Corona Virus Quarantine Day #141: Big Saturday: August 8, 2020:

Holy moly, it’s been a big day!  We did a lot of our normal stuff at home in the morning and Bryan finished painting the ceiling in the barn.  The kids and I took an hour long walk with Gigi and Izzy (my sister’s dog) and then played basketball and volleyball in the barn.

Fletcher was “training” on our walk today.  He would frequently break out into a dead sprint and this little man is fast.  We all would have to run to catch up with him so he wouldn’t get too far away.

Because you can’t have enough pictures of your kids in a sunflower field!  

However, the highlight of our day was that we went to buy school shoes!  It really is the simple things in life.

I know…I may be getting ahead of myself going out to buy something as crazy as “back to school shoes” but our children really needed new shoes anyways.  Finley, Ellen, Cooper and Fiona’s shoes are a whole size too small!  I’m wasn’t even sure what size Fletcher wore or that it matters, he almost always has them on the wrong feet and has even resorted to wearing his sister’s tennis shoes.

School or no school we needed shoes and I needed the kids with me to buy them.

Also, as a bonus, Dicks’ is having a sale.  So it was a broad win-win for the whole family.  When you have to buy 5 pairs at one time…it’s essential there be a sale!

I have to tell you that this was so much fun.  This would normally be something I’d dread but this year, everything is different.

I think the kids were beyond happy to be in a public place, even while wearing masks.  They kept thanking us for taking them before we even left the store.  Fletcher was crazy excited to get his first pair of “big boy school shoes.” He said they make him super fast. He picked “Michael Jordan” shoes.  Cooper tried on the most pairs and also has the largest feet in the family of children.  These poor children have little hope to wear a normal size when they reach adulthood between their dad and I.  Big feet run in our family.

They all liked shoes that were NOT on sale but Mom and Dad prevailed and we convinced them the sale shoes were the way to go (or the only way).  They were pretty excited about them.  Cooper and Ellen are in a size 7, Finley a 6, Fiona a size 4 and Fletcher a 13.  I love these pictures they melt my heart, that something as simple as new shoes makes them all so happy!  

After Dick’s we decided to get take out from KC Joe’s and take out ice cream from Syla’s and Maddy’s.  I had a gift card that hadn’t been used yet so we bought a few different kinds to sample at home.  I have to tell you; I’ve never been here before but I will go back.  They are so friendly, their ice cream is affordable and it is extremely delicious!  The kids loved the idea of sampling 4 different types of ice cream.

Ice cream sampling is the way to go!  

You seriously would have thought this was the most exciting day ever.  The kids really enjoyed being out in public, they all asked to go to more stores while we were out.  It just goes to show you that even little ones can feel socially isolated during these strange times.  All day today Fletcher kept saying things to people he saw like “oooh good song” (to a couple we saw on the walk this morning) or “I like your shoes” (to another passerby on the walk).  He told someone he liked their car in the parking lot at Dick’s.

Now, Fletcher is a friendly guy but I have to laugh because I am pretty sure this all has to do with him missing being around people.  When we got in the car with our new shoes he said “I can’t wait to go to school tomorrow.”  My heart…..

Corona virus has a lot of flaws, most notably that it kills people…but man oh man, the social isolation piece and the impact it is already having and will have on people down the road remains to be seen.  I pray that the anxiety, depression and loneliness people are feeling at this time is temporary and that we will come out the other side of this better and kinder people.

A girl can dream…right?

At any rate, it was a fun day that was out of the ordinary for us as the kids haven’t really been out and about at all since this thing started.  What better reason to go buy sale shoes at Dick’s for school whenever it actually starts up again?

Hope.  Today we were dealing hope up in the Dorsey household.

We are always telling the kids that we were made to do hard things.  Today Ellen asked me to try something extra hard in the barn today.  We have done this before but she knows it challenges her and she wanted to do it again!  I love that.  Super proud of this little girl.  She was determined this summer to work hard and get better and she has!  

Ellen really wanted to master overhand serving.  At the start of quarantine she could barely get a ball over the net.  Now she consistently gets the ball over.  We still have to work on keeping that toss out in front of us but I’m so proud of this girl!