I decided to dust off the blog in order to document some of our experience during this global pandemic.
I remember sitting with 2 friends while our kids played a couple months ago when this virus first started to be news. I was concerned that it may affect the trip to Disney World that we were taking on March 21. We all agreed that the trip would probably be fine.
We were wrong. Since then, not only has Disney indefinitely shut its doors, but so have all other businesses deemed non-life sustaining. This is the case in PA and most other states. There are some states that have not closed as much.
Ryan's office is seeing emergencies only. We are only going to the grocery store when we really need to.
It's strange to see empty parking lots. Restaurants are carry-out only. The gyms are closed, the schools are closed. Today I learned that county singer John Prine died of coronavirus complications.
While this pandemic has upended nearly everything, one thing it hasn't done is affect the playful spirit of Liza. She is so completely happy living slower days, and has been having so much fun exploring various outdoor spaces that just haven't ben part of our "normal" until now. She is particularly loving that Ryan is home more than usual.
Our weeks usually looked about the same with preschool, friendship center, Costco, maybe a mcdonalds drive-thru or 2 on the way to the library to Rock the Spectrum. None of those places are available to us anymore (except the drive-thru, which we have chosen to avoid anyway). Now we wake up, take a lap around our neighborhood, and then decide where we will go next. We've checked out Ibberson, Boyd Big Tree Preserve, Governor Dick in Mt. Gretna, and several other areas that we were overdue to visit. We've started geocaching, and taking the scenic route wherever we go.
Thankfully, the weather has been mostly good. The nice weather has made all the difference in us really making the most of this time.
We've made an exception for our next door neighbors as far as social distancing is concerned. The kids are inseparable and play outside together constantly. They are being very careful regarding exposure as are we.
While I am thankful for the motivation to get outside and think outside the box, I hope there is an end to this virus soon and I hope things will open back up safely.
Wednesday, April 8, 2020
Monday, November 12, 2018
Well hello there
...bet you thought this blog was defunct, didn't cha?
Well I'm back, baby!
Sorta - I have a minute and about 35 other things I should be doing but I wanted to hop on before the year was over and do a quick update.
Liza is 3.5 years old. Wow! What an age. She is saying some of the funniest and cutest things, so completely adorable, and along with that some big emotions and not always the tools to handle them. It's a challenge but I thank God every day for my healthy, happy girl.
She is still really into soldiers, nutcrackers, bagpipers, and pretty much any type of job or occasion in which a person wears a fancy suit. Or is in a parade. Or a marching band. You get the idea.
Double Play wrapped up, Liza had a great time there every Tuesday morning.
We had a great visit home for easter, a fun birthday party at my mom's house, and made special memories in Ocean City again this year. Liza saw the Miss New Jersey parade and one of the contestants was dressed up as Frida Kahlo and Liza was enthralled. It was pretty neat.
We spent a lot of time with our friends going to playgrounds, play dates, and meeting up various places all over town. I'm so happy that we have good friends to make memories with.
Liza also started gymnastics this summer and really took to it. She has lots of fun on the balance beam, bars, and rings. We are continuing with it this fall.
We visited Ohio for a week in August and Liza went to the Natural History Museum in Cleveland, and Oh Wow in Youngstown where she also met her Aunt Jenny for the first time. Liza had a great Ohio week with Nana, Pop pop, and my parents.
Ballet started at Tap N Arts dance studio in September and Liza is so cute in her outfits every week. We can't wait til her recital in the spring.
We visited Canfield again in October for my Grandma Rose's 88th birthday, celebrated with a nice dinner at Stonebridge Restaurant.
We are back into the holidays now after a fun Halloween dressed as a cowbow family for trick-or-treating and as a dia de muertos skeleton girl (with a homemade dress!) for a friend's Halloween party.
We are planning on taking Liza to see the nutcracker this season after a teaser freebie show at Barnes and Nobel. We think she'll love it!
Until next time! (which will be next year, lets be real!)
Well I'm back, baby!
Sorta - I have a minute and about 35 other things I should be doing but I wanted to hop on before the year was over and do a quick update.
Liza is 3.5 years old. Wow! What an age. She is saying some of the funniest and cutest things, so completely adorable, and along with that some big emotions and not always the tools to handle them. It's a challenge but I thank God every day for my healthy, happy girl.
She is still really into soldiers, nutcrackers, bagpipers, and pretty much any type of job or occasion in which a person wears a fancy suit. Or is in a parade. Or a marching band. You get the idea.
