covid19- week 6

this was definitely a better week for us! jon & i have been all over the grief map, following the 5 stages of grief regarding life as we've always known it to be. denial [this will blow over quickly], anger [why did we have to give up so many things that we've long been looking forward to and working towards?], bargaining [i'll be a social butterfly and plan to XYZ if this could just be over], depression [feeling at our ultimate, helpless lows in our worst moments when it feels like no possible end to this pandemic is in sight], and now, it feels like we're rounding out on the acceptance piece of what our country [our world, really] looks like today. the kids may not return to school in the fall, and if so, it's likely going to look a whole lot different than what we've experienced our whole life, vacation and job plans simply cannot be set in stone at the moment, and in the more immediate 1st world problem realm, the kids likely won't get to have a summer with camps, swimming and the beach. but as we were talking last night, we were beaming thinking of the special life skills and memories that are buried deep inside our girls from this experience. lucy is a ferocious reader, knocking out multiple chapter books per week and staying up way past bedtime to read in her bed with the low glow of her booklight. eloise has grown confident on her bike, flying through our neighborhood with no training wheels and few reservations, and bea has grown up in her words, manners, dreams and abilities as she's gotten to watch and learn from her sisters all day, every day. we are the fortunate ones, with our health and our extended family's health. we have things that we look forward to each day and things that we dread. but our girls are happy, grateful ... and so are we. 

xoxo, 

-ivy

covid19- week 5

as i type this, we're on day 37 of our at-home quarantine. the state of kansas ordered a 30 day at-home ordinance that's just been extended into the month of may. we've been at home longer than what's been required- we knew the ordinance was coming & knew the chance of transmission and exposure, so opted to stay home a few days early. we've done so much as a family during this time, and the girls have spent just about every waking minute within each others' direct contact- board games, makeovers, puzzles, cooking, baking, cleaning, barbies, painting, chalk, movies, sleepovers, reading, the introduction of video games, video chats with friends & family, long walks, online church, picnics, writing letters, and a birthday parade for ms shirley marley herself! jon goes on long bike rides & i make sure & exercise every single day. we've gotten takeout twice now, and typically have our groceries delivered. we go through so much fresh produce! i've gotten to know the girls on a deeper level. lucy is a kind, empathetic leader who works hard and finishes what she starts; eloise is compassionate, silly and so creative; betsy longs to be bigger, is brave & does as she pleases while singing her way through the day. jon's been so strong for us, and is a spectacular problem-solver and researcher. i've started re-reading my gramma's copy of gone with the wind- my absolute favorite & i always question when we'll be able to move south. one day for sure. i love that after scarlett, the second female character introduced is beatrice. i wonder how far i'll be into this 1000+ page, tiny font book when the at-home orders are lifted & life feels somewhat normal again. charlie is living like a king- daily walks, lots of tennis ball time & food scraps during meals. at dusk, our house has the prettiest golden light shine through the windows this time of year through summer & i look forward to it every day. our problems in "staying home" pale in comparison to so many others, and my theme amidst my anxiety is  

d e e p  b r e a t h s.

heading into a new week of virtual school & dance [blah] & lots of warm, sunny, windows-open days!

xoxo, 

-ivy

covid19- week 4 + easter 2020

another week into this new norm. while there's plenty to be anxious about, and we certainly are, i'd say we've fallen into our new routine and it's working for us. it's harder for jon & his line of work, but the girls and i are making due just fine. lucy & eloise continue to thoroughly enjoy virtual school. they miss their classmates & teachers SO much, but their schoolwork is exciting and enjoyable for them. grateful! dance is more of a struggle- taking the social piece away, as well as direct interaction & feedback from their dance teachers, seems to diminish much of their joy in their dancing experience. they look forward to our daily walks/bike rides, letters from friends & family and facetiming friends, family & teachers. we have loads more time for creative thinking, board games, cooking lessons, random crafts & boredom. betsy is sure she's one of the big girls now! as of this week, it's recommended by the cdc that masks are worn whenever we leave the house, so in the off-chance we're headed to a place that is likely to have a small crowd, gmom made us all fancy masks. honestly, though, other than a drive down the street to drop a socially distant gift to a friend for her birthday, i haven't left the house in a month at this point. we've gotten take-out one time, and cooked a million other meals out of caution of transmission. we celebrated easter, and eloise told us it was the best easter ever. the girls are happy, although i do think this is affecting lucy the most. she's super social, and also old enough to need some interaction outside the 5 of us. it's all ok- it's working and it's not forever. we're healthy, well cared for, and privileged in so many ways. our parents and my gramma are healthy and staying home, while auntie amy, uncle brian & aunt alli are all in the thick of it at their respective hospitals. we trust there's a greater plan, especially following our lenten journey, and in the meantime with no specific end in sight, we're truly just taking life one day at a time. together.

  

  

xoxo,

-ivy