Thankful

Obviously I haven’t had quite had the time or maybe the motivation or maybe the energy to keep up with the blog lately. Maybe it is because Reese has been waking up at 5 am every single morning. Maybe it is because it is pitch black by 5 pm (or earlier IDK) every night. Maybe it is because it’s been relatively rainy, drizzly and overcast lately which is typical for Seattle this time of year but never appreciated. I don’t truly know but both Bryan and I have been trying our best to keep our energy up and our positivity aglow for Reese, not always the easiest task but one that is better for all of us.

So it’s been a few weeks now since we returned from Michigan and a decent amount has occurred. Work has been busy for both Bryan and I. I have a project deadline of 12/3 (and after that may expect to be quite slow which is better for the holiday shopping and cookie making if you ask me). Bryan has been filling in for his new and outgoing senior managers. And both of us have sat through our own annual reviews. Reese has been busy at her school I expect too, as she is getting better at her counting up to 10 and giving out all sorts of verbal commands at home. We’ve taken Reese to the playground after school and on the weekends as often as we can. Thankfully she doesn’t mind being at the playground in the dark and thankfully our tiny neighborhood playground is surprisingly lit at night. I’ve picked up Lottie on two occasions to take her with us to the playground and the girls were all about that, so much so that the second time was not planned but both the girls were so upset about not going together I had to call Sarah on the spot to get her to okay it for the teachers. Reese has also suggested (okay, demanded) that we walk to school in the morning and I try to as often as we can because it’s good for me and my sanity too, especially before a long day of sitting at home. Unfortunately, I did lose my ID on one of our walks this week, tried retracing my steps but to no luck, so thankful that I am 1. looking much older than 21 these days and 2. not going anywhere that would required an ID (other than driving on a rare, rare occasion).

Our weekends have been generally dry which has allowed for some long walks to parks and two runs along Lake Washington and Seward Park. We’ve gotten together with our neighbors (outside and with masks on) to hit our neighborhood playground and walk to our cookie counter for cookies and did the same thing on our own another weekend because…walks + cookies = good idea. Plus, Reese especially loves the birthday cake cookie with sprinkles from Lowrider Baking Co! Well, she loves cookies in general, lets be honest. We’ve made more of an initiative to eat at the table with Reese and she is generally improving in table manners. I’ve also resorted to meal boxes more often than in the past and having the shopping and planning done for me, have found these to be really handy to have this year. We still get takeout generally 1 or 2 times a week which is a nice reprieve from cooking and a nice treat. It’s also mildly exciting to have more family meal options on offer for takeout now that lockdown 2.0 is in effect.

Speaking of which, we are having Lottie and Sarah over for dinner tomorrow but generally no one is allowed to gather inside in Washington right now. All dining is closed and stores are at very limited capacity. I’m relieved, to be honest, because it is nerve-wracking when you see the numbers of cases climbing exponentially and no one is doing anything about it. Both Bryan and I have pretty much determined to not go or do anything risky for a time.

I’m so looking forward to the long weekend to spending some quality time together as a family, to getting outside when we can (weather looks generally dry for the weekend), to getting some sleep if someone allows it, and to gearing up for the holiday season that is still happening. I’m beyond grateful for my health, my family, my job and so much more this Thanksgiving. There’s certainly things I wouldn’t mind changing and hope that next Thanksgiving will look a bit more normal but it could be so much worse for us than it is and to that I am thankful.

Chelsea