Birthday Week and Medical Issues

Tuesday was my birthday. The older three all had orthodontist appointments in the morning. Jack got his braces! I was expecting an uneventful visit and was surprised when the doctor called me into the consultation room. He said that Anna's treatment was not going as well as he had hoped. She has been in braces now for over a year, but the rubber bands are not working and her jaw is not aligning. Her overbite is still significant and after looking at her x-rays, he believes she is done growing and thus does not expect that it will get better. He said there are two options going forward: 1) he can remove two of her upper teeth to make the upper jaw smaller, however, this will further exacerbate the "balance" of her face. In other words, it will not look good. or 2) she can have surgery. They would break her jaw, extend her lower jaw and insert a metal plate. It caught me off guard and I have been bothered by the news ever since. 

The idea of jaw surgery is insane! She would have to spend nights in the hospital and wouldn't be able to eat solid food for 2 weeks. And then it would just be soft foods. It takes approximately 12 weeks to fully recover. I can't believe we would even consider such an option. I have done some research and it appears there could be medical issues, like TMJ and sleep apnea, associated with her overbite. But, we definitely need a lot more information and likely, a second opinion. We knew early on that all three of the older kids were going to need braces. We took them to their first orthodontics appointment at age 7. So, frankly, it also makes me mad. We have done everything anyone has asked us to do and spent a lot of time and money and the end result is we are still pretty much where we started. At least with Anna. Kara didn't have an overbite issue, she had a crossbite and so far her teeth appear to be aligning nicely. Jack has some of the same issues as Anna and now I am really worried. Also, I have no idea where this is coming from. Neither Thomas nor I had braces, no one in either family had these kind of severe issues. It is disheartening and I don't want to steer her in the wrong direction. We made an appointment to go back and discuss it next month so Thomas and Anna can be present. 

Back to the birthday. I decided a few months ago I wanted an ice cream cake from Menchi's (a yogurt place). I had a cookies and cream ice cream layer and a cake batter layer along with chocolate cake and whipped frosting. It was amazing! The only thing that would have made it better was buttercream. Thomas got me a special Harry Potter bookset and Kara wrote me a short story. Anna wrote a very sweet letter and Jack made a card. It was very nice. We stayed at the table for a long time and the kids asked me questions about my childhood. I felt loved.

Thursday was Thomas' birthday. We still had to work all day, but had his requested dinner of cheeseburger gnocchi. Then, we had his cake--Publix carrot cake with buttercream. We first had that combination at my bridal shower and now that we are back in the land of Publix, we had to try it again. I had a few gifts for him and the kids made gifts. Hopefully, he also felt loved.

In other medical news. I have to get a colonoscopy. I am dreading it. But, there are some issues and I did a less invasive test that didn't give me the "all-clear" I was hoping for. So, it has to be done. I have the consult on Wednesday and will hopefully get all the information then. I am a little worried because I have had issues for years. I can remember first going to the doctor when Thomas was in Hawaii, which means it was 9 years ago! So, if it does turn out to be cancer, the odds aren't going to be good. Fortunately, the odds that it is cancer, or something serious, are pretty small. But, it was another disappointing, lack of confidence in the medical field, moment this week.

I feel like my mood ebbs and flows. Sometimes, I am able to be positive and sometimes things just get me down. There is so much hard stuff happening right now. Florida is such a mess--I wish we had stayed in Maryland! The governor has mandated schools offer 5-day a week in person classes and we had to make decisions for our 4 kids. We decided the older three will do e-learning and Luke will go to school. We made this decision for a few reasons: 1) he doesn't ride a bus; 2) research said transmission rates are lower for his age bracket; 3) he won't have to switch classes and thus will come in contact with far fewer people and surfaces; and 4) we still have to work and can't supervise his schooling or entertain him for 6+ hours a day. There is no way he could successfully sit in front of a computer all day, he didn't manage well with the 30-minute sessions at the end of kindergarten. This also makes me feel like a crappy parent. 

Thomas is not feeling well today. He didn't sleep last night and was nauseous and has a sore throat. Obviously, the immediate fear is coronavirus. It is in the news so consistently that I can think of no other possibility. Hopefully, it is nothing and he wakes up feeling fine tomorrow.

To end on a happier note, here are two funny Luke conversations this week:

Luke: Mom, can I tell you all about Super Mario Brothers?