Double Play wrapped up, Liza had a great time there every Tuesday morning.
We had a great visit home for easter, a fun birthday party at my mom's house, and made special memories in Ocean City again this year. Liza saw the Miss New Jersey parade and one of the contestants was dressed up as Frida Kahlo and Liza was enthralled. It was pretty neat.
We spent a lot of time with our friends going to playgrounds, play dates, and meeting up various places all over town. I'm so happy that we have good friends to make memories with.
Liza also started gymnastics this summer and really took to it. She has lots of fun on the balance beam, bars, and rings. We are continuing with it this fall.
We visited Ohio for a week in August and Liza went to the Natural History Museum in Cleveland, and Oh Wow in Youngstown where she also met her Aunt Jenny for the first time. Liza had a great Ohio week with Nana, Pop pop, and my parents.
Ballet started at Tap N Arts dance studio in September and Liza is so cute in her outfits every week. We can't wait til her recital in the spring.
We visited Canfield again in October for my Grandma Rose's 88th birthday, celebrated with a nice dinner at Stonebridge Restaurant.
We are back into the holidays now after a fun Halloween dressed as a cowbow family for trick-or-treating and as a dia de muertos skeleton girl (with a homemade dress!) for a friend's Halloween party.
We are planning on taking Liza to see the nutcracker this season after a teaser freebie show at Barnes and Nobel. We think she'll love it!
Until next time! (which will be next year, lets be real!)
Thursday, January 4, 2018
Quick notes
Happy 2017! Liza is napping (possibly in the recliner like yesterday, I can't tell by the monitor) and I have a few minutes to record some memories from the past few weeks.
We had a great holiday in Canfield. I was sick for a couple days with a stomach bug, but well again by christmas. Liza had a ball playing with Grandma all week. We took her to Fellows Riverside Gardens in Mill Creek Park where the entire building was decorated in "Toyland" theme. Liza loved seeing all the trees and decorations, especially the soldiers and nutcrackers. We had lunch at the Kravitz cafe inside before heading home. She liked it there so much that we went back when Ryan got into town. He enjoyed it also.
We made a stop at the Canfield Library where Liza enjoyed dressing up and decorating a reindeer.
Her favorite part of the week was may have been playing with all grandma's little nutcrackers and other decorations (like a musical carousel) and watching a Disney Christmas sing-a-long VHS tape from my own childhood.
We were lucky to have Nana and Pop Pop over for new years this year, and Liza kept them busy with reading, playing, and marching around like, what else, soldiers! Liza was blessed with very thoughtful gifts from my family in Canfield as well as Nana and Pop Pop during their visit. As were Ryan and I - I'm wearing my soft new robe as I type this!
Liza has started using the word "actually" which is really cute. And last night while Ryan and I were making the bed she said "Do you need some help, guys?"
She's become very particular about what she wears and when she wears it, for example, she doesn't sleep in PJ pants anymore, only regular leggings. She hardly ever will wear a dress, because she only wants pants with a skirt on top. She also prefers to wear her hair in a bun.
We had some friends over for New Years Eve and Liza loved playing and giving out hugs. We are so happy that we have good friends here in Harrisburg, with lovely children for Liza to grow up with.
We had a great holiday in Canfield. I was sick for a couple days with a stomach bug, but well again by christmas. Liza had a ball playing with Grandma all week. We took her to Fellows Riverside Gardens in Mill Creek Park where the entire building was decorated in "Toyland" theme. Liza loved seeing all the trees and decorations, especially the soldiers and nutcrackers. We had lunch at the Kravitz cafe inside before heading home. She liked it there so much that we went back when Ryan got into town. He enjoyed it also.
We made a stop at the Canfield Library where Liza enjoyed dressing up and decorating a reindeer.
Her favorite part of the week was may have been playing with all grandma's little nutcrackers and other decorations (like a musical carousel) and watching a Disney Christmas sing-a-long VHS tape from my own childhood.
We were lucky to have Nana and Pop Pop over for new years this year, and Liza kept them busy with reading, playing, and marching around like, what else, soldiers! Liza was blessed with very thoughtful gifts from my family in Canfield as well as Nana and Pop Pop during their visit. As were Ryan and I - I'm wearing my soft new robe as I type this!
Liza has started using the word "actually" which is really cute. And last night while Ryan and I were making the bed she said "Do you need some help, guys?"
