Day 1954 | Drive-In Recital
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Another late night in Chippewa Falls supporting our nieces/cousins. This time it was a drive-in dance recital. The social distancing worked well and we enjoyed a chance to see all their hard work on the big screen.
Day 1953 | 4-H Showcase
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The 4-H fair looked a bit different this year. So different, in fact, they gave it a new name: the 4-H Showcase. The boys still did projects and presented them in front of a judge (following health and safety guidelines), but we couldn’t meander the exhibit hall looking at other entries, we couldn’t visit the animals, there were no malts at the food stand.
To be honest, initially I wasn’t thrilled the Showcase was happening. I didn’t want to go through the hassle of projects knowing the experience would be so different. Now, though, I’m so glad we had something to focus on for the last month. We had fun doing the projects and it motivated us to try some new activities with the kids (sewing with grandma, whittling with dad, leaf collecting with mom). I really like 4-H. Have I said that before? :)
Day 1952 | Covid Farmer’s Market
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Eau Claire is still hosting the downtown farmer’s market so we popped in on our way home from our morning bike ride. Wearing masks is still very strange and somewhat scary to come to terms with but we’re doing it and will happily continue wearing them as long as we need to. #wearthemasks
Day 1951 | The First Tooth
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Robbe lost his first tooth last night. Sniffle sniffle. It’s a tangible right of passage from babyhood to real kid territory. You can see your little guy slipping away one tooth at a time.
A bit melodramatic? Yes. But I think it’s true. We’ve said goodbye to most of the “baby stuff” long ago and now it’s time to move on and grow some real chompers, too. He’s beyond thrilled. I’m getting used to the new grin. And soon enough he’ll have a mouthful of awkward adult teeth trying to fit into that adorable little head. Growing up is weird, isn’t it?
Special thanks to my parents for handling the first tooth loss during last night’s sleep over. Talk about timing. Luckily, the tooth fairy was able to find him in the new location. I’m sure you were worried.
Day 1950 | State Street Hill
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For those of you who are local readers, you’ll understand how much of an accomplishment it is that the boys have successfully biked up State Street Hill. It’s a steep one! And the boys couldn’t be more excited about it. All of a sudden going to piano lessons became a lot more fun (which just happens to be located at the top of the hill).
Side note: The fridge seems to be working again. Fingers crossed we made it through!
Day 1949 | Refrigerator
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This is an image you never want to see. There’s no good reason to have an empty + open refrigerator staring back at you. Apparently we have a fan problem. We needed to defrost it for eight-ten hours. Tomorrow morning will reveal whether the defrost was enough or if there are more serious problems. Think happy thoughts for us, will you?
Day 1948 | Tubing
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We’ve been talking about tubing down the river by our house since we moved here four (4!) years ago. Today, that dream came true. And we got to bring some of favorite people along for the adventure. We learned some good tidbits for our next trip down while having lots of fun on this too-hot-to-do-anything-else type of day.
Day 1947 | Newsies
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Covid can’t keep the Children’s Theater down. I don’t think I’ve ever been happier to attend a musical. Also, two of my nieces were in it. Also, it was Newsies (remember how much I love Newsies?!?).
It was a perfect summer evening. The organizers did a remarkable job of helping keep the performers safe and distancing the crowds without taking away from the magic of the evening. As I was sitting under the stars with Robbe on my lap, I almost forgot about all the stress and uncertainty of life right now. It was a good lesson in appreciating all of the really wonderful things still going on during such a crazy time.
Day 1946 | Wagon Full of Books
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We enjoyed another personal shopping session at the library today. It was just as exciting as the first time around. We learned our lesson from last time, though, and brought our wagon for all the books this time. Robbe managed to wheel it almost the entire way home.
Day 1945 | Vote
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Just a friendly little reminder.
Day 1944 | A Bookshelf
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I have had buying a bookshelf for the boys’ room on my to do list since we split their bunk beds back in January. Why does everything take so long? I’m happy to report that a bookshelf has been purchased and is now happily hosting our library.
Day 1943 | Beating the Heat
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Today was uncomfortable. Just super hot and gross. I convinced the boys to take a morning bike ride to beat the heat. We had a lovely bike ride but we did not beat the heat. It sure was nice to get out, though!
Day 1942 | Owen Park
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On our morning bike ride, we discovered no one was at our neighborhood playground. Robbe took full advantage and honed his monkey bar skills—until a few other kids showed up and it was time to go. It was fun while it lasted, though! It turns out that ten minutes of monkey-barring is pretty intense.
Day 1941 | Willow River State Park
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We busted out of Eau Claire for a hike in Willow River State Park. We camped here with the boys two years ago (here’s the evidence). This time we met up with friends we haven’t seen in months. I promise we were good! Wore masks in confined spaces and did our best to distance while we were walking. Man, it was nice to have a change of scenery while enjoying a beautiful summer day with a good friend I’ve missed terribly. This Covid thing is really wearing on me lately.
