Brace Yourself

 We have come upon another period of parenthood...middle school.  It's the first few weeks and Amelia is virtual half the time, so the change isn't realllly school related.  The change is just the simple fact that my little girl is growing up.  She got her first cell phone a few weeks ago and she'll be getting braces in a month or two.  Aside from noticing the fact that these things are wildly expensive, I can't help but notice how fast they came upon us.  It seems like just yesterday that she was excited to get a new doll or stuffed animal.  Now, I'm guessing I'll blink again and she'll be asking me for her own car.  

She's already been practicing...

IT Guy

 I feel like one thing this whole quarantine/shelter in place/remote learning has brought to light is the fact that i am no longer technologically savvy.  Now, at no point in my life was I on the brink of working in the IT department.  That said, I could hold my own when it came to the basics.  At this point, it is safe to say I have no idea what 50% of any given technical specs, installation instructions, or technical support staff says.  I was trying to buy a new WiFi system for our house (to go along with the new computer and new printer we've already purchased for remote learning) and looking at all the options was the equivalent of looking at a random page of a medical journal.  I just picked the one with decent reviews on the assumption those people have some idea of what they're talking about.  The system showed up at the house today and now I'm trying to figure out what is making me feel older/more out of touch .... the fact that I spent an hour today unsuccessfully trying to get HULU working so I could watch M*A*S*H or the fact that I am typing this through my phone because I lost all WiFi by unsuccessfully setting up the system....or the fact that I just saw Macaulay Culkin turned 40 years old...yep, that's the winner. 

Chillin

 In the hot days of Summer, Olive has now adopted a new cooling off position....she calls it "really, really, downward dog".  I believe this roughly translates to "putting your belly as close to the cold hardwoods as possible"...

School Daze

 Well, the kids are officially back in school.  This, coupled with some work demands, has made for quite a busy week.  Going back under current conditions is much different than any year we've had before.  We're as careful about COVID as anyone.  That said, it seemed important for the kids to get some social interaction in their lives.  I'm not sure this is what we had in mind, but it will have to do...

Lunch fun with Everett's whole class...all 6 of them.

In the Middle

 I'm happy and sad that my baby girl starts middle school tomorrow.  In some ways, she so grown.  In others, she still a little kid.  And in a third set of ways, she is so grown and yet I still think of her as a little kid.  

Sums it Up

Well, I was watching Amelia do some doodling today. I caught her pretty much summing up where we are in this summer of COVID....

Shame

 We took the dogs to the groomers as they were in desperate need of a trim.  I'll ignore the fact that Everett and I have been forced to let Meggan hack our hair for the past 5 months while the dogs still get professional attention.  For reasons unknown to me, they decided to send them home with bows in their hair this time.  To say the dogs hated them would be an understatement.  This picture below is the equivalent of having your parents post an embarrassing naked baby photo of you in the back of your yearbook...

Last Night

 Tonight is our last night without the kids for a long time. I say long because I really don’t know when the kids will get to go back to their grandparents’ house once they get germs at school.  It makes me sad to even think about it.  So, how did Meggan and I spend our last night of freedom? If you guessed “watch the movie ‘Clue’ from 1985 and then go to bed early”, you know us very, very well. 

Sincere

When the kids are away, I try to have a video chat with them at least once per day.  I know they're having so much fun that they don't really want to talk to me.   I make them do it anyways because it does my heart good to see them.  After all, how could anyone not love seeing their daughter's beautiful face....

Driver

On a quick, spontaneous trip to Grandma and Grandpa's this weekend, Ev got to show me the driving skills he's picked up on previous visits.  I have to admit, I was impressed.  In case you're wondering if he was nervous driving by himself, this picture should answer that for you.  He put the pedal to the metal and was still comfortable enough to drive with one hand, looking at me, and explaining everything we saw on our drive in an English accent.