Two days of virtual learning in the books! 

The girls did so great. Other than a few internet issues with the learning platforms they are using, the days went overall very well. It's going to be a learning process for us all. Very different to be watching their teachers in a video via their iPad, but each day will get easier. We are trying to maintain a schedule which means going to bed by 9/9:30 {8:30 for Maeve, she needs her sleep!} and all of them are up by 8am getting ready for breakfast. 9:00 is when their teachers post their work/assignments for the day so we've been working on being ready by 8:45. Both yesterday & today the girls were done by lunch time which was perfect. 

 Here is a little what school at home looks like in our house so far. Maeve & Marg prefer to be set up in the kitchen at the table near me. They are both pretty independent but need me every now & then. I've got my computer at the table too, so the three of us just hang together all morning. I had to order bins for their school things. Right now it is just everywhere because they basically brought everything home. Hoping they are here sooner than later... we need to keep our school room organized!!! 

Marin has been at her desk in her room. Easier for her to concentrate on her work without any distractions. She definitely has the biggest work load, but she has been managing it well.

 The girls have been keeping in contact with their teachers via video chats. So fun for them all to be able to see each other outside of school & check in. Gary is taking work calls & having virtual meetings all day from the sunroom & I have work/school meetings to attend as well. So much internet usage in this house!!

 Settling in to our new schedule & hanging out in pajamas all day! We've all been in comfy clothes around here all morning for sure & by afternoon we're getting dressed to head outside for some exercise and fresh air. Dinner is whatever we have in the house for groceries. I created a board that I have been changing every few days which the girls are loving. They like making the choices.

Gary went to the store on the 20th, almost 2 weeks ago & we are still good. At some point we'll need a grocery refresh but not quite yet. It's a new way of life around here. Going to the store is a big job. When we go out we are encouraged to wear face masks & have gloves on... change clothes & wash hands and/or shower as soon as you get home. We are also using disinfecting wipes to wipe down all the groceries & things that are shipped to the house. Seems a bit crazy but it is what we are all doing to prevent the spread of the virus. Hard to believe it is even happening. Just odd... but again, we are thankful for our health & time together. Just keep saying that!! xoxo

It's been a week since my last post. A lot has changed in a week. What hasn't changed is the Stay At Home order. We are all still quarantined to our houses. The girls are enjoying their spring break days the best they can. They are definitely ready for a little routine. There is only so much we can do being at home all day. Gary did get the go ahead to work from home so he's been home all week. The sunroom is now his new office for who knows how long. I am so thankful that he's home. I feel 100x better with all 5 of us in the house together. Safe.

Lots of office share time this week because the girls & I have not started virtual school yet. Maeve has been at the desk next to him watching live feeds from various zoo's across the US. She just loves checking in on the animals. All three of the girls have been using facetime to connect with their friends & we wave from 6+ feet away outside when we see the neighbors. The national suggestion is that every stays at least 6 feet away from each other at all times. We have been taking walks with Veraghen's almost daily. It is our sanity!!! One family walks on the sidewalk & the other on the road so we have about 10 feet between us. We are being so careful! Most days we walk to my parents or Katie & Mike's to say hello and check in. Today we walked outside with my parents & Katie/Mike/kids. So hard to stay away from each other, but we are doing it.

Hayden has been hanging out by Margaux's window too. They think it is so funny! Desperate times call for desperate measures I guess. They'll do anything to see each other. Hayden's birthday is in a few days & they are just so sad that we can't celebrate together like we usually do. Life is so different right now. I am just thankful to see them all still smiling. 

They were also recording videos of themselves dancing through the window. Goofballs.

We've all been doing a lot of sidewalk chalking too! Cute messages all throughout the neighborhood. It is pretty cool to walk around seeing all of the art from all the kids. A lot of really great, inspirational quotes & beautiful drawings.

Nationally, people are decorating & hanging hearts in windows to show support for all the healthcare workers. Our girls made a few this week & we've got them hanging in all the front windows of the house.

