Projects!

I always have a running list in my head, and on paper, of what projects I want to get done around the house.  Of course there's never any time to do them...until now!  We are hammering out projects left and right these days and the boys are getting in on a few too.  We're so productive, we've (Erik) has taken our (Erik's) skills on the road!  I was a little worried I'd run out of things to do but the more time I have to think, the more time I have to come up with new ideas.  So, I can safely say we'll never run out of things to do.

This is the laundry room.  Some day I'll post before and afters.  

This room has been mainly completed for awhile, except for the door under the sink that the towel is mounted on.  That FINALLY got finished and installed (after 6 years of nothing there).  It finally looks like a finished room!

Erik has been helping build a lean-to for the mini horses.  They're moving out to his sister Erin's place.  Here the boys "helped" by staying out of the way and getting SUPER muddy on the 4 wheeler.

And here Mason actually did help!

Cutest carpenter I've ever seen.

We did some updates to our kitchen (still not finished) and took out some cabinets.

I decided to paint them and utilize them in the basement as a bar area.

Erik caught me in action sanding the countertop.

The finished product!

Still needs some decorations to make it complete but we can cross that off my list now!

I'm sure Erik is dying to know what's next on his list!  (He's not)

We made it!!  We're done with school!!  I can't say it was pretty but we're all still talking to each other.  I also can't say the boys came out smarter than they were in March when they left their teachers, but they're definitely not dumber so I consider that a solid win in my book. 

Kade still has a couple things to finish up before Friday when the official last day of school is but we no longer have to plan our day around school work for Mason, which was our biggest struggle.  His 1st grade teacher will have their hands full when that little man heads back into school.  Uff da.  Like I always tell him, "He's lucky he's cute!!"  If every single lesson revolved around fishing, getting dirty and just overall "boy destruction", he'd be considered a genius!

Kade's still hunting that elusive turkey.  Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday I wake him up at 4:15 to head out and every time he's come back empty handed.  He's hunting in the woods next to our house so Erik and I sit out on the porch and listen to him and Grandpa calling them in.  It's pretty entertaining but we still haven't heard a gunshot.  Poor kid.  I will say his determination and dedication, at 9 years old, is pretty impressive.  Fingers crossed he gets one before June.

Baseball has been canceled for the summer.  Camping is still up in the air, although even if campgrounds do open up, I'm not sure we'll go.  We've got it pretty good out here in the country.  So, we decided this was definitely the summer to buy a fishing boat!  They've taken it out on the water a couple times with no luck, good thing Mason has just as much fun pretend playing in our driveway!

Not surprisingly, Kade is a pretty good pitcher.  He's been practicing a little bit with Erik giving him pointers.  Hopefully next summer we'll see a lot of strike outs with him on the mound!

Mason posing in front of Erik's latest project completion.  

A firewood holder.

We're in the final stretch of our "new normal", there's only 5 days left of "distance learning" (it's funny how 2 months ago I would've asked what the heck those 2 phrases mean and now that's all we hear!) and then it's officially summer!!!  

Kade has done fine with home school, he gets up and does it right away.  I honestly haven't even looked too closely at his requirements and if he's meeting them.  I probably should but he's such a rule follower that I'm trusting he's doing everything.  I've also taken on the attitude of, "is he going to fail 3rd grade if he doesn't get something done?  No.  So, really, who cares?"  Probably not the best attitude to have as a parent.

Mason, on the other hand, has been a struggle to say the least.  He does not want to do anything and I don't blame him but, dang, is it frustrating to just get him to do the bare minimum!  We've had to get creative with bribing him and 99% of the time it involves fishing.  Again, he's not going to fail Kindergarten but I cannot wait until the pressure is off and we can just enjoy the day without schoolwork looming over our heads.

These boys are GREAT at enjoying their day.  We've been counting our blessings that we are in the country because they have so many places to go just on our property to play and use their imagination.  The biggest hit so far has been the sandbox, they've got quite the farming operation set up in and around there.  The waterway has also been a top contender.  They load up their 4 wheeler and pretend they are on a hunt, or they're living in the wild like Bear Grylls.

I'm not sure what the summer holds in store for us but I do know that in 5 days I'll finally get my dining room table back!!

Fishing season is officially open!

Can't social distance from cousins forever!

Kade and Violet resting between horse lessons with Grandma.

Seemed like the perfect day to do some shirtless schoolwork in the sun!

The squirrel feeder has found a home...

and a repeat customer.  This big fella spends hours at the bar.

Ok, it's official, we've gone off the deep end as the pictures below will show.  I guess the good thing is, at least we're all enjoying ourselves!  We haven't had this much time on our hands since before I can even remember.  Projects are getting done, projects we didn't even know we wanted to do are getting started, the boys have found a rhythm together that has tightened their bond even more than it was.  Erik and I have started running again!  We haven't done that since before Kade.  It's not pretty, it's not fast and it's not far but it feels good to be consistent again.  Oh, and there's only 10 school days left...but who's counting.

The boy's idea of "going out" nowadays is to go to a tree in the middle of a field that has a little water running by it.  So, at the end of the day, when their school work is done, we head out to the tree and they play for hours.

Of course Mason attempted to jump across the water.  And missed.  Thank goodness Kade was there to help!  Although Kade was laughing so hard I'm not sure how much help he was.

I showed Erik this picture from Pinterest.

He thought it was hilarious.

2 weeks later, he made this!

Yep, we're officially feeding the squirrels.

And he made 2 of them so we can feed squirrels at the front of the house and the back of the house.

And last, but definitely not least, the boys needed haircuts.  All of them.

Mohawks for everyone!