First Day of School

 Well here we are are.  The first day of school after being out for almost 6 months.  Yes in the spring we did virtual school but it was not the same.  Austin and Sydney were so excited to go to school.  They were ready.  

Sydney set her alarm clock to get herself up.  Austin got woke up by me placing London in his bed.  They had their normal breakfast. Austin had oatmeal with a hot chocolate and Sydney had bread with chocolate.  They got ready fairly quickly.  Then it was time for first day of school pictures.  The kids said it's the least favorite part of their day.  However this year it went well because London got to be in the pictures.  

Brian and I took them to school.  We walked them towards the school.  They were happy and ready to go.  We picked them up after school.  They played for a little bit with their friends.  We stopped at the library for Austin to get a book.  Sydney wasn't too happy about that.  Then we came home.  Sydney had piano and cheer that evening.  

It was a good first week of school but the kids were tired.  They are still not going to bed as early as they should.  Plus getting back into the routine is hard.  Sports are keeping them busy too.  

We know that covid is still out there but it's nice to have a little sense of normal.  We are all okay with wearing masks.  Austin even said it's not that bad to have to wear one all day at school.  Kids are amazing!  

Sydney's 8th birthday

 

With COVID, Sydney couldn't have a normal birthday party.   We decided she could invite 2 friends over to swim for her birthday.  We had Chick Fil A and Costco rainbow cake.  The girls had a great time.  

We ended up celebrating her birthday with several people thoughout the week.  On Monday, we went to down to Meewaw's and had cupcakes with her.  

On Tuesday, we kayaked the Cuyahoga River as a family.  We all liked kayaking better than tubing the river.  

Wednesday was Sydney's birthday.  We got yard signs that said Happy Birthday.  Sydney requested that since it's become really popular with covid.  She was excited to see that.  

I made pancakes for breakfast.  Sydney ate outside with the neighbors.   The neighbors got her a gift.  We were going to do the bounce house and pool however the weather didn't cooperate.  They just played outside.  That evening Sydney went to cheer on her birthday.  She loves it that much!  I brought Popsicles afterwards for the girls to enjoy.  

On Friday evening we ended her birthday celebration with our close friends.  They came over and the kids played and we celebrated Sydney's 8th birthday.  Even though it wasn't a normal birthday, it was fun for her to celebrate throughout the week.  

August Summer Fun

 

It's already August.  Where has the summer gone?!  London has kept us all busy.  Honestly it's a nice distraction from all the covid news.  We have been working on potty training and puppy manners.  He would have a accident once every few days.  All and all he did a pretty good job with potty training.  He had is pen attached to his crate where he sleeps and stays while we are away.  He does a good job with that too.  

Sydney had her first communion in August.  It was a a few months delayed due to covid but at least she got to do it with her best friend, Dana.  It was a beautiful day and Brian got some great pictures.  Afterwards my mom came up and had Chick Fil A with us.  That is what Sydney wanted.  

Sydney also started cheerleading.  She practices twice a week for 2 hours each practice.  She loves it.  She enjoys doing tumbling and learning the cheers.  

Austin started cross county.  He is also loving it.  The first practice he ran 3 miles and then next day he ran 4 miles.  He did a great job.  He was a little sore the next day.  Brian got him a music player with ear pods.  He enjoys running listening to music.  

The school class lists came out.   Unfortunately Austin wasn't in class with his best friend.  However Sydney was.  Sydney didn't get the same teacher as Austin.  That was a shock to us.  We liked Austin's teacher last year. And every year until now she always had the same teacher.  Sydney got a new teacher to the school.    We are hoping for a good school year.  We have decided to send them to school full time instead of virtual.  We believe they need their friends and teachers.  We are hoping for a good year.  The must wear masks all the time.  They don't seem to mind.  

Sydney went to the doctor for her yearly check up.  She was in the 50th percentile for height and weight.  The flu shot was also available.  She decided she wanted to get it then because she didn't want to get it with Austin.  Austin doesn't handle the flu shot while.  Sydney doesn't cry or anything.  

