a COVID summer

The Coronavirus pandemic was still in full force, with many things still shut down, but the girls had finished school so it was time to enjoy our summer one way or another! Our options for things to do were limited so we spent quite a bit of time just hanging around the house. The girls took up the hobby of tie-dying. They each made their own shirts, and quickly found that they were quite good at it! 

As the weather warmed up we spent more time lounging around outside in the sun. The girls love nothing more than just lying in the grass with their puppy. If there was one positive thing that has come out of this whole pandemic nonsense, it would be how wonderfully the girls have gotten along. One would think that they would be at each other's throats with the amount of time they have been forced to spend together, but just the opposite. They have bonded and it's lovely to see.

With most camps and programs cancelled this summer, and so few things opened, we relied on other things to occupy our time...like the pool! The second it was warm enough we headed over to my brother in law's so the girls could swim! Nothing better than a relaxing day by the pool!

As we became more comfortable starting to be around others we let the girls start to spend time with their friends again. Olivia had a small gathering with some school friends, which was so overdue, and Cecilia went to past babysitter's to see her old pals. Cece no longer goes to Holly's, but on this day a bunch of the current kids and kids from the past got together to see each other. The girls were just happy to spend time with people other than us!

Last year, towards the end of the summer the girls came up with the great idea of selling golf balls and refreshments in my mom's backyard. She lives on the 14th hole of a very busy private golf course. They were very successful and made a good lump of cash in a few weeks. Enough to have a good amount of spending money during our trip to Florida last year. Well, they kicked off their sale much earlier this year and it paid off. They quickly started making good money and they would continue their sale throughout the summer.

There were many Seniors this year that were robbed of their graduations and end of the year activities. One of our close friends, Hayley was in that position, but was lucky enough to finally have her graduation party in late June. I think this was our first social gathering since the quarantine. The girls were all very excited to see each other and to celebrate Hayley. Some of the older dance girls were there as well, which made Cecilia especially happy!

Even though more things were beginning to open back up, our activities were still limited. So, when we heard that the zoo was finally going to open back up we were thrilled! As members we got the opportunity to book a time to visit the zoo. They were operating at 50% capacity, so the crowds were small, which was nice. It was just nice to be able to do something that felt somewhat normal again!

Another major disappointment due to the quarantine was the inability to properly celebrate birthdays. Parties weren't happening and people were celebrating through Zoom. With Cece's 9th birthday approaching at the end of June, we were really hoping to be able to have a small party for her at least. People were starting to be a little more comfortable being around each other, so I was able to pull together a little get together at home with some of her close friends. 

We went with an outdoor water theme, complete with water balloons, slip-n-slide fun and popsicles. The girls played for hours. They were so excited to see one another after months of being stuck at home. In between the water fun, they enjoyed pizza, cookies, presents and of course...cake! 

I think our girl enjoyed her birthday to the fullest! I was just relieved that we could give her the celebration she deserved. She was able to finally spend time with her friends again and celebrate getting one year closer to double digits!

We continued the celebrating the next night with a trip to Takaoka. Todd's Mom used to take the girls to this hibachi restaurant on their birthday's. We hadn't gone since she passed away over a year ago, so we thought that Cece's birthday was the perfect time to pick up the tradition again. 

I think this was our first dinner out since the quarantine, and it was worth the wait. We always know the food is going to be delicious and the show very entertaining. Cece enjoyed having the spotlight on her for the evening, well for the weekend actually, and her actual birthday wasn't even until the next day!

With Cece's birthday falling on a Monday, my mom took her and Olivia out for her birthday lunch. That evening we celebrated with presents and cake, and wrapped up a very successful 9th birthday celebration. It's hard to imagine that my baby is one year away from double digits. In many ways she is still very much my baby, and in others she is becoming a very independent young lady. 

Even though the girls had been home from school for months, our summer was really just beginning. It would no doubt be one of strangest and most unique summers we have ever had, but we would still find ways to make it special.

from homeschooling to summertime

So here we were in the middle of a nation wide lock-down because of COVID. Who would have ever thought this is the way things would be when we kicked off 2020. The girls were both in a solid routine of homeschooling. They were doing their classes and schoolwork online with their teachers and staying in touch with their friends as best as they could, but not seeing anyone but each other day after day was a bit difficult. 

We were trying to maintain some normalcy by celebrating holidays and making things fun for the girls, so when Cinco de Mayo rolled around it called for some virgin margaritas and a Mexican feast! A day afterwards Cecilia was off to the orthodontist to get her braces. She was scheduled to get them on weeks prior, but the office was closed due to the pandemic. The second they reopened we got her in and began the long road to straighter teeth. 

