Meh

I realize it has been a bit since I wrote. I don't have anything I want to specifically address, so I expect this blog to be a strange stream of consciousness. Read at your own peril.

It is so funny how this year is turning out. I remember the goals I set at the beginning of the year, like to volunteer at least once a month. The girls and I were talking about all the sad kids who aren't getting wishes granted right now and how backed up it will be when Give Kids the World does finally open. Florida has been doing better with COVID numbers, which is nice. Sometimes I feel encouraged about the progress we are making, then I see something in the news that makes it all feel a bit hopeless again--like the news of people having been diagnosed with COVID twice and the implications that has on the vaccine.

Luke has now been physically going to school for a full week. We already got a call that someone at the school tested positive for COVID. It was not anyone Luke had been in contact with, so fortunately, he did not have to self-quarantine. There was a nearby middle school where over 10 faculty members tested positive and they shut the place down. I am really hoping that does not happen to Luke's school. It has been really nice to have him back on a good schedule. Although, I really dislike the beginning of the year when the teacher's have to assume the kids don't really know anything. But, Luke isn't complaining and I am sure it will get more challenging.

The bigger kids are still doing well. It's hard to believe it's already been three weeks. It is kind of fun having them home. Most of the day, we are doing our own thing, but Thomas and I eat lunch with Jack and Anna which we like (Kara's lunch is really early) and we at least see them as we go about our work. We all are saving so much time by not having to commute.

Wednesday after school we went to SeaWorld. We have their dining plan, so the past couple of weeks we have gone up for dinner. The kids get out an hour early on Wednesday and Thomas and I are able to end our day a bit earlier. Unfortunately, the crowds at SeaWorld are terrible with masks and social distancing. We went on one ride and the people behind us were seriously in our space (not just our COVID 6-foot radius, but our personal space). I finally asked them to please back up. They weren't wearing masks and were breathing down our necks. I find the whole mask thing really weird. I haven't found a single, reputable source that says they don't help (and, I've looked). And, if the worst case scenario is that the scientists are wrong, than so what? You were slightly more uncomfortable than you would have otherwise been? It drives me a little crazy. I am getting better at letting it go. 

While I am being divisive, politics really have me down. I have never in my life had a problem respecting political views that differ from mine, but this time is definitely a challenge. I don't understand how any reasonable person can rationalize the behavior of our President. I had a lot more written, but I am just going to leave it at that. Maybe one day, closer to the election, I will write out my thoughts more fully. We discuss politics with the kids regularly. My hope is that we can impart on them the importance of being informed on the issues, gathering information from a variety of sources, fact-checking, and then forming a reasoned opinion.

On to happier news. On Friday night we went to Hollywood Studios. We had a great time. It was probably our last visit for a while. They are going to start closing earlier, which will make the weekday runs impossible, and Friday nights are our favorite. I can't figure out captions today, but here's Anna and Kara on Rockin Roller Coaster.

Thomas and I are watching Veronica Mars. We just finished Season 3, so now we have to find the movie. Since this all started, we have watched the West Wing, the Mentalist, Lost, and now Veronica Mars. It has been fun watching the shows from start to finish. I have also been rereading the Harry Potter books and watched the first movie yesterday. I had forgotten how amazing a storyteller J. K. Rowling is. Now that I have read them through once (and seen the movies) I can appreciate more of the nuances and character-building. The girls are reading The Hunger Games, which Kara especially is enjoying. 

And some pictures from Animal Kingdom last Saturday. We just went for a few hours in the morning. But, we had a great time. We did the Safari and walked the animal trails (we finally saw the bats, much bigger than I expected) and Tree of Life. We also rode the Kali River Rapids and Dinosaur.

Okay, found the caption button. Look at that pheasant above the girls.

Finally, as an Office and Harry Potter fan, this made me laugh out loud one night:

Lots of Medical Appointments & School

We had a lot of doctor's appointments this week. We got off schedule with the kids' annual check-ups when we moved to Florida, so they are all at the same time. I think for next year's, we will just push them off to their birthday months, or maybe work our way closer, so we aren't trying to get all 4 in before school starts. Speaking of which, I had them all scheduled for before school began, then they changed the start date. So, they all missed some of the first week.

Jack was first. He had a visit with the allergist on Friday morning. They did a scratch test on his back. He hadn't been tested in several years, so the doctor thought it would be a good idea to see where he is at. There were no surprises. He is still allergic to everything we already knew he was allergic to. Although, he did not test positive for dogs. But, he is very allergic to cats. And, of course, there are all the food allergies--peanuts, tree nuts and shellfish. So, nothing big there.

Setting up his grid. The left is environmental and the right is food.

The top left were cat and dust mites. I am not sure the top right, some type of nuts I believe.

