For Bunny or For Worse: 3 Years, 8 Months

Steve and I are what I'll call "fauxssential." That is, our jobs are technically exempted from the shelter-in-place order but, particularly in the case of my job, the idea that we're essential is of course ridiculous. That being said, we're expected to work and since the boys' school is closed until at least mid-June, Steve and I have reverted back to the routine we had when the boys were babies (before we got a nanny and went back to work full-time) with each of us working half a day outside the home and watching the boys for the other half. It's... working well enough. We're tired.

Henry
Diligently scribbling with marker, "It says Mommy isn't allowed to take away any toys."

Henry has quite the attitude and is extremely frustrated that his only social interaction is the introverts club of me, Steve and Jack. He's really missing his teachers and his friends.

Stuck in the house, Henry has become quite interested in fashion, changing his clothes multiple times a day and dictating what I wear (or at least attempting to).

Henry, on fashion, "I'll wear the tank tops inside and the beautiful shirts outside." "Beautiful" to Henry means pink or purple.

Henry (thinks he is) ruler of all!

When we're doing something wrong (in his opinion) Henry will get exasperated, sigh dramatically, and say, "You're making my life harder!" This is likely my fault, as I believe I have said that on occasion. He is still sassy without bad maternal influence, though.

Being at home every day has also given Henry many opportunities to indulge his passion for temporary tattoos.

The kid is maddening and hilarious.

Jack
Jack is also diggin' the temporary tattoos right now (though not so much diggin' Mom cajoling him into taking pictures of them).

Jack is attention averse, and is being tormented by his socially-starved brother. However, Jack is definitely returning the favor by occasionally grabbing Henry's things and running away, which results is hysterical screaming from Henry and me saying things like the aforementioned, "You're making my life harder!"

That... doesn't sound familiar.

Jack on not being allowed to go to Home Depot, "Can we sneak in? I like to sneak!"

When he recently solved a problem on his own, Jack declared, "I'm a smarty guy!"

The wheels in Jack's head are always turning...

Jack likes to stall going to sleep by repeatedly asking me questions after I put him to bed. I started jotting down some of the things he asks, so I present to you a selection of nighttime discussion topics, by Jack:

How to do you make [insert color]?
How do you make string cheese?
How does spray paint work?
He will be sad if I ruin his marshmallows, so don't do that, okay? (um, okay? no idea what he's talking about here)
Do birds/rabbits/[insert animal] talk?
Do birds have ears?
Do animals have tummys?
I need a watch and a phone now that I'm 37. (um, what!?)
Mouses can't fly, right?
How do you play checkers?
Do kitties die?
Do people die? (keep it light, kiddo, you have to sleep after this!)
What happens when a domino gets lost? (I don't have any idea what inspired this question or what the right answer is)
Can koalas/lobsters/crabs get germs? (seriously, those are the animals he asked about)
What happens if a giant gets germs and doesn't have an ice pack? (not entirely sure how an ice pack would help here)

Outdoor Activities
When the weather cooperates, we're able to play in the yard. Jack (left) and Henry (right) enjoy digging holes and burying "treasure" (which is usually plastic toys but was in one case a brick) with the big boy shovels Grandma Loveridge gave them:

Henry, Steve and Jack relaxing after pulling some weeds (Jack grinning because he's about to gnaw on that sourgrass he picked - which is perfectly safe, if a little gross):

Daily walk with social distancing at Natural Bridges State Beach:

On the trail back to the car, Jack dragging his kelp prize:

Steve took the boys to a local skate park, and they apparently took quite well to riding their bikes around the bowl.

Henry:

Jack:

Working (ha!) From Home
A compilation for our time... Steve attempting to answer work e-mails and texts on his phone while home with two 3 1/2 year-olds.

We're helping!

Father and son, both with very important notes to make:

No worries, Dad, Jack will handle your conference call:

Trying to Entertain Ourselves Inside
Through loving grandparents and parents who like to buy cool toys, the boys own as many toys as a well-stocked preschool. I am definitely grateful for that as we're spending so much time stuck in the house.

The toy car situation has definitely gotten out of control, though. Counts have varied, since Jack tends to stash them around the house, but we're at approximately 150.

My parents were kind enough to mail up my brother's old Hot Wheels track pieces, which have been a great source of entertainment.

The boys' preschool teachers put together activity packets that we pick up from school. Below, the boys play with the "moon sand" one of their teachers made for them.