Glass Half Full

April showers bring May flowers.  Literally, we need the rain in order for life to continue and grow. This past month was 30 days filled with what felt like a lot of rain…in more ways than many. Another month being in quarantine. Another month being home. Another month  homeschooling. Another month of getting creative. Another month of time spent with family. I honestly thing that this time of being home has either brought out the best or worst in people. I would like to think that it actually brought out the best in me. Don’t get me wrong. I had my days. But, they were a lot fewer than I would have expected. I have cooked more, spent less money, spent quality time with my boys doing activities we probably wouldn’t have done, taught and learned right along with them in their school work, and house projects were completed. There has been way less fighting than I dare admit between all of us. Maybe it’s just because we fell into a routine and just accepted that this is what it is (for now). I honestly miss socializing with friends and having people over but other than that, there is not much I miss. I am being honest. The stay home order was lifted yesterday and I am not even sure what or where I want to go. I honestly don’t want to go back to being so busy which always brings stress with it. We do miss our sports but it has been a nice break to not have anything written on the calendar.

So, although I know many people have really struggled through this, I am blessed to say that it hasn’t been that bad for us. Again, I have had my days and cried and yelled but I have also laughed and had fun so much more. I don’t take this lightly. I am aware of what is going on in the world and the struggles that others are going through. I have been encouraged by so many stories of people losing their jobs, going through health issues, struggling with their children, and watching them rise above it. It is how we choose to look at the glass. I have always been a half full kind of girl. These past two months have tested that but at the end of the day, I have a plan and start over. I continue to pray that more people can have peace despite what they are dealing with and see that the glass can be half full and not half empty.

We have kept busy this past month by working on our home bucket list. We have gone on walks, road bikes, gone swimming, played board games, built forts, put on a fashion show, experimented in the kitchen, explored science, washed cars, had outdoor movies, wrote letters, had nerf wars, and worked on our fitness. Roman and I have been running 4 times a week this past month. I am so proud of his determination. I love having a running buddy and it gives us a nice time to chat each day just the two of us. Max did join us a couple of times and did great to keep up with us. Rick and I took on some house projects. You know, the kind you think will take a day but end up being a lot longer and cost a lot more…with many trips to Lowes in between…HAHA! We dug out a bunch of bamboo in the back by the pool. It was about 50 hours of labor between the two of us, more money than I ever imagined after it was all said and done but so worth it. We cleaned out the garage and painted the floor. We switched out some fans in the house. Small projects but big payout. I love DIY but Rick does not. So, any project can sometimes get a little ‘confrontational’ with us. We just do things differently. But, in the end it always works out and we can hug, high five, and say job well done.

We had a great Easter Sunday. It was obviously different than any other in the past. We did get dressed in regular clothes, watched church on TV, had an Easter egg hunt in the yard, set up the table for a nice dinner, and the Easter bunny was let out of quarantine to deliver the baskets. We missed being with friends and family but it will be a time we will always remember.

Some things that have been our new normal that I want to keep even when this is all over: making more dinners at home, making real breakfasts for the boys instead of cereal, making my own iced coffee and not running to Starbucks all the time, making an effort everyday to do something special with the boys, taking walks as a family, staying in contact with family and friends, not filling up the calendar, and cutting the boys hair (will save money and I do a good job with it).

So, what does the future hold. Who knows? We are slowly being let out of our little bubbles. All I know and hope for is that no matter what tomorrow may bring, I want to hold on to ALL the great things that we have learned in the past two months and use it to better our future.

We hope you are all safe, healthy, and seeing the glass half full. We are all in this together and even when/if this is all over, we will forever be tied together for going through something that will one day be in the history books.

We love you all!!!!

April Photos and Videos (I took a lot of video this past month:)