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?Just got the sad news that schools are closed in MA for the rest of the year. We are the 35th state to do so. We have the 5th highest deaths. I’m feeling sad for kids missing their friends and teachers. I’m feeling sad about canceled plans to see family – like Grandma and Nana for a May recital and no Cape Cod with the Marxes and my parents – and a canceled anniversary trip to Portugal with Jordan. I’m feeling especially sad for all the families that are in less comfortable living situations – trying to navigate at-home learning with not enough space or devices for everyone to work. And I’m feeling worried for the high school students who are working on the front lines of grocery stores and pharmacy shops in order to bring in money for their families – maybe working 30+ hours a week and may be not able to do school work.

we are so fortunate to experience joy amidst the loss. Never before would I have had N and E do morning yoga with me! And Nat wanted C to wear the PJs she wore when she was 3 (which matched her baby Ellie). I may have called him Clara once today 🙂

day 35

i got some basketball time in with my boys! Both WI and IL closed schools for the rest of year; I’m expecting a similar announcement for MA this upcoming week.

Day 34

Kids enjoyed weekly Science with Lala. She has done about four classes: squid, pandas, sea turtles, and rhinos. Next week penguins!

At bedtime I told the kids, tomorrow is Friday. Remember when we used to get excited for the weekend for more family time?!? Natalie chuckled. Elliott guffawed. “Who needs that?!?”

also we broke out Flash Flash. This was Elliott’s most fav 2nd year birthday gift from N and P. Conor was a little intimated and the equivalent of star struck.

conor is a huge reader. I stink is a fav. Here he brought it for Natalie to read. He also loves this Halloween puppet book, Lift the flap books (grandma and me, spot, bellybutton) and some eric Carle books (brown bear , from head to toe).
also E is growing so much. His pants are always high waters! I try to buy bigger sizes but then it hangs off his waist.

Conquering Forest Park on our wed aft spring observation hike. Nature photos by Nat 

My boss challenged our Holyoke educators to dress up as their favorite book character and send in a video. Teachers are understandably tired right now and only one person submitted. So I got the whole fam to join me in making one. We chose Boxcar Children because it’s available for free now since we cannot go to the library!  Enjoy! (ESP the dog-monkey)

Day 26. Conor has started monitoring his own temperature

(Note: we do not do this daily!!! We only did this week 1 when 4/5 of us were sick!)

Elliott has also started a 30 day lego building challenge, which he of course wants to complete in less than 30 days. (It’s a chart that has a new creation challenge each day.

and Grandma sent the window stickers that our kids love – and now Conor does too. E taught him how to do it.
Note. I still love Natalie. It’s just she rarely lets me take pics of her.

Epic hair cuts!  I’d say one looks phenomenal and the other looks eh-okay. The tip is to start with hair so long that it looks like an older lady’s perm.  We also had pizza, played Monopoly, went on a hike, and read stories. (This weekend feels like a weekend on repeat.)

Also did I mention Conor is obsessed with water bottles? He has taken literally every water bottle I have, which probably suggests that 1) my choice of water bottles is juvenile and 2) I’m a pushover

Natalie did a research project on French pastries… so we made crepes this morning! Conor kept asking for more. Bon appetit!

Day 17. Nat amazingly reviewed Elliott’s time telling work (her idea – shocking) and Elliott responded great to the feedback.

Day 18 stunk. We spent 2 hours cleaning off our groceries. E spilled lemonade on my laptop. It’s sitting in rice right now. And Nat took like 35 selfies to get the perfect pic to upload for a class assignment while I waited with a hungry Conor.  I’m hoping Day 19 is better  and that my laptop will start

Elliott: Mom, is church today going to be on a zoom thingie or just a recording?

Me: Recording. You can still wear your pajamas

Elliott: ok, good

Nat was also the Eucharistic minister and passed our Ritz crackers