The Quarantine Life – Sunshine & An Odd Mystery

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warming up baby’s carseat

Yesterday was a no good day…for no good reason. So today, naturally, was a great day. That’s how it seems to go with life in quarantine. Some hard days (more mentally hard than anything) followed by good days. It 100% helped that today was summer including 70 degrees and sunshine. I’ll take that!

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they love helping cut strawberries (& eating 1/2 of them too)

A quick sidebar here to say if you have any great suggestions on baby names, I’m open to hearing them! We typically like Scandinavian names…and I typically like 2 syllable names (I’m specific…). I will say that we’ve come up with a few options, but nothing is “IT” yet.

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Soren vacuumed at 7:30 this morning

Let’s recap!

How am I feeling today: Today I am 32 weeks pregnant. I remember the day I found out I was pregnant back in October…I was maybe 4 weeks pregnant? Maybe 3.5? That feels like FOREVER ago! Only 8 short weeks to go!

Today’s Win: We are casually potty training Espen…so if he wakes up in the morning with a dry diaper, he is bribed to go potty on the toilet vs. in his diaper. We give him a marshmallow (yup…parenting with the help of sugar!). This morning, Soren asked if he could also have a marshmallow and I declined since he doesn’t earn one simply because his brother used the toilet. So he asked if he could vacuum the house to earn a marshmallow. Um…absolutely! So he vacuumed at 7:30 this morning.

Funny Kid Moment: This is a weird story…but it must be shared. During Espen’s nap, Soren plays outside and I usually stay inside to have some peace and quiet (that typically lasts max 20 minutes). About 3 hours after this time of day, Soren says to me, “So mom, our neighbor was in her backyard without her clothes on today. I saw her bunsies. She had a thing covering those things on her chest though. She was playing with her dog in the yard.” So…I paused…and laughed…and asked 100 clarifying questions. He showed me which house it was…and it’s far enough that he may not have seen accurately…but also, he seemed pretty sure of himself and also wasn’t laughing as if it was a made up story. I told him she was probably wearing her swimsuit and enjoying the sunshine…but he said, “No, mom. I saw her bunsies.” So…that’s a mystery to solve another day, but also…why are people walking around in the nude when literally everyone is currently in their houses…looking out the windows seeking entertainment? Yikes!

Today’s Hero: Today’s hero is sunshine. I’m sure this has gotten the “hero” award more times than necessary…but anytime it’s super sunny, it makes my day. I should also say we had a super delicious dinner…but it was also very simple. Grilled chicken sandwiches, carrots, strawberries, and pickles. I enjoyed the colorfulness on my plate!

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sunshine & ice cream cones

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colorful dinner! 

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Grammy reading a book to the boys

Til tomorrow…

The Quarantine Life – The Driveway

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from last night, post-haircuts 

Week six! Is it week six? I’ve lost track. Also, this is a record for how much I’ve written on this blog. I’ve written more on here the last 6 weeks than I have ever, combined! Thanks to those of you who read this – I really just started it to document our experience so that I can look back on this odd and unique time and remember what we did and how I felt about everything. That’s all assuming we get back to normal life…someday. Hoping it’s soon, but my gut tells me it’ll be awhile. And by awhile…I’m starting to wonder if Soren will get to start Kindergarten this fall…in a school, not at home. Time will tell!

I have a few good stories to share today so enjoy! Also, I made breakfast burritos for dinner tonight and I am so excited that 1) dinner is already done and 2) they are SO good and 3) I’ll likely have a hefty return of heartburn from eating them…oh well!

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we did a LOT of painting today…anyone need some fresh artwork? we ship internationally…

Let’s recap…

How am I feeling today: This week is off to a much better start than last week. Also it was supposed to rain this afternoon and it did…for about 5 minutes. For that I am thankful – no need for rain this week!

Today’s Win: This is more of a sweet story – but the boys often fall off bikes or simply fall and get hurt. They both are very VERY attached to specific stuffed animals and when they’re hurt, they need these animals to comfort them. I’m sitting there with open arms…but they’d prefer a stuffed animal for comfort over mom. It’s fine, I’m FINE. Anyway, anytime Soren gets hurt, Espen dashes around the house to find Soren’s puppies and brings them to his brother so he will feel better. It is so sweet and nothing we forced to happen…we are seeing natural empathy in little brother and it’s so sweet. I’ll just note here that Soren doesn’t return the favor…all in due time, hopefully.

