When I thought of summer 2020 I was really excited to keep the kids up past their bed-times for a big fireworks show.

Last year we had to leave early to avoid a storm and Emmy was just too little to stay out past bed time. This year proved to be different and more low-key but still a great weekend.

On Friday was spent the day at the river with Cory’s family. The kids enjoyed splashing around, paddling in the kayak and grilling. I took ZERO pictures and was just on full alert with kids near water. When we finally got home we were all exhausted but happy.

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Emmy has become so expressive it’s so funny, she wears all her emotions on her face and has mastered the eye roll.

On the Fourth of July we had a couple friends over to play.

The kids played, we grilled delicious food and lit baby fireworks in the driveway.

Today we got to see my parents, and played more on the water slide in the backyard.

The kids also helped me pick some tomatoes from our garden.

I love how proud they are and how much they love eating right out of the garden.

Can’t beat these summer nights, having fun, up past our bedtimes.

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How was your weekend?

I am struggling to accept that I really do have an injury and it is NOT good. I know this is oh so dramatic but running has kept me sane with everything that is going on and the thought of having to give it up is not sitting well. The panic will subside but for now I am feeling all the sads.

My knee has been not feeling good for the last week or so and has been steadily getting worse. This morning I ran four miles, it didn’t hurt much while running (although it didn’t feel great). As the day wore on it felt worse and worse and I am having to accept that I am doing dealing with a true injury and ignoring won’t help.

Thanks to Dr. Google I think I have runners knee or Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome specifically. The description sounds exactly like what I am experiencing and you know….diagnosing yourself is a great idea 😉

Runner’s Knee 101: The Burning Answers Behind Your Aching Pain

The above website had some great information and steps to treat the injury. My immediate plan is to stay off it and rest as much as possible this weekend, RICE and see how it feels on Monday. If it hasn’t improved I will call my favorite PT for help. I am really really hoping this is a one week recovery not a 4-6 week recovery.

After my run (home before the kids got up, which is always a win in my book) we had breakfast then made our way to a neighborhood park. It was already over 80 degrees and full sun so there wasn’t anyone else there.

They decided to roll down a hill, I felt itchy just watching them, but they loved it!

It was a teaching night for me (5:30pm to 8:30pm) so we needed a quick meal. Cory whipped up a salad that was delicious.

I am always impressed how Cory can make a kid version of our dinner as they aren’t quite lettuce eater yet.

Also we got a new pump for our SUP (our old one has been giving us trouble for years) so we can finally use it! So that was a win for the day.

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Anyone else currently injured?

Have any positive stories about knees healing quickly?

Cannon turned four and my mama heart is barley holding on. Cannon turning four was okay, but I know next year when he turns five I will be a mess, I am not ready!

Having another birthday during a pandemic is difficult but it was easier then Emmy’s second birthday when we were really locked down.

We had a “party” for Cannon the weekend before his actual birthday and invited Cannon’s cousins to come play in our backyard for a Fiesta.

Even with a smaller than normal party, Cannon was happy to be around some of his favorite people.

Grandma and Grandpa spoiled him with an inflatable water slide, the kids LOVED it!

On Cannon’s actual birthday we took him to do one of his favorite activities, camping!

We found a spot at Turquoise lake just outside of Leadville. It was so beautiful.

The lake was beautiful but COLD.

For dinner Cannon requested pizza so we headed to town for High Mountain Pies

We got the Crocodile, it was amazing, this is probably my favorite pizza place. This was also our first time at a restaurant, we called in our order and ate in their large back patio. It felt very safe, there was only a couple other parties there.

We then settled into our tent and had a somewhat restful night. Cannon is a great camper but we are still working with Emmy to sleep well.

The next day we enjoyed the morning then packed up to head home.

Overall I think Cannon enjoyed his birthday and is definitely looking forward to camping more this summer!

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I didn’t get up early to run so I missed out on cooler temperatures and the sunrise but I lucked out that Cory agreed to run with me! I LOVE running together so I have company and Cory will push the double =)

We stopped to look for turtles and frogs and the kids even ran part of the way home.