She's become very particular about what she wears and when she wears it, for example, she doesn't sleep in PJ pants anymore, only regular leggings. She hardly ever will wear a dress, because she only wants pants with a skirt on top. She also prefers to wear her hair in a bun.
We had some friends over for New Years Eve and Liza loved playing and giving out hugs. We are so happy that we have good friends here in Harrisburg, with lovely children for Liza to grow up with.
Saturday, December 9, 2017
Our Stories
Lately I've been making up stories for Liza at night. I just want to record some of the cahracters so that we will always remember our little friends.
Percy the Horse - Main character. Eats oats and hay. Sleeps in a stable. His mom makes pancakes and his dad hangs Christmas lights.
George the Pig- Percy's BFF. Eats slop, sleeps in a pig pen.
Alonzo the Cow - Lives in the meadow, eats grass. In leiu of Chirstmas lights, he decorates a small section of the fence.
Bailey the Tree - Lives over the hill and across the meadow. The animals often visit her and gather under her for picnics and play games under her.
Bonnie the Hen - sometimes joins in the fun. Lives in hen house/chicken coop.
The Farmer - lives in the farmhouse and keeps watch over the barnyard.
The animals do lots of the things we do. Like decorating the tree, going to music class, etc.
Liza has also started calling us "Mom" and "Dad." What happened to mommy and daddy?!
Percy the Horse - Main character. Eats oats and hay. Sleeps in a stable. His mom makes pancakes and his dad hangs Christmas lights.
George the Pig- Percy's BFF. Eats slop, sleeps in a pig pen.
Alonzo the Cow - Lives in the meadow, eats grass. In leiu of Chirstmas lights, he decorates a small section of the fence.
Bailey the Tree - Lives over the hill and across the meadow. The animals often visit her and gather under her for picnics and play games under her.
Bonnie the Hen - sometimes joins in the fun. Lives in hen house/chicken coop.
The Farmer - lives in the farmhouse and keeps watch over the barnyard.
The animals do lots of the things we do. Like decorating the tree, going to music class, etc.
Liza has also started calling us "Mom" and "Dad." What happened to mommy and daddy?!
Tuesday, October 10, 2017
Things that go bump in the night...
AKA.....Liza!
At 4am 10/9/2017 there was a loud thud from Liza's room. She'd climbed out and then fell from her crib. This scared us both and she slept the rest of the night/morning in bed with me (Ryan was already in the guest room due to SNI - Sunday Night Insomnia).
When he came home from work we converted her crib to a toddler bed. Then we took a moment to mourn the loss of one more "baby thing" that's gone forever. Goodbye, crib.
Liza did great that night and she's currently taking her first nap in her toddler bed. I had to use the "talk" function on the monitor to tell her to get back in and lay down one time, but then she stayed put and went to sleep. Horray!
At 4am 10/9/2017 there was a loud thud from Liza's room. She'd climbed out and then fell from her crib. This scared us both and she slept the rest of the night/morning in bed with me (Ryan was already in the guest room due to SNI - Sunday Night Insomnia).
When he came home from work we converted her crib to a toddler bed. Then we took a moment to mourn the loss of one more "baby thing" that's gone forever. Goodbye, crib.
Liza did great that night and she's currently taking her first nap in her toddler bed. I had to use the "talk" function on the monitor to tell her to get back in and lay down one time, but then she stayed put and went to sleep. Horray!
Monday, September 18, 2017
Update
We just spent a great week in Ocean City with Ryan's family. Liza had a blast. I don't have much time to blog so I just want to update on a few cute things she's doing lately.
When she sings "all tired out" it comes out as "all tide-erd out"
She called herself Mademoiselle at the shore and walked around repeating her mantras: I'm a famous ballerina, I'm a pretty ballerina, and I look like Frida [Kahlo].
She napped on the beach on Friday, it was adorable
She wants to wear a ballet skirt 24/7 and has slept in it more than once.
We are doing the "Curly Girl Method" on her hair now and her curls are looking great!
She sings "Like a dino in the sky" instead of diamond in twinkle twinkle.
She's just the cutest ever!
When asked if she wanted two Brown's donuts instead of one she replied "I want three!"
When she sings "all tired out" it comes out as "all tide-erd out"
She called herself Mademoiselle at the shore and walked around repeating her mantras: I'm a famous ballerina, I'm a pretty ballerina, and I look like Frida [Kahlo].
