(Day 10 & 11) I expected this weekend to be difficult since we had a lot of fun things planned for this weekend before everything got canceled. But God is so kind, and he sent us all kinds of encouragement to get us through!
Lover made us a decadent breakfast of bacon, French toast with whipped cream and homemade strawberry jam, and fruit salad. I made us a couple of lattes, and everything was delicious! The kids gobbled down theirs and waited impatiently for us to hide the eggs so they could do their Easter egg hunt!
Everyone had a blast looking for eggs, and it was so much fun to watch the kids enjoy themselves! They opened up everything, chowed down the candy and played with all the little toys inside. It was more fun than I expected to watch the kiddos enjoying themselves even with the adjustments we had to make. Thankful!
We played a little game while picking up the eggs, and then sat out and enjoyed the sunshine until it was time for our Netflix party with my family. We watched Next Gen, and I read a novel as well. Then after the movie we headed out for a drive and enjoyed sunny skies and wide open spaces! Another friend finished our book, so it was fun to chat about what she enjoyed and who her favorite characters were, etc. I love hearing from people who are enjoying my writing! We came home refreshed and thankful for the ways God blesses us, and gave everyone baths and got them all into bed.
Sunday: We were asked by our pastor to share during our livestream service about the best ways to pray for young families during this time. So we did breakfast and got everyone cleaned up, and then headed to church! It was nice to see friends’ faces, and enjoy a service in person! We sang a couple of songs and then we shared. A brief summary of what we shared (after also polling our friends to get a bigger picture); for parents as they are navigating online learning for all their kids, often while working from home, and without the community that usually supports them. Learning how to manage all of the emotions we are experiencing while also helping our kids deal with their own emotions. And finally, for encouragement and wisdom as we seek God to figure out how to handle all of these new challenges! Several people reached out to tell us that it was really encouraging for the young families to feel heard during this challenging times, and really helpful for those not in this stage of life to feel like they know better how to pray for all of us.
We walked back home and then I met up with a friend to go for a walk for her birthday. It was nice to catch up and share what’s on our hearts – just some nice girl time! In the afternoon we found our hammock and set it up in the backyard – so nice and relaxing! Lover found some videos for the kids to watch based on questions they’ve been asking. They watched one about how the manufacturing process has evolved, and what kinds of manufacturing we currently have. And also a few on animation, since the kids have been asking about what parts of movies are real and which are not. I snuck in quite a bit of writing this weekend too! We ended the weekend feeling refreshed and encouraged and ready to tackle another week of this!