Thanksgiving 2020

 I love Thanksgiving--for lots of reasons, but especially the reminder to reflect on the year and just be grateful. This year, I found myself feeling extra thankful for all the things I always feel thankful for--family, friends, faith, a job and colleagues I love, a comfortable house. 

But a few new things made their way to the top of the list as well. For example, I'm really and truly thankful that we have health insurance! Broken leg + ambulance ride + broken leg + surgery + hospital stay = $$$$$$$. Grateful. I'm thankful for our local library, and how they let us check out an obscene number of books and DVDs on March 14, which we then had for months through quarantine. When they reopened, it became one of the very few places we took the kids. DJ developed a love of reading. Grateful. I'm thankful for the precious times we did get to see family, especially for Nellie's musical right before everything closed down. So grateful. I'm thankful for our families and the many families and friends at school who helped us through Nellie's injuries with meals, books, running errands, and everything else that helped us get through. Grateful. And the list goes on! Thank you, Lord, for strengthening us and holding our hands as we weathered all the events of this year.

We had a lovely first-ever Thanksgiving at home with the seven of us! Kevin and I ran 5K, then the day was full of the parade, football, Zoom calls and trivia with family, cooking, eating, Christmas music, board games, Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, and The Mandalorian. There were only a couple of minor setbacks--like when I took out the chicken broth but reached for the apple juice that someone had left out and accidentally invented apple turkey gravy. It wasn't terrible!

The gravy ingredients 😬

The turkey and my best helpers

The table

The post-dinner nap

The long-awaited launch of the Christmas lights

All the fall fun

I've found that when a school year is particularly challenging, the weekends become these precious 48-hour windows to catch up on house and schoolwork, play, and rest. This year, with all its uncertainties and changes and underlying worries, we sort of dipped our toes into anything fun with some hesitation. Going back to school in a pandemic, we knew we had to be ever so careful and give up many of the things we normally enjoy. But looking back over the past couple of months, I am reminded of all the big and little moments we had to enjoy creation, enjoy each other, try new things, and carry on with some version of fall traditions.

We went camping on the coldest weekend of the fall--but we survived freezing overnight temperatures to enjoy warm days in the woods.

There was a trip to the Country Mill for donuts, cider, and playing on the playground. I took the kids to the pumpkin patch for the first time, which resulted in 116 lbs. of pumpkins and lots of angst for Mary Cate over picking the perfect pumpkin.

Annie ran cross country and DJ tried out soccer, and both were able to learn a whole lot of new skills, be active, make friends, and stay healthy and safe.

Most days while Annie was at practice, I took the kids to the playground. I learned that they LOVE the tire swing, but also that there is such a thing as too much tire swing (via two pukers in the van on our way home one day).

Annie did end up with 8 stitches over her eye, but that was because of a PE collision. 

We walked the trails at Fitzgerald Park with Lisa and Sarah and Alex's family--it was great to see them for the first time since summer.

I had the opportunity to help lead professional development in West Michigan, while Kevin took the kids to the U.P. I got to spend an evening on Lake Michigan, which was beautiful and refreshing. It took some convincing on Kevin's end, but I drove up to Sault Ste. Marie when the training was over to spend about 36 hours with them. It was worth it. We visited the best coffee shop in Michigan on our way to our favorite beach spot on Lake Superior, where we hiked a long stretch of lakeshore. Just two months after our initial summer visit when we picnicked and swam, this time, there was snow.

We celebrated Halloween with a front yard bonfire and pizza before some social distance trick-or-treating.

We raked leaves!

Kevin, Annie, and I ran the Woldumar 5K (Annie beat us), then we went back the next day and met Erin and the kids! Again, it was wonderful to see family after so long, even masked and staying outdoors. 

We took the shortest-ever trip to Gull Lake to visit Pam. We took a cold walk/bike ride and exchanged baked treats and gave air hugs before heading home. 💙

The Wernets started a fantasy football league...I don't have any pictures of that, but here's a screenshot with our current rankings! It's not looking so good for Mario All-Stars and Mom (Eddie and me).

