my honest thoughts on this quarantine.

Yes, there are people who have lost jobs. There are people dying. There are people who haven't seen their loved ones in months. Women are delivering babies without their husbands present. Healthcare workers are risking their lives daily to care for the sick. I get it. I really don't have any right to complain.

But I miss stuff too. I miss going out to eat. I miss taking Bryson on errands or to the grocery store. I miss sharing my baby with friends and family members. Sometimes I feel like he's going to have a full set of teeth and be tying his own shoes by the time he gets to be around people again. I miss giving my friends hugs. I miss playdates and my mom's group. I miss the rush to get out the door on Sundays to get to church on time. I miss walking around stores to look around or get some exercise. I miss when Ty could come home from work and kiss the baby right away, without having to strip down and take a shower right away. I miss when the news was just the news, and not 30 minute coronavirus update segments. 

I'm a total introvert. Sometimes I feel like I'm absolutely thriving in this season of social distancing. I joke that I've been waiting for this my whole life...I wish I could've always shouted at people to "stay 6 feet away from me at all times!" I crave alone time. It's how I recharge my batteries. So most of the time this doesn't really bother me. But I also miss people too (from afar, of course. Let's not get crazy.)

I also feel sorry for people. I'm sick of people saying that it doesn't matter that high school seniors are missing out...that it's not a big deal they don't get to graduate. But it is. I'm so sorry they're missing all the things I absolutely loved about my senior year. I'm sorry for college seniors too. I'm sorry for students who didn't get a proper end to their sports careers. They didn't get to say goodbye to peers that they'll likely never see again. 

I feel sorry for my colleagues who are teaching online. As teachers, we weren't meant to teach through a computer. We were meant to reach these kids in person. My friends went into this thinking they'd see their students again in 3-4 weeks. Now they'll be given a brand-new set of kids in August, without the closure of the previous year. Parents are constantly complaining on social media about how awful e-learning is, and how they hate it, and have a hard time getting their kids to do it. That they aren't teachers and didn't choose to homeschool their kids. I absolutely agree. But my coworkers are doing the best they can with the situation they've been dealt...just like the parents and students. This isn't ideal for anyone.

I feel sorry for my friends' kids. Bryson is completely innocent and oblivious to what's going on, and I'm so grateful for that. My friends are having to explain to their kids why they can't go to school, or see their friends and grandparents. They don't get to go to the park, or movies, or on field trips. They're bored. Their parents are running out of patience (and bribes.)

I feel sorry for those who have had to cancel major life events like weddings...something a couple has dreamed about forever, now indefinitely postponed. I have a good friend who's wedding is in June. They may have to cancel and choose to go the courthouse route instead. And what about funerals...we can't even be together to mourn, or celebrate someone's life.

I hate the unknown. When will things go back to normal? I'm going back to teaching in August...what will that look like? I'd like to think that surely by then we won't be social distancing anymore, but there's already talk from the state about what school could possibly look like next year. From what I've read so far, it doesn't look like it will be anything close to normal. 

I hate the mixed messages I'm getting from the media. What am I supposed to believe? Is all of this really as big of a deal as we're making it? Did it really originate from a bat in a wet market in China? Or was it purposely released? Is there a motive behind all of this? Are we making too big of a deal, and is it really that dangerous? How the heck are we supposed to know? I have my own thoughts, feelings, and theories about what's going on...but who knows if I'm right or not? The only solid, consistent information we're getting from the media is to be scared, wash your hands, and don't touch your face. Everything else is so inconsistent.

I could go on rambling about it forever. I just had to get it off my chest. It's historical. High schoolers will be reading about this a hundred years from now in history books. But living in it kind of really sucks for all of us.

xoxo, wife

our home is officially for sale!

Our home is officially for sale and it's bittersweet. Our new house is almost finished, and we certainly didn't know we'd be moving during a global pandemic when we started the building process last September, but sometimes life comes at you fast!

