There's been a big time gap in this collection of ours. Life at home with 3 littles in the middle of a pandemic will do that I guess. There was no where to go and not much to do, but in some ways it was wonderful. We were given the gift of so much family time, so much togetherness. And at least for our family, we loved it. 

John was able to work from home for the first time in history. I got a little taste of homeschool and got to teach the kids all sorts of things. One summer we had butterflies, the next we had fertilized chicken eggs that we got to watch develop and then eventually hatch live chicks. 

The time was not without its difficulties. It can be difficult when even the playgrounds are closed. And moving to a new place 6 months before the world shuts down does make it difficult to find community. But even in the hardships, we were thankful for the relationships we did have. Our marriage, the fact that we had more than one kid so they still had playmates. Zoom class with friends in Maryland became a regular thing. We began a rhythm of at home date nights every Saturday when we would order in food and watch a movie- about the only thing we could do. 

I remember when everything first shut down it would only be a week or so. Obviously it went on far longer than anyone would have liked. We had to navigate masks, vaccines and once things opened whether or not we were comfortable going out. The first time we felt safe to go out we went downtown where we could just walk in the open. Will just kept pointing at everyone saying people, people! The poor pandemic toddler had no idea what he'd been missing. 

Somehow in the middle of the pandemic, we were blessed with Elliana Joy. Perhaps God's biggest surprise for us. We had no idea the gender and just assumed we would have another boy. The Lord has given us blessing upon blessing. Fast forward and Jack has finished 2nd grade, Ben 1st grade, Will is 4 and Ellie is 2. And now we are in a hotel getting ready to move back to Maryland. There have been a lot of transitions these past 4 years, but I feel this is the biggest one yet. We will be making our way back to the States after being away 7 years. Raising children there for the first time. The country is very different than when we left. With that comes a lot of questions about how to parent these little ones during this time. What to talk about, what to protect them from. But through it all we lean into the Lord, trust that he has got them, they are covered. And we pray like crazy. 

So the adventure continues, next chapter- Maryland. 

Ben's 3rd Birthday

This May we had a trip planned to go back to Maryland. John had a work conference, so he and I were going to leave the boys with my parents and spend a week in Annapolis sans kids. Then spend a week all together at my parent's house and celebrate Ben's birthday. Of course, a worldwide pandemic changes plans so we cancelled our trip and had a small celebration at home.

Ben has been enamored with Peter Pan so that was our theme. Really he loves any good guy v. bad guy plot and anyone with a sword. I made the boys simple Peter Pan shirts, hats and swords and we dressed up for the day. He chose pancakes for breakfast, hot dogs for lunch and tacos for dinner. We spent the day opening presents and playing. The best part was Ben's reaction when he opened his gifts. He was genuinely happy with each one and the joy showed on his face. I've never heard him squeal with such delight.

Becoming Peter Pan

Of course his brothers needed some swag as well.

Capt. Hook and Peter Pan

Peter Pan joined the pirates!

Ben received a Toy Story 4 RV and figures, which was a hit with all the boys.

And a Buzz Lightyear like his big brother.

He also received a Capt. America shield, which he has been using to fight the bad guys.

His favorite toy was probably a matchbox Finn McMissile car from Cars 2. He carries it everywhere. After dinner we celebrated with Peter Pan cake, which Ben was thrilled about.

The best part of the day was probably Ben's face as we were singing happy birthday to him. 

It's hard to believe this little guy is 3. He is equal parts feisty and sweet. He is fiercely independent bu is learning it's okay to ask for help. He adores his big brother and looks out for his little brother. He has the best laugh when receiving tickles. Ben is getting faster on his scooter but still prefers to walk and take in all the scenery.  And sticks. He loves cakes and cookies. He is so kind (most of the time) to his brothers, often giving into their desires before his own. We thank God for his kind heart, his feisty side, his dance moves, and hugs. We love you Benny and can't wait to see what God has in store for you!

