Staying home seems to the be the safest place to be for right now. It seems crazy to think that we were in Florida just weeks before all of this and we had a really fun time. Fast forward a few weeks and our whole county and all the surrounding counties are on "stay at home" rules. Coronavirus sounds terrible and I believe its really a terrible flu like sickness. I am praying my family does not have any trace of it!!! At all!!!! But, I have had some rough days through all of this. My feelings and precautions don't always know what to do. I am having many God moments and I'm asking Him for help!!!
For some, this pandemic is tragic and to others not so much. I'm blessed to be home with four healthy children. With a husband that really helps me process all of this better. A business that can still sell barns. We are still out of school. We have not been at church in weeks. Lapp's was closed for a whole week. Listening to Kids Cookie Break last Saturday, they were focusing on all the things that have not changed instead of the fierce changes we've had in the past weeks. Like Spring time, it still happens when it normally always does. Like the sunrise and sunsets. We still have healthy minds and bodies and have food on the table every single day. We even still have toilet paper!!! :) To set my perspective on God has really helped me to stop panicking and focusing on the virus but instead focusing more on the "now". I don't know about tomorrow but God does. I rest in that!!!!!
We've been having camp fires on the warmer days!!!! I love this and it seems to calm down the unrest around me.
The past two Saturday night's we opted to order take out and bring it home to eat. That's the only options of eating out right now. The first time we ordered from New Holland Coffee. Last weekend, Mike ordered sushi for him and the kids. The other ones of us roasted hot dogs and smores.
Ashlyn's been begging to go pick up her bunny and so we did that last week and it really like good to get out of the house and think something else for awhile. She's been playing with it a lot and we are hoping it will get tamer soon! It still scratches and kicks a lot when we catch it.
The other day Matthew just needed to get out of the house and do something on the whim. He fired up the moped and him and Austin were ripping around on my freshly mowed grass. They had a blast!!!!!
Because of this "stay at home", Bethany didn't come help me clean on Thursday. I had the little ones help me with some of the work.
One thing that does not stress me out is school work! Thank the Lord for good teachers and Miss Blain has been amazing through all of this! I love how she writes with each email, "I am still her teacher. Let me know if you have any questions." She gave her personal phone number and email address. I also love how Miss Blain is doing ZOOM with the class. They actually did a science project on ZOOM with the moon phases. They took Oreos apart and scrapped the icing off for each moon phase. How creative!
School was delayed for two weeks and now again for another couple of weeks. We are looking at the end of April if we go back into classrooms. I really do hope they can get back for a few weeks at the end of the school term but for now, we school at home.
This has been happening a lot! It's such a blessing to have God on our side and to pray over our children through these days of questions, of disappointments, of stay at home day after day, of no school, of not seeing friends and teachers ... we pray for God's help!
Austin has been loving the children home from school!!!!! Him and Ashlyn play so nice and really have a blast together. This is also a wonderful blessing!
Meet my tigers of the day!!!!!
This was the spread for a movie night! We loved "Ferninand"!!!
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Someone just had a birthday!!!! Ashlyn is now nine years old! She started planning her birthday party plans right after Christmas and I told her I don't want to think about it until March. March arrived and she got right to making her lists and planning the friends she wanted to invite and all the girl fun party things! Now, here we are and I feel like I've said a million times, "no we can not do that right now. The virus ... the stay at home actually means to stay at home." She made the best of it and even though we didn't have a party for her friends, we partied with her!!!! :)
She loves her new Lion King movie and loves, loves her new water bottle!
She only did a small amount of school for her birthday day.
We did leave the frontier for a bit to go pick up her birthday gift I ordered from Target. We swung by Chickfila for lunch and then refueled with gas at Costco before finally picking up her new bike at Target. When we got home, she rode her bike! It does feel good to get out and drive around but I've been saying so many times to the older people in my family that it's all what we tell ourselves. If we say we can't just stay home ... then we won't. If we say, "let's try to stay home as much as we can over this time" ... I'm sure it will help!
I looked out the window a while later and chuckled to see this gathering!!!! Ashlyn was on the four-wheeler. Matthew rode the moped. Austin was in his jeep! :)))) This looks like a fun recess to me!!!!!
We always let the birthday person pick a restaurant to go eat at. Well, with all of this going on, we could only order take out again. You know what??? It was actually a real blast to eat at home with a restaurant food!
We ate our dinner, then cut into the yummy chocolate cake and sang happy birthday! Ashlyn actually had some visitors for the first since the "stay at home" was in place. Both grandmas dropped in and Lena and the boys stopped in to say happy birthday.
After dinner, we played a few rounds of Phase 10 and then we went to the basement for ping pong competition. We've started up playing this game also since we are home night after night and it's been so fun!!!!
Ashlyn's birthday was different than other birthdays but she still had a great day!!!! Thank you everyone who helped make her day special. She received a card in the mail, a YouTube video from her teacher, gifts from loved ones and phone calls and texts!!!!
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We've been having church at home the past few weeks also and thanks to YouTube, we can watch it online from our pastor Merv Charles. What a blessing it is to have these gadgets that still let us connect! Mike and I have been going on walks each Sunday together too. This is a chance that we discuss our differences and feelings through this whole COVID 19. I am the one that panics and tries at all costs to not be exposed to the virus. Mike is the one that remains calm and prays and then moves on as best as he can. It's really brought the worst and best out of me. I wrestle some days of how I feel and get frustrated if I feel like I'm the only one making an effort to stay germ free. The truth is, we are all trying the best we know how. That may seem like two totally different approaches but we are trying. Our walks give us a chance to talk these feelings out together.
This is another week to grow! To grow in Jesus. To learn something new because suddenly I'm the teacher around here. It's a new start to not panic and live out faith!
Be encouraged and stay positive!!!! It may seem long at times but we will not be stuck in this forever!!!!
Jesus loves you very much!!!!!
