September 20-26

Another week done. We were pretty happy to make it thru the first full week of school. 5 days full day everyday for both Becky and Ally. Lots of work and at time pretty emotional but some really good things too.

Becky and Beth tried out a new hiking destination.

Spectacular views!

Later on Sunday Ally finally tried out her bike. It’s been 2 years since she had ridden. But you know what they say and it’s true...it is just like riding a bike.

She considered riding to volleyball later in the day. But none of her close neighbor friends were biking over so in the end she rode in the car with me.

But we were psyched she had not forgotten how to ride.

Volleyball with school friends.

Olive came over afterwards and they hung out drinking hot cocoa. 

Monday morning Cloey was all wrapped up.

Monday! First full day of 8th grade.

Ally met up with friends, Olive, Lizzie, Ellie and Maya to do school with.

Ally took this sunset picture on her way home from track on Tuesday.

After track Ally opened a new Ipsy package. One of the highlights of each month.

Later that night Ally hung out with us before bed. 

Wednesday was a surprise party for her friend Willow. 

Ally decided it was too hot for her Tshirt and jeans so she changed into a tank top before walking next door to Maya’s house.

Becky got a HUGE squash in our weekly CSA.

Some candidates from the party. 

Camilla, Lizzie, Ally, Willow, Catalina, Maya and Colette. 

Ally has really been feeling her height or lack thereof lately. It doesn’t help that many of her friends are actually above average height at 5’6” - 5’7”. 

Thursday before track.

Monday lunchtime antics. 

Dropping Daisy



So she falls over in confusion because Daisy has her harness on.

I love the look on both Daisy and Ally’s faces.

Friday was Alice’s birthday, the first Guatemala Girl to turn 14. So Ally and I went over to her house for a short social distance visit. We sang Happy Birthday and gave Alice her gift. The girls posed in front of a Quetzal made out of balloons. Very cool.

I baked 2 apple pies with just a small portion of the 30 pounds of apples we picked last weekend. We brought one of the pies to Sophocles and his mom. 

Becky and I started watching “The World’s Toughest Race” and binge watched it Friday and Saturday.

Saturday Ally organized her closet again. She put away all her summer clothes and put out her Fall/Winter clothes. Sweatpants and sweatshirts and sweaters.

Ally requested chocolate chip pancakes for dinner. 

And the week ended with Ally and Becky playing Minecraft.

Love her and her smile.

September 12-19

Summer vacation is officially over and even though school is remote and not in person I don’t feel like there is a title for the weeks. It’s not summer, it’s not the Coronacation. So I’ve stopped counting weeks as if they are part of something. It’s life now and it goes on this way until it changes. It’s life in this weird “now normal” pandemic world we are living in.

But we still manage to have fun and mark milestones and do normal stuff.

Still no gymnastics for Ally, she’s taking some time off to work on PT for her ankle. But we are busy as ever. 

Ally goes to the track for running club on Tuesdays and Thursdays, therapy 3-4 days a week, and social stuff 2-3 times a week with friends. Becky and Beth are hiking on Sundays, I’m chaperoning 8th grade social gatherings a few times a week and we’re working and juggling and finding some joy and silver linings in this messy cloudy pandemic life.

I’ve decided to try and keep up with blogging every week. It feels really good to focus on the positive and the good of this time in our life. 

Sunday morning snuggles with Daisy.

An Ipsy package arrived.

Monday night I made Ally a “British Tea” spread for dinner. Crumpets with strawberry jam, grapes, lemonade and a sample of desserts. Ally ate everything but a couple grapes and a few bites of the Rice Krispie treat. 

It was a very emotional day on Monday. Ally went to Kimball Farm with her friend Ellie. It’s got a farm stand and ice cream and mini golf and bumper boats and a couple of small rides.

But during the day we found out that there was a mistake with Ally’s placement in Advisory groups for 8th grade. It took until Tuesday to get it fixed so it was a roller coaster of emotions while we waited for good news.  

Sharing the futon with Cloey at her head and Daisy at her feet helped Ally with her anxiety Monday night.

Tuesday Ally and I started a 500 piece puzzle. 

Soup for lunch. And good news! Ally’s Advisory group was settled and she was back with her group from last year and all was good. She went to the orthodontist and was feeling as ready as she could for school starting on Wednesday.

A harness and leash arrived for Daisy! 

I gave Ally a manicure. She chose black nail polish.

We finished our puzzle that afternoon and Ally went to Running Club. 

Wednesday was the first day of school.

On Thursday before school I snapped these pictures. Daisy is all over Ally’s desk during school and here she was cleaning herself!

Ally was a bit embarrassed for Daisy.

Friday night we had takeout from Shake Shack for dinner to celebrate the first week of school. Milkshakes and Fries and burgers are always good. And we had family movie night. We watched the new live action Mulan movie. We all have it a thumbs up.

Saturday we went Apple picking with Aunt Beth and some of Ally’s friends and their moms.

The teenager “I’m humoring you mom” look

Lizzie, Camila, Ally and Ellie

It was late when we left and starting to get dark, but the 4 of them are lined up on ladders.

We had a deal that she could wear all black but I got to take as many pictures as I wanted of her. She wanted to wear black bc it matched her Air Jordan’s.

We got home around 630 and then Ally left again. An 8th grade parent is hosting an outdoor movie night for kids. There were 12 kids going. 

Pretty neat set up:

I dropped off a heater earlier in the day because it’s supposed to be 45 degrees tonight!

Ally was pretty excited about it. And when she got home at 10:15pm she said it was fun. They watched an X-Men movie but she didn’t pay too much attention to the movie, lots of chatting and boys throwing food “I got hit in the face with a pizza crust” she told us. That would be 8th grade co-ed socializing at its best. 

There is a group of us parents working hard to create and maintain outdoor social gatherings for the kids. It’s getting colder but with heaters and warm clothes we hope we can keep this up for a a few more months at least.