COVID-19 update #2

Well, we are a month into #StayatHomeMN and we have found ways to stay busy and keep a (somewhat) regular schedule.  As highlights... we have 5 key goals for each of us and we talk about them at dinner … Did you....

Get outside

Do some work

Work out

Connect with Friends

Have Fun

And...for Billy and Kay …. Practice Driving....

Overall, I'd say they are doing pretty good! They are all keeping up with school and Jimmy/Billy/Tom are finding ways to work out (lots of new weight bands, etc).  There are a LOT of video games being played but also bible studies (Jimmy), teaching the dogs new tricks (Kay) and long hair (Billy)

Notably, here is what we are trying to focus on...

Cooking!! Tom loves to cook and its his creative outlet and stress relief. We are trying to make something new at least once a week and so far, the results are amazing! Kay even joined in with cream puffs with lemon curd filling and mergiune

Supporting Local Business - trying to do a new take out once a week and each week, one of the kids gets to pick. So far, only 1 dud!  We are also posting this on social media in the hopes that others will do it as well.

Generosity - We want to make sure we are connecting with friends and being generous just feels good. Right now we are sharing our wonderful meals with 3 key people - Tim, who had open heart surgery and a pace maker put in and is a huge foodie. He misses his favorite restaurants so Tom's cooking is a welcome treat.  Cyn, she is a massage therapist and single so we are trying to bring fun new foods for her to try.  Kristen and Craig, Kristen never considering cooking her favorite activity and now with brain cancer its WAY down on their list so we try to bring something over once a week, at least. Plus its an excuse to socially distance and see them.

Getting outside - We'd decided to explore MN State Parks, bought a pass and are meeting the Fosters at a new state park once a week for social distance hiking I LOVE it and Billy has been joining us.

Connecting with Friends - virtually - Erin Schwab (my favorite local singer) does a Facebook live concert every Friday night at 7:30, its a show tune, Bette Midler, request type sing along and its SO FUN!! Bunny even watched last week!  We also did a virtual Trivia Mafia with the Thornes and Millers. That was fun but hard to hear. Finally we had a "round the world" India reunion on Zoom and had people from every time zone in the U.S plus Paul called in from South Africa.

House mini Remodel Stuff - Tom has been amazing. He's installed all new toliet seats, fixed all the wood scratches from Maui, rechaulked the bathrooms and is in the process of re-doing Kay's room.  The house has never looked better!

Regrouping - Kay started Teen Intervene, chemical health 4 series of sessions and along with it, nicotine succession plan.  Getting her out of the school environment seems to be paying off and we are hoping it will help give her some perspective on her choices and time for her brain (executive functioning) to calm down and rewire.  I will say, living with a 16 yo girl who's going through nicotine withdrawal because of vaping is NOT something I'd wish on anyone but it might be a silver lining to this whole thing.  We are proud that she self identified that she needed help and is doing what she needs to do to get back in balance. Plus, she seems to be rocking this distance learning thing.

We hope you are all safe, entertained, productive and healthy.

LOVE!!!

Our life in pictures......

At one point, it was warm enough for a bike ride, then it snowed

Make your own pizzas!

Erin's Facebook concert!

It IS spring, damn it!

LOVE this quote

4 versions of cabbage rolls,  both rolled, deconstructed, plant based protein and beef/sausage - super yummy and a new favorite

Salsa Verde Pork, hearts of palm and green beans

Tracy's work posted hearts everywhere in honor of their staff

Kays distant learning work space

Billy's distant learning orchestra practice

Jimmy's distance learning workspace, he's definitely taking up the most room.

Tracy got so bored she created a new Bitmoji

Bunny's been sewing like crazy!

Kays merguanies.

The neighborhood elusive masked, rabbited eared owl

Veg and sausage lasagna also had 1 version done with zucchini instead of noodles.....

Jimmy's 18th Gotcha Day

Well, Jimmy's 18th Gotcha Day came and went in a blur of StayatHomeMN and Easter.
The good news is, he didn't seem to mind:)

On Friday, 4/10, we did the usual social media storm of posting embarrassing photos and sharing with the world how blessed we were to bring Jimmy home. We planned for his favorite dinner (orange chicken) and were ready to celebrate him.

Then...he told us he was fasting for Good Friday (there goes dinner) so we rescheduled that part to Saturday.

Then, Saturday shows up and we see a number of social media posts wishing Hayden a Happy Gotcha Day. Hold on! They have the same Gotcha Day since they came home together.  Wow, we royally screwed this up.

On top of it all, we forgot to post our annual blog about it.

I guess that is what happens when you are officially an adult, your parents forget all about you:)

In the end though, it was the perfect day. We celebrated him, had a nice dinner (orange chicken which he also ate for breakfast the next day) and all shared our favorite parts of him.  Tracy said his helpfulness and kindness.  Tom said his infinite curiosity and Billy said his perseverance.  Kay slept through the whole thing so she missed out.

We are so so so blessed to have this amazing person in our lives. He's friendly, kind, generous, funny, smart, determined, hardworking, curious, a good friend and a seeker of truth. 

We can never be grateful enough to his birth family, especially birth mother, foster family and all the social workers and judges who made his adoption possible. Their greatest gift and hardest decision became the start of our forever family.