Funny Kid Moment: The boys and I were playing in the driveway today when it started to look like a rainstorm was coming. I moved to stand inside the garage and Soren got right to work cleaning up the entire yard and driveway full of toys. He can be SO helpful and is such a little worker. He reminds me so much of Josiah. He loves to take charge and be so responsible. Espen preferred to just watch Soren do all of the work. Once everything was done, Espen shouts, “Oh no!” and runs into the driveway and grabs some dead leaves to bring into the garage. He was so worried those dead leaves would be left in the driveway and get wet in the rain. Kid has a lot to learn…

Today’s Hero: My driveway. What?! Yes. We have a caged fenced in yard…super helpful for little kids. But this Spring, we have ventured into the driveway for playtime. The boys are awesome at riding bikes so any afternoon that is decently warm, we are in the driveway riding bikes, shooting hoops, playing soccer or driving tractors around. I feel as if we are using every square foot of our property!

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haircut action shot

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my little worker

 

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mother of boys & keeper of puppies 

Til tomorrow…

The Quarantine Life – Heartburn, Uff…

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the three boys ❤

Good Sunday evening. I took a break from my daily posts yesterday because I got hit hard with a case of pregnancy heartburn. I have never had heartburn in my life, but the last 2-3 days have been a quick introduction to this new joyful pregnancy side benefit. It was pretty tough last night so I chose to attempt sleep at 9pm so I wouldn’t be aware of my discomfort. It mostly worked! I received many MANY ideas on how to combat heartburn – so if it spikes again, I’ll be sure to attempt some of those remedies. I thought pregnancy was supposed to be this joyful time of glowing and eating all the food? Not the case this round – nausea going strong at 31 weeks and now heartburn. It’s like my body doesn’t want me to eat…which I strongly rebel against.

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making breakfast on Saturday morning! 

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Saturday breakfast – liege waffles (we make them at Christmas and freeze extras) and homemade whipped cream and bananas – one of my favorites! 

Anyway…

One of my biggest questions marks regarding the pandemic is if school will resume as normal this fall? Let’s be clear…I was never made to be a homeschool teacher. I am sure many of you are also nodding your heads in agreement…and I’m just curious if Soren will need to start kindergarten with Mrs. Lauren Larson as his teacher. We will all need to get on our knees and pray if that’s the case!

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our local handyman 

Ok let’s recap!

How am I feeling today: Thankful that nausea and his new BFF heartburn are mostly at bay today! And I love a good weekend day because my husband handles the kids a LOT. Also it was sunny today which, as I’ve said 100 times already, helps everything.

Today’s Win: You know how everyone is like, “So what new hobbies have you discovered during quarantine?” And all the moms laugh because we have even less time to ourselves than we did before. Yeah…me too. No hobbies over here. BUT…I think today I discovered I really enjoy cutting my boys’ hair! I’ve given them haircuts on and off over the past 2 years – but I realized today that I really like doing it. I should clarify – I am not excellent at cutting hair…I literally do it super fast and totally wing it. But it’s kind of fun! And their hair grows super fast so any “oops” moments will remedy in a couple weeks.

Funny Kid Moment: Last night, we were talking about the baby and how he is still nameless. Soren…out of nowhere…says, “Hey guys! I have a great name idea. Let’s name the baby Ovaries.” How does he even know what an ovary is?! I guarantee if I asked Soren what an ovary is, he’d have no clue. I’d actually bet on it. So who knows! But in case you’re wondering, no, we are not naming baby brother, Ovary/Ovaries. Back to brainstorming…

Today’s Hero: All of you wonderful friends out there that quickly provided me with ideas to relieve intense heartburn. I love having social media to be able to quickly get a wide variety of opinions or advice…it’s so helpful!

