COVID-19

How is everyone coping as we practice social distancing?  We’re on day 3 of home schooling and it kind of feels like month 3.  We’re lucky because I’m able to work from home and A’s school is closed so he is caring for the boys while attempting to home school a first grader and a preschooler.  We are making the most of it, but I already miss our routines and our “normal” days.  In some ways it’s comforting to know that everyone is affected by COVID-19.  We’re all trying to figure things out and working collaboratively to stop the spread of this virus.  But it’s also hard.  I definitely struggle with change and self-quarantining is the ultimate change.  I’m worried that W won’t be returning to school this year.  We love his teacher and he was thriving in first grade.  This is S’s final year of preschool.  It breaks my heart that there is a possibility he won’t return.  He’s a social kid and being away from friends and teachers is going to be difficult for him.  I didn’t even get to say a proper goodbye to my boss because our office is closed.  We had to cancel our spring vacation that we were so much looking forward to.  My heart hurts.  Hoping and praying this virus goes away soon.

I've had quite a few work meetings while working from home and each one ends with someone saying "stay safe and healthy".  Wishing you all the same.

Weekend Recap

Gosh, what a freaking week.  The world is panicking, COVID-19 is spreading, the stock market is nose diving, our vacation is in jeopardy, and my amazing boss resigned (finally found a job I enjoyed and an awesome boss - annnnd that lasted a whole 8 months... UGH).  I’m ready to just hide in my house and eat nothing but Cadbury mini eggs.  Seriously, though.  Everything is a MESS right now.  I’m so disappointed/concerned/frustrated/distraught with this current state of life and trying NOT to focus on all the fun events that will inevitably be canceled.  

This too shall pass, right?

I never posted a weekend recap.  We were busy, busy.  Lots of errands: hair-cuts for the boys, gymnastics class, tax preparation, and outside time.  The boys decided to use the gift cards they received for Christmas and chose to purchase a garbage truck (W) and games (S).  We had lots of fun playing Hedbandz (though S is the biggest cheater!!) and Guess Who.  We also visited a nearby park and it was so great to get some fresh air!

Dreaming of sunny days sans COVID-19

Weekend Recap

I’m falling behind on my exciting weekend recap posts.  Ha.  They aren’t exciting at all, but I love re-reading what we we’ve been up to as the boys have grown.

The week A and I returned from vacation was a rough one.  We returned Monday night and the following Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning, S woke up around midnight vomiting.  I thought he was just getting W’s cold.  He has a tendency to puke any time he has a cold/cough (which is going to make for a really interesting year of Kindergarten, but that’s a worry for another day).  He stayed home from preschool Wednesday, vomited that morning, but then was ok.  By Thursday, he seemed to be totally fine and went to school.  Thursday around midnight, I woke up vomiting.  Friday, I felt awful.  I couldn’t eat anything and couldn’t get out of bed.  Also on Friday, S came down with W’s cold, which resulted in more puking for him (but this time it was definitely the cough causing it).  By Saturday, I was mostly fine.  No appetite, but otherwise, I felt ok.  W continued to get over his cold and finally, by the following week, we were all feeling much better.  Phew.  SO the point of all that was to say that last weekend was kind of a bust and I don’t really have much to recap.

This past Thursday, A turned 40.  I can’t believe it!!  When did we get so old?!?  In all seriousness, I’m incredibly proud of him for taking such good care of himself.  Hoping for continued health!!

Saturday, the boys were super crabby.  They slept in their bunk beds and I’m guessing they didn’t sleep well.  They had gymnastics in the morning.  A and I laughed as usual as the boys attempted to somersault, cartwheel, etc.  We took Charlie for a walk when we got home.  W got mad that he didn’t win some imaginary race and turned around and rode home on his scooter (with A following him) halfway through the walk.  Eye roll.  Then it was off to celebrate A at A’s favorite pizza restaurant.  The whole family came and we enjoyed apps and yummy pizza.

