September Closes

The Macerator is in!  :)

Debbie and I read an Enneagram book --I was CLEARLY a nine.  But being so high in a SIX and a SEVEN were a little surprising to me.

Our wooly beast can hardly see.

I have so enjoyed outdoor yoga this year at Colbert Pres!  This was one of the last nights--by 7:30 it's getting dark!

House Projects and Home Learners

This is the first of MANY pictures of Grace in her 2020 classroom with her work buddy.  She LOVED staying home to learn!  Who wouldn't, with this little cuddly furball at their side?!?  And she got to sleep in, so...win, win.

This week the window well went in!

Brooke turned a year older!!!  I had so much fun watching these cousins catch up with one another--chat, chat, chatters!

The bathrrom wall went up...the framework for the bathroom, and the cement demolition, too.

Meanwhile, one of my teaching highlights was recording myself reading Wonder to our at-home learners.  They listened to the chapters and then were asked to create a Flipgrid video response to a related prompt.  We were still being asked to go in and teach online from work, so Melissa and I kept our M/T and Th/Fri schedules, but instead of switching off on Wednesdays, we both worked a half day, TOGETHER.  

We had a kid swap on the first weekend after school started!  Showalter Swap.

Finally...the First Day of School, 2020

Lots of nerves happening before this first day of school.  Josh was a nervous wreck, suffering through all of the unknowns of a new school.  We emailed his teacher, to perhaps relieve his nerves, and Ms. Leary graciously emailed back that this was going to be a great year for Josh.  Micah wore his nerves very quietly, but we knew they were there.  The morning of, I had the day off, so I took pics (mask on, mask off!) and drove them to school. 

Parents weren't allowed to get out of their cars (or go inside) with their kids on the first day, so I choked back nervous tears for the boys and parked along the street, watching them find the right lines and seeing their teachers come outside for them.  They had a great first day, each of them reporting that they had ONE kid from Midway in their classes.  School looks a lot different this year, with desks 6 ft apart and recess only with their classes in certain areas.  Lunch eaten in classrooms.  And the masks.  All day long.  These kids are champs!

And this year Grace gets to attend school WITH her dad!  She started on a Tuesday, as her hybrid days were Tues/Thurs (and every-other Friday, to begin with...then they were ALL learning from home on Fridays, then back full time in April).  She was a little nervous, too, with all of her Midway friends going to Northwood, but she had her Hailey and they shared every class together, so that seemed to help the year start well.

Nessa was unsure what to do with JUST MOM.  I was the crazy dog lady who let the dog SIT IN MY LAP after dropping off the boys.  (This didn't last long, I wised up pretty quickly...)

I learned on my first days of routine that the job charts were needed again!  The boys would have to get themselves to the bus on Thursday mornings (and later in the year on Wed-Fri, when Grace would go back full time) so the list in the middle is the list on how to leave the house.  :)

And as school started back, the Morrows asked me to let Maisy out on one of their busy days.  This girl didn't want to walk, just wanted to go home and look for Brady.  :)

Still Waiting for School to Start

Reading Harry Potter with Dad.

Our basement project began!!!  First, the egress window prep.

Fake wall demolition.

Window prep from the inside.

Trail made from transporting dirt (sand!).

Jeff put up the towel rack in the kids' bathroom...and put in a new shower head!  

Lots of inside time, avoiding the smoke.

Josh got his blanket back from the farm.  We had to send this Nessa pic to G'ma Joan to thank her for the transport.

Sploot.  Waiting is exhausting.