And, unfortunately for Jack, he and Anna had their annual check-up that afternoon. We finally bit the bullet and had them get the HPV vaccine. So, poor Jack got scratched than poked. HPV is the only vaccine we have debated, but ultimately decided to just do it. In other news, Jack has gotten really tall, he is just under 5'8, which put him in the 98th percentile for his age. Anna was 5'3, which was about the 70th percentile. Although, we think Anna might be close to her full adult height. That visit was also relatively uneventful.

Monday, Kara and Luke had their check-ups. Poor Kara was due for 3 shots, Luke didn't have to get any, but was very upset on Kara's behalf. In fact, I think he was more upset than Kara. Kara is 5'1 and in the 83rd percentile. When checking her spine, the doctor was amazed at how flexible Kara is and encouraged her to play sports or do something athletic. We have been trying to get her, well all our older kids, to participate in organized activities for the past couple of years, but it is a losing battle. Luke was 48", which is the 77th percentile. I am not sure why I am writing all these out, maybe so we can compare in a few years?

Anyway, everyone is healthy.

Tuesday, we had Anna's follow-up with the orthodontist. After research, we knew we weren't interested in the option of removing teeth. The orthodontist agreed. With regard to the surgery, her issue is not as likely to lead to medical problems anytime soon (like chronic headaches, mouth tissue damage, sleep apnea, etc.), so there is no urgency. Thomas and I aren't going to force her into a surgery where the main benefits are currently cosmetic, but if it is something important to her, we will continue gathering information and arrange a consultation with the surgeon. For now, I think she wants to maintain the status quo. So, we will continue with the braces for about 10 more months and see what happens.

I had my follow-up with the gastroenterologist. I have a stomach infection that I am now taking medicine for, but I do not think it is a big deal. I honestly believe most (all?) of my issues are related to my weight.

So, that it is it for the doctor's appointments. Hopefully, we are good for a long, long time. Actually, Jack had to do blood work for the allergist today and we will have a follow-up to get those results. But, hopefully that is it for a long, long time.

Other than medical, the first 8 days of school went well. It is much better than what the kids did at the end of last school year. They are fairly well engaged and hopefully learning something. I think the true test will begin next week, after the face to face kids return and we get into the real routine. 

We met Luke's teacher. He starts in person on Friday. His teacher seems very nice and excited to start the year. Listening to their online classes, I think she must be a saint! For example, today they had technical difficulties and the kids couldn't see anyone. They were all raising their hands (on the app, not literally, since no one could see anyone). She talked in first grade terms about how there were technical issues, but they all wanted to tell her how they couldn't see each other. She kept saying, "okay, friends, if you are raising your hand to tell me you can't see anyone, I understand, so please put your hands down. Okay, I see Emma still has her hand up, Emma, what would you like to ask?" Emma then comments on how she still can't see the teacher. They go through the discussion again, "the system has a boo boo and they won't be able to see each other right now." All the hands go back up. Even Luke. She called on him and he told her how he could see himself earlier, but not now. Another kid had to tell her that they tried to log off and back on, but still couldn't see her. It was pretty funny and I was frustrated on her behalf! Thomas was listening in when she was trying to teach them how to use the "raise your hand" function on Teams. He said that one was even worse. My mom was a first-grade teacher and I wonder if she was so patient because of that, or was she a first-grade teacher because she had the patient temperament? Either way, I am thankful to have been raised by a first-grade teacher, although I am not sure how much rubbed off on me.

Luke and the very patient Mrs. Bearns

A Short Staycation(ish) and First Day of "School"

We almost always do a weekend (or week) away right before school starts. Last year we had a super fun trip to Atlanta. The year before was Boston, and before that was Philadelphia. This year is weird. There is no where to go and the schedule was unexpectedly changed. The original school start date was 8/10. Then, it changed to 8/21. Then, two weeks ago, they changed it back to 8/10. The whole county was pretty unhappy about how it was handled. We didn't have any plans, so it wasn't a big deal for us, but it meant we had to throw something together quickly. Thomas and I decided to take a couple of days off from work and to hang out here. 

Thursday, we went to Islands of Adventure and Universal. We were hoping it would be less crowded than the previous Saturday. Fortunately, it was. We went straight to Hagrid's and rode twice in a row and then worked our way around the park. Luke tried everything he was tall enough for and was disappointed that he couldn't ride the drop tower. We took the Hogwart's Express to Universal and rode a couple of rides there and left when the park closed. It was a much better experience than when we went on a Saturday. To make it extra special, we even stopped for Voodoo Donuts on the way out (Jack's favorite).

Friday we went to SeaWorld. We haven't been there since March, so it was nice to be back. SeaWorld is my favorite park. It is just so much easier than the others. It is close to our house, easy to park, easy to get in, laid-back, and we always have fun. We rode a few rides and walked around to see the animals. We visited the penguins, manatees, dolphins and sting rays. We also tried something new--feeding the sea lions. You buy trays of fish and toss them in, so it isn't as cool as feeding the sting rays, but they seemed much more aware. One of them stood away from the crowd and was waving his little flipper at us. It was super cute. Unfortunately, I didn't think to get a picture until our fish were gone and they had all dispersed like we had never even been there. There were 10 baby sea lions out and they were adorable. We also saw baby manatees. The baby manatees were all rescued orphans. They will stay at Sea World until they are big enough to be released. I have seen Black Fish and read a few books about animals (whales in particular) in captivity. And, while I don't like it, I also think Sea World does a lot of good and I have no guilt in supporting them.