London and Auntie Melissa Visit

We went and picked up London on July 18th.  The kids were so excited to get him.  Melissa, Camden and Graham went with us to pick him up.  I was so nervous.  I was imaging worst case scenario.  We were going to get a sick dog.  The dog wouldn't really be there.  All crazy things.  Plus I was wondering what in the world were Brian and I thinking to agree to a dog. That morning I couldn't wait to get him and hoped everything would be okay. 

When we got there another family were getting their dog.  We waited in the car until they were finished.  We wanted to follow all the social distancing rules.  We got to meet the mom dog while we waited.  We rubbed her fur with a blanket we brought. 

Then it was time to get London (formally Scout).  London was happy and walking all around.  He even let the kids that previously owned him hold him in sitting up postition.  It was cute.  Austin and Sydney both wanted to hold him on the way home. We let Austin hold him first.  He was so happy.  However during the car ride home, London puked a little bit.  We stopped for a bathroom break.  London even went outside.  Then Sydney held him the rest of the way home.  London also puked on Sydney.  We hope he usually doesn't get car sick. 

When we got home, we stayed outside with London in the front year.  We wanted to slowly introduce him to everything.  With Scarlett at our house and 4 kids, a lot was going on.  While Brian and Austin were outside, Melissa and I put the playpen together to his crate.  Finally we let London in the house.  We took him right to his playpen and crate area.  He adjusted much better than I expected. 

We hung out all day at home with him.  He slept a lot. I didn't realize how much puppies slept.  The kids played with London.  They also played with each on iPads and in the pool. 

During the visit with Melissa, Camden, and Graham we went to several parks.  We rafted down the Cuyahoga River.  We went to waterfall area in Solon.  Melissa took the kids Geocaching a lot.  She also got them donuts.  We hung out a lot at home adjusting to life of having a dog. 

So far, we are all happy we got London.  He has had a few accidents.  However having his crate and playpen has been very helpful.  Brian stays up until 1:30am with him each night.  London sleeps but goes outside before he goes to bed.  Then I go downstairs at 1:30am to sleep on the couch.  London gets up between 5-6am.  Our system is working. 

Austin and Sydney have been doing a lot for London. Austin likes to fed him. Sydney likes to hold him.  London stays with us in the yard so far. Brian is looking into fencing options.

Sydney is finishing up softball.  She has really enjoyed it. London likes coming to the games too!

Dog?!

Austin read the book Henry Huggins.  In the book, the boy gets a dog. When we were in Myrtle Beach, Melissa had just gotten a dog.  Austin enjoyed playing with him.  That got us thinking a bit about a dog.  Brian has always grown up with dogs. He fondly remembers his childhood with a dog.  Brian and I enjoyed having Sam together. 

Before covid, we were not home much.  We enjoyed traveling.  A dog never really crossed our minds. However since we have been home since March, getting a dog doesn't seem like that bad of an idea.  So if we are going to get a dog, now would be the time. We are not going to get a dog two years from now.  I normally work from home.  So even when things pick up, I will still be home with the dog all day.  When we have sports in the evening, it won't be so bad leaving the dog. 

Austin convinced Sydney about the dog.  Sydney just wanted a pet.  I think she feels bad at school, when she doesn't have a pet and most other kids do. Now with Sydney on his side, he had to convince us to get him a dog.  I was fine either way.  Part of me wanted a dog and the other part knew we were crazy.  Brian the practical one was more difficult to convince.  But since he had dogs as a child, it knew what the important bond it was.

I started reaching out to rescue agencies about certain dogs.  I realized it's not that easy to get a dog.  I understand but I do believe we would take very good care of a dog.  But we don't have a fenced in yard.  We are not established pet owners.  And we have children.  So no one would looked at us to get a dog.  Next I went looking for a breeder. Brian and I decided we either wanted a labador retreiver or a golden retriever. The more I thought about it the more I realized I wanted a golden retreiver.  I found a local breeder that had a dog coming available in a few weeks.

We decided to go and look at the dogs. We wanted to see if this would really work for us.  Before we did that though I did my homework.  I found kennels and doggie daycare for when we are away.  I looked into pet training options.  I found a vet. Brian and I discussed the time and cost factor of having a dog.  We decided we thought it was worth it for the kids. 

