The Tub of Joy

Brian and I have been lucky enough to not have caught COVID-19 or to be dramatically impacted by everything associated with it, at least no more than anyone else. But I think maybe we have actually lost our minds since quarantine started. As we kept hearing of each of the kids activities and camps being canceled and then the news that the local pool wouldn't be opening we were desperate to find something fun to look forward to. It started with a dream of a swim spa and ended with the reality of a hot tub. In the course of a few weeks, my husband the researcher became an expert on the subject and we bought a hot tub! I prefer to call it the "tub of joy" and it's been great. We've now had it for about 3 weeks and it's been a nice distraction for relaxation with the craziness around us. The kids love it and Brian and I love going it in without the kids:) 

Girl Scouts

Addy has been able to continue with Girl Scouts via zoom and they've done a lot of fun activities. She got to have a taste test of the two different types of each cookie from each bakery. As Cameron would say, "Did you know there are only 2 bakeries for all of the girl scout cookies and each type is slightly different?" Addy got to try each kind and tried to guess which was which (and Cameron convinced her to let him try them all as well). 

She also did a pringles challenge - did you know that you can perfectly lay out pringles chips to build a circle? It took a few tries but Addy mastered it. She also got to build a balloon car that is so awesome. Blow up the balloon and off it goes!

For her end of year party they did a scavenger hunt, made their own pizzas and s'mores pies and celebrated with crazy hair. Another end to a great season. Hard to believe coronavirus first started during cookie season.

Field Trip

Last weekend we decided to treat ourselves to some doughnuts, but decided to walk to get them. It's about a 3 mile round trip walk and it was great! In addition to the doughnuts, we discovered that the Farmer's Market was actually open so we walked through that. We also discovered that Edmonds created a new little mural with all these different birds. It was an eventful walk and felt great to get out and do things and see people (at a responsible distance!)

Our Tree Climbers

The kids have recently become obsessed with climbing trees and now that they are getting older and even more athletic, they can really climb them. Luckily I'm not usually nearby when they choose to do this because it makes me way too nervous to see. Just as luckily, Brian is great at encouraging this and ensuring they know how to do it safely. He recently snapped this photo and I about had a heart attack when they told me (and showed me) how high they climbed in the tree in our own backyard. 

It's June!

We've made it through another month and I can't believe how quickly it's gone by. The kids have just 2 weeks left of school. Addy has been keeping her journal since remote learning started which means she has written for 84 days now! I'm so impressed that she has kept this going every day. I wanted the kids to write about this time so they could remember how they felt but I certainly had no idea it would go on for this long. She has covered a lot of different topics in her journal but has now requested that I no longer read it without her permission. My little girl is growing up so quickly!

I'm work from home through October 1st so I will get to spend more time with the kids through the summer for the first time. It certainly won't be a typical summer in anyway but I am grateful for the extra time with them. I also feel like for the first time I can honestly see them growing in front of eyes. Both kids feel noticeably taller in the last couple weeks and I know my days are numbered before they outgrow me.

To my children

Dear Adelyn and Cameron-

To say that 2020 has been a challenging year is an understatement. None of us could have predicted the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact it would have on our day-to-day lives. I have tried so hard to find the silver linings of this and have been grateful for all it has taught me and especially the way you both have adjusted. It reminded me how resilient kids really are, and I am so proud of you both. You have found new ways to "choose happy" and that has filled my cup with joy. 

Now we are facing an entirely different crisis, but this one has been in front of us for hundreds and hundreds of years. This one leaves me feeling angry and helpless and ashamed and sad. My heart is broken. I am searching for the right words to talk to you about it and researching what I can do or say to you. I want to help stop the pattern of injustice that has existed my entire life and the life of your grandparents and great-grandparents and on and on. I want to live to see it end. 

We don't often talk about race as a family. We are a privileged family who has never had to experience the racism or injustice or discrimination that so many people have to fight every single day. I want to make sure that we are not contributing to this, and we don't accept that "this is just the way things are." I want to help you realize that things can change. Actions matter and it is possible to change a system that is not serving and protecting the people who need it most. Yes, our world feels broken right now but it doesn't have to stay that way. Maybe that is what it takes to actually rebuild it. I believe in hope, and I want you both to continue to believe that anything is possible. Not just for you but for everyone, regardless of the color of their skin. 

So my pledge to you is to not ignore this because it's uncomfortable or unfair. Let's take take this time to learn more and talk about how we feel and what we can do. I don't know how to do this but my promise to you is to do it anyway. We will fumble our way through together.  I hope we will look back and see this time as a true turning point and not another missed opportunity to make a difference. 

Love,
Mom

Adventure of Tiger, Pigeon and Komodo Dragon

Cameron had an assignment for school to write a story. He worked very hard on it so I wanted to share it here. I still can't believe my 7 year old wrote this.

       One day a tiger was in a forest. Now this wasn't any old forest, it was the Hyperion Forest, with the tallest tree (and living thing) in history. P.S. It's real. And at that same time, a pigeon was flying around San Fransisco. Meanwhile in a desert not far away from the forest there lived a Komodo dragon. Now all of these animals wanted a glimpse of the Hyperion Tree so... they were going to set off on a dangerous difficult journey.

       I'll start with, how about Tiger. Tiger was a nice-ish guy. Well, I wouldn't blame him, he's a carnivore. He hunts and kills animals. Oh sorry. Back to the story. Tiger set off on his very own journey. He walked for a long time not looking down where he was going, but looking up for the tree.  He finally saw one glimpse of the tree but then... HE FELL! Down, down, down he went. Finally he hit the bottom of a big hole. Then, as he stumbled onto his feet, he had a great idea. The great idea was to climb out of the big hole. So, he did. But, he slipped and fell again. Then, he had another great idea. This great idea was to tunnel his way out. So he dug and dug and dug some more. Finally he reached the top, and there it stood, the Hyperion Tree. It was way bigger than he thought. It was  absolutely gigantic. "I'm an ant," said Tiger.

      Now let's do Pigeon. Pigeon was a, well, sort of a nuisance because she steals food from humans. I mean, that's just what pigeons do, so you can't blame them. Oh, whoops I did it again. Back to the story. Now Pigeon, like Tiger before her, set off in her own journey to the Hyperion Tree. She started to fly, but as she did, like when she was about 15 feet in the air she saw hunters and they saw her. The  hunters aimed their guns at her. They fired like crazy. She dodged their fire until she was out of their range. Then, she got hit. She gave them somehow enough time for them to get their long-range gun out. She fell and fell until she hit a branch. She laid there for a couple minutes then she got back up and flew and flew and flew some more. Finally she reached the tree. She tried to fly as high as the tree but she couldn't, she lost her strength and fell, but she landed on Tiger. He was surprised but he was also happy. They became friends very quickly and then they wondered if anyone else was coming so they waited until somebody showed up.

       The Komodo dragon, remember him? "Yes." Okay good because that's what the next part is about. Komodo was an okay guy. He could scare people easily, and he did it a lot. He liked to be alone. But even more, he wanted to see the Hyperion Tree. So, he like Tiger and Pigeon before him set off on his own path to the tree. He had walked about a mile until he came across a giant crack. So, he tried to jump over it, but he missed by a lot. He fell and fell and fell. He tried to tunnel his way out but he ran into a rock and had to go back. Then he tried to climb. That worked. He finally reached the top. Then he went about a half mile and finally he reached the tree. Then he saw tiger and pigeon relaxing in the shade. He said "hi." They said "hi" back. He sat down to join them. They all became great friends. 

THE END.