Day 1940 | 4-H Projects
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The county 4-H fair is a go. I’m surprised, too. So here we are starting fair projects in the middle of July. Not unheard of, but definitely not my favorite. Today’s photo is of the boys during our leaf scavenger hunt. We collected leaves from twelve different varieties of trees and then we’ll identity them and figure out a way to showcase them. I’ll let you know as soon as the final project is ready for public viewing.
Day 1939 | Chimney Rock
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I don’t mean to brag, but I climbed to the top of this giant rock today. My dad has never been more proud of me.
Day 1938 | Learning to be Antiracist
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I’m new to the process of opening my eyes to white privilege and being antiracist. That’s embarrassing to say, but it’s the truth. I’ve thought “we’re all equal” for so long that it rang true to me. And that’s what I’ve taught the boys. Now I realize that’s not enough. In reality, our country doesn’t treat everyone equally, so why would just thinking “we’re all equal” be enough? It isn’t enough. People of color have had (and continue to have) a much harder set of obstacles to overcome and it’s not ok to pretend that years of oppression can be erased by just repeating an equality mantra. Chris and I have been trying to have more conversations with the boys about race and what it means to be white. I’ve been reading more articles about the topic and I just finished a book on the history of racism that I highly recommend:
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
The book does an impressive job of explaining a lengthy and heavy subject matter without feeling inaccessible or terribly confusing. I won’t go into all the takeaways (I hope you’ll read it yourself!), but this paragraph from the last chapter stood out to me:
Tell a certain story a certain way…Get enough people on your side to tell you you’re right, and you’re right. Even if you’re wrong. And once you’ve been told you’re right long enough, and once your being right has led you to a profitable and privileged life, you’d do anything to not be proved wrong.
We’ve just got to do better, you know? I’m going to keep reading, keep talking to the boys, and keep trying to acknowledge my racist thoughts when they unearth themselves…ugh. It’s hard work. And very humbling. But also very necessary.
I’ll leave you with another excerpt (it’s a long one) from the book. Let this simmer for awhile.
A letter to the youth from one of the authors (in the Acknowledgments section of the book):
You’re far more open and empathetic than the generations before you. So much so, that your sensitivity is used as an insult, a slight against you. Your desire for a fair world is seen as a weakness. What I’ve learned is that your anger is global, because the world now sits in the palm of your hand. You have the ability to teleport, to scroll upon a war zone or a murder. To witness protest and revolution from cultures not your own but who share your frustration. Your refusal. Your fear.
But I have to warn you:
Scrolling will never be enough.
Reposting will never be enough.
Hashtagging will never be enough.
Because hatred has a way of convincing us that half love is whole. What I mean by that is we–all of us–have to fight against performance and lean into participation. We have to be participants. Active. We have to be more than audience members sitting comfortably in the stands of morality, shouting, “WRONG!” That’s too easy. Instead, we must be players on the field, on the court, in our classrooms and communities, trying to do right. Because it takes a whole hand–both hands–to grab hold of hatred. Not just a texting thumb and a scrolling index finger.
But I have to warn you, again:
We can’t attack a thing we don’t know.
That’s dangerous. And…foolish. It would be like trying to chop down a tree from the top of it. If we understand how the tree works, how the trunks and roots are where the power lies, and how gravity is on our side, we can attack it, each of us with small axes, and change the face of the forest.
And if you’ve made it this far in my post I’ll reward you with a lighter note regarding this blog post: you’ll notice in the photo that the copy of the book I’m reading has a “Lucky Day” emblem on it. This means that this is a popular book at our library and that I only had one week to read it. I’ve never successfully finished a Lucky Day book in the allotted time before. This time I did! Thanks, I’m proud of myself, too.
Day 1937 | Painted Rocks
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I’m not sure if every city does this, but I love that Eau Claire does. There are some very sweet (and super talented) folks who paint rocks and then hide them (in plain sight) around town for kids to find. This ladybug is probably the third or fourth that Robbe has found and it brings him so much joy. Which brings me so much joy. Win, win!
If anyone out there wants to start painting rocks, we’ll distribute them for you!
Day 1936 | Beating the Heat
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The last week or so has been real hot around here. It’s summer, I guess. I’m trying really hard not to complain as I spend most of the year freezing. One way to beat the heat? Frolic in public fountains (while social distancing, of course).
Day 1935 | New Bike Day
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Robbe was in need of a bigger bike. When you’re the little brother, that means the big brother gets a new bike—don’t worry, though, Robbe got a sweet hand-me-down. We managed to find a used bike for Chase (it has gears to shift!) and everyone is living their best life now. In today’s world of bike shortages, this purchase was no small feat. Good thing Chase wasn’t terribly picky.