A very Covid Easter

As Easter started approaching I began to wonder what it would look like this year. Would we be able to attend church? Eat our traditional foods? Have an Easter egg hunt? As I grappled with what we may have to do without this Easter, it became a good reminder of what we are actually celebrating. The resurrection of Christ. Who beat death, tore the veil, rose from the grave, took my place, paid the price for my sins and intercedes for me forever. Because of him I can have confidence not only in life after death, but in life on earth amidst a world wide pandemic and all of the unknowns that come along with that.

In the end, this Easter didn't look a whole lot different than most. We couldn't attend church in an actual building or worship among other believers. Instead we enjoyed a small gathering of our family in the living room, tuning into virtual church. And while we didn't have any hot cross buns, a traditional Easter food in England, we were able to have a delicious ham, potato salad and the boys helped me make a carrot cake. We didn't get to do an Easter egg hunt with other children, but the boys were able to hunt for eggs in our back garden and were especially excited about their giant PJ mask chocolate egg. Overall, I think this Easter was a little bit sweeter than most. We were able to celebrate with our little family, watch church in our PJs and be reminded of all Jesus has done for us.

Dying Easter Eggs

Watching and waiting for his egg to turn deep blue.

Adding a bit of green to his yellow egg.

The final products.

Our little Easter feast.

Carrot Cake

Deviled Eggs...maybe we should call them Resurrection Eggs.

The boys had a blast making these. We talked about what the word resurrection means. When I asked them if they knew anyone who came back to life they both exclaimed, "Jesus!"

Resurrection Rolls

A Canadian Easter Egg hunt.

"Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool." 

Isaiah 1:18 ESV

That Covid Life

Things have gotten a bit topsy-turvy recently. With the sudden outbreak of a pandemic, mandated social distancing and the closure of basically everything it feels at times that the world is ending. It can be a bit daunting and worrying not knowing where all this will lead or how long it will last. But in the midst of it all, blessings abound.

John has been able to work from home, which the boys and I love. It's fun seeing him for meals and snacks throughout the day and having him home as soon as he's done.

Since there is no school, it's given me a chance to try my hand at a bit of homeschooling. Granted it's just preschool stuff, but it has been both fun and challenging. Not to mention it's given us a bit more structure to the day, which is helpful when you can't really go anywhere.

Family walks have become a mostly daily occurrence unless the weather is particularly bad.

Our pace seems a bit slower, which I enjoy. We aren't rushing to catch the school bus, or get to story time at the library, or school pick-up. I don't have to scramble around in the evenings to make sure lunches are packed and back-packs ready.

We've read a lot, played a lot, gotten outside, and are learning different things. Thankfully the boys also have each other to play with, which I think has been a real comfort to Jack who has missed his classmates. And Ben is thrilled that Jack gets to stay home everyday. Not to mention the fact that he can attend 'school' with Jack each day.

We are blessed that John can continue to work through the pandemic, that it hasn't gotten too widespread in Canada, that we are still able to get what we need from the stores.

Ultimately we are thankful that through it all God is in control and we can turn to him when it all feels a bit daunting.

Sensory Bin Fun

Lung Art Project

Learning the letters in our names

Teaching them young!

Learning how lungs work

Cuddly party

Painting

Family walk and puddle jumping

Happy Birthday John!

Our birthdays have been pretty low-key this year. Since we are still settling in we haven't really found a community yet and I think after the past year of moving and prepping to move we're still a bit exhausted. So, it's been nice to have small family gatherings and to have intimate celebrations.

This year John said he wanted a chocolate Death Star cake (with lasers shooting out), some Star Wars legos he could build with the boys, walk around Walmart, order pizza for lunch and take a nap.

The boys helped me make his cake. They love helping in the kitchen; mostly with baking since it usually involves licking the bowl full of sweet batter.

I decided against the lasers but managed to get a Death Star cake.

36 things we love about John for his 36th birthday

Biscuits & Gravy for breakfast!

