The Best Six Weeks of Quarantine, EVER

We just finished 6 wonderful "stay home-stay healthy" weeks. Yes, we are still under the stay home order and that doesn't appear to be going away anytime soon (which is sad and frustrating), but the last 6 weeks were delightful. But I need to tell you what happened on September 10, 2019 and then on March 5, 2020 for you to understand why these last 6 weeks were so special.

On September 10th, David and I became known as Papa and Nonni and we welcomed sweet little Alice into the world (well, we weren't exactly there at the time she was born, but we met her shortly thereafter)

We had the best time getting to know Alice and helping Katelyn and Michael adjust to parenthood. Unfortunately, our time with them was way too short and before we knew it, it was time to head back to Spokane and leave them in Logan. Of course, we were grateful for technology and enjoyed FaceTiming and Marco Poloing, but nothing is as good as being with them in person.

Then on March 5th, Katelyn called and said she needed to come home for awhile. There were some problems in her marriage and she needed some time and space away from Logan. So David and I headed to Logan that weekend and picked up our sweet Kate and little Alice Babes.

I used to think that once the children were grown and independent, having them return to the home would be less than ideal. Looking back on that, I realize how selfish that thinking was. In fact, having Katelyn and Alice living with us for six weeks felt just about perfect--like the little family David and I have created was complete once again (because Carson had also returned from Mobile during this time).

You would think that being on lock down would have created some tension (and I suppose if I'm honest I would have to say that there were occasional moments of strife), but Alice brought so much joy to the house. Even Kid loved having Alice around (so many toys to choose from and extra treats to lick up. LOL). We had time for lots of baby snuggles, family walks outside, and having Alice attend virtual work meeting with us. Carson loved making her giggle and Alice loved letting Uncle Carson make her giggle. She was so much fun to get out of her crib after a nap because she woke up happy and always had the biggest grin when someone went to get her out of her crib.

And now, Alice, her mama and her daddy are reunited and living in their own apartment. The apartment is only a couple of miles from our house and we are still helping with child care, but it's not quite the same. The day after Katelyn and Alice moved into the new apartment, Carson said it felt like there was a black cloud hanging over our house. We've rebounded (because of several Alice/Kate visits), but it still isn't quite the same. We are so grateful for the past 6 weeks and the opportunity we had to spend time with Alice and Kate.