Our days at Home

My children and I have been wandering around the forests and parkways near our home like a nomadic family. 
Just as I was relishing in my new life of kids in elementary school, everything changed again. I now, once again, have my little pack following close behind me as I try to fill the days.  😗😗😗😗 
  

 I am so grateful for the gorgeous spring sunshine this week as we adjusted to life at home all day. 

I really tried to keep them on a schedule with their school work.
However, sometimes things got off track a bit. 😳

When we found out the kids were going to be out of school all of April, I had to pick up their school supplies and books. 
When I pulled up to the school, the trees in the front were in full bloom, like they are every year. I always anticipate these trees in front of the school this time of year.
 I greeted a few of the staff and teachers in the entry way before gathering my things; I could feel tears in the back of my eyes and a lump in my throat. 
I believe that my kids won't be finishing their kindergarten and 2nd grade year here, and there was a deep grief in the pit of my stomach; I mourn deeply this loss. 
Everyday I still wake up and I just can't believe all this is going on. 
However, I've come to the place of acceptance and acknowledgement that this is how life is going to be; I  want my kids to look back on this sabbatical  from school with happy memories. I am determined to make this a meaningful 2nd grade and kindergarten year for my children. 
I do believe good will come from this ultimately, and spending these few months with them will be a treasure to my heart. 
During my first week instructing them, I've already gained such valuable insight to the students they are and their individual needs and strengths. 

John and I are missing our friends too. 
Saturday  night we had a virtual happy hour with a few friends via FaceTime. It was actually a better time than I initially thought it would be. I usually do not enjoy FaceTime, but now it is truly wonderful. 

It's interesting to observe the changes in society. 
People are home.
There is a lot of sitting around on front lawns and porches and park benches. 
I see families walking and biking together. 
There is no where to go, no place to be. 
The hustle is gone, and surprisingly I have to admit that it's kinda of nice. 

Here are some of the ways we've been keeping busy during our time at home.
We built leprechaun traps for St. Patricks day....

 And searched for lucky four leafed clovers in the lawn....

We wrote in journals everyday, Evelyn enthusiastically assisiting  the boys with spelling and penmanship. 

We went fishing, although we caught nothing except each others' lines 😬

And we wandered around outside a lot, walking in the woods and through the neighborhood. 

 On Friday we had a picnic at the park.

We are enjoying the simple things.

On Saturday we hiked to Wahclella Falls. It was a wonderful morning exploring and marveling in magic and beauty.

 Being in nature like this allows me to escape reality for a bit.

 The beauty is captivating.

 The gorge is my favorite place to be, full of peace.

 We came upon so many waterfalls and interesting rocks.

 And we found a cave! John went in a little to explore it, but the kids were terrified that he'd run into a bear.

 There were a lot of chard trees from the fires a few years ago.

 However the forest was covered in green! Moss, flowers and new growth were sprouting out of the burned tree trunks and branches. 

I remember a few years ago mourning the gorge as uncontrollable flames consumed it. 
But now I see that it wasn't totally destroyed; in fact, it is just as beautiful as ever. 

And as I observed all the small pockets and signs of regrowth, a hope swelled within me that all will be well.  

Zoo Sounds

"Mom! Mom! Come Quick!"
My kids were outside this morning waiting for school pick up, and they were so excited about something.
I ran to the door, and they exclaimed to me, "Listen! It sounds like the zoo out here!"

"Camo day" at school during spirit week

I stood and listened, trying to figure out what they were referring to, and then I heard it:  a chorus of birds.
The sound did sound foreign and exotic.
 It resembled what we heard at the zoo in the aviary.
We all paused for a moment and took in the beautiful sound. "It's a zoo, right mom?!" said Caleb.
"Well, actually," I began, "that is the sound of Spring coming."
The delight in his eyes was magical; it was just what I needed after a weekend filled with dread and  apocalyptic panic of the news and of the Corona Virus.

