Father's Day Celebrations

We were able to celebrate Father's Day with all of our family! We still didn't gather in large groups and we were outside most all of the time. We were grateful for warm, sunny weather, which made being outside enjoyable. 

I am so grateful that the boys have such wonderful grandfathers, who love them very much. Granddaddy is always up for fun and adventure and loves spending time with the boys. Grandpa is very proud of all the things they boys accomplish and is always telling people about their achievements and skills. 

I am especially grateful that Evan and Preston have an amazing dad. Carl works hard, but he makes sure to spend lots of quality time with the boys. He truly enjoys hanging out with them and they do all sorts of fun things together. They play games, swim, fish, hike, enjoy movies, etc. He loves them so much. I really don't think that they could have a better dad. He is also an amazing husband. I am grateful to have a such a wonderful family. I love them all so much!

Start of Summer 2020

Over the last few weeks, our state has started to re-open places like doctor offices and dentist offices, for non-emergency things such as well visits and cleanings. There are lots of new rules when you go to the doctor or dentist. You wait in your car until they call you in and your have your temperature checked at the door. You wear a mask, unless they are checking your throat or cleaning your teeth. Other things, like hair salons and restaurants, are also starting to re-open. It is a slow process and there are lots of restrictions. Right now, restaurants are only open at 33% of their regular capacity. You don't wear a mask while at your table, but they request that you wear a mask when moving about the restaurant. Gyms are also re-opening, with special restrictions, including decreased capacity. 

The boys and I have visited the dentist for a cleaning and check up. Carl, Evan, and I have been to the doctor for check ups. The visits were not super exciting, but it felt good to be a little bit back to normal. We have done some exciting things, such as eating lunch outside at Captain's Quarters. It was the first time we had eaten at a restaurant since March 13th! We also got to attend Daniel's baptism and celebrate his second birthday. The boys are excited to play with friends again. Preston is also attending karate class at the gym. 

We have spent a lot of time in our little backyard pool. We have also spent a lot of time in the woods and at local parks. It definitely isn't the summer we had planned, but we are making the most of it! While I am sad that there is still the threat of corona virus and lots of places are still not open, I do feel like this has made us much more appreciative of life's small pleasures. I also love the extra family time we have, since we aren't rushing around.

Evan wasn't even shed hunting, but he found two sheds in the woods while playing!

Preston and Evan enjoyed going to Hounz Lane Park. They caught lots of crayfish and some minnows. Evan also caught a snapping turtle!

We were so excited to attend Daniel's baptism and birthday celebration. It was wonderful to get to be together.

We went hiking down to Harrods Creek and Evan caught a really big rat snake!

The boys enjoyed catching minnows and crayfish, as well as a toad! We also saw a pretty butterfly.

Evan found another snake on our hike back to the car!

I have always been good at finding four leaf clovers. Evan seems to have inherited my ability to easily spot them as well. All of these four leaf clovers came from searching for just one morning!

Preston has found several turtles around our neighborhood. He is always so excited!

We are really enjoying our little piece of the Chancey Garden. We were able to successfully grow almost everything that was given to us from the school garden. We also added some of our own tomatoes and strawberries.

The Novel Caronavirus, Memorial Day Weekend Fun and The Last Day of School

We are still dealing with the novel caronavirus, but we are starting to slowly come out of "healthy at home" orders for Kentucky. This is mainly due to a leveling off of new cases. Many people are still working from home and lots of places are only allowed to be open if they operate under new guidelines. For instance, restaurants are allowed to be operate at 33% capacity and all tables must be at least six feet away from each other. Although many restaurants are open, we have opted to still get food delivered from restaurants or get take out. When we go to the doctor, we call from the parking lot and wait to be allowed in. We have our temperature taken and go right back to an exam room. We are expected to only get together in groups of ten or less. 

The pets seem to like that we are home so much. They get a lot of attention and lots of extra love.

Preston has continued his karate lessons via Zoom. He just tested for his orange belt last week! He is making great progress!

Preston and I did a cool chalk mosaic as part of his art class. We had so much fun and it turned out so great!

Evan has continued fishing this spring. He recently had some great success catching a huge carp and a big bass!

Despite not being able to do a lot of our normal activities, we still manage to have fun. Carl helped me assemble the sign for the fifth grade graduation at Chancey. Evan helped me set it up at school, but he had to be a little bit silly first. I am grateful for the laughs.

We are continuing work on our portion of the Chancey Garden. The peppers and tomatoes are doing great! We also added some of our own plants from the flower store and hope to have some strawberries too!

This past weekend was Memorial Day weekend. Under normal circumstances, we would have been at the pool enjoying a big party with food, drinks, music, and a giant slide. Currently, the pools are closed. We were lucky enough to get a large, inflatable pool for our yard and we spent a lot of time in it this weekend. We mostly stayed at home, but we did allow the boys to spend the night with Bonnie Mom and Grandpa, which they LOVED. We also watched horse races with Uncle Ron, had an alfresco dinner with the Amshoffs, and watched horse races with Bonnie Mom and Grandpa. Although it was very different than normal, we had a lot of fun!