It was SO nice to be out together. Cory had a knee injury since March and I have been dreaming of running together.

After our run the kids and I hit up a local playground. Normally there is a water portion of the park but I don’t think they are being turned on this summer. We had fun regardless.

Then it was time to get home for lunch/nap/quiet time.

We then grabbed a grocery pick-up and played in the yard.

For dinner made the best shrimp tacos, they were so good, I wish I would have gotten a picture. They remind me so much of our trip to Cabo San Lucas in 2013. The resort we stayed at had the best shrimp quesadillas and guacamole.

I can’t wait to take our kids to Mexico!

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Do you travel with your children?

Where are you dying to go?

After a few slow months this spring June seemed to scream by, I can’t believe it’s already over! We had a lot to celebrate and new fun things to do this month!

Currently Leaning Into – Our core beliefs and making sure we are making a better future for everyone.

Currently Spending All Our Time – Hiking! The weather turned warm this month in the mountains so we have been spending a lot of time out hiking. Cannon can hike three plus miles and Emmy loves the pack so it is a good activity for everyone. We love being in the mountains and get out as often as we can.

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Currently Celebrating – Cannon turning 4!

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And Father’s Day. It was nice to spend some time getting out on the water (what Cory wanted to do) and spent some time with my parents.

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And 14 years of marriage!

Currently Loving – Playgrounds! Our local playgrounds opened up with some social distancing guidelines and we have been at one almost everyday. Cannon and Emmy missed them so much.

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Also loving that our pool has opened up to limited capacity

It makes me a little nervous going out more with our COVID numbers rising here in the US but the pool has very few people allowed and our county is still not doing too poorly.

Currently working on– Getting all set up to camp, we love it and want to go more often. It’s been a learning curve figuring out how to make it work with two littles but they love it so much!

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We have also been trying to get out more on our kayak and SUP

The kids are currently enjoying short rides in the kayak, I haven’t been brave enough to take them on the SUP yet.

Currently Buying – a new car! We don’t like to update our cars often so a new to us car is big news.

Currently Spending All Our Time – Outside =)

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What’s current with you?

What are you looking forward to this summer?

And juuuuuuuust like that it’s the end of May. Our world has been turned upside down with Covid and social injustice I can’t wrap my head around all of it.

Currently Learning – How to do and be MORE. I would consider myself NOT a racist and my core belief is that everyone is equal. But it has become very clear that is not enough and because of my privilege it is my obligation to be actively anti-racist. My reading list on racism and white privilege is long and my desire to show my children how to do things better is deep. We can and MUST do better. Black lives matter, we see you, you matter, we will do better.

Currently Dealing With – Humphry’s health. We spent a lot of time and lots of money figuring out what was wrong with our little guys’ health. After seeing a specialist we were told it was likely cancer and it would not be treatable. After a terrible 48 hours of not knowing we found out the there was NO sign of cancer and that he had necrotizing pancreatitis. Most likely Humphry will heal himself with some meds to keep him comfortable. We will know for sure in a week or so, fingers crossed.

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Currently Loving – Playing in the water in our back yard. Any day it’s warm enough we are out playing in the pool or water table.

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Currently working on– Home DIY! We are still working on our kitchen. Our original plan was to move out of our house and have the floors fixed and cabinets painted. With quarantine and Covid-19 that was derailed so we are trying to figure out a new plan. We are also planning on putting in a paver patio in our backyard. Currently we have a stone walk that is uneven, the kids fall on it and the weed block has broken down so it really needs some love.

Emmy is super cute but please notice ALL of the weeks already (yikes). Time to do something about it!

Currently Eating – Still eating outside as much as possible. It’s great because when the kids are super messy we can just hose it off!

Currently Conquering – Cannon’s first 5k. Cannon’s school hosted a 5k for their students (PE) so we participated. Cannon ran/walked most of the way and I was so proud of him. Grandma found an old 5k medal and gave it to him to celebrate his accomplishment!

