Continuing Healthy at Home

Sunday family Zoom calls were something we looked forward to as we began each week with some good family connection. We tried to continue the theme of dressing up with items we have in our basement and were able to keep it going for a little while at least. Even our costume bins weren't prepared for how long this was going to last, which is saying a lot.

Mother's Day also looked a little bit different this year, but it certainly hit the spot. Since the girls had taken up riding their bikes around the neighborhood a lot, we decided to take a family bike ride down town. Sharon and Chris let us borrow their cool rides and we packed a lunch and off we went.

After having lunch at Triangle Park downtown we cruised around a very empty University of Kentucky campus. It was strange to see it so quiet, but also fun to have so empty paths to bike on. We had a great time and certainly enjoyed getting to see Lexington in a way that we don't normally see it. 

We weren't the only ones taking advantage of the quieter surroundings in Lexington. One afternoon we looked out our back windows to see a wild turkey roaming around our backyard. He was perfectly calm and just appeared to be out for a stroll. He hopped up on our back patio to check things out and we had to call out the Chrismans to make sure they didn't miss the show. And then just like that he walked out our driveway just as he had walked in. 

Spring was strange to say the least. The girls continued to go to school through their NTI and didn't have any real interaction with their teachers. And there was not any end of year celebration like normal. However, Cassidy teachers did put together a collection of online field day activities/challenges that at least got Callie and Reese outside having some fun. 

The school year may have ended but the cooking certainly did not. With no soccer, school, or summer camps, the girls had to spend their days in other productive ways. We had hopes that they would take over dinner responsibilities, but like so many kids around the country they were all about the desserts. 

This particular cake was a shared creation. Callie took on more of the baking responsibilities and Reese led the decorations. Neither of them really maximized the eating responsibilities, however, so many of the baked goods ended up growing stale on the counter. We ate enough macaroons, cheesecake, and other goodies to be polite, but we had no chance of keeping up with what was being produced in the kitchen on a daily basis.

Thankfully the girls also had their respective reading obsessions that gave them a break from the kitchen every now and then. Reese made up her mind to tackle Harry Potter, and it was so great to see her excitement with how the story unfolded. And we celebrated each finished book by rewatching the movie version of that book as a family. Amazingly enough, she completed the series of seven books in three months. It was impressive to say the least.

The days were long and you can only read so much and bake so much before you have to come up with new ideas and challenges. One day the girls decided to have a 24-hour tent challenge in the living room. Guess it's a good thing we never really furnished that room. They set up the tent and began transferring all the items they would need to last the whole length of the experience, beanbags and all.

 

And yes, they even took advantage of the small refridgerator we had acquired from the Chrismans. They plugged it in, and all of a sudden their 24-hour journey was going to include chilled beverages and other goodies. They had a lot of fun and we even all shared one meal together inside their accommodations. They slept their one night, but the tent stayed up for at least a week. Truth be told, they fell short of the full challenge by about six hours, but in the midst of early quarantine it provided a good distraction.

Even in the midst of a public health crisis we managed to get in our annual physical for the girls. Clearly they were willing to ham it up while waiting for the doctor to show up. Callie grew three inches over the year and, at 5 feet 2 1/2 inches she was on the verge of passing her mother. Reese grew 2 1/2 inches over the year. But the big difference is in that year Callie added 14 lbs to her frame while Reese packed on a mere 3 lbs. Reese's motor burns hot and nothing much sticks to her frame. But the key thing is they are healthy and strong as ever.

Early on we made a decision that the Abrahams were going to be in our Covid bubble for the duration of the pandemic regardless of what it brought. We spent a lot of time outside, an experience made even better by outdoor movie nights and firepits. A big thanks to Kirk for all the work he had put in to their outdoor patio the year before. 

Although our wine club took a hiatus, we couldn't let the first 50th birthday pass without celebrating. For most of us this night marked the last time we ate at a restaurant for a long, long time. We wore masks walking in and felt a bit strange since these mandates had only just begun. It was a wonderful evening celebrating Tracy's big day and a good memory to hold on to in the months that followed.