2020 - The year alone pretty much says it all!

 I decided to revisit this blog after a few year hiatus. Now that I've spent the last 30 minutes tearing up reading all my old posts and realizing how quickly my babies are growing up, I know it's time for an updated post. 2020. I'm sure it's a year I won't soon forget, but then again, after reading my past posts I already am realizing how much I had forgotten about the boy's younger years. 

2020 is the year that we added some new words to our vocabulary: coronavirus, covid-19, pandemic, social distancing, and masks...amongst many others. Beginning in February/March of this year the virus began being reported in the United States and in March the U.S. essentially shut down.  The fear of this virus kept us (and most other people as well) from even being around Mom and Ron for 5 weeks! Everyday the news shared stories of how many people had contracted the virus and how many people were dying. Reports of hospitals potentially exceeding their capacity resulted in tents being set up in hospital parking lots, even in our town, to handle the potential influx of patients. The kids left school in March and participated in e-learning through the end of the school year. Remote learning was new for Unit 5 so it was challenging to say the least. Drake was in kindergarten and Kellan was in third grade. I tried to supplement what they were getting from their school teachers with workbooks and we focused on working with Drake on his reading. We ordered our groceries online and most stores and restaurants were closed. State Farm closed down the week before Unit 5 and so Andy started working from home 100%.

The pandemic continued through the summer but thankfully we were still able to go on our yearly Destin vacation. It was a breath of fresh air being able to do something that felt normal. In Destin, masks were not required as strictly as they were in Illinois so we were literally able to enjoy the fresh air! We had planned a big family Disney trip with Grandpa Anderson for Cooper and Kellan's 10th birthdays that we did have to cancel because Disney World was shut down. In July thing slowly started to re-open. Non essential stores could open with capacity limits, restaurants in our area could reopen with outdoor dining and then slowly phased to indoor dining with 6 feet between tables. Playgrounds and parks also opened back up around this time, which was amazing. 

As summer came to a close it was clear that our school district was still all over the place as far as what their plan was and so we made the decision to homeschool the boys for 1st and 4th grade. We started our school year the first week of August. Overall, we are happy that we made the choice to homeschool for this year. It has been a rollercoaster ride for those in public school in our town and just this week some students were allowed to go back to school 2 days a week. I asked the boys if they were upset about not going back now that there is some in person learning and they both said no. We only homeschool four days a week typically, and it usually only takes about an hour and a half for Drake and 2-21/2 hours for Kellan. Thankfully there are tons of kids in our neighborhood so they have been able to play with friends and socialize plenty throughout this time. 

From my perspective, homeschooling them this year has been a blessing. I have been able to spend so much more time with them and we have really been able to focus in on areas they each need the most help with. Homeschooling and pandemic life in general also has come at a cost though. This year I have virtually zero time to myself (which I remind my self often, that this is only a season). I am still teaching with VIPKid each morning during the week so my alarm goes off early. I did reduce my number of classes I'm teaching each day from 6 to 3 since I have started teaching the boys. I really need that extra sleep to have the patience that is needed to handle all that each day holds. Right now, I am getting up at 5:20 to teach but once the time changes after next week I'll be getting up in the 4:00 hour. That will be an adjustment, and one I'm still trying to figure out how best to balance. 

I always love to include things about the kids in these posts because I want to remember what they were like at these ages.

