COVID19 Day 1

We received a call at 5AM from the Loudoun County Public School System that schools would be closed from today until 20 March.  Two days ago, the school board decided to have a teacher work day on 18 March to plan for distance learning if and when schools needed to shut down in response to the coronavirus.  We knew it was coming...eventually...but the drastic turnaround in less than 36 hours was shocking.

At 0626, I walked into Wegmans.  Our Aces baseball friends, the Crains, were walking out of the store with a cart full of groceries, which was impressive given that Wegmans only opens at 6AM.  They warned me that the lines were insane, making their 26 minute trip all the more successful.  I stocked up on necessities to make it through the next two weeks with the kids at home.  I managed to get bread, snacks, meat, chicken, a pork shoulder, and several canned goods.  The lines to check out snaked through the store.  Wegmans typically only has one or two cashiers when the store opens, and were understandably unprepared for the deluge of shoppers.  Thankfully, I ran into another Aces friend, Kaija Johnston, and we got in line to check out together, which meant one of us could hold the line in the event that the other had forgotten something and needed to run and get it.  It was 0700 when we got in line at the back of the store where toilet paper normally would be found.  Of course, there was none.  In all, we stood in line for 90 minutes.  We both saw several friends, all of whom had rolled out of bed and straight into the store.  Everyone was civil, friendly, and congenial.  We didn't have any of the riots that would break out in stores later in the day.



Our tennis team had a match scheduled for 1PM, so I left the kids at home while I headed to the Trump Country Club to play.  Debbie and I won 6-1, 6-4, and--despite government recommendations to practice social distancing--hugged to celebrate our win, noting that if one of us got COVID19, we would be going down together anyway.  Afterwards, we headed to River Creek to celebrate our win with a bottle of champagne.  Chad was already there, working remotely, and our friend Marybeth joined us.  We sat outside drinking champagne and crying.  To be clear, I cried...the other two just drank.



We met our friends, the Sweeneys, for dinner at the club.  Somehow, we are always with the Sweeneys when we get bad news, so it's only appropriate that we should spend the evening with them.  We have had countless dinners together where at least one of us has been without words, shellshocked, or just down.  Tonight was no different.

When I arrived home, we found our neighbors, the Murphys and Gentrups, had set up a Corona party in our driveway, complete with a firepit, grill, cooler, and garbage can for empties. To say I love my neighbors is a gross understatement.  They have become our family.  I love that they threw a party at our house while we were away.  It was a balm for my weary soul.

Crossfit Day 1

Last night, I went to my first CrossFit session.  Truth be told, it wasn't even really a "REAL" session, but a "fundamentals course."  My quads are screaming that it was fundamentally torture.  I can honestly say I did more squats in the first half hour than I have ever done in my life.  Squats with no weights, back squats, sumo dead lift high pulls (squats with the added pleasure of a kettle bell), box jumps (wherein one jumps--or hops--onto a box 12-18 inches off the ground), and then a few pushups thrown in just for variety.

It was surprisingly fun...until I figured out that was really the warmup for the 10 minute newbie variation of a workout or WOD (workout of the day) as seasoned veterans would call it.  I confess that prior to this moment, I had generally thought ten minutes was a fairly short amount of time.  We watch a lot of legal movies and television shows around here; and you sometimes hear that it took someone ten minutes to die.  I usually thought that wasn't such a bad thing...because ten minutes really isn't that long.  I would now like to offer my apologies to all the fictionalized characters of the crime genre whose suffering I wantonly dismissed.  I was wrong.  Ten minutes is a lifetime...especially if you have warmed up with 30 minutes of varying squat exercises and now are trying to see how many more you can do in these 600 seconds.

When I finally made it home--which was something of a miracle considering I wondered whether or not my legs had enough strength to properly control the gas and brake pedals--I downed half a gallon of water and forced myself to eat some cashews.  I made it up the stairs with no problems but actually had to sit and slide down on my bottom to get back downstairs.  That's a little pathetic...but precisely pathetic enough to ensure that I will be be back Wednesday morning.

Harrison suffers the great misfortune of being the third child.  To compound the problem, the first two years of his life (and, yes, I realize he is only two) were a blur of sleep deprivation and failed attempts to wrangle his brother and sister into some sense of order. 