Me: Sorry, Luke, but not right now 

slight pause

Luke: One of the hardest moons...

Another day, we were in the car and Jack was commenting on how he doesn't want to get married or ever have kids. He just wants an apartment with video games and he will be happy. The other kids were incredulous. Luke told him if he did that, Luke would find out where he lives, go to his house, and look in the windows to see if he was hiding a wife and if he was, Luke would tell me! Jack promised that if he got married, he would make sure we were invited. For some reason, all of us found this hilarious. Maybe it was the thought that Jack would secretly get married and hide the location of his house and the identity of his spouse. But, never fear, Luke's inner sleuth would uncover the truth and tell Mom!

And, here is Jack and his braces.

Babysitting and Home Renovations

As I have mentioned, my work is surprisingly busy. I have been working on three large actions and the timing has put them all at critical phases at the same time. It has been tiring and difficult. The kids are really good about understanding we have to work, but sometimes Luke is just needy. He is only 6 and doesn't like to be by himself. Often, Thomas or I can take a break to give him some attention. But, for the next two weeks Thomas is in an online class and I am swamped. We contemplated sending him to the YMCA, but Florida is the new COVID hotspot and with the numbers rising, it didn't seem like a good idea. So, we decided to pay our older kids to babysit.

Normally, I want my kids to help because they should and it is part of being a contributing family member. But, in this case, we wanted them to take the job seriously. And, we were going to ask more than just entertaining him for a few minutes. We divided each day into two 3-hour shifts. During their shift they are responsible for Luke. They have all read the Babysitter's Club and Kara is looking forward to the day when she can be a neighborhood babysitter, so she was thrilled with the offer. Jack and Anna weren't as excited, but didn't want to lose out on the money. Over the two weeks, they can each earn $100! $300 is actually what we would pay to send him to camp, so we aren't saving anything. But, I am hoping they can learn some responsibility. We are on day 3 and so far it is working out well. Kara was the most prepared, she had a plan for activities and was able to keep him happily entertained. Anna had a rough first day. She had planned on swimming with Luke, then he decided he wasn't interested. He was cranky and she was frustrated--not a good combination. We were ready to fire her, but Luke felt bad for being difficult and apologized and we decided she could have another chance. Her second shift went much better. Jack has also done a good job. 

It is actually really nice for all of us. Luke is completely entertained. For example, today was Anna in the morning. They played pick-up sticks, she painted his nails and they programed Blocky (a kid's coding robot). Thomas and I took a break for lunch and then Jack took over. They read books, played several rounds of memory and talked about video games. Luke still comes in to the office to chat with me on occassion, but it is nothing like before we had the arrangement. And, someone is usually right behind him to shoo him into another activity. He looks forward to his time with his siblings and hasn't complained about being bored once. I am hoping the older kids are learning something about patience and responsibility. Each shift earns them around $15, which is a lot of money at their age (at least in my opinion). They are thinking about how to wisely spend their earnings. So, perhaps there are also lessons to be learned about budgeting or the value of money. We haven't been consistent with allowances, so this is nice for them.

In other news, we got a new toilet for one of the upstairs bathrooms. The toilet we had wouldn't stop running. Thomas would fix it and it would work better for a day or two and then start running again. We had been holding off on replacing it because I want to redo the bathrooms. But, we finally couldn't take it anymore, so we got a new one. We had someone come to install it and I gave him a list of all the home projects I am interested in. We won't be able to do them all, but hopefully we can get some of them (he is doing estimates). We want to replace the front door, redo the bathrooms, maybe the flooring in the entryway, install security cameras/lights outside, and fix a few other things. However, we also want to redo the pool area soon. 

Our house isn't really a fixer-upper, but nothing had been updated or changed since it was built in 2003. Obviously, that isn't an old house, but it's not new either. And, it is nice to make it a bit more our own. We did a lot of work in our first house, way back before the kids were born, but we haven't taken on any significant home projects in any of our houses since. We paint and Thomas changes out fans and light fixtures, but nothing like a bathroom remodel. When we did flooring in our first house, we did it ourselves. We even made a fancy tile pattern the entryway. But, we don't have the time or inclination to take all of this on ourselves. I just want someone to come, measure, send me a proposed design and do it. We will see how it goes!