Sunday, another busy day.  Church, Starbucks, Family Fun Fair at W’s school, took Charlie for a long by myself (which was very peaceful), stopped at the grocery store, and made dinner.  Thankfully, the boys were in a much better mood.  They were super helpful at the grocery store and even took it upon themselves to bag groceries when they realized there wasn’t someone around.  I thanked them and told them they were such great helpers.  Upon hearing that, S exclaimed, “Well, that calls for a double high five!!”.  He still cracks me up.  We had a great day.

It's been feeling more like spring around here and I'm excited for time spent outdoors!

Surprise Birthday Trip!!

I need to share our incredible trip before I forget anything.

A turns 40 at the end of the month.  I asked him months ago how he wanted to celebrate his big birthday.  We could have a party, go on a trip, anything, but we definitely needed to celebrate such an important milestone.  A really liked the idea of going on a trip – especially to somewhere warm seeing as February in Chicago is typically cold and snowy.  A is really easy going (unlike myself) so we somehow decided that I would plan a surprise trip.  Let’s face it, I would have planned the trip regardless if it was a surprise so the surprise element was a fun twist.

I worked with a travel agent, which is definitely the way to go in my opinion.  I knew I wanted to head to one of the Caribbean islands and after much research on my own and input from the travel agent, decided on Turks and Caicos.  A literally had no idea where we were headed until we arrived at the airport at 3:30am.  Admittedly, it was a tad anticlimactic as A found out when the American Airlines desk agent asked what our final destination was, but it was fun nonetheless.  Even A’s colleagues were trying to guess where we were headed (and they were all wrong!).

The morning we left, it was snowing steadily in Chicago.  We had a connecting flight in Miami and realized that the next two AA flights from Chicago to Miami were cancelled.  Thanking our lucky stars we were able to flight out – we were very, very fortunate.  We were delayed about 45 minutes and as soon as we got off the plane in Miami, our next flight was boarding.

We arrived in Providenciales around 1:30pm.  It was such a weird feeling to leave 20 degrees and snow, fly 5 hours, and land where it was 80 degrees and sunny (but we weren’t complaining!!).  We soon arrived at our amazing resort, quickly changed clothes, and grabbed lunch.  We were starving!  We’d planned on grabbing breakfast in Miami, but there just wasn’t any time.  I ordered fish tacos and I should mention that I never ever order fish in the Midwest. If you asked, I’d tell you I don’t like fish.  But I change my tune when near an ocean.  And these were so good!  In fact, all the food we had was amazing!!

Unbeknownst to me at the time, our travel agent had called ahead and secured an incredible room (see, find yourself a travel agent!).  We were on the top floor of the resort (Penthouse) and had a view of the ocean.  A platter of fresh fruit was waiting.  It was the most amazing place I’ve ever stayed at.

We went out to dinner that night and sat outside under the stars.  I had butternut squash ravioli (so good!!) while A had coconut chicken.  We were beyond exhausted by the end of dinner.

Friday, we booked a tour and traveled by ferry (the fastest ferry ever!) to North Caicos.  Only 1700 people live on the island, most of whom are descendants of slaves who once worked at the plantations on the island.  We visited a sink hole, a plantation, a stunning beach, and then stopped for lunch.  A and I both had snapper and it was possibly the best fish I’ve ever eaten (fish again!).  I should also mention that our tour guide was fantastic and actually lives on North Caicos.

 After lunch, our tour guide took us to Middle Caicos.  There are no residents, only a couple resorts and restaurants.  You basically feel like you’re on a deserted island.  It was such an amazing experience.  We first visited an above ground cave.  Apparently, it’s 4 miles deep and I can’t imagine you’d be allowed to go in something like this in the US.  The walk was treacherous, there were bats, but it was so darn cool.

After the cave, we headed to Mudjin Harbour.  A and I walked up a cliff and then down a narrow stairway to a deserted beach.  This was the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen.  The photos don’t even do it justice.

Once we arrived back on Providenciales, we headed to dinner.  I had lasagna and A had mushroom ravioli (I think).  This was my least favorite dinner, but our dessert was delicious.

