June 2020

June continued with finding a balance of work and summer routines. Walks at Headwaters helped me find peace with 2020 and very thankful that we live in MT. Sean and Mikayla played well together just about as much as they bickered with each other. Overnight stays at Grandma and Grandpa Jung’s continued to bring peace for a few days. I asked Sean to pack his bag for an overnight stay. It provided a glimpse into what is most important in his mind, green blanket, stuffed animals and reading kindle, the only clothes he packed was a pair of socks and some shirts. Who needs pants, right? We finally got to get haircuts again and Mikayla got a cute braid. Water fights and the “redneck” pools helped the time pass.

Many celebrations in the month of June. Copper turned 1! He is the size of a miniature horse and is a big ball of energy, but he has brought joy to life. My 41^st birthday included a made from scratch cake by Grandma Barb and Mikayla. It was the best cake I’ve ever eaten, and I’ve requested it for all future birthdays.

For Father’s Day we headed to the ranch to visit. Riding Woody put a big smile on the kids faces. I so enjoy the opportunities they get to have at the ranch, and it brings back so many fun memories of my childhood.

May 2020

 Things slowly started reopening this month, but nothing was really back to normal. We continued to try and stay home as much as possible, visiting Grandma and Grandpa Jung to get a break from each other every now and again. The warmer weather meant more outdoor time and fresh air. We continued to try and focus on school but it became more difficult to find motivation. Afternoons were spent playing in mud, jumping on the trampoline, and reading in the hammock. Copper and I took daily walks in Headwaters State Park.

Mikayla turned 7! We had a small gathering of family and friends at the house and even had friends and family from afar video call to sing happy birthday. She wanted a gymnastics cake this year and despite the small gathering she enjoyed the day playing with her friend Sophie. 

We enjoyed a day exploring as a family when we took a drive through Pipestone.  As we drove through it became apparent that with the country shutdown everyone took the opportunity to travel and camp and enjoy the outdoors. Everywhere was very busy and camping overcrowded. We tried to not let that ruin our day. We walked the train tracks to show the kids old tunnels and discussed the history of railroad travel. We couldn't miss a photo op at the continental divide. 

Our Mother's Day tradition of visiting the Billings Zoo continued. They re-opened that weekend to members only and outdoor exhibits only. Reptiles are Sean's favorite so he was bummed we didn't get to go inside and see all the critters but we still enjoyed the day. I love comparing the pictures of these two year over and year. Quarantine seemed to make the kids grow like weeds!

The school year came to a close, the kids items were packed up for a schedule pick up time, the teacher's waved goodbye from the classroom window as we drove by. There were no end of the year parties or goodbye to friends and summer programs were cancelled. This "new normal" was starting to take a toll on all our psyche and we did the best we could with coping. 

The kids and I traveled to Kalispell to visit the Jones and Berkram families. Being confined to a house with friends was better than being confined at home alone. We always enjoy our visits with them. 

We also started a shed project, for garden and yard storage. Ethan designed the shed and with the kids help executed it well. Copper wasn't that big of a help but enjoyed cooling off in the dirt while the rest of us worked hard. 

More LEGO creations and puppy snuggles helped time go by.