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wearing mommy’s headband

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I know SO MUCH more about farm equipment than I ever desired to know…

Til tomorrow…

The Quarantine Life – It Was A Funny Day

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our post-workout pic…

You know what brings some lightness to a pandemic? The ridiculous things kids say and do…that make you laugh and forget the insanity that’s happening in our world. Luckily it’s also Friday which helps too…so here we go.

Lot’s of funny moments to recap.

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the “no jumping on the bed” rule is strictly followed…also, yes, that is a chair in the bed…

How am I feeling today: I say this all the time…but I feel SO pregnant. My boys were super busy today and I only took about 20 minutes to lay down (I had a scheduled phone call with a friend and that was my only “down time”) and my body is feeling it. At 31 weeks pregnant, my body can’t keep up with the pace of my children. Gonna be tough to explain that to the kids over the next 9 weeks…

Today’s Win: This is not a brag moment…but I have been very consistently working out during this pandemic. And I need to strongly emphasize that I am using the term “workout” very…VERY…loosely here. Like…very very loose. Anyway – I have been doing 20 minute workouts each morning – it’s a prenatal workout so it’s very light (have I emphasized that enough yet? It’s not intense). I feel very proud of myself…especially since I haven’t been very committed to working out daily in….ever. I’ve never worked out this consistently since I played soccer or basketball in high school and we had practice every day. And as cheesy as this sounds, I am also motivated to show my kids that it is important to take care of yourself…even if it’s a simple workout. They love it too. Each day when I tell them to go play so I can do my workout, they say, “No thanks, we want to watch you.” And they do. They sit and watch me. Which is a little weird, right? But I’m proud to show them that I’m making an effort to stay healthy.

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Espen doing workups (that’s how he says workouts)

Funny Kid Moment: Continuing the workout story, today the boys decided to join me in my workout…but they felt the need to only wear underwear and t-shirts for the workout. Let the record show I was wearing capri pants and a tshirt. This was not a modeled behavior they were mimicking. I had about 5 minutes left of my workout and they were driving me crazy. They were pretending to be horses (no context…it was random), so I told them to go play in their pasture. So…they did. They both ran out the front door and ran around the yard. Remember though…they were wearing only tshirts and underwear. Also it was 35 degrees this morning. I quickly ran to the front door to gather my children…and I looked over to my neighbor’s house and OF COURSE he was outside. He gave me a look that communicated both “this is hilarious” as well as “you have lost all control, haven’t you?” The best part? They wouldn’t listen (shocker) and they ended up running to the backyard to jump on the trampoline for about 5 minutes. Good times.

Today’s Hero: My kids. They make me laugh so much. They also drive me crazy and they often forget that there’s no need to shout constantly. Our house is so so so so loud. But this quarantine is not without funny moments, lots of laughs, and also moments of pure chaos. But I love them and their entertainment.

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talking with his littlest brother

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getting some sun

I have a few “runner up” kid stories from today that I’ll share…just because why not?! First, a Jimmy John’s driver drove by our house this afternoon. Soren and I have this random and quirky inside joke about Jimmy John’s I won’t get into now b/c it won’t make sense (also, yay, we are at the age with inside jokes!) and he said, “Oh mom! Look, someone ordered Jimmy John’s! I love their pizza!” I can honestly say Soren has never eaten there…and clearly doesn’t know they only make sandwiches. Second, if you’re one of those people that can’t remember what day of the week it is, you’re not alone. I ask my kids each day what day it is today. I even give them a hint, “Yesterday was Thursday…” and they can never get it. Honestly, they usually guess 3 other days of the week before getting it right. We sing the “days of the week” song probably 10 times a day…but they just aren’t connecting the song to actual application. Kindergarten should be good this fall for Soren. Lastly, I told Soren I ordered myself some new clothes and they will arrive next week. He turns to me and genuinely says, “Oh I am SO excited to see your cute new clothes!” So yes, he is 100% my child.

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bedtime snack…s’mores in the bonfire…dad’s choice…they were so hyper afterwards…

Til tomorrow…Saturday! Woo!

