Mommy's Blog

Friday, June 26, 2020

Day 90-91: Solstice and Discovery Day

We've been feeling like the days have been long for the past 90 of them, haven't we? This week, they really were long. Lingering, sunshining, longest-days-of-the-year stretching out before us each morning, with the added blessing of sunshine and temperatures in the 70s. Can't get better than that. With nothing pressing tod do with all this daylight, we've been puttering about the house, relaxing on the porch and pergola, taking bike rides, and going to the lake. The days have slipped by alarmingly fast, without anthing to demarcate the time. Summer has just begun yet it feels fleeting. I am greedy for summer vacation. Even in the midst of all its deliciousness, I want more of it, and dread its ending...

Notable moments this week:

Ivy picked up her new bike! If at first you don't really like your cruiser bike as much as you thought you would, try try again! We've had a dickens of a time finding a new hybrid bike to replace her birthday gift. Apparently everyone in the world has taken up cycling and bikes are out of stock, or prohibitively expensive, everywhere. We decided to try our luck at a few locak bike shops that have just reopened. At store number one we were informed that they had hardly any bikes in stock... but they did have ONE hybrid available that would fit our girl. We were advised to decide quickly as they expected that bike to be sold by the end of the day...Ivy was not in love with the bike but we called the other bike shop (from outside the first one) to see what THEY had for options before we walked away.They had - you guessed it!- ONE bike in stock thtat would fit Ivy. We looked it up online and decided to chance it and drive over to check it out. She who hesitates doesn't get a bike during a pandemic-- so we went for it and she loves it!

Ivy and I made our very own fire later that night, and we were exceedigly proud of our accomplishments.

Father's Day! Special breakfast and cards and gifts for this special guy. Who then spent the rest of his special day dismantling our old chicken coop and connecting the run. Cause that's how he rolls.

I did get to take him to the lake that evening.

Solstice + Father's Day = a beach full of joyful celebration. Families running and dancing and swimming with meat on the grill and speakers blasting tunes... and groups of friends on blankets watching the sunset.

Glassy water and fancy clouds and just-right temperatures... ahhh.

Monday-- Ivy's 10 year well visit! She is doing fine, steady on her growth curve. Got some recommendations to help her manage her moods and her frequently upset tummy. She was supposed to have her first blood draw for a cholesterol test, but that did not go well for her. :( Will try again next time.

Then-- Discovery Day! An annual tradition for Newfoundland and Labrador-- and the Morehouse family!

Goal: visit somewhere no one in the family has gone before. We were supposed to be trekking across Utah for Discovery Day this year... but that's going to have to wait. So we stayed closer to home but still found another world.

The ASM world headquarters building and dome looks like a movie set from a move about the future that was made in the 1970's.

The grownups were fascinated but the kid were not quite as pysched as I might have hoped.

It was completely quiet and felt stopped in time.

The kids eventually warmed up to the adventure, enjoying the gutters that splashed down like giant fountains around the perimeter...

... and this tunnel that we pretended was a portal. Listen to Ivy going "wom-wom-wom" in your mind as you look at this picture...

Things are different this year, that is for sure... but no pandemic is going to keep THIS family from their traditions!

Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Day 84: Sunny Days

Introducing the newest member of the Morehouse menagerie: Sunny the 8 week old kitten!

We are officially foster "fails"-- on our first try. Sunny won us over with her chill personality, loud purr, tendency to lick, and friendship with Winter. Ivy's plaintive begging may have also had an effect.

She is a fun and entertaining addition to the household and we are enjoying cat ownership so far. And hoping we won't regret our life choices too much in the future.

In case you were wondering about our other fosters, we are happy to report that they both found wonderful homes where they are being treasured-- and both are still "in the family"! Walter went to live with my cousin Carrie in Strasburg, where he is adored by all.

And Amelia moved into Ellie's new appartment the same day she did! It was great fun to spend the day moving and assembling furniture and getting her all set up, and then bringing kitty home to make it all complete.

Empress watched us so closely as we put the beds together, and by the end she knew JUST what to do with that allen wrench.

A joyful milestone for Ellie and her family.

It's been a week of both important stuff and easy days, and lots and lots of sunshine.

Important Stuff-- We participated in the Safer Heights march on the 13th. An inspiring event, organized by a young man who has been Jack's soccer coach for 7 years. Turns out he's not just a nice kid-- he's a passionate, articulate leader, and a testament to the quality of a CHUH education.