I don’t know how every one else is feeling right now, but I am feeling super stressed! In the late evenings we generally take a walk. My sweet four year old Emma is a deep thinker. She sometimes says to me on these walks, “Momma, I wish the virus would go away!”. My response, “Me too!!!!”. She says, “I miss my friends”. My response, “I know you do.”  It makes me sad to think that she is thinking about a virus! David doesn’t really talk about it much, but he does occasionally say that he misses his friends. Andrew and I (as many of you) are faced with the decision of whether to send the kids to school this fall! This is a terribly difficult decision! Ordinarily, David would be starting first grade at his local school, Emma would be starting preschool, and Samuel would be attending a parents day out program a couple days a week. However, because of the state we are in due to Covid-19, our future is possibly looking quite different. We have made the decision to take the online option for school this fall. It is a huge step for us, because we would not ordinarily consider homeschooling. David has loved school, and done very well in school. So I worry how this year will go. Emma still has a couple years left before she can start kindergarten so I’m not worried about the academic aspect of keeping her home. We will have a lot of fun doing ABC mouse! I pray we are making the right choices. I also pray for everyone else having to make these type of decisions right now. Everyone is doing what they feel is the right thing for their family, and we all need a lot of prayer and support right now.

I will miss the personal down time that sending the kids to school and PDO generally gives me. I hope to settle into a routine that will still allow me to have some respite. On the other hand, I love having the kids home and I look forward to spending more quality time with each of them. We have been having a great time at home this summer! We do miss doing our usual outings to the zoo, and splash pads etc., but we are thankful to still be able to visit grandparents!

We went for an overnight stay this week, and the kids loved riding the mower. David is almost big enough to drive it by himself. They also had fun picking wild blackberries, feeding the bunnies, and celebrating Nana’s birthday!

The kids have been beating the heat by playing in their little pool in the back yard. David is almost too big for it, but he loves splashing around in it and shooting water guns. I love the picture of them sitting on our reading bench, reading. Samuel is enjoying his snack. 🙂 David is actually reading very well. He has started a series of chapter books called, Kids of the Polk Street School. It’s a series Andrew remembers reading as a kid. He really likes them, and reads a few chapters of a book every night before going to bed! He is already on book three!

One thing that I am thankful for during this time is that the kids have each other to play with. While they don’t always get along, and there is a lot of fussing at times, they also have times where they are really sweet to one another.

Emma Selfie! How does she look so grown up! I think it’s the hat! 💖

I pray that you will find peace and assurance in these times of uncertainty and decision making.

Love,

PK