Also fun to walk through the neighborhood & see all the hearts in windows. They are everywhere! 

We are starting to hear rumblings that we won't be going back to school the 13th. Starting to sound more like the end of April... if at all. I am anxious to get going next week with the virtual learning. I think it will be good for the girls. All three of them have been AMAZING. So much better than Gary & I ever thought they would have been given the circumstances. They are getting along & we are all really enjoying our time together. We have been playing games, baking a ton & addicted to puzzles. I've been taking photos of each one, so eventually I'll have to share them soon. xoxo

UGH!!!! 

Life took a hard turn in the last week. The country is dealing with a global pandemic. Covid-19 {also known as the Corona Virus} has taken over the world. From what we know, this started in China in January & it is slowly making its way around the world. Long story short, the US and many other countries are shutting down & putting Stay At Home orders into effect. The girls & myself went to school on Monday and by the end of the day we were all packing up & preparing to not be back to school for a few weeks. The fear is that if people do not stay home this virus will spread like wildfire. Tuesday was our first official day at home. We are no longer allowed to gather in groups larger than 10 and we are strongly encouraged to social distance from everyone, including family that live outside our home. It is a very odd & eerie feeling. None of us have ever gone through this & we have no idea how long it will all last. There is a huge fear for the economy & the general health of all Americans. Covid-19 is proving itself to be very deadly & at this point there is not vaccination or medicine that is working to treat it. Some people sick with the virus are needing to be hospitalized & on a ventilator, while others are experiencing fever/cough while recovering at home. It varies from person to person. Hoping that they will find more answers & this does not last too long. 

For now, we are told the girls will be learning virtually from home until at least April 13th.

Here is a little bit of what our first two days of quarantine look like...

The girls are trying to stay active while being at home & kind of cooped up. It is not very warm outside so they do go out for short periods of time. The rest of the time they are playing tennis or rollerblading in the garage! We moved both cars out so they have a big open space to play & work off some energy.

They have also been spending more time in the workout room together. Taking turns between the treadmill, the peloton & other workouts. Love that Maeve enjoys exercising in her nightie!! 

 Maeve & Gary have been bowling in the kitchen using these tiny little pins & a bouncy ball. They keep score on a bowling scoring app. Anything to pass the time!

 And we busted out all the paint & canvases too. The girls have been painting away. Maeve worked so hard on this Harry Potter canvas. She is really knocking out the great art lately!

 This week they are just off as their teachers prepare for digital/remote/virtual school days. Next week {March 23-27} is spring break, so they won't have school. And that is our BIGGEST BUMMER... no Orange Beach vacation for us this year. We are all so sad, but it is helping the girls knowing that no one can go. The beaches are shut down & now they are starting to close restaurants too. This whole situation is so crazy & quite scary. For now we are going to cuddle in & enjoy our time together as a family. A healthy family. So much unknown ahead. For now Gary is still going to work each day. But every day brings something new at this point. I am hoping by the end of the week they give him the go-ahead to work from home. Thankful for our health. More to come... xoxo

Last night we visited the district art show. We've attended this event when both Marin & Margaux had pieces in the art show. This time it was Maeve's turn. Her clay bird piece was chosen by her art teacher to be featured in the show. 

She was so darn excited & felt so special. Art is definitely her favorite special at school. She just loves it & this little bird was so darn cute. She did a great job... Nice work Maeve!!! xoxo

A little warmer today. Well maybe not but it felt nice to see the sun. Katie & Mike took Maeve with them to the zoo to get some fresh air. Since we no longer have a zoo pass we don't go as often as we used to. But makes it more fun when we do!!!

Hopefully when it gets nicer we can all go. Every time we visit they have new things which is always fun to see. The sunshine makes me excited for the beach in a few weeks! Can not wait! xoxo

Last night was Bhodi's birthday gathering. He was so excited for his big day & when we all got ready to leave he asked Maeve if she would have a sleepover with him. Their little friendship is so darn cute. He is certainly like the little brother she never had. I was so happy she accepted his invite {you never know with Maeve, she's such a mommy's girl!} Wendy sent this photo before they went to bed...How cute are they all snuggled up on the couch with Yooper?!