She napped on the beach on Friday, it was adorable
She wants to wear a ballet skirt 24/7 and has slept in it more than once.
We are doing the "Curly Girl Method" on her hair now and her curls are looking great!
She sings "Like a dino in the sky" instead of diamond in twinkle twinkle.
She's just the cutest ever!
When asked if she wanted two Brown's donuts instead of one she replied "I want three!"
Wednesday, August 16, 2017
Huggin' Hydrants
Our summer is flying by. Liza has been sleeping so well and playing so hard. We've been going to Gymboree classes this month and she loves running up and down the foam ramp, going over the wooden bridge and balance beam, and jumping on the trampoline. She did a somersault by herself today! We've also been doing story time at the library and toddler time at Giant. Between our activites and playdates with friends we stay busy!
Last weekend we went to Gates-Mills to spend time with Nanna and Pop pop. Liza had a great time and loved her new crib there. We went on a few walks, some with her shopping cart and some without. We found a fire hydrant and she give it a big hug. Ryan said, "I bet that fire hydrant has never had a hug before!"
My parents were able to meet all of us at the Cleveland Rainforest. We saw a bunch of animals and then had a nice lunch at Johnny Mangos. The next day, while we were eating at Nanna and Poppops table, Liza announced "The name of the restaurant is Johnny Mangos!" She's always listening!
She's a very happy girl and is always playing, singing, and dancing. She's a conlanger - she's made up her own language by adding "tay" to end of words. Comptertay! Milktay! Treestay! Monitortay! Grandmatay! Mommytay! We have fun saying all different words with "tay" in the car.
Jen came to visit a couple weeks ago and we had a nice time at the Ned Smith Craft and Nature fest. We packed lunches and then had a nice dinner at ROOTS on Progress ave.
Last weekend we went to Gates-Mills to spend time with Nanna and Pop pop. Liza had a great time and loved her new crib there. We went on a few walks, some with her shopping cart and some without. We found a fire hydrant and she give it a big hug. Ryan said, "I bet that fire hydrant has never had a hug before!"
My parents were able to meet all of us at the Cleveland Rainforest. We saw a bunch of animals and then had a nice lunch at Johnny Mangos. The next day, while we were eating at Nanna and Poppops table, Liza announced "The name of the restaurant is Johnny Mangos!" She's always listening!
She's a very happy girl and is always playing, singing, and dancing. She's a conlanger - she's made up her own language by adding "tay" to end of words. Comptertay! Milktay! Treestay! Monitortay! Grandmatay! Mommytay! We have fun saying all different words with "tay" in the car.
Jen came to visit a couple weeks ago and we had a nice time at the Ned Smith Craft and Nature fest. We packed lunches and then had a nice dinner at ROOTS on Progress ave.
Monday, July 10, 2017
Two much fun
*She was 2 in May!
Our big girl is two years old! We had a great time visiting family in Ohio and celebrating her birthday. She played with grandma and grandpa and was happy as a clam the whole time we were there. She did get a stomach bug, seemingly, while we were there. She woke up puking 4 times in one night, heartbreaking! She went back to sleep easily after all those sheet and pj changes and took a few sips of water and was fine the next morning.
We have been busy enjoying our playdates with friends at playgrounds, our house, and at friends' homes. MusicTogether just wrapped for the season and we will start back in the fall. We begin a new session of Toddler Storytime at the library on Monday. Liza has also been loving the Friendship Center pool. Ryan has joined us twice and got to see how much Liza loves the water.
We head out to Ocean City for a week next Friday - can't wait to relax on the beach. Haha! I mean I can't wait to chase Liza all around, in and out of the water, around the rocks, etc.
Our big girl is two years old! We had a great time visiting family in Ohio and celebrating her birthday. She played with grandma and grandpa and was happy as a clam the whole time we were there. She did get a stomach bug, seemingly, while we were there. She woke up puking 4 times in one night, heartbreaking! She went back to sleep easily after all those sheet and pj changes and took a few sips of water and was fine the next morning.
We have been busy enjoying our playdates with friends at playgrounds, our house, and at friends' homes. MusicTogether just wrapped for the season and we will start back in the fall. We begin a new session of Toddler Storytime at the library on Monday. Liza has also been loving the Friendship Center pool. Ryan has joined us twice and got to see how much Liza loves the water.
We head out to Ocean City for a week next Friday - can't wait to relax on the beach. Haha! I mean I can't wait to chase Liza all around, in and out of the water, around the rocks, etc.
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