Happiness

  How has it been SIX weeks since I last blogged?! It sure has been busy around here!  The kids went back to school!! Hooray! All of them are in school full time since we live in Arizona. My hubby is still home 2-3 days a week so we aren't completely back to the normal routine. And of course, the baby is my super teething side kick! The Presidential Election has blown up into super large proportions! Arizona is a swing state, so we've been getting texts, fliers in the mail, people knocking on our door and a lot of yard signs being placed everyone- mostly for President Trump. Good things about September/October?  It's finally cooling off a bit! Yesterday it was 98 or around there! My Mom and sister and kiddos came to visit! They were the first people in our immediate families to meet Rosie. We had a fun time swimming, BBQ-ing and visiting. Fall Break! The kids had an extra 6 days off of school. It felt weird since we just went back to school, but we had a fun time going to...

  Rosie is growing two teeth and is almost six months old by the time this blog post goes out (I thought I hit publish)! She is a joy to have around! She eats anything I give her- green beans, carrots, apples. Teething has made her a bit clingy but she still loves to laugh and play! Her favorite is Declan and she laughs at anything goofy that he does- from silly noises to spinning around and jumping. Rosie loves to read and eat books. Her favorite toy is a stuffed elephant that squeaks and has plastic rings all along the side. Because of COVID, she rarely goes to the store. We went to Church for the very first time and she stayed awake- looking at all of the new faces (mostly unmasked). This little girl has stolen our hearts!

Rosie- 5 1/2 months Field trip! Dad and Rosie   The kids are slated to go back to school in person part time on Sept 8th! Hooray! Online school has been pretty good, but there is nothing like learning in person. Especially for my first grader Declan and for my boys in band. Everyone is ready to go back- especially me- although Ethan likes working from his bedroom lol. They will go two days a week and then if all the health metrics are met, they will go back full time on Sept 22nd. Hooray! I will miss not getting Rosie the baby up from her nap to take Declan to school but this will be worth it! I hope I have enough masks for everyone! It’s good news all around! 

Summer brought some amazing sunsets some Magic card competitions Time with Rosie Crafts with mini magnetic balls,                                            Outings with friends, And lots of story time with Declan & Rosie. It was a good Summer! Crazy but good! And the kids started school online today. Wish us luck!!

Rosie is such a sweet baby! She is smiley and sweet and of a calm disposition. Yesterday she got sad and put out her bottom lip and that was the first time in weeks! She likes to read books, drink a small bottle after she nurses (we started supplementing when she was first born and lost some weight- she’s gained it all back!) and laugh with Declan. What a sweet baby girl! Oh, she likes to spit up on all of us too but that’s totally okay with us!

My kids are literally climbing the walls! 😆 In Arizona, we’ve had the highest amount of COVID cases in the Nation. Governor Ducey opened up the pools and gyms and restaurants about a month ago and the cases skyrocketed after that. We’ve been mostly staying home, trying to flatten the curve. It’s been hard and fun at the same time. We’re trying to find the joy that is in the mess of life. Our School district has said that the kids will go back to school on Aug 5th. On the 17th they get to choose between online school and part time going to class and being part of class online at home. All of my 5 kiddos- including Declan- have chose to go to school. Recess will be in smaller groups and lunch the kids will be able to eat in different places in the High School. I think masks will be optional but we don’t know for sure.  It will be Elizabeth’s Senior year (go class of 2021!), Ethan and Jonah will be Juniors, Asher will be a Freshman (four in High School!!) and Declan wil...

Asher is 14! He chose to do mini golfing during the day. It is super hot 🥵 in Gilbert right now, so luckily Fat Cats was open and it had glow in the dark mini golf. Perfect for the hot weather! It fun and pretty quick. He got some fun presents and chose Crepes for his birthday dessert. Happy Birthday, Asher! We love you!