The best lines of the week

 Annie was making pancakes and two were starting to run together. "Oh no you don't," Annie cried while using the spatula to break them apart. "I'm like a chaperone at a 6th-grade dance!"

Last Friday, I asked the kids what they wanted to do after school since it wasn't a school night. DJ told me he wanted to do math because they hadn't gotten to the math lesson that day. "Okay," I said. "What's 21 divided by 3?" He immediately responded, "Seven. I know that one from football."

One night, DJ was extra tired and cranky. He finally plopped down next to me and said, "My legs are SO tired. They've been dragging around a 60-pound weight all day!" It took me a minute to figure out what he meant. "Do you mean...your body?" He did.

Mary Cate had to unlearn some bad habits she picked up from her siblings when she went back to school. She loves to "teacher read" books to her stuffed animals and imaginary students, and I overheard her reading, "Does God want you to say words like stupid, hate, and freakin'? No! God made you, and He loves you! He does not want you to say words like stupid, hate, and freakin'!" 😳 So, I guess she's learning?

Mary Cate, age 4

I'm actually pretty proud that we raised this child past age 3. Just kidding, sort of. Mary Cate has turned a corner and seems very grownup lately. Just this morning, she woke up, got out of bed, and walked downstairs by herself. When she saw us, she remarked, "Oh, hi Mom. Hi Dad." That might not seem like a big deal, but until recently, Mary waking up involved a lot of screaming. I guess she had to get it out of her system early. Or she was just getting her vocal cords warmed up for the day.

But really, four is such a fantastic age. Mary is fun, funny, curious, and helpful. She knows what she wants and she works hard to keep up with her siblings, and now, her classmates. It's been amazing to watch her start school this year so happy and confident. In her words, with "almost ZERO crying." 

I can't imagine our lives without this spunky girl! We love her to pieces and can't wait to see what this year holds. It's time for the birthday interview!

How do you feel about being four?  

I feel super big, like I'm five.

What makes you most excited about being four?

Going to Papa John's house and meeting Papa Mike!

What kinds of new things can four-year-olds do?

Help mom do dishes, count families of birdies, play basketball on the highest one.

Who are your best friends?

Let me think about this. Like Robynne, Allison, Leah, and Alexa. Otto! Lani and Corbin. Luke maybe, and maybe Elliott.

Who are your favorite people to play with?
Alexa, Eddie, DJ, Mom.

What kinds of things are you good at?

Like doing crafts and not getting the glue all over me. Not crying.

What do you want to be when you grow up?
Teacher. A doctor. How about when somebody gets hurt I'll be a doctor, and then I'll be a teacher.

Why do you want to be a teacher and a doctor?
Because I learned how to. I watched my teacher and I play doctor.

What’s your favorite song?   

Doc songs!

What's your favorite food?
Mac and cheese!

Favorite drink [this question was her idea.]

Juice! Juice.

Favorite movie?
Frozen! Frozen 2 and Frozen 1. Both.

Favorite book?   

Let me think about this one, Mom. The Frozen book where you can look for Frozen things!

Favorite color?   
Blue. You already knowed that.

Favorite place to be?

Impression 5!

What are your favorite things to do?   
Build with blocks! Watch shows like Doc!

What is your favorite present that you opened for your birthday?
My Doc McStuffins watch!

Why do you yell so loud? [This one was also her idea.]

Because I want Mommy and she doesn't come unless I yell that loud.

Is there anything else you want us to know about you?   
That I find a bunch of fall leaves.

A different kind of summer fades into a different kind of fall

 As summer winded down, work continued to ramp up but we fit in plenty of fun. There were cousin sleepovers and last-minute mini-vacations to visit family and water. We held Mary Cate's front yard 4th birthday party a little early to see some family and friends before school started.