This was a moment that broke my worried, hazy bubble and let me experience peace and joy.
Although we talked about this virus threat in front of the kids, they didn't experience (thankfully!) the same fear that my husband and I felt. Because it was detected to have infected a person in the town next to ours, everyone was panicking.
As I was making muffins this morning for breakfast, I coughed a small cough into my arm. As he mixed the chocolate chips into the muffin batter,  Caleb very casually, but very matter of factly told me that I probably had "the virus."

I was not concerned or paranoid about this virus until I went to Costco (as we usually do on Saturdays) and saw the mass of people loading up enough food, water and hand sanitizer for a month. I've never seen anything like it; the lines wrapped around the ENTIRE store!

It was in that moment when I considered that perhaps I needed to be panicking too.
Are we missing something? Is this the end of us?

When Sunday rolled around, John and I had the discussion of whether to attend church. We started to analyze our activities. Suddenly, breaking my swirling mind, the verse found in 2 Tim. 1:7 popped into my head.
"For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love, and of a sound mind." 
Should I be cautious? Yes. Should I be AFRAID and PANIC? Clearly no. 

If this is what I believe to be true, His Spirit is not of FEAR.
So, we decided to continue on as normal, washing our hands and taking more precaution, but say good-bye to the fear.

HOOP-A-THON fundraiser

My best moment for sure today was listening to "our zoo" outside our front door this morning.

Thanks Caleb, for teaching me, yet again, to take a step back, enjoy the moment, and be amazed at life.

Everything turns into a competition with the boys.
Caleb shot the most baskets at their school's hoop-a-thon fundraiser last week.
He was very pleased.  

The kids had their annual fundraiser for their school. The week was full of school spirit and excitement.
Evelyn decided to dress up like the neighborhood cat, Bob. 

February Adventures

February started off with lots and lots of energy. Besides the pillow forts and Ninja warrior moves, our house was getting pumped up for the big Super Bowl game.

John's beloved 49ers made it to the Super Bowl, and it turned into quite an event in the Patton household.

John's brother and his family made the trip down from Seattle.
John and Rob, two lifelong devoted fans, needed camaraderie during this most tense game.
The emotions in the house swung drastically from elation to despair in a matter of moments; and ultimately the defeat led to some mild depression, disappointment and tears.

To Levi, it seemed that the world was doomed to cease spinning on its axis. I tried to explain to him that nothing is going to change in his little world tomorrow when he wakes up.
Evie wailed that she was "so sad for Daddy."
Daddy is gonna be ok.
I  promise.
After a day or two.

He had to be ok because he had a very special date with a very special little girl.

 The Daddy-Daughter Dance at the school is always a big event, and Evie looks forward to dressing up and having Daddy all to herself.

These two have such a special bond. I love it. 

February 7 marked the most anticipated day for the three little boys in our home: TURNING SIX! 🎉🥳

It was a weekend of celebrating.

Evie decorated the kitchen for the boys.
She really wanted  them to be "flocked" (after observing what took place in our neighbor's front yard).
 Streamers and pictures would have to do.

Evie wanted to spend some of her own money to buy this special birthday gift for her brothers:
a basketball shooting game. It takes up half their bedroom but it sure is fun!

The Harlem Globe Trotters came to Portland on February 8.
The boys enjoyed it but would have preferred more actual game playing rather than all the show and glitz.

Then there was Valentines Day.

 I'm totally obsessed with their little school parties.
I'm sad that this is their last one in Kindergarten. 

There are only so many years when they will really want Mom to be involved. 

They were so delighted by all the little valentine cards they received from their friends. 

John was gone in San Diego for business the week leading up to Valentines Day.
However, the kids and I were going to meet up with him after school on Friday in San Diego for a long weekend of family fun.

I was paranoid for weeks leading up to our February 14 family vacation departure. The last thing I wanted-the last thing any parent wants- is  kids throwing up on an airplane...especially when I would be traveling solo with my four kids for the first time.

Everyone is in charge of their own stuff. 

