COVID-19 Quarantine, Week 4

Palm Sunday Mass



We’ve taken to malign donuts after “Mass” each Sunday. It’s become a fun tradition this past month. 

We’ve had gorgeous weather...thank goodness! The deck is more play area. Logan installed my retracting baby gate on the deck so now Levi can go in and out of the back door as he likes. 



Lots of family walks and bike rides. Big boys are super when it comes to pulling wagons and pushing strollers!

My first baby to be unimpressed with bubble play. 

One day all I did was walk! It was so weird.

Books made him CRY until a few weeks ago. Now he likes them. 


Levi didn’t sleep very well this week, so our screen time was up. I figure a bit more screen time is better than an exhausted yelling mom. 

Four of Logan’s students showed up with a full meal in tow for our family. Dairy free lasagna (NOT easy to make!), garlic bread, wine. I was so impressed and grateful! They played so social distance soccer with the boys. Everyone had so much fun. It was really hard not to let them in our house, eat with them, and catch up from the past month of not seeing them. 

Look. At. That. It was incredible. Elias and I feasted first days. 

We dropped off grandma Kathleen’s birthday gift and did some yard work for her. It was a crisp evening. 

I started the overwhelming task of switching out seasons for clothes. We found these matching shirts from Coco & Jim from when Elias was a baby. 

I just love the pudgy arms and hands and cheeks. 

Augustine has been doing great helping with Levi lately. Reading, playing, and getting him to sleep inthe baby carrier. 

Lewis has been getting Levi to eat way more than I can. Also very helpful!

Who doesn’t eat their graham like corn on the cob?

Lewis decided to set up a garage sale, make a sign, wear his face mask, and stand at the corner yelling “garage sale!” while the rest of us helped install the baby gate on the deck. It wasn’t easy to explain why it’s not a good time for a garage sale. 

Where’s Lewis?

This was literally the first question the doctors asked about Lewis when I was 8ish weeks pregnant with him. My levels were weird so they had me go in for an ultrasound to check for his heartbeat. The ultrasound concluded that not only was there no heartbeat, but there wasn’t even anything visible to label “Baby”. We were heartbroken, but decided to wait a week and check again because it was so early. 

A week later, after storming heaven with prayers, we had another ultrasound and said “oh there you are!”

Little did I know this would be a daily question and response during his childhood. 

Every day at some point I ask myself “where’s lewis?”, followed by yelling his name out each of the three doors that lead outside. 

This particular day he was watching the neighbors clean out their garage, 6 feet back of course, when suddenly he appeared in the kitchen asking me  “do we have any string? Tie these sticks to my arms please.” When I asked him what his plan was he said, “I’m going to play a trick on the Ryan’s.” When I asked what the trick was he said, “I can’t tell you because then I can’t play it on you.” I never figured it out. 

I find him here a lot in the spring. We got all the irises removed from this garden and now we need to fill it in! He loves helping with gardens, so I think this area will probably be his. 

Stained Glass Chalk

Preschooler

He keeps us all laughing, says the kindest words, asks for what he needs, throws fits once in a while, plays nicely almost all the time, and still takes monster naps. 

He also loves preschool activities, which is fun for me too!

COVID-19 Quarantine, Week 3

This week was rough. Hopeful that next week will be better. 

We did some of our Lenten traditions this year, but truth be told I haven’t had motivation to much. Feeling more motivated to make Holy Week a good one. 

G&G came through for us though. LOTS of Mass/Adoration play. 

A lovely breakfast. 

School work...he can’t be left out. He loves workbooks too much. 

Great Aunt Carol sent THREE new play dough toys! They’ve been out all week. We made play dough from jello. It’s an ok recipe, but dries out fast. I’ll keep searching for the perfect recipe. 

Our worksheet school station. They each have a checklist I made them based on what their teachers sent home. We add stuff and switch out for activities as needed because endless worksheets are boring. 

Logan is keeping up with grad school too. Levi helps most evenings. 

The brothers play this bus stop game together really well, and so it’s my favorite game they play. 

This was a SUPER activity! Not difficult, took some time, but not too hard to complete, Fabulous results! If the weather cooperates we will do another one for Easter Sunday. 

Augustine was a great big brother and taught Elias how to play Trouble. Elias lasted a long time, and Augustine was very patient.
Then I taught Augustine and Lewis how to play Monopoly. I don’t mind this game, but also things I do #onlyinquarantine. 

He owned the whole side of the board and ALL the properties had castles (hotels)!!!! You know it’s bad when a measly old orange property’s rent is $1000, and you don’t have enough properties left to mortgage to make the rent. I definitely lost. 

The boys have been introduced to the 1970s Batman tv series by their father. Ug. #fratlife

The Lincoln Children’s Museum hosted an inverted parade where the parade characters stood on the sidewalks (6ft apart of course) in both sides of the block, and families were invited to stay in their cars and drive down the street. It was a brilliant 15 min of fun. They even had a printable map and I spy checklist. 



Week four, here we come. 

New Tricks

Levi has been doing lots of new things! Crawling, pulling up, making a squishy face when he smiles, noticing details like a peg fitting in a hole and stacking a block on top of another and pushing a button. 

He got his first molar, so he’s been sticking VERY close to me. That results in a lot of high chair time in the kitchen because I have to do all the things. 

He barely touches his baby toys anymore. They just don’t interest him because he wants a challenge or at least something new and intriguing. I think I have all the small pieces safely stored away. 

He enjoyed his last rides in the infant seat this week! His head is one inch from the top of the seat, so onto a convertible car seat he goes! 

He has been hands down the easiest Burda Baby to transition to table food. I still sneak a few purées in for a balanced diet but he’s doing really well! Ham, turkey, chicken, bread, veggie straws, graham crackers, club crackers, rice puffs, carrots, sweet potatoes, prunes, pears. He hates applesauce and green beans. Up next is butternut squash and broccoli. 




The Carlson baby stocking cap knit by my Grandma Carlson.