Day 94 CoVid-19: Lots of time outside!

While we are still being fairly cautious around here, our state is continuing to open up and we have even started taking the kids out a little bit. We are wearing masks to places like the salon and stores (specfically when the kids are with us), staying back from others, washing our hands like usual, etc. I had to take a trip to Indy to grab some things over the weekend and I did get super frustrated by the long lines to get into the stores, the long lines at the restaurant I wanted to go to, the amount of stores that weren't even open and several store entrances being closed and having to walk to different parts of the mall to get in! Definitely was not the enjoyable experience I'm used to having....it would have definitely been easier to buy online, but I needed makeup and that's hard to find the right color online. 

Over the past couple of weeks we have still been working through our to-do list for the house, taking lots of walks outside and spending lots of family time together! We're also prepping for our trip to TN with our family and cannot wait!! A change of scenery will be so nice!

There was a tractor cutting and bailing hay in the field next to us and Charlie wanted daddy to go with him to see...

John is loving life in his workshop/barn and the kids love it as much as him! 

Charlie "helping" us with the fence... :)

Ready to race on our walk

The neighbor kids are all done social distancing....they wanted to do a "parade" so they dressed up wild and crazy

Johnny is daddy's helper

Johnny got into some poison ivy at the neighbors house and it made his eye swell up. Little did we know, this was just the beginning....

Trying on masks.

The neighborhood crew

I found a steal of a deal on an umbrella and stand and it makes the afternoon hours so much more bearable

Charlie playing in water

Winston likes to snuggle at the end of the day....I think we wear him out pretty good being home all day

Poison ivy getting worse around his right eye.

Mellany dressed Charlie up

Running a few errands with my baby boy

Taking my morning walk and had a special little guy join me. :)

Johnny loves to hang out with John in the office any chance he can

Charlie trying on his mask

Getting my hair done for the first time in 14 weeks. Wearing a mask while getting it done was super weird.....I also had to wait in the car until they were ready for me, wash my hands as soon as I went in to the salon, there was no waxing and no blow drying....it was all so different, but I'm not going to complain because my hair needed a trim and colored so bad! 

Charlie and his neighbor buddy....Pretty sure they were swapping poop stories! 

Just hanging out....these two keep us on our toes for sure. 

Johnny headed into Menards with John

Another night....another snuggle!

I'm not sure how I'm supposed to fit....

We tried a "Mickey Pretzel" recipe and it was a big hit! Definitely nice to add something new into the meal rotation.

Watering the plants and couldn't help but capture the sunset....it was stunning! 

Another walk, another visitor....can you see him?! :) I get up pretty early to start walking/running and Johnny usually gets up and joins me on the last part it. 

Poison ivy.....he's now swelling and more of the rash is emerging...

Family band

We let Mellany do our hair 

Johnny got a book for his birthday from Uncle Andy & Aunt Amy.....we had to run some errands the morning he opened it up and wanted to take the book with him. When I looked back he was like this....such an "old soul"

The worst of the poison ivy....swollen, itchy, red.....it was awful.....all over his face, all over his stomach.....the trick I learned was to use a Fels-Naptha bar (lather it up and rub on the rash and leave it), the next morning it looked 10 times better!!! 

Morning walk...

Shopping...trying on clothes and a mask was required. I was thankful I could try things on though...several stores weren't even opening fitting rooms! 

Lunch with the neighborhood crew! 

Charlie helping daddy

Johnny taking a picture of Winston and Charlie

Happy Monday! 

Johnny: #6!!

Another year has gone by and our sweet Johnny is now 6! I think I've said this every year, but Johnny has such a love for life. He  loves to have a good time and laugh and wants everyone else to laugh and have a good time too! He has really hit a growth spurt recently and is so excited to start kindergarten in the fall! 

Here's a little bit about Johnny:

• He has an "old man soul" ....his elaborate, monotone stories are the best and he just fits right in with the retired crowd
• His belly laugh will make anyone laugh and is one of the very best sounds EVER
• He can take just about anything apart
• He loves figuring out how things work...which usually results in taking things apart
• He is the absolute happiest when he is riding a tractor or lawn mower and has started to want to drive them by himself
• He has mastered riding his bicycle without training wheels and razor scooter and we have a hard time getting him off of them and back inside
• He can hear a sound from any vehicle and 9 times out of 10 can identify what it is (motorcycle, truck, train, firetruck, bus, etc.)
• He does not like to disappoint adults and has become empathetic when others are hurt or sad
• Johnny and Winston have a special bond. If Johnny is happy, Winston is there. When Johnny is sad, Winston is there and Johnny immediately feels better when Winston comes around. They also get each other super excited and rowdy! Johnny has been a huge help with Winston....helping feed him, take him outside, gather toys, etc. etc. 
• If he's not really good at something, he easily gets discouraged
• He will play with pretty much anyone and has become very social, but playing with his BFF Simon is his favorite
• Give him a truck/tractor/airplane/transformer or some Lego's and he will be busy for hours
• His favorite shows are: Bluey, Paw Patrol & Transformers
• His favorite movies: Bumblebee the Transformer, Mighty Machines
• Clothing sizes range from 6-8
• Johnny loves to help out....it doesn't matter what it is, he will happily help you with it! He has recently found a love for cooking so he is constantly in the kitchen. His favorite thing to help with is peeling boiled eggs. 
• Johnny absolutely LOVES breakfast! He will eat a large breakfast then not eat much for lunch or dinner. 
• His favorite food for breakfast is frozen waffles (or the twice a year donut), for lunch he likes peanut butter and jelly or chic fil a nuggets and for dinner he will usually eat a variety of things wether its pasta, hot dogs, spaghetti, rice, tacos, or pancakes...For snacks he really likes cheez-it and one of his favorite meals at any time is Scrambled Egg Sandwich. He's also really starting to enjoy a few drinks of Pepsi here and there.
• Daddy's truck is his favorite and he loves to drive anywhere with daddy or help with anything John needs done outside. 
• He sleeps really well...he is usually in bed around 7:30/8:00 and will sleep all night. If he doesn't sleep through the night, he comes into our room and snuggles--he is the best snuggler! He still has to have his blanket covering his pillow and his puppy Douglas, DJ and stuffed tractor right next to him.
• He is our early riser....he is usually the first one up, has his teeth brushed and is dressed and ready for the day! 
• His favorite books are: Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site and Little Blue Truck
• When he wants to....Johnny follows a set of instructions very well
• One of his favorite times is when mama comes home from the grocery store with bags of food....he is really good at helping me get the bags out of the car and carry them inside 
• He still loves to wear a hat and he pretty much lives in Under Armour clothes
• He truly loves Mellany and Charlie and plays with them very well. He wants to do anything Mellany is doing and loves showing Charlie the "ropes"
• He has really great manners and we are continuing to practice some "chivalrous" things such as holding the door open for ladies...
• Johnny is a people pleaser and just wants everyone to be happy
• If Johnny does do something wrong, usually a "time-out" takes care of the situation and it doesn't happen again. We've had to have a few more severe consequences (early bedtimes, no dessert, no bicycle for a few days, etc) due to lying but hopefully that doesn't happen anymore. It pains me so much to have to take away some of his favorite things! 
• Johnny recently had 9 stitches in his head. He was playing with Winston and collided with a corner wall in our bedroom. He came out of our room screaming, but once I scooped him up, we covered the wound and headed to urgent care and he kicked into his "brave" mode. He was very curious during the procedure and asked lots of questions about what was going to happen, what the doctor and nurses were doing, etc. but was very calm and polite when doing so. Then he was the exact same way when we got the stitches out....calm and brave! I was/am so proud of him!! And honestly I think it was a huge boost of confidence for him, just knowing that he went through something like that and made it through without crying at urgent care! 
• His favorite song right now is "Thunderstruck" by ACDC
• He says he wants to be a farmer when he grows up.....with Simon of course

On our "to-do" list for the next year: Continue letter, number and shape recognition, writing his name and sight words

6 Year Wellness Exam

Weight: 45 lbs

Height: 3ft 9.9in

Johnny's appointment went really well. He was unable to see Dr. Fahler until July due to CoVid-19. When he was able to see him, there were no siblings allowed and we both had to wear a mask (a specific mask given to us at the front entrance). Johnny does a great job wearing his mask so thankfully it wasn't an issue. Dr. Fahler discussed his upcoming school year, Johnny's eating habits (which has improved so much!), screen time, playing outside, CoVid (obviously) among other topics like Johnny's likes and dislikes, friends, hobbies, etc. Johnny's physical exam looked fine and there were NO SHOTS!

I can't say enough how thankful I am for these "easy" appointments. We are so blessed to have a healthy little boy!

On our way to his appointment we drove by a donut truck that we just couldn't pass up! He even got to eat that donut in my CAR! 

This year's birthday celebration looked a little bit different thanks to CoVid-19 but I think Johnny had a great time nonetheless! The day before his birthday we had a Happy Meal trunk picnic with our besties! (He did get a little embarrassed to have the attention on him when we sang happy birthday and when we had him stand behind his sign in front of all his friends.)

After lunch we picked up birthday balloons and his (lemon) cake! 

Once we got home, we placed his birthday sign in the yard :) He might have gotten embarrassed in front of his friends, but he was so proud of that sign! 

Originally, Johnny wanted to celebrate his birthday at our local dairy farm hotel. Because of CoVid-19, we decided to change plans and his next choice was the camper! So, we had a camper party! Pizza, cake, presents, donuts....all of it....in the camper! We slept in the backyard, in the camper, for several nights and it was the best thing ever according to Johnny!  

Happy Birthday Johnny! We love you so much and are so proud of you!