Day 8 – March 26th – Sledding + Firewood Stacking
Wiley comes tomorrow! We are so excited we can hardly stand it. As the weather was crisp but sunny, we decided to get a good day of sledding in. So after lunch, we loaded up the minivan and headed out to Cedar Pass Ski Hill (which is currently closed for the season and now serves as our personal sled hill). Henry took a bad tumble on his sled which left him a bit tearful and sensitive. By the time the redness from the snow faded away, we could see his face was quite scratched up. We spent the evening doing lots of homeschooling (BOB Books, Lexia, and some worksheets). Later on, while I made dinner, the kids stacked a huge pile of firewood together.
Day 9 – March 27th – Wiley’s Arrival + Chicken Graduation
I slept horribly last night as Henry slept in bed with me and decided to sleep sideways all night resulting in me curled up in fetal position in the top corner of the bed. We spent the entire day at home, cleaning for Wiley’s arrival. We also decided it was a good day to upgrade the chicks to a bigger pen. They went from a small and boring red plastic bucket to a large metal trough complete with a round log to jump on and off of. They LOVE their new home. Once the house was sparkling clean and the chickens were settled in, we had nothing left to do but wait. Having left at 7:15am, he rolled into our driveway to a full hero’s welcome at 6:20pm. And after being in strict quarantine for 14 days he was delighted to have human contact once again, and on his birthday no less! And sure enough, the kids and dogs pounced on him the second he walked in the door. We cuddled him and gave him his birthday cards and Papa Tom broke out a couple bottles of fine red wine. I made fish tacos and we spent the night, after 3 weeks apart, snuggled up under one roof once again.
Day 10 – March 28th – Wiley’s 1st Day
Our first day back together again as a family was spent at home just organizing and enjoying each other’s company. We took the kids on a blustery family walk down the road and while Vivi opted for the stroller, Henry road alongside us on the scooter that Wiley brought up for him. It was so nice to just be together again. We also had Wiley bring up a bunch more clothes and food as now we know we are potentially staying here for up to a few months so organizing all that kept us very busy.
Day 11 – March 29th – Sage Meadow
After Wiley and I returned from a pleasant two-mile walk down the road with Birdie (our Lady Lilah is too old for walks now at 14 sadly) we returned to Sage Meadow. It’s such a nice spot as while Wiley and I can gather loads of firewood and kindling, the kids can play in Cherry Creek and amuse themselves outdoors. Next time, I am determined to return with lawn chairs and a picnic so I can just relax and watch them play until they are too cold to continue. Once home, we had a wonderful roast dinner by candlelight to celebrate Wiley’s birthday and arrival followed by a game of Rummikube.
Day 12 – March 30th – Cemetery + Projects
Today we hung around at the house and did a lot of homeschooling and art projects. Henry made a volcano while Vivienne dyed Easter eggs. After that we did a family walk to the Eagleville Cemetery for some exploring. Henry was so interested in reading all the headstones. For some reason he’s always had a fascination with cemeteries so he thoroughly enjoyed it but Vivi spent the whole time asking about death and when I will die and when she will die etc. I get that way as well so I completely understand her anxiety about death.
Later that afternoon, I took some time to myself to nap and read my Outlander Book 4 while Wiley went in the jacuzzi with the kids. It was a lovely family fun day and I am just so grateful Wiley is up here now. For dinner I made Taco Salads.
Day 13 – March 31st – Hodgden Family Sledding Day
After the kids did their schoolwork in the morning, Wiley and I loaded up the van with snow gear, sleds, and a picnic and took them out for an afternoon of snow play. The kids loved sledding with their daddy and we finished up the afternoon by making a snowman and snowdog before heading back to the Kennedy House.
Day 14 – April 1st – Sage Meadow / Cherry Creek Afternoon + Picnic
We spent the morning today preparing for our big shopping haul tomorrow. My mom and I unloaded all the perishables from my car (that has been serving as a pantry for the last few days) and brought in some more shelving. We gutted the fridge and organized and cleaned it all as well as the back fridge so we could load it all up tomorrow.
After that we made another picnic and took the kids back to Sage Meadow so they could play in Cherry Creek some more. They absolutely adore playing there regardless of how cold it is. We drank IPAs and cuddled on the deck of the Airstream and enjoyed the view of Surprise Valley while my Mom and Wiley walked the property looking for Juniper Tree sprouts to cut down (they’re invasive and soak up all the water in the meadow and kill the sages).
Thank you for reading! That concludes Week 2 of our Eagleville Isolation!