The first day was cake, but after that the pain set in and it was a rough week for our girl. The pain was pretty intense as she got use to all of the metal in her mouth. It was difficult for her to eat anything and speak, but she quickly adjusted, like I knew she would. My birthday was a few days after she got them put on, so she wasn't much in the mood for celebrating with me, but she still manage to help make my day special.

The girls made me a cake, homemade bread and some pretty special homemade gifts for my garden. It was a quarantine birthday, just like so many others that turned one year older during this time, but I was able to celebrate with my family which was all I need to have a special day. 

Aside from Cece heading to the orthodontist for her braces, the girls really had not ventured out since the quarantine had been lifted. Things were beginning to slowly reopen, but with pretty heavy restrictions. One of the first things to reopen were hair salons. With temperature checks and masks the girls were able to visit our hairdresser for a trim. We were lucky enough to get our last haircuts the week before lock down, so we were really not overdue, but it still was good for them to get out and do something normal.

The next thing to reopen was the dance studio. We slowly started bringing classes back from online to in person. Each week a few more classes would come back and soon we were back to our normal schedule. The girls did the best they could to keep their distance from one another, but they were just so glad to see each other and be back doing what they love so much. 

When the girls were not doing their online school work they were slowly getting their activities back. Dance was back in session, but soccer was still online and gymnastics had not started back up. There was not much else open or available for us to do and the girls were a little bored and bummed they could not see their friends as much as they were used to, so I arranged a surprise for them. I had the Kona Ice truck come by our house so the girls could place a private order. They had no idea and were very surprised it pulled up. It helped to lift their spirits during a otherwise challenging time! Not to mention, it was tasty!

With school only a few days away from ending, we were dealing with a lot of different emotions. Relief to be done with the e-learning aspect of it all, but also sadness that Cecilia's last year at Peace Montessori was going to end without getting to have an official goodbye. Thankfully the school arranged a goodbye paradecso the students could drive through the campus and say goodbye to the teachers and staff. For some, it was just goodbye for the summer, but for Cece it was goodbye after 7 years at her school. 

Emotions were high as we drove through the school parking lot. Cece never got to say goodbye to her friends, her teacher or all of the other people we was used to seeing on a daily basis. It was hard to hold back the tears as we saw Ms. Amanda holding her sign and telling Cece how much she missed her. She was used to seeing her everyday on Zoom, but to see her in person and know that this would probably be the last time she saw her was quite sad. Ms. Amanda was her teacher for 1st thru 3rd grade. She helped to prepare her for her transition to Canterbury and promised to stay in touch. This was Ms. Amanda's last year at Peace Montessori as well, so they were both having to say goodbye in an nontraditional way. 

A few days after the parade it was Cecilia's official last day of school. I promised her that I would I would take her to her school in the morning with her backpack on, as if she heading off to school as normal. I wanted to make it a special day for her, even though she was not able to have the last day of school at Peace that she deserved.

So there we were all alone taking pictures in front of the empty school when suddenly Ms. Carrie, the school director appeared. We had every intention of social distancing but our emotions got the best of us and a hug was necessary! This school and these people have been a part of both Cecilia and Olivia's lives since they were toddlers. We may be in the middle of a pandemic that has caused Cece's journey at Peace to end in a disappointing way, but she still got to have a proper goodbye and wrap up 3rd grade in a very rewarding way!

After our tearful goodbye with Ms. Carrie we took a little walk around the campus, said goodbye to the goats and reminisced about the wonderful memories Cecilia created during her time at this school.  As we were walking away Cece said, "I am going to miss my school so much!". I have no doubt this will be true, but I am so very excited for her to start at Canterbury. I remember what a wonderful transition it was for her sister at this age, and I am confident it will be the same for Cecilia. Peace Montessori will always have a special place in our hearts. My girls grew up there! I will make sure they remember how much of an impact this school on had their lives.

A few days later Olivia had her last day of 7th grade, online and very uneventful. Thank you COVID! She wrapped up 7th grade the best she could, completing all of her assignments and showing up for all of her virtual classes. Despite having not stepped into a classroom since the middle of March, she still managed to achieve top student status...second year in a row. I am proud of my girl for maintaining an above A average, even while learning from home.

Despite a good chuck of the school year taking place from home, the girls did a great job. They kept up with their work, took it seriously and made the best of the situation. For that, I am incredibly proud of them! They deserve to have a care free summer. One free from having to worry about all of the stresses that come along with this world wide pandemic. My only hope, is that things have somewhat improved by the time they go back to school in August.