Social Distancing :: Day 15

Anyone going stir crazy yet?

On March 24th, Collin County issued a Stay-At-Home Order, asking its residents to stay home, but it came just short of closing businesses {which is what Dallas County did the day before}. So there has been a lot of confusion, especially since we live in a city where most of its residents go into the neighboring cities for just about everything {for example, we don't have a grocery store in Melissa}. We mostly go into McKinney for things, so we have to be mindful of their restrictions, which they followed more closely the Dallas County order and closed non-essential businesses. I sure wish everyone could just be on the same page...

I have really been struggling with finding the balance of protecting my health and family, while also loving and finding community with our neighbors. Not everyone seems to be on the same page of how to handle the Stay-At-Home Order, and while a lot of people are home, they are still out of their house, with each other. Not everyone abides by the 6 feet of distancing. Not everyone feels the need to cancel play dates. In their minds, they don't feel sick, so what's the big deal, right? I feel like the strange anti-social neighbor who is trying not to hyperventilate when someone comes close. I don't like being that person, but I also feel like it's really important right now. So I'm trying to find the right ways to explain, politely decline, but also not hide in my house all the time. 

Our week has pretty much looked the same as last week. Trying to get out on walks when we can, trying not to go crazy with all of us home all of the time :)  

Library Online

One of the things we have missed the most is our weekly trips to check out library books. It has also caused me to readjust our Toddler School plans, as I usually check out books related to our weekly topics. But I am super grateful that there are some books available online! It's not a large library for my kiddos, and it defeats the purpose of limiting screen time, but it sure is better than nothing!

Outside Time

This week, our neighborhood had a day to chalk positive messages for people to find on their walks. So we pulled out the sidewalk chalk to participate! We are so grateful that the weather has been nicer so we can get outside to play. Our backyard has been too muddy to play from all the rain, but it finally dried out enough for us to enjoy! It has been fun to see Aiden running around with his brother and sister, with them introducing him to all the fun outdoor toys :)

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I'm thankful for these kiddos. They keep me grounded in all this craziness. Of course, they do also drive me crazy, but that is just part of our "normal," and we need as much "normal" as we can get right now.

High Five for Friday!

{one} Eli and Maddie are mobile now, so they are ALL over the place. And it happened FAST. Seriously, one day they were crawling from me to Mike a few feet away, and the next they were crawling all over the house. They love exploring, and for the most part, I just let them go. It's super cute when they get going together, because they just giggle as they're chasing each other around the house. Eli is also pulling up on everything, trying to stand on his own. So while it's a super exciting time around our house, it's also a new wave of exhaustion for this twin mama :)

{two} I mentioned back in March that I was wanting to practice a bit more of my hand lettering. Well...I have twins, so I haven't done much haha. It's so hard to find time! And my perfectionist nature has made me hate everything I have worked on. I want to be good on day 1 haha! I know that's not realistic, but it has kept me from really practicing or making any progress. Kind of like analysis paralysis. So I decided it would be good for me to go back to the very basic of basics. So I started the 90 Days of Drills challenge from Two Easels, and I'm LOVING it! It has been the perfect place for me to start, and I am actually excited about diving deeper and building my skills. It will be slow, well, #becausetwins. But here's to my lettering journey!

{three} I am also really excited about starting a new Bible study with Laura! I have desperately been needing to be back in the Word, and it has just been so hard with the twins. We listen to the audio Bible every morning during breakfast, and I listen to sermon podcasts throughout the day while I'm feeding the babies. But it's just not the same as sitting down and digging into the Word. I thought about going back to BSF, but now that babies are mobile, I can't keep them with me {and can you imagine that craziness, anyway??}, and they are just not ready to be left yet. So my sweet friend suggested that we do a study together. And I am so thankful. We have done studies together in the past, and I can't wait to dive deeper into Ephesians this time. 

{four} So this is completely random, but I thought it was funny. Another twin mom posted a Lost Sleep Calculator for Parents. When I plugged in our stats, I started laugh crying. 6 months. We have lost 6 months of sleep. Our babies are only 9 months old! Haha. But this is not an exaggeration. THIS is life with twins. We wouldn't change it, but hopefully this explains why we have disappeared from so many things, and why we may seem like weirdos these days.  :)

{five} We have a new niece! Charley Claire was born on August 7th, and she is beautiful! We are finally able to go meet her tomorrow, and we can't wait to snuggle with her. In particular, big sister Presley Kate is SUPER excited to introduce her baby sister to "E-why" and "Maggie"  :)

High Five for Friday!

{one} I am really excited to be a part of the launch team for Christine Hoover's new book Messy Beautiful Friendship! I have been a part of her launch teams in the past {here and here}, and so I was really happy when I got the email that I was chosen again for this one! She is full of so much wisdom, and I am looking forward to reading her thoughts on both the messiness and beauty of friendship.

{two} Finding ways to spend intentional time with the Lord has been a bit of a challenge. The first couple of months when the babies arrived, it was nearly impossible to find time for anything except for feeding babies and catching sleep when I could. I remember praying repeatedly, "Lord, you know I love you. Please forgive me, but I am going to sleep right now." {which, by the way, I do believe sleep can be the most honoring thing to the Lord at times}. Anyway, everything was such a blur as we learned to navigate life with 2 newborns, and I am just thankful for grace in those crazy seasons. But now that the babies are actually sleeping at night and seem to have a little bit more of a schedule, I am settling into a new routine in the mornings. I have been listening to the Bible {I am reading chronologically this year} while I feed babies breakfast, but now I spend a little more intentional time when they go down for their morning nap. And my soul is just soaking up every bit of the Word that I can. 

{three} I am absolutely LOVING my new RIVI vintage inspired felt letter board! I used some of the birthday money I was given to get it, and I am so glad I did. It's just a fun way to be creative, and it's also getting me to practice my photography skills {which still leave a lot to be desired ha!} I definitely look forward to using it to display some fun quotes :)

{four} Speaking of being creative...my creative juices have been flowing, and I have been looking for a fun new project {because I have SO much time on my hands these days. right.} Anyway, I have been doodling here and there and wanting to practice my hand lettering a bit more. So I decided to take some online classes, practice a little each day, and follow some monthly prompts. And I am enjoying it so much! Once I get in some more practice, I might post some of my work. But either way, I think I may have found my newest creative outlet...

{five} So I have really been enjoying listening to podcasts. The babies and I listen to episodes during feeding times, and it's a nice way to redeem some of that time, since I feel like that's ALL I do {feed babies}, all day long. There are 2 in particular that I have been working my way through:

• The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey: I am SUPER late to the party on this one, but I have been enjoying it so much! It's light and fun, and I have learned so much about varying ministries. I now also have an even longer list of books to read :)  I started at the beginning {from 2-3 years ago} and have been making my way through each of her guests.
• Undisclosed: I really enjoyed the Serial podcast, and season 1 of Undisclosed is a spin-off {of sorts} of that. This podcast is definitely more serious, but I am fascinated by the whole true crime, pick apart the case thing. It is definitely more biased than Serial {which they admit}, but it has been interesting to see their perspective on the case. 

Happy Friday! We're looking forward to Grandma coming in this weekend for her spring break!