 And then I got this photo this morning. No surprise that Maeve was up bright & early. She is definitely the earliest riser in our house. And the birthday boy still out cold. 

No school today, so it was the perfect night for a sleepover. Today we're enjoying our low key day. So nice to have these days off every so often. xoxo

This is my new daytime home for the next 4ish months...

My elementary school gymnasium. Just accepted a long term phy ed position. I will be working as the PE teacher from now until the end of the school year. Feels so funny to be back in this school after attending k-4th grade here. Also fun because one of my great friends is the school counselor so we have been able to have lunch dates together. Still friends 30+ years after we attended elementary school here. Sometimes hard to see each other these days because life gets so darn busy! We'll soak up these lunch dates while we can. Monday-Friday I will be getting active with 330 students & wearing my comfy workout clothes to work every day! xo

Winter Jubilee tonight at Titletown.

So many fun happenings going on down there. Live music, tons of ice sculptures & ice games galore. Marin opted out, she had better plans with her friends! We missed her. Acre was also in attendance but not pictured in the stroller next to us.

The ice sculptures were pretty great. All lit up throughout the park.

Every time we saw a new one, they wanted another photo.

But the real fun was the ice games. They had a ice bean bag boards, a shuffleboard table & this fun air hockey table. Cold... but definitely fun for all.

It was a pretty quick visit. We were all pretty cold after about an hour of walking around. Glad we checked it out. The girls definitely enjoyed it. Nice to get some fresh air. This winter is getting long! xoxo

Happy Valentines Day!

This was the photo we used for our Valentines Day card. Always so fun to send out a little extra love to our friends, but not as fun attempting to get a photo of these three. Love them, but they are definitely in the running for being my worst photo subjects! After some whining & having to go outside twice... we got a photo. Look how darn cute they are out in the fresh snow. 

Tonight we had our annual candle lit valentine dinner. Menu for the night was ham & twice baked potatoes. Everyone was happy. Even better, no reservations needed or heavy crowds. 

Our Valentine Crew... minus Jerry who is up north for the weekend.

And one extra tonight... Estelle. Thanks for taking our photo!! I knew we invited her for a reason. Love this crew & we had a great night together. Added bonus is the girls didn't have school today so we will enjoy a three day weekend. Happy Valentines Day to us! xoxo

First Snow Shoe adventure today! 

The temps were a little warmer so we decided to give it a try.

 Whole crew in show shoes, ready to take on the trails!!

After about 10 mins there was a lot of this...

 Sloane's snow shoes did not fit her little feet well so she was walking along side us or in the carrier on Mike's back pretty much the entire time. But despite all the tired legs, we did have a really great time.

The trail that we decided to take was just shy of 2 miles. The crew did pretty well, but by the end Sloane, Margaux & Maeve were show shoe-less. They were "so tired!" I was excited & loved the adventure. I asked who was ready to go again... the consensus was NO! They are all content not going show shoeing again anytime soon. Good thing we tried it before I bought a set for the whole family. Gary, myself, Katie & Mike will go alone next time!! xoxo

Winter in full force here now. December was so mild, it felt like it was fall with the warm days. Now we've transitioned into full winter. Lots of snow & the girls are loving it. 

Margaux & Gary made a fun little sledding run in the front yard, yet she still preferred to sled down the driveway & into the road. 

Fresh snow also makes for fun time in the hot tub. They love getting our & rolling in the snow. Refreshingly cold, but feels so good when you get back in. Today she hung with Marin. We laugh every time she is over because of the name. 

Big game tomorrow! The neighbor kids even made a Go Pack Go tower. 