Kellan. He turned 10 this year, and as has been the case for years now, he acts so much older than his age. He is fun to hang out with. He is incredibly witty and doesn't miss a beat. He is very knowledgable (because he is always listening and picks up on everything) regarding current events and things happening around him. During the height of the coronavirus craziness I stopped turning the news on when he was around because I knew it was a lot for me to handle, let alone a 9 year old. His love language has always been quality time and so all this togetherness has been something he has really enjoyed. He continues to be an outstanding reader (although he doesn't enjoy reading for fun). He loves to play video games, specifically Fort Nite. His favorite thing to do though is being outside with his friends. I knew that the time would come where he would much rather be with his friends than hanging out with his parents, and we have arrived at that time. With the craziness this year has brought I am so glad that he has friends in our neighborhood that he is still able to see daily. While he seems so grown up in many ways there are still things that he loves that remind me he's only 10. His night is made if we say we can have a family movie night with popcorn and m&m's, and he still asks me to scratch his back and snuggle him when I tuck him in at night. I am cherishing these times because I know before long he probably won't ask me to tuck him in. Kellan still feels big feelings and sometimes can go from 0 to 100 in what seems like 10 seconds but he has made such huge strides in being able to calm down and think rationally on his own. A few years ago if he got really upset it would easily take an hour for him to calm down and recover. Now, if he gets really fired up about something he can usually calm down in about 20 minutes or so and mainly on his own...which is huge and I am so proud of him! He's such an awesome kid with a good heart and really, he is the one who teaches me so much. 

Drake. Oh, Drakey. He turned 7 this year and while I still think of him as my tiny baby, his soccer coach affectionately named him, "Drake the Tank". I had to laugh when I heard him call him that because I would have never thought my tiny 3 pound boy would ever earn that nickname. This was his second year playing soccer and he continues to gravitate towards playing defense. He is so protective of that goal, and as soon as he's old enough that goal keeper is an option, I have a feeling that will be his favorite position. Drake continues to have the most laid back, easy going personality. From personality to build, he is Andy's mini-me. He has a heart of gold, just like his Daddy. Just yesterday, I found him leaving a surprise on Kellan's bed for him to find later. He found some old pictures of Kellan with his Dad, so he put them on Kel's bed along with some of his own money underneath. He told me he just wanted to make Kellan smile and feel good. Being homeschooled and the whole pandemic in general hasn't seemed to phase Drake. When I say it's time for school he's happy to come to the table and get started. His main focus this year has been on reading. He has made huge strides in his reading this year and I am so proud of him! Through homeschooling Drake I found that Math is his strong suit it seems. He seems to pick up on the math concepts very easily so we have been breezing through his math curriculum. Drake's favorite activities also include playing with friends and his newest activity, playing Fort Nite with Kellan and Andy. Just recently we allowed him to have an "account" as he calls it on the game so that he could actually play with them. To say he loves it would be an understatement. We do limit their game time because if given the opportunity they would play it all day. During such a crazy year, it's been fun for them to have something new to do with Andy, and they also can talk to some of their friends through the game too. 

As the kids have grown, we've also changed what we use the rooms for in our house. Sounds boring to write about but I know I will want to remember this. :) We used to use the downstairs formal dining/living room as one giant play room and it was filled with toys. Upstairs the boys each had their own bedrooms and we had a guest room/game room with an extra TV in it. A little over a year ago, the boys had been saying they wanted to share a room so we moved them into the old game room and bought two twin beds. We moved the game room to Drake's old bedroom, and are using Kellan's old bedroom as our office. I use it for VIPKid in the morning and Andy (still working mainly from home) goes in there when he has a meeting and needs to be in a quiet space. Toy-wise the kids really have grown out of most of their old toys. The things that they consistently play with are legos and magna tiles. Bey Blades are also a fan favorite for Drake right now.  They have all their toys and their gaming stuff upstairs in the game room now. Last weekend I even got rid of their pottery barn name chairs :( They had outgrown them and wanted "Big Joe" bean bag chairs up there, so we made the switch. I did all their monthly baby pictures in those PB name chairs, so I was a little sad to see them go.

With all the toys upstairs and in one room it left our downstairs dining room/living room wide open. We now use the dining area as a school room and we have a second office space in the formal living room area. Andy uses that for work when he isn't in a meeting so he can still be around us, which is nice. 

