End Of Summer Stuff

Have you heard of that pesky little virus called Covid-19? Yeah.... so right when Oklahoma got the green light to start in-person school again (with 4 trillion rules in place) Sullivan’s teacher tested positive for Corona Virus and because it’s “just Pre-K,” they told us that the whole class was to be quarantined for 2 weeks. Which meant, 2 weeks of Virtual Learning for him. And when I say it was hard, I mean it. He hated every minute of it, and so did I. Every day for 2 hours we would sit in front of the computer and do whatever I could get him to do- sometimes he did everything required, sometimes just the bare minimum. Sometimes nothing at all. It was awful!! But we got through it, and after a 4 week hiatus, he was SOOO glad to be back in school! He missed picture day so they had to reschedule, but the girls looked absolutely adorable on their Picture Day.

In the midst of that, Shawn’s parents came to town over Labor Day weekend. They booked a hotel and let the kids sleep-over in their room one night. They took the kids to do lots of fun things during the 2 full days they were here, and because we had a night without kids, we took advantage and went on a date. I just LOVE date nights with Shawn. They’re always so much fun and I cherish my alone time with him. Plus, not looking at the clock and worrying about the sitter’s tab going up, we were able to be totally carefree and do whatever we wanted! It was fabulous! We went and had the BEST pizza I’ve ever eaten, rode electric scooters again because it’s my favorite, and then went home and stayed up ‘til 2am laughing, playing games, watching old music videos, and loving every minute of being in our own house- KID FREE! We could turn up the volume of our TV as loud as we wanted and didn’t have to worry about a thing. It was one of the best nights I’ve had in a really long time! 

Actually, Bruce and Mary stayed in a Casino and when Lucy walked past all the slot machines she said “wow! They have TONS of arcade games for adults here!” Hahahaha!!!!

When Labor Day weekend was over, I still had 1 more day of Virtual Learning with Sully, but we skipped it. It was my last day of being alone with him and I wanted to enjoy it. So we went to lunch and went swimming. I’m not gonna pretend those 2 weeks of Distance Learning with him were blissful, ‘cause they weren’t. But at the same time, we were able to go back to having our Mommy/Sully ALONE time that we’ve had for the last 3 years. And it’s only in that alone time that he loves to snuggle under a blanket with me on the couch, he loves to pour water on my arms and legs at the pool “so that I won’t get sunburned,” and he loves running his cars up and down my back and my arms and my legs because he knowS it “tickles” me- oh, and his kisses- I did get LOTS of kisses🥰.  So as he gets older, I’ll try my hardest to forget the stress and frustration of trying to get you to finish your dang virtual assignments each day and just remember the sweet moments shared between us when he was 4, that only come out when it’s just him and me💙

Now the weather is in the 70s for the next week (well, 85 on Wednesday but that’s only for a day!) and the nights are getting cold so it really is Fall!!! My favorite season ever.  We have family pictures coming up, Cheer Showcase, we are gearing up for a trip to Boise for thanksgiving and then Christmas is just around the corner!! Lots and lots going on. I’m just taking things one day at a time and trying to not be too upset if things get cancelled (which has been a struggle for me, big time), and I’ve learned to cherish mundane routines more than ever because it’s HARD to adjust when it’s all taken away in the blink of an eye. 

I think we can all agree that the end of 2020 can’t come soon enough!

Yorktown

It’s me again.... I told you I was about to catch up with my blogs! And I have a really bad sinus headache today so this is a good day to be lazy and go crazy blogging!

This blog is about how much we LOVE where we live. Yorktown. I hate that I’m a broken record and sometimes I sound like I brag too much, but honestly..... this neighborhood is a dream. Truly. It’s absolutely amazing. From having a zillion kids everywhere (we even have 2 FULL school busses because we were overcrowded on one and had to get another- JUST for the kids in our ‘hood), to being sooo safe, to having fun events ALL THE TIME, this place is what I like to call “Yorktopia.” It is heaven and we are so happy here!

Not only are Shawn and I happy here, but the kids are too. One night Lucy wanted to go through pictures that we’ve taken this Summer of her and her friends. We were looking through them and she said “Mommy, thank you so much for moving into this neighborhood. ALL of my friends live here. I was lonely in our last neighborhood.” There was nothing wrong with our last neighborhood- I enjoyed living there. But there were not very many kids, and no girls her exact age.... we only moved 1/4 mile from our last house, but this neighborhood is FULL of kids of all ages- I mean, just look at these pictures below! They only represent like, 1/200th of the kids here😅. She can ride her bike or walk anywhere she wants to in this ‘hood at any given time and will find a friend somewhere. Whether it’s at one of the parks or ponds, the basketball court, the pool, etc. She said “I had the most fun Summer of my life.” It made me happy to know that we are living amongst a community that not only Shawn and I love, but one that fills my kiddos hearts up with joy as well💛🥰 

Yesterday we had a BuddyWalk (it’s annual here in our neighborhood) where there were face painters, food trucks, ice cream trucks, games, a DJ, etc. and it was all done for the Down Syndrome kids we have in this neighborhood. There are 4 of them and we walked for them to raise money and bring awareness to these special people!

We have food-trucks in our neighborhood weekly, we have back to school bashes, end of school bashes, just-because bashes, holiday parades, holiday parties, Women’s-Only get togethers, sports games (we have a football field, a basketball court, a soccer field and a baseball field with a dug-out and all).  There are driveway socials every weekend and people outside all day long! We go on family walks all the time and the trails and streets are always full of other families walking along with us. Little boys can go spend hours at the pond fishing by themselves without their Mom’s worrying about where they are, my kids can go to the park by themselves, etc. This is a community lived outside. If you need anything, you can ask for help and someone will be there right away. Yorktown is a gem and we are so thankful to be here!

It’s just good, wholesome fun here. A lot of times people say “I want to give my kids everything I didn’t have when I was a kid.” But for me, I feel opposite. I had an idyllic childhood in a neighborhood that, while there weren’t THIS many kids and events, we had fun every day! We played and explored and it was always safe and fun. There aren’t many places like that in this world anymore, but we found one. So now I can give my kids what I had growing up- happiness:)