Independence Day, Hamilton and other Broadway Musicals

Today is Independence Day. We were supposed to go to Marta's house, but with the COVID numbers rising in Florida we decided it was better to just stay home. We barbecued, swam and watched Back to the Future II (we watched the first one a week or so ago). It was fun to see their vision of 2015. Also, how on earth does the "future" take place in 2015?!?!? I am getting old! I also made our traditional poke hole cake. I make it pretty much every Memorial and Independence Day. I learned the recipe from one of college roommates, although I can't recall which one. It is very simple, just a white cake mix with a few changes. But, it is delicious and I have been making it for years. Well, decades now (feeling old again!). It is a white cake mix with bananas in place of eggs and applesauce instead of oil. Then, after it cooks, you poke holes and pour strawberry jello in the holes (mixed with just the hot water so it is not too diluted). Cool, preferably overnight, and then "frost" with cool whip and decorate with berries. Everyone in my family loves it.

This is actually from Memorial Day, I didn't take a picture today, but the berries were in a flag design. :)

I am grateful to be an American. I am not sure it is politically correct to feel that way right now, but I do. I love our country. There is a lot that is making me sad and I absolutely hate how divided we are, but overall, I know how fortunate I am to live here. I don't want to erase our history and vilify the Founding Fathers. But, I also think we should examine the past with a critical eye. Otherwise, how can we improve? I believe in the Black Lives Matter movement and recognize that racism is a problem in our country that we need to fix. I still support the police, but believe they should be help accountable. There is a lot more I could say, but frankly I am afraid of saying the wrong thing and being vilified myself. So, I will stick with my basic truths.

It was another quiet week. We had a problem with our pool and it began to turn green. It took a few days to get it back in order, which was sad to everyone. We frequently talk about how much more difficult the quarantine would be without the pool and maybe we jinxed ourselves. It was a long three days; Florida is hot!

In wildlife news, Kara rescued a small snake from our pool. I looked it up and it was a harmless ring neck. And, Thomas saved a big turtle. He was really big and heavy and Thomas got him out of the street and walked him toward the pond.

Thomas estimated he weighed 20-25 pounds.

Yesterday, the Hamilton movie came out on Disney+. We had been counting down the days. Kim and her family were going to come and watch it with us, but I canceled. We are bringing ourselves back to COVID Phase I for now. Maybe that is being overly cautious, but it's what we are comfortable with. Anyway, we had been looking forward to Hamilton since they announced the release. Thomas and I saw it in New York and then we took Jack and saw it again in DC. Kara loves the soundtrack and has been wanting to see it. Anna isn't really interested in anything we like right now, so she didn't watch. And, of course, Luke is too young. But, the rest of us loved it. We watched it all the way through and have watched some of our favorite numbers a couple more times. It got me thinking about all the shows I've seen. So, I made a list of the ones I could remember and then ranked everything as 1, 2, or 3.

The 1s:
-Hamilton: brilliant writing, choreography, historical value and truly innovative. It is the whole package!
-Les Mis: my first Broadway show. I saw it when I was in high school when my band went to NYC to march in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. I will never forget how I felt when the cast sang the first full harmonizing note. I've seen it several times.
-Jersey Boys: this one is just fun. The music was the soundtrack I jogged to back when I was a runner. We have seen it multiple times.

The 2s: (no particular order) All phenomenal, but didn't have the impact on me that the 1s did.
-Anastasia: loved it.
-Wicked: loved it.
-Avenue Q: loved it.
-Rent: loved it.

The 3s: (in order)
-The Temptations, Ain't to Proud to Beg: The second half was amazing, the first half was a little bogged down. It was almost a "2".
-Phantom of the Opera: this was also close to being a "2".  I liked it a lot, just not as much as the others.
-Chicago: not bad, but I didn't love it.
-Sound of Music: it was okay, but after seeing the movie so many times, the play was actually a bit boring.
-South Pacific: boring
-Waitress: my least favorite. I didn't like it at all.

Local Theater Shows:
-Kinky Boots (loved it!)
-Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (I don't recall much, would like to see again)
-Rock of Ages (cruise ship show, it was okay).

I would like to see many more shows. I was hoping we would get season tickets to the Broadway touring shows when we moved to Orlando. I put us on the waitlist, but I think everything is on pause with COVID. Also, the local theater here (at least based on Kinky Boots) is really good and WAY cheaper, so maybe we will just get tickets to the local theater. Either way, there are still many shows I want to see. I wish we still lived close enough to just drive up to NYC.