A 2020 update would not be complete without mentioning the newest member of our family, whom we added right before the beginning of the pandemic. Lucy Mae Anderson. She also goes by the nicknames "Lou", "Lou-Belle" and "Lu-Lu". She was born on December 1, 2019 and we brought her home in February. That was another reason we had to move any remaining toys upstairs and install a baby gate again on our stairs. At 10 1/2 months old she still easy anything she can get her mouth on. RIP Birkenstock sandals, Reef Sandals, Andy's slippers, and I'm sure many more things that seem to have slipped my mind. While we love her dearly, there were many weeks where Andy an I looked at each other and thought "what have we gotten ourselves into?!" She's a handful. We have heard from other Labradoodle owners that around age 2 they start to settle down, so we shall see. :) 

Despite the craziness of this year and the world in general right now (the election and all that entails is a whole additional level of craziness in this world). It's been a good year ,while I also acknowledge it's been a challenging year for most everyone. We are thankful that we've stayed healthy and employed. The boys are thriving and Andy and I still love each other and enjoy having fun together even after spending every waking moment together for nearly 6 months :) 

Kellan

Kellan,

You're 7 years old and in first grade. I just got your picture re-takes sent to me today and I have spent the last half an hour crying over how grown up your look (I know this doesn't surprise you!). You had to have re-takes this year because right before you got your picture taken the first time you decided it would be a good idea to style your hair into a mohawk...except you didn't have a mirror, or any hair product so it just ended up looking like you rolled out of bed! :)

Andy and I are just so proud of the young man you are growing up to be. You received the Trustworthy award this month at school. Only two kids from each class are chosen per month, so this is a special award. You also received the award twice last year as well. Your teachers and  Mr. Vogel always tell us how respectful you are to teachers at school and what a great listener and role model you are.  Your reading and math continues to be above grade level. You don't enjoy reading for fun, but we have started letting you stay up later after we tuck you in so you can read and that has gotten you reading more at home which is great! 

You conquered a big fear of yours over the past year and a half - swimming. When we started you in swim lessons at Rob Knight you had to have semi-private lessons because you were so nervous about going underwater. As of last month we let you stop doing swim lessons because you can swim so well and even have your front crawl and back stroke down pat. Swimming lessons weren't your favorite activity so we decided you could pick something new. Tae Kwon Do is your new activity that you started this month. You have it twice a week for an hour each time and are the youngest in your class. Your first few classes you were very nervous but gave it your all and Master Sosa even recognized you for having such a positive attitude and sticking with it when you were in a class with so many black belts. 

Your favorite things right now are:

Food: Pancakes, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin seeds, quesadillas, eggs and sausage

Friends: Braden, Kylee and Barrett, Avery

Books: Diary of a Wimpy Kid and the Mouse on a Motorcycle series, The Bearenstein Bears

Shows: Alvin and The Chipmunks, The Loud House

You and I butt heads more often these days now that you have such strong opinions of your own. It's a learning curve for me as I try to find the best way to take your opinions into consideration while still teaching you to respect my authority as your parent. 

Things that you would like that we won't allow right now:

1. a TV in your room

2. your own cell phone

3. your own you tube channel that you can create videos for

#meanmom

Since you are getting older I thought it was time to have you help out around the house a bit more. You have started doing your own laundry and are very responsible about making sure you get it into the washer before school and switch it to the dryer when you get home. We are still working on you actually putting it away "right" and I should say that I have had to adjust my standards of what "right" looks like, but even then you still have to re-do putting away your laundry a couple times each week when I can tell you just threw it in a drawer or on your closet floor. My hope is that you will realize that doing something to the best of your ability the FIRST time is actually a whole lot easier. We are about a month into this laundry adventure though and you haven't come to that conclusion yet, so we shall see. :)

One other memory I don't want to forget is your ability right now to make up a song on the spot. A couple of weeks ago we were driving home and you started seeing a song about God. It was really good and even had rhyming words at the end of each line so I figured you had learned it at church. I asked you about it and you said you had just made it up and that often times at night before you went to bed you liked to do that and sing them to yourself. I had no clue! So you then sang me another, different song, that you made up on the spot the rest of the way home. You did let me record the audio so I have some of them to keep. It was the sweetest surprise to hear you singing about God, and all the people from the Bible that you know and stories that relate to each of them. 

I wanted to take time to write down just a bit of what this time in your life looks like before I blink and it's over and I can't remember all these little details. I love you Buddy and seeing your school picture today just reminded me how quickly time is passing and how precious these years at home with you are. I know you are going to do amazing things and I can't wait to have a front row seat and watch you fly.