We love you Jimmy!!!

Holi - Jimmy was way into it until the neighbor Dad got involved and now he will never forget and never forgive

Chess on the cruise, Billy always manages to beat everyone

The FLOW

Leaving ESWS in Seoul. It was beyond emotional. We were thrilled and terrified. We wanted to leave as fast as we could but also wanted him to stay in Seoul forever. We loved him instantly but were heartbroken for his birth mother and foster family. Adoption is never an easy or clear emotion.

Such an impressive young man.

The crew.

  

The Hunt....

What a weird weekend! Besides being in #stayathomeMN, the weather on Saturday was gorgeous! (low 60's and blue skies) and then is snowed ALL DAY on Easter and it actually stuck to the ground. Even 4 days later its still cold with snow on the ground. In mid April. It really IS the end of the world.

Overall we had a really nice Easter weekend. We played online Trivia Mafia on Friday nigh with the Thornes and Zuricks via Zoom and Facebook live. We did miserably but had fun.

Saturday we took a long long gorgeous hike in Wild River State Park with the Fosters, even Billy joined us. And it was perfect (6ft of distance of course)

Sunday was all about "the Hunt". If you remember, we started a tradition ages ago that we now regret. Candy and eggs are procured for baskets and then an elaborate scavenger hunt including puzzles, riddles and games leads the kids to their baskets/presents. More importantly, every year it needs to be different. Its exhausting.

This year, World Market in Bloomington donated a TON of candy/Easter stuff to Tracy's work so everyone got to load up for the clients and themselves. These were the best baskets since our Easter in Chicago with the Reagans (nothing will ever top the chocolate/candy overload of that year) but, Kay did mention that this year was a close 2nd.

Tracy hid the baskets and then the kids had to solve puzzles to find  - Jimmy = hangman, Kay = word search, Billy = word puzzle with his favorite things.

Then, it was a clue by clue search for eggs. This didn't go as well as planned since 1/2 way through Kay started picking up Billy's eggs but...no worries, we found them all in the end.

We ordered caramelized leek quiche and mini choux pastries from B'beri Desserts and Kay claimed all the caramel treats and quiche as her own. No sharing. That's success right there!

We Zoomed with both sets of families and that proved both heartwarming and frustrating...(see SNL comment below....)

Then Tom spend the day making a huge smoked turkey dinner including sausage stuffing, aunt Minnie potatoes, cranberry sauce out of a can, homemade cheddar biscuits and roasted broccoli.
 YUM!! Kay of course slept through the whole thing and the rest of us ate way way too much.

We ended the day with the SNL from the night before, hysterical!!

I hope everyone had a relaxing and cozy Easter!!

Love to you all!!

Zine for AnneMiek

Wendy is creating a Zine for Annemiek. From what I understand, its sort of an online magazine that covers and highlights important things in your life. A virtual scrap book?  She has asked us what our page in this Zine will be?  Well, since we are luddites and have no idea how this stuff works, we figured we take it to the blog 1st and then see if she thinks its a good start...

Annemiek Sistermans... We are so blessed to have you in our lives!!

What we love about AM...

• I love that you have this very dry and stoic sense of humor and yet love to make silly faces
• I love that you are super matter a fact about life - its refreshing not to get platitudes or fluff from you
• I love that our kids have almost no memory of Wendy without you
• I love that we were part of your wedding and now get to be aging married couples together (early bed times, etc...)
• Tom was in heaven when he was able to meet your brother for the 1st time after spending all spring email/texting him about your wedding speech
• I love that your dad introduced Billy to the "bike rack" and that losing his tooth, with a little help from Jimmy, on your wedding day became auspicious instead of a disaster
• We all love your family but feel especially honored to have gotten to know your mom and dad
• I love that you joined our family through Wendy. I remember your 1st date. Wendy was so nervous. It was perfect. (bike ride and picnic from Whole Foods, right?!) 
• Tom felt an instant connection with you when you road your bike UP to Hinckley to meet Wendy/I at the 1/2 way point of the MS150 and then your rode back to the cities with him and the kids. That was extremely brave of you.
• I love that you love Lucy.
• You made me love orange. Its now my 2nd favorite color after green.
• I love that you have an adventurous approach to food

Things I have mixed feelings about....

• I LOVE that you are fearless and quickly checking things off your bucket list, I hope you keep adding things to your bucket list too!
• Tom and I are truly jealous of all your travels with Wendy, we live vicariously through you and if it weren't for these damn kids, we'd be totally tagging along!
• I wish that we had time to know more of your "other" friends - Belinda and Sheila are great!  The rest must be too! Again, those damn kids.
• The respect and love your coworkers have for you is so touching, I just wish you didn't have learn that through cancer

Things I regret...

• I wish that we had met and known you pre-Wendy.
• We wish your family lived closer. Or, maybe I wish we lived in the Netherlands!
• That you have to battle cancer. twice. that sucks rocks.
• That we have not taken an RV trip with you

Pride is always a favorite family event

Pig Ate My Pizza - one of our favorite places in the world 

St Pattys Day!!

AM's home

Silly faces

New Zealand adventures 

The wedding of the century

Billy getting his tooth organized after the "bike rack" incident