Pantry help from Jessie: Lily and I have both been knee deep in house projects while the kids melt their brains on screens. Today, we got some extra support from Jessie who was so kind to come and help Lily make decisions about all her pantry food. By the end of it, the pantry was 100% emptied. Thank you Jessie and Lily! Morgan and Jessie are also giving us blankets so Lily and the kids can be warm after I pack all the blankets in the car for the road trip. We also hung out the Morgan and Jessie until late last night, so we have really been enjoying spending much time with them before we go!
Lily plays with the kids: In addition to endlessly driving around (an observation Lily quickly observed after being in Asia for a month with almost no driving and a lot of healthy walking), Lily has been reviewing old family photos and videos a lot lately (including last night when everyone, but Ammon looked at family photos together to cheer up Clarissa who was sad that she was not invited to Casey’s Pajama party, -where Ammon was). Lily and I have both been reflecting on many good memories, and looking at old photos and videos also inspired Lily to play more with the kids. I felt busy with projects and also unwell from my cold, so I did not join in, but I committed to play the next day. I think they played some kind of forest imagination game. The kids were grateful afterward and rewarded Lily with a foot massage.
Ammon’s Cupcake holder building: We are almost completely out of objects in the home for the kids to play with, but today, Ammon and Clarissa asked if they could play with the cupcake holders and we said yes. They are very good at imaginative play, and their creativity never ceases to amaze me. This is what Ammon built (I assume), while Lily and I visited her mom and went on a date for tea, chai and cider at a local coffee shop in the evening: