14 Years

Me: "Hurry, we have to take a picture before the day ends!"

Our 14th anniversary has been just like (I'm assuming) all of the other pandemic anniversaries: mostly uneventful.

Today was the last day of Chet's post-deployment 14-day quarantine at home, and we spent most of it checking off the remaining items on our "quarantine to-do list."

One of which was hanging this (peel-and-stick) wallpaper in the downstairs bathroom. (Make no mistake: I came up with the idea, and selected and bought the paper, but DID NOT help. Unless you count handing the ruler to Chet once helping.)

Other tasks included: washing the cars (Chet's choice) and reorganizing the various electronic cords in our house (my choice).

I'm sure Chet would have preferred to watch woodworking videos on YouTube rather than answer questions like, "Should the extra iPhone cords go in the kitchen drawer with the scissors or the buffet drawer with the rubber bands?"

But Chet is patient and kind, which is one reason we're celebrating our 14th anniversary.

(He also makes me laugh, hence my wrinkled nose in the picture.)

(For example:

Chet: "The wallpaper's not perfect. If you lay on the floor you can see a few creases and bubbles."

Me: "That's okay. Wait...NO ONE is going to be laying on the bathroom floor!"

Chet: "Well, I just did. And I saw creases and bubbles.")

Also, Sydney wrote us an unsolicited anniversary card that said, "Happy anniversary! Sorry your day was just normal."

That's okay, Syd. It suited us, because we're "just normal." 

(Except when we're fretting over iPhone cords and laying on bathroom floors.)

Ruthie

Ruthie has said some funny things lately.

After experiencing a gas bubble, "Mommy, my heart popped!" (She probably said this a year ago, but it still makes me chuckle.)

Us: "Don't chase the cat, because it will scare him and he might scratch or bite you."
Ruthie: "But what about bad guys?!"
Us: "What about them?"
Ruthie: "We WANT him scratch and bite bad guys!"
Us: "True..."

Ruthie: "Mommy, if God turned me into Sydney I would have bad attitudes."
***I didn't respond, but I DID decide that she's a world-class eavesdropper.***

Me: "Ruthie, are you finished eating?"
Ruthie: "Yes."
Me: "Okay, then I'm going to eat the last bite of your donut."
Ruthie: "Uh, it has my germs on it."
Me: "I don't mind."
***Ruthie gestures toward the donut like "Be my guest, but don't blame ME if you get any germs."

Me, while firing up the iPad Sunday morning to watch the kids' service: "The iPad is dead."
Ruthie: "Maybe it has a broken heart!"
Her siblings: "IPADS DON'T HAVE HEARTS!"
***Ruthie looks at them like "That's what YOU think."

Pseudo-Update

This isn't really an update, because I don't have any fun, cool pictures or news to share.

(There are tons of cat pictures on my phone, thanks to the kids.)

We're just REALLY enjoying having Chet home. He is required to quarantine at home for 14 days post-deployment, and we are making the most of it.

We eat, play, watch movies, go outside when the heat index isn't 112 degrees, and generally just enjoy each other.

Welcome home, Chet!

Look who returned home from deployment last night!

We took this picture before leaving to pick him up:

I have more lovely pictures that I'll share soon, thanks to my friend who went with us. 

We had a great day today, enjoying our family's reunion.

And I didn't have to bathe Ruthie tonight, so blessings abound.

Welcome home, Chet! We LOVE you!!!

Goodbye, June

Goodbye, June.

You were a good month, because we spent 95% of it in Texas, enjoying time with family and basking in the change of scenery.

Tonight everyone went to bed a little cranky because they were overtired (probably from going to bed too late too many nights in a row -- oops). Also because we're really, really, REALLY ready for Chet to be home.

July 1st starts a new month, as well as the second half of 2020 (a year/the beginning of a decade most of us will NEVER forget).

This next month we expect to welcome Chet home, we will celebrate 14 years of marriage, and we will all continue to press on.

(I have no idea I'm in such a philosophical mood tonight.)

Welcome, July.

Monday

Today I told the kids' piano teacher, "I'm not married to Monday" (meaning it's fine if we need to switch our Monday lessons to another day), and she said, "That should be the name of a band!"

So if I start a band called "Married to Monday" or "Not Married to Monday," you know the origin story.

I'm still not completely unpacked. I need to put the kids' clothes from their suitcases on hangers, and ALL of the items from my suitcase are on the loveseat in our bedroom. BUT I stowed all the suitcases away in the garage, and did a myriad of other things, including piano lessons and math with the children (and I read to them! and I fed them many meals!), so Monday is a win overall.

I refuse to complain about the weather, so I'll just say you have to be choosy about the times to go outside. We went on an impromptu bike ride yesterday evening (I jogged, they biked), and they had fun climbing on what they call "Rock Hill."

We left when Ruthie slid down a little too impressively.

Goodnight! Happy Monday!

Sunday Night

We had a nice Sunday.

(Although I'm still not 100% unpacked, and I kept trying to do every chore that needed done simultaneously, which didn't exactly work well.)

Ford, Ruthie, and I went to a baby shower, and thoroughly enjoyed visiting with friends.

Life with Monster is also working out nicely. He's made himself right at home (on Lorelei's desk):