Corona June

 June is the best time in Utah for playing in the water! It's not too hot yet, but it's hot enough that the water feels GOOD!

We busted out Eliza's water table (and while she's the only kid pictured here, most of her older sibling joined in on many, many occasions).

I even spent a lot of time in the pool, trying to get my pasty-pale skin ready for the Jersey Shore! 

One crazy day, we even had a dove land on the side of the pool. It let Micah and Eliza get so close.

They loved it.

My kiddos really love animals.

They spent a lot of their time during our lock down making perler bead creations. 
So they put on a perler bead animal show!

Amelia did a family of turtles.

Cole made a lizard and a parrot.

With Sheridan's "help" Eliza made some cute bunnies.

Micah had some very colorful turtles.

Henry made some exotic jungle animals.

Amelia also pulled out her felt sewing machine and made this cute fox!

Crafts kept their cute hands busy.

We also had a visitor this month!

We found this cute little bat hanging out on our porch one evening. We kept checking back, but missed when this little guy flew away. 
I mean, it's probably better that way. This is 2020, we'd probably have gotten rabies if we were around when it flew off. But it was really fluffy-looking and adorable.

We took walks! Hooray for the river trail!

Sheridan was so excited for Girls' Camp, and was totally bummed that it was not going to be the usual camping in the mountains. But our Stake pulled through with a really engaging, physically-distanced Corona Camp. 

I got to take her on a beautiful hike up Rock Canyon. She did a fun service craft, learned to tie knots and practiced first aid skills. 

She set up a tent and slept outside in it, and discovered it was the closest thing she'd get to her own room. Sheridan proceeded to spend the rest of the week in the tent!

So while it wasn't the normal camp, it was still a really awesome experience.

She even got to make something for her "secret sister" and we totally made almond joy cupcakes. 

Really, it was a win for everyone!

In June, we also wrestled with the aftermath of George Floyd being killed. While we didn't attend any protests or marches, we still worked on becoming more informed on what others, especially people of color, were experiencing in America. Honestly, I don't think us typical suburban, white, middle class folks can truly grasp the prejudice that people who are not white (or middle class or Christian) face. And I think that listening to voices of people with different experiences is the least we can do. But I'm still listening, and still learning. 

Anyhow, my dear friend and I attended a rally put on by people of color in Provo. This area has very, very few people of color, and it was moving to hear what their experiences have been. There is a lot of work to do.

I was introduced to the idea of Juneteenth, and we celebrated and talked as a family. We ate red food and learned about the history of Juneteenth, and talked about the struggles that people of color face in American. We talked about the progress that has been made, and the fact that we still have work to do. 

In June, we also made plenty of time for games. Because learning is important, but fun and connecting are important, too.

Rhino Hero Super Battle is a super fun one. Quick, active, and one that the littler kiddos can play. Maybe not the littlest, but it's a fun one for sure.

Can you see Super Hero Cole?
And then, my birthday came and we celebrated! I got spoiled. I'm pretty sure I also planted some stuff in the planter bed.

Father's Day was the next day. We spoiled Tyler. He is really hard to buy gifts for!

But we found some fun stuff.

We took a walk on the river trail, because Tyler LOVES being in those trees.

I made him a yummy Oreo chocolate mousse pie with fresh strawberries. It's his favorite.

And we wrapped up Father's Day with fun and games! Let's hear if for Carcazone!

Eliza had her first dentist appointment!

And we had a visit from our friendly neighborhood ninja!

We enjoyed some gorgeous pink sunsets!

We spent the week after Father's Day getting ready for our cross-country drive to New Jersey! So exciting! We didn't go last year as a family, but bags were packed...

and New Jersey put a ban on travelers from Utah. They had to quarantine for 2 weeks after arriving.

We were devastated.

And so, we decided to PIVOT.

If Corona has taught us anything, I hope it's how to pivot and enjoy the new experience.

We took a totally different vacation instead.

May in the time of Covid

 May in Utah is really glorious. Not too hot (usually) and things are starting to grow. It's warm enough around Mother's Day to plant a veggie garden. And, we decided, it was time to finally finish the back of our steeply graded backyard bed, so we could mulch without fear of erosion. We took this opportunity of being home every day and weekend to flatten the curve. We built a small retaining wall and pulled the dirt forward, pulling out rocks and weeds.

May is a great time for forced child labor.

Some people had great attitudes.

We pay in Wendy's. And Oreos.

May the 4th, we celebrated with Tyler's special pancakes.

And (BB)8 pretzels.

And we watched Star Wars. Because we're nerds like that.

We ran (for the first time since our half in October) for Ahmaud.Arbery.

We put in edging around our front planter beds.

These were perfect days to ride bikes.

My family showered me with love for Mother's Day.

They regaled me with Mother's Day songs during family church.

Tyler cooked some of my favorite foods.

Sheridan made me a delicious brownie merengue with blackberry cream, pistachios, and hazelnuts. It was so delicious!

And I made everyone take a family walk. 

We took lots of walks in May.

Walks are really good when tempers are raging.

Walks are good for the soul.

Research has found that the Japanese practice of "forest bathing" lowers blood pressure, decreases mental distress, and has other long-term positive effects on both physical and mental health.

We were feeling that as we spent time on our river trail.

And it was so nice to watch everything getting greener and greener.

Hooray for forest bathing!

Snuggling is also good for the soul. Experts recommend at least 8 eight second hugs daily.

Sheridan hosted ballroom dance lessons in May. These guys learned cha cha!

Most days, our living room looked something like this. A bin of toys dragged out, and most of the kids playing together.

We baked mini pavlovas with leftover blackberry cream and kiwi drizzle. It was delicious.

In the middle of the month, we circled back to our backyard and had 10 yards of mulch dropped off. 

The kids were thrilled.

It looked so beautiful when we'd finally gotten it all spread out!

Then it was time to pick up all the stuff that had been left at school when Covid shut it down unexpectedly.

It was a really weird way to end the school year.

And for Henry, it was the way his elementary school time ended. 

To celebrate, Sheridan made this cute cake.

Spoiler! It was a piñata cake!

And we ate yummy grilled food.

There were some tender moment with Jack and Eliza. They really adore one another.

This month, we also shuffled kids around in bedrooms. We split up Amelia and Sheridan (because there was SO MUCH FIGHTING!) and put Cole and Micah in with Amelia.

Actually, Micah's little bed was moved into the closet, as we ascertained whether or not he could handle being in with these kiddos (he was sharing with Jack, who went to bed late enough that they didn't keep each other awake).

Henry moved in with Jack.

We moved Eliza out of the closet and she and Sheridan moved into Cole and Henry's old room.

I have always loved rearranging rooms. It's a problem.

For Mother's Day, I got a date with Sheridan! We picked up lunch and ate at a park.

May was a great time for bubbles...

And for playing with the water table...

And for setting up the pool! First swim of the summer!

We planted some bushes and trees in our back bed! I love planting things!

I also planted our veggie garden. We haven't had a lot of success in previous years, but we learned how to lay drip lines so fingers crossed.