Fight Song

Yesterday, I heard a clip of a song while I was watching a Youtube video and I made a mental note to find it again later.  I had heard the refrain a few times but I hadn't ever listened the whole thing and I thought I was probably going to like it.

So, after dinner, while I was clearing the table and washing the dishes, I asked Alexa to play, "Fight Song" ... and the next thing I knew I was crying.

I'm missing Chris and my family and we don't know when we're going to see them... and this song just struck a cord with me.

I looked up the lyrics, and it certainly isn't a perfect story of life in quarantine, but it had enough similarities that I looked up the lyrics, and listened to it another four times, and tried not to cry.

Here are the lyrics:

Like a small boat
On the ocean
Sending big waves
Into motion
Like how a single word
Can make a heart open
I might only have one match
But I can make an explosion

And all those things I didn't say
Wrecking balls inside my brain
I will scream them loud tonight
Can you hear my voice this time?

This is my fight song
Take back my life song
Prove I'm alright song
My power's turned on
Starting right now I'll be strong
I'll play my fight song
And I don't really care if nobody else believes
'Cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me

Losing friends and I'm chasing sleep
Everybody's worried about me
In too deep
Say I'm in too deep (in too deep)
And it's been two years
I miss my home
But there's a fire burning in my bones
Still believe
Yeah, I still believe

And all those things I didn't say
Wrecking balls inside my brain
I will scream them loud tonight
Can you hear my voice this time?

This is my fight song
Take back my life song
Prove I'm alright song
My power's turned on
Starting right now I'll be strong
I'll play my fight song
And I don't really care if nobody else believes
'Cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me

A lot of fight left in me

Like a small boat
On the ocean
Sending big waves
Into motion
Like how a single word
Can make a heart open
I might only have one match
But I can make an explosion

This is my fight song (Hey!)
Take back my life song (Hey!)
Prove I'm alright song (Hey!)
My power's turned on
Starting right now I'll be strong (I'll be strong)
I'll play my fight song
And I don't really care if nobody else believes
'Cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me

No I've still got a lot of fight left in me

and here is the video:

1000 Words

1000 Words

Last Day of School

This week marked all of our children's last days of school for this year.

We officially now have a first grader, two big preschoolers, one little preschooler, and a baby.

I know kids grow up over the nine months of school... but golly, these pictures look like night and day.  This children really grew and matured this year.

His Whole Life

    The other day, Howard (and Tracey and Caroline) spent much of the afternoon riding their two-wheelers around the culs-de-sac near our house.  During that time we learned that Howard doesn't really know how to use his breaks.  Whenever he wants to stop, he rides his bike unto the curb and let's it fall over -- usually taking him with it.

By the evening, the three big kids were excited to show Daddy how well they were riding, and so we went out again after dinner and before bedtime for them to ride.

After steering his bike unto a sidewalk, Howard steered his bike back down onto the road...and collided with Tracey.  They both crashed in a tangle of tires and handlebars.  They both were wearing their helmets, of course, but Howard got a black eye IMMEDIATELY after the collision.  It was already black by the time we got to him.

Through that collision, and the other crashes of the day, he was nursing some owies by the end of the day.

After we got home, and before bedtime, I asked if he wanted to soak a little in a bath to feel better and he jumped at the chance.

By that time, he had seen his eye, and he was exhausted and a little weepy.

When he was in the tub, the following conversation transpired:

"Hey Buddy.  I know you're feeling sore and pretty banged up.  But you know how you remind me of with your black eye?"

"Who?"

"A football player.  Because football players get banged up a lot on the field and they get black eyes from playing.  And when they come home, they soak in a warm tub because they're sore.  You really remind me of a football player."

Howard looked up to me, and I thought he might start to cry... but instead he said,

"I've waited my whole life to be a football player."

After that he has worn his black eye with pride, and he made sure to put on his football jersey first thing the next day.

My Receipt!

We are trying to teach our children the value of money.

They have chores they have to do every day which are an expectation -- dress themselves, brush their teeth, clear their places from the table, pick up toys in the house and the yard, and help feed the animals.  Those are expectations.

The fact that our dishwasher stopped working presented a chance for them to earn some extra money over the past week.  Since there can really only be one washer and one dryer, I also created some other opportunities for extra chores to earn money.

