Saturday, October 31, 2020

October

October was a really good month for us, and possibly the most "normal" month we have had since COVID. The weather was still decent for most of it too, which helped immensely.

All our added park time helped Jemma conquer the monkey bars. She didn't even start trying them until the middle of September. Here's a little clip of her from early October!

We had Grandma and Grandpa over for a day of crafts and pumpkin carving!




The girls got to have a sleepover with Grammy and Grampy that included parks, culvers, a trip to the Pumpkin Patch and A LOT of playing!


We went on a fun family hike to Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve in Lemont to soak up some fall color. The waterfall was completely dry, so the girls enjoyed walking through where it normally runs! 






Jade's Girl Scout troop was able to meet twice this month for a hike and pumpkin painting. It was SO nice to see the girls having fun together and not over Zoom!



Jade was able to have a complete season of soccer as well. Her team was paired with one other team and they were allowed to practice together twice a week and scrimmage with each other on Saturdays. One of Jemma's friends has a sister on Jade's team, so it worked out so well for them to play on the playground together during practices and games! Jade improved so much this year, and has really come to love playing soccer. Indoor seasons have been postponed because of COVID unfortunately. :(

(I was able to catch a video of Jade scoring a goal. She is in a yellow jersey with hot pink socks.)



Halloween was a blast! Jade and Jemma dressed up as Mal and Uma from Descendants 2. The weather was perfect and we had the best time trick or treating with our neighbors! So many people had very creative and socially distant ways of passing out candy! We trick or treated for about 2 hours taking a break in between to take a quick break and empty round one candy.




Wednesday, September 30, 2020

September

 September was a bit of a "blah" month for us. School was supposed to start mid August, but got pushed back a few weeks and officially started for the girls on September 1st. 

They are full time remote learning, so the first few weeks were definitely an adjustment period for all of us. The girls log on to their Homeroom class via Zoom at 8:15 and have a combination of synchronous (through Zoom) and asynchronous (on their own) learning of all subjects until 2:30 pm each day. We made it a point to get outside on movement breaks during school (riding bikes, jumping on the trampoline, swinging etc.) and going to the park after school. 





I was able to sneak in a quick girls weekend with my three best friends from high school! We rented a house walking distance to Lake Michigan near Union Pier, MI. It had been so long since we were all together! Not only did we have the best time, it was a much needed escape for me!



We continued to soak up as many park dates as we could after school while the weather was still so nice! The girls could play at the park for HOURS every day and I love getting out of the house, so it's a win for all!





Tuesday, September 1, 2020

Jemma Turns 6

 I know I say it every year, but I can't believe my BABY turned 6!! We had a super fun weekend celebrating the birthday girl! On Saturday (8/29) we had a small party for Jemma with the four of us and both sets of grandparents! The weather was gorgeous, so we were able to spend pretty much all day outside!














The next day, for Jemma's official birthday we started the morning with chocolate chip muffins from Mariano's followed by a trip to the American Girl Place in Chicago! We let her choose a doll for her big birthday gift, and she had gotten a gift card from Grammy and Grampy to spend as well!




She chose the 3 in 1 game table (ping pong, air hockey and foosball) with her gift card from Grammy and Grampy!


After a thorough look at all of the dolls, Jemma decided without question on the Truly Me doll with pink hair! :)





When we got home she opened two color reveal Barbie's and a rock painting set from the Baum family! 



... and a few other little items from us!


Jemma's choice for dinner was macaroni and cheese with peas!


We finished up the day with ice cream at Colonial Cafe and a park stop before dark!


Depsite COVID, Jemma had the BEST Birthday! Thank you to everyone who helped make her day so special!