Brevard Zoo & Pictures from the Past...

It was another mostly quiet week. We are all pretty settled into our summer routine. It is funny that we are now 4 weeks into summer break, which means in 6 weeks the kids could theoretically return to school. We expect to hear in the coming days what the plan is. The Governor is encouraging school districts to have a return to normal (or, as close to it as possible). He wants the students on campus. However, those lofty pronouncements were made before the numbers in Florida began to skyrocket. I remember when I would get a sinking feeling when the new cases exceeded 1000. Today, they were right around 9000. We are definitely going in the wrong direction!

We have continued to try and find things that will allow us to maintain our distance. Today (Friday) we decided to take a few hours off work and try the Brevard Zoo. Thomas and I are comfortable doing outdoor activities, particularly if masks are required. The zoo was fun, although a lot of people had their masks around their necks and were not maintaining distance. I wish people would just follow the rules and wear the masks (especially if they are going to walk right up to me!). I have ranted about that in previous blogs, so I won't waste any more space on my thoughts. Anyway, the zoo was about 45 minutes away, it was an easy drive. It is a loop and we saw lots of fun animals. Kara's favorite was the black bear. She was rescued after somebody kept feeding her and she lost her fear of humans. Because of that, she can never be returned to the wild. They had teenage volunteers in front of some of the exhibits and that was one, which was nice for Kara as she was able to learn more about her favorite animal. Thomas' favorite is still the giraffe. We were able to feed them. It was a little bit of a ripoff, at $2 for one piece of romaine lettuce.  But, the money is for conservation, so we paid without complaint. They don't have pandas (my favorite), but I loved a funny little bird called a Seriema. The monkeys are always entertaining and Jack's favorite was the spider monkey. Anna liked the turtles and Luke can't choose.

This sloth was really relaxed. We thought he was pretty funny!

This is the bird that I liked. 

I had no idea there was such a thing as giant otters, but there they were.

Relaxing and following rules

They had a kangaroo walk through area, the kangaroos were not bothered by our presence (also Emus)

Sweet baby giraffes

This might be my favorite picture of the day.

The zoo also had kayak tours. They were not busy, so we had a tour time all to ourselves. It lasted about 30 minutes and it was so hot! The heat index was 105! We were all pouring in sweat, but it was fun to do the "African Loop" and see the animals from a different angle. Thomas, Luke, Kara and I enjoyed it. Anna and Jack had a little trouble navigating their kayak, but are willing to give it another try.

Zoos have a lot of meaning for our family. When we lived in Norfolk, we were members of the local zoo and went regularly. Anna and Jack took some of their first steps at that zoo. There isn't a lot you can do with 2 18-months old and a newborn, but everyone was always happy to be outside and at the zoo. When we lived in Tennessee we went to the Memphis Zoo almost every weekend. The kids were still toddlers and again, it was a place where everyone was happy. I remember Thomas' dad would call on Saturdays and found it funny that when he asked what we were up to, it was always the zoo. We didn't go to the zoo in DC as often (it was not an easy drive) but we still went a few times a year, and we lived in Maryland for almost 10 years, so it added up. I always feel a little sentimental at the zoo. The older kids may not love it the same way they did when they were 3 and 4, but we still had a good time and it brings back lots of happy memories. Here are some pictures from the Norfolk Zoo:

These are from Dec 2008. I was 7 months pregnant with Kara

Such a happy fellow!

They loved to walk around the zoo.

I couldn't find much from Memphis. Very weird I know, considering how often we went. But here is one of Kara walking around and the three older kids in their matching Memphis Zoo t-shirts:

After the zoo, we went through the Dairy Queen drive through and headed home. Thomas and I were beat and wanted to take a nap, but the kids jumped in the pool, and since that is right outside our window, the nap was not meant to be. All in all, it was a really fun day. We are going to try and come up with more safe activities and take some time off every few Fridays more often.

There isn't much else weekly news. The kids finally went night swimming. Anna, Kara and Luke stayed up late and enjoyed swimming in the dark (well, by the light of the pool light). We had books delivered from our library, so everyone has new reading material again. Oh! There is a house in our neighborhood that everyone thought would be a dream home--whenever we drive by someone would remark on how they wished we could buy it. It has been vacant for a long time and it finally went up for sale. We called our realtor, who lives in our neighborhood, and she was able to get us in right away. Since it was empty and right around the corner from our house, we walked over to check it out. It is significantly bigger than our house and the kids would get upgrades with larger bedrooms and more bathrooms. But, the downstairs had issues. The kitchen was small and the master bedroom was seriously lacking in closet space. And, the shower had a weird window with plantation shutters. So, it was not a dream home after all. I was a bit relieved. The thought of moving again is daunting!

