Back to School- COVID edition

 

Today is the first day of 4th and 7th grades for L&L.  Due to COVID-19, the kids will begin the school year with remote learning, and the district will re-evaluate the option of resuming in-person instruction after the first quarter (9 weeks).  It's not how any of us pictured the year to start, but we have work stations set up for everyone and are embracing the flexibility of our current situation.  We are immensely thankful that we are able to remain with our home schools for distance learning, and Leah was assigned to an amazing team (which include two of Luke's all time favorite past teachers).  Our beloved ORES principal moved to Luke's middle school this summer, and we are appreciative of her wonderful leadership to help us navigate uncharted territory.  There's a sense of relief on my part that my kids will be safe learning at home, and we are going to continue to approach this experience with optimism and grateful hearts.

 We didn't buy any school supplies this year, there was no need to purchase back-to-school clothes/shoes or lunch boxes, and the kids will be using laptops to complete their school work.  They'll have live meetings with their teachers, pre-recorded instruction, and small groups with their classes using approximately 17,523 digital learning platforms.  To capture the spirit of 2020's online learning, L&L posed with their devices instead of their backpacks and proudly represented ORES/NWMS by donning school t-shirts:

Our annual back to school front porch pictures also had a fluffy new addition this year.  We couldn't leave Millie out of the photo shoot, and she is thrilled to have her brother and sister at home with her this school year: 

 

Life is just more fun with this crazy pup!

I was amazed when I looked back at 2019's Back to School pictures at how much these kids have grown since last August.  They look like babies to me!

August 2019: Start of 3rd & 6th grades.

August 2020: See how they grow!

Here's to a school year unlike any other!  We've GOT this!

August Adventures

 

The school year's just around the corner, so we've been squeezing in some extra summer fun while we can!  A couple of weeks ago, Daddy created a Slip n' Slide out of a long sheet of plastic that he purchased.  With the addition of some slippery dish soap and a hose, my crazy crew had a blast sliding down this homemade contraption:

We also rented a pedal boat at a park near our house.  The kids volunteered to pedal, and Mark and I got to sit back and relax in the second row and while L&L navigated and pedaled: 

We're still walking and biking a lot, and trying to beat the summer heat by going early in the morning or in the evenings.  One day, we noticed that our neighbor cows finally had their 2020 litter!  There are six new baby calves in the herd, and they are adorable!

Here's another tiny baby that we spotted at the park.  It's as cute as a snapping turtle can be, I suppose, and is so small that it could fit in my palm:

Can you see it on the sidewalk (for size reference)?

Another fun summer adventure was to rent a pontoon boat at nearby Belews Lake.  The kids took turns driving the boat, fished, jumped into the lake, and swam. This was such a great day, and something we'd love to do again soon:

We're celebrating the end of summer 2020 with ice cream this weekend and are ready/not ready for school to start on Monday!