Meet Max and Molly

Because why not!!

Everyone needs 2 kittens in a quarantine!

Everyone needs a good chuckle...

And the two newest members of our family have definitely added the chuckle!

MEET MAX 

AND MOLLY

Brother and sister

They make great lap warmers!

And provide a great excuse for taking a nap... I'm babysitting the babies!!

They keep a certain little girl entertained...

They are purrrrfect for us in this season of isolation

And stress...

In terms of business - Conventions are canceled or moved to later dates... This has created a massive amount of juggling and adjusting.

We are in a huge learning curve as we are forced to join on-line conventions and record speaking sessions and design ads and figure out social media and on and on. 

Can I just say that speaking in front of a filled auditorium causes me little stress - I truly enjoy it, but stick a mike and camera in my face and I freeze.

It just is not the same!!

Teaching through ZOOM was close to the same stress.

I LOVE teaching.

I love engaging with my students.

But sitting in front of a computer screen and trying to engage a screenful of faces is a challenge that wore me out each week. I am glad that our last ZOOM classes ended this past week. But ending was bitter-sweet. Saying goodbye to a screenful of kids just broke my heart. I have 6 classes filled with kids and I had to ZOOM them away. Hitting the 'end session' each time felt so wrong.

And Mary...

Little girl has taken another turn for the worse.

She had been doing so much better but in the last few weeks she has deteriorated and we are struggling to understand why. Nothing changed. But something changed. Scary. Frustrating.

We are waiting on bloodwork results and anticipating next steps. We have paperwork in to the Children's Hospital of Pennsylvania (CHOP). Our neuro wanted us to get a 2nd opinion so we are heading there when we get the word. 

Between now and then we have to figure out what to do about her tanking.

Through it all we are hanging in...

Enjoying our newest members...

Keeping busy working, homeschooling, gardening and playing!

Our Silver Lining

He's the big brother who teases relentlessly, steals their stuff, eats their candy and hides their toys. 

He pokes and tickles and locks them out of the house and does everything that big brothers do to little brothers and sisters.

He plays hide and go seek and laser tag. He takes them for rides. He destroys them in their video games.  Makes them popcorn. Watches movies with them. 

He's big and strong and fun and they adore him.

He is their silver lining in this social distancing.

He lives and works in Charlottesville and normally we see him only on weekends. 

When the world shut down, his full-time work went on-line and his second job at the gym closed. 

Being home alone in an apartment was too quiet and lonely. Since he was working on-line - it didn't matter where he lived. We had work-out equipment here. So he packed his bags and came home.

To hang with us. 

To share our meals, laughter, conversation, fun.

To work out. To teach them how to work out.

To wake them up early on mornings they get to sleep in.

To take part in family activities like hiding their Easter Eggs so hard it takes hours to find them all.

He's our silver lining.

Not just for the littles.

Mine too.

And Rob's.

Having him home has been such a joy and blessing.

He makes me laugh. He drives me crazy. He teases and jokes and steals my phone and eats all the leftovers. 

He's stubborn and fussy and keeps me on my toes.

I can't boss him around. He's too big and doesn't listen to a thing I say.

But he has been second and third and fourth hands with Mary and the boys. He runs errands and goes shopping and helps with packages and cooking.

He loves to chat. 

He loves to listen.

He loves his brothers and his little sister.

He is kind and generous and we love him to pieces.

He's been the best part in this time of isolation.

I am trying not to think about when he will pack his bags again.

We will sorely miss our Silver Lining.

Without his teasing, talking, bossy self our house will be a lot quieter!!