Parenting Woes

When I go back and read my blogs from years past, my favorite are the stories that took place in every day life. The funny things that happened on the way to the playground or the silly interactions at home. The stories we have today usually aren't very cute. Sometimes they are funny and entertaining. But, it is harder for me to write about what is really going on in our lives because while the kids like hearing about what they did when they were 4 or 5, they aren't so excited for me to write about what they consider embarrassing moments now. For example, this week one of my older children, we shall call this child Kiddo, basically went on a hunger strike to teach me a lesson. Kiddo came downstairs grouchy one morning and was being mean to Luke. We gave Kiddo a warning and the behavior continued. So, we told Kiddo to go up to their room for 10 minutes to calm down. It took awhile for Kiddo to listen and when Kiddo finally did, it was with a pronouncement that Kiddo was going to stay there all day! Then, Kiddo did. I made Kiddo lunch, Kiddo stated he/she was not hungry and stayed upstairs. We ran a quick errand, Kiddo did not want to join. I made Kiddo sit at the dinner table with us, but Kiddo refused to eat (again saying he/she was not hungry) and went back to their room immediately after. Kiddo had told one of their siblings that he/she was teaching us a lesson. I'm not sure what the lesson was, because the day was actually pretty peaceful. One of Kiddo's siblings even announced that Kiddo should teach us more lessons (a bit mean, but again, the day was pretty peaceful, likely not entirely attributable to Kiddo's strike). Personally, I admired Kiddo's determination. Kiddo said he/she was going to stay in his/her room all day and not eat and then did it. Most of us would have gotten hungry and given in, but not Kiddo! Kiddo ended up fasting for about 37 hours and was not feeling great the next morning, but he/she did it! Hopefully, a lesson was learned by someone!

Our parenting challenges are also different. One of the kids got caught lying to us this week (doing electronics when it wasn't time). Then, that child tried to cover the lie with more deception. I imagine it is only going to get harder, but the struggles we have now can be frustrating. The rude, snarky, sarcastic attitudes that I assume go with the preteen territory seem to be more frequent. Although, I also expect some of that is frustration and boredom with our present situation? I really just want them to be honest. I expect them to make mistakes and break rules, even though I wish they didn't, but I just want them to be nice and to be honest. That's not asking too much, is it? In fairness, I will say that overall I think they are really great kids and I don't think our struggles are anything unusual.

Reports cards came out this week. Jack had all As for the year, except Spanish. He really struggled in Spanish, but he did not like it or put forth the effort to do well. Anna's grades came up this quarter, but it took a lot of effort on our part, which was frustrating. Kara had all As and one B. Luke had Os and Ss. :) I would call it a successful school year, there are lessons to be learned, but we are definitely proud of all of them.

Luke is still fun and little. I often look at him and think of Jack at his age. Luke is so happy and chatty. I remember Jack being that way too. Anna was also very talkative and friendly, although I actually think Luke has outlasted that stage for them. I remember Anna and Jack getting more reserved when kindergarten started. Kara was never very friendly, although she was pretty chatty with her family, she has always been a bit more shy (although, oddly enough, she is the least timid, so maybe shy is the wrong word, maybe saying she was always more introverted makes more sense?). Anyway, it is easy for me to look at Luke and remember how quickly this stage of life passes. They are only little for the tiniest slip of time. And, I know they are all still "little," and I try to keep that in mind. I don't want to mourn the years that have past and not enjoy the years we are in. But, looking at Luke is like a mini time machine and sometimes it just hits me.

In other parenting news, Kara has been begging for a hamster. She watches videos about them, reads books and has been super vocal about her desire to own one. I am not really interested in another pet. In fact, I feel like our family should be banned from further pet ownership. But, we have decided to leverage her deep desire for a hamster with our deep desire that she learn better coping skills. So, once she has 30 successful days (they don't have to be consecutive) in our set criteria, we will buy her the hamster and a nice fancy habitat. It would be a win for us all! We have told the other kids that we can set up something similar for them to work through their personal challenges if they'd like. We all definitely have them!

