Swimming Lessons
I enrolled both Clara and Lily in swimming lessons for the winter term. My kids don't have to be competitive swimmers, but I need them to be able to confidently jump into the deep end of a pool and swim around. Lily just has one more level to complete before she's there. She's a really strong athlete and swimmer when she puts her mind to it!
Clara had the best time in her beginning class. She mastered the art of blowing underwater bubbles and, I daresay, was the best swimmer in her class. Both of the girls got through three lessons before the rest of the session got cancelled due to coronavirus.
Trip to Bend
For my birthday this year we planned a 3-night yurt camping trip to Bend, Oregon. We have never been there and I keep hearing about how amazing it is. So we went!
We were *lucky* enough to travel during the coldest weekend of the month. It actually snowed at our campsite! It was just a dusting, but it was there. We didn't spend much time lounging around the campfire because it was wet and cold. I was so grateful we had our heated yurt to hide in!
Our favorite activity in Bend turned out to be sledding. We found a Sno-Park about 20 minutes up the mountain and spent several hours running up and sliding down the hills. We all had a wonderful time and left with a few extra bumps, bruises, and smiles.
Other activities we enjoyed in Bend included visiting the High Desert Museum, pigging out on French fries at 5 Guys, and swimming at the Quick Quack swimming pool. Despite the cold weather we did have a great time together.
On our way back home we stopped at Smith Rock. What an amazing jewel! I felt right at home in the rocky desert. We were grateful for an afternoon of sunshine and walking around Smith Rock Park before heading back to Portland.
Coronavirus
Well, this is where March took an interesting turn. On March 8 our governor declared a state of emergency in Oregon. At that time there were maybe 3 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state. We arrived home from Bend on March 9. By March 13 public schools, OMSI, church services, and libraries were closed. By the next week, March 17, gyms closed and I was out of a job. On March 23 Governor Brown issued a stay at home order. This closed all non-essential businesses, mandated that restaurants serve take-out or drive-thru only, and limited all non-essential outings for individuals. Social distancing was implemented, which means we can't be within six feet of anyone outside of our primary residence. Also, it snowed on March 14, which just accented the whole pandemic mood.
Ben started working from home right after we returned from Bend. I am so grateful he still has a job. A lot of people are out of work, businesses are going bankrupt, and the economy is tanking. It's a time of uncertainty.
Truthfully, as I write this it is May 2020 and we've been quarantined for 9 weeks. But I'll pretend like it's still March and say that when this all started it was scary and stressful. The uncertainty really got to me. There was a lot of fear about what was going to happen. However, the first week it was fun to have a schedule wiped completely clean. The kids put on their creative hats, made all kinds of stuff out of recyclables, and started virtual playdates with their friends. The weather was beautiful so we had picnics outside and went on a couple of hikes. I stained our front and back decks and deep cleaned the bathroom fans. We all thought that things would close for a couple of weeks while we got control of the virus and then we would be back to normal. We thought we would return to our swimming lessons and Trackers and gym classes. We had hope that Little League Baseball would still have a full season and that the public schools would open after Spring Break. But it looks like the world is really changing quickly and there won't be any going back to how it used to be.
Below are a few highlights of our home life while we were in quarantine:
Clara is our sensory kid. She loves anything she can touch and experience with her whole body. This month that was paint and slime that turned into a sticky gluey mess.
Lily has picked up a few new hobbies like FaceTime playdates with friends and riding her new two-wheel bike!
During quarantine we've been in our backyard more than we have been in the 3 1/2 years we've lived in this house!
The kids have done a lot of painting and creating this month.
That's all I'll say for now. I could write a whole post just about coronavirus, but I'll save some pieces for the upcoming months' posts.
Clackamas River Trail
There was a week between the time when all our classes and activities got cancelled and the time that Governor Brown issued her stay at home order. The latter closed all trails and day-use recreational areas. Luckily, in that week we fit in two beautiful hikes near the Clackamas River. Little did we know that these would be our last outings for over 7 weeks!
The drive through the Clackamas River Canyon is worth the price of gas alone. The road descends into a paradisaical river canyon lined with evergreen trees as far as the eye can see. It's breathtaking.
We chose the Clackamas River Canyon because it's less popular among Portlanders. Everyone either recreates in the Columbia River Gorge or at the Oregon Coast. We felt we could practice social distancing best within an hour of home by going there.
The first hike was on St. Patrick's Day. We went to the Fish Creek Trailhead and hiked about half a mile to the river. We threw rocks into the water, sent sticks floating through the rapids, saw a rough skinned newt, and saw a kaleidoscope of monarch butterflies.
That Saturday we took Ben with us to hike along the Riverside Trail. We found a little rocky beach area to sit and eat some snacks. The kids and I ventured into the ice-cold water to see how far we could wade into the river. I turned back once I fell in a couple of times, but Tommy was our brave superstar and waded almost halfway in the river! He was soaked up to his waist. That water was so cold it hurt. Pure snow melt. But we had a great time, especially since it was the last time we really left our property for almost two months!