The Quarantine Life – A Choice

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soaking up these cuddles with my “baby” 

If you’ve been reading my posts this week, you know this week has been a little harder for us. No reason in particular (other than…oh…the pandemic). I took a little time this morning to get away from the house and I read in my car overlooking one of my favorite lakes. Sidenote: my husband is so helpful and gets me a couple tiny breaks like this during the week – my sanity is somewhat in tact thanks to these breaks.

I am leading a book study so I read the assigned chapter for our discussion next week. The topic was victimhood mentality…which I know I struggle with…often…especially now. There is SO MUCH talk about gratitude in our culture and especially now, in the midst of chaos, there is still so much focus on gratitude. But me? I’ve never been amazing at it. It’s easier to complain. Focus on why my life is hard. Focus on what is NOT working right now. Focus on all of the unknowns. Focus on…the list goes on. It’s so much easier to complain. But where does that leave me? Well…complaining and feeling just as miserable as when I started…or worse. Also, while there are definitely necessary moments to complain to a trusted friend (aka vent!), no one loves listening to a complainer all the time. I’ve even recognized some of those types of people in my life and needed to create space to avoid the negativity. But I realize I am also doing this…

So today’s reading talked a lot about the victimhood mentality and how, instead, we can choose gratitude. Now I know not everyone reading this is in line with my same beliefs – and that’s fine. You can still benefit from this! But to directly quote the book, she writes, “But to see God’s good purposes, we have to focus our gaze beyond our immediate situations. We have to remember that, even now, we have a choice: we can choose to praise and honor God right where we are, trusting that we serve a God who is both transcendent and immanent…yet He chooses to be near us, to be with us, even in the hardest times when we cannot yet see how He could possibly bring anything good from our circumstances.” I’m not sure that quote fully captures all of my “aha!” from this morning – but I know I’ll be attempting to put this into practice. To choose to still acknowledge the hard going on, but also to trust God beyond this moment in time…even when it may not make sense.

By the way, this is Jennie Allen’s book, “Get Out of Your Head” and I’m enjoying it very much.

So…how about a recap!

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never ever ever a dull moment

How am I feeling today: I am feeling more positive today – it’s likely due to the fact that it’s Thursday (almost the weekend), I had a Zoom call with friends this morning, I got a mini break this morning, and I didn’t have to wear my warmest coat outside because temps are rising. Many things to be thankful for today!

Today’s Win: Soren and I played soccer in the driveway this afternoon and we had so much fun…and it’s especially fun to score a goal when he’s the goalie (keep them humble) but I will also note he scores on me just as often! I am also flinching trying to protect baby brother in my belly from the ball…which don’t worry, it’s a very soft ball and he can’t kick that hard…yet. I love playing soccer with him – I can’t wait til I can actually run again and play with him.

Funny Kid Moment: This morning, I was about to make breakfast (I eat 2 hardboiled eggs and toast almost every single day) and Espen asked me if we could play some music. Sure! Let’s have a dance party at 7AM! Naturally he chose a Christmas song – Joy to The World. I immediately was hit with the lyrics of “Joy to The World” by Three Dog Night – and I felt much more open to blasting that at 7AM vs. Christmas music. So I introduced my son to a new song and even Soren ran into the kitchen to join the dance party. It was SO FUN!

Today’s Hero: Josiah has an aunt – Auntie Kath – that is amazing and sent us a letter full of colorful paper this week. She traced hearts on each of the pages and instructed us to cut them out and tape them on our window/door. Soren and I tackled the project today and now we have a very cheery front door! And we are so thankful for a loving Auntie that thinks of ways to help us stay entertained during this quarantine. Auntie Kath is our hero!

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hearts to decorate our door!

Til tomorrow…Friday! Yay!

The Quarantine Life – Will This Week End?

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morning snack was smoothie bowls with a mashmallow on top

The week of mundane continues – but I will say that today was much better than the prior two days. We just got back from our evening walk…I had to hurry home because pregnancy nausea is still real and raging. Funnnn.

My husband was telling me that he looked at the average temps for April in Minneapolis and we are currently about 20 degrees below average! AHHH! No wonder we all feel miserable – stuck at home with the winter that will not quit!

I talk about the weather a lot on here. That’s pretty basic and annoying. Sorry. And it’ll likely continue.