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Currently Visiting – We have kept fairly isolated especially from my parents, while that has been hard we have had a BBQ on their deck while they stayed inside. We did let the kids play with their uncle Erik, he has been very careful and responsible so we decided he was a safe bet. Also Emmy melts into him when she sees him and they both love him so much!

Currently Watching – A family of Great Horned Owls that live in our neighborhood.

Currently Buying – Welcome to summer gift baskets for the kids, lots of bubbles, swimsuits and fun to kick off the summer and celebrate the end of “school”

Currently Spending All Our Time – Outside looking for bugs, frogs, birds, turtles, snakes and anything else we can find.

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What’s current with you?

What is your favorite month? Mine are (in order) October, December and May.

We got to celebrate our special little girl yesterday. I think she had a great time but she is really missing her family and friends. It’s hard sometimes that we can’t really make her understand that people can’t come see her and give her hugs.

We had cake, presents, and a hike complete with jumping in puddles.

Grandma and Grandpa came to visit and deliver gifts from across the fence. We sure can’t wait to hug them again!

Emerald’s second birthday is tomorrow and it will look a little different than her birthday last year. I am a little sad that we won’t all be together and getting to do something to really celebrate Emmy but given situation going on in the world I am just glad that the four of us a healthy and can spend the day together. I never got around to sharing Emmy’s first birthday so I thought now would be a good time.

Emmy’s birthday last year fell the same week as Easter so we had lots of celebrating to do. We decided on a Peter Rabbit theme to go along with Easter and had a egg hunt for the kids who came to her party. We did also visit the Easter Bunny.

Emmy was NOT a fan.

We set up her treat table and got her a bunny smash cake.

The egg hunt was a success and it was warm enough to enjoy cake outside.

This year will be different, we have family and friends coming by to sing happy birthday from appropriate social distance and leaving gifts in the back yard. But we will do our best to make Emmy feel as special and loved as she is! I can’t believe my baby is turning two!!!

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Anyone else celebrating birthdays during this time?

Since so many of us are stuck at home now I thought I would share some of my favorites that make staying home just a little bit nicer.

My coffee consumption has gone up quiet a bit lately but I still rarely get to drink a cup before it gets cold. I am LOVING my new Yeti Rambler Mug. It keeps my coffee warm and holds a lot of it! I really like that I can take in the yard with my and not have to worry about it breaking.

Our Bounce House from Little Tikes is getting some early season use as I am trying anything I can to keep these kids busy and happy. We got this for Cannon’s first birthday party.

It has held up really well!

I am using the plan from Krissy Moehl’s book Running Your First Ultra. I am trying to be more “coachable” this round, more on that later.

We have been using more Sidewalk Chalk than ever! Messages on our sidewalk and playing in the backyard. We got THIS washable set from Target.

I just ordered this sweatshirt for both Cannon and Emerald. I don’t have them match often but I loved this so much. The bright colors are so fun and someday we will be going back to Disneyland. Gap is having a big sale right now so go grab one fast!

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What have you been loving if you are staying at home?

Any good hand cream suggestions?

I can’t believe April is half over already, somehow time is crawling and speeding by at the same time. I do have to keep track of what day it is so I know when I am teaching and also when important dates are. But after Emmy’s birthday on Sunday I will probably forget what the date is.

Currently Getting Ready For – Emmy’s second birthday. It’s definitely not going to be what I envisioned for her but we will do our best to celebrate this special little girl.

Currently Loving – Running in the light! The mornings are so much lighter and now that Cory doesn’t have to commute I can run a little later in the morning.

Currently Attempting– To do “Homeschool” with these kiddos. Even though I am a teacher, I teach adults so this is a completely different ball game.

Currently Eating – Outdoors as much as possible. This was short lived as we are getting 8 inches of snow by tomorrow night.

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Currently Wearing – this Ginger Runner “buff” as a face covering, it much more comfortable than you might think.

Currently Visiting – We can’t hand out with my parents but their dog was really missing “his kids” so he came over for a play date and it was very sweet.

Currently Choosing – A grey to paint our kitchen cabinets, it’s been much harder than anticipated. Who wants to be my interior designer?!?

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What’s current with you?

How are you holding up in these times?