Anyhow, yesterday, Thatcher asked Chad and me what his first first word was.  We quickly replied that it was "Dudya."  Naturally, he then wanted to know what Hadley's first word was.  We instantly told him it was "Thomas."  As a matter of course, he then wanted to know what Harrison's first word was.  Silence.  I honestly have no idea.  He could have recited the Gettysburg Address when he was eight months old for all I recall.  My only hope is that I managed to record it on the blog; but, truthfully, I'm more likely to find it somewhere on Facebook, but that would take forever to search.

In an attempt to be a better mother to our "sweet lovin' baby," here are some of my favorite Harrisonisms.  When he isn't chattering away, Harrison is singing!  Because he loves to sing, I'm including some hits that he frequently belts out around the house. 

Harrison's Favorite Phrases

• Yes. (I feel this is noteworthy for two reasons, the first of which is most children usually get hung up on saying, "NO."  Secondly, Harrison says this with his tongue touching his top, front teeth.  It should sound like, "yeth," but it surprisingly does not.  The "s" is almost hissed.  It's entertaining.)
• Need iPad.  (Harrison wakes up saying this.)
• Need iPone
• I don't wike it.
• Tickle kiggies.
• Tickle chest.
• More tickles.
• More please tickles. (What can I say, the kid LOVES tickles.)
• More please choc-wet (chocolate).
• Molly take it (usually through tears when Molly takes whatever stick Harrison is playing with...those two are constantly fighting over sticks).
• Need choc-wet milk.
• Go see Mrs. Knapp.
• More please puppies.
• Want talk to Papa.
• No, Hadwee.

Harrison's Favorite Songs



• Thomas The Tank Engine Roll Call
• Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
• Don't Fill Up on Chips - by Randy Kaplan
• Candace Party - from Phineas and Ferb
• Jesus Loves Me - by Danielle P Davis because the traditional melody was just too offensive to him. 

Big Prayer

Tonight, Thatcher prayed the following:

Dear Heavenly Father, I know that I am a sinner.  I believe that you died on the cross for me and that you rose from the grave.  I want you to come into my heart and be my Lord and Savior.  I want to live my life for you.  Amen.

A Question for Harrison

Dear Harrison,

Why have you stopped napping?

Love,
Mom

My Funny Valentine

When asked if he would be my valentine tomorrow, Thatcher responded, "Of course...because you have all of my love.  I keep it in my underpants; but tomorrow, I'm going to let it all out."

Hadley's Letter to Santa

Mommy, those people at the post office were sending letters to Santa.  Do you know what letter I'm going to send to Santa?  The letter "H" because Hadley starts with H.

Kindergarten!

Thatcher headed off to Kindergarten on 29 August.  As usual, we had a flurry of activity surrounding this monumental event, so I was able to successfully make it through this transition without having a nervous breakdown.  Years (okay, let's be honest...weeks) from now, I know I will not remember the anxiety I had about letting him ride the bus with older children.  Would a fourth grade tartlet school him on sex  the first day?  Would some hardened fifth grader offer him a joint to celebrate finishing the first week of school?  Would the bus driver inadvertently teach him the "F word?"  In the end, transportation logistics--and his earnest desire to hang out with Lauren and Avery at the bus stop--won out, and I sent him off.  Even the ever nonplussed Chad couldn't believe it. 

Thankfully, kindergarten here is only a half-day program.  By half day, I mean it is only THREE HOURS long.  Thankfully, that bus ride--which tacks an extra 30 minutes onto each end of the school day--buys me a little extra time to take a shower or check my email; but it isn't much.  He's off at 7:15 and back home at 11:25.  He is really looking forward to having a full 90 minutes of Hadley-free time on the days she is at school.  If I plan my day just right (which rarely happens), I have Harrison napping when Thatcher gets home, so he can get some undivided attention.

Some Kindergarten stats for Thatcher include:

• School starts at 7:50 and ends at 10:50.  I need a work day like that.
• His backpack features Perry the Platypus from his favorite show,  "Phineas and Ferb."
• On his way to the bus on the first day, he told Hadley, "Hadley, I sure will miss you while I'm at school today." 
• The kindergartners do not eat lunch at school.  They do, however, have a "milk break."  For reasons unbeknownst to me, Thatcher usually chooses white milk, rather than chocolate or strawberry.  The first day, he told me he did it because I told him to drink the milk (and he didn't realize that meant he could have CHOCOLATE milk).  Now that he knows he can have whatever he wants, he still chooses the white.  What is wrong with him? 
•  Milk for the ENTIRE school year is $50.  That doesn't cover my monthly Starbucks habit. 