It was officially listed around 12:00pm yesterday, and within 28 minutes, we already had requests for showings coming in. We had 4 back to back showings last evening, and we already have a full day of showings today as well. This is not the most convenient thing with a 7 month old baby, but I'm hoping that with all these showings, we get an offer soon and then we can be done! For posterity's sake, I've included all the pictures the photographer took, so that we can look back on how our first home looked!

Praying for a quick and easy sale (preferably at our asking price!)

xoxo, wife

even more quarantine life.

Someone is finally big enough to fit into his favorite hand-me-down outfit we received before he was born! This is the coolest little Calvin Klein sweats outfit with little leather patches (also on the knees of the pants...so cute!)

I didn't get an "after" picture, but I tried my hand at making stuffed shells last week. I'd never made them before, and they were pretty good!

Since we've been packing and getting the house ready to be listed for sale, Bubba has been finding some new and odd places to nap.

Speaking of getting the house ready to sell, I've been spending a bunch of time CLEANING (often down on my hands and knees) and getting ready for our realtor to come. We were finally ready for her to stop by last week. After looking at the house, she said we're ready to list it. We were pleasantly surprised that she threw out a price quite a bit higher than we'd thought.

We also tried {clean} painting for the first time! I squirted (way too much) paint onto a piece of card stock.

Put the card stock in a large ziploc bag.

Taped the bag to the tray on the high chair, and show him how to move the paint around with his hands. He was more interested in trying to rip the bag off the tray. He loves things that make a crinkling noise!

This was the end result:

I want to start some fun "traditions," so I've declared that on Saturdays when we all wake up, we'll have Saturday Mornings in the Big Bed, where we bring him into our bed and we spend a little time together waking up. Last Saturday, Bryson helped Ty check all his social media activity.

Bryson is getting better and better each day at sitting up on his own!

And sometimes falls asleep in his bouncer when he has worn himself out. This literally happened just in the time I went to the bathroom and came back. He was bouncing away when I went in...and dead asleep when I came out!

God blessed us with a little rainbow last week as well, which was a pleasant surprise after a few days of dreary weather and snow.

It was also the Week of Birthdays! My mother-in-law's (Ma's) birthday was Tuesday, Ty's birthday was Thursday, my nephew Silas' birthday was Friday, and my good friend's son had a birthday on Saturday! Whew!

I cannot get enough of that open-mouthed smile. It seriously brings me so much joy!

We tried giving Bryson actual carrots (not pureed) for the first time. He obviously can't bite off pieces and actually eat them, but he seems to really like chewing on them (and dropping them on the floor!)

This boy and his sweet fake mohawk. It cannot be tamed...and I kind of love it. For now!

I got a mask. I put it on just for the sake of this picture and thought I would die of claustrophobia. I'll keep it in my bag, but I doubt I'll ever be able to wear it without hyperventilating in public.

I stopped and picked up some Starbucks for my girlfriends when we had another Trunk Party in the library parking lot. This is very quickly becoming my favorite part of the week. It's so nice to actually get out of the house and interact with people other than family. I love my family...but it's nice to see and talk to other people once in awhile as well! I just wish we could have playdates and I could see and love on their kids, too!

After the Trunk Party, Bryson got a package in the mail from my friend Joe, his wife, and their kids. It was the sweetest! We are starting to LOVE silicone food things. They are so easy to clean, and the bibs are great at catching any food that he drops or falls out of his mouth. I can't wait to be able to go to an actual restaurant again so we can use this place mat. For now I have it on his high chair tray. We of course had to send a thank you picture to our friends! They have a little baby boy about 3 months younger than Bryson, and we can't wait for them to be best buddies!

Can YOU do this? Doubt it.

I think the only other news I have since my last update is that our new house is about done (yay!) We should be doing the final walk-through in the next week, and then we'll be all set to move! The photographer also came to take pictures of our current house so we can put it on the market this week. I'm praying for a quick sale to a wonderful family who will enjoy this house as much as we have, and as much as my family has for years. (Fun fact: my mom lived here when she was in high school! It's been in our family that long!) We hope this house will continue to bless families for a long time.

Until next time,

xoxo, wife (& mommy)