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Soren and I working on a preschool workbook (which requires a lot of patience from me)

Let’s recap!

How am I feeling today: It’s Weds – midweek and I always look forward to the weekend! Another week completed, another week closer to the end of this (are we halfway done? are we 20% done? Are we 5% done? No one knows.) and we are also a week closer to baby.

Today’s Win: Shower for the win! Showers make you feel like a new person…and I’m pretty sure I’ve said that before on here. #repeat

Funny Kid Moment: I don’t have a lot on this from today – but Soren just came busting into the house demanding his Croc sandals. They are his current ‘house shoe’ of choice and he claims they keep him warm. I am pretty sure the point of Croc’s is the opposite of that…but whatever!

Today’s Hero: I decided we were going to have chicken fried rice for dinner. But then I realized we had about 1 tablespoon of soy sauce left – so I quickly messaged my sis-in-law that lives 3 blocks away and she also had about 1 tablespoon left. So I did a quick curbside pickup order from Target and within 45 minutes of realizing I was out of soy sauce, we had a brand new bottle. It was pretty awesome. Why does this amaze me…it’s nothing new?! But still…it was a tiny win in the midst of a super mundane day!

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post-nap snuggles

If you’re thinking these posts are getting a little shorter and a little less exciting, I’m right there with you. I’m hoping things pick up soon and we have more to discuss!

Til tomorrow…

The Quarantine Life – It’s Only Tuesday?

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Soren and I each “working” today – BSF for me, Water Wow for him

Well…if you read yesterday’s post, today’s could be fairly similar. It was rather mundane, it snowed again, and it’s freezing. I keep looking at the forecast and long for time to speed up to next week when we get reacquainted with the 60 degree mark. I realize we could go play outside right now…but it’s been months…MONTHS…of wearing our warm weather clothes to bundle up and play outside and I am OVER it. Bad attitude? Sure.

One bright spot – I put a new outfit on Espen today. I bought it awhile back but it was intended for a warm Spring day…but today felt right so I had him wear it and every time I looked at him, I had to smile! And Soren chose to match his brother by also wearing tie-dye and I wasn’t mad about it!

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this outfit is so cozy…

Let’s recap!

How am I feeling today: I feel like I am wandering through the days this week without any direction or purpose. I don’t know what’s different this week than the previous four weeks…I don’t have any projects I’m working on, I don’t have a lot of energy for creative activities for my kids, maybe this is just quarantine burnout? I was really excited and looking forward to Easter…and now that is over…so maybe I just feel heavy with the reality of everything. I’m guessing I’m not alone.

Today’s Win: My mom is such a fun Grammy and has created “homework” worksheets for my kids (& the other grandkids) and sends them in the mail along with a treat. They have to complete the homework before they can have the treat. She creates it all from scratch and it’s so much fun for the kids. This week’s worksheet even included a “gym” portion where the kids had to do some physical activities. And when they’re done…they get to enjoy the treat. We also send a completed picture of the worksheet to Grammy.

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Can you tell he is proud of his work? 

Funny Kid Moment Today: Two quick stories from today. First, Soren drew a family portrait today. I asked him to include baby brother, but he declined since baby isn’t born yet. He was willing to include baby brother shown in my tummy – so enjoy this picture. What a cute moment in time snapshot – both with the baby in my tummy and Soren’s adorable drawing skills at age 5. The second story is less cute, more funny. Espen was running a few laps up and down the sidewalk (a quick energy buster) while I watched from inside the front door. Soren came up and was watching with me. He looks at my backside, taps my bottom and said, “Cute bunsies, mom!” And then we both laughed and laughed. I didn’t realize it, but I say this to my kids all the time…because…well…kid buns are so cute…especially if you are their mom (anyone else??). Well he was just repeating what he’s heard and complimenting his mother. Oh man…we laughed pretty hard about that. And thanks for the compliment, Soren!

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Larson Fam! 

Today’s Hero: Amazon delivered a few items a day early today…and I think that deserves a hero callout! We ordered two activity books, a pair of sandals for Soren, and needles to pump up basketballs…all essential needs, if you ask us. And they arrived a day early! Amazon, I heart you.

