A Year Later

Here we are nearly a year later and we are still dealing with this COVID pandemic. We were issued the stay-at-home order on March 21, 2021. I cannot believe it's been almost a year. They had two months left of Kindergarten and 2nd Grade and we thought for sure they would go back. Only to be stuck at home straight though to October, then to go back for 2 days then home again until January 19th. So they have been in school now for 1 1/2 months 2 days a week. God Bless the teachers and the faculty and all the parents trying to manuever through this. I am feeling really awful for George lately, he is so smart, and yearns to learn more, but also so bored. He needs that preschool interaction. He constantly wants one of us to play with him. And it's tough because they have school and things they need to do, and he knows that he doesn't right now. I kept him out of preschool because of his lung issues as a baby and the unknown of this virus. And I belive it was initially the right thing to do, but now I just know he needs something more than just being with me, and doing activities and playing with me, or waiting for his siblings to go on a break to play with him. It's really interesting how much has changed since last March. Their taste buds have changed, what they like to eat, their normal lunch habits have changed. The games they like to play, their hobbies, and interests. It's like we have gone through everything by being home for so long that it's not as fun anymore. Which makes perfect sense. They started off with lots of bike rides, scooter play, legos, drawing, magnatiles, monopoly, Uno, the floor is lava, painting, play doh, obstacle courses, laser tag, store, forts, nailed it competitions. I had tried to be creative with things but I think I am burnt out and so are they. I constantly am reminded by hnow much I love/hate electronics. For 1 on some days it's a savior.... then on other days it's nightmare, and I do not like how much they think about it or want to be on it. We have set a limit of time for them to be on it, preferably at the same time so I can get stuff done. But it's all just been hard. I can see that the more time that they are on it the more they want and the less they want to do other things. It's such a hard phase. Then I remind myself that it's winter, the snow has been on the ground for 2 months, it's covid, we can't really hang with many people inside. This all has to be hard on them. But I still want to be more creative and have them, us all do other things. Now I really shouldn't complain about things because we are all healthy, we have had some really special times during this pandemic. And the fact that Zach can work from home 3 days a week has truly been a blessing. I need to constantly remind myself how truly blessed we are. They just announced the toher day that the United States has reached 500,00 deaths since last March. That is shocking, horrific and so very sad. So many families will forever be dealing wtih these losses from this unneccessary Virus. My Mom's really good friend passed away in December. He was invinciable, a man who seemed larger than life, and that fact that JR is gone is just not right. The vaccine has been out for 2 months and they are vaccinating millions of people. My parents finally got vaccinated. Zach is a bit nervous about us getting vacinated being that it was made so quickly. But the goal for the world is that more and more people get vaccinated to develop a herd immunity. This way we can gain control and eventually start going back to our new normal. It won't be like it was before, but hopefully as close as possible. I have a few pictures and videos to add documenting the last couple of months. Like I mentioned earlier, the snow was on the ground for 2 months. That's a long time. So there has not been too much to do besides sled, play in snow or hang inside. Until recently... it's finally gone. And spring is in the air. We drive to Gulf Shores in less than two weeks for spring break, and we can hardly wait. Dreaming of warmer weather and the BEACH.