3 Years, 11 Months

The boys' daycare/preschool reopened June 29th after being closed since March 12th. Henry was thrilled to go back. Jack was, at first, reluctant but largely changed his tune after the first day. Turns out it's way more fun to be at school with creative teachers and energetic friends than being stuck home with Mom and Dad while they take turns trying desperately to get some work done. 

For our survival during this first (I'm a pessimist and expecting more of this in the future) shutdown, I'd like to thank coffee, the musician Caspar Babypants, the TV show Octonauts, and generous pours of pinot.

Spa!

Henry shark, looking ferocious in his hooded towel from Grandma Loveridge:

Jack's dolphin leaping into the air:

I was dubious about the spa when Steve purchased it. I was very, very wrong. The boys were in the spa many times a week during the stay-at-home order, and are continuing to use it every weekend.

We make them take care of their things:

Okay, scrubbing the spa was actually their idea... sure, kids, clean whatever you want.

Pandemic Haircuts
Henry gets his plague 'do:

Yes, I know, I look fierce:

Jack was... less enthusiastic.

Save me, my mom really doesn't know what she's doing!

My (admittedly bedhead but you get the idea) shutdown hair:

Steve's first attempt at hairdressing:

Turned out really well. He's hired.

New Fridge
Our old fridge was, well, pretty old and had been making some funny noises. And we really didn't like the idea of it dying someday with all the food inside and hungry children circling. So, bolstered by our pandemic childcare savings (which, believe me, we'd rather have spent on childcare) we bought a new fridge.

Our house is 120 years old and the doorways are only 28" wide. So, even the smallest fridge has to have the doors removed to fit inside.

The boys "help" Dad remove the doors after the fridge was delivered to our front porch:

The boys continued their cleaning spree by scrubbing the little closet our fridge lives in:

No, it's not ready! says Henry:

Art Projects
Henry takes his glitter-glue/puffball art very seriously:

Jack shows off the finished product:

Jack was very pleased with his gold glitter-car:

Playing in the Loft
Jack peers over the edge:

We recently purchased two whiteboards to stick to the back of the loft guardrail so the boys can draw (and erase) to their heart's content (Henry foreground, Jack background):

Mischief
Among the skills Jack has acquired while stuck at home for three months is how to open boxes with a play-doh knife. It's not sharp, and I was sure it wouldn't work, but with enough Jack determination, apparently it does.

Henry: "I'm a wombat!"
Me: "A bat."
Henry: "But I'm really Henry, even though I look like a bat."

Henry asked Dad to put him up in our tree, and was delighted (and a little nervous) with the result:

Out on the Town
Superheroes getting takeout burgers...

Henry!

Jack!

Landfill
Probably the most exciting outing from the boys' perspective was taking old concrete blocks to the dump. They got to carry them from the van and toss them on the giant pile, which was great fun.

Henry:

A little victory dance:

More blocks on the pile...

Jack, "Hiiiiii-ya!"

What's Next
We're starting to see small signs of return to quasi-normalcy. For instance, on the boys' bike ride the other day, they paused to watch the beach train rumble by.

Jack doesn't like loud noises, so he prefers to watch the train with ears covered.

Jack was slow to get ready for that bike ride, to which Henry stated, "You can stay home with old Mommy."

When I admonished the boys to behave for Dad on the bike ride, Henry replied, "We will be good for Daddy. We are not good for Mommy because she's grumpy and we don't like grumpy people." Jack countered, "I like kind people, so I like Mommy." So, I guess we can keep Jack. Anyone in need of a sassy four-year-old? He comes equipped with a fabulous wardrobe he selected himself ("I pick outfits that are cool. That's what Henrys do best!"), and a stuffed purple penguin named Purple Owl who I'm constantly searching for at bedtime because, as Henry explained, "He [Purple Owl] likes to sleep in interesting places!"

Anyway, only time will tell what the new normal will really look like. We're fortunate to be secure in our employment, housing and childcare. So far, we're healthy and safe, and we definitely recognize our good fortune and are grateful for that.