Missouri and -- what whattttt -- that particular store was open for shoppers!  Say it isn't so; I've been WAITING for At Home to re-open since the day it closed in March!  We quickly cleaned up dinner and packed up the kids for a little evening roadtrip across the river.

^^ Oh, did I mention that outdoor planters/pots were 40% off for Memorial Day weekend?  YAS!  We cleaned the place out [and even went back Sunday afternoon for more!].  Time to get some plants blooming over here!

Also on Sunday, Aunt Laura came over for a few hours so Brian and I could go shopping together at a nursery in St. Louis.  Like At Home, said nursery also recently opened their doors to foot traffic, but they were not allowing kids inside yet.  [Gosh, it sounds so crazy to type that... These are the craziest of times!!!]  We were hoping to come home with a truck bed full of small trees/shrubs and perennials to plant in the landscaping rock, but we got so super overwhelmed with all the choices and left with only a small variety of indoor plants [my new obsession] instead. ;) 

We retreated back home to research landscaping and enjoy the rest of our Sunday together, because Monday [Memorial Day] was a 12-hour shift at the hospital for me!  Brian took the kids to a family BBQ for the holiday. 

 

On Tuesday, we visited Grammy Penny and Papa Jim AND Grammy Resa and Papa Mark to show off Harper's graduation cap and gown before it was due back at the school on Wednesday.  It was great to spend time with some very special grammys and papas who we haven't had much [if any] quality time with lately!  Love you all!!!

Despite the rain...rain and rain and MORE RAIN on Wednesday morning, I made a haul through Home Depot's Garden Center for flowers to furnish our pots!  Harper and I watched the radar like hawks and darted outside that afternoon at the first chance we had!  The kids were great helpers with the flowers and really enjoyed helping me plant them [or scoop/throw dirt around while I planted was more like it...]!

We also returned Harper's graduation cap and gown to the school and had a nice visit with Ms. Leah outside the preschool.  We are going to miss her smiling face and sweet soul sooo much!  What a great year it was.

Thursday was a work day at the office for me, but Dr. P brought us these donuts just out of the kindness of his heart and GOSH -- I think I sampled 10/12 of them and probably gained about 3 extra pounds by the time I clocked out.  SO DELISH!

Harper's kindergarten uniforms also arrived in the mail on Thursday, and I was so excited for her to try them on!  Is it just me, or does she look about 10 years old here??! Boo hoooooo, my momma heart isn't ready for all of this!  She preferred the jumper over the skort, but I think we'll keep both for now to have options come August.  I have all my fingers and toes crossed that they will be returning to school as scheduled this fall!

We capped off Thursday with an all-American meal:  hamburgers, corn on the cob [Scarlett's first time!], and homemade chocolate milkshakes!  Grandma Beeler always served this meal when we visited her growing up, and it brings back such sweet memories of her house every time I whip it up for my family now. :)

Friday was a lazy day a la casa.  The girls and I watered all our new flowers and played outside all morning...

...then had a picnic on the front porch before Scarlett's nap time.

Tonight, we are headed to Uncle Vaz's house to watch the live Dropkick Murhpys concert at Fenway Park! 

Annnnnnd nap time just ended! 

Perfect timing. 

Ciao for now!