My Favorite Covid Memory...so far.

There have been lots of articles, posts and musings floating around about how our kids will remember this time of global shutdown...full of focused attention, family time, puzzles and fireside chats (because THAT is happening in every home, right?!)  And while I’m pushing myself to take advantage of this extra uninterrupted time with my kids, it got me thinking about what I will remember about this time beyond the stress and inconvenience. Or rather, what could I look to remember?

Several times a week, weather permitting, I schlep the goofballs down to the Puget Sound.  We are beach people and thankfully my culturally inland children both live & breathe the beach air.  We all can relax there. I can sit and breathe in the salt air with little worry as to where the kids have gone; except for that mass body of freezing water, they are generally safe chasing seagulls, throwing rocks or blowing bubbles.   Isaac has taken to sorting through driftwood.  This is a new development for him and I’ve watched him spend hours shopping through different sized drift wood, moving it across the sand to a particular rocky spot, then stack, re-stack and build.  Mila has been recruited for several of these events, gladly bending to Isaac’s directions on where to place a particular piece of driftwood.  That level of cooperation in itself has been a head scratching event for me.  But what is he actually doing??  Just playing? Each structure has a different form and apparent use.  Mila seems to understand what is happening? What in the world…?

Then I heard him singing & signing while he was building and realized that he usually IS singing when he builds. Then I caught the tune:  “Don’t build your house on a sandy land…you’ve better build your house upon the Rock…”.  Oh my goodness!  He is literally building a house upon the rockS!    I could not stop smiling.  There is so much that my boy absorbs when I don’t know it.  For YEARS we having been listening to Psalty the Singing Songbook sing old Bible songs and ‘teach us worship’, as Mila would say.  As my kiddos are, for practical purposes, non-verbal, it’s always hard to tell what they fully understand.  But when it comes to their sensitivity to the Spirit, I have no doubts.   Their hearts and their extra chromosome of love get it in a way that I know my heart doesn’t always grasp. 

Matthew 18:3 shares of Jesus calling a child to his side "...unless you become like one of these you will not enter the kingdom of God".  One translation says "unless you become teachable again with the wide-eyed wonder of a child..."  Isn't that a beautiful vision of God's heart for us?  Don't make it so  stinking complicated, you goofball! (not an official translation)  Stop and just trust what I said to you as Truth.  Sand = bad=don't build there.  Rocks = good = build here. Find a firm foundation in Me, even if it means moving your sticks with your sister's help.  

This is my favorite COVID Shutdown memory so far. I am so glad we've had the extended time at the beach for me to see God's work in my kids' hearts. #covidblessing 

Happy Easter 2020

Happy Quarantine-Easter! 

We got dressed up, worshiped from our couch and allowed the day to progress unhindered, and I have to say it was probably our best Easter in years. The kids GOT it this year. In the preciousness of their chromosomally enhanced hearts, they understood Easter in a way that I hadn't previously seen or anticipated.  We spent a good portion of Friday's covid homeschooling reading, talking and creating about Easter. I even introduced the kids to Carmen's The Champion---ooh that was good!

Then Sunday morning I woke to an early text encouraging us to watch a special presentation of JESUS.  Ok, I guess, but we kinda know the story.  OH BOY, was it good!  Simply stellar and probably the highlight of our day.  A Broadway quality stage production of the life of Jesus and we were all captivated.  The kids were enthralled--asking questions and adding their own interpretations.  (When Peter is called out of the boat to walk on the water with Jesus, Isaac's mouth dropped and he declared, quoting his favorite song title, "oh wow, oceans of fun!" *haha*.  And when the Holy Spirit landed on Jesus' body in the tomb to rise him from the dead, Mila gasped "oh boy! this good!")  This was such a special two hours for us as a family and I am so thankful for that early morning text. 

We ate, we napped, we egg hunted and the kids gorged on treats while listening to Chris Tomlin in the sun.  It was kinda perfect.

(What you can't see is Isaac sporting blue swordfish shorts & green monster socks and Mila added pink and grey heart socks to her outfit!)

Then Mila got her hands on a bubble wand.  Oh.  My.  Goodness.  This and chocolate are clearly the way to my girly's heart.  She blew bubbles for HOURS, squealing with each bubble that she herself brought into the universe.  Who knew this would make her so happy?

My absolute favorite part of the whole day?  Mila spontaneously clutching her heart saying "oh mom!  Jesus loves me!"  and at lunch Isaac declaring on his own "Jesus-friend Alive!"  What a gift to this momma's heart.  They get it.  They really get it.  

COVID Homeschooling Week 3

"Today is March 43, 2020"

(Isaac was NOT wrong)

We are finding our groove with this whole working mom-homeschooling-pandemic quarantine thing.  The kids are really doing well with daily school work and making great strides.  Isaac has been working on telling time and he read an ENTIRE 32 page book BY HIMSELF!  You can tell just how proud he was!

Mila was OVER THE MOON to be able to zoom with two of her favorite teachers this week.  She is quite the social butterfly and not having that social outlet has been very difficult for her during the quarantine.  There have been pretty consistent moments of 'despair' that wash over her without any particular warning...she is clearly emoting 'why I am still looking only at you two people?!"  Yup, I get it.  She is thriving in having daily music time alone and will even ask "Momma, Jesus music today please?"  Most definitely! Two orders of worship coming up!  She is crushing her sight words and is also loving having a cooking project or two to work on in the kitchen every week.  

We are taking advantage of every dry moment to get outside and get our energy out. I'm convinced we've thrown enough rocks and driftwood into the Puget Sound to raise the tide a level or two! I suppose if you are going to have to be socially distance, the Pacific Northwest is a pretty stellar place to do it.