quarantine chronicles, week 12

12 weeks = 3 months of this weirdness. that's a long time. how does this end? what will it look like when the numbers increase again? how in the world can i stand to be with the kids 100% of the time all summer long, after being with them 100% of the time for the last 3 months? what will we do without camps, activities, play dates, vacations? i am despondent, but probably because the kids fought like cats and dogs all day today. it was unpleasant.

so, 12 weeks of quarantine, 12 weeks of the "great pause." the kids got to see cousins and grandparents while we were showing the house, and they came home on sunday morning ecstatic. they were thrilled to have been with other people. they came home, and ramona immediately made a sunbathing lunch and read the paper. it was pretty cute.

later, we went to pick up the sofa to bring it back home after the showings were over. we obviously aren't done with that thing, just yet.

as the week arrived, we visited the water,

and got right in the water.

we checked in on ramona's local business sign (no calls yet for car washing, but fingers crossed...)

and we got to a different beach on a different lake to mix things up a bit.

it was david's birthday week, so birthday eve we hosted an all-outdoor backyard pizza party for 2 other families, and we had a wonderful time. it ended with a sudden and impressive storm and downpour, which is always a nice clean way to end a party.

on wednesday morning, we woke up to a gourmet birthday breakfast made by ramona, a well decorated first floor of the house, and songs and gifts a plenty.

at the end of the day, we had a socially distant driveway "stop by" party that just turned into a "party party" and it was great. then we had pie and ice cream, just the four of us, at about 10pm. 

this the only photo i snapped at the party, and i just love it. those are my friend kate's kids, and that little guy with the remote control just turned 2 and i adore both of them. james does a pretty good job with them, too. 

 the next day would have been field day at james' elementary school, lapham, so a teacher/mom and some mom neighbors set up a replacement field day just down the block, and it was a huge hit. here is the "kick your shoe as far as you can" challenge.

the kids also found a dead chipmunk in the year, named it little bro, determined it was female because of all the nipples, and proceeded to bury him/her/them, and hold a pretty serious funeral. james prayed.

on friday, we finally found the time to get to state street and see the murals and art work on the wood covering glass windows to prevent breaking during angry protesting. they are inspiring, and they are angry, and they are emotional, and it feels like a city transformed.  

and then, on the way home, we decided to hold true to the original plan for the afternoon: we went to lapham school for james' graduation from 2nd grade, which marks the end of lapham school attendance. he stood by the sign gamely for a picture, but was displeased with our attempts to sing the school song. he has a lot of feelings about this transition to the bigger school where his sister goes, and we have a lot of bittersweet feelings about leaving lapham behind as a family.