Love the snow. Everything looks so pretty outside.. although the forecast for the next 10 days includes snow every day. Doubtful that it will hold true, but either way a lot of shoveling & more outdoor fun! xoxo

A few more pics from vacation. There are just way too many, which is a sign of a great vacation I guess. We met many locals that we quickly made friends with. Lots of stories about the 2017 hurricane that really damaged the island. So interesting. The island has definitely come a long way.  I met Nayda in the market & by dinner time she was sitting at our table telling us stories about her life. She really had us all laughing.

The island had several rainy periods throughout each day/night. Typically they would last about 5 mins & it was sunny again. We could watch the clouds go right over. This one was a heavy & happened at night while we were all on the beach. We all crowded together like penguins in an attempt to stay warm. 

Often right after the rain we'd see rainbows throughout the day. 

We caught this one from our balcony.

Sunday night we enjoyed the Packer game from a local bar. Crazy how many Packer fans we met on the island & saw that night. Thankfully they won & we all had a great night. Different outcome would have put a little damper on the evening. Excited for this weekend's game. Wish we could watch from the same place. Take us back!! 

Go home day. We got packed up the night before so we could spend Wednesday morning on the beach before it was time to go. So nice to have 3 more hours of relaxing by the water.

A quick lunch on the beach & we were headed home. It was so nice to be at the resort & have the beach option there. Not as nice as the other beaches on the island but this wasn't a bad view either... just different! We had the perfect combination of resort days & exploring time.

One more ferry trip back to St. Thomas & the airport...

And headed home to our kiddos.

We all left saying we'd be back. So looking forward to it already!!! Until then we left feeling relaxed & sun tan. Now spring break to look forward to. xoxo

And that's a wrap on St John 2020! We are home & back to the freezing cold/snow. St. John was 85 every day & full of sunshine. As we flew in last night the pilot announced that the current temp at home was 9 degrees, wind chill below zero. Burrrrrr! Such a great week with friends. These three had so much fun playing in the waves & body surfing. There was quite a bit of wind while we were there which felt great with the heat... but also made the waves very fun.

The ladies worked hard tanning & enjoying cocktails on the beach with an occasional swim in the warm ocean. The water was so refreshing. 

The elevation on the island made for some great photos & also a little bit of treacherous driving. We rented a car quite a few days so we could explore the 9 mile long island & the beaches.   

A few of the beaches were so remote it felt like we were on our own private beach. Others were full of people {but nothing too crazy} and had more action/people watching. All of them had crystal clear teal blue water with lots of great sea life. Maho Beach was the place to enjoy snorkeling. One of my must-do's while we were there was to see the sea turtles & we saw tons of them. We also saw small sharks & sting ray. Really a cool experience. I wish I would have brought a water camera or a case for our phones. Could have been some really great photos. All uploaded into my mental memory! 

So many photos it was hard to choose just a few to post. 

The scenery was just breathtaking & the sound of the waves is just so relaxing. We had a week full of really great days.

 The nights were spent in the nearby town that was full of great restaurants/bars. We enjoyed all of the food at night especially after being on the beach all day snacking on whatever food we had access to & exploring little food trucks around the island. Gary needed a new Hawaiian shirt for vacation... 

First trip of 2020. This was taken in Cinnamon Bay. We had the beach to ourselves. 

Cinnamon Bay was by far my favorite as far as scenery. Beach was empty & it was just beautiful. Very remote & lush foliage as well as the cliffs of volcanic rock. Wendy & I joined in on the rock stacking and left our mark with the formation in the bottom right of the photo with the driftwood across it. 

40 year old us!

No one else we'd like to vacation with. The four of us have made quite the list of adventures together. Just added this one to the list. Can't wait to see what comes next. Aside from spring break, these two are next to turn 40! 

Broaghen parents enjoying Honeymoon Beach.

I want to go back already! So nice to be home to squeeze the girls & give them some love. They had a great week with grandma & really enjoyed all the good food she made for them. I may need to step it up a bit now! xoxo