Friday, February 4, 2022

Eleri Jean

 Eleri Jean joined us on March 17, 2021. A St. Patricks Day Pandemic Baby!


Eleri Jean, or as we will call her here, Elbow, got the memo that Elsea kids are born on holidays and joined us right on time (which is easy when you're evicted). 

She's the perfect addition to our family and the feisty one. 

I'm kidding. She's been super easy so far. A great baby.  But she does have a strong will. I'm thinking it's because she's spoiled by the older three. 

I'm so late in informing you of her arrival that she's already driving. 



This my be my last blog post for a while. Turns out blogger still isn't super friendly, so I'll find something else to fill my "putting off work I need to get done" time with. At the very least I added Elbow to the blog so she can't say she's not. part of the blog family years from now. 

Wednesday, February 2, 2022

630

(insert "it's been 84 years" gif here -- if I knew how)

630. The number of days since I've last blogged.

Somethings have stayed the same:

We are still in a pandemic. 

I'm still blogging instead of doing what I should be doing (laundry for 6, dishes, cleaning the kitchen, vacuuming, washing floors, washing windows, putting stuff away, etc). Ok well, I'm not still blogging, but I'm blogging today while putting off all of the above. We'll see if there is a blog tomorrow. 

And some things have changed:

I have a new job. 

We went to Disney (if you know C, this is big for us)

WE HAD A NEW BABY (more on her next time). 

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

quarantine views: week 9

Good Morning!

We're still living up the life over here.  Homeschooling in the mornings (when I'm not at work) and watching Disney+ (a very good investment during these times) while Dex naps in the afternoons.  When it's nice, which is hasn't been, we spend the day outside.

I've read my way through 14 books (check the log, starting with The Two Lives of Lydia Bird) and I've started taking a lot of what I call "pandemic baths" which is just a regular bath during a pandemic.  I take several a week and allow myself a bath bomb or bubble bar each time.  C and I had an unconventional date night that involved driving around Pickerington, picking up dinner, eating it at church, followed by playing ping pong at church. A date night to remember.

We dropped some dinner off to Miriam.


Each of the bigs have gotten a single trip to the store.  Fully masked and gloved which everyone should appreciate as they like to touch and lick (GMac) everything. You're welcome.


We spent an hour at church just running around and playing.  It was probably the happiest the kids have been in weeks. 


Coke Slushy King. Yes, I let my 2 year old have a coke slushy. 


Sleepovers have become the norm for these two. 


We had to pick up some ping pong supplies on our date night.


I ordered some decorate your own cookies from CourtneysCutOuts for everyone to do for Mother's Day.  C and I ended up making them and I was a-okay with that as I didn't have the stamina to have the kids make them by the end of Sunday. 


The library has curbside pick up! I can stop spending so much on kindle books (I know, I can borrow electronic books, too).  All books are quarantined for three days after their return. 


Yesterday was a nice day and on nice days we go on a walk. Usually a lap around Sanderson exploring nature stuff and yelling at the kids to not go near the playground. "WHAT'S EVEN THE POINT?" as GMac has proclaimed. 


This walk involved a lap on the trails in the woods. 


Have Mickey, will travel.


A walk to Sanderson isn't complete without a stop for pictures with the school buses.







Wednesday, May 6, 2020

quarantine views: week 8

My calculations say it's week 8 of quarantine. Not sure if we're entering week 8 or leaving it, but it's week 8.

Stopping this to deal with the overly talkative two year old who wants a large heavy blanket fashioned on him as a cape. 




Back to quarantine life.  Despite being home all the time, things are hectic.  There are so many more hats and I'm missing it taking a community to raise our kids.  There's a reason why I gave up the education degree.

Here are some scenes from the last week.

Our neighbors flagged down the Kona Ice truck and Ainsley was able to say "I thought this was a bad day, but it's a good day!" Thanks a lot, kid.


Eight feet on my walk with mom.


I found hand sanitizer (but couldn't open the bottles) so I called C to Kroger's from work and called my dad from home and they each came and bought the limit of two. 



The kids did a scavenger hunt Grandma Elsea sent. GMac touched dog poop. I asked why. He said he thought it was poop, but it was mud.  I informed him it was poop and he was banned from using that hand until we got home.  Boys. 


Little boy, big chair. 


We went to church for the first time in 7 weeks, just us, and masked up. 


Pardon the large eyes. C couldn't get a picture of me without blinking so I was working hard to keep them open.


Breakfast of quarantine champions who wake at 6:30 a.m. and come to Mommy 2+ times during the night.


GMac lost his glasses in the creek so Emmy got him some replacements. Hard to believe he doesn't like them as he wears them constantly.



He insists on carrying the book all the way home when it's an accomplishment that he just makes it walking the entire way. 

Also, for those wondering how far we live from my parents, from door to door it's the length of the Titanic. 


Grandma Elsea sent waster guns. Dex just likes dumping his out. 


Reading and waiting for Grandma to drop something off.


While working and homeschooling this guy wanted to sit in my lap. I thought he was rubbing a tag on his face. Turns out it was a pen. I can see how it feels the same as a tag. 


Little Laverne, but with Coke. 




Wednesday, April 29, 2020

quarantine views: week 7

We're in week 7 of quarantine (and I'm a-ok with it because I'm an introvert who just wants to be in her own house (or yard).

Anyway, here's what we've been up to. ]

On Sunday, GMac asked me if eating a lego could make his stomach hurt. I told him probably which made him all kinds of worried that he'd die. Turns out, he had a lego and couldn't find it and thus the next logical conclusion, in his mind, must've been "my belly hurts (forget the fact I haven't had breakfast and I can't find the lego therefore, I ate the lego."

C found said lego on the floor of the living room.


Dex discovered the sandbox! He hadn't been able to explore it before due it a parent caused thumb injury. I won't name the parent, but it wasn't me.


Grandma dropped off Decorate Your Own Cupcake Kits!


One. Sprinkle. At. A. Time. 



Morning walk to check out the post-rain puddles. 


A sand man!


We had two of the same blends of wine, different vintages and so C decided we should have a vertical flight (if two glasses can be considered a flight).



Monkey's Diner and Tea Room are still open for business. It makes me so happy and nostalgic to see her playing with the serveware I used to play with at Aunt Babs'.


Self-imposed time-out because he was mad something didn't go his way. 


Modling his mask for Grandma's mask making business.



Wednesday, April 22, 2020

earth day nature bracelets

We took a page out of Mrs. Jurecki's (Monkey's awesome kindergarten teacher) book and walked to Sanderson to make nature bracelets. Monkey was interested in collecting flowers while GMac collected dirt and rocks.