Pandemic Summer

It’s been four months since the lock down started for us in California. Since that time so much has happened. The most important being the birth of our adorable baby girl. Since we use nicknames for my kiddos online, I’d love feedback on how to refer to her on this blog. A pandemic/COVID-19 name sounds fun. If you have any great ideas, leave a comment below. Her initials are PDP if that’s helpful for your creative juices.

Here she is. Isn’t she the most beautiful 2020 baby you ever saw? Never mind my bias. She has the most darling blue eyes, and chubbier cheeks and thighs than any of my kiddos ever had. She’s also about to pop out her two bottom teeth. No joke, we can see them just below surface of the gums. She’s been teething since she was two months old! None of my girls have gotten teeth this early! Since having baby I have been trying to get a full nights sleep… which has yet to happen.

We’ve been finishing up homeschool for the year and planning curriculum for next year. A little update on home school… we love it! We’ve memorized poems that Ben learned as a child. We’ve learned about artists, masterpieces, animals, magnets, space, the water cycle, and the human body. We’ve enjoyed writing stories and going on field trips. It has been a wonderful, family learning experience. I am looking forward to continuing our new lifestyle this upcoming school year.

I’ve heard that many people, maybe including you, have thought of homeschooling during this pandemic time. Starting homeschooling is much like, I imagine, skydiving or cliff jumping. The jump is the scariest part. Once you’ve made the choice and get started, it gets easier every day. I hope so much that you find joy in it as I have. Feel free to comment below or message me for advice to get started or free resources. You never know, until you give it a fair shot, if you will love it.

Five weeks after giving birth to our pandemic baby, we took off for Utah for a wedding. California was still completely shut down as Utah was starting to open up again. So, we figured we’d stay in Utah and visit family for the summer while things settled down in Cali. We were looking forward to spending quarantine with family and going on walks and hikes again. The part of California where we live was so crowded that even beaches and trails were being shut down. So many people were flocking to any open space to get away. As such, it was a bit tough to keep physical distancing even in the open spaces. So we just stayed home. It was suffocating.

While out in Utah, Ben decided to start his own production company. He wrote, shot, and directed several commercials for a law firm as his first gig in June. It turned out rather well.

We also found out that Ben did not get the major role that we hoped he’d get. That sucked. He’s still in line for a supporting role, although they’ve halted production until next year.

We have had a wedding, a baby blessing, and will be having a baptism soon. We’ve lost baby teeth, gotten new glasses, had family photos taken, and had negative Covid tests (big sigh of relief there). We’ve gotten messy and climbed trees. We’ve been hiking, swimming, and adventuring all over from Idaho to Utah.

While out here we have been watching closely the pandemic numbers in California. Our neighborhood had been one of the hot spots in the county. Because of this… we’re sincerely thinking of staying in Utah to ride this thing out for a bit. I really do not want to be back where trails are shut down, beaches are closed, our jobs are still completely shut down, and our neighborhood grocery store is a prime place to pick up a virus that has caused nations to shut down. What’s more, California is more than likely heading into another lockdown. I’d rather not be there for that.

In order to stay out here, Ben started job searching. He was able to land a job as a media/advertising director. It will allow Ben to work remotely, thereby allowing him the freedom to maintain the freelancing (acting and producing) that he’s been working hard to build. I can’t tell you how much of a blessing this will be for our family. It’ll be a consistent source of income for us and will allow us to once again be an independent family. I could cry for joy. And I have.

So now we’re at crossroads again. We’re hoping that we’re not just running from something dangerous by staying out of California, but running toward something amazing. This pandemic has brought about new trials to our family but also great blessings. I believe that’s true for many families.

I hope for you there are more blessings than trials. I hope you’re enjoying your summer and your children. I hope you’re staying safe. I hope you’re able to take big deep cleansing breaths with the lungs that we always took for granted before. I hope that the tragedies are few and the miracles are many for us all. God is good.