Social Distancing and Luke's Birthday!

I have decided to call Monday Day 1 of our social distancing. On Saturday, we went to the library to stock up on books. That was a good thing, because they are now closed, so at least we got some new reading material while we had the chance. Sunday, Luke went to one of the pocket parks and had a water gun fight with a few of his kindergarten buddies. We figured it was safe, since they would be outside and presumably keeping a safe distance, but the kids hugged and did not maintain a 6-foot radius, so unfortunately, they will be stuck with only their siblings from here on out.

Monday was our first day of self-imposed quarantine. Thomas had to go to work and I teleworked. The kids were really good. I only scheduled myself for 6 hours, but they really entertained themselves. Thank goodness for the pool because Luke and the girls spent hours in there! I tried to go in in the afternoon, but it was cold! The pool thermometer says 74 and when I was a teenager, I would go in our pool once it hit 68, but I am getting soft in my old age!

Tuesday was Luke's birthday. I had a full day of work thanks to a previously scheduled all-day teleconference. But, I got up early and got his cake in the oven. Thomas still had to go the office (telework for him began Wednesday). Luke came downstairs around 7 and announced he had been up since 530 because he was just so excited! I felt pretty bad, knowing that his birthday would not be nearly as special as we would have liked (we both had to work and no friends allowed). But, we tried to make it nice. We let him start the day with ice cream and chocolate chip eggos, complete with whipped cream. He spent a lot of time in the pool again and one of his friends left him a surprise on the porch. He also Facetimed with a few people.

After I was done with work, we went on a bike ride. We rode through all the pocket parks playing cops and robbers. One of us would be the cop and try and catch the robber as the robber took crazy twists and turns through the park. The parks were empty and it was fun.

His chosen birthday dinner was Wendy's, but because we aren't leaving the house, we did chicken nuggets and french fries. He wanted an Oreo cake and it came out really delicious, the recipe I used is my new favorite chocolate cake (the Oreos were incorporated into the frosting). We facetimed with Marta and Frank who joined us in singing happy birthday. We had his cake then he opened his gifts--a tree swing and some outdoor toys. He also had cards with cash from Grandpa Lou and Ms. B.

As is usual, I didn't take many pictures.

So, Luke is officially six. He is still a joy. He is very smart and kind. He reads really well and understands simple multiplication and other math concepts. For example, he is excellent at counting money. I gave him a jar of coins and it kept him occupied for a long time as he successfully counted over $50 in change (Jack helped him toward the end, he is good, but I am not sure if he could have kept track of that much). He (mostly) gets along well with his siblings and is very social. He loves to play with friends. He also loves to dance. He enjoys playing games, but his favorite thing is still sports. From practically the moment he was born, his favorite toy was a ball and it has never changed. We sure love him and are glad he is in our family!