Online Learning Class

Our online learning class picture :)

What an experience it was "homeschooling" 6 kids during the school closing.  We all made it and will never forget this time in history!

After 12 weeks of having our dining room table covered in laptops, notebooks, pens, and pencils...

it's officially empty!

Happy summer to us!

Happy Last Day of School

This school year has been one for the books!  We never imagined it would end this way!

We accomplished our first year of high school, another last year of elementary school, another year of 5th grade camp, and online learning due to schools closing.

Our last day of 9th, 6th, 5th, and 2nd grade... online learning style!

Happy Graduation Day

Happy 6th Grade Graduation Day to Barrett!

Although it didn't end the way we expected due to COVID, we are proud of all that Barrett accomplished during his time at Hartman.  He worked hard and was an excellent student and friend.

He set goals and strived to meet them.  His list of accomplishments are all because of his hard work and dedication! We are so proud of him!

Allie

Brynn and I got to visit and hold Allie for the first time.  We are trying not to overwhelm with germs and sheer number of us, so we are taking turns.

She was so tiny and sweet as can be!

We are in love!

Normal-ish

We are starting to do things that are normal-ish.

The numbers in our county are looking good overall and Texas is reopening.  We are so ready to feel normal again.  The pool in our neighborhood opened back up, with social distancing guidelines.  We decided to go for a little bit.  It was so good to get out of the house and do something that we would normally do this time of year.  The pool wasn't too crowded and we were able to play for about an hour before we headed back home.

The weekend just keeps getting better!  We finally got back to church!  Our church reopened 2 weeks ago.  We waited a couple of weeks to make sure the numbers still looked good after the reopening of our state.  We only have the church service (no childcare or Sunday School), and they are seating us with plenty of distance between families.  It was so good to see our church family again and worship together!

Seeing our family, going to the pool, and church again was so refreshing!

Welcome Home Allie Sloan

Welcome Home Allie!

We loved getting to surprise Josh, YayYay, and Allie in their front yard when they came home from the hospital.  It was fun to watch Aiden, Annie, and Asher meet Allie for the first time!

This was the first time our whole family has been together in months.

Grable Fam Party of 22!!

This & That

Walking Baxter down to the park each evening has become one of our favorite evening activities.

It's beautiful just before sunset!

Brynn has been learning to play her ukulele.  We love hearing the music flow down the stairs while she's practicing in her room!

Allie Sloan

Today we gained a new niece!  Our little Allie Sloan was born!

Due the coronavirus, we couldn't go up to the hospital to meet her :(  This is the first time we haven't been able to meet our new niece/nephew at the hospital.

We are so thankful that Uncle Joshie made it home safely and in time!  He has been oversees for work and got delayed due to closing borders (COVID).  They made big things happen for him to get home, just in time for Allie's birth!

Welcome to the family Allie!  Grable Fam party of 22!

Another Week

Another week of evening walks,

good books,

bike rides,

executive orders,

and lots of mowing, which means new wheels and tires.

We have wrapped up watching the Little House on the Prairie tv series.  Brynn has also read the books and we have researched what was fictional in the tv series vs what happened in real life.

We mapped out a road trip to visit some of the homesteads of the Ingalls/Wilder families.  We found an online gift shop, so Brynn spent her money to order a few things.  She ordered a lunch pail, slate board, tin cup, and peppermint stick.

We like Fridays when daddy is home to share in our online learning experience!

This is pretty much how we all feel at the end of our online learning experience though.

Supply Pick-Up

Our teachers went up to the school and worked very hard bagging up all of the belongings and supplies that were in each student's locker/desk.  They had them all lined up in the gym by class and distributed them as the parents drove through the line.  This school year has been one for the books.  We never thought we would experience something like this, but here we are!

Dog Treats

Brynn found a recipe online for homemade dog treats.  She got right to work baking a batch.

She used flour, bananas, peanut butter, and water.

Baxter (and Blake) did a taste test and approved!

She packaged up baggies of treats to leave on the doorsteps of all of our little neighborhood doggie friends. Each night on our evening walk, we passed them out.

It was fun when she received pictures of the dogs eating and loving the treats, as well as thank you notes in our mailbox!

Weeks 8 & 9

The community has treated the police department well during this time.  They've had desserts and meals delivered to the department to thank them for their service.

Tom and Baxter have enjoyed their extra attention during our time at home!

Lots of time to create new things!

We've enjoyed our evening walks and the beautiful weather.

It's always fun when your friend and church small group leader drop a "COVID shake" by your house!

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day, quarantine style!

Today we watched one of my favorites, Pricilla Shirer, speak for Lake Pointe Church's Mother's Day sermon. 

The one who made me a mother is now holding me instead of the other way around!

My family spoiled me for lunch and dinner, and then we went on a family walk to end the day.

We were sad that we didn't get to spend time with our extended family this year, but that's life right now.

Happy Mother's Day!

Blue Angels

The Blue Angels have been flying over big cities across the United States in a salute to frontline COVID19 responders and essential workers.  Today they flew over Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, and New Orleans.

We took a little homeschool field trip to Dallas to go watch them fly over.  Before we left home, we watched them gear up and take off from Pensacola, FL via FB Live.  We parked at the top of the parking garage at North Park Center for a good view.

The view didn't disappoint!  We got to watch them coming in and fly directly over us!

Everyone cheered, waved, and waved their American flags as they flew over.

It was an amazing experience in the midst of these crazy times!

We made it back home and watched for them to post on FB when they made it safely back to their base.  We have been tracking them each time they set out for another fly over in other cities.

Orthodontist

Brynn originally started her orthodontic journey the week before spring break.  When the country shut down due to COVID19, all of her future appointments got cancelled.  Since Texas started reopening, they were able to start seeing patients again.  I had to wait in the car, and Brynn went in alone per the rules of orthodontist office and state.  She washed her hands and they took her temperature as she went in.  The staff was wearing extra PPE (Personal Protective Equipment).

She got an expander, intended to stretch her mouth.  I have a special tool to use each day to turn in the expander, which stretches it a little at a time. 

We head back to in another month for the next step.

Progress

Our state is making progress!

Reopening barbershops and hair salons was a biggie. Those who work at or own these establishments can finally get back to work.  Watching our boys and daddy's hair grow during this time has been interesting!