Saturday and Sunday were spent on the beach.  Our resort brought out fruit on a platter and all the bottled water we could ask for.  Even our lunches were delivered to our cabana.  We walked along the beach and swam in the ocean any time we were hot.  I think it’s the most relaxed I’ve ever been. 😊 

 Our Saturday and Sunday dinners were both fantastic (and our favorite restaurants of the ones we tried)– beef tenderloin, mahi, steak.  One restaurant even had a menu that lit up when you opened it and live music!

This vacation was MAGICAL.  We had an unbelievable time and I’m so thankful A and I could experience it together.  Also incredibly thankful for our parents for taking such good care of our boys!

A couple more things to note:  You drive on the left side of the road!  I didn’t realize this and considered renting a car.  So glad we didn’t because that would’ve taken some getting used to. 

EVERYTHING is expensive.  I knew this before I booked the trip, but EVERYTHING was pricey. 

Each dinner we had was outdoors amongst the trees and the stars.  I think many of the restaurants are outdoors and I couldn’t get enough. 

Everyone asked if our resort was all inclusive and I think they were surprised I didn’t book one.  I did NOT want to be at an all inclusive hotel.  I wanted to get out and try new foods and different restaurants.  Also, A and I are not big drinkers so I don’t think we would’ve gotten our money’s worth.

I’ve never taken a relaxing vacation.  Typically A and I try to squeeze everything in when we travel.  We want to do as much as possible and see everything because we may not have the chance to return.  This was SO different.  I’ve never been so relaxed in my entire life and this was so so good for my soul.  I think we need more relaxing vacations in our future! 😉

Trikafta Update

Hello, hello!  I need to write a post on our vacation (quite possibly the most amazing vacation I've ever been on!!).  But that will have to wait until I have more time.

For now, a quick Trikafta update will have to suffice.  I (think) I mentioned previously that we were a bit concerned about the effects of Trikafta on A's liver (actually, it was probably just myself who was concerned, but anyway...).  A's liver enzymes were slightly elevated and had been for a year or so.  He had the necessary blood work done before starting the drug and has had two appointments with a hepatologist since then.  Good news!  A's liver enzyme levels actually decreased since starting Trikafta.  A has no scarring and the test results were "reassuring".  He has mild fat levels that the doctor was not concerned about.  Such a relief and we're so thankful for this drug!!

Weekend Recap

We celebrated S’s 5^th birthday on Saturday!  I was a bit worried because he came down with a cold on Monday.  He never seemed too miserable, but he did have a nasty cough.  Luckily, by Saturday he was feeling much better.  I think he really enjoyed his party.  I worked with a local baker and she was able to make this amazing car wash cake!  I loved celebrating this sweet boy and I can't believe he's 5!!

A and I leave for a little vacation on Thursday morning.  He turns 40 at the end of the month so we decided to celebrate his big birthday in a big way.  I planned a surprise trip!  He has no idea where we’re headed.  I’m a little nervous – I don’t like being away from the boys.  But I’m also excited.

Weekend Recap

We had quite a busy weekend…

Saturday.  Gymnastics class number 2.  Once again A and I were laughing hysterically.  The boys are really enjoying the class and it’s great to have a place where jumping, rolling, swinging, etc. are encouraged.  It’s also great that the boys are not doing these activities in my house… ahem.  From there, we grabbed lunch, ran lots of errands, and the boys got haircuts while I got a pedicure.

I’ll have to miss the next gymnastics class and I’m pretty sad about it.

Sunday.  Church, Starbucks, and then we went for a long family walk.  I heard some statistic that we’d only had like 2 sunny days in all of January.  It was so so good to see sunshine and have milder weather.  We all really needed fresh air.  Once we got home, I spent lots of time cleaning with bleach because all these viruses going around (flu, corona) are making me paranoid.  After that, my mom came over to watch some of the Superbowl and have snacks with us.  I know it’s been quite the controversy, but I loved the halftime show.  Those ladies were amazing!!

Annnd of course, S now has a cold.  Ugh.  I’m taking vitamins, washing my hands 83,050 times a day, and praying A and I don’t get it.  S’s birthday is tomorrow, his party is on Saturday, and A and I head out of town next week.  Stay away, germs!!!