Saturday, we just stayed home. We went in the pool and played for a few hours and had a lazy day. Sunday was similar, but we went out for ice cream and played games. All in all, I think it was a nice little break.

Today (Monday) was the first day of school. But, not really. The kids are all doing virtual learning for two weeks. Then, some students in the county will return for face to face learning. As I've mentioned, Luke will go to school and the rest will stay home. It seemed to work pretty well. The middle schoolers were all assigned classes and followed the normal bell schedule. They were able to log into each class and have a virtual lesson. We don't love that they're sitting in front of a screen all day, but it still seems like the best option. Luke's class isn't really doing anything, I think they are just biding their time until face to face begins. Hopefully, there are no issues and he is able to go in two weeks, because it is really hard having him as the only one with nothing to do. I had a marathon phone call today (5 hours!) where I was an active participant. Thomas also was working and the older kids were logged into their classes. Luke is not very independent, he likes sitting with people and talking, so it was hard for him. Kara is the only one of our kids who has always been able to entertain herself. Even as a toddler/preschooler, she could play happily alone for long periods of time. Obviously, she also enjoyed playing with the other kids, but she could make up games and entertain herself, the others always wanted to be right where we were, which was totally fine. But, it makes it more challenging with Luke in these weird times. And, I know that like the others, he will outgrow this and I will miss the day when he was my little shadow. 

So, without further ado--the back to school photos:

Another Week

So, let's start with updates from last week. Thomas got over his illness quickly. He never got a cough or fever or the other tell-tale coronavirus signs, so it was likely allergies or some other virus. I had my colonoscopy and endoscopy yesterday. I am not dying! There is some inflammation in my stomach and they could tell I had GERD. A few months ago, I  wrote a blog about waking up gasping for air and experiencing acid reflux. I had self-diagnosed myself with GERD and apparently, Doctor Google was correct. I have my follow-up in a couple of weeks, but I don't think there's anything to be concerned about. The preparation and actual colonoscopy were not nearly as bad as I expected; I would encourage everyone to make sure they get it done. For me, because my dad had colon cancer, I was supposed to start at age 40. There was just a news story about a 48-year old Detroit sportscaster who died of colon cancer. It is one of the most common types of cancer and very slow growing and treatable (if caught in time).

Okay, enough of my PSA. We have ventured back to the theme parks. We felt pretty safe at Disney. There was good social distancing and people were really good about wearing masks. There is no park hopping and no fast-passes. We have loved no fast-passes. With the reduced capacity, lines move really fast. We went to Hollywood Studios on Friday night and walked onto Toy Story Mania, rode Slinky Dog 4 times, Millenium Falcon 3 times (so everyone could try every position) and even managed to get boarding passes for Rise of the Resistance. I love/hate fast passes and it is definitely so much better when no one has them. The lines move really quickly and you can walk around and enjoy the parks without watching your watch and worrying about return times. 

Some pictures from around the parks. You can't see it well, but the wait time below is 5 minutes. For Flight of Passage.

This is a candidate for our annual family photo. I feel like the clouds and the masks with the castle capture the dystopian world that is 2020.

Everyone loves Slinky Dog.

Look at all those people in the background. Crazy, right?

We had planned on getting Universal passes as soon as Luke hit 48 inches, which happened recently. And, based on our good experience at Disney, we decided to go for it. We went on a Saturday. Unlike Disney, Universal does not required a reservation to get in and it felt significantly more crowded. And, the Universal crowd is not nearly as good about maintaining distance or wearing masks. We still had fun, but we won't ever go back on a Saturday. Apparently, weekdays are much more manageable. Fortunately, the wait times were still relatively short. We got to ride almost everything in both parks, including everyone's new favorite--Hagrid's Magical Motorbike Adventure. It will take some getting used to, unlike Disney, where we have the system down. For example, we often order kid's meals for all of us, which is no problem at Disney, but Universal didn't seem to be on board with that. We do it because we also like to buy ice cream and other treats and with six us, it adds up really quickly (money and calories). So, it is little things like that we will need to get used to. Right now, we have annual passes to Disney, Sea World, Busch Gardens, Universal, the Zoo, the Science Center and Kennedy Space Center. I don't even want to think about how much we have spent on all of that! But, we didn't do a vacation this year and Disney will expire soon (which is the priciest of all).

We found out Luke's first grade teacher. He is very excited to start school again. The kids start with virtual learning on Monday and then Luke will go face-to-face two weeks later. The older kids are stuck with virtual for a while.

And, for the final update, Anna got a haircut, they took off about 6 inches: