Finley Turns 11!

Having a birthday during shelter in place orders is so hard! No big parties, no extended family visiting, and our usual dinner out and fun activities are not allowed! 

We did our very best to make Finley feel special and loved despite the lock down.

I am not normally big on decorations, but decided to do all that I could with balloons and streamers I could find at our local grocery store.

The babies loved playing with the balloons!

Hunter promptly took each balloon and kicked it down the stairs. He was having a great time!

As tradition, we allowed Finley to choose all his meals that day. First up was cinnamon rolls and mango!

He got lots of loving from his brothers and I did not make him babysit for me while I got ready for the day which is part of our normal routine. Even though I gave him an out (since it was his birthday and a school day) Finley spent the morning completing his school assignments. 

He finished up in time to go get some Taco Bell for lunch and bring it back to the house. He loves their cheesy roll ups!

After lunch I took the babies outside and set up a Zoom call with Finley and his two best friends. I honestly did not think they would have a lot to talk about, but they ended up staying on for almost 3 hours talking while playing video games online. He loved it!

Just before dinner we had some special visitors stop by. The Hoffman's came by to wish Finley a happy birthday and drop off some meringue cookies that Cora made.

We had take out again for dinner, this time from Salsaritas. This boy loves Mexican food!

Following dinner we Skyped with family while Finley opened up gifts and had Carvel Ice Cream cake. After the babies went to bed he got to stay up late and watch a movie of his choosing.

Finley's big surprise from me was a video I put together of his friends, teachers, and family wishing him a happy birthday. He was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed seeing the faces of all those who love and care about him. 

Even though we couldn't have a big party with friends or go do some fun activities, I think Finley still had a great day and felt special! Hopefully sometime soon we can have a make-up party with friends! Happy 11th birthday Finley! We love you to the moon and back!

Easter 2020

Holidays and special occasions are making me sad right now! We miss being able to get together with friends and family to celebrate. It is especially hard knowing my brother and sister are so close in Chapel Hill with my parents and I can't see them! Hopefully soon! 

For our Easter goodies and baskets I had to rely on whatever I could find at the grocery store and order online. 

Several basket items arrived late, but luckily Finley knows the Easter bunny isn't real anymore and the twins don't know the difference yet.

With the influx of treats the babies have been tasting all kinds of candy! This photo shows them eating their first Peep. Jackson loved it and Hunter spit it out.

Look at this cute little bunny!

This was my living room after we went through Easter baskets.

While the babies took their morning nap, Finley helped us hide some Easter eggs outside.

Then we sent him inside while we hid some up high for him to find.

I didn't get any pictures or videos of us doing the actual Easter Egg hunt because I live streamed the process on Instagram for family to watch.

I now regret doing that and wish I had some cute pictures and videos! The twins enjoyed gathering up the eggs but were easily distracted by trying to open them after they found them or trying to steal eggs out of Finley's basket.

Even though we aren't going to church right now, we still get dressed up for our at home worship.

And I also wanted some cute Easter pictures!

Check out these cuties!

And it took me a million tries to get a photo of the twins with their bunny ears on and looking at the camera. David gave up early on, but I was bound and determined to get one good picture! Here it is!

Even though it was just us, we decided to go all out and make our big Easter dinner. I might be gaining some serious weight during this quarantine life! We did have the opportunity to share our meal with local missionaries from our church who are also sheltering in place.

David had his heart set on making macaroon cookies this weekend (I am trying to limit our baking endeavors to once a week so I don't get so fat!). I decided to add my own Easter flair and turn them until little nests with eggs. The only tradition we didn't do was dying eggs and making deviled eggs. And now I am craving some deviled eggs!

We hope you had a great Easter too! Even though we missed spending it with family, being able to keep life and holidays simple has allowed us to reflect more on our Savior, the blessings in our lives, spend more quality time with one another, and focus on what we are grateful for. Happy Easter! He is Risen! Hear Him!

Corona Virus/Covid 19

Well, a lot has happened over the past month...or should I say hasn't happened?

There is currently a global pandemic going on called the Corona Virus or Covid-19. It is being passed very easily to others and you might be carrying the virus or passing it without even knowing you have it! The virus causes fever, coughing, and shortness of breath.  While most individuals are able to recover from the virus after two weeks, the issue is that the older population and those with underlying health conditions have more trouble fighting off the virus and often have to be hospitalized and unfortunately too many die. 

In an effort to slow and contain the spread of this virus, and not overwhelm the hospitals so there are enough beds for those that need the care, almost all States have gone under shelter in place orders. This means that only essential personal can go into work and you can only leave the house for exercise or to go to the store/pick up take out.

In an effort to make sure we don't run out of the essentials we have stocked up on diapers and wipes! You'd be amazed how quickly we go through diapers with two babies. This was at the beginning of the shelter in place orders and we are almost out after our first month under house arrest! Unfortunately there is a shortage on toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and cleaning products. This past week just as I was running out of TP I was able to score some at Costco! 

A lot has changed this past month! All of the schools are shut down so Finley has been doing online school from home. We actually have to share the laptop to get our school work done as my online classes are continuing as normal.

With everyone sheltering in place across the country the silver lining is that some pretty unique and fun opportunities have come out of this. Tons of famous artists are teaching online dance and art classes, there are free concerts to watch online, and you can even tour museums and zoos virtually at no cost. Finley has enjoyed doing some fun online art classes with one of our favorite children's authors Mo Willems!

Even though David is an attorney and considered an essential employee, we thought it was best and safest for him to work from home since he is able to. He has taken over Finley's desk since one of the twins still naps in our room. He has taken full advantage of not having to see people and isn't shaving or dressing up as much!

I find that we are spending more time baking and cooking more elaborate meals being stuck at home more. We made my mom's cheesecake recipe for the first time! I am not a big cheesecake fan, but this one is to die for!

We have also had several game nights over Skype with friends and family. Michelle, Donovan, and Aliza all came down to Chapel Hill a few weeks ago to get out of NYC where things are getting really bad. It didn't make sense for them to remain in such a small space where they didn't even feel comfortable going for walks on the streets. They self quarantined in the basement for 14 days and are now able to run errands so my dad doesn't have to. My mom is only allowed out of the house for her doctor appointments since she is an extreme risk. Please keep her health and safety in your prayers! I am so glad they are there and safe but I so want to be there with them making this so hard!

One saving grace is that the weather has been amazing and we are enjoying lots of time playing outside and going for walks.

I am back to cutting the boys hair since all the salons are closed!

Luckily we already had clippers and I have been cutting his hair since he was little. 

Finley is still able to do piano lessons with Ms. Florence over Skype on the computer.

I am encouraging Finley to run with us in the mornings so he doesn't turn into such a couch potato with all his sports cancelled. He slows our pace a bit, but he is able to run 2.5 miles without stopping!

Since school work doesn't take all day, Finley has been reading a ton and also writing his own book.

There are signs everywhere encouraging people to stay home.

We were able to do a large Zoom conference call with my mom's brothers and my cousins. It was a bit chaotic with so many people, but still really nice to check in on everyone. We are all in this together!

The government (TRUMP) after telling everyone that masks don't help protect you from the virus (because there was a shortage on masks for healthcare workers, well there still is), has now recanted and said that everyone should wear masks while out in public. 

A big bummer for the twins is that the playgrounds are also closed down and we don't exactly have a great yard or even a play set for the babies to play on.

We have been trying to keep the babies happy with new toys while stuck inside.

We have also been reading lots of books together!

We have introduced drawing to the boys. They still try to eat the crayons so we are working on that.

Every Thursday night at 7 pm Dolly Parton reads aloud a book from her Imagination Library series. The boys are a part of the program and are able to get one free book a month from birth to five years old. They love hearing her read stories they are already familiar with and also get to hear a bit of her sing!

Since our weekends are wide open with not much to do we have been spending a lot of time getting our house cleaned up and ready to sell! They babies have helped pick up gumballs and spread pine needles. 

David and Finley installed a new ceiling fan in the kitchen.

We had the house power washed and power washed the driveway and sidewalks ourselves.

David has been scrubbing our grout with a toothbrush. I am amazed at how well it is turning out!

We have also spent some time freshening up our kitchen cabinets. They were a little worn looking so we re-stained them (the same color) and added some hardware.

Of course we had some extra helpers on hand!

 We are trying to make the most of our time at home! So far we are surviving. We definitely have some tough days but knowing we are all in this together makes it a little easier! Just hoping this doesn't have to go on too long and that we can help protect and keep our at risk population and essential personal safe! Especially our parents!