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Today was the last day of school for Evan and Preston. We have continued to do at home schooling, with the support of our JCPS teachers. Although some days were tough, both boys did well. We are very proud of them. We have no idea what school will look like this fall, but I know that the boys will be successful with whatever the new school year offers. 

Mother's Day 2020 - Quarantine Style

Carl, Evan, and Preston pulled off an amazing Mother’s Day surprise for me last night. I was told to dress up and to be ready to go out for a night of fun. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, since everything is closed right now.

Just after 6:00, Carl and I got in our van and drove around for a bit. He told me we were going to a “new restaurant” that had special permission to be open. We arrived at the restaurant, which newly opened in our home. It was the cutest thing ever! There was a sign outside for a new Italian restaurant. We were greeted at the door by two very adorable servers. They led us to a wonderful dining area that had soft music playing and a beautifully set table. The servers brought water to the table and then gave us menus, so we could order food and drinks. They were very attentive all night long and they were so polite. In addition to serving us, they kept us entertained with jokes! We had salad, spaghetti and peach cobbler.

After dinner, Carl and I were offered movie tickets by our servers! We then went to the “movie theater” in our basement. We were allowed to pick any movie or show that we wanted!

It was the most amazing night and I definitely felt VERY loved. I know Carl, Evan, and Preston worked VERY hard to create a fun night for me and it was amazing. I am so grateful for my family.

Here are some funny and sweet things that happened during our night out at the restaurant:

• Whenever there was an issue that Evan and Preston needed help with, they would tell Mr. Koontz that he had an important work call that he needed to take.
• Preston called himself “Mr. Presto” and brought in sweet notes that my sons had sent to the restaurant.
• The portions of spaghetti were so big, that some of the noodles were hanging off the plates.
• Evan used the oven mitts to take the spaghetti out of the over, but then he just stood there holding it because he wasn’t sure where he could safely put it down. Obviously, Mr. Koontz had an urgent had a call from work after that!
• The kids have never poured beer before, so Carl’s beer was ridiculously foamy!
• At one point, Preston mentioned that the restaurant was special, because it was run by kids. Carl then inquired about his “mustache.” Preston replied that he wasn’t sure why he had a mustache as a kid, but he certainly didn’t just draw it on!
• At the end of the night, when it was time to wash off his mustache, Preston told us that he needed to go shave. It was hilarious!
• I should note that although they tried VERY hard, the kitchen was a HUGE mess afterward. It was totally worth it though. It was a really great night.

I don't want to leave out Mother's Day celebrations with Grammy and Bonnie Mom. We got Olive Garden via curbside service and took it over to Grammy's house. We sat outside, 6 feet apart, and enjoyed dinner together. I had a special necklace made for Grammy, which she loved. Granddaddy was happy to go on a bike ride with the boys. 

Bonnie Mom and Grandpa recently returned from Key West. We had a nice, socially distanced reunion on their back patio. It was a beautiful afternoon and we enjoyed talking in person, instead of via Zoom. Preston liked showing off his karate moves and telling jokes. I had ordered custom bath bombs for Bonnie Mom and was able to pick up some beautiful pink roses while I was getting food at Costco. I think she really liked the gifts, but I think the visit was her favorite part. 

Quarantine Continued

I think we are entering week eight of quarantine, but honestly, I have lost track. Some days it feels like this has gone on for WAY longer than it actually has. We have some hard days and moments, but we also have lots of good times as well. Here are some pictures to document our life and our new normal.

Preston had a virtual spirit week at school. He especially loved hat day and crazy hair day! The kids got to share their pictures on Chancey's Facebook page, so everyone could "see" each other.

Preston is keeping up with karate via Zoom lessons and workouts. He was able to earn a new belt last week!

Preston has been doing some cool activities for school. He made a nature mandala for art. He also made a TIE fighter from a marshmallow, peanut butter and graham crackers.

We try to get outside and do activities as a family. The kids don't especially love walks, but it is good for our mental health to get out of the house. They do enjoy things like seeing baby bunnies or finding a four leaf clover. 

We are continuing to work on our part of the Chancey garden that we are growing at home. Everything is outside now and most of the plants are doing well. 

Going fishing is usually an activity that everyone enjoys. 

I have not seen any hand sanitizer in the store since February. Although we wash our hands with soap and water at home, we need sanitizer when we go out for groceries or to pick up food. We are grateful that one of our favorite rum distilleries started making hand sanitizer. We ordered some online and it arrived last week!

When cleaning up, Carl found this old c.d. "mix tape" that he made me! We hadn't listened to it in a very long time and we could not remember what songs were on it. We spent one night listening to all the songs together. It was SO much fun!