New normal

We finished our second full week of school! There are still some kinks being worked out - mostly with Kasper being in the high school and me having to compete with all the high school after-school activity-goers to get my car into the right spot to get Kappy and get him home. But they love being back in school and we love them able to be with their friends and teachers. 

Kasper is home Wednesdays and that's actually kind of fun for me. They have a whole day of work for them to do so he stays busy. This week he had to draw a self portrait and he did such a good job! 

 

Marlo has a newly energized love for her mixed media art. She got a hole in her socks so made them into fingerless gloves. Then she made a bed out of a coffee table box and blankets out of the packing foam.

 

We relaxed this weekend. The weather was a little sunny and a little rainy and we were all ready to lay low. The kids are still completely exhausted after full days at school. 

Today was our 12th wedding anniversary! It was a little different this year! But we managed to find a way to get ourselves some sushi to celebrate. Even if it meant towing these little barnacles to the sushi place and watching them delight in using umbrellas for the first time. In heavy winds but not so much rain. Plenty of eye rolling.

 

Kasper's front tooth is trying to march right out of his mouth. Why doesn't it just come out?? If you're keeping track at home, he's in 4th grade - almost 10 years old - and has only lost 2 teeth. And had those pulled. 2 years ago. 

 

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

First week of school!

We did it! The kids made it through their first week of school! It was a hope of mine and not a given. They have been LOVING being back at school and with their friends. It has been great. It's been different not meeting the teachers and not being able to go into the school but we're getting used to the new system. 

Thankfully the kids still don't mind wearing masks all day.

The kids get their temps taken every day on the way into school. That's Kappy there.  And don't worry if you can't see his legs; he's wearing camouflage pants!

Then it was the weekend and Marlo made an entire week's worth of messes.

Yesterday was beautiful so we met Kasper's friend and his parents at the Arboretum to spend the day outside. We also hit up the Apple House for some MN apples!

Today we watched the Vikings until it was no longer worth watching then we spent the day in the basement painting trim and doors! Fun, right? We're getting so close to having the basement finished. It's really done for the most part except for some minor things. So nice! 

Hope everyone had a great weekend! 

Back to school!

Quarantine as we know it is over! Or at least it has changed: the kids went back to school this week! We were supposed to start Tuesday but it was delayed until Thursday and half the kids went Thursday and the other half went Friday. 

So we enjoyed our last week of summer. Even though it didn't feel much like summer. It was so cold this week we had the fireplaces going and used the hot tub multiple times a day! 

So Friday was the first day of school for both kids. Kasper goes to the high school with all the other 4th and 5th graders from the district (6 schools' worth). He starts 40 minutes earlier than Marlo! Works for Kappy since he's an early riser. He was nervous about finding his classroom but it sounds like it was all fine. 

Marlo is at their regular school. Both kids are in pods this year so they stay in their room with 15 other pod mates and the teachers and paras rotate through the pods. The kids eat lunch in their rooms and it doesn't sound like the pods ever mix. 

Kasper only had a half day on the first day so he was home by lunch. Marlo stayed the entire day and was completely exhausted. What a complete shock to the system after being home the last 6 months. She was so tired she laid down for our pizza and movie night. Marlo NEVER lies down.

I found her like this when I went to bed. I've never seen anyone sleep like this.

It was cool and cloudy yesterday but Rob and the kids got out for a long bike ride. 

Weekends, man.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Quarantine: Week 25

 We had a lazy week! It was a beautiful, cool week so we got outside as much as we could. 

We got a new Slinky.

On Friday we headed up to the Gunflint Trail for our annual BWCA weekend! 

We of course stopped at Poplar Haus for Happy Hour before getting to our cabin.

We stayed at a new place this year that allowed all families to have their own cabin for Covid purposes. It ended up being almost better than our setup last year! We had all the cabins in a cul-de-sac with a firepit in the middle that we used as our outdoor living room. The kids ran wild and had an absolute blast. They played at the beach, ran around the trails, banged around the rec cabin that was next door and learned quickly they could charge candy to their cabins in the gift shop. We had basically no cell service so I didn't keep track of my phone most of the time. It was great but the downside is I didn't get many photos.

Our n'hood. Our cabin is the one on the left. We had 5 cabins total.

This is the rec cabin. It had a ping pong table and lots of room for gymnastics. 

On Saturday we went into the Boundary Waters! It was a shorter trip than last year and was an out and back with only one portage. It was super windy and there were some good sized whitecaps. We went out in 2 groups staggered by 45 minutes for social distancing, and planned to meet up along the route if possible.  In fact the other group had to turn around after the first lake because they couldn't conquer the wind! 

 

We stopped at an empty campsite for lunch and to play around and wait for the second group (who never came.)

 

This is Marlo's new friend Nutmeg. Marlo wanted to keep Nutmeg.

 

Marlo ended up falling in the lake in her clothes. Her shirts were dry enough to put back on but her pants were soaked. So this was her look most of the day.

At the turn around point, we beached our canoes and hiked to a waterfall!

Thankfully the lakes were a little calmer on the way back.

In the evening, we would sit around the fire for hours and talk and laugh and play songs. The cabins were strung with lights and it was like being in a fairy village. 

We initially decided to come home to prepare for the first day of school tomorrow. But on Thursday, the district postponed the start of school 2 days. We called to see if we could stay an extra night but they were booked up so we headed home yesterday after breakfast! We were all exhausted by the time we got home. Marlo even slept in the car which hasn't happened since she was a small baby. 

Kappy found the World's Largest Walleye, caught by Paul Bunyan!

Today Kasper had his friend Viggo over all day to play video games and sit in the hot tub as we celebrated a quiet and rainy Labor Day. Hope everyone had a great weekend!