 Mom, I'm going to miss the bus!

 Walking to the bus with Lauren

 The Mill Run Court Kids

Lauren, Thatcher, Austin, and Avery

 The New Kindergartners...Ready to Conquer!

 Gran came up to see her special guy off on his big adventure.

 Thatcher and his teacher, Mrs. Thornhill

Colors

On Sunday, Hadley informed me that her hair is yellow and white, just like Teddy, Charlie, and Mom from "Good Luck Charlie."  She then told me that my hair has "just a little bit yellow to go with the brown and grey." 

I hope she enjoyed the three and a half years she was in my will.

Star Wars Continued

Granddaddy (aka "Star Commander") came to visit this past weekend.  Best of all (according to Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia), he brought "light savers" for the kids.  The entire weekend was spent playing Star Wars in the back yard, in the house, in the car, in the galaxy, you name it.  With the arrival of Star Commander, Harrison was invited to participate in the epic saga.  Leia issued a royal decree that, henceforth, he shall be known as "R-D-Do-Two." 

May the Force Be With You...

Hadley: "Thatcher, we are going to play Stah-Wahs.  I'm going to be Princess Leia.  You're going to be Luke.  Daddy is going to be Dark Bader."

Thatcher: "Hadley, we can't play Star Wars.  Darth Vader is at golf."

Harrison Update

Hadley’s “Sweet Luh-in Baby” is a child who will not be contained. If the doors aren’t locked, you can guarantee that he has escaped and is either playing in the back yard, riding a trike in the garage, or once again draining my car battery. He makes a beeline for our neighbor’s playset and fearlessly climbs to the top of the six-foot structure so he can either slide or just climb back down again. He loves to hop on Hadley’s Tinkerbell big wheel and go flying down the driveway and into the cul-de-sac. The child is fearless.

Harrison is measuring almost three feet tall and tips the scales at 29 pounds. He outweighs Hadley at least by a bag of sugar…if not more. Clearly, he still has a love affair with food and often goes into the pantry to find a snack for himself. It doesn’t count unless he has something for each hand. He has recently developed a nasty Starbucks addiction. It gets really ugly really fast f I even think about going through the drive through without ordering him a vanilla milk. The child also has a mild obsession with beer bottles – something which won’t be nearly as cute in 15 years.

When his mouth isn’t full, you’ll find Harrison calling for “That-sur,” “Ad-Eee,” “Daddy,” or “Mom-Me.” He is also quick to say “(ch)eese” for the camera. Ham.

At least the kid sleeps. So what if he only will take naps in the car? A nap is a nap. We might have to put a window A/C unit in the garage this summer, but it’s a small sacrifice for this face.

Hadley at Three

How do I begin to describe Hadley at age three? If you ask her, she will tell you she is "Hadley Cakes Davis." She will tell you that she is three years old...and that when she turns four, she will be a boy and will be able to ride "Thunder Mountain Railroad" at Disney. Ever since she watched the Royal Wedding a few weeks ago, she will tell you that the former Kate Middleton should really be called "Princess Hadley Kate." If the newly minted royal won't go for that, Hadley will tell you that you can go ahead and call HER "Princess Hadley Kate." She will also tell you that her granddaddy calls her a Jack Wagon. She insists, however, that he is, in fact, the jack wagon and that he lives in "Pamby Mamby Land." She has graduated from wanting to watch "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" and now wakes up every day asking to watch "Good Luck Charlie" while she sucks down her morning "smoovie." Despite her nudist tendencies (see below), she remains incredibly shy and self conscious. She loves to sing but will immediately stop if she thinks anyone is listening. It is not uncommon for her to verbally regurgitate the four hours worth of words she held in during school.

Hadley continues to hone her already highly developed fashion sense. By choice, her shoes are on the wrong feet at least 90% of the time. She still loves her hats but lately has taken to wanting multiple bows, headbands, etc. in her hair at the same time. It makes for some interesting hair days. If you look closely, you'll note that she has one bow, two headbands, two hair clips, and NINE ponytail holders. They ALL need to be part of the look. That's just the hair. There's a Hello Kitty necklace and bracelet in that lineup, too

Hadley also has some tendencies I can describe only as OCD. She sorted her pull-ups according to which princess adorned each one and lined them up in appropriate rows across her bathroom floor. She lines up her coloring books in a neat row on the train table in the playroom so she can examine her artwork. In the photo, you will see how she put her babies to bed the other night. She didn't like how disorderly they were just tossed in the baby bed, so she created rows of book "beds" and placed a doll on each one. Even the Disney babies are grouped together.