When we picked out the dog, we got the dog that was the most interactive with us.  The kids want a dog to play with.  We are an active family.  And this dog was just the cutest little thing ever!  On the car ride home, we all decided to get the dog. Austin and Sydney were so excited. They were singing a song and everything.  We called Auntie Melissa who was also so excited. 

Before we picked out the dog, Austin came up with the perfect name, London.  It fits with our travel themed names for kids.  We are all very excited about London!

4th of July

Once we got back from vacation, life seemed a  little bit more normal.  We were not completely stuck in our house.  We got together with a few friends outside.   Some of the kids friends came over to swim. Sydney started softball.  It was nice. 

One of our favorite things to do on the 4th of July is the parade.  Due to the social distancing rules, there was no parade this year.  Brian decided to make his own parade for the kids.  He made signs to place on his car. He got music to correlate with the signs. And he lots of candy and threw it out the window.  The neighbor boys joined in on the fun.  Brian even remembered popsicles.  That's one of the kids favorite parts. Brian made the most of the situation. 

We didn't get to see any firework shows this year.  We usually go to at least two of them.  On the 4th of July a family came over.  The kids swam in the pool.  We played kro kay.  Brian set up a movie in the backyard. We had a fire.   We were able to see some of the fireworks from our house.  It was a great night. 

This summer we have been spending a lot of time in our pool.  The kids also like playing with the neighbors.  The play kids woods dirt store in the backyard.  The kids have also been making a movie with the neighbors.  Austin is the one that always films it.  He has started editing the videos with Brian's help.  The kids like to dress up in costumes while filming. 

Sydney has softball games twice a week.  I go and keep score.  I have actually enjoyed watching her play.  She's good for never playing before.  It nice to get out in the evenings.  Austin been going to speech therapy every other week.  Austin likes going to the hospital for speech to see the ball machine.  I am hoping this will help with his reading and sound recognition.

Myrtle Beach - 2020

This year we didn't know what to do about summer vacation.  We were supposed to meet Melissa somewhere with the boys.  We were thinking of Virginia and going to Bush Gardens.  However with covid we knew we couldn't do it.  Then we decided we would go down and see them.  We knew we would drive.  We also knew if we had to cancel it would be fine.  

Even though the number of cases continued to rise in South Carolina, we decided to go and visit Brian's family.  We left at 5am on Friday.  We only stopped for gas, 1 bathroom break, and lunch at Subway.  We made it in 11 hours which is much better than we have ever done.  It helped with so few stops.  We arrived Friday evening.  Once we arrived the kids went swimming.  They played around the house.  We had dinner and relaxed.  

On Saturday, we and looked for Geocaching.  We went to a park and looked for it for a while. We finally gave up.  Then we came home and the kids swam.  We were going to have a movie outside but it started raining.  They wanted Scoob inside.  

On Sunday, we went back and found the Geocach we couldn't find.  The guy that hid it called Melisa after she reached out to him.  Then we went and looked for it.   Then we relaxed at the house.  THe kids played Minecraft for a bit too.  It has been a relaxing trip so far.   

On Monday and Tuesday, we hung out a Melissa's house.  We did some swimming.  The weather wasn't the best.  It was cool and raining.  The kids went on a bike ride.  We continued to do some geocatching.  

On Wednesday, we went on a kayaking tour.  It was fun. We met at the dock.  Then we kayaked to an island.  It was a 30-45 minute kayak ride. I was the slowest.  At the island, the kids played in the water.  They also played in the sand dunes.  After about an hour on the island, we kayaked back.  Once we got back, Brian, Melissa and Austin placed a geocach.   They submitted for approval.  It was approved a day later.  

Our last day there was Thursday, we went to the beach after Austin's reading class.  Austin has been doing an online reading class once a week.  It's been good for him.  At the beach, we played in the water.  Brian helped the kids make a "pool" with a shower curtain.  They played on the boogie boards.  It was a fun several hours on the beach.  

We drove home on Friday.  We left at 5am and got home at 3:15pm.  We only stopped for gas and restroom break.  We picked up Subway for dinner after we got home.  It was great to get away but so nice to be home too.