August 2020

   Summer is certainly flying by!  Here's a glimpse of some of our August Activities:

Chilling in the family room :)

VBS in a Bag, courtesy of Aunt Sissa's church was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon:

Progress on the basketball court:

Working from home, and feeling very fortunate to have a nice set-up to get things done. (The little folders were made by the girls while playing "work" on a day when I was on campus - usually every Monday.  I can't decide if I think this is cute or sad...)

Too much sleepover fun (@ The Deshane's) means mandatory nap time, even when you are 10!

Last summer The William's took our girls to the Franklin County Fair, and Stella and Claire talked about it for days.  When we learned the fair would be cancelled this year, we started making plans to create our own backyard fair for them.  The Austin's pitched in too, and it was a really fun afternoon, complete with fair food - the fried dough was my fav!

Adults @ the County Fair, COVID Edition!
(Grammie & Pa also joined in the fun, but left before this pic was taken)

Claire was all about the face painting, and was able to convince nearly everyone to take part in the fun!

Dueling food stands! 

                                                                 

The girls planned games and prized for weeks, and while it wasn't the same as actually being at the fair, it was probably a lot more relaxing for the grown-ups!  The beautiful summer weather was a welcomed bonus too!

Stella hosting "Dinner Out" at Claire's sleepover with Makala

Afternoon Game-Time with Daddy while Stella is off with the neighbors

In late August I took a Wednesday afternoon off from work.  This has been a strange summer, with no real vacation.  The girls and I hiked Azure Mountain, and I took them to Donnelley's for the first time.  If you're not local, this is a quaint little Ice Cream Shop in Saranac Lake.  They use an ancient soft serve machine, and feature only one twist flavor variety each day.  Our day was chocolate, which I had hoped Stella would enjoy.  Unfortunately the girls didn't love it as much as I did, but they can say they've been now!  When we got home we decorated the house for fall, and finished cleaning out items for the upcoming community-wide back-to-school sale being hosted at the arena.  We've appreciated this opportunity to share some of what the girls have outgrown.

Climbing this fire tower was a little out of my comfort zone but the girls loved it!

As we prepare for a new school year, both adults and kids, we have new things on our to-do list.  Such as buying enough masks for everybody to get through the week, and planning for as little in-person contact as possible.   Here's a little bling we put together at work to help.

 

 

During Summer at home it has felt like Direct Marketing companies have exploded!  We've received two hauls and are waiting on two-more.  I need a break from these online parties now though!

Visiting Springs Park on an afternoon they spent with Miss Katy while daddy played golf:

The start of the school year is just around the corner, and there's more uncertainty in our lives than ever before.  Right now, we know Claire will be in school four days a week, and Stella two - but we don't know which days those will be.  We sort of have child-care worked out, but sort of don't.  It feels so uneasy to know in 10 days school will begin and we know so little of what our routine will be.  Right now, we are figuring things out week-by-week, which is tough when you are a "planner"!  Fortunately we have a great network of family and friends, and faith that things will work out.  We are trying hard to balance optimism with caution with our girls, who are so very looking forward to returning to in-person school.  Our motto for right now is, "be flexible"!  I'm thinking that's the only way any of us can maintain healthy attitudes during these crazy times.

July 2020

 We've tried to make the most of having a summer at home.  We've filled our days this month with lots of pool time, near weekly visits with The William's and Austin Families, and time spent with local friends.  

Working from home has been much more successful than we could have imagined.  The girls are old enough that our family meeting during week 2 of summer to talk about Mommy being home, but not really being available, did have an impact.  It was a tough conversation though.  This pandemic has changed our routine, like most everyone else's, but we are all adjusting.

Here's some pics of our family fun this month:

We ran into Zachey and Charlotte at the Playground!

Girls made a cake and did a lot of decorating to celebrate Daddy's Birthday!

What's Summer without Chores?

Strawberry Picking @ Martin's

Fireworks @ Makala's Camp!

Welcome to the My Life Salon

Afternoon BBQ with Jeanie, Jordan, and Addison

Dunkin' Treat COVID Style (no indoor seating)

Fitness Fun Playdate, with Oreo's of course! 

Patio Dining at The Riverview (when Sissy is at a Sleepover)

Sleepover Fun @ Ayisha's

Passing the time between customers at our yard sale!
(The girls earned almost $100!)

Probably our entire community was disappointed about Summer Fest being cancelled this year.  We were still able to buy t-shirts in support of this tradition, and had the William's family over for Steak Dinner too!

While we didn't seem to capture the phone, we also had a great time celebrating Cami's 9th birthday with a pool party!

Outdoor Dining @ Morley's

Game Night!  Even Lily joined in.

We broke ground on a backyard basketball court

Evening Fashion Show/Karaoke spotlight

June 2020

The end of the school year came quickly!  The girls did well finishing out 3rd and 4th grade with digital learning despite the beautiful weather.  We've been so lucky to have our pool and outdoor eating space to enjoy.  We are also fortunate to have central air, so the girls very much like being indoors too when it is hot out.  One day when Stella went golfing with her dad I asked Claire to find something to do outside.  When I took a break from my own work to check on her, I found her lounging in the garage on a pool float on a screen.  Not exactly what I had in mind!

Aunt MJ bought Stella a sewing machine for her 10th birthday and they finally had the chance to get together so Stella could begin learning how to use it.

4th grade graduation was not the usual "moving up" ceremony this year but we very much enjoyed the video celebration prepared by our school.  It was so special you'll see a separate blog post all about it!

Stella's 4th grade graduation day also fell on the anniversary of Trey's passing 10 years ago.  As anyone could imagine, this made for a bittersweet day.  The girls asked to buy some balloons, and wrote letters to send to him in heaven.

Larry Day at Brasher Falls Elementary is a tradition the girls always look forward to.  Stella was sad that she would be missing out again this year (last year she had a cast).  Fortunately, despite remote learning during NYS On Pause, our school sent out a list of activities the kids could do at home to continue the Larry Day fun!  Here are some pics from our house:

Other fun this month:

Lots of time in the Pool!

Visiting Campus for a Drive-By Retirement Parade

Dinner @ Saint Larries

Despite the global pandemic, family decided to make a trip to NY for a short visit.  We spent a lot of time outdoors (and even tented out at Grammie and Pa's), and it was nice to see everyone!