 

Last but not least, this is my sweet girl's sleeping MO. She is tucked into her bed, where she has her story and prayers, then says, "Can I go get in your bed now?" She has night terrors, and after three years of fighting it, she finally just wore us down. At least this way, we can all sleep at night. She sleeps on "mommy's side" of the king size bed, leaving me approximately 18 inches of sleeping space. That's when she is not sleeping horizontally across the bed. Yes, the princess boot slippers are a sleeping staple. The two headbands and necklace don't always make the bedtime wardrobe cut, but clearly they did for this photo.

( . )( . )

Friday night as I was tucking Thatcher in, he lifted his shirt and said, "Mom, what are these little bumpy things right here?" I told him they were his nipples. He seemed satisfied and then said, "Well, mom, what are those really big bumpy things you have?" As I stammered and struggled to stifle my laughter, he quickly answered his own question: "I call them boobies." Great.

Kindergarten Registration

This morning, I took Thatcher to register for kindergarten. Kindergarten in Loudoun County is only three hours long each day, which makes the prospect of sending him off in the fall much easier to bear. Registration consists of the usual - proof of identity, proof of residency, health records, etc. Kindergarten registration, however, requires a "parent input form" for parents to complete, describing their child's strengths, areas of concern, and the type of teacher with whom the parent feels the child will best perform. After consulting with Aunt Leslie (aka 2008 Cobb County Teacher of the Year), I wrote:

"Thatcher will work best with a teacher who is warm, nurturing, and welcoming. He would perform well in a structured classroom setting. He is responsible, sensitive, and responds quickly to verbal cues. Thatcher is excited about learning to read, tell time, and count money."

I felt pretty good about my input...until I caught a glimpse of what Janie's* mom put on her form: “Janie is a smart, charming, and engaging child. She will flower in any classroom setting that challenges her intellect. Any teacher will find her to be an absolute delight in the classroom.”

I don't know Janie; but I'm sure if I meet her during the course of the school year, I'll be absolutely delighted and thoroughly impressed by her intellectual prowess. Needless to say, I can't wait.

*Name has been changed to protect the prodigy.

Mani-Pedi

Dear Hadley,

Thanks so much for finding my top coat nail polish. I was looking for it last night when I was doing my nails. You obviously had better luck finding it when you gave yourself a manicure AND pedicure tonight in my bedroom before going to sleep. For a first attempt, I have to admit you did a great job...and I'm pretty hopeful I can get the love-drops of polish out of my night stand.

Thanks Again,
Your Mom

Thatcher's Vocab Lesson

"I will not 'chit-chat,' dad. That means 'talk.'"

Snack Money

Channeling equal parts June Cleaver and Martha Stewart this morning, I made the children pancakes for breakfast. Making pancakes was never an issue before having children; however, it's not easy when you're flying solo with three kids five and under, all of whom want something at the exact same time...and at just the second you need to flip the flapjacks before your house goes up in flames. Within moments of plating the three sets of pancakes--one cut with butter and syrup (Thatcher), one NOT cut with copious amounts of whipped cream (Hadley), and one cut with a fine layer of jam spread on top (Harrison)--and pouring up three drinks, Thatcher declared he was finished with his half-eaten pancakes. After much discussion, I excused him from the table with the understanding that he would not be having any snacks before lunch and, more importantly, that he was not to ASK for any snacks. To reiterate the importance of the latter, Thatcher agreed that he would pay me $1 each time he asked me for a snack before lunch. Clearly, at this point, June and Martha gave way to my inner Donald Trump.

About an hour later, I found Thatcher searching under the couch and all over the house for something. Finally, I asked what on earth he was doing. He casually replied, "I'm looking for money so I can get a snack."

ASTRO Orbiter

Thatcher: "Mom, the next time we go to Disney, can we ride the asshole orbiter?"

Sure thing, Thatcher. Sure thing.

Please Don't Bother Trying to Find Her...She's Not There

Chad: "Hadley, is that you?"
Hadley: "No. I not here."