The COVID Summer

Our 2020 Summer was basically stay-at-home because you know.... pandemic.

We did the best we could to do what everyone else should have done.... stay at home.  Stay healthy.  Stay happy.  So we did a lot of playing outside and going to the pool.  We kicked the summer off at Nags Head with a Sink family vacation.

After vacation I always get some sort of itch to re-arrange or re-organize.  This particular re-arranging victim: the girls room.  I moved a few things around and took out one of their dressers to make a better space for them to be able to play.  I love that now you can see the steps and the bins full of toys.

Sweet Syd all ready for some tacos

I had just gotten in some pretty leotards and long tutus, so naturally they wanted a photo shoot.  You'll notice they posed themselves-

Getting ready to head to the pool, again, they're really into posing, ha!

I remember thinking at the very beginning of this pandemic when we were sent home, "wow, I sure am glad we don't have kids in school".

And then I realized that it actually may very well be us in the fall, knowing Kindergarten was on the horizon and COVID wasn't going away.

So the first thing I did was call to get on a local waiting list for private Kindergarten.  Then, it was time to register our sweet girls for Kindergarten at Ecoff Elementary!  No matter what the Fall looked like, we had two little ladies who were ready for school :)

we blinked, and here we are!

we convinced Abby to go to the pool with us

After the pool, Abby told us she had a pet cockroach at home, and of course Ella and Sydney wanted to hold it.....

Yes, a pet cockroach.  And that thing is massive.

we love Abby!

we have new visors we made at Ms. Trina's, and they're like Grandma's!

sweet summertime

all ready to celebrate Seth & Clara's birthdays

they rented a MASSIVE blow up slide.  it was a super fun day!

they dressed themselves for some 4th of July sparkler celebrations outside in the court

they are trying to burn up a leaf...

anddddd that's a wrap for birthday celebrations - Seth, Clara, and America 🥳 

Ya'll.  I am floating, they are swimming independently.  Mark this day down!!

They worked really hard to swim across the pool.

Nana and Papa bought them bookbags and lunchboxes for Kindergarten.  They arrived and became a Saturday morning toy.

so they had a picnic lunch with their new accessories 

I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am that these two are doing such a great job swimming alone... so I will heavily document my new found freedom

I walked into my room to find Sydney snoozing... it's been FOREVER since they've napped during the day, but summertime will wear a girl out.

cousin crew

we had a great day out on Mr. Bob Bob's boat

waiting in the car, and Ella's being a good mama

All that swimming gave this sweet girl swimmer's ear

having some backyard pool fun with our friend Evelyn.  In this picture, Amelia is escaping the pool, Evelyn is swimming, and Ella and Sydney are acting like 14 year olds.

dirt cups

there hasn't been a single dentist visit that the two of them don't hold each other's hands

This year to celebrate Daniel's dad's birthday, we couldn't let COVID restrictions hold our family back from celebrating.  We spent the day swimming in a friend's backyard pool.

love my guy

these are my people

Sink crew

And then had an adults-only dinner at PF Changs

After several months of staying in, we finally let the girls venture out to Target for a change of scenery.  They had gift cards they spent!

watermelon girl eating a watermelon snack

Jacob turned 6!

Elsa braids

We needed another break with a change of scenery, so we convinced our neighbors to head to Bulls Bay with us.  We had SO much fun in one of our most favorite places.

we arrived and immediately went out to the dock to fish

me and my girls

Sydney is holding a fish!

Ella's turn

These two are the cutest

she's attached to me

it was a bath-in-the-bay kind of night

thankful for Kim helping with tonight's bathtime

checking out the crab pots

I love, love, love these dresses.  Not only am I a huge watermelon fan, but when I was little, I distinctly remember a very similar dress.

Down by the bay, where the watermelon's grow

one of my most favorite pictures - me and my Poppop, and peep that dress...

love that they're becoming so much more independent

so we can relax

Jeff pretended like this float was like a bucking bull and kept throwing them off, it was HILARIOUS

Ella and her buddy Daisy

enjoying the fruits of our crabbing labor!

we went out for a walk and to see the sunset

When we got back from The Bay, we went over to my mom's to pick-up a surprise....

Pebbles!

ice cream fundraiser :)

bath time for Pebbles

When Pebbles visits, Pebbles gets to sleep on the bottom bunk

Another trip to Target, this time for school supplies!

Momma enjoying a quiet afternoon at the pool

me and my girl Syd hanging out on the front porch... wait, what porch? spoiler alert :) stay tuned for more!

doing some light yard work, she's a vibe

Back in March when we had to cancel the Chuck E. Cheese fifth birthday bonanza, I said "well, when we celebrate their birthday when this is all over, it'll be their first and only time they can have a pool party!"

Well... COVID still isn't over, but we wanted to celebrate their birthday, even if it was small.  So we invited our families over for swimming and pizza and cupcakes.  

Oh, and it was the one weekend of the summer that it was CHILLY.  Totally felt on brand for how the year 2020 was going.

They made lightning bugs at Ms. Trina's, and this is how I found Ella sleeping one night.

And then, our stay-at-home summer was coming to a close.  Ella and Sydney were just a few short weeks away from starting Kindergarten, and we had one beach week planned for just the four of us.  Our summer being at Ms. Trina's was such a huge, huge blessing to us.  She helped keep our girls happy and healthy, and we are forever grateful she opened up her home to us.

Ella and Sydney's last day with Ms. Trina and Ms. Alyssa - naturally we had to bring thank you notes and presents

Ms. Trina threw them a going away party, and they picked the theme - My Little Pony

And that's a wrap.  Up next, a week at Cape Charles and the start of Kindergarten.