On a couple of trips to Pam's, we packed in swimming and synchronized swim performances, walks, delicious dinners on the grill, boat rides, bike rides, kayaking, and more. We also spent a few days in the U.P. for some safe-distance visits with John. We discovered the best coffee shop, the best Lake Superior beach, and the quietest sort of vacation we've had in a long time. It was peaceful and lovely.

Then, finally, it was back to school. After so many months of planning and preparing and wondering, the first day of school actually came. We're so happy to be back and everyone's adjusting just fine to masks and distancing and a block schedule!

As Nellie prepares to go back to school, thus marking the real end of summer break for the Wernet family, I asked everyone the (probably dreaded) question--What was the highlight of your summer? Here's what they had to say.

Kevin: Going up north to his dad's.

Nellie: The first time she jumped in the water at Aunt Pam's house after she got her boot off and her leg didn't hurt!

Annie: Trips to Aunt Pam's.

DJ: Learning to jump off the deep part of the dock without a noodle or float and jumping off the diving board at Otto's house.

Eddie: Jumping off of the dock and Aunt Pam's.

Mary Cate: Building with blocks, snuggling with Mommy and with her blankie.

We love summer life, but we're ready to welcome fall in all it's glory!

Mary Cate-isms

• T-ball and baseball games got boring, so Kevin made up a game where he would throw something--like a hat or mitt--and Mary would run and get it. Yes, he basically played fetch with her. Before she started running each time, Mary would gear up by yelling, "Super-try-out-what-to-do!"
• Mary Cate likes to put on her sunglasses and walk around, saying, "I'm a rock star, movie star, anything you got!"
• One of my favorite parts of summer was all the kayaking I was able to do, mostly with Mary sitting at the bow. When we finally pulled the kayaks up after our last time at Pam's, we found her practicing her rowing. Before she noticed Kevin watching, he heard her chanting, "My arms can't do it but I'll get through it!" It's a good mantra as we start the school year.
  
  
  
• Mary has started using the expression "as ____ as a pickle" to describe all kinds of situations. Every day, it's "I'm as hot as a pickle in a pie," or, "I'm as tired as a pickle!" We think it comes from a particular character on Doc McStuffins, and it's a good way to get a laugh. Pickle is a funny word no matter how old you are. 
• Mary: I'm tired. Me: I'm tired, too. Mary, hugging me: WE'RE TIRED BUDDIES!
• Me: My tummy is so big from all that food I ate today. Mary: And from all those babies you had in there. 

Summer fun, slightly revised

For the first few weeks of summer, when anyone asked how it was going, the best I could come with was, "weird." After 12 weeks at home, transitioning to summer didn't have quite the same feeling as usual. I'm still working a lot more than in a typical summer. We can't do most of the things that usually keep us busy, like trips to the zoo, museum, and playgrounds or long weekends at the lake. We thought about a camping trip and had it pretty much planned before Nellie reminded us that she was in no state to sleep on the ground or move around a campsite.

But then Sarah and Alex invited us for a camping weekend in their backyard! It was doable because Nellie could sleep indoors, and the creek and pond provided all the summer fun we could need. We waded, swam, kayaked, floated, had a bonfire, made s'mores, lighted sparklers, ate every meal outdoors--it certainly felt like real camping!

Over the 4th of July, we finally had our first overnight at Gull Lake. We were able to manage social distancing by staying outdoors most of the time and only going into and sleeping in the basement. Other than the parade, we got to do all the things we love on the 4th, including watching the fireworks from the boat. And we participated in the sign decorating for a virtual parade and actually won the prize for "best family photo." 

Now, the boys have started baseball and t-ball with some modified rules to keep the kids healthy, and the girls are doing virtual camps through the Wharton Center for acting and dance. With everything else going on in the world and the looming uncertainties of the next school year, we've appreciated these nice little spaces for familiar summer fun. And I think we've started some new traditions in the process!

The kids found a clay deposit in the creek and hauled up a sled full of it to play with. They spent hours making clay pots and bowls.

I never thought I'd see all the kids swimming in a pond, but they sure had fun. Nellie discovered she could still kayak in her boot.

The award-winning photo :)