Busted out of Homewood....finally!

Bennett and Mary Ellis

We were finally able to break out of Homewood!  This quarantine has been kicking our butts, and with every trip that we have planned for the year slowly falling apart....we needed a change!  Thanks to Shanon and Brian Jarmon, our whole family went to Highland Lake for a little fun.  Shanon's mother has a home there, and with all of the kids and toys.....everyone had a blast!

We all met up there Saturday morning.  It didn't take long for the kids to start swimming, fishing and snacking.  It was a hot and sunny day, and they didn't stop until the sun finally started to set.  All of the kids drove the jetski, made tiktoks, the boys fished, and we ALL snacked a lot!  We fully enjoyed the day, not coming inside until the sun went down.  We enjoyed a great steak dinner, and then went outside to lie in the grass and wait for shooting stars.

The next day, the kids started early riding the jetski and fishing.  The adults had a slower start, but we all finally made it out there to supervise the fun before the clouds rolled in and the rain began. Fun times!

Beck loved hanging on paddle board.

Big fish if held closer to camera ;)

Buddies!!

So thankful for a couple of days away!

Happy 14th Anniversary to Us!

This year Steve and I celebrated our 14th anniversary.  Unlike past years, we couldn't go out and celebrate and have a little alone time due to the pandemic.  So we decided to make a delicious dinner at home (fillets, tasty grits, roasted veggies and a nice bottle of wine).  We showered, put on real clothes (since we have both been living in athletic clothing for the past 5 weeks), did our hair, and I put on makeup for the second time since we have been quarantined.

As I was getting ready, Walker asked if he could be our butler for dinner.  Side note....he has been OBSESSED with having his own butler for the past year.  In fact, last year for his birthday - he asked for a butler. So, when he offered to take care of us, I of course conceded.  Then he asked (really begged) if he could wear his bow tie for the night.

Since we have been showering infrequently, and Walker hasn't done his hair since school was cancelled, he had to shower too.  By the beginning

of our dinner...he was as cute as ever.  He served us wine on his hoverboard, got us water, cleared our plates and got us dessert.  He was the best part of our dinner....which we wouldn't have had if there wasn't a pandemic.

It was a great night, but I can't wait for the world to get back to "normal."  I'm ready to go out and have dinner with Steve, and travel with my honey.  Maybe our 15th year will be different.  Cheers to Miz and me.....to more fun memories, health, longevity, success and lots of laughs!

So I got dressed, but I didn't put on real shoes.

COVID-19, Week 4-5ish...

Watching church on Palm Sunday in pjs

It is still surreal that we have spent four weeks in quarantine!  Our poor state of Alabama has 2,229 confirmed cases, and 48 confirmed deaths.  We still haven't peaked, but our Governor is hoping that all of the social distancing is helping flatten the curve.

Thankfully the weather continues to be gorgeous so we can get out on walks, runs and bike rides!  But there is no doubt the strangest thing about this week home is the fact that we did not attend church on Easter.  We have been watching our church online each week, but not going to church on such an important day as Easter is so sad.  In addition, the kids were unable to decorate bunny cakes with Mimi this past week like they have done for the past 10 years.  However, Myra did send the kids over bare cakes, icing and all of the decorations....but they weren't the same without her guidance.

making palm crosses that were blessed from OLS

Easter Sunday baskets

Not very pretty, but they tasted good!

We showered for Easter Sunday!

Thank you for these beautiful people Lord!

COVID-19, Week 3

Hanging in a tent in the basement (they changed their minds about sleeping there)

Another week into our quarantine, and there are now 827 confirmed coronavirus cases in Alabama and 4 deaths.  It is hard to believe it is only two weeks after the state announced its first known case. As the numbers continue to climb, the schools made the difficult decision to cancel school as we know it through the end of the year (to make it easier to social distance).  Even though children aren't really at risk, there are teachers and caregivers of our children that are. 

Schools were supposed to be taking a 3 week hiatus, and were set to reopen on April 6th.  However, the number of cases are surging, with no sign of a peak.  Therefore Gov. Ivey decided that all schools should close for the remainder of the school year, finishing their curriculum online.  It was a tough thing to hear, thinking they might be jumping the gun a bit.  So teachers started creating online classwork for the kids, and Walker's teacher scheduled two calls per week to talk with the kids and do dictation.

Snickers getting spoiled!

Week three was a tough week....Steve and I are still trying to work, the children are being forced to do school work online (Walker needing help with all of his), no one can hang out with anyone else, the weather is gorgeous, and NOTHING is open!  To say it is hard to get things done easily and happily is an understatement.  We have all been stressed!

Except maybe our VERY spoiled pets!  Beck has never had so many walks and so much attention.  And we all know that our separation anxiety ridden dog is much happier with his favorite peeps around.  And then there is Snickers....who had primarily lived in the basement throughout the day prior to this mess.  With all of the kids home, and so much noise upstairs, she wants to be where the excitement is!  She loves to be cuddled, she loves hanging on the porch, she loves to play fetch (yes we have a cat who fetches small nerf balls and returns them to us), and just lying around.  She has spent a little more time outside (with supervision), but we all know she doesn't prefer it (insert my eye roll and frustration at having an indoor kitty).