Helping Daddy open his gift. The boys helped me pick it out and they were so excited they could barley keep it a surprise. 

Putting it together. Of course, once they were completed the boys took them over and have now claimed them as their own toys.

When it's your birthday and you ask to go to Walmart you get to put all the chips in the trolley.

The Birthday Boy!

This man. We love him so much. He is so fun and so loving. He makes us laugh and helps us not to take ourselves too seriously. He is giving and selfless, sacrificing his time to be home with us. And when he's home, he's home, present, giving all of himself. He may worry that he doesn't get enough done or feel bogged down by this to do list, but that's only because he is so intentional with his time. Prioritizing playing with the boys, over to do lists; recognizing that this time of them being little is fleeting and that one day they won't ask him to play. So he may not get everything done he'd like to, but he's getting the most important things done- investing in our boys, teaching them, modeling what a godly man looks like and how a godly man loves. We love you sooooo much and are so blessed by you!

A Weekend of Winterlude

Every February there is a big winter festival called Winterlude. The festival includes ice sculptures, ice skating on the canal, snow tubing/sledding, and some delicious winter treats. It's been difficult to figure out the balance of trying new things in the cold and being cautious about keeping the little ones out of low temperatures. We finally mustered up the courage to check it out the last weekend it was running. We figured people in cold climates still have babies and they have to go outside at some point, plus the temperatures weren't too bad.

The first day we went to Snowflake Kingdom, which is specifically designed for little ones. There was a playground in the snow, tug of war, tubing, zip-lining, snow sculptures, and more. We brought Will's sled to pull him along (thanks Grammy!). After a little play on the playground we shared a beaver tail. It's a bit like a pancake, but more airy. You can have it with chocolate spread, cinnamon and sugar or choose a savory cheese option. We usually get the cinnamon and sugar.

Will especially liked the Beaver Tail

Then it was off to some snow tubing. It was difficult to get good shots because I had Will in the sled, but both Jack and Ben said they went super fast. Although Jack and John had a bit of a difficult time getting started and had to scoot along until gravity helped them along.

After a ride on the snow tubes we got some family photos in the snow silhouettes- Mio and Daddy seemed to enjoy these more than the boys. 

While walking around Jack spotted a game of tug-of-war and had to join in. Even after everyone on his team admitted defeat and gave up, Jack kept pulling on that rope. While watching him Ben was extremely worried about the snow sculptures and kept saying they were bad guys. He's not normally scared of things so we had a tough time convincing him they were just snow. 

Jack in the orange coat.

 Before long it was getting close to lunch time so we grabbed a couple of maple taffies- these are amazing. It's basically hot maple syrup that is poured onto snow, you put a Popsicle stick in it, let it harden for a minute and you have amazing deliciousness.

Ben was pretty grumpy the entire time until he had some maple taffy.

And it took some convincing to get Jack to try it. He was so tired and hungry by now. Once he finally tasted it he was hooked.

For it being the last weekend it was surprisingly not that crowded, which was nice. A few days later we decided to head back to the city to see the ice sculptures. It had been unseasonably warm the day before so by the time we arrived most of the sculptures were melting, missing pieces and a little unrecognizable. But we still got to walk around in the sunshine and enjoy another maple taffy. We've really missed all the walking we did in England so any chance to use the double stroller and walk around is quite welcome.

Jack has unfortunately gotten used to not walking as much so he insisted on riding on John's shoulders. Which meant that he had maple taffy dripped on him.

An icy woolly mammoth

I have no idea what this was, but I'm sure before it melted it was lovely.

Everyone enjoying their maple taffy and getting sticky in the process.

A butterfly. Then Ben and a Butterfly.

They also had an area where kids could get small ice cubes and attach them to a sculpture. 

We were so glad that we braved the cold and tried Winterlude. It was a lot of fun and will hopefully be a new Canadian tradition we enjoy while living here.