Til tomorrow…

The Quarantine Life – Mundane Monday

IMG_2743What do I have to share for today? Well…it was definitely a Monday. A mundane Monday. I’m finding that I have mostly good days…but sometimes the days just drag on…and I am tired and my kids are tired of sitting at home…and while we are THANKFUL to be able to stay home and (hopefully) stay healthy, it is still hard and a major change for us. We typically are only home all day for one day a week. We like to be on the go…doing activities or going out. We are not major homebodies. It’s been an adjustment and I think today it all hit me again.

So nothing too exciting to share today. I also ate a lot of Easter candy and that doesn’t help. Well…it helps, but then it doesn’t help, too.

How am I feeling today: I basically covered that above, but I just need to say that a heavy dose of Spring weather would be very helpful right now! Today it snowed (again) and that is not helping anyone!

Today’s Win: We started picking up lunch from our local school – we just learned about this option late last week. Our local school has buses drop off lunches every day and there happens to be a stop right outside of our house. So now our morning revolves around when the bus delivers lunch.

Funny Kid Moment Today: Soren saw that it was snowing this afternoon, so he went in the garage, took out his kid lawnmower, and went into the front yard to “snow blow” the yard. He took it very seriously and kept at it for awhile (which is 20 minutes).
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Today’s Hero: I have likely said this before…but anytime that bright sunshine fills my house, I feel a drastic lift in my mood. We need all the mood lifters we can get so today – sunshine is a hero.

Til tomorrow…and hopefully more exciting stories!

The Quarantine Life – Easter Blizzard

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HAPPY EASTER! 

Happy Easter! This morning, I was woken up by my three guys at 7AM. They were all so happy and Soren told me, “Mom! The Easter bunny didn’t come.” Translation: I didn’t set out Easter gifts for them. I failed to explain that the EB works differently than Santa – he delivers baskets (or boxes…more on that later) to Mommy and she hides them later in the day. One quick look at my texts and social media and I already felt so “behind” as a mother on Easter morning. I had a kitchen full of dirty dishes, I didn’t have a meal planned besides an egg bake, and no special decorations. I felt so much guilt – but truth be told…1) Easter is NOT about this stuff and 2) my kids didn’t know the difference. Nevertheless, I pulled myself together and whipped up an Easter breakfast for the fam complete with some decorations. Also, three of the four of us happily chose to wear our normal Easter outfits – while one needed some bribing. Soren’s shirt was a tad small as we didn’t invest in new Easter outfits this year…but it was fine!

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Soren has worn this bowtie for about 3 Easter’s in a row…

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Espen’s blazer is my favorite…

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scary faces!

We are so thankful to celebrate Easter – even if we are stuck at home…and experiencing a blizzard on top of quarantine this year. 2020…you sure know how to kick us all in the shins! Bravo. But that doesn’t change the fact that we celebrate ultimate hope in Christ today…beyond this Easter Sunday, beyond this pandemic, beyond this life. We celebrate the promise of life after death…and life free of pain, of sickness, of sadness, of loneliness, of all the bad things. And for that I am forever thankful.

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family breakfast!

Shall we recap?

How am I feeling today: It’s been so nice to relax at home with my family today – blizzards have a way of making everything feel cozy. Like your home is getting a giant hug from the snow. Note: it doesn’t always feel that way…but the forecast of higher temps shows me this snow will be gone soon! Also…feeling extra pregnant today.

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30.5 weeks pregnant!

Today’s Win: Today we ate brunch together as a family, listened to music, and even watched our church’s service (a first for us this quarantine…) and we only had to pause it 9 times (and the whole service was only 34 minutes).

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Easter boxes…aka shoeboxes I found when cleaning. A little paint job and now they’re Easter boxes we can save for next year! 

