Tales from quarantine

Hello world! Or at least the few people who will read this :).  Since the end of March when we were all forced into quarantine due to Covid life has looked a little bit different then it did before.  Not all days are good but we as a family are choosing Joy during this time of uncertainty and change.  Since we really can't see family or very many friends I have decided to challenge myself with posting here some of the things we are doing as a family to stay sane during this time.  I did this several years ago when we moved away to Michigan for a couple of years and I found it fun to compile pictures and memories of our family times.  SOOO bare with me as I post in reverse order for  a while to catch you up on what our family has been up to!

Ever since they closed schools our kids have been in true quarantine.  They have not been anywhere.  I have still been working (some) and Kevin has run a couple of errands (and working from home) but the kids have been home.  They have been troopers but we figured it was time for a safe change of scenery.  So we ventured to Yellow Branch Falls Trail and practicing good, safe social distancing and hand sanitizing, we hiked.  

Thanks to the previous days (post to come) home field day challenge we decided to limbo under some fallen trees (thanks Coach Shore!).  

Henley, our brave little trail leader, spotted a baby snake.  She calmly pointed it out and just stepped back. Not even a little scream (not her momma's child!).  The trail is a 1.5 mile hike one way and it is worth it for the pretty view.  

The kids were all troopers!  Bryce walked most of the way and started getting tired.  Luckily we still have our Ergo carrier that is rated up to 45 lbs so it was much easier to give his little legs a break.  

 The big kids quickly hopped over rocks to get closer to the falls and Henley wasn't far behind.  Kevin tried to keep up in an effort to try and keep anyone from falling in the water. (We brought lots of stuff with us but didn't think to bring any extra clothing.)

 Kevin did an amazing job navigating slippery rocks with Bryce strapped to his back and keeping Henley from falling in the water.  The down fall came when he tried to climb back allowing Bryce to walk as well.  It's not easy to manhandle a 3 year old while trying to keep him dry and your feet from slipping out from under you.

Luckily he fell in the water on his left side and his phone and car keys were in his pocked on the right side.  We both agreed that he was probably much better wet than Bryce.  The hike back always seems faster and easier but we were all hungry when we finished.  We had packed our lunch, brought our own table and chairs, and after wiping and sanitizing hands we enjoyed some refueling.  

Forgive the eyes being closed on my side but the kids are cute!

We feel like our first Covid Quarantine outing was a success.  We found that people were all being very respectful of keeping distance in trying to be safe during this time.