154 of 365 – June 4, 2021 – I had asked Florence and Julia if they’d like to share a bedroom with Louisa, and they both gave enthusiastic yeses. Since the school year was winding down (and bunkbeds were finally back in stock at Ikea), I thought it would be a good time to make the change. This is a portrait of their last night in their room for two. After our bedtime routine was done every night, Florence read, and Julia spent some quiet time alone playing with her Calico Critters. My general post-bedtime rule is if I don’t see you and I don’t hear you, you can do whatever you’d like and they took full advantage.

155 of 365 – June 5, 2021 – The first day in the room for three was not without its hiccups. I knew it might take some adjustment, and that was confirmed when I heard Florence screaming through our shared wall, “STOP TALKING!!!!” That may seem kind of harsh. Who can blame Lou for being excited to finally have company for bedtime? But apparently, she had a lot of questions that needed immediate answers. And she liked to repeat those questions over and over and over again even after receiving those answers. For example:

“Florence, what does a cat say?”
“meow”
“Florence, what does a cat say?”
“meow”
“Florence, what does a cat say?”
“Meow”
“Florence, what does a cat say?”
“STOP TALKING!!!!”

Fair enough.

156 of 365 – June 6, 2021 – First day at the pool of the season really wore Louisa out.

157 of 365 – June 7, 2021 – Strawberry face.

158 of 365 – June 8, 2021 – Louisa helping me water the plants while her sisters are in school…enjoying my final days home with just Lou before summer and all the kids are in school in the fall!

159 of 365 – June 9, 2021 – Florence’s end of year assembly looked a bit different than usual. We all gathered on the playground with our masks and spaced out picnic blankets to look through all their work from the year. And yes, it was different, but I feel so grateful for her amazing teachers and how much work they put in to making sure the year ran as smoothly as possible and actually felt kind of normal. From full virtual, to hybrid, to in person, Florence sampled it all and the teachers made it somehow still seem like just a regular year. The heart award feels very appropriate for this girl who loves school and never complained about online learning or wearing a mask or any of it. She just showed up ready to learn.

160 fo 365 – June 10, 2021 – Julia’s last day of school in this crazy year called for a bit of a celebration, so we took a little walk after dinner and had ice cream in the sunset. That pretty light is my kind of celebrating. It was a long, strange year, but I am so proud of how this girl did not miss a beat.

147 of 365 – May 28, 2021 – So, I’ve obviously fallen quite behind if in real life it’s almost August and I’m still talking about school days, but here we are. Julia begged to go along to pick Florence up from school every single day this year–rain, snow, heat–she would not be deterred. Once, I was in a huge rush and had to leave her behind and the breakdown that ensued was unparalleled.  This day Florence got out at 12:30, so Louisa wasn’t napping and got to come along! They kept their eyes glued to the doors and when Florence emerged, ran to give her a huge hug.

These were the first flower buds that I spotted on my nasturtiums that I planted from seeds. The kids and I were all so excited.

148 of 365 – May 29, 2021 – I asked Jason to take a picture of me and my snuggle bug who still wants to be my little baby. I’m soaking it in while it lasts, before she becomes a three year old with all the attitude.

My view.

149 of 365 – May 30, 2021 – The look of anguish of someone who is having the knots brushed from their hair. I remember this feeling from when I was a kid.

150 of 365 – May 31, 2021 – My little paper dolls and I coming home from the park.

151 of 365 – June 1, 2021 – I love my nerdy little children who make up tests for each other and pull workbooks from the shelf on their own. I also just love this photo of Julia looking like an artist at work.

152 of 365 – June 2, 2021 – Here is the completed garage after all of my painting. I don’t think I get any greater feeling of accomplishment than completing some kind of physical task like this.

153 of 365 – June 3, 2021 – I looked up the stairs and saw these two, not so patiently waiting for bedtime.

140 of 365 – May 21, 2021 – I wish it weren’t frowned upon to strap all of your children into chairs at meals until they graduate from high school. I’m starting to lose hope that dinnertime won’t always look like some version of this.

141 of 365 – May 22, 2021 – Goggles are required for playing at a water table obviously.

142 of 365 – May 23, 2021 – Portrait of my nephew, Shane, or as the kids call him, Baby Shane.

143 of 365 – May 24, 2021 – Two peas in a pod. At night, when they are both overtired, all I hear is constant giggling, of course speckled with bits of fighting, but mostly giggling.

144 of 365 – May 25, 2021 – For our season of virtual dance, we had the leotards, we had the tights, we had the ballet shoes…and we had exactly one pair of tap shoes.

145 of 365 – May 26, 2021 – Since Julia and Florence saw me wearing a towel in my hair after a shower, they have been obsessed. My kids never miss an opportunity to add an accessory to a look. Here it’s for the post-bath rendition of Let it Go.

146 of 365 – May 27, 2021 – Even though she still wants to be called a baby, Louisa is seeming like a very big girl all of a sudden.