Just Another Note on Covid-19

“Uh oh.” she said. This past Monday morning we stopped by the library before they closed their doors. I knew we needed to stock up on books for our whole family fast. My canvas bag was bursting as I tossed a couple more little golden books into it. Felicity ran to the play area, only to find bare shelves. All of the toys were locked away and the children’s section was empty except for a few preteens each snatching an entire series of books. Felicity had opened the fridge to the play kitchen, then the microwave. I heard her say Uh oh when she found them empty. Her little mind trying to figure out why all of the toys were missing.

I can’t pretend to tell you that I’ve been reading every little detail of this virus because I haven’t. I know that it’s best for all of us to remain isolated for a time and we’re trying to make the best of it as I’m sure everyone is right now. I have to say that I’m so proud of all the companies who’ve taken action allowing their employees to work from home and I’m also saddened for the many lives this virus is disrupting.

Felicity and I make it out of the house nearly every morning during the week. Staying home has been a huge adjustment for us but we’re grateful to have a home that suits our needs, a yard that she’s never done exploring, trees that shade over the streets in our neighborhood for walks and the beautiful weather we’ve had that’s allowed us to be outside.

If we’re not outside playing in the yard, we’re on a walk. As soon as I say “Let’s go on a walk.” Felicity and Bingley run to the mud room. Lici sits and tries tirelessly to get her shoes on until I come over with our water bottles ready to help her. She bounces up and down at the door handle. “A Wok?” She asks. Then barrels down to her stroller in the garage while I’m trying to get Bingley’s leash on.

A few times when we’ve returned, Brandon is sitting outside working. Just until his laptop gets too covered in pollen. Our neighbor was out playing with her boys Friday, she offered us an extra bag of sand for Felicity play in. We happily accepted and set up this little bucket. Lici and I dug our hands in, finding buried stones and feeding them to her dinosaur. If I closed my eyes long enough it felt as if we were sitting right on the beach, the sand sticking to my thighs and the scent of Lici’s sunscreen permeating through the air.

I mean if you can’t be at the beach, you might as well imagine you are.

Lici played in her new mini sand box for nearly an hour both in the morning and afternoon which was a lovely unexpected gift!

When she was done with sand it was back to bike riding down the driveway (and spotting airplanes.). She’s getting quite good at this little balance bike of hers.

We’re hoping that the end to all of this is coming sometime soon but in the mean time we’re staying connected with friends and fam through some hilarious video calls and on-point memes. We’re also taking this time to pray a little extra for our loved ones safety and for everyone across the globe. May we all get through this without feeling like we were a bad parent or a short tempered spouse. May we all have a little extra grace for everyone under our roof including ourselves.