Laura’s Tooth Fairy Chronicles

I love that Laura continues to leave a note for the Tooth Fairy, as she has done since her first loss. These notes are always gems!

I think a fairy with a mask is also a great sign of our times!

Scenes from Quarantine

This unprecedented time of staying at home and social distancing will be a defining moment for each of us. There have been highs: Way more family dinners than usual, family movies, games, and no racing around and against the clock. There have been lows, too: Missing friends, canceled plans and occasions, uncertainty about the future. Regardless of the ultimate feelings about it, I wanted to be sure we had some photos to document it.

Pinecone Wars: A game Danny and Laura invented early on, before bees and allergies overtook the season.

Distance learning, sometimes with distractions...

MANYwalks to Meghan’s mailbox, exchanging letters and LEGO creations.

The addition of a ping pong table to the basement. 

A Zoom call with grandparents on occasions like Easter and Mother’s Day.

An art project for Theology gone goofy...

Virtual soccer practices, emailed from the coach.

And a whole lot of QT with the cats - the clear winners in quarantine!

Fourteen in Quarantine

Another birthday under stay-at-home orders, but Danny made it pretty easy. Luke came over to play soccer and Xbox for a couple of hours; we had steak and cake; he gamed with “the boys” (a.k.a. the Marist soccer squad) late into the night - and he was very content! It also helped that I fulfilled his number one gift request: a pan of creme de menthe brownies all to himself!

By the way, this was the third year in a row for an Arsenal-themed cake, so while he may be quite a bit taller than he was a year ago, his heart is the same. We love you, Dan Man!

Easter at Home

As the “shelter in place” mandate continues, so do the milestones of life, including holidays. Easter this year was strange, to be sure. The weather didn’t even cooperate. But, we attended online mass at Notre Dame, cooked our traditional waffles for brunch and lamb for dinner, and even managed an egg hunt (which ended in rain, hence the photo from far away). (Laura and Danny also found slugs in a couple of eggs, which Laura will never forget.)

We also FaceTimed with family, read, relaxed, and played with the new ping pong table. And I made everyone get dressed to take a family photo. As always, we were - and remain - blessed.

Seventeen in Quarantine

COVID-19 cares not for the calendar and milestones, which means Clare turned 17 in the midst of a stay-at-home order and virtual schooling. This was, in essence, a big fat bummer. 

Still, we celebrated. The Testanis sent beautiful flowers. Abby made a covert visit. There were gifts, cake, calls and cards from friends and family. It will never be her favorite birthday, but it will certainly be memorable.

She requested a cityscape for her birthday, reflecting her fascination with them - and looking ahead to a future that will include travel and adventure...eventually.

We love this girl so much, and I can’t complain about the extra time to be with her. A silver lining for this seventeenth birthday.

Hunting Colleges in Boston

While Danny enjoyed sunny relaxation in Florida, Tim, Clare and Abby headed north to explore schools in the Boston area. Tim mapped out the itinerary, which had them start with an exploration of Marblehead before heading to Holy Cross, their first tour.

As this trip unfolded at the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis that would eventually shut down much of the country - and most universities - their experience was a bit surreal. They were fortunate in that they were able to tour each school, with closure notices announced moments after they arrived at each. 

Altogether, they toured Holy Cross, Tufts, Harvard and Boston College. BC emerged as the favorite for both girls. I’m pretty sure the fact that it has its own T stop was a big plus as far as Clare was concerned!

They also saw enough of Boston to really like the city, and to get up to some of their usual goofiness - the hallmark of any good trip! We are so glad that they managed to make this trip before the world closed down, and look forward to the time when such trips are possible once again!

Danny’s Solo Spring Break in Sarasota

With Danny’s first year at a Marist falling at the same time as Clare’s junior year - a critical time to visit colleges - he opted to skip to Sarasota by himself. As I suspected, he was treated like a king and throughly enjoyed the sibling-free life, as perhaps only a middle child can!

While I believe he enjoyed the variety of activities, from visiting a military museum to the zoo to golfing, we primarily got pictures of him enjoying food! This would account for the fact that I am certain he grew at least half an inch while he was gone!

He and Grandma also enjoyed nightly rounds of Banagrams,
at the end of which he crafted this message:

And he very well may have! He came home just as the coronavirus frenzy was gaining steam, so we were happy to get him back under our roof. But really pleased that he had such a memorable week with his grandparents!