St. Patrick's Day

Happy day of the green!  We started the day with green milk and eggs while researching the meaning behind the holiday.  We had both kids do independent research and write down 5 facts they learned.  Not bad for homeschooling, ha!  We also ventured to the dentist for our semi annual check up which was a great thing cause their is talk that dental offices will shut down soon due to the Corona virus. Bear is still not sure if he loves having us all home, or if he is choosing to quarantine away from us.  Haha!

The Corona Pandemic begins

On March 11th, The World Health Organization announced a worldwide Pandemic for Covid-19.  On Friday, March 13^th, Schools announced closures. Of course this highly affected the lives of everyone in our nation and around the world.  As the Covid-19 virus spread, we as a nation have begun learning more about the virus and how to keep ourselves healthy. At the end of 2019, a new type of coronavirus started oversees and began making people sick with flu-like symptoms. The illness is called coronavirus-19 or COVID-19 for short.  I call it the "Coroni" as I am pretty confident Grandma Watts would have referred to it as such. The virus spreads easily and has affected people all over the world. COVID-19 can cause a fever, cough, and trouble breathing. Some people might have: symptoms of a cold such as a sore throat, congestion, or a runny nose, or a loss of taste or smell. The virus can be more serious in some people and some people have no symptoms at all. People can catch coronavirus from others who are infected even if they don't have any symptoms. This happens when an infected person breathes, talks, sneezes, or coughs, sending tiny droplets into the air. These can land in the nose, mouth, or eyes of someone nearby, or be breathed in. Some of the tiniest droplets, called aerosols, can linger in the air for minutes to hours and travel on air currents. It seems that the risk of spread is highest when people are less than 6 feet apart. Just writing this makes me a bit afraid.  It sounds like the spread is hard to control, but I have to remind myself not to panic.  At this time we are doing our best to maintain “social distance” when in public. Doctors and researchers are working on medicines and a vaccine for coronavirus. Most people with the illness, including children, get better with rest, fluids, and fever-reducing medicine. However, many people get very ill and need treatment in the hospital. This has begun to cause a burden on hospital campuses do to the overwhelming numbers of patients. There are several things that we can do to help protect ourselves from the virus. such as avoiding large crowds and busy places, staying at least 6 feet from people you don't live with (COVID-19 can spread before a person has symptoms and even when someone has no symptoms), wear a mask when you go out, and wash your hands well and often.  It is scary to think what is happening, but we are choosing to view this as God's way of providing us with more family time to connect, recenter ourselves on priorities, and the power of relationships with others. 

Welcome to Miami...sort of...

One of the few pictures from my 36hr trip to Miami. I was there for the International Positive Behavior Supports Conference with coworkers, but it was officially cancelled during the preconference yesterday. Basically...4 hours after landing in Miami the World Health Organization declared a Pandemic due to Covid-19.  Thus, the conference was cancelled and we started looking for return flights home.  It was a fun yet exhausting 36 hours.  We were able to get in some great food and I got an hour at the hotel pool if that counts.  Ha! Now I have an extra week to snuggle with the family and stay healthy since schools are officially closed next week for us.  Guess I will need to post an update on what exactly Covid-19 is.  I have a feeling this is bigger than we can imagine and will change our lives in many ways.  Thanks Miami for the brief visit!

Family time in Round Rock

We are blessed for every moment God gives us to visit Mom and family in Round Rock.  Even though it was a brief adventure and only a few days...we managed to squeeze in movie night, playing outdoors with cousins, helping Mama K clean out her attic (she moved next to Nana and Papa in 1991...that is 29 years ago!), a jump park, dinner at Chile's, hand rolled ice cream, and surprise books when we got home!  We always leave with so many memories and that is worth everything.

Vocabulary Parade

Today at Decker was the Vocabulary parade.  The kids picked what words they wanted to highlight.  Caelin picked "mammal" and dressed up like a bunny.  Cade selected "texture" and wore a fanny pack that looked like a hairy belly (with texture of course).  It is funny how they are so different and their own sense of humor.  Success!

Rodeo time

We had a "Willie" good time at the Rodeo tonight (I crack myself up) with Willie Nelson. A special bonus was that it was Veteran's Day, so we enjoyed being surrounded by those that serve this great country. Caelin loved the newborn piglets and the deer, Cade loved the parakeets, and we all loved Willie Nelson. Willie just amazes me with his talent at the age of 86.  He reminds me often of Grandma Watts as he plays his many musical instruments and has a natural singing voice.  Several times during the show he looked like he was getting emotional, and I realized what a gift his music has been to so many.  He is a legend of his own kind.  Thanks Willie!