Work and Play...

We packed a lot in today! The boys both got another certificate from school from doing an online program daily! They both were working hard today getting all of their work done. They are really liking the Fact Monster site and practicing their math facts. We keep track of their high scores and they try to beat their own scores daily. I ordered some drawing books and Conner loves the shark one, so he practiced drawing different sharks today and, of course, we had to finish the Lego sets and play with those for a while this afternoon!

Lego and Lunch...

It felt like a Lego day... the boys started work on these this afternoon, but they may have to finish tomorrow, so stay tuned! We set up work stations downstairs so everyone had their own space, which is VERY important. Especially lately...  We also went out for the first time in a few weeks and got lunch from school. The boys were getting a little tired of sandwiches and mac & cheese, so I thought we would give school lunch a try... Ben loved it, Conner wasn't so sure, but I think we will try to do this a bit more. We just drive over to school, they put two lunches on my passenger seat, and we go home. Easy. I'll take easy...

Backyard Barber...

Well, even though I am the one who really needs a haircut, I will have to keep waiting... but Ben and Conner agreed to let me cut their hair out on the deck today! Since I was the one doing the cutting, I only got a picture of Nick hosing the hair off of Conner when we were all done! Ben is still wanting his long hair, so I just trimmed the back and sides of his hair, but Conner was a good sport and let me chop a lot of his hair off! 

After dinner, Ben got a call from his "girlfriend" so I captured the moment...

Art Time...

The boys are enjoying some new "adult" coloring books in between our school work time today! They have been working really hard! 

The Season...

Planting season has begun...

Certificates!

The boys have been working hard on homeschooling and they got certificates in the mail today from a teacher congratulating them on all of their hard work on one of the online programs that we work through each week. They were pretty happy!

Sunday Activities...

The boys were able to get outside today and Nick even fried a turkey for the first time! The turkey was really good! It was nice to have some different activities today! 

Good Games, Bad News...

We played lots of board games yesterday and today... I think we all just needed to have fun and laugh a little. We knew the news was coming, but the governor announced Friday that students will not be going back to school this year. The next time my boys go to a school building, they will be 7th graders... so, we enjoyed our board games and I took extra time just to smile and laugh with them in the midst of answering their hard questions and listening to their thoughts and worries. Favorite games currently include Kerplunk, Blokus, Labyrinth, and Quick Cups!

Hands...

Another quick pandemic project... You are actually supposed to stack all of the hands directly on top of each other so they line up on the bottom of the hands, but we soon discovered that Ben and Conner have hands as big as mine, so we had to alter the project a bit... these guys are getting big!!! (And yes, Ben does have a ponytail...)

Trombone Show...

It is hard to be a trombone teacher when you don't know how to play the trombone... 

My brother Josh challenged the boys to play a little concert for the family, so today they practiced a short song and I got it on video to send to everyone!

Remember...

Conner and Ben have been working hard on their Time Capsule packets so that they can remember what this was all like living through a pandemic! They finished today and I am pleased that they took their time and created something that they will always remember. They wrote about their experience, what they've been doing, homeschool, everything... 

Magic Show...

Our brother in law, Curt, put together a little magic show for our whole family tonight via zoom. It was awesome and I love that he took the time to include us in a hobby that he loves. He is a teacher in Ankeny and incorporates some magic tricks into his math classes. The boys absolutely loved it and when the show was over, they rushed around the house looking for cards so they practice their very own magic tricks! It was pretty cool and it felt good that we were able to spend time with family doing something fun and different!

Window Visit...

The boys' reading teacher dropped off a couple of books and a sweet note for us today! Conner and Ben were able to chat with her through the window for a few minutes! They loved being able to see her!

Art Project...

We made decorative masks out of cardboard this week and here are the finished projects!

Produce Joke...

While the boys and I are stuck at home, Nick tirelessly goes to work and battles the crowds of people every single day. I worry... but this made me laugh today as I was imagining my husband filling up the produce section...

Happy Easter!

It might not have been a normal Easter Sunday, but we enjoyed our day together today! The boys were excited about a few goodies from the Easter Bunny and they spent their morning building their new lego sets. Nick made us a wonderful meal, complete with smoked ham, fresh green beans, real mashed potatoes with gravy, and warm rolls. We finished our meal with some chocolate cake. It was a wonderful day!

6 Feet?

This gave me a giggle... especially since I am now a trombone teacher...

More News...

Getting Along...

I made Ben an extreme egg sandwich this morning! He was excited about it, but decided that he liked my regular egg sandwich better... Anyway, we enjoyed a nice walk this morning and the boys actually walked together and got along without pushing each other for a whole street length... After spending so much time together at home, the bickering is at an all time high!!!

Holy Hail!!!

We barely made it back from a walk around the block when it started hailing! The hail was so big and we all got a kick out of watching it tonight!

Ready to Go...

Nick took advantage of the fair weather to work on the boat today. The boys are hoping that they get to go fishing very soon! Good news, Nick got the motor fixed and it is ready to go... whenever we can safely leave the house!

Headlines...

Thought I would share a few front pages of this week's paper...