And, as mentioned, I really do think this pandemic has exacerbated many of those challenges. We are home, but Thomas and I are working for most of the day so it is completely different for the kids. We take breaks to do things with them; lately Thomas, Luke and Jack have been playing "tennis" in the street as a lunch break and I generally will jump in the pool with Luke and the girls, but it is still not the same. I struggle with reconciling the summer I wanted with the summer we are going to get. I wish we could at least send them to camp, but with the numbers rising so rapidly, I think everyone is better off at home, at least for now.

So, that is all for the this edition of Parenting Woes. Hopefully, I have been cryptic enough so as not to embarrass anyone while providing enough details for an accurate portrayal.

Graduation, Aquatica and Leu Gardens

Last Sunday, the Mottas came over and we celebrated JD's graduation. The kids swam and the parents played Scattergories and Aggravation. Kim won both games. She also won last time when we played the train game. I need to find something I can beat her at! I came in a dismal third at Scattergories and I used to be unbeatable at that game. But, Thomas and I kept cancelling each other out. We apparently think alike. It was still fun, I hadn't played in years and enjoyed opening the box and seeing the old score cards with writing on them from friends and family in times past. We all ate good food, including a Publix graduation cake (I am so happy to be back in the land of Publix) and enjoyed being together. We gave JD his gift. I am sorry we didn't get to attend any of his end-of-year events, but at least we got to see them.

I finally made them all gather for a picture!

The week went by in a blur. I can't think of anything that stands out until Friday when we went to Aquatica. They opened up the Sea World parks on Thursday and we decided Aquatica would be fun. I have been following the opening of Universal and the crowds have been really light. We had some friends who went to Legoland the Friday before and they said there were only about 150 people in the entire park. We wanted to take advantage! Thomas and I got up early and worked about 3 hours. Then, we headed out. The first disappointing sign was the line at parking. It was very, very long. Getting into the park required masks and a temperature check. That part went really quickly--I think the bottleneck at parking helped keep it short. We headed to our favorite ride--Ray Rush, which all six of us can ride together. The park opened at 10 and it was about 1015. We only waited about 15 minutes. However, by the time we got on, the line was at least twice as long as it was when we got in it. We decided to do Roa Rapids before it got too crowded. Roa Rapids is a not-lazy river and is amazing. It was relatively empty and we went around 3 times. Then we did the regular lazy river, which was packed. I went with Luke on a double float, which was really nice. I laid back and relaxed and he navigated us through the water. After that we got lunch. Finally, I took Luke to the wave pool while the older 3 kids alternated between the wave pool and body slides. The other slides all had crazy lines, much, much longer than what we were hoping for. I would say the crowd was similar to when we went last year in this time frame. The parking lot was full and even though we heard it would be restricted to 30% attendance, it felt normal crowded. There were a few things that were closed, so that may have impacted the ability for the crowd to spread out more? We still had lots of fun.

Around 6pm I got a text asking me if I had reviewed some documents that "needed" to go out that day. I had not, as I thought I was taking the day off. I had told my clients that I could look over stuff if needed that afternoon, but I had misunderstood and thought anything else coming in could wait until Monday. So, I had to log back into the computer. It only took about 45 minutes, but I am getting tired of the expectation of being available at all times. It is no ones fault and I like my coworkers, I think it is just another side effect of this weird work environment. Once I finished, we all went out for ice cream to end our fun day.

Saturday we went to Leu Gardens. We brought our masks, but mostly kept them off as we walked around. I would only put mine on if other people with masks passed on the pathways. I get irritated at the people not wearing masks. All the latest research recommends them and shows that if two people are wearing masks the odds of catching/spreading COVID drop dramatically. But, they are mainly to prevent asymptomatic people from passing it to others. So, if someone else is not wearing their mask, why should I protect them by wearing mine? I know that is a childish attitude, but, I was feeling annoyed. I feel like our society is so worried about protecting their individual rights that we no longer care about doing what is best for everyone. It is a hot topic of debate and the commentary on my Facebook groups has been full of vitriol. I mainly feel bad for workers who have to wear them and are not being protected by the general public. Of course, I spent a day at Aquatica, so I guess I am picking and choosing where to pass judgement. Regardless, we really enjoyed walking around Leu Gardens and seeing all beautiful plants. Anna's favorite area is the arid garden. I like the rose and butterfly gardens. Kara also loves the rose garden. The boys don't have favorite areas, but they all enjoy visiting.

