Picnic Fun

 The boys had an amazing time at the end of the school year picnic. Robby immediately separated from us to hang out with his friends. Timmy, not knowing any of the kids, was a bit shy. He stuck to me until the games started. I encouraged him to join his age group for games and, although he was scared and I had to stay within eye sight the whole time, he finally agreed. 

After about 5 minutes of playing I could see Timmy begin to relax. After 10 minutes he was smiling and laughing. By the time the games were over he was busy playing and chatting with new friends. He spent the rest of the picnic playing on the playground with the kids, fitting in as if he had known them forever.

The news the past few days has been heart wrenching. I think that an afternoon of playing and giggling was what we all needed to reset. I know I sure did!

 

Unplugging

I have made the decision to turn off the news when the kids are awake. Timmy became upset after hearing some of the reports. Yesterday morning he asked me, "Momom, if I go to school next year and somebody kills me, will Friend meet me in heaven when he crosses over the Rainbow Bridge?"  My heart shattered at his query. No child should have to have those concerns!

Today I am going to unplug as we spend the afternoon at Robby's end-of-the-year picnic. This is the first year that we are able to attend and everybody is excited. The weather is gorgeous and I am looking forward to just having fun for a few hours. I think we all need it.

While we are at the picnic, Scott will be busy with his last official day of school. This time next year he will be walking out of the building for the final time. It is so hard to believe that next year will be his final year in the classroom. This summer marks his final summer vacation as a teacher. Needless to say, he has already begun the countdown.

Hug your kids today.

Shattered

 Yesterday afternoon I was working on the couch when Scott came into the room with a somber face. I looked into my eyes and, with a hushed tone, simply said "There has been another shooting. It's an elementary school." I immediately felt shattered.

I spent the rest of the evening alternating between devastation and rage. My heart hurts. My head hurts. My soul feels drained. I just cannot seem to fathom the horror of this situation. 

Do something kind today. Try to spread some love to combat the hate. I have no other words.

Illegally Married

 It feels as if the universe is conspiring to keep us from obtaining a new roof. The chimney work  has been done for a few weeks, yet we still don't have the new roof. Between the weather and funding delays, I'll consider myself lucky if we have a roof by the end of the summer.

Scott and I have been trying to obtain a home equity loan to fund the necessary improvements. We hit a roadblock for the most unexpected reasons. Despite our credit being ranked excellent, we have been denied because of our marriage license. Apparently, our Anguilla license is still not accepted in the United States. Yesterday we learned that, despite being married for nearly 18 years, it is only legally valid in the Caribbean. 

Over a decade ago we attempted to remedy our license situation with a vow renewal in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, our witness failed to sign the document and we were not able to file. As the years passed, we became busy with our lives and our kids. Our marriage legality issue fell off of our radar. 

Until yesterday, when I was denied the loan because the name on my bank account (my married name) does not match my license (my legal name). It's ironic, because my bank easily allowed for the name change. It has been nearly two decades, but I don't recall the handwritten marriage license being an issue.  I was gobsmacked by the denial through the mortgage company.

Robby, of course, finds the situation hilarious. When we were discussing the situation over dinner, he piped up with "So you were right. I am a little bastard." He and Scott then proceeded to crack jokes all night about "getting a lot of free milk" and the time he still had "to get out of it." At least we all maintained our sense of humor!

Thankfully, we were able to rework the papers to remove me as the lead signer. Because Scott never had to facilitate a name change, his documents all match. As soon as we get the new roof, I'll bump "get legally married" up higher on our to-do list.

Sick Ward

 My weekend was as anticipated. Everybody, except for me, was in a different stage of Covid. So far, I have managed to survive completely unscathed. Mom-Immunity for the win!

Robby is feeling better. His fever has dissipated and his cough is lessening. He is feeling worn down, but that is to be expected after a week of fevers and a minimal appetite. It will take him a few weeks to regain his strength, but he is definitely on the path to recovery.

Timmy is a few days behind his brother, but I believe he has also turned the corner. He felt ill over the weekend, with his worst days being Friday and Saturday. By Sunday his fever was lowering and his appetite was improving.

Unfortunately, Scott seems to be several days behind the boys. He felt crummy all weekend, but it wasn't until yesterday that the headache, cough and fever developed. I hope that he doesn't fall into the depths of Covid, but I'm not terribly optimistic. Considering his close proximity to numerous infection sources, I think we both know how the next few days will play out. Hopefully it won't be as bad as his bout this January.

Between taking care of everybody, I didn't really do anything exciting or even fun over the weekend. I did get a lot of work done, so I am starting the new week feeling accomplished. This week we are supposed to get new gutters and a new roof, so I am expecting numerous interruptions throughout the days. I'm not looking forward to the noise and the mess, but it will feel wonderful to not have to worry about rain storms!