The kids were charged with picking up the basement -- which was a DISASTER, and rewarded with $2 each for that job -- because it was a huge job.  In addition, one day I had to fold MOUNTAINS of clean laundry which resulted in a tremendous amounts of folded piles of laundry which needed to be put away properly.

The twins each $.10 per trip upstairs to put away laundry and Lee Lee earned $.01 per trip.

Caroline walked way with $2.40

Howard walked way with $1.60

and Lee Lee cashed in with $0.08.

All of those chores led to a discussion about money -- how many coins equal bills, how many bills equal bigger bills... and the greatest excitement -- how and where they were allowed to spend their earned money.

We tallied up everyone's piggy banks, and discussed how much money they might want to take to a dollar store in Grand Junction and how much money they might want to put "In The Bank" (Daddy's safe) for another time.

After much deliberation, Tracey, Howard, and Caroline each decided to take $6 to the dollar store with Daddy in Grand Junction.

I stayed home with Lee Lee and Hunter, so I don't know everything that transpired in the store, but I do know that Howard happily came home with a new basketball and hoop that cost $6.  Tracey came home with a set of stickers, markers, tattoos and jewels and a pack of candy purchased with her $6.  And Sweet Caroline bought a Mickey and Minnie painting set and a bag of candy.

Howard even ran in to greet me saying, "Here is my receipt!!"

Lee Lee with her pennies!

Nail Polish

A few days ago, I let Tracey take some nail polish outside to paint her nails.

That went okay.

Then Caroline and Howard said they wanted to paint their nails.  It was outside.

That went okay.

Then Lee Lee wanted her nails painted and I asked the big kids to paint her nails - outside.

I think that's where the problem started.

This picture was taken after I hosed off Lee Lee and Caroline and washed and scrubbed their legs trying to get as much nail polish off their legs as I possibly could.

It was also on their arms, faces, clothing, in their hair, on the deck, the slide, and on many parts of the grass.

Guess Who

Early on in quarantine, I saw an idea for kids playing Guess Who over Face Time... so we ordered one game from Amazon, and then quickly encouraged my parents to buy their own game.

So, between 3-5 times a week one or both of my parents sit down and play Guess Who over FaceTime with one or two of my children.

It is really sweet.

A few days ago, the big kids were on an adventure with Daddy and Lee Lee and Hunter spent the day at home with Mama.  Lee Lee had so much fun playing three games with Grammie and Papa.

We bought blue light glasses for all the kids (and for myself) after all this zoom/online/digital school and work took over.  The first week I was was back to work, my eyes were driving me crazy -- fuzzy vision, headaches, and really itchy.  So, here are some pictures of Lee Lee playing FaceTime Guess Who with Grammie and Papa while wearing her blue light glasses.

Cuter Every Day

This little guys just cuter and cuter every day... I guess when you're six months old, that's they way its supposed to be.

Working From Home

Nine weeks into quarantine, and Lee Lee has learned what it means to work from home.

Next Thursday

Our dishwasher is broken... like really broken.

There is a pool in the bottom of the dishwasher that we cannot get to drain, broken.

Thankfully, we are still under warranty so the repair is scheduled... for next Thursday.

We are two days into life with no dishwasher and so far the kids are learning that it is good that they have so many brothers and sisters -- more people to wash and dry.

Saying, "Hi"

This is quarantine... this is the part I will probably forget, but I think it gives a glimpse into how our lives have changed.

In this first pictures, I was taking a picture of Howard working on his Legos on the table by the window and spread all over the windowsill.

But as I took the picture, we saw a random person walking past our house.  This is not a person that we know.  He immediately put his Legos down and started knocking on the window, waving and saying, "Hi!  Hi!"

She didn't turn and wave -- maybe she had head phones in and didn't hear him.

But this is what social distancing has done to kids like ours.

We are so fortunate that they are healthy and happy and have us at home and have each other to play with.  But they are happy social kids.  They are the kids that smile, wave, and say hello to every shopper at Costco when we are shopping as a family.

They adore their teachers and the love time with baby-sitters, and they generally think that every human on the face of the earth wants to be their friends.  So much so, that when they see anyone walk past our house, they bang on the windows trying to say hello because they miss being able to make new friends.

1000 Words

1000 Words