In front of one of the many live oaks.

Rose garden in the background

Time to stop and smell the roses. We disagreed as to which color smelled best. Luke said the white ones smell like peppermint.

I was taking a picture of the turtles, but then the shadows looked kind of cool

We spent a while watching this owl while he sized us up.

One of Thomas' awesome photos

While all of this was happening, the cases in Florida rose exponentially. We had record setting days for new cases. However, hospitalizations and deaths don't seem to be rising at the same rate, so that is good news. Although, I expect that could change soon. Today was another record setting day of almost 2800 new cases. A few weeks ago the state was averaging around 650. I received an e-mail this morning from the base CO who said to expect another year of limited travel. I really hope that's not the case. We have a cruise planned in March and I already feel like it has been too long since we took a vacation. I find myself feeling more irritable and frustrated than usual and I am really tired of all that is happening. There is so much bad news every. single. day. Not just COVID, but the BLM movement, which has been a long time coming. I hope this time there are actually systemic changes. Although, I feel bad for the good cops. But, between that, the COVID crisis, reelection news, record high temperatures (and accompanying articles about global warming) and just all the general uncertainty--I am feeling worn down. I am trying to find the positives, but honestly, I am getting sick of telling myself how much worse it could be.

And, to try and end on a happy note, a final picture. Luke really likes marble runs. Thomas built this one afternoon. I love the kerplunk noise the marbles make, especially when we send dozens down at a time:

This and That

We made our first family outing on Friday. We decided to take a trip to Ollie's. It was the first time the kids had been to a store since March 15th. Everyone wore a mask and chose a book. I was thinking maybe it was time that we could start venturing out a little more, but the cases in Florida have been rising again. There is still so much conflicting information that things are really hard to figure out. Regardless, we will continue to take it slow.

The first week of no-school went okay. We gave the kids a list of tasks to do each day. It is similar to what they had to do when school was in session: an hour of physical activity, an hour outside, time with Luke (or if you are Luke, time with each of his siblings), some math, reading and writing (not a lot, just enough to avoid summer slide). They didn't do everything we asked everyday, but it is a work in progress. The time with Luke is basically forcing the older kids to babysit, but they haven't complained about that one. We did give them the opportunity to write their own schedule and warned them that whatever they came up with would likely be preferable to what we came up with, but only Kara took us up on it. They have all said they would rather be at camp, even Jack, which I feel bad about. But, hopefully, we can make it up to them once Covid is behind us.

Work is still busy for Thomas and me. I sometimes feel like our days are busier now than they were before this began. It is definitely harder finding balance, but we both still prefer teleworking to physically going to the office. It is so nice not having to make the commute and having more time at home, even if it does feel busier. And, of course, wearing comfy clothes all day is a nice benefit. We had thought that we were going to have the opportunity for significant telework when this ended, but now it is looking like maybe one day a week. That wouldn't even be worth the hassle. We will wait and see what happens.

Kim and her family came over a couple of weeks ago. We played games and the kids swam and it was nice. Then, the following weekend we went to Marta's house. Her pool is huge and we had a ton of fun playing in it. They even stuck a kayak in. Jack has been begging us to get one, but we haven't figured out the logistics. Today, Kim and her family are coming up again and we are going to celebrate JD's graduation. It is really nice spending all this time with family. Hopefully, today I will think to get a picture with the Mottas. 

Jack was really smart and combined his outdoor, exercise and Luke time into one pool session.

Kara put time to practice contortion in her daily schedule.

Luke lost his first tooth!!! He was so excited for the tooth fairy to visit.

Kayaking in the Tilley's massive pool

And, the final picture requires a little bit of explanation. Somehow, Anna and Kara convinced Thomas to let them dye their hair. I wanted nothing do with it, so they went on a bike ride to CVS and Thomas let them pick out their colors. Only, when they came home, Anna had picked out a permanent silver color. Kara had chosen a semi-permanent purple. I explained to Anna that the permanent meant that the color would not come out until her hair grew out. Fortunately, she made the decision to use some of Kara's leftover color to put in purple highlights. Kara's purple came out really nice. However, it mostly came out after her first pool swim. She enjoyed it for the day it lasted. It is still a little purple, but nothing like this picture. Anna's is harder to see, especially in pictures, but it looks nice.