Definitely going to gate check all these. 

I never ever  EVER thought that I would be able to fly with my four kids alone...and not be that nervous about it!

 A few years ago, my mom encouraged me one hectic afternoon as we corralled the triplet toddlers in our living room.





"Someday," she said, "you will be able to leave the house by yourself and it will be perfectly normal and fine. They will follow you like normal people."

I really didn't believe her because life at that time was so chaotic. The thought of flying with them was terrifying and unimaginable.

But my Mom was right; they aren't toddlers anymore.

Once we got to the airport, I was on high germ alert. With the Coronavirus and all the gunk everywhere, I frantically began trying to wipe down everything they touched.
I soon realized that I couldn't follow them around the next four days with a bottle of Lysol, so I committed to giving up my paranoia right then and there.
Nope. My heart didn't skip a beat as they pressed their hands and faces up against windows and public railings and then played with the chewing gum in their mouth. 😜😳


Despite all the hacking and sneezing on the plane, the damp public restrooms, sticky rides and even licking the glass on the monkey cage (yes, you read that right) we managed to stay healthy.



Sunny San Diego!

Blue skies and palm trees. Good for the soul. 

 We've been married almost 15 years and John still put a little Valentines Day card in the passenger seat of the rental car when he came to pick us all up. He never fails to let me know he is thinking of me, even if Valentines Day is a Hallmark holiday.😍
It wasn't  candle light and wine that night; it was crying, exhausted, slightly greasy kids crawling into the hotel beds late at night.
But it was romantic in its own way.
In fact, there was something about the entire next day navigating the insanely crowded LegoLand that drew us close.

Building our life together is about as romantic as it gets. 

Waking up each morning with kids in our bed and carrying tired bodies around amusement parks defines our season. We remember to laugh at the wonderful absurdity of it all.

Oh, don't get me wrong, there were moments of frustration and crabbiness; but I found myself gazing at  my delighted six year olds and eight year old, etching the memory of who they are in this moment in my mind.

We spent two days in Lego Land. We were here two years ago, and this is a place that they have been talking about ever since. They were thrilled to return and relive the magic.

Our third day was spent at the San Diego Zoo.
It was a massive zoo, and the kids were a bit tired and blinded by the bright foreign fireball in the sky.

 But, perhaps better than the zoo was the Safari Park, which we visited on the fourth day before we headed back to the airport to return home.

 It really felt like we were on a safari in Africa. 

If you ask the kids what their favorite part of the vacation was, I believe they would probably say, "Ice cream everyday."

"The hotel pool."

 "The all you can eat fruit loops in the morning."

" Pizza dinner on the couch in the hotel room while watching TV."

Don't get me wrong, I know they had fun at Lego Land and the zoo, but it was the smaller, less extravagant things that they seemed to be most thrilled about.

I also think they would say "having Mom and Dad's constant attention."

I love vacations because there is time to hear the thoughts of my kids.

James is such a deep thinker and observer. He often comments on the stars in the sky, sunsets and beautiful flowers.

Caleb takes notes on how he can replicate at home all that's going on around him. He wants to build his own amusement park and create his own zoo show.

Levi is constantly trying to determine who or what is more advantagous.
"Mom, would a bear or a lion win?" 
"Dad, would a Cheetah or a gazelle be faster?" 

Evelyn is just trying to figure out the adult world and how she can fit in it. She enjoyed "counting her steps" on John's old Apple watch and taking pictures on the phone.

She was also really enthusiastic about the flamingos at the zoo.

I'm always glad to return home though.
Four days living in a hotel room with my kids and being pulled and hung on constantly wears me out.  Once again I'm so pleased that they get to return to school for the day! :)
I really love doing the mounds of laundry and grocery shopping upon our return in the quiet.

Dreaming about our family and the future is something John and I talk about a lot; what we witnessed this past weekend was a dream becoming reality.

We have a whole, happy family.

We have a team.

We are doing life together and making memories.

This family is getting really fun :)