Funny Kid Moment Today: So many funny moments today. Here are three. 1) This morning I put on makeup for the first time since March 15th. Soren looked at me and with a look of detest, he asked, “Mom, WHAT is on your face?” So…safe to say he prefers a more natural look. 2) I bought a dress at Target 2 months ago with hopes to wear it for Easter. I’ve debated if I should just return it…but decided to go ahead with my plans to wear it despite being at home for Easter and being in the middle of a blizzard. I came downstairs and my husband said, “What happened to the black dress you had on? Didn’t you like it?” Um…the black dress I had on was my pajamas! He totally thought my pajama dress was my Easter attire (which to his credit, was a basic black dress…that happens to be a nightgown) and we had a GOOD laugh about this. My family has VERY low expectations on what I wear each day. No appreciation for style. 3) As I sit here and type this recap, I have a cup of afternoon coffee next to me. Soren’s favorite stuffed animal, Puppy, just flew across the table and his tail landed directly in my coffee. I grabbed it out – annoyed his (gross) puppy was in my coffee and he was annoyed my coffee got on his puppy. But he changed his mind and quickly sucked on the tail in order to “drink” the coffee. He then pretended to be going crazy because I’ve taught my kids to say, “Coffee makes me crazy!”

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coloring fake eggs

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“This is you, mommy!”

Today’s Hero: I feel like the correct answer to this is Jesus. I mean…he died for our sins and came back from the dead three days later. I barely managed to pull together an Easter breakfast…but he really did it up big. Jesus, you’re our hero. Always.

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we found a funfetti cake mix in the cupboard…why not make it! 

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“I have to sing this SUPER loud, ok?” (also note the ripped out page next to the hymnal…)

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Blizzard!! 

Another week of quarantine ahead…followed by 500 more weeks after that! Til then…

The Quarantine Life – I’m Back!

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singing their new song called Corona Virus

Consistency isn’t always my forte. So I took an unplanned 2 day break from posting on here simply because I felt really tired and wanted to go to bed instead of writing blog posts. I’m growing a human…and that’s a lot of work. There’s not enough sleep to feel rested right now.

What have you missed out on the last 3 days? Hm…we are still quarantined, we are still eating all meals at home, my boys still have a lot of energy and don’t sleep through the night. So…you basically knew what we were up to! Same same.

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chocolate milk – good for the 2 year old body

Let’s recap!

How am I feeling today: I think a reason I’m feeling so tired is that I am having incredibly vivid dreams at night. I saw an article headline the other day saying that a lot of people were having vivid dreams right now…so anyone else? Last night I dreamt I went into labor, but somewhere towards the end of labor, the scene went dark and I woke up later…with the nurse escorting me to the exit of the hospital (I think I had my baby with me?) and I saw it was snowing outside. I was curious about that so I asked why it was snowing in June…but she informed me it was September because I had been put in a coma for 4 months (they forgot to tell me). I was very upset…mostly because I had skipped summertime. Naturally, I left the hospital and took a horse drawn carriage home. WHAT! It was so vivid it was almost like it really happened when I woke up. I’m happy to report it wasn’t real and just a dream.

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after another light workout (that was super hard for me!)

Today’s Win: The biggest win from the past few days is that I have washed all of baby’s clothes and almost have his room ready to go! This is BY FAR the earliest I have been prepared for a baby…like extremely early. For context, I am pretty sure we setup Soren’s crib a week or two before he arrived. And with Espen, we moved homes 10 days before he was born (& I should add that he was 5 days late!). So we are totally ready for this baby!

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almost ready for you baby!

Funny Kid Moment Today: Soren has been rocking out on Josiah’s guitar…and he made up this SUPER awesome song called Corona Virus…in which he uses his “angry” singing voice and yells “Corona Virus” over and over and over again. It’s loud and perfectly expresses our families rage towards this dang virus. Go away CV!

Today’s Hero: I just got a text that my Shipt shopper is at Target picking up my groceries. Bless her/him (gender neutral name….not sure). I am so thankful to not have to go to the store. I’m not excited to wipe down all my groceries but such is life these days.

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eating outside! but also preparing for a small blizzard tomorrow…

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he joined me for my rest time…I didn’t rest…

Also, I should add that I made The Defined Dish’s sour cream chicken taquitos (but without sour cream…sub ranch…because limited supplies). They were outstanding. Google her. Find that recipe. So so good! One of my kids even ate a bite!

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SO SO SO SO GOOD

Til tomorrow…