March 2020 Recap

I mean, who doesn't know what happened during the month of March 2020???  The Rakoz Family did what every other family did....adjust to the COVID-19 Quarantine.  While we had heard reports in late February about this deadly virus, our lives were flipped upside down beginning on Friday, March 13th when our school district announced that all schools would be closed for 6 weeks.  All of the sudden our jammed-packed schedule went to zero in one announcement.  All of us were home either working or trying to keep up with our academics.  Over the rest of the month there were Stay-at-Home orders issued and the country was quickly progressing to lock-down mode in an effort to stop this virus from spreading any further.  Sadly, these attempts were either initiated too late or society wasn't having any of it and the positive cases and deaths multiplied rapidly by the hour.  

Since you are all living through it, I won't touch any more on the subject.  I will continue to post some pics of our lives during quarantine to show that family bonding did have its benefits.

BEFORE QUARANTINE

  Thanks to Columbia Little League, we were granted a pass to the Nike Company Store.  This is one of my happy places and I loved having Dylan along.

 Due to the last week of grading before report cards would come out, I had to really get on the boys to get any missing assignments turned in.  Some of these arguments dragged out a lot longer than they should have!

  I signed Presley back up for Tumbling at SWAG Gymnastics.  Sadly she only got 2 practices before they were shut down as well.

  We celebrated this amazing guy on March 6th!  Happy Birthday Daddy!

  Teague loves a good brunch and a good buffet, so we celebrated his special day at the mother of all brunch buffets....Salty's.  It did NOT disappoint!  This is by far the best buffet I have ever been to....including Vegas.  I have a feeling this will not be our last visit here.

  Later that day, Dylan wanted to do our Monthly Hangtime by going bowling.  We played 3 games and I was able to work off some of those brunch calories.

  Here, Presley and I are attending our Dance Team end of the season party and awards celebration: a dessert bar!

  Here's a pic of all the 8th graders we're losing next year.

  Here's some thank you gifts I received from some of the girls.  I'm so appreciative for their thoughtfulness.

  Maddox had his end-of-the-season basketball celebration during one of his lunches where he was awarded the Coaches Award.  So awesome!

AFTER QUARANTINE

So the craziest thing happened....on Friday the 13th the school district closed all campuses.  The very next day it snowed 2 inches.  In March.  A couple of things to note: 1) the following Monday was a built-in snow day that we were going to have off anyway since it didn't get used this winter (ha!); and 2) this snow happened on a Saturday so late in the season that Daddy didn't have to go in to work and was able to participate in our tradition of walking to Starbucks in the snow for a sweet treat.  He was so excited!

    Hot cocoas, chai tea lattes and mochas all around

 

  Here are some shots of the kids enjoying the weather.  It was perfect for building a snowman.  Dylan got to break out the snow-ball makers he got for his birthday.

 The Library was about to shut down for the next 2 weeks (at least).  This was my chance to catch up on some reading.  I checked out 11 books, excited to finally get some time to read.  The books were heavy enough to break the straps off this bag!

  Anna and I had planned to go Spring clothes shopping the following day.  Little did we know the stay-at-home order would come in the next week banning any retail shopping or dining in restaurants.

  Here are the boys' laundry piles (D on left, M on right).  Although you cannot see it, in both cases, there IS a hamper underneath all that grime.  I was waiting to see how long it will take them to run out of their 'essential clothing.'  UPDATE: it was about 3 weeks for Maddox and at least 2 for Dylan.  Because I had the kids do their 3-month Deep Clean, I'll never know how long it took.

  Here's a rare pic of sibling chivalry...Dylan carrying Presley to bed.

  Here's a pic of Maddox helping in the yard (ie, working off a consequence).  Days after the snow, our 'men' stood strong.

  These festive cupcakes are the extent of our St Patrick's Day celebration.  Above is Maddox's homage to the Boston Celtics in tribute to the demise of the NBA season.

  Cupcakes weren't the only baking by Maddox.  He has made several batches of pancakes, including this heart shaped pancake....awwwww

  Here's some pics of the boys using the court up at HeLa before the parks, playgrounds and sport courts were closed.  This may be the hardest part for them....not being able to shoot hoops.

  There was a Lego Challenge issued online to keep creativity flowing.  Here are a few submissions for the challenge "You are stranded on a desert island.  Create a boat to travel off the island."

  

  Shahala refined their Spirit Week which was going to take place right before Spring Break.  Here the kids posed for "Pet Day."

  One day Auntie Rhacelle and Briar stopped by for a socially distant walk and talk.

  Although this was Dylan's pic for "Shahala Day" during Spirit Week, it also shows my talent for cutting hair during this time of inaccesibility from salons.

  One bright piece of news was that a new doughnut shop opened up closeby....Mr Maples Donuts.  Pretty decent and definitely a welcome addition to the area.  

 This was a cute pic some of the Shahala staff did for our students.  Once it got around, all the schools posted their own version....but we know who was first.  #shahalasthebest

  As the weeks progressed, the governor closed all parks, playgrounds and sports courts making daily fitness very difficult.  Here are a few ways the kids tried to keep active.  Old school Trac Ball and street football.

  During Spring Break I relented on the academics, but forced the kids to join Teague and I on our daily hour long walk.  

Looking back at these photos I'm seeing that I've taken quite a few, despite the empty schedule.  Could it be the silver lining of a Quarantine is having all distractions taken away and having a lot more time to focus on what's most important in life?  This is a chance to reconnect with those I hold most dear.  I am one that tries to find the purpose in challenging situations, because I know that God is at work everywhere.  It's sad that it took such extremes for everyone to place their life on pause and just enjoy the simplest of blessings.  I hope the lessons we're learning during this trial are positive ones that we will all use to change our future for the better.

I'm praying for the quick resolution on this virus and healing of those infected.  I'm praying for the deaths to stop completely.  As this Stay-at-Home order has been extended through early May, I hope my April post has a happy ending: one of flattened curves, plans for vaccination, and school resume dates.

Please join me in the prayer and stay healthy out there.