Oh my goodnesssssss, what is this life??! After feeling one breath away from death for many MANY moons [more more and moreeee posting to come on this and the ever-exciting life of the budding bump/morning sickness culprit, but all who have followed here for a while know I am never the most glamorous of pregos because holy nausea and vomiting be mine forever and ever AMEN], alas! There were a few exciting life occurrences between Christmas 2020 and Harper's last day of kindergarten in May 2021, so I'm here today to boast them loudly and proudly. In a not short recap -- but in total mom fashion [because #letnothinggoundocumented] -- lesssss' go!
In January, our neighborhood planned an outing to the skating rink! It was Harper's first time on ice skates, and she loved it! Scarlett was terrified of the ice and stuck close.close.close by her mom in the heated snack tent nearby... The apples never fall far from the tree; can you guess whose mini each girl is?! ;) :)
February was a frigid and frosty month; we made it through with lots of crafting and reading and playing [and mebbe a little lot of TV/movie watching while I gestated a little 8-week fetus from the couch]. Harper and Scarlett had really started playing well together over the winter, so it worked out perfectly that they could entertain each other and truly enjoy each other's company while I puked/napped/peeked an eye open every so often to make sure the masses were still alive! It's soooo true what they say: sisters make the best friends!
^^ Thank goodness doc is in the house...got that broken leg fixed up in no time! :)
In late February, we hit up our favorite Mexican restaurant marking our first time inside an eating establishment since March 2020. PASS THE CHIPS AND SALSA while we raise our marg x1/lemonades x3 and shout, "Ole!"
The end of February brought more and more sniffs of normalcy as places around town started to open up again. Scarlett enjoyed Tot Skate for the first time in over a year [I've wondered several times if she even remembers life pre-COVID?! She was a fresh 2 years old when it hit and the ways of the world changed drastically overnight...]...
...and our family enjoyed an inaugural 2021 outing to the zoo! The zoo staff was strict with masking for ages 9 and up, but Harper was so used to wearing her mask every day at school that she insisted on wearing hers also. [Scarlett snubs her mask whenever possible, because, "I a kid," and I can't agree more!] It was a chilly, rainy day, but it was so nice to be out of the house with something to do!
In March, Harper started tumbling at a local dance studio...
...and Scarlett signed up for gymnastics at the YMCA! She was quickly gaining confidence in her flips and skips until this one unfortunate incident [which I accidentally caught on a burst photo on my phone and have since reviewed 10+ times truly wondering how she didn't snap her neck in half......#reallifemiracles].
We nearly had to pull out of the whole gymnastics season after the very first class when Scarlett discovered that the instructor was a male [and a super young, energetic, fun one, at that!] and would NOT participate in class without me inside and two inches away. But! The 3-year-old's preferences be 'dat way or 'da highway and she "don't yike boys" [AKA men] at all these days, so we luckily got her reassigned to another class with two female instructors. Thankfully, the rest was history!
We also scored a brand new, shiny MINIVAN in March! ...Brand new to us, that is; but we bought it used from Brian's aunt with plenty of life and shine left. The kids are SO EXCITED [Harper has been begging for a van for years, in fact, and is always embarrassed when I pull up to get her after school in carline with squeaky breaks and "a really junky car"] and both offspring have enjoyed giving everyone a "tour" of the spacious inside at any chance they get.
March brought several more Tot Skate sessions at the YMCA. Some days, the rink was packed to the gills with kids; other days, it was supa' sparse. One day at 10:00am, with the entire rink to herself, Scarlett skated around and said, “I guess e’rybody else is still sweepin’!” Guess so, girl. ;)
April highlights included manicures + pedicures at the nail salon for Kate's 6th birthday...
...and another family outing to the zoo to preview the new Dinoroarus exhibit! Scarlett slept through the first half of the adventure but woke up in time for the carousel, sea lion show, and train ride[s]. I cherish outings like this and quality time with my little fam!
We continued home improvements throughout the month [will we ever be finished with our long-@$$ to-do list? It's starting to seem unlikely...] and Harper also started T-ball practice! The first game is in mid-May, and we're looking quite forward to watching the girls play! Only two teammates are non-classmates of hers, so it should be a fun little bi-weekly reunion for the STB girls.
In early May, Brian went back to in-person work for the first time since March 2020. Of course, this qualified him for a "first day" pic on the front porch! :) #mythirdkid
And in mid-May, SUMMER BREAK BEGAN!!! We have been keeping busy so far with lots of reading to grandparents [in person and via FaceTime], arts and crafts, puzzles, movie nights, outside play time, and laid back, lazy days!
Looking forward to all the sunshine and warm weather ahead! Any fun summer plans/activities/outings for any of you?! Send all the ideas our way; momma's finally feelin' great and we're ready to fill the calendar!
From January to May, that's it for now!
:-* :-*