Snuggled in our bed watching TV

Our evenings are spent outside playing (like summer), catching up on new series on Netflix, doing puzzles, playing on electronics and snuggling.  We are having much later nights than normal, but slower mornings (one of the better things about this time).  We are trying to not to spend extra money on stupid things, but our spring break was cancelled....

Cold, but it is novelty!

So fun Dad bought the kids a pool (and spent more on all of the accessories to keep in clean than the pool itself)!  The kids got in it right away, but the water was COLD!  Time will tell how long this quarantine lasts, and how much the pool gets used.  Bring it week 4! 

COVID-19, Week 2

Riding the lakeshore trail

Every day, the numbers of those inflicted and those who died went up around the world and our country.  However, the state of Alabama didn't receive tests and begin testing the public until much later than the rest of the country.  In fact, by the end of our 2nd week quarantining (March 22), we only had 157 cases statewide.  But those on the frontlines were preparing for the worst, knowing those numbers would ramp up quickly.

Week two for our family was supposed to be our spring break, so we were all super sad that we were not skiing, and instead home.  However, the weather was beautiful, so the kids were outside playing with each other (in between fighting), doing sidewalk chalk, facetiming with friends, trying new recipes in the kitchen, doing puzzles, bike riding and still keeping up with the limited studies we were implementing.

The kids were getting bored biking around the neighborhood, so we decided to try the Lakeshore Trail.  The big kids and I biked from our house there and home (about 10 miles total), while Steve drove Walker there so he could meet us on the flat trail.  We all had a blast!

biking home along Greensprings

Happy hour while facetiming with my girlfriends: Leah, Marianne, Lauren and Chris

Stained glass chalk painting

Homemade Meatball and BBQ Chicken Pizzas!

killing the puzzle game!  2000 piece - boom!

B cooked a COVID-19 cake

The highlight of our week though was our "field trip" to the Alabama Safari Park.  How I had never heard about this place is beyond me, but what a perfect thing to do during this quarantine.  It is a unique zoo of sorts where you drive through the property in your car to view and feed the animals.  They all know that we have food, so they are social and approach the car windows.  Some are more aggressive than others though, which can be a little intimidating...especially for Walker.

The llamas were plentiful and HUNGRY!

Fav pic!  That zebra freaked out W, and we were loving it!

The ostriches were the funniest eaters!

Walker finally came around about halfway through 

Camels were super hungry and crazy strong - they stole the entire bowl!

We are all growing tired of each in week two, but the kids are still excited to not be in school.  For us adults....we are just wondering, what will happen next?  How are we going to continue to keep the kids busy while we work from home?  Are we going to catch COVID-19?  Time will tell.....

COVID-19, Week 1

So back in December, when all was alright here, someone in Wuhan, China went to a live animal market and got infected with COVID-19.  It is not confirmed how the disease spread, but it definitely started at this live market, and it is speculated that a bat was infected with it, and perhaps it transferred the disease to another animal, a pangolin, which is widely traded illegally.  Someone ingested one of these animals, then coughed, worked in a tent next to other people and shared a bathroom with multiple other people.  Shortly thereafter, thousands of people in China became ill and eventually died (over 200,000).  However the Chinese government never admitted to the severity of the disease and didn't shut their borders, so the Chinese people continued to spread the disease (many unknowingly).  Before long it was rampant in Italy, and spreading throughout Europe and the U.S.

Thinking this was the last game on 3/14, they held up #1 since they were undefeated!

Fast forward to Thursday, March 12th when we were alerted that our schools were being shut down for the next three weeks (with one of those weeks being our spring break where we were supposed to be skiing at Breck in Colorado).  We had read about the symptoms, and realized that it did more damage to the elderly and those with compromised immune systems (asthma, CF, sick and healing).  Though, we didn't realize the severity of the virus here in the US yet (specifically in Alabama), we adhered to the suggestion that we "social distance."  That suggestion was that we don't socialize with more than 20 people, stay at least 6 feet away from people (outside of our house) and wash our hands ALL THE TIME!  We were allowed to be outside, but restaurants began shutting down, or only offering curbside pick-up or delivery.  Retails stores closed, and people began becoming more and more afraid.

Bible Club friends packing lunches for backpack ministry, what a gift on 3/15!

Within several days, ALL ski resorts were closed, airlines were refunding all flights and rental companies were giving refunds or allowing rebooking.....spring break cancelled!  Steve and I were still trying to work, but all companies halted travel, entertainment and rules were becoming stricter.  No more than 10 people together now, begging people to keep their kids away from others and to not run errands or go out more than absolutely necessary.  We continued to hole up inside our home, cooking a lot, getting takeout when we needed a break, and doing a lot of walking, running, biking and basketball.

Hiking at Red Mountain Park on 3/17

"Art class" coloring on St Patrick's Day

Meanwhile, the stock market was crashing with the news and panic ensued the world.  As the disease spread around the world, so did the fear and panic.  How bad will it get?  All elective surgeries were cancelled because hospitals feared that they would quickly hit capacity and would need all extra beds, vents and attention.  Since the state of Alabama claimed it was "A State of Emergency," school would not need to be made up, so no work from teachers was provided.  Steve and I tried to keep the kids busy with exercise, art, practicing their hobbies, reading and playing together.  It was a crazy first week, but I thought it was just the first of three weeks, and then we might get back to normal.  Boy was I wrong.....