Weekly Recap: Day Trip to the Arboretum

 (Backdated weekly Facebook update)

Alert, alert! Nicholas wants you to know that his birthday is coming! You know...in April. He's made a list so far of just a few items: 1) a little puppy just for him, and 2) multiple $600+ water tables and other play equipment literally designed for use in a preschool. So, pretty standard expectations for your 4th birthday, yes?

(We have Lakeshore to thank for #2 - they sent us an enormous catalog recently primarily intended for teachers and schools. Not going to lie, I kind of want half the stuff in there, but what the hell, Lakeshore? What about my previous purchases has led you to believe I operate an entire school and have tens of thousands of dollars available to furnish it?)

Covid-wise... Everything kind of sucks right now. Like most of the country, our case rate has just shot through the roof. It feels like a waiting game - not if we'll all get it, but when. Hopefully it will be mild. The numbers released about positive cases from Anna's particular school haven't been too bad, but she says that a ton of kids are out in every class, so it could be worse than the "official story." Mostly I'm just praying that we don't get some other illness or injury that requires prompt treatment.

So, again, we're mostly stuck at our home due to weather and the ongoing pandemic. It feels all too familiar. Yesterday was "semester day" so Anna didn't have school (don't ask me what semester day is, I don't know). The kids and I decided to head out and try something new. We drove about an hour away to check out the Yakima Arboretum.

Spirits were very high. We were leaving the house! We were going somewhere new! We did NOT have to listen to Nightmare Before Christmas again! (Just the Encanto soundtrack on repeat). Nicholas was particularly thrilled that we packed "car picnic lunches" and he proceeded to ask if it was lunchtime every 5 minutes from 10 until noon.

We did not anticipate that the last big snowstorm (a few weeks ago) would not have melted yet just an hour up the road, so we were rather unprepared in the shoe department. Nonetheless, we forged ahead across the icy landscape, threw birdseed at the bird blind, located animal tracks in the snow, and only fell down a few times. The highlight was seeing the baby salmon that recently hatched at the interpretive center. Anna's class is raising some, as well, so she enjoyed being our "expert." I am looking forward to visiting again in the spring.

Baby salmon!

Before I sign off, I'd like to publicly apologize to my son for drinking "all" of the communion wine on Sunday. Because of the pandemic, we now pick up little disposable cups which are filled at the altar rail. Nicholas' cup accidentally got filled all the way up. I let him take a sip, he made his customary spicy face, and to keep the line moving, I drank the rest.

Apparently he wasn't done. Which he made clear by indignantly and somewhat loudly proclaiming: "UGH! You drank ALL of it!"

So, my apologies to Nicholas, the baby Jesus, and anyone else who was inadvertently harmed by my selfishness.

#highfive #rude #thatsinappropriate