Love you forever,

Mom

Three Years Old

Drake,

I just re-read my last post that was over a year ago. I laughed a lot because not a whole lot has changed. :) You are still my strong willed boy who knows exactly what he wants, and I actually had to carry you out of the library kicking and screaming just last week! Things that have changed are your ability to communicate though. You talk nonstop and say some of the funniest things. You have picked up on some of the funny boy things Kellan likes to say (anything related to bathroom humor) and your favorite phrase to say to make Kellan laugh is "I shake my booooooty!!" You are still a Mama's boy all the way. You want me to tuck you in at night and you still come to me several times a day and say "mama, please snuggle me" as your crawl up on my lap...and I LOVE it! This summer you have really enjoyed swimming and beg us to let you go off the diving board. My nerves aren't up for that quite yet though. Dad let you go off the diving board at four seasons once and you have been obsessed ever since. You LOVE your big brother and want to do everything that he does. You especially love it when Bubby has a sleep over in your room.

One big change this year is that you are potty trained. You still wear pull ups at night but during the day and nap you are able to stay dry. You were pretty easy to potty train, but in Drakey fashion you even have to pee on YOUR terms, which sometimes means you want me to watch (as in I have to stand in the doorway while you pee, nearly every time). If I'm in the middle of something and can't "come watch me" when you ask you will wait until I'm done doing whatever it is until I can some stand in the doorway.

You when to preschool two days a week last year and will do the same this year. Your teaches were Mrs. Kiefer and Mrs. Johnson. By the end up the year you still referred to them as "Kiefer Johnson". I had to laugh when I read the end of the year card the teachers sent home with you. It said "Drake is a boy who knows how to have a good time!" It is so true. You literally can have the best time doing nearly anything, and you are always laughing (when you aren't fighting with your brother).

You bring us so much joy and we can't imagine life without you!

A letter for Drakey

Drake will be two in less than a month. I know it's so cliche, but it really does seem like it went so incredibly fast. These past few months with Drake have been exhausting and awesome all at the same time. Some days the scale tips more towards the exhausting side, but I'm sure many parents would say the same thing.

So Drake, I want to write this little bit directly to you, so that one day when you have a little boy or girl who is as stubborn and strong willed as you are, I can enjoy spoiling them and sending them back home :)

Drakey,

You are a complete and total Mama's boy. When you get hurt you always run to me crying, sometimes it a fake cry, but I baby you just the same and give you a kiss. After the kiss you are usually magically better and ready to run off to tackle your brother or torment the dog once again. When we go to the grocery store, or any store where you are required to sit in a cart you insist on having a snack to eat. I realize it is 100% my fault that you have come to expect this. The thing is, now I literally cannot shop without having something for you to eat. You are a master at contorting yourself to get out of the seat belt on the cart all while screaming bloody murder if I try to shop without feeding you. Nearly every shopping trip involves you yelling or screaming for a portion of it because if I don't gauge my time correctly before you are done with your snack I'm basically screwed. I'm pretty sure you have been responsible for making a few young check out girls decide to wait until they're older to have kids as they watch me try to hold you down in the cart with one hand while swiping my debit card with the other. Some days I just go ahead and count this as my cardio for the day because by the time I make it back to the car, wrestle you into your car seat and load up the groceries I've got a decent sweat going. Then, there is the joy of taking you out to dinner. For the most part we just avoid this as much as possible because right now, it's just not an enjoyable experience for us or any diners in a 15 foot radius of our table. We have actually (on more than one occasion) had people move tables because you don't possess an inside voice. It's a good thing you're cute! :) Just today we went to the library. Not a great place to take a kid who isn't able to speak quietly, but we do go frequently. My hope is that on one of these trips you will notice that you are the only one laying on your back kicking and screaming in the computer area where adults are trying to study. I've perfected the art of carrying you sideways (to avoid being kicked) while also toting a stack of books to check out. When you wake up both in the morning and from nap you always give me a hard time when I try to take you out of your crib to change your diaper. I've tried everything to make this easier for both of us but nothing as of yet has helped you wake up on the right side of the bed.



So on the particularly exhausting days I try to remind myself that your strong willed ways are really a blessing. They are tough to parent, especially at an age when you can't communicate as well as you'd like, but strong willed people can grow up to be wonderful leaders if nurtured correctly, and Buddy I promise you I'm trying my best.  And, if you decide that 2 years old is the year to give your Mama a bit of a break and stop throwing fits, I would be okay with that too :)

I love you buddy! You bring Daddy, Kellan and I so much joy (sorry, Jake doesn't agree - he's just old and grumpy)! I hope you are always as fun loving and full of laughter as you are right now. Happy almost birthday Midder!

Love,
Mama

Kellan Conversations

I don't want to forget these little gems...

Kellan: Mom, where are the stone tablets that the 10 commandments were written on?
Me: What do you mean?
Kellan: I mean, where are they today?
Me: Oh, I have no idea
Kellan: We can just ask Siri and she'll know

Me: Kel, when you go to kindergarten you'll go to Towanda
*instant tears and drama*
Me: What is wrong?!?!
Kellan: I don't want to go where Niyikora lives!!! That is so far away and she doesn't have lots of food!! (Niyikora is the little girl we sponsor through Compassion who lives in Rwanda)
Me: Haha, Towanda is down the street. Rwanda is across the world, you are not going to Rwanda!

Me: Kel, what do you think you will want to do when you grow up? Where do you want to work?
Kellan: I think I'll just not have a job, like you.

Kellan: Mom, who will be president after Obama?
Me: I have no idea
Kellan: Well, why don't you know? We have those president flashcards at home so who comes after Obama??
Me: We have to wait until there is an election (blah blah blah explanation about voting) and I will take you with me next time I vote so you can see how it works.
Kellan: Ok, well when we go vote I hope you aren't voting for Obama!
Me: Why's that?
Kellan: Because he doesn't make very wise choices!!
Me: Who told you that?! Daddy? (because I have never talked politics with my four year old)
Kellan: No, Dee Dee (Andy) told me all about him.

Grace

This afternoon was a rough one on the parenting front. One of those days where you can't figure out the right way to handle a situation to get through to your kid that they need to STOP. Stop talking back and stop being disrespectful. Throughout the afternoon Kellan lost pretty much all of his privileges and that didn't seem to phase him and he continued making the same poor behavior choices. I was at my wit's end. The night ended with him losing his favorite stuffed animal that he sleeps with every night. Drama of course ensued. I removed all toys from his room and his pups. He gave pups a dramatic goodnight and goodbye with a promise to see him tomorrow and instructions not to bite us (ha!). He cried in his bed through our prayers. He cried when I wearily walked out of his room just thankful that he was finally in bed and I could be done parenting for the day. As I walked out Andy walked out from tucking Drake in and picked up Pups in the hallway to head to Kel's room. "Huh?! Are you going to reward him for his awful behavior today?!" No, just wait out here I want to talk to him. So he hides pups behind his back and sits down on Kel's bed to talk. I stood outside the door and listened to him talk to Kel. Tears started to flow because he is so amazing at this parenting thing and the boys are so lucky to have him.

He sat down next to Kellan on his bed and asked him if he knew what grace was (he didn't). Andy went on to explain in four year old terms (keeping it short and sweet) what it was, why it's important, and how God showed us grace when he sent Jesus to die on the cross to save our sins. He explained that grace is forgiving someone when they don't deserve to be forgiven in that moment. As he was explaining he would stop every so often and ask Kel a couple questions to make sure he was really understanding what they were talking about. He ended his chat with him by reminding him how much he loves him and that the consequences he received today for poor choices were because we love him and want him to grow into a respectful young man, not because we want to see him upset. He pulled pups out from behind his back and tucked pups in next to Kellan and said that even though his behavior was poor and did not warrant getting pups back he was going to give him grace tonight and return pups to him. He quickly added that all the other privileges that he has lost for tomorrow would stand and that disrespectful behavior is not okay. Kellan piped up "Dee Dee, giving me pup's back isn't just grace, it's LOTS and LOTS of grace" as he sat up and gave him a big hug and kiss.  Andy said goodnight to Kel, tucked him in and walked out of his room.


I fell even more in love with my husband tonight, and I didn't think that was possible :) The way he parents the boys and knows just the right things to say to connect with them and help them understand things just amazes me. Well done babe, well done! Now, let's go drink some much deserved wine because oh my, today was crazy!!

Stop and enjoy the {moment of} silence

Last night as I was mindlessly scrolling through facebook before falling asleep I saw someone had linked up to a TED talk. I have heard about TED before but didn't really know what it was so I started to watch the video for a few minutes. It was about learning to be vulnerable. I lasted about five minutes before I literally fell asleep with the video playing on my lap. Needless to say, I still don't know what TED is all about and the video was a lot of deep thinking and research. It was semi-interesting, but at 10:30 at night after a full day with the boys I don't think anything could really keep my eye lids open.

This morning I woke up thinking about the video, and what my friend who posted it on Facebook had said about it. She claimed that taking this course on vulnerability had really changed her life and was so meaningful. I never did go back and watch it, but really it got me thinking about how I miss using my brain, if that makes any sense! Day after day with little kids I move from putting out one fire, to cleaning up a mess, to refilling a milk cup, to breaking up a wrestling match over and over again. Never in the day do I feel like I really am using my brain for any sort of deep thinking. What I find even more odd is that I have been home with the boys for a year now and it's taken me this long to realize that, ha! I'm not complaining. I absolutely LOVE being with the boys everyday and wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I do however want to make it a point to think more, read more, do more things for myself. It is pretty easy to get caught up in being "just a Mom" and forget that there is actually more to me. I have heard many people say things to the same effect but it's funny how it can happen so slowly and you don't even realize it.

All this being said, my goal for this year (and really every year) is balance. Finding a way to get time to myself to do things I enjoy while still being with the boys during the day. Andy is awesome and so far I'm off to a great start. I'm already working on reading my second book this year, considering I probably only read a few books last year, this is progress! I take one night a week to myself. Andy holds down the fort and I just get out and do whatever I want. It sounds so simple but without planning it out ahead of time, getting out even one night a week didn't happen that often.

Another aspect of this whole balance thing for me is really being in the moment with the boys each day. Naturally I'm a list person. I have a mental list going of things I need to get done throughout the day to ensure things run as smoothly as possible. The boys thrive on routine so it is pretty easy to get moving with our day and before I know it, we are sitting down for dinner and the day is almost over.  I want to do a better job of taking the focus off of my mental to do list and instead sitting and snuggling with them more. If it means that snack isn't on the table and ready for them right when they are used to having it, then that's okay. Well, they may not think so - but no one will starve :) Drake didn't want to take a nap today. Not going to lie, my first reaction to his nap time revolt was "ugh, I just want 2 hours of peace and quiet", but today was not the day for that, so I went up and got him so he wouldn't wake up the other kids. He and I snuggled on the couch for the rest of nap time and watched Barney. It ended up being one of the best parts of my day!

So the purpose of this blog is to be able to look back and remember these days when my babies were little. This rambling post is a part of that story so I wanted to make sure to include it. I know all too soon they will  be in high school and be out with their friends more than they are home with me. Then I will probably have all the TED talks downloaded and be deep in thought all the time (kidding). I will still be watching mindless TV but I will have time to read and do crafty things most likely whenever I want.  I also know that it is these upcoming years that I will miss them being so little and needing me for everything.  Okay, okay, enough of this I'm starting to tear up and I'm at Starbucks -- can't think about that :)

For now, adorable kid pics to round out this post!

My big boy!

Drake loves to stack and build right now, and he's pretty good at it!

Every day Daddy comes home from work and the boys run to grab their swords to attack him with as soon as he runs in the door. Wrestling matches always ensue.

Early mornings with Drakey Michael

Obsessed with shoes!

Kel snuggles

Doughnut date

stop growing up so fast little man!