Summer 2020

Almost two years later I think back on covid life with a little bit of angst, fear, and sadness. I morn what my boys lost.  I fear what future pandemics might bring.  However, after looking through all my pictures of the amazing things we were able to do and accomplish, I realize what an amazing summer we actually had.  We got to spend so much time together.  We had so many amazing adventures.  My boys didn't loose out on anything.  They actually gained so much more!! We actually grew so much during the year 2020, and I think 2020 was so much better than my anxiety filled brain was leading me to believe.  

I had my pictures all organized, but they loaded in completely random orders and I don't have the energy to sort them. So, instead of giving each picture its own explanation, I will summarize all the fun things we got to do during the epic pandemic summer of 2020:

• Eggs. We got to experience gathering our very own farm fresh eggs and eating a yummy, fresh egg breakfast when ever we wanted!
• Nature.  We explored so much beautiful nature! Mountain wild flowers, waterfalls, mountain lakes, gardens, koi fish, and lots of hiking trails! 
• Swimming. About a mile from our house our city built a really nice recreation center.  We bought yearly passes and used it ALL summer to go swimming.  Normally the pool is really crowded, but due to covid they only allowed a set number of families in through a reservation system. It was always quiet (and glorious).  We went about twice a week all summer, and it was honestly just what I needed.  It helped make life feel a tad more normal. 
• Baking. I'm not a baker, but we tried a few fun recipes.  The best was homemade air-fryer donuts. We also used our food storage (what a better time to use food storage than during a pandemic, right?!) to make homemade bread.  I had the boys help me grind up the wheat berries (so much work) and we made some hardy whole wheat loafs of bread! 
• Museums. After the mask mandate I felt a little safer going to indoor venues.  We ventured out to Thanksgiving point a few times.  We have been there hundreds of times, but again, after the world shut down the simple things seemed so much more exciting. 
• Airborne. To celebrate my boy's covid birthdays that happened during the shutdown, we decided to visit airborne (a trampoline park) once everything felt safer.  I was a tad nervous to go to an indoor venue where people were exercising and breathing heavy, but all was good.  
• Scouting.  After months of taking a scouting break, scouts started back up again for Chase and Blake.  The boys even got to attend their annual scout camp.  Wesley sadly missed his